U.S. Marshals Arrest Four Dangerous Individuals in One Day

Norfolk, VA – “As many of us have our eyes on the Major League Baseball postseason, the USMS in Norfolk, along with their local law enforcement partners, hit a Grand Slam yesterday,” said United States Marshal Bobby Mathieson.

On Tuesday, four individuals were arrested throughout Hampton Roads and in Georgia. Trudale Terry was wanted out of Newport News for a homicide that occurred in June, 2014. Demarcus Twyman was wanted out of the Western District of Virginia for malicious wounding, which later resulted in the death of the victim, and Maurice Moore was wanted out of Norfolk for a rape, forcible sodomy and other sex crimes related to an offense that occurred in August. Lavan Platt was wanted out of Norfolk for armed robbery and possession of a firearm by felon.

At approximately 12 p.m., Trudale Terry was taken into custody at a house in the 100 block of Alleghany Road, Hampton, VA. Investigation into Terry revealed that he was possible hiding out in Hampton. Deputies and task force agents were able to pinpoint Terry’s location and take him into custody without incident. Terry is currently housed in a local facility awaiting his first court appearance.

At approximately 2 p.m., Deputies and task force agents were able to identify Demarcus Twyman exiting a residence in Newport News. Agents were able to positively identify Twyman, and were able to apprehend him without incident. Twyman is currently in a local facility awaiting extradition back to the Western District of Virginia.

Finally, at 5 p.m., deputies, task force agents and detectives were able to gather information that Maurice Moore was hiding out at an address in the 600 block of 34th street in Norfolk. After coordinating with all the participating agencies, deputy Marshals made a decision to surround the residence and call Moore out. After a brief wait, Moore appeared and was apprehended without incident. Moore is currently awaiting his first court appearance in Norfolk.

In addition to the aforementioned arrests, deputies from Norfolk developed information that Lavan Platt was residing in Atlanta, GA. Deputies, in conjunction with Norfolk Police Fugitive Squad detectives, were able to cross reference the data that was received and relay that information to deputies in Atlanta. Platt was arrested Tuesday without incident. He is currently awaiting extradition back to Norfolk.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the professionalism, dedication and investigative prowess of my deputy Marshals and our partner agencies. The streets of Hampton Roads are safer today because of the actions of these brave men and women,” said Marshal Mathieson.

The U.S. Marshals led task force consists of law enforcement officers from the U.S. Marshals, Chesapeake Sheriff’s Department, Newport News Police Department, Portsmouth Police Department and Norfolk Police Department. The main objective of the task force is to seek out and arrest violent offenders with outstanding federal and state warrants.

The U.S. Marshals Service, America’s oldest Federal Law Enforcement Agency recently celebrated their 225th anniversary September 24. The Marshals arrested more than 36,050 federal fugitives, 74,000 state and local fugitives and 11,800 sex offenders in 2013. The agency’s investigative network and capabilities allow for the unique ability to track and apprehend any fugitive who attempts to evade police capture, anywhere in the country.

Global access can also mean global cyber crime

By Airman 1st Class Zade C. Vadnais, 18th Wing Public Affairs / Published October 01, 2014

KADENA AIR BASE, Japan (AFNS) -- October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, which has become increasingly important in recent years as global Internet use continues to grow exponentially.

It is estimated that about eight new users access the Internet every minute as technology spreads to developing countries. On average, there are one million victims of cyber-crime across the globe every day, and most of them are new Internet users who could have avoided the attack if they were more educated on cyber security.

"The goal of cyber awareness month is to take steps to make sure you are not one of those victims in your professional network life and your home network life," said 2nd Lt. Kristoff Kalau, 18th Communications Squadron officer in charge of cyberspace support systems.

According to Kalau, the most common and easily detected cyber-crime is phishing. Phishing is a malicious attempt by hackers to acquire sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card numbers, through electronic media. Hackers often pretend to represent a bank or other trusted source in order to lure victims into disclosing information the hacker can then use to access their finances.

Kalau said the most common indicator of a phishing email is spelling and grammatical errors, which would likely not be found in an official email from a reputable organization to its customers. Unreasonable time limits are common as well, as hackers often try to panic users into disclosing sensitive information by claiming their credit card will be deactivated or their credit score will be negatively impacted if they do not act immediately.

Users who suspect they have received a phishing email in their work inbox should take action immediately to ensure the incident is logged and the threat can be monitored. The squadron-level information assurance officer can take the information from the email and forward it to the wing IAO, who will compile base-wide statistics and determine what action needs to be taken.

"It is purported that this is a $113 billion industry across the globe," Kalau said. "It's very serious because it can attack your personal finances, your work relationships, destroy your personal life, cause embarrassment; things that ultimately make you less capable of performing your job."

Although an estimated $38 million in damages was caused by cyber-crime in the U.S. alone last year, hackers generally pick up low-hanging fruit and are unlikely to exert a lot of effort to hack into someone's personal files or finances unless the target is a celebrity or a billionaire. National Cyber Security Awareness Month aims to spread awareness about hackers and their techniques in order to reduce the number of victims in future years and stop the number from rising this year.

Former FