Vermont Man Charged for Vandalism and Destruction at Federal Court of Appeals

One of May Day Rioters Who Broke Windows

A Vermont resident was charged in U.S. District Court in Seattle today with destruction of government property for the May Day assault on the Nakamura Federal Courthouse in downtown Seattle. CODY R. INGRAM, 23, is allegedly one of at least two men captured on video using sticks to break the glass in windows and doors at the historic building. INGRAM was arrested a short time later by Seattle Police.

“These acts were potentially dangerous acts of vandalism, not protected free speech. These crimes were not envisioned by May Day march organizers,” said U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. “We will do everything we can to identify and prosecute those who sought to turn peaceful protests into violent encounters in downtown Seattle.”

According to the criminal complaint filed against INGRAM, he traveled to Seattle for the May Day demonstrations. Police officers who viewed video of the vandalism on the 6th Avenue side of the Nakamura Courthouse recognized INGRAM as one of the people who ran up to the door with a thick dowel and hammered on the glass. Shortly after the vandalism, INGRAM was spotted by police carrying the thick stick up 6th Avenue. When confronted by police, INGRAM initially refused to drop the stick. INGRAM continued to resist as he was being handcuffed by police.

Destruction of government property is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

The charge contained in the complaint is only an allegation. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The case is being investigated by the Seattle Police Department and the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mike Dion.

Brian Toriano Crimiel Indicted on Charges of Defacing Places of Worship

LAFAYETTE, LA—First Assistant United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that Brian Toriano Crimiel, 34, of Lafayette, Louisiana, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury for defacing two churches located in Lafayette. Crimiel was also charged for making a false statement.

Crimiel is charged in a three-count indictment with two counts of damage to religious property and one count of making a false statement to the FBI. On February 13, 2011 and February 26, 2011, the St. James Baptist Church, 1001 Plum Street, Lafayette, La., and the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 818 12th Street, Lafayette, La., respectively, was defaced with spray painted racial slurs and notes strewn about with hate-filled language.

If convicted on count one, Crimiel faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.00 for the damage to the property of St. James Baptist Church, and up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.00 on count two for the damage to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. If convicted on count three, for making a false statement, Crimiel could face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.00. Count one carries a higher penalty because of the threatened use of fire and the accelerant detected at the scene.

An indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Lafayette Resident Agency and the Lafayette Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James T. McManus.

Luzerne County Man Sentenced After Tampering with Consumer Products

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Joseph Bartorillo, age 60, of Larksville, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment by Senior United States District Court Judge Richard P. Conaboy. Judge Conaboy further ordered that Bartorillo serve a two-year term of supervised release and pay a $1,000 fine and $3,647 in restitution to the Pennsylvania State Police crime lab.

The individual victims who purchased the contaminated yogurt will be eligible for restitution as part of the state court case against the defendant.

According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, Bartorillo was charged in a Felony Information in October 2011 with tampering with a consumer product that affected interstate commerce. Between July 1, 2010, and May 31, 2011, Bartorillo intentionally tainted food containers by injecting the containers on multiple occasions with his own semen.

At the time the charges were announced, U.S. Attorney Smith stated that all of the tainted containers were recovered, as they had all been in the possession of a limited and known number of people. The tainted containers present no danger to the public.

Bartorillo pleaded guilty in November 2011.

The investigation was conducted by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Wyoming County District Attorney’s Office-Detective Unit. Prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Olshefski.

Missouri Woman Pleads Guilty for Role in the Vandalism and Arson of a Mobile Home

Teresa Witthar, 43, of Independence, Mo., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Kansas City to federal hate crime charges in connection with the vandalism and arson of a bi-racial man’s mobile home in 2006.

Witthar was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2011, on one count of conspiracy, one count of violating the Fair Housing Act, one count of using fire to commit a felony, two counts of obstruction of justice and two counts of making false statements for her role in the vandalism and fire of Nathaniel Reed’s mobile home.  Witthar entered a guilty plea to one count of conspiracy, one count of violating the Fair Housing Act and one count of obstruction of justice. 

According to the indictment, in the summer of 2006, Witthar, Charles Wilhelm and David Martin conspired to intimidate and scare Nathaniel Reed, a bi-racial man, into moving out of the Highland Manor Mobile Home Park in Independence, Mo., in part because of his race.  On or about June 6, 2006, Witthar, along with Wilhelm and Martin, entered Reed’s mobile home, without his permission, and vandalized it by writing at least fifteen racially derogatory slurs on the walls of his trailer.  Two days later, Witthar drove Martin and Wilhelm to a neighbourhood behind Reed’s mobile home so that they could set fire to Reed’s trailer without being detected.   Witthar waited in her vehicle while they set the fire and then provided them a ride back to the Highland Manor Mobile Home Park.

In the spring of 2011, Witthar unsuccessfully attempted to persuade another individual to testify falsely in front of a grand jury about her role in the vandalism and fire.  

“Every American has the right to enjoy their home free from racially-motivated violence, threats and intimidation,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice. “The Civil Rights Division will aggressively prosecute those who violate this right.”

 “When threats and vandalism failed to drive their victim out of the neighborhood, these conspirators escalated their racially-motivated campaign by burning down his home,” said Beth Phillips, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri. “The Constitution protects each of us from racially-motivated intimidation, and this defendant will be held accountable for violating Mr. Reed’s civil rights.”

 “Today’s guilty plea exemplifies the FBI’s continued long term commitment to aggressively pursue justice for those who are victims of racially motivated crimes,” said Brian A. Truchon, Special Agent in Charge of the Kansas City Division of the FBI.

The guilty plea was the result of a cooperative effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri, the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, and the Kansas City Division of the FBI.   The case is being prosecuted by First Assistant U.S. Attorney David Ketchmark for the Western District of Missouri and Trial Attorney Sheldon L. Beer of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.