Two Men Sentenced for Burglarizing Home on the Navajo Indian Reservation

ALBUQUERQUE—Earlier today, a federal judge in Santa Fe, New Mexico sentenced two non-Indian men from Grants, New Mexico for burglarizing a home in Ramah, New Mexico on the Navajo Indian Reservation. Michael Bearden, 34, was sentenced to a 36-month term of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release. His nephew, Joshua Bearden, 24, was sentenced to 18 months of prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that the two men were indicted on April 13, 2011 and charged with violating three state statutes that were assimilated for federal prosecution because there are no federal statutes that were applicable: (1) burglary; (2) attempted burglary; and (3) possession of burglary tools. Where state laws are adopted within federal jurisdiction, the offense is punishable as if it were a violation of the state statute. Under state law, the maximum penalty for a conviction on the burglary offense is three years of imprisonment, and the maximum penalty for a conviction on each of the other two offenses is 18 months in prison.

According to the indictment, Michael Bearden and Joshua Bearden burglarized one home on the Navajo Indian Reservation on April 15, 2008, and attempted to burglarize a second on that same day. Joshua Bearden has been in federal custody since his arrest on May 12, 2011, and Michael Bearden has been in federal custody since his arrest on May 23, 2011.

Court filings reflect that, in 2008, the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety and the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office were seeking two suspects in connection with a series of burglaries in Grants, Ramah, and Vanderwagen. On April 15, 2008, a truck driven by Joshua Bearden with Michael Bearden as a passenger was stopped for speeding by a McKinley County sheriff’s deputy. After observing DVDs and a DVD player in the bed of the truck during the traffic stop, the deputy sought to ascertain if anyone had reported a burglary and learned that the Ramah Navajo Police Department had information regarding a burglary.

Thereafter, Michael Bearden and Joshua Bearden made post-arrest statements during which they admitted burglarizing a home in Ramah, where they stole a DVD player, DVDs, and jewelry; and attempting to burglarize a home south of Gallup, New Mexico. Both homes were located in the Navajo Indian Reservation.

On September 26, 2011, both men entered guilty pleas to count one of the indictment, charging them with burglary, under plea agreements with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. In entering his guilty plea, Michael Bearden admitted breaking into a home owned and occupied by a member of the Navajo Nation and stealing jewelry, electronics, and DVDs. Joshua Bearden admitted that he assisted in burglarizing that same home by acting as a “lookout” and getaway driver for Michael Bearden.

The case was investigated by the Crownpoint Division of the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety, the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack E. Burkhead.

Armed Robber Sentenced to Over 10 Years in Prison for Participating in the Planning and Execution of Two Home Invasion Robberies

BALTIMORE—U.S. District Judge Benson E. Legg sentenced Antowan Bell, age 25, of Rosedale, Maryland, today to 130 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiring to commit a series of armed commercial robberies and using a firearm during a crime of violence. Judge Legg also ordered that Bell pay restitution of $140,000.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III of the Baltimore City Police Department; Chief James W. Johnson of the Baltimore County Police Department; Baltimore City State’s Attorney Gregg Bernstein; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.

According to Bell’s plea agreement, Bell was part of a conspiracy with co-defendants Nikolaos Mamalis, Daniel Chase, George Laloudakis, Evangelos Tsoukatos, and others to steal the proceeds of commercial businesses along with the cash and personal property of the owners of those businesses.

Bell admitted that on September 29, 2009, he and his co-conspirators planned to rob the owner of a restaurant on

North Point Boulevard

in Baltimore. Mamalis knew the owner from prior business dealings and had suddenly started coming to the restaurant regularly in the weeks before the robbery. On the day of the robbery, Tsoukatos drove to the area of the restaurant to confirm that the owner had left for the day. Bell and Chase drove to the owner’s home, where Chase gained entry to the home by identifying himself as an investigator with the State’s Attorney’s office, displaying a fake badge that he had manufactured. Once inside the house, Chase pulled a gun from a briefcase and handcuffed the victim to a kitchen chair. Bell then entered the home and demanded to know the location of the victim’s safe. The victim denied having a safe, but told the robbers there was money from the restaurant in a kitchen drawer. Chase took approximately $10,000 from the drawer in the kitchen. Bell and Chase rummaged through the house, eventually locating the safe in the basement. They forced the victim to the basement at gunpoint and demanded the combination to the safe, threatening to cut off the victim’s finger if he refused. Bell and Chase took approximately $150,000 from the safe, which included profits from the Sparrows Point Restaurant, and left the victim bound and physically restrained.

On November 8, 2009, Mamalis and Bell drove to Atlantic City where they met Chase at a café to plan a robbery. The three were arrested as they left the café. Investigators searched Chase’s car and seized a briefcase that contained mace, rope, rubber gloves, three sets of handcuffs, three empty money bags, a knife, tape, and a fake badge purporting to be identification for “John Peters” of the “Office of the Attorney General, Major Crimes Division” for the State of New Jersey, bearing a photograph of Chase.

Mamalis, age 54, of Edgewood, Maryland was convicted on February 3, 2011, of conspiring to commit a series of armed commercial and home robberies between July and November 2009; armed robbery. and brandishing a gun during a crime of violence. Daniel Chase, age 65, of Browns Mill, New Jersey; George Laloudakis, age 49, of Baltimore; and Evangelos Tsoukatos, age 48, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, pleaded guilty to their participation in the robberies. Judge Legg has scheduled sentencing for Chase on March 24, 2011; for Laloudakis on April 21, 2011; for Mamalis on May 10, 2011 at 10:00 a.m.; and for Tsoukatos for May 13, 2011.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked: the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore City Police Department, Baltimore County Police Department, New Jersey State Police, the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office, and the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in this investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein commended Assistant United States Attorneys Debra L. Dwyer and Thiru Vignarajah, who prosecuted the case.

FBI Agents Arrest Four People Charged in Armed Home Invasion

PHILADELPHIA—An indictment was unsealed today after the FBI arrested four people in connection with an armed home invasion robbery that occurred in Bartonsville, Pennsylvania in January 2010, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger and FBI Special Agent-in-Charge George Venizelos. According to the indictment, on January 26, 2010, Buu Huu Truong, Den Van Nguyen, Tahn Le, and Teo Van Bui (charged elsewhere and previously arrested) burst into the home of a nail salon owner after he arrived home from work with his two children. According to the indictment, Truong, Le, Bui, and Den Van Nguyen held the victims at gunpoint, threatened them, and assaulted the salon owner and restrained him with duct tape while they rummaged through the house stealing valuables. Defendant Thach Van Nguyen, who once worked for the victim, acted as a lookout.

The indictment alleges that the four men believed their victim kept a large amount of his business profits at his house. They allegedly met in Philadelphia one night to plan the robbery. Teo Van Bui was indicted and arrested in November 2010. He and the four defendants arrested today are charged with conspiracy to commit robbery which interferes with interstate commerce, robbery which interferes with interstate commerce, brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The four arrested today will have initial appearances in magistrate's court this afternoon.

INFORMATION REGARDING THE DEFENDANTS

NAME ADDRESS AGE

Buu Huu Truong, a/k/a “Thanh” Upper Darby, PA 35

Thach Van Nguyen, a/k/a “Michael” Wall Township, NJ 33

Den Van Nguyen, a/k/a “Son” Philadelphia, PA 40

Tahn Le Philadelphia, PA 43

If convicted of all charges, each defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pocono Township Police, the Philadephia Police Department, and the Pennsylvania State Police. It is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Robert J. Livermore with the Department of Justice, Organized Crime and Racketeering Section.