HOUSTON – A grand jury in Houston has returned three separate indictments charging a total of eight Houston men with robbery and using firearms during these crimes of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. The indictments represent a joint initiative aimed at reducing violent takeover robberies of local businesses by organized crews of armed robbers. 

The eight men had been in state custody on related charges. All but one - Joe Gutierrez, 19 - are set to appear today at 10:00 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Palermo. The separate, but similar indictments were all returned Feb. 21, 2018.

Those charged in the first case include Gutierrez, Derrick Isaiah Stewart, 19, and Patrick Earl Cooper Jr., 20. A father and son are charged in a separate indictment - Marcus Hargove, 45, and Christopher Michael Carmon, 26, while the remaining three - Deamonta Frederick Taylor, 22, Joshua Marquise Turner, 22, and Kevin Eugene Harrison, 22 – are charged together in the third case.

The first indictment alleges four specific robberies of local pawn shops, during which the defendants stole firearms, cash and jewelry. Stewart, Gutierrez and Cooper are charged with aiding and abetting interference with commerce by robbery and aiding and abetting use, brandishing and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Specifically, on Sep. 28, 2017, Cooper and others allegedly robbed the Cash America Pawn at gunpoint on 6015 Lyons Street, during which time a firearm was discharged. Six days later, Stewart and others allegedly robbed the Cash America Pawn at gunpoint on 5219 Airline Drive. The indictment alleges that later in October, Stewart and Cooper joined forces to rob the Cash America Pawn at 8223 North Freeway at gunpoint. Cooper, Stewart and Gutierrez were finally captured and arrested Oct. 31, 2017, after allegedly robbing the Cash America Pawn at 1816 North Durham Street at knifepoint.

Hargove and his son - Carmon - are charged in the second case with aiding and abetting interference with commerce by robbery and aiding and abetting use and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Specifically, they are suspected in multiple armed robberies of MetroPCS stores which occurred between October and November 2017. The son is charged in three robberies, two of which were allegedly committed with his father. The indictment alleges that during each of the robberies, they took turns going into the store and ordered employees to give them cash from the cash register.

In the final case, Taylor, Turner and Harrison are charged in connection with a spree of commercial robberies occurring in November 2017. Taylor is charged with five counts of interference with commerce by robbery and five counts of aiding and abetting use and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, while Turner and Harrison are charged with one count each of these crimes. Between Nov. 2-8, 2017, Taylor is alleged to have robbed three different MetroPCS stores and one Subway restaurant in the Northwest Houston area, while Taylor, Turner and Harrison allegedly robbed a Cricket Wireless store in Northwest Houston on Nov. 9, 2017. Taylor, Turner and Harrison were apprehended Nov. 9, 2017, immediately after the commission of their last robbery, according to the indictment. 

If convicted, the men face a sentence of up to 20 years on the robbery charges. The firearms offenses carry a minimum of seven years for the first conviction, while an additional conviction carries a 25-year minimum sentence. Those charges must also be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed. They also face up to $250,000 in fines for any of the offenses.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Houston Police Department were involved in all three of the investigations. The Harris County Precinct One Constable’s Office assisted with the Cash America robbery investigations, while the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Department of Public Safety were the co-investigators on the other two matters.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather Winter, Jennie Basile and Richard Hanes are prosecuting the three cases, respectively.

The indictments are an example of coordination between law enforcement who are part of the Houston Law Enforcement Violent Crime Initiative. The goal is to proactively fight and reduce violent crime across the Greater Houston area by targeting the region’s most violent offenders, augmenting investigative and prosecutorial efforts, and enhancing training, public awareness and education.

The cases are brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In late 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Eric Matthew Reddick, 23, of Albuquerque was sentenced in federal court on December 10 to 217 months in prison for two armed robberies he committed in 2017. 

            According to public court records, Reddick committed the first armed robbery in Albuquerque on October 3, 2017.  Reddick and another man went inside a gas station carrying firearms.  They wore masks, gloves, and hats to conceal their identities.  Reddick and the other man pointed their guns at a clerk and demanded money.  The clerk told them to calm down and assured them he would get the money.  However, Reddick shot his pistol at shelves of liquor behind the clerk.  The clerk then handed over money from the cash register.  Reddick and the other man fled the store. 

            On October 6, 2017, Reddick went to a convenience store in Albuquerque.  He picked up a pack of gum and put in on the counter with a dollar bill.  When the clerk opened a cash register, Reddick pulled out a pistol and demanded money.  This was the same gun Reddick used in the previous robbery three days earlier.  Reddick took money from the clerk and left the store with two witnesses watching him.  One of the witnesses took a cell photo picture of Reddick as he ran towards a car.  Reddick fired several shots at the witnesses, striking one in the neck and the other in the leg.  Reddick fled the scene in a stolen vehicle but police later tracked him down at a restaurant parking lot.  Officers stopped the vehicle, arrested Reddick, and seized the gun used in the robberies.

            On November 30, 2017, Reddick pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with interference with interstate commerce by robbery and carrying, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.  These charges stemmed from the robbery on October 6, 2017.   On March 25, 2019, Reddick pleaded guilty to an information charging him with interference with interstate commerce by robbery.  This charge stemmed from the robbery on October 3.  Reddick received concurrent sentences of 97 months in prison for the two robbery offenses.  He received a consecutive sentence of 120 months in prison for the firearm offense for a total sentence of 217 months imprisonment.

            The FBI investigated this case with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Albuquerque Police Department.  Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Trembley prosecuted the case as part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s “SAUSA Partnership” with the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office, a joint initiative designed to reduce violent crime in Albuquerque.    

Jackson, Miss. – A Jackson man was sentenced to 121 months in federal prison for carjacking and brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Russell Emmett Gibbs, 46, carjacked a male victim at gunpoint on Edgewood Terrace in Jackson, Mississippi in November 2020. Gibbs was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 6, 2023, and entered a guilty plea on October 26, 2023.

U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.

The case was investigated by the ATF and the Jackson Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly T. Purdie prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

ALBUQUERQUE – Nicholas Baca, 31, a members of a Taos County-based heroin and money-laundering ring has entered a guilty plea in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to a heroin trafficking charge. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Baca faces up to 33 months in federal prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court. Baca is one of nine defendants charged with heroin trafficking and money laundering offenses as the result of a 15-month DEA-led multi-agency investigation into a heroin trafficking organization led by Ivan Romero, 40. To date, seven of the nine defendants have entered guilty pleas.

 

Baca and seven co-defendants initially were charged with heroin trafficking and money laundering offenses in an eight-count indictment filed in Dec. 2015. The indictment was superseded in Feb. 2016 to add Elena Carabajal, 26, as a ninth defendant and five additional charges. The superseding indictment charged Baca, Ivan Romero and seven other defendants with conspiring to distribute heroin from at least June 2012 through Dec. 2015. It also charged Ivan Romero, Ricco Romero, 29, Melissa Romero, 37, and Wilma Romero, 66, with conspiring to launder heroin trafficking proceeds. The superseding indictment also included substantive heroin trafficking charges against specific defendants including Baca, as well as provisions seeking forfeiture to the United States of any and all assets and property derived, either directly or indirectly, from proceeds obtained from the criminal activities charged.

 

During today’s proceedings, Baca pled guilty to a felony information charging him with conspiracy to distribute heroin. In entering the guilty plea, Baca admitted that in early 2015 he began obtaining approximately 6 grams of heroin from Ivan Romero on a daily basis to sell to others in and around Questa, N.M. Baca admitted that Ivan Romero allowed him to keep approximately 2.5 grams of heroin daily for Baca’s personal use. Baca distributed between 100 grams and 400 grams of heroin during the period in which he participated in the conspiracy. According to the plea agreement, law enforcement seized approximately 6.2 grams of heroin from Baca on April 2, 2015, in Taos, N.M.

 

Six of Baca’s co-defendants previously entered guilty pleas in the case. On Dec. 5, 2016, Ivan Romero pled guilty to Counts 1 and 2 of the superseding indictment, charging him with participating in a heroin trafficking conspiracy and a money laundering conspiracy. Ricco Romero also pled guilty on Dec. 5, 2016, to participating in the heroin trafficking conspiracy and the money laundering conspiracy, and to possessing firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities. Melissa Romero entered a guilty plea on Dec. 8, 2016, to Count 2 of the superseding indictment, charging her with participating in the money laundering conspiracy. Tyler Baker, 45, of Taos County, N.M., entered a guilty plea in October 2016 to participating in the heroin trafficking conspiracy. Elena Carabajal entered a guilty plea on Jan. 4, 2017, to possession of heroin with intent to distribute. Wilma Romero entered a guilty plea on Jan. 5, 2017, to participating in the money laundering conspiracy and possessing heroin with intent to distribute.

 

According to the admissions contained in the plea agreements of the defendants who have entered guilty pleas as well as other court filings, Ivan Romero was the leader of a heroin trafficking organization based in Taos County. Ivan Romero and his brother Ricco Romero were responsible for purchasing quantities of heroin from suppliers in Albuquerque and Los Lunas, N.M. Other members of the organization acted as couriers and regularly transported large quantities of heroin to Ivan Romero and Ricco Romero in Taos County. Upon receiving the bulk heroin, Ivan Romero and Ricco Romero prepared the heroin for distribution by mixing or “cutting” it with other substances, repackaged it in smaller portions, and distributed it both directly and through a network of other drug dealers. Baca was one such dealer who distributed heroin in and around Questa in early 2015.

