Violent Homicide Suspect Arrested by Task Force

Salisbury, NC – This morning at 9:30 AM, Waylon Vernon Russell, a 42 year old, White Male, was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Joint Fugitive Task Force (JFTF). Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia issued an arrest warrant for Russell for Homicide on July 2, 2013. It is alleged that on October 26, 2002 Russell murdered the victim by causing penetrating trauma to the victim’s neck with an unknown weapon and setting the victim on fire.

At the request of the U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force (SERFTF), Russell was taken into custody without incident at 386 E. Liberty Street. Russell was transported and booked into the Davidson County Jail awaiting extradition to Wayne County, Georgia.

The U.S. Marshals Joint Fugitive Task Force for the Middle District of North Carolina is comprised of investigators from the U.S. Marshals Service, Chapel Hill Police Department, Durham Police Department, Greensboro Police Department, High Point Police Department, Winston Salem Police Department, Alamance County Sheriff’s Office, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety Probation and Parole Division and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

Fugitive Wanted for Alleged Rape Arrested in Reno

RENO, NEVADA – Robert Franklin Murray, 28, a fugitive wanted in Contra Costa County was arrested July 11 by the local U.S. Marshals led Fugitive Task Force and the Regional Sex Offender Notification Unit (RSONU). Murray was wanted on charges of rape and other sex related crimes. Information was developed that Murray had come to Reno from the Bay area and was living in the vicinity of Kietzke Lane and East Plumb Lane. Murray was booked into the Washoe County Detention Center pending his extradition to California. District of Nevada U.S. Marshal Christopher Hoye stated, “This is yet another example of how our joint agency efforts are apprehending fugitives who think they can hide in the Reno community.” The Reno U.S. Marshals Service led task force is a partnership comprised of law enforcement investigators from the United States Marshals Service, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Nevada Department of Public Safety (Probation & Parole), and Sparks Police Department. The Task Force combines the resources and expertise of local, state, and federal law enforcement in a coordinated effort to arrest dangerous fugitives and pursue sexual offenders wherever they are located. As the result of the Adam Walsh Protection and Safety Act of 2006, the United States Marshals Service is the primary federal agency responsible for investigating sex offenders, convicted in federal or state court, who have failed to register or update their registration and travel in interstate or foreign commerce.

The Zimmerman Case: When Will It Be Over?

 Commentary by Lieutenant Colonel John Lewis Cook, USA (ret.)

Here’s a trivia question for you.  Who is George Howard?  Ever heard of him?  I didn’t think so.  He was a young black boy, 15 years old, gunned down on the streets of Chicago by another young  black, on February 27th, 2012.  This is the same day Trayvon Martin was killed.  That date, and the fact that both were black, is all they have in common.  Since that fateful day in February last year until today, 838 people have met a violent end on the mean streets of  Chicago.  Over 80% of the victims were black and most were young.  Here’s one more fact.  Most of the killers were also black.  This is the key to understanding the phony outrage caused by the Zimmerman verdict.  

So why didn’t you hear a single word about George Howard but couldn’t stop hearing about Trayvon Martin?  The answer, unfortunately, is all too easy.  George Howard was killed by another black so there was nothing there for professional race hustlers such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to exploit.  Trayvon, on the other hand, fit the script perfectly.  It was a dream come true for the Al & Jesse Show. He was killed by George Zimmerman,  who at first was identified as white.  That was enough for the professional blacks to swing into action.  Never mind that the local police department saw no reason to hold Zimmerman because the case, on its face, was self defense.  Very quickly pressure was applied to the Florida Attorney General and a “Special Prosecutor” was appointed.  When it was determined that Zimmerman was actually half Hispanic, it was too late for Jesse and Al to back out.  The narrative was simply changed from “white” to “white Hispanic,” and a new ethnic classification was born.  

The media, of course, ran with the story because it had one element the media loves to exploit, and that’s racism.  Finally, after festering for months, the case went to trial and Zimmerman was found not guilty.  That should have been the end of it, but it wasn’t.  Now, after listening to the liberal media for the past few days, it appears that there has been no trial and no verdict has been rendered.  The race hustlers have been busy waving the bloody shirt in Sanford, Florida, telling anyone one who listen that this shooting down of young black men has to stop!  And it must stop now!  This is outrageous and unacceptable!  

Seriously?  Are you telling me these professional race hustlers care about young black men gunned down in America?  Over 800 people murdered in Chicago since Trayvon was killed and none of these race baiters open their mouth about that.  Certainly not Jesse Jackson, who actually lives there, who should be outraged by the slaughter taking place in his home town.  Yet, if a white, or white Hispanic,  shoots a black a 1,000 miles away, Jesse is Johnnie on the spot.  So the question to ask is this.  Who is the racist here?    Do these people actually care about blacks getting killed?  Sadly, their outrage rings hollow.  Was Trayvon Martin really that much more valuable than George Howard?  Some 800 times as valuable?  Seriously?  Apparently he was because Trayvon, even in death, can be used by those who make a living by stoking the flames of racism.  For people like Al and Jessie, it’s simply business and this summer, business has been good.  

If the mainstream media had any integrity, they would point this out to the public.  Unfortunately, they have their own agenda as well, which reduces them to little more than hypocrites.   Meanwhile, back in Chicago, the George Howards, who really don’t matter to the professional racists,  keep getting gunned down night after night by blacks and there are no marches or demonstrations for them.   

And the President?  Where is he on this issue?  He’s on record for saying that “if he had a son, he would look like Trayvon.”  Well, why not George Howard, who was gunned down the same day Trayvon died?  After all, George Howard is from the President’s home town, Chicago, the same town Obama made his bones as a “community organizer.”    Why not pick him?  Could it be that no one in this whole sorry episode even knew George Howard ever lived, much less died?  Sadly, we will never know his story because the Zimmerman/Trayvon episode sucked all the oxygen out of the media.  As for Al and Jessie, they are not interested in George Howard because there’s nothing to spin or exploit there.  Just another black killed by another black.   And, in the end, that is the real tragedy here.    

About the Author

Lieutenant Colonel John Lewis Cook, United States Army (Retired), “served as the Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Interior in Kabul, Afghanistan, with responsibility for developing the force structure for the entire Afghan National Police.  As of 2012, this force totals 157,000.  From March 2008 until August 2012, his access and intimate associations with all levels of the Afghan government and coalition forces have provided him with an unprecedented insight into the policies which will determine the outcome of the war.  It is this insight, coupled with his contacts and associations throughout Afghanistan that form the basis of Afghanistan: The Perfect Failure.

Click to read more about Lt. Colonel John Lewis Cook

Former U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer and Four Associates Sentenced for Carrying out Bribery and Alien Smuggling Activities Along Mexican Border

A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer, his girlfriend, his nephew and two of their associates were sentenced today in federal court for their participation in bribery and alien smuggling activities along the U.S./Mexico border spanning approximately two years, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

Former CBP Officer Juan Carlos Guerrero, 39, of Mission, Texas, was sentenced to 108 months in prison and ordered to pay a $30,000 fine by U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen in the Southern District of Texas after pleading guilty last year to one count of substantive bribery, one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and one count of alien smuggling conspiracy.  Guerrero’s girlfriend, Claudia Flores, 34, of Mission, was sentenced to 60 months in prison and also ordered to pay a $30,000 fine; Maribel Rivera, 43, also of Mission, was sentenced to 30 months in prison; and Rodolfo Caballero Rojas, 40, of Oklahoma City, was sentenced to 24 months in prison and ordered to pay a $6,000 fine. Each pleaded guilty last year to separate informations charging each of them with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and alien smuggling.  Guerrero’s nephew, Jose P. Cantu, 20, of Mission, was sentenced to 52 months in prison after having pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery and alien smuggling and a separate charge of conspiracy to import marijuana and cocaine.
According to court documents, between approximately October 2008 and approximately May 2011, Guerrero worked the midnight shift at the Hidalgo, Pharr and Anzaldvas Ports of Entry, where he was responsible for, among other things, vehicle inspections of northbound traffic traveling from Mexico to the United States.

According to court documents, between approximately January 2009 and approximately May 2011, Guerrero and Flores organized a bribery and alien smuggling operation, whereby Guerrero, Flores, Rivera, Rojas, Cantu and other co-conspirators arranged for aliens from Mexico to be smuggled into the United States through Guerrero’s inspection lanes in exchange for bribe payments ranging from $500 to $3,000 per alien.  Guerrero admitted that he organized and directed a total of approximately 80 to 150 different smuggling events and that he knowingly permitted approximately 80 to 165 aliens to gain illegal entry into the United States.

According to court documents, Flores admitted that she helped Guerrero organize and direct a total of approximately 50 to 75 of the illegal crossings, in which approximately 50 to 100 aliens from Mexico gained illegal entry into the United States.  Rivera admitted that she assisted Guerrero and Flores by identifying and soliciting aliens, communicating smuggling prices and details of the illegal crossings to the aliens and collecting bribe payments from the aliens on the behalf of Guerrero and Flores.  Rojas admitted, among other things, that he assisted Guerrero by personally driving aliens through Guerrero’s inspection lane at the Anzalduas Point of Entry and that he paid Guerrero a bribe of approximately $1,500 as payment for Guerrero’s decision to permit an alien to pass illegally through his inspection lane.

Court documents further indicate that Cantu admitted to helping Guerrero separately organize and carry out approximately 40 illegal crossings, in which approximately 45 to 60 aliens from Mexico gained illegal entry into the United States.  Additionally, Cantu independently smuggled 168.8 kilograms of marijuana and 3.9 kilograms of cocaine through Guerrero’s inspection lane in exchange for approximately $5,000 from another associate.

Guerrero, who was placed on administrative leave upon his arrest in October of last year, formally resigned his CBP post on Dec. 13, 2012, as part of his plea agreement.

The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Edward J. Loya Jr. and J.P. Cooney of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section.  The case was investigated by agents from the FBI’s South Texas Border Corruption Task Force, which includes agents from the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Professional Responsibility, CBP Office of Internal Affairs, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, CBP U.S. Border Patrol and the Texas Rangers Division.

Medal of Valor Nomination Period Closes July 31

There are just two weeks left to nominate a public safety officer for the 2012-2013 Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor, the highest national award for valor by a public safety officer. The medal is awarded annually by the president or vice president of the United States to public safety officers who have exhibited exceptional courage, regardless of personal safety, in the attempt to save or protect human life. To be considered, an officer must be nominated for actions that occurred between June 1, 2012 and May 31, 2013. Nominations must be submitted through the online Medal of Valor application system by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on July 31, 2013. To nominate an officer, go to https://www.bja.gov/programs/medalofvalor/index.html. For questions about the award or how to nominate an officer, email medalofvalor@usdoj.gov.

MS-13 Members Convicted in Atlanta for Murders and Attempted Murders

Gang Wreaked Havoc in Northern Georgia

 

After a four-week trial, a federal jury has convicted Miguel Alvarado-Linares, Ernesto Escobar, Dimas Alfaro-Granados and Jairo Reyna-Ozuna for committing multiple murders, attempted murders, armed robberies and firearms offenses in Gwinnett and DeKalb Counties.

The convictions were announced today by Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Sally Quillian Yates; Brock D. Nicholson, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Atlanta; and Mark F. Giuliano, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Atlanta Field Office.

Miguel Alvarado-Linares, aka “Joker,” 24, of Norcross, Ga.; Ernesto Escobar, aka “Pink Panther,” 30, of Norcross; Dimas Alfaro-Granados, aka “Toro,” 30, of Duluth, Ga.; and Jairo Reyna-Ozuna, aka “Flaco,” 28, of Norcross, were convicted late yesterday in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Georgia.

“These four MS-13 members committed a host of brutal crimes that devastated countless lives in Northern Georgia,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Raman.  “As a result of the tireless work by the prosecutors and investigators who tackled this case, the defendants will be removed from the streets they have terrorized.”

“These defendants were the leaders of MS-13, an international gang known for its gratuitous murders,” said U.S. Attorney Yates.  “They spread fear throughout the community by killing suspected rival gang members and others who cross their path.  We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect our streets from turning into battlegrounds.”

“The defendants in this case indiscriminately brought murderous violence against rival gang members and innocent civilians alike,” said Brock D. Nicholson, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Atlanta. “HSI is proud to continue to partner with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to target violent transnational gang members who threaten the safety of Atlanta communities.”

“Removing these violent gang members from the streets of metro Atlanta not only makes for a safer community but further weakens the Southeastern U.S. roots of this international criminal enterprise known as MS-13,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark F. Giuliano of the FBI Atlanta Field Office.  “The FBI will continue to work with its various law enforcement partners in targeting this group, and others like them, in a unified and effective manner.”

According to the charges and other information presented in court, MS-13 is an international gang that has operated in the Atlanta area since at least 2005.  During the course of this investigation, which ended in 2010, more than 75 MS-13 members were arrested, charged and/or deported.  MS-13 members were organized into “cliques,” or groups, but they operated under the larger umbrella of MS-13.  Each clique had a leader, usually referred to as “the first word,” who conducted weekly meetings, where members discussed their crimes against rival gang members and their plans to retaliate against their rivals.  The clique leader collected dues from the gang members and used the money to buy guns and post bail for jailed members.  Some of the money was sent back to the MS-13 leaders in El Salvador and Honduras.  Clique leaders communicated with MS-13 leaders in their home countries to update them on gang activities in the Atlanta area.  The gang members staked out Gwinnett and DeKalb Counties as their home territory, where they committed murders, attempted murders and armed robberies.  They also sold cocaine as part of their gang activity.

The evidence presented at trial showed that the defendants committed the following crimes:
• Alvarado-Linares and Alfaro-Granados, along with another gang member, killed Lal Ko in October 2006.  Ko was a fellow MS-13 member, but Alvarado-Linares, one of the gang leaders, thought that Ko was cooperating with police and ordered his murder.

• In December 2006, when another MS-13 gang member wanted to quit the gang, Alvarado-Linares and Alfaro-Granados ordered him to kill a rival gang member as a condition of leaving MS-13.  On Christmas Eve 2006, that gang member, following orders, shot at a car on Highway 316 that he believed contained rival gang members.  The passenger, Angel Gonzalez, was murdered.  He was 20 years old.

• On New Year’s Eve 2006, Alvarado-Linares was at an apartment complex where he exchanged gang hand signs and insults with two members of the rival gang SUR-13.  Alvarado-Linares then pulled out a gun and shot the men.

• In August 2007, Escobar got into a scuffle with two teenagers at a Shell gas station in Gwinnett County.  Escobar reported the incident to Reyna-Ozuna, who was the gang leader at the time.  Reyna-Ozuna gave Escobar a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun to retaliate.  Escobar went back to the Shell station and shot and killed one of the teenagers as he was painting lines in the parking lot.  The victim was only 16 years old.

• In October 2007, Alvarado-Linares was in Gwinnett County and came across a suspected member of the 18th Street gang.  Alvarado fired a shotgun and killed the victim, who was 15 years old.
Alvarado-Linares, Escobar and Alfaro-Granados were convicted of RICO conspiracy involving murder, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.  Reyna-Ozuna was convicted of RICO conspiracy, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.  Alvarado-Linares, Escobar and Alfaro-Granados were also convicted of committing violent crimes in aid of racketeering, which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison.  All of the defendants were convicted of firearms offenses, which carry a sentence of up to and including life in prison.  There is no parole in the federal system.

The sentencing for the four defendants will be scheduled at a later date before U.S. District Judge Richard W. Story in the Northern District of Georgia.

This case is being investigated by Special Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, Gwinnett County Police Department, DeKalb County Police Department, Norcross Police Department, Chamblee Police Department and Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul R. Jones and Kim S. Dammers of the Northern District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Joseph K. Wheatley of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section are prosecuting the case.

Former U.S. Army Reserve Captain Pleads Guilty in Nevada to Bribery Scheme

A former U.S. Army Reserve captain pleaded guilty today to accepting more than $90,000 in bribes from contractors while he was deployed to Iraq, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden of the District of Nevada.

Edward William Knotts III, 51, of Gibbon, Neb., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge James Mahan in the District of Nevada to a criminal information charging him with one count of bribery. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison when he is sentenced on Oct. 8, 2013.

According to court documents, from December 2005 until December 2007, Knotts was stationed at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, as a contracting officer’s representative for contracts between the U.S. Army and local contractors to provide services to support the operations at Camp Buehring and another U.S. camp in Kuwait.

In November 2006, Knotts entered into an agreement with a Kuwait-based corporation to receive a monthly fee from the corporation in return for providing confidential bidding information about U.S. Army contracts.  Between November 2006 and November 2007, the corporation paid him approximately $31,500 in cash.  In June 2007, a representative of the corporation paid Knotts $40,000 at a hotel room in Las Vegas in return for his promise to provide confidential bid information and in anticipation of the corporation hiring him.  Knotts received another similar cash payment of $20,000 in August 2008 in a different Las Vegas hotel.

This case was investigated by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, Defense Criminal Investigative Service and U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command. The case is being prosecuted by Director of Procurement Fraud Litigation Catherine Votaw and Trial Attorney Brian Young of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

Former Alabama Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty to Obstructing Justice in Federal Criminal Civil Rights Investigation of Beating Death of an Inmate

The Justice Department announced today that Joseph Sanders, 32, a former corrections officer of the Alabama Department of Corrections, pleaded guilty to obstructing justice in an investigation into the beating death of former inmate Rocrast Mack.

On Aug. 4, 2010, 24-year-old Rocrast Mack was beaten by several corrections officers at Ventress Correctional Facility in Clayton, Ala.  He was repeatedly struck by a baton in an office in the prison, and several minutes later he was assaulted again in the medical unit of the prison when an officer stomped on Mack’s head several times.  Mack died the following day in a Montgomery, Ala., hospital.  Following Mack’s death, Sanders lied to investigators from the Department of Corrections to cover up the fact that Mack was unjustly and brutally beaten.

Two weeks ago, on June 25, a federal jury convicted Michael Smith, a former lieutenant at Ventress, of civil rights and obstruction of justice violations regarding this incident.  Scottie Glenn, another former corrections officer at Ventress, pleaded guilty on Nov.18, 2011, to one count of violating the civil rights of Mack for his role in the incident and to one count of conspiring with other corrections officers to cover up the beatings.  Matthew Davidson, another former corrections officer, pleaded guilty on Jan. 15, 2013, to two civil rights violations and one count of conspiring with other officers to cover up the beatings.

Sentencing for all of the defendants is scheduled for Sept. 23, 2013.  Sanders faces a statutory maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison.

“Mr. Sanders, by his statements, attempted to conceal that Rocrast Mack’s brutal death was unjustly caused by the corrections officers to whose care he had been entrusted,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Roy L. Austin Jr. “Such actions have no place in our corrections system and the Department of Justice will continue to vigorously prosecute those who commit and cover up such crimes.”

This case was investigated by the Mobile, Ala., Division of the FBI, in partnership with the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, and was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Patricia Sumner of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerusha Adams of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama.

United States Federal Air Marshal Service

Clay W. Biles “has a long and varied career in US defense, beginning with his career in the Navy in 1994. Using this experience, Biles then moved into Explosives Demolition in Los Angeles, followed by his studies to become a doctor and two years spent as a medical researcher at Stanford University Medical Center. In 2001, after the attacks on 9/11, he returned to the military and served with SEAL Team Three until 2004. After years spent in the UAE, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Mexico on overseas security contracts, Biles joined the Federal Air Marshal Service where he was assigned as his class’ training leader during the air marshal academy, and was given the Distinguished Honor Graduate Award upon graduation.”  Clay W. Biles is the author of The United States Federal Air Marshal Service: A Historical Perspective, 1962 - 2012: "Fifty Years of Service."

More about Clay W. Biles

Two Aryan Brotherhood of Texas Gang Members Plead Guilty to Federal Racketeering Charges

Two members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas gang (ABT) pleaded guilty today to racketeering charges related to their membership in the ABT’s criminal enterprise, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson of the Southern District of Texas.

Glen Ray Millican, aka “Fly,” 39, and Justin Christopher Northrup, aka “Ruthless,” 28, both of Houston, each pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Sim Lake in the Southern District of Texas to one count of conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity.

According to court documents, Millican, Northrup and other ABT gang members and associates agreed to commit multiple acts of murder, robbery, arson, kidnapping and narcotics trafficking on behalf of the ABT gang.  Millican, Northrup and numerous ABT gang members met on a regular basis at various locations throughout Texas to report on gang-related business, collect dues, commit disciplinary assaults against fellow gang members and discuss acts of violence against rival gang members, among other things. 

 By pleading guilty to racketeering charges, Millican and Northrup admitted to being members of the ABT criminal enterprise and agreeing to commit multiple acts of violence and/or narcotics trafficking on behalf of the ABT.

According to the superseding indictment, the ABT was established in the early 1980s within the Texas prison system.  The gang modeled itself after and adopted many of the precepts and writings of the Aryan Brotherhood, a California-based prison gang that was formed in the California prison system during the 1960s.  According to the superseding indictment, previously, the ABT was primarily concerned with the protection of white inmates and white supremacy/separatism.  Over time, the ABT expanded its criminal enterprise to include illegal activities for profit.

Court documents allege that the ABT enforced its rules and promoted discipline among its members, prospects and associates through murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to murder, arson, assault, robbery and threats against those who violate the rules or pose a threat to the enterprise.  Members, and oftentimes associates, were required to follow the orders of higher-ranking members, often referred to as “direct orders.”

According to the superseding indictment, in order to be considered for ABT membership, a person must be sponsored by another gang member.  Once sponsored, a prospective member must serve an unspecified term, during which he is referred to as a prospect, while his conduct is observed by the members of the ABT.

At sentencing, scheduled for Sept. 26, 2013, Millican and Northrup each face a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Millican and Northrup are two of 36 defendants charged with conducting racketeering activity through the ABT criminal enterprise, among other charges.  They are the seventh and eighth defendants, respectively, to plead guilty. 
 
This case is being investigated by a multi-agency task force consisting of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; FBI; U.S. Marshals Service; Federal Bureau of Prisons; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations; Texas Rangers; Texas Department of Public Safety; Montgomery County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; Houston Police Department – Gang Division; Texas Department of Criminal Justice – Office of Inspector General; Harris County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; Atascosa County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; Orange County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; Waller County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; Alvin, Texas, Police Department; Carrollton, Texas, Police Department; Mesquite, Texas, Police Department; Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office; and the Atascosa County District Attorney’s Office.

The case is being prosecuted by the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Texas.

Minnesota Man Pleads Guilty to Engaging in a Sex Trafficking Conspiracy

The Justice Deparment announced today that Andre James Hertzog, 29, of St. Paul, Minn. pleaded guilty to participating in a sex trafficking conspiracy.  Hertzog pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.

During his plea hearing, Hertzog admitted that from April 2011 to August 2012, he and a co-conspirator, Nicole Bramer, of St. Paul, Minn., engaged in a scheme to recruit two young women and compel them to engage in commercial sex acts.  Working together, Hertzog and the co-conspirator used coercive tactics, including physical violence and psychological coercion, to isolate the victims and cause them to engage in commercial sex acts.  Hertzog further admitted that his co-conspirator transported the older victim across state lines for the purpose of having her engage in commercial sex acts in July 2011, and that he and the co-conspirator transported the younger victim across state lines for the purpose of having her engage in commercial sex acts in July and August of 2012. The defendant admitted he knew that the co-conspirator used her computer to advertise the commercial sex services of one of the victims on the website backpage.com.

 At sentencing, Hertzog faces a maximum penalty of up to life in prison on the sex trafficking conspiracy charge.

 On May 29, 2013,  the co-defendant, Nicole Bramer, pleaded guilty to participating in the sex trafficking conspiracy.  Bramer also faces a maximum penalty of up to life in prison on the sex trafficking conspiracy charge.

“The defendants preyed upon vulnerable young women and used violence, threats, and psychological intimidation to exploit the victims and coerce them into prostitution ,” said Roy L. Austin Jr., Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “The department of Justice is committed to prosecuting those who sexually exploit vulnerable women for financial benefit.  I also would like to commend the FBI for its strong commitment to this effort and for its outstanding work in this case.”

“Human Trafficking often victimizes the most vulnerable among us.  The FBI remains fully committed to bringing to justice those who engage in this heinous crime,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge J. Chris Warrener.

The is being investigated by the Minneapolis Field Office  of the FBI and prosecuted jointly by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Kappelhoff, Trial Attorney Christine M. Siscaretti and Amanda Gregory of the Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division.

Anyone who may have information about this or any other human trafficking matter is encouraged to report that information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 763-569-8000.  For information about human trafficking, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center’s toll-free hotline (1-888-373-7888) is available to answer calls from anywhere in the country.