 

According to court documents, on April 2, 2015, law enforcement officers observed Baca drive to Ivan Romero’s home where he picked up his daily allotment of heroin. Instead of returning directly to Questa, Baca drove toward Taos and stopped in a parking lot north of Taos where a law enforcement officer approached Baca, questioned him and seized packages containing approximately 6.2 grams of heroin.

 

Later that same day, law enforcement officers executed a state search warrant at Ivan Romero’s residence where they seized drug paraphernalia, 461 grams of marijuana, 30 grams of hashish, more than 300 grams of heroin and $64,920 in cash. Ivan Romero was arrested on state charges that day, and Ricco Romero subsequently assumed a greater managerial role in the heroin trafficking organization at that time.

 

Following Ivan Romero’s arrest on April 2, 2015, a state court set his bond at $90,000. Wilma Romero, Ricco Romero and Melissa Romero conspired to launder $90,000 in heroin proceeds to post that bond and secure Ivan Romero’s release from state custody. Ivan Romero soon violated the conditions of his release, was remanded back to state custody and a second bond was set at $150,000. In May 2015, Wilma Romero, Ricco Romero and Melissa Romero again conspired to launder an additional $150,000 in heroin proceeds to post that bond

 

On June 29, 2015, law enforcement agents executed a federal search warrant at Wilma Romero’s residence. In the course of that search, agents seized approximately 97.5 grams of heroin, a small amount of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, $73,288 and gold coins.

 

On Nov. 17, 2015 and Dec. 1, 2015, Ricco Romero distributed heroin to an individual working with law enforcement agents. Thereafter, on Dec. 18, 2015, law enforcement agents obtained and executed a federal search warrant at Ricco Romero and Carabajal’s residence and at another residence as well as at another residence where Ricco Romero and Carabajal maintained a safe. During those searches, agents seized 96.8 grams of heroin, $70,562 in cash, and two firearms.

 

If the plea agreements are accepted by the court: Ivan Romero will be sentenced to a prison term within the range of 120 to 144 months; Ricco Romero will be sentenced to a 120-month prison term; Carabajal will be sentenced to not more than 30 months in prison; Wilma Romero will be sentenced to not more than 24 months in prison; and Melissa Romero will be sentenced to a term of probation. Pursuant to their plea agreements, the defendants have agreed to forfeit $431,870 in heroin proceeds and firearms to the United States.

 

The investigation leading to the indictment was conducted by the Albuquerque office of the DEA, the HIDTA Region III Drug Task Force, New Mexico State Police, Taos Police Department, Taos County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy S. Vasquez is prosecuting the case as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico.

 

The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.

ALBUQUERQUE – Juanita Romero, 35, of Taos County, N.M., entered a guilty plea in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to a heroin trafficking charge. Juanita Romero is one of nine defendants charged with heroin trafficking and money laundering offenses as the result of a 15-month DEA-led multi-agency investigation into a heroin trafficking organization led by Ivan Romero, 40.

 

Juanita Romero is the eighth defendant to enter a guilty plea. Under the terms of her plea agreement, Juanita Romero faces up to 33 months in federal prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.

 

Juanita Romero and seven co-defendants initially were charged with heroin trafficking and money laundering offenses in an eight-count indictment filed in Dec. 2015. The indictment was superseded in Feb. 2016 to add Elena Carabajal, 26, as a ninth defendant and five additional charges. The superseding indictment charged Juanita Romero, Ivan Romero, and seven other defendants with conspiring to distribute heroin from at least June 2012 through Dec. 2015. It also charged Ivan Romero, Ricco Romero, 29, Melissa Romero, 37, and Wilma Romero, 66, with conspiring to launder heroin trafficking proceeds. The superseding indictment also included substantive heroin trafficking charges against specific defendants as well as provisions seeking forfeiture to the United States of any and all assets and property derived, either directly or indirectly, from proceeds obtained from the criminal activities charged.

 

During today’s proceedings, Juanita Romero pled guilty to a felony information charging her with conspiracy to distribute heroin. In entering the guilty plea, Juanita Romero admitted that in late 2014, she began obtaining heroin from Ivan Romero on a daily basis to sell to others in and around Penasco, N.M. Juanita Romero admitted that Ivan Romero allowed her to keep a small amount of heroin daily for her personal use. Juanita Romero acknowledged distributing between 100 grams and 400 grams of heroin during the period in which she participated in the conspiracy.

 

Seven of Juanita Romero’s co-defendants previously have entered guilty pleas in the case:



On Dec. 5, 2016, Ivan Romero pled guilty to Counts 1 and 2 of the superseding indictment, charging him with participating in a heroin trafficking conspiracy and a money laundering conspiracy.





Ricco Romero also pled guilty on Dec. 5, 2016, to participating in the heroin trafficking conspiracy and the money laundering conspiracy, and to possessing firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities.





Melissa Romero entered a guilty plea on Dec. 8, 2016, to Count 2 of the superseding indictment, charging her with participating in the money laundering conspiracy.





Tyler Baker, 45, of Taos County, N.M., entered a guilty plea in October 2016 to participating in the heroin trafficking conspiracy.





Elena Carabajal entered a guilty plea on Jan. 4, 2017, to possession of heroin with intent to distribute.





Wilma Romero entered a guilty plea on Jan. 5, 2017, to participating in the money laundering conspiracy and possessing heroin with intent to distribute.





Nicholas Baca entered a guilty plea on Feb. 7, 2017, to participating in a heroin trafficking conspiracy.



 

According to the admissions contained in the plea agreements of the defendants who have entered guilty pleas as well as other court filings, Ivan Romero was the leader of a heroin trafficking organization based in Taos County. Ivan Romero and his brother Ricco Romero were responsible for purchasing quantities of heroin from suppliers in Albuquerque and Los Lunas, N.M. Other members of the organization acted as couriers and regularly transported large quantities of heroin to Ivan Romero and Ricco Romero in Taos County. Upon receiving the bulk heroin, Ivan Romero and Ricco Romero prepared the heroin for distribution by mixing or “cutting” it with other substances, repackaged it in smaller portions, and distributed it both directly and through a network of other drug dealers. Juanita Romero was one such dealer who distributed heroin in and around Penasco.

 

In April 2015, law enforcement officers executed a state search warrant at Ivan Romero’s residence where they seized drug paraphernalia, 461 grams of marijuana, 30 grams of hashish, more than 300 grams of heroin and $64,920 in cash. Ivan Romero was arrested on state charges that day, and Ricco Romero subsequently assumed a greater managerial role in the heroin trafficking organization at that time.

 

Following Ivan Romero’s arrest on April 2, 2015, a state court set his bond at $90,000. Wilma Romero, Ricco Romero and Melissa Romero conspired to launder $90,000 in heroin proceeds to post that bond and secure Ivan Romero’s release from state custody. Ivan Romero soon violated the conditions of his release, was remanded back to state custody and a second bond was set at $150,000. In May 2015, Wilma Romero, Ricco Romero and Melissa Romero again conspired to launder an additional $150,000 in heroin proceeds to post that bond

 

On June 29, 2015, law enforcement agents executed a federal search warrant at Wilma Romero’s residence. In the course of that search, agents seized approximately 97.5 grams of heroin, a small amount of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, $73,288 and gold coins.

 

On Nov. 17, 2015 and Dec. 1, 2015, Ricco Romero distributed heroin to an individual working with law enforcement agents. Thereafter, on Dec. 18, 2015, law enforcement agents obtained and executed a federal search warrant at Ricco Romero and Carabajal’s residence and at another residence as well as at another residence where Ricco Romero and Carabajal maintained a safe. During those searches, agents seized 96.8 grams of heroin, $70,562 in cash, and two firearms.

 

If the plea agreements are accepted by the court: Ivan Romero will be sentenced to a prison term within the range of 120 to 144 months; Ricco Romero will be sentenced to a 120-month prison term; Carabajal will be sentenced to not more than 30 months in prison; Wilma Romero will be sentenced to not more than 24 months in prison; Melissa Romero will be sentenced to a term of probation; and Baca will be sentenced to not more than 33 months in prison. Pursuant to their plea agreements, the defendants have agreed to forfeit $431,870 in heroin proceeds and firearms to the United States.

 

The investigation leading to the indictment was conducted by the Albuquerque office of the DEA, the HIDTA Region III Drug Task Force, New Mexico State Police, Taos Police Department, Taos County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy S. Vasquez is prosecuting the case as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Opioid addiction has taken a toll on public safety, public health and the economic viability of our communities. Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), the Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPE’s principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico.

 

The HOPE Initiative is comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. HOPE’s law enforcement component is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin and opioid trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative. Learn more about the New Mexico HOPE Initiative at http://www.HopeInitiativeNM.org.

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber today sentenced Grant Elmore Davis, Jr. (71, Mansfield, OH) to life in federal prison plus 25 years in federal prison for armed bank robbery, discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Davis to forfeit the firearm and ammunition used in the offense. Davis entered a guilty plea on December 20, 2023.

According to court documents, Davis entered a bank in Fort Myers on October 31, 2023, and discharged a handgun while making verbal commands to the teller to give him money from the cash register. After obtaining money from the teller, Davis fled the bank. Davis was previously convicted of armed bank robbery and using and carrying a short-barreled shotgun in relation to a crime of violence in November 2001.

This case was investigated by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Morgan.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make out neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday today sentenced Lamont Guinyard (30, Gulfport) to four years and three months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Guinyard had pleaded guilty on April 8, 2019.

According to testimony and evidence presented at today’s sentencing hearing, in October 2018, Guinyard fired a gun into an occupied residence. Several individuals were inside the home at the time. One bullet entered, and was recovered from, a young child’s room. The child was not harmed.  

At the time, Guinyard had multiple prior felony convictions and is, therefore, prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Petersburg Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gregory T. Nolan.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

Seattle – A 44-year-old Inglewood, California, man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to an email compromise scheme that stole more than $3.3 million from a boat-building company, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman.  LESLIE REDD III, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud.  He is scheduled for sentencing before Chief U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez on June 25, 2021.

According to records filed in the case, including the plea agreement, in October 2018, REDD entered a scheme with a co-conspirator in Pennsylvania and others.  The scheme began when a malicious link was sent to an email address of an employee at the engine-building company.  The link allowed the conspirators to gain access to the company’s email system and review various emails such as invoices.  The conspirators then posed as a billing executive at the engine manufacturing company and sent the boat-building company instructions to wire the payment funds to a specific bank account.  The conspirators had set up a fake company and the account at a Pennsylvania bank specifically to receive these funds.  The false emails indicated the engine-building company’s usual bank account was undergoing an audit and said that the engine-building company therefore needed to use a different bank than it had previously. 

On October 29, 2018, the boat builder paid the invoice for $3,316,730 by wiring the funds as directed by the fraudulent emails.  The co-conspirator in Pennsylvania quickly forwarded $3,074,500 to bank accounts controlled by REDD and other co-conspirators.  Of the ill-gotten funds, REDD kept $857,350 in accounts he controlled.  Investigators were able to seize $420,817 from those accounts.

As part of his plea agreement REDD has agreed to forfeit the money in his bank account and make restitution in an amount to be agreed upon at sentencing.  Both wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud are punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

The case is being investigated by the FBI Seattle Office Cyber Task Force.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Friedman.

Seattle – A 47-year-old Inglewood, California, man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 16 months in prison for an email compromise scheme that stole more than $3.3 million from two companies involved in manufacturing ferries and engines for those ferries, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Leslie Redd III, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez noted the severe impact that the crime had on the victim businesses and their employees, causing employees’ pay to be delayed and cut, and threatening the businesses’ viability. 

According to records filed in the case, including the plea agreement, in October 2018, Redd entered a scheme with a co-conspirator in Pennsylvania and others. The scheme began when a malicious link was sent to an email address of an employee at the engine-building company. The link allowed the conspirators to gain access to the company’s email system and review various emails, including those transmitting invoices. The conspirators then posed as a billing executive at the engine manufacturing company and sent the boat-building company instructions to wire the payment funds to a specific bank account. The conspirators had set up a fake company and the account at a Pennsylvania bank specifically to receive these funds. The false emails indicated the engine-building company’s usual bank account was undergoing an audit and said that the engine-building company therefore needed to use a different bank than it had previously. 

On October 29, 2018, the boat builder paid the invoice for $3,316,730 by wiring the funds as directed by the fraudulent emails. The co-conspirator in Pennsylvania quickly forwarded $3,074,500 to bank accounts controlled by Redd and other co-conspirators. Of the ill-gotten funds, Redd kept $857,350 in accounts he controlled. Investigators were able to seize $420,817 from those accounts.

In the sentencing memo, prosecutors describe how Redd, forwarded more than $2,000,000 of the money that he had received to China to other co-conspirators – people whose names he did not even know. Judge Martinez expressed particular concern that American citizens would help foreign criminals defraud fellow Americans.

Redd will be on three years of supervised release following prison. He was ordered to pay $2,802,368.24 in restitution (the amount of the outstanding loss).

The case was investigated by the FBI Seattle Office Cyber Task Force.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Friedman and former Assistant United States Attorney Siddharth Velamoor.

Seattle – Two long-term investigations in the Western District of Washington wrapped up in October 2025 with multiple arrests and significant seizures of narcotics and firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. This afternoon, Jose Isabel Sandoval Zuniga, 30, of Sammamish, Washington who served as a primary source of firearms for one of the groups, is being arraigned on gun and drug charges returned by the grand jury earlier this month.“These successful law enforcement investigations will no doubt save lives – lives that could be lost to fentanyl overdoses or gun violence,” said U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “Law enforcement carefully worked its way up the drug distribution chain to find those responsible. In one case they found multiple family members leading the distribution ring, in the other they found drug and gun distribution intertwined with illegal cockfighting and an improvised explosive.”“Both of these groups showed a callous disregard for our communities, sometimes even bringing their young children along, as they peddled poison and dangerous firearms.” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division.  “Our teams seized a staggering 3.4 million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl from these two groups, enough poison to kill every person alive in King County.  I am very proud of DEA and our team for ending this menace.”The first takedown occurred on October 16, 2025, following a ten-month investigation. In December 2024, one of the leaders of the drug distribution ring, Carlos Gutama Escandon, 30, of Renton was stopped by Tulalip Tribal Police in Marysville and had fentanyl pills,









 fentanyl powder and cash in his car. Over the following months law enforcement made undercover buys from the ring and surveilled drug deliveries and money laundering activity.  The core group, the Gutama Escandon family, are originally from Ecuador.In all, eight people have been charged in the case:Oliver Gutama Escandon, 21, Renton, WashingtonJosselin Gutama Escandon, 23, Renton, WashingtonHenry Gutama Escandon, 34, Renton, WashingtonCarlos Gutama Escandon, 30, Renton, WashingtonJessica Gutama Escandon, 32, Renton, WashingtonAndres Giraldo Arias, 34, Renton, WashingtonStalyn Quezada Gutama, 23, Renton, WashingtonArtur Shahnazaryan, 38, Redmond, Washington









In that drug investigation law enforcement seized four firearms, more than $220,000 in cash, two kilograms of fentanyl powder, three kilograms of methamphetamine, more than 36,000 fentanyl pills as well as smaller amounts of heroin and cocaine.“This investigation demonstrates what we can accomplish through strong partnerships among local, state, and federal agencies,” said Snohomish County Sheriff Susanna Johnson. “What began with a proactive Tulalip Tribal Police traffic stop and continued through an extensive undercover operation by the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force, resulted in the takedown of a drug trafficking organization operating across the Puget Sound region. Disrupting organizations like this directly reduces the supply of fentanyl and heroin in our communities. I am extremely proud of the dedication, persistence, and coordination by every agency involved, and we will continue working together to keep our neighborhoods safe and hold drug traffickers accountable.”The second takedown occurred October 28, 2025, with ten arrests. The arrests were the culmination of a year-long investigation by area law enforcement officers. In the arrest operation on October 28, law enforcement seized approximately 105,000 fentanyl pills, 34 kilos of fentanyl powder, 3.7 kilos of methamphetamine, nearly a kilogram of heroin and 8.7 kilos of cocaine. Law enforcement also seized over $140,000 in cash.Two men, Jose Isabel Sandoval Zuniga, and Edgar Rivas Robles, 33 of Centralia, Washington are tied to a rural property in Lewis









 Country where law enforcement unearthed an improvised explosive device and an illegal cockfighting operation. The structure on the property contained 25 kilos of suspected fentanyl powder, more than 90,000 fentanyl pills and two dozen firearms. Zuniga was arrested in his vehicle with 1.6 kilos of suspected fentanyl. At Sandoval Zuniga’s Sammamish home investigators seized heroin, fentanyl, and a loaded .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol.These defendants have now been indicted on various drug distribution and illegal firearms charges:Luis Humberto Lamas-Guzman, 25, of Lynnwood, WashingtonEduardo Villavicencio-Salido, 44, of Marysville, WashingtonSilvestre Ramos Martinez, 35, of Everett, WashingtonJose Navarro Hernandez “Robert”, 46, of Marysville, WashingtonJose Manuel Ramos Ibarra “Kora”, 28, of Everett, WashingtonMarisol Perez-Diaz, 23, of Auburn, WashingtonJordan Martinez Gamez, 23, of Auburn, WashingtonJose Isabel Sandoval Zuniga, 30, of Sammamish, WashingtonRoni Licona Escoto, 56, of SeattleEdgar Rivas Robles, 33, of Centralia, WashingtonThe charges contained in the indictments are only allegations.  A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.“These suspects were trafficking and distributing dangerous drugs throughout Seattle,” said Seattle Police Assistant Chief Nicole Powell. “The City of Seattle and the region around the city are safer because of the fantastic work done by SPD and our federal partners.”









“Getting illegal drugs and guns off our streets is not just a win on paper; it is a real, tangible win for everyone in our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Carrie Nordyke, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Seattle Field Office. “We are proud that our combined efforts are making a real difference in people’s lives, and we will continue to work tirelessly with our partners to make our streets safer for all.”These investigations and prosecutions are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders.Both investigations were led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in partnership with Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), the Seattle Police Department, the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force, and the Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (NW HIDTA).These agencies assisted in the law enforcement operation on October 16, 2025: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Tulalip Police Department.These agencies assisted in the law enforcement operation on October 28, 2025: Seattle Police Department, North Sound Metro, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Patrol, Centralia Police Department, U.S Customs & Border Protection, the King County Sheriff’s Office and Valley SWAT comprised of officers from the Renton, Federal Way, Kent, Auburn, Tukwila, Des Moines and Port of Seattle police departments. 

          LOS ANGELES – Federal authorities today announced 11 criminal cases against alleged drug dealers who sold or provided narcotics to users who suffered fatal overdoses from opioids such as fentanyl or fentanyl analogues.

          As a result of the operation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, each of the 12 defendants named in the 11 cases is charged with distribution of narcotics resulting in death. If convicted, each defendant would face at least a 20-year mandatory minimum prison sentence and a potential maximum sentence of life without parole in federal prison.

          “These charges are the first steps in bringing justice to the families of victims who often died without knowing they were ingesting some of the world’s most powerful opioids,” said Acting United States Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison. “The conduct alleged in these cases demonstrates the grave threat people face now that fentanyl is widespread and is commonly hidden in a variety of illicit narcotics. The danger posed by opioids is real – both for unwitting users who risk death and for the dealers who face decades in prison for spreading deadly poison in our communities.”

          “The collaborative work to build these cases demonstrates our shared commitment to go after individuals who push fentanyl within our communities and further the opioid crisis, devastating families across the nation,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Bill Bodner. “Drug dealers who market and sell counterfeit pills via online marketplace and social media platforms may think they can hide behind technology and are absolved from responsibility, but they are not. While our actions can’t bring back a loved one, we hope that we can save other lives by putting these individuals behind bars so they can’t continue to distribute dangerous opioids in the community.”

          The cases are the result of investigations by the DEA’s Overdose Justice Task Force, which was created to address opioid-related deaths in the greater Los Angeles area, most of which are caused the synthetic opioid fentanyl. Under the Overdose Justice program for the DEA’s Los Angeles Field Division, DEA agents collaborate with local law enforcement to analyze evidence to determine if there are circumstances that might lead to a federal criminal prosecution, and, if so, proactively target the drug trafficker. Since the start of the Overdose Justice program in 2018, the DEA has worked with an ever-expanding list of local police agencies to obtain approximately one dozen federal indictments that specifically charge death resulting from narcotics trafficking. The 11 cases announced today add to that list of prosecutions. The Task Force is currently investigating other incidents and expects to file additional criminal cases in federal court.

          The 11 cases announced today include seven new cases that were filed this week and one case in which prosecutors this week filed special allegations that would lead to a mandatory sentence of life without parole in federal prison if the defendant is convicted. The cases are summarized below.

          U.S. v. Fulton

          William Vaughn Fulton, 39, of Torrance, was named in a five-count indictment filed Tuesday that accuses him of distributing fentanyl that caused two deaths on consecutive days in Redondo Beach hotel rooms. In addition to the two charges of distributing fentanyl resulting in death, Fulton is charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and being a felon in possession of ammunition.

          The indictment alleges that Fulton distributed fentanyl on October 10, 2020 to a person who died, and the next day he allegedly distributed fentanyl at another hotel where another person died after ingesting the drug. When he was arrested on October 13 by the Redondo Beach Police Department, Fulton allegedly possessed more than two ounces of fentanyl and over 2.5 ounces of methamphetamine. Police also seized two 9mm “ghost guns” and 12 rounds of ammunition Fulton allegedly illegally possessed because, from 2004 through 2017, he previously had been convicted of 24 felony offenses.

          Fulton is currently in state prison after pleading guilty to related charges. The United States is seeking a writ to bring him into federal custody.

          The DEA and the Redondo Beach Police Department are investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jenna Williams of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section is prosecuting the case.

          U.S. v. Wilson

          Alexander Declan Bell Wilson, 20, of Rolling Hills, was arrested Wednesday after being indicted on Tuesday on one count of distributing pills containing fentanyl that led to the death of a 15-year-old boy on May 15, 2020. Law enforcement reviewed Snapchat conversations between the two that show the victim thought he was buying oxycodone, a commonly used and widely abused semi-synthetic opioid.

          Wilson is scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment this afternoon.

          The DEA and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Marina A. Torres of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section is prosecuting the case.

          U.S. v. McLaughlin

          Sean Robert McLaughlin, 47, of Aliso Viejo, the former security manager at the American Junkie nightclub in Newport Beach, was arrested this morning pursuant to an eight-count indictment alleging he distributed furanyl fentanyl, an analogue to fentanyl that has a nearly identical chemical makeup. During the early morning hours of November 18, 2016, the indictment alleges, McLaughlin provided a powdered drug to nightclub guests that resulted in three overdoses, one of which was fatal.

          In the indictment filed Wednesday, McLaughlin also is charged with possessing hydrocodone, cocaine, methamphetamine and ecstasy for distribution on the same night as the overdoses. McLaughlin is further charged with distributing cocaine in September 2016.

          McLaughlin was initially charged in December 2017 by Orange County District Attorney’s Office, which has agreed to allow the United States Attorney’s Office to take over the prosecution.

          The DEA and a task force officer from the Seal Beach Police Department are investigating this matter. The Newport Beach Police Department referred the case to federal authorities last year. Assistant United States Attorney Bradley E. Marrett of the Santa Ana Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

          U.S. v. Soheili

          Jason Amin Soheili, 26, of Laguna Hills, was arrested Wednesday pursuant to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in federal court in Santa Ana. Soheili is charged with mailing fentanyl to a man in Fillmore, Utah, who died after taking the drugs on February 21.

          The affidavit in support of the complaint outlines evidence that Soheili sent a parcel containing fentanyl “blues” to his friend, who moved to Utah from Orange County to participate in a drug rehabilitation program. Law enforcement recovered the actual package with Soheili’s fingerprints at the victim’s residence. A search of Soheili’s home on April 20 resulted in the seizure of items indicating drug trafficking activity, including various narcotics, several of which tested positive for fentanyl, the complaint states.

          At his initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon, Soheili was ordered held without bond, and an arraignment was scheduled for June 1.

          The United States Postal Inspection Service, which worked with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the Millard County (Utah) Sheriff’s Office, is investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Vib Mittal of the Santa Ana Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

          U.S. v. Boukhanian

          Michael Boukhanian, 42, of Northridge, was arrested late this morning after a grand jury named him in a one-count indictment filed on Wednesday. Boukhanian allegedly sold counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl on August 27, 2020 to a Woodland Hills man who died soon after receiving them. Boukhanian is expected to be arraigned Friday afternoon in federal court in Los Angeles.

          The DEA and the Los Angeles Police Department are investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jehan M. Pernas of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section is prosecuting the case.

          U.S. v. Wood

          Tobin Oliver Wood, 49, of Costa Mesa, was arrested on April 7 pursuant to a grand jury indictment that charges him with distributing fentanyl that caused the overdose death of a 32-year-old San Clemente man, who died on the morning of October 2, 2018. Wood allegedly posted an ad on Craigslist offering “Roxy board short,” which is a street term for oxycodone pills.

          Wood, who has pleaded not guilty and is free on bond, is scheduled to go on trial on March 22, 2022.

          The DEA, the Huntington Beach Police Department and the Costa Mesa Police Department are investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Maxwell K. Coll of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting the case.

          U.S. v. Chi

          Calvin Chi, 28, of Hacienda Heights, has agreed to surrender Friday morning to face charges related to the death of a 29-year-old woman who overdosed on oxymorphone on October 10, 2018. Investigators uncovered text communications between Chi and the victim that allegedly show Chi sold the oxymorphone, along with alprazolam (also known as Xanax), to the victim hours before her death. The victim was found dead, slumped over in the front seat of her car, parked about a half mile from Chi’s San Gabriel Valley residence. Chi was indicted by a federal grand jury on Tuesday.

          In the fall of 2019, Chi was convicted in state court of unrelated drug trafficking charges and sentenced to probation. In July 2020, deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department conducted a probation compliance check of Chi’s residence and found evidence of drug sales, including scales, baggies, a variety of pills, and more than five grams of methamphetamine. In addition to the charge of distribution of narcotics resulting in death, Chi is charged with possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

          The DEA and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Maria Jhai of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting the case.

          U.S. v. Lopez

          Edwin Lopez, 21, of Riverside, was arrested this morning on a grand jury indictment that charges him with one count related to a May 17, 2020, transaction in which he allegedly sold counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl to a 20-year-old Fontana man who suffered a fatal overdose two days later. The evidence in the case indicates that Lopez used Snapchat to negotiate the drug deal, and possibly other transactions, with the victim.

          Lopez is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in Riverside.

          The DEA and the Fontana Police Department are investigating this matter. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has provided assistance. The Riverside Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

          U.S. v. Nobar and Ziafathy

          Saied Ziafathy Nobar, 57, of the Rancho Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, and his nephew, Amir Ziafathy, 33, of Granada Hills, face charges of distributing fentanyl that resulted in an overdose death on December 30, 2019. The defendants allegedly sold the victim two counterfeit oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl. Nobar and Ziafathy were arrested in this case on March 16, and they are currently scheduled to go on trial on July 27.

          The FBI, the DEA and the Los Angeles Police Department are investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Ali Moghaddas and Kathrynne Seiden of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting the case.

          U.S. v. Rodriguez

          Marcos Isaac Rodriguez, a.k.a. “Kumar,” 27, who resided in Costa Mesa, but recently relocated to Escondido, was arrested today pursuant to a two-count indictment that alleges distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and distribution of fentanyl. The indictment, which was filed on April 28, charges Rodriguez with distributing fentanyl in two transactions, the second of which resulted in the death of a 33-year-old Costa Mesa man on December 26, 2019. Rodriguez allegedly sold the victim counterfeit oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl.

          Rodriguez is expected to be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in Santa Ana.

          The DEA and the Costa Mesa Police Department are investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jake D. Nare of the Santa Ana Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

          U.S. v. Shepley

            Last year, a Westlake Village man was indicted on federal charges of participating in a conspiracy that allegedly distributed heroin to a Ventura County man who suffered fatal overdose, and this week federal prosecutors filed a new document that would bring a mandatory life sentence if he is convicted.

          Bradley Shepley, 35, is charged with distribution of heroin resulting in death and with participating in a heroin trafficking conspiracy in relation to the overdose of a 26-year-old man who died in his Oak Park residence on November 6, 2017. On Tuesday, prosecutors filed a two-count information alleging that Shepley was convicted in Los Angeles Superior Court in June 2017 of two felony narcotics offenses. If convicted in federal court of the heroin charge, and if prosecutors can prove he was previously convicted of narcotics offenses, Shepley would face a mandatory minimum sentence of life without parole in federal prison.

          Shepley, who is being held in custody without bond, has pleaded not guilty to the offenses alleged in the indictment, and he is currently scheduled to go on trial on November 2.

          The DEA and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department are investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Keith D. Ellison of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section is prosecuting the case.

          Indictments and criminal complaints contain allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

RALEIGH – The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announces that Chief United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle sentenced ROBERT TYCELL LOCKHART, 30, of Fayetteville, NC, today. LOCKHART was sentenced to 277 months imprisonment followed by a lifetime of supervised release. 

LOCKHART had previously been convicted in federal court in the Eastern District of North Carolina on drug and firearm offenses. He was released from the federal Bureau of Prisons in April of 2018 after serving a 70 month sentence.

Almost immediately after he was released—and while he was under federal post-release supervision—LOCKHART began committing new crimes. He tested positive for drug use, and agents determined that he was again selling drugs.

On August 10 and August 14, 2018, agents successfully purchased cocaine base (commonly known as “crack”) from LOCKHART.

On August 15, 2018, agents observed multiple individuals approaching LOCKHART’s vehicle, which was parked at a gas station.  LOCKHART walked into the gas station bathroom; agents approached him, and LOCKHART was found in possession of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, cocaine base (crack), currency, and digital scales.  In his vehicle, agents found a loaded handgun.

While on state bond for those charges, LOCKHART continued committing crimes.  On October 29, 2018, he fired several shots at the vehicle of a victim, disabling the vehicle.

On November 10, 2018, LOCKHART fired a handgun at a second victim, striking the victim in the leg.  LOCKHART’s bullet fractured the victim’s femur. LOCKHART later spoke to the victim’s mother and admitted to the shooting.

On December 2, 2018, LOCKHART fired a handgun at a third victim, striking the victim in the leg, fracturing the fibula.  The victim sped away from LOCKHART and called 911. In a Wal-Mart parking lot, police found the victim, who had lost a significant amount of blood. A tourniquet was applied to the victim’s leg.  The victim’s pulse stopped, and officers performed CPR until medics arrived.  Fortunately, the victim survived. The victim later identified LOCKHART as the shooter.

On November 13, 2019, LOCKHART entered a plea of guilty to distribution of a quantity of cocaine base (crack) (Counts One and Two); possession with intent to distribute quantities of cocaine base (crack), cocaine, and fentanyl (Count Four); and possession of a firearm by a felon (Count Six).

The Court imposed a sentence of 240 months on Counts One, Two, and Four, and a sentence of 120 months on Count Six, concurrent with each other. Because LOCKHART committed the offenses while on federal supervised release, the Court imposed a sentence of 37 months, consecutive, for that violation. When LOCKHART is released from prison, he will be on federal supervised release for the remainder of his life.

This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).  OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.

This case is part of the United States Attorney’s Office’s Take Back North Carolina Initiative.  This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.  For additional information about this initiative, click here https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/tbnc.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Fayetteville Police Department, and the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Scott A. Lemmon prosecuted this case for the government.

***

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice.  Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

Audrey Strauss, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that the United States has entered into an agreement (“Remedial Order”) with New York City and the New York City Department of Correction (“DOC”) to address ongoing non-compliance with core provisions of a Court-ordered Consent Judgment entered in October 2015 to reduce violence in NYC jails on Rikers Island and ensure the safety and well-being of inmates.  The Remedial Order, which is subject to the final approval of the Court, requires DOC to implement operational reforms to fix systemic deficiencies that have continued to plague the jail system.  Specifically, under the Remedial Order, DOC must adopt numerous new measures designed to reduce the unnecessary use of force against inmates, improve staff supervision, enhance the quality and timeliness of investigations into use of force incidents, ensure that correction officers are held accountable for their misconduct, and better manage and supervise the youngest inmates in custody.  The independent federal monitor overseeing the Consent Judgment will assess compliance with the requirements of the Remedial Order. 

Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said:  “Five years ago, this Office entered into a groundbreaking, Court-enforceable agreement requiring the City and the Department of Correction to implement sweeping, comprehensive reforms to protect the constitutional rights of inmates and ensure their safety.  As documented repeatedly through the federal monitor’s reports to the Court, the City and DOC have failed to fulfill core obligations under that agreement.  While this Office recognizes that changing a decades-long culture of violence is not a simple task, the City and DOC must do better.  By agreeing to adopt the measures set forth in this Remedial Order, they have taken a step in the right direction.  This Office will continue to closely monitor the implementation of the required reforms and vigilantly enforce the requirements of the Remedial Order and the underlying Consent Judgment.”

In August 2014, after completing a multi-year investigation, this Office issued a report that concluded that “a deep-seated culture of violence is pervasive throughout the adolescent facilities at Rikers, and DOC staff routinely utilize force not as a last resort, but instead as a means to control the adolescent population and punish disorderly or disrespectful behavior.”  The United States proceeded to join a class action lawsuit against the City, Nunez v. City of New York, which alleged that DOC engaged in a pattern and practice of using unnecessary and excessive force against inmates throughout the jail system.  In October 2015, Judge Laura Taylor Swain entered a Consent Judgment requiring DOC to develop and implement myriad new practices, systems, policies, and procedures to reduce violence and the use of excessive and unnecessary force.  The Consent Judgment is subject to the oversight of the Court and an independent federal monitor.

Notwithstanding these Court-mandated reforms, the frequency with which correction officers use force against inmates has increased dramatically since the Consent Judgment was entered, with the average monthly use of force rate increasing by more than 100% from 2016 to 2019.  In recent bi-annual reports to the Court, the federal monitor has found the City and DOC to be in non-compliance with numerous key provisions of the Consent Judgment.  For instance, in his report filed on May 29, 2020, the federal monitor found that DOC “continues to struggle to properly manage Staff’s use of force” and went on to conclude that “a pattern of unprofessional conduct and hyper-confrontational behavior by Staff, an overreliance on alarms and the Probe Team, misuse of OC spray [i.e., pepper spray], use of painful escort techniques, and improper use of head strikes have all plagued the agency’s use of force since the Effective Date [of the Consent Judgment].”

The Remedial Order requires DOC, among other things, to:

Improve the level of supervision of Captains by substantially increasing the number of Assistant Deputy Wardens assigned to jails. 

 

Evaluate inmates who have been involved in a significant number of use of force incidents to determine whether their mental health needs are being adequately addressed, and whether existing security and management protocols are appropriate for these inmates.

 

Develop a new protocol governing the composition and deployment of Facility Emergency Response Teams (i.e., probe teams) in order to minimize unnecessary or avoidable uses of force by staff.

 

By the end of the year, complete all outstanding investigations into use of force incidents that have been pending for a lengthy period of time. 

 

Utilize a recently created unit of trained investigators to investigate all use of force incidents within 25 business days to determine whether staff violated the use of force policy, or whether further investigation is necessary.

 

Consistently not exceed caseload targets approved by the federal monitor for investigators responsible for investigating use of force incidents.  

 

Impose immediate corrective action on staff for violations of the use of force policy when recommended by the federal monitor.   

 

Expedite the prosecution of disciplinary cases involving violations of the use of force policy by, among other things, ensuring that at least 50 cases are heard each month by the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (“OATH”).

                                                                                                    

With respect to units housing 18-year-old inmates, improve the staff assignment system such that the same correction officers, Captains, and Assistant Deputy Wardens are consistently assigned to work in the same housing unit and on the same tour, to the extent feasible.

 

With respect to units housing 18-year-old inmates, implement a system that includes a variety of short-term and long-term rewards and consequences to incentivize positive inmate behavior and sanction negative conduct.

While this Office remains extremely concerned with DOC’s ongoing failure to comply with core requirements of the Consent Judgment, the Office recognizes that the agency has made some significant improvements in other areas since the Consent Judgment became effective.  For example, DOC has installed thousands of wall-mounted video surveillance cameras throughout the jails to ensure complete camera coverage; created and provided a wide range of new training programs for staff; developed a new computerized case management system to track a wide range of information relating to use of force incidents; eliminated the use of punitive segregation for inmates under the age of 22; and stopped housing youths under the age of 18 on Rikers Island.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey K. Powell and Lara K. Eshkenazi are in charge of the case.

PHILADELPHIA – First Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced today that Bucks County dentist Dr. Pranathi V. Reddy will pay $150,000 and stop prescribing Schedule II opioids for four years to resolve allegations that she diverted controlled substances for personal use and overdosed on one occasion, and that she failed to comply with various record-keeping requirements for controlled substances.

The settlement resolves allegations that, on October 14, 2018, Reddy diverted a package of controlled substances for her personal use, which resulted in an overdose and her transport to the hospital. It also resolves allegations that, from June 2017 through November 2018, she failed to maintain various records of the controlled substances she used in her professional practice as a dentist. For example, the settlement resolves allegations that Reddy failed to maintain an initial inventory of her controlled substances, document the transfer of controlled substances on the required forms, and failed to maintain the controlled substances at her registered locations.

In addition to the $150,000 penalty, Reddy is now barred from purchasing, prescribing, or dispensing any Schedule II controlled substances for at least the next four years. She is also subject to a number of monitoring requirements, including reporting her controlled substance purchasing, dispensing, and prescribing to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

“Controlled substances, especially opioids, pose extraordinary risks to our communities, including to healthcare providers,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Williams. “When providers are granted the privilege of purchasing and prescribing controlled substances, they also accept the weighty responsibilities that come along with those privileges, including ensuring that controlled substances are used for a legitimate medical purpose and generating the records necessary for accountability and transparency. Unfortunately, sometimes they fail to comply with these critical responsibilities, and that is when it is necessary for our Office to step in and work with our law enforcement partners to use all available enforcement tools to hold these providers responsible.”

“Dr. Reddy, like all DEA registrants that are licensed and entrusted with the safe handling of powerful controlled substances, failed to accurately document and secure these same controlled substances in accordance with federal regulations,” said Jonathan A. Wilson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Philadelphia Field Division. “In the midst of the current opioid crisis, even medical professionals are not immune from the perils of substance use disorder.”

This investigation was conducted with the Pennsylvania Department of State’s Bureau of Enforcement and Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Philadelphia Field Division and Camden, New Jersey Resident Office. For the United States Attorney’s Office, Assistant United States Attorney Anthony D. Scicchitano handled the investigation and settlement.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.

ST. LOUIS – Three people have been accused of defrauding a cruise ship company out of more than $2 million.Thomas Markwell, 53, and Nathan Boyd, 50, were indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in October with seven counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Joanna Dettman, 50, of St. Louis was indicted on the wire fraud charges.Markwell, originally from near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, appeared in court Friday. A motion seeking to have Markwell held in jail until trial says he was fired by the cruise line in September of 2023. According to the motion, Markwell was in Argentina when his indictment was filed, did not return as scheduled and was planning to marry an Argentinian citizen. Markwell was arrested in Argentina on an Interpol Red Notice on Feb. 23. Markwell agreed to waive extradition and was surrendered to the United States. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs secured the arrest and yesterday’s extradition of Markwell.Dettman appeared in court in October and Boyd, of Deschutes County, Oregon, appeared in November. Both have pleaded not guilty.The indictment says that from June 2021 to September 2023, Markwell misused his position as senior director of events at the cruise line company. Markwell approved numerous fraudulent invoices totaling more than $1 million from a company in the St. Louis area that assists corporate clients with procuring gifts for their employees, customers and business partners, the indictment says. Boyd co-owned the gifting company and Dettman, also known as Joanna St. Gemme, worked for them as a contractor. Boyd and Dettman either inflated legitimate invoices or created fictitious invoices, some of which contained the personal expenses of Markwell, Dettman, Boyd or Markwell’s romantic partners. They also issued numerous fraudulent invoices to the cruise line that included their personal expenses and the personal expenses of Markwell’s romantic partners that had been charged to the gifting company's corporate credit cards.Dettman also owned GEM Consulting LLC, which issued $100,000 in fraudulent invoices to the cruise line, the indictment says. Markwell approved GEM as a vendor and approved a fictitious business that was associated with one of his romantic partners, which then billed the cruise line $500,000, the indictment says.The indictment says that Markwell issued fraudulent invoices totaling $180,000 to the gifting company from a fictitious business associated with another of his romantic partners to get his share of the proceeds.Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.The FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is prosecuting the case.

A Latin Counts gang member was sentenced yesterday to 30 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, announced United States Attorney Matthew Schneider, Special Agent in Charge James Deir of the ATF’s Detroit Division, and Chief James Craig of the Detroit Police Department.

Ryan Jose Taylor, a/k/a “Loco,” 24, of Detroit, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert H. Cleland for planning and carrying out with fellow Latin Counts gang members a drive-by shooting in a residential neighborhood of southwest Detroit that occurred on October 7, 2017, killing one victim and injuring two others.  According to court records, Taylor fired the gunshot that killed the deceased victim. 

Also according to court records, the Latin Counts gang operates primarily in southwest Detroit and the downriver communities of Lincoln Park and Ecorse.  The Latin Counts are a criminal enterprise responsible for murders, robberies, and the distribution of illegal drugs.  The Latin Counts use violence to retaliate against rivals, intimidate citizens in the community, and advance members’ positions within the gang. 

Under the Detroit One initiative, and through the lead efforts of the ATF, FBI, and the Detroit Homicide Task Force, law enforcement identified and charged a total of seven violent members of the Latin Counts gang responsible for the drive-by shooting, all of whom have since pleaded guilty.

Detroit One is a collaborative effort between law enforcement and the community to reduce homicides and other violent crimes in Detroit.  By working together, local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies strive to maximize their ability to identify and arrest individuals and groups initiating violence in Detroit. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Louis Crisostomo, Robert VanWert, and Eric Straus. 

CINCINNATI – A disbarred attorney who previously practiced law in the Cincinnati area was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 37 months in prison. He used false identities to obtain employment with at least seven law firms.Richard Louis Crosby III, 37, of Mason, Ohio, pleaded guilty in July 2024 to three counts of Social Security number fraud.At various times throughout his scheme, Crosby used identifying information belonging to his elderly father, his girlfriend, a deceased man and others. He falsely told at least one law firm that he was a University of Michigan football player and an ex-Marine.According to court documents, the Cincinnati Bar Association filed a complaint against Crosby in November 2020. In April 2021, he indicated his intent to resign from the practice of law.In both June and November 2021, Crosby was indicted and charged in Hamilton County with crimes related to stealing client funds. After his indictments, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio entered an order disbarring Crosby.In May 2022, Crosby was arrested in both of his Hamilton County cases. He was sentenced to probation in both cases in June 2023.According to his federal plea agreement, while Crosby’s local cases were pending, he created an email account using “richardcwilliamsesq.” Crosby used the email address and the alias Richard Williams to communicate with a law firm in Washington D.C. in June 2021. The firm briefly employed “Williams.”In June 2022 – at which point Crosby had been disbarred in Ohio and arrested on the Hamilton County charges – Crosby used his alias to apply online for an attorney position with a law firm in California. The firm offered Crosby a position as an associate attorney with a salary of $150,000. The defendant was employed under his alias for approximately three months and used a firm email address with his alias name.In September 2022, Crosby used his alias to apply for an attorney position with a law firm based in Miami, Florida. Crosby met with a recruiter via Zoom, and represented himself as Richard Williams, a licensed attorney admitted to the bar in New York and D.C.Crosby then met with one of the firm’s hiring managers in Florida and was ultimately offered employment in October 2022. His starting salary was $185,000 per year with a $5,000 signing bonus. Crosby used his girlfriend’s Social Security number, passport number and banking information to complete his onboarding paperwork at the law firm.In April 2023, the firm received an inquiry from an investigator with the Clermont County Child Support Enforcement Office, making the firm aware of Crosby’s true identity. He was subsequently fired.In July 2023, Crosby interviewed with the founding partner of a different California law firm. He also falsely claimed to work at the law firm of Kirkland and Ellis. After the founding partner asked Crosby to verify with whom he worked with at Kirkland and Ellis, Crosby withdrew his interest in the job.A few days later, Crosby again used the alias to attempt to obtain employment. He interviewed over Zoom with senior management of a law firm located in Coral Gables, Florida. Crosby doctored a “screen shot” of the name Richard Coleman Williams Jr. in the online D.C. bar membership directory to attach with his resume.The firm offered Crosby a starting salary of $195,000 per year with a $10,000 signing bonus, but eventually determined Crosby was using a false identity and did not hire him.In August 2023, the defendant applied for a job at another law firm. The firm, located in Michigan, sent Crosby a letter offering a salary of $145,000 per year and a $10,000 signing bonus. When his credential information had discrepancies, the firm terminated their working relationship before issuing Crosby’s first paycheck.In September 2023, one month prior to his arrest on federal charges, Crosby used a different alias to apply for a job at another law firm in California. He claimed that he was a University of Michigan football player and an ex-Marine.  Crosby was hired as an attorney at a salary of $250,000 per year. He used the Social Security number of a deceased man from North Carolina in his tax paperwork to the firm.In early 2024, while out on bond, Crosby ran a new scheme in which he pretended to be an attorney who specialized in appeals and other criminal matters. He scammed local inmates and their families, claiming he could help local inmates with post-conviction relief like appeals, parole and sentence reductions. For example, he was paid $2,500 from the mother of a local inmate for the above mentioned but provided no services in return.As part of his sentence, Crosby will pay nearly $171,000 in restitution to law firms he defrauded. The court also ordered him to serve three years of supervised release and perform 300 hours of community service.Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced sentence imposed on March 7 by U.S. District Judge Jeffery P. Hopkins. The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, with assistance from the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office, Clermont County Department of Job and Family Services, U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and United States Marshals Service. Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Landry represented the United States in this case.# # #

CLEVELAND – Rebecca C. Lutzko, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, announced today that Oglesby Construction, Inc., headquartered in Norwalk, Ohio, has agreed to pay the United States $942,146.40 to resolve allegations that it falsified material usage records while performing on federally subsidized contracts to apply paint striping to Ohio roadways between 2012 and 2018.

The allegations arise under the False Claims Act from a whistleblower complaint unsealed on July 19, 2023, and in which the United States intervened on July 14, 2023. The claims asserted against Oglesby are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

“The Justice Department is committed to eradicating fraud in all its forms to protect taxpayer dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Lutzko. “We cannot tolerate conduct that bilks the government of funds to support vital government programs.”

The Complaint alleges that Oglesby saved money on highway-striping contracts by failing to use sufficient marking material, including paint, to meet state or contractual minimum standards. Oglesby allegedly use different methods to hide its conduct.

One alleged method involved the manipulation of daily reports, which are required by the State of Ohio to monitor compliance with material usage standards. Contractors like Oglesby must assemble their reports using a tracking software application that obtains usage data from electronic devices on highway marking trucks. Oglesby allegedly embedded a hidden formula in a spreadsheet used by the tracking software, thereby altering data to conceal underapplication of material.

In another alleged scheme, Oglesby engineered a return pipe and pump system that redirected paint disbursed from a truck’s paint gun back to its load of unused paint. According to the Complaint, this would trick the truck’s monitoring device into recording application of paint when, in fact, the return pipe and pump system would intercept and recirculate it.

“This settlement with Oglesby ends a successful, years-long criminal and civil investigation into the company’s practices and sends a powerful message to those who wish to do the same,” said U.S. Attorney Lutzko. “We need to have trust that companies or individuals that receive compensation under federally subsidized contracts do the work required.”

On October 7, 2022, Gerald E. Reichert and his brother, Adam Reichert, two former part-owners of Oglesby, pleaded guilty for their involvement in falsifying paint-striping reports. The court sentenced each to a term of imprisonment and ordered them to pay a combined $579,014.00 in restitution, along with fines. The amount obtained in the civil settlement is in addition to criminal restitution and fines.

CHICAGO — More than 65 defendants are facing federal or state narcotics charges for their alleged roles in distributing heroin, cocaine and fentanyl on Chicago’s West Side.

 

The joint federal and state investigation, dubbed “Operation Sweet Dreams,” spanned more than a year and resulted in the seizures of more than a dozen firearms, including an assault rifle and semiautomatic pistol, more than three kilograms of heroin, three kilograms of cocaine, and more than $380,000 in cash. Authorities uncovered the alleged criminal activity through the use of wiretapped cellular phones, undercover narcotics purchases and extensive surveillance. The probe was conducted under the umbrella of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), with assistance from the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA).

 

Law enforcement officers began arresting several of the defendants this morning.

 

The charges describe an extensive network of drug distribution, based predominantly in the Garfield Park, Homan Square and North Lawndale neighborhoods on the city’s West Side. Two of the defendants were charged with federal firearm violations as part of criminal complaints filed earlier this week in U.S. District Court and unsealed after the arrests.

 

The federal defendants will begin making initial court appearances this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge M. David Weisman in Chicago. The state defendants were charged in separate complaints and will appear at a later time in Cook County Criminal Court.

 

The charges were announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kimberly M. Foxx, Cook County State’s Attorney; Dennis A. Wichern, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration; Eddie T. Johnson, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department; and James D. Robnett, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division. The officials recognized the valuable assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service and the Illinois State Police.

 

The investigation uncovered numerous drug deals, including one that occurred last October in an alley in the 1800 block of North Leavitt Street in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago. A defendant purchased two kilograms of heroin in exchange for $132,800 in cash, the complaint states. The defendant was under law enforcement surveillance when he picked up the cash from a Near West Side house, the complaint states. The money was wrapped in a red and white Target shopping bag.

 

The investigation further revealed that one of the defendants agreed to sell his Chevrolet conversion van to a buyer he met in an online marketplace in exchange for a kilogram of cocaine. Unbeknownst to the defendant, the purported buyer was an undercover law enforcement officer. During an afternoon meeting last August at Diversey and Austin Avenues in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood of Chicago, the undercover officer gave the defendant a black bag containing a kilogram of sham cocaine in exchange for the van, according to the complaint. The deal was surreptitiously recorded by law enforcement.

 

The investigations were conducted under the umbrella of the OCDETF program, a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of OCDETF is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations.

 

The public is reminded that complaints contain only charges and are not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeremy Daniel and Jeannice Appenteng are representing the government in the federal cases. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office is representing the government in the state cases.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On October 6, 2021, a Federal Grand Jury in Knoxville returned a multi-count Indictment against two individuals charging violations of federal offenses prohibiting public officials from taking cash payments in exchange for official acts.

Brandy M. Thornton, 44, and Roberta Lynne Webb Allen, 55, both of Sevier County, Tennessee, charged with two counts of taking cash payments in exchange for an official act. If convicted of those charges, they each could face up to 20 years in prison.

Allen appeared in court on October 7, 2021 before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Bruce Guyton and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges in the indictment. She was released pending trial, which has been set for December 14, 2021, before the Honorable Judge Crytzer in United States District Court, in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Acting U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III, of the Eastern District of Tennessee, and Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI") Special Agent in Charge, Joseph E. Carrico, made the announcement.

The participant law enforcement agencies in this investigation include the FBI Knoxville High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Rocky Top Task Force, FBI Knoxville Smoky Mountains Economic Crimes Task Force, Sevier County Street Crimes Unit, Sevier County Sheriff’s Office, Sevierville Police Department, Pigeon Forge Police Department, Gatlinburg Police Department, Tennessee Department of Revenue - Special Investigations Unit, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Humphreys County Sheriff's Office, FBI Miami, Miami Gardens Police Department, Hialeah Police Department, Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Miami-Dade Police Department, and the Medley Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Quencer will represent the United States in the prosecution of this case.

The ongoing investigation leading to the indictment was the product of a partnership between numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies cooperating under the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. The OCDETF program is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.

Members of the public are reminded that an indictment constitutes only charges and that every person is presumed innocent until his or her guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

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GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – On October 2, 2018, Benjamin Joel Brooks, 40, of Newport, Tennessee, was sentenced by the Honorable R. Leon Jordan, U.S. District Judge, to serve ten years in federal prison.  Upon his release from prison, he will be supervised by U.S. Probation for five years.   Brooks pleaded guilty in March 2018 to armed robbery of a pharmacy and using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during the robbery.

In October 2017, Brooks entered the East End Pharmacy in Morristown, Tennessee, with his face and head covered, wearing a sweatshirt, and brandishing a small silver handgun.  He demanded the pharmacy staff give him various opioid narcotics. 

Officers with the Morristown Police Department and Hamblen County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the pharmacy within minutes of the robbery and set up a perimeter.  A K9 officer helped apprehend Brooks, who was found a short distance away, hiding in a thicket of Kudzu vines along railroad tracks directly behind the pharmacy.  His capture was recorded on an officer-worn body camera.  The K9 recovered some of the clothing Brooks wore during the robbery.  Some of the pills that were stolen from the pharmacy were also recovered.

Three pharmacy employees and one customer were present during the robbery. The pharmacist and a customer identified the handgun as a small silver pistol, which was later recovered by officers with the Morristown Police Department.

Randy Hurley, 47, of Newport, Tennessee, was charged with aiding and abetting Brooks in this robbery.  He is set to enter a plea of guilty to these charges at 10:00 a.m., October 11, 2018, in U.S. District Court, Greeneville.

Agencies involved in this investigation included the Morristown Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Hamblen County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert M. Reeves represented the United States in court proceedings.        

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.   Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.         

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Jermond Santa Lowery, Jr., 29, of Charlotte, appeared in federal court today and pleaded guilty to brandishing an AR-15 rifle during a restaurant robbery, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.According to plea documents and court proceedings, on October 31, 2023, Lowery entered a Waffle House restaurant located in Charlotte. Upon entering the restaurant, Lowery brandished an AR-15 rifle and told the employees, “You better get back.” As the employees began to flee out of the restaurant’s back door, Lowery ordered them to come back and open the register. He also threatened the employees, telling them, “I’ll kill you right now.” Lowery then removed the cash register from the restaurant and left. Law enforcement arrested Lowery on November 1, 2023.Lowery pleaded guilty to brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, which carries a minimum penalty of seven years and a maximum penalty of life in prison. Lowery remains in federal custody. A sentencing date has not been set.The FBI and CMPD investigated the case.Assistant U.S. Attorney Shavonn Bennette of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Dylan Cruz, a member of the Red Lane Gorillas “set” of the Bloods street gang, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joanna Seybert to 35 years in prison following his conviction on racketeering charges for his role in the July 2012 murder of Anthony Richard in Baldwin Harbor, the October 2014 murder of Ehrik Williams in Hempstead, the November 2010 attempted murder of a rival gang member in Roosevelt, and a several years’ long conspiracy to murder members of a rival “set” of the Bloods gang in Brooklyn.  Cruz pleaded guilty to racketeering in December of 2021 along with co-defendant Richard Michel who is awaiting sentencing. 

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), Patrick J. Ryder, Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department (NCPD), and Keechant L. Sewell, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the guilty plea. 

“Dylan Cruz’s senseless, callous violence took the lives of two innocent young men and devastated their families, all because of suspected offenses against his fellow gang members and associates,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “The relentless efforts of this Office and our law enforcement partners resulted in Cruz being held accountable for these murders that went unsolved for years.  Today’s sentence should send a message to all that violent actors will be held accountable for their criminal acts, no matter how long it takes.”

“The details of this years-long investigation make clear: The NYPD and our law-enforcement partners will never tolerate violent gangs and the havoc they wreak in our communities,” stated NYPD Commissioner Sewell. “Today’s sentencing reflects this defendant’s callous disregard for life, and reaffirms our commitment to rid our streets of violent criminals by holding them fully accountable for their actions. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the New York Field Office of the FBI, the Nassau County Police Department, and everyone else who worked to make New York City safer for all the people we serve.”

According to court filings and statements made by the defendant at his guilty plea, between 2010 and 2021, Cruz, along with other members of the Red Lane Gorillas, engaged in a violent gang war against rival gangs, including the Crips and the 5-9 Brims set of the Bloods, in Nassau County and Brooklyn.  Cruz conspired to kill members of the 5-9 Brims and on February 20, 2016, shot and seriously wounded a rival gang member and an innocent female bystander in Queens.  On November 17, 2010, Cruz also shot a rival Crips gang member in Roosevelt that left the man paralyzed.

Cruz also engaged in extreme violence against anyone suspected of disloyalty or disrespecting his gang. On July 15, 2012, Cruz murdered Anthony Richard, whom he wrongly suspected of assisting the Crips in the 2010 murder of a member of their gang.  Cruz followed Richard to Baldwin Harbor, waited until he parked his car, and then fired 15 shots into Richard’s vehicle, killing him and seriously wounding a passenger.

Just over two years later on October 14, 2014, Cruz murdered Ehrik Williams in Hempstead in the mistaken belief that Williams had robbed one of his associates.  Cruz walked up behind Williams in broad daylight and fired multiple shots at him, killing him.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  As part of the program, U.S. Attorneys’ Offices work in partnership with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement and their local communities to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. 

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys Nicole Boeckmann, Michael Maffei and Oren Gleich are in charge of the prosecution. 

The Defendant:

DYLAN CRUZ (also known as “L Banga” and “Red Lane Banga”)

Age:  30

Brooklyn, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket Nos. 18-CR-664 (S-3) (JS)

Five members of La Mara Salvatrucha (also known as MS-13), Ruendy Jhonatan Hernandez-Vasquez, Jhonny Contreras, Reynaldo Lopez-Alvarado, Jeffrey Amador and Ronald Catalan, are scheduled to be arraigned this morning before United States District Judge Joseph F. Bianco, at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York.  The 75-count sixth superseding indictment was unsealed on August 8, 2018 and charges more than two dozen members of MS-13, a transnational criminal organization, with racketeering and related offenses. 

 Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), Geraldine Hart, Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), and Patrick J. Ryder, Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department (NCPD), announced the charges.

The superseding indictment adds one new defendant, Hernandez-Vasquez, in connection with the October 10, 2016 murder of Javier Castillo in Freeport, and a conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana.  The indictment also adds racketeering offenses and related charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering against previously charged defendants Contreras, Lopez-Alvarado and Amador in connection with the November 19, 2015 murder of Cesar Rivera-Vasquez in Babylon, and racketeering offenses against Catalan for a June 23, 2009 shooting in Brentwood.  In total, 16 murders committed by MS-13 members have been charged in this superseding indictment and underlying indictments in this case.

In addition, INTERPOL issued a Red Notice for Hernandez-Vasquez relating to an arrest warrant for a murder he allegedly committed in El Salvador before he illegally entered the United States.

 “The MS-13’s mission to commit senseless and vicious acts of violence, terrorizing our communities in the process, is evident from the charges announced today,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue.  “This Office and our law enforcement partners will continue our unyielding pursuit to ensure that all members of this brutal gang are held accountable for every crime they have committed and that neighborhoods on Long Island are kept safe and free from gang violence.”  Mr. Donoghue expressed his sincere thanks to all the members of the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force for their work on the investigation.

 “MS-13 members feed on brutal, ruthless attacks threatening the safety of our communities,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney.  “With such a violent gang tormenting the neighborhoods of Long Island, it is essential that we work closely with our fellow law enforcement agencies to continue to round up the individuals committing these violent crimes. The persistence of the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force will never weaken—our investigations into MS-13 will not cease until this gang is eradicated.” 

“The Suffolk County Police Department continues to work with all our partners and serves on the Long Island FBI Gang Task Force to eradicate MS-13,” stated SCPD Commissioner Hart.  “This indictment sends another strong message to MS-13 members that their actions will not be tolerated and justice will be served.  We applaud the Eastern District of New York for their ongoing and relentless commitment to prosecute violent gang members and will continue to work together to ensure that our communities are safe.”

“Today’s indictment of MS-13 member Ruendy Jhonatan Hernandez-Vasquez on charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and distribution of cocaine and marijuana clearly shows how the work of our law enforcement agencies is a constant in our relentless efforts to remove gang members from our streets,” stated NCPD Commissioner Ryder.  “Our determined and dedicated approach keeps our communities safe and I would like to thank all involved in the FBI Long Island Task Force for bringing these gang members to justice.”

2009 Attempted Murder of John Doe #1 in Brentwood

As set forth in court filings, including a detention memorandum filed earlier today, on June 23, 2009, Catalan and two other MS-13 members, all of whom were new members of the Brentwood Locos Salvatruchas clique, armed themselves with handguns and drove through Brentwood, hunting for rival gang members to attack and kill in order to increase their standing and solidify their membership in the MS-13 gang.  They observed a group of males on Barleau Street, whom they believed to be members of the Bloods street gang.  The MS-13 members got out of their car, approached the group and started firing.  John Doe #1 was struck in the armpit and back as he tried to run.  Catalan and the others ran back to the car and fled the scene.  John Doe #1 underwent surgery and ultimately survived the attack.

2015 Murder of Cesar Rivera-Vasquez in Babylon

Contreras, Lopez-Alvarado and Amador are charged in this indictment with the November 19, 2015 murder of Cesar Rivera-Vasquez, who was killed because the MS-13 members suspected that he was a member of a rival Mexican gang, Raza Loca.  The MS-13 members convinced the victim to go with them to a secluded area adjacent to the Long Island Railroad station in Babylon to smoke marijuana.  Once there, Contreras, Lopez-Alvarado, Amador and two other MS-13 members attacked Rivera-Vasquez with knives and a baseball bat before Lopez-Alvarado took a knife and cut the victim’s throat.  The MS-13 members buried his body near a large mound of dirt, and the body was not discovered until April 2018.   

2016 Murder of Javier Castillo in Freeport

Hernandez-Vasquez has been added to previously charged offenses in this case in connection with the October 10, 2016 murder of Javier Castillo.  The MS-13 members suspected Castillo of being a member of the rival 18th Street gang and convinced him to go with them to Cow Meadow Park in Freeport.  Once there, they attacked and killed him with a machete and buried his body in a shallow grave near a saltwater marsh.  Castillo’s body was not recovered until October 2017.  The sixth superseding indictment also adds marijuana and cocaine conspiracy charges against Hernandez-Vasquez.

In addition to the Rivera-Vasquez and Castillo murders, 14 other murders previously were charged in this case, including, the May 26, 2013 murder of Derrick Mayes, the May 28, 2013 murder of Keenan Russell, the July 14, 2014 murder of Jose Lainez-Murcia, the June 30, 2015 murder of Jonathan Cardona-Hernandez, the April 29, 2016 murder of Oscar Acosta, the June 3, 2016 murder of Jose Pena, the September 13, 2016 murders of Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens, the October 13, 2016 murder of Dewann Stacks, the January 30, 2017 murder of Esteban Alvarado-Bonilla, and the April 11, 2017 murders of Justin Llivicura, Michael Lopez, Jorge Tigre and Jefferson Villalobos, as well as numerous attempted murders and assaults. 

The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Today’s superseding indictment is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13.  The MS-13’s leadership is based in El Salvador and Honduras, but the gang has thousands of members across the United States, comprised primarily of immigrants from Central America.  With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the largest and most violent street gang on Long Island.  Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York.  A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders and assaults.  Since 2010, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 45 murders in the Eastern District of New York, and has convicted dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders.  These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, comprising agents and officers of the FBI, SCPD, NCPD, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, Rockville Centre Police Department, New York State Police and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys John J. Durham, Paul G. Scotti, Michael T. Keilty and Raymond A. Tierney are in charge of the prosecution.

New Defendant:

RUENDY JHONATAN HERNANDEZ-VASQUEZ (“Solido”)

Age: 22

Roosevelt and Freeport, New York

Previously Indicted Defendants Facing Additional Charges:

JHONNY CONTRERAS (“Muerte” and “Reaper”)

Age:  25

Brentwood, New York

REYNALDO LOPEZ-ALVARADO (“Mente”)

Age:  26

Brentwood, New York

JEFFREY AMADOR (“Cruel”)

Age:  22

Brentwood, New York

RONALD CATALAN (“Stranger” and “Extrano”)

Age:  27

Brentwood, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-403 (S-6)(JFB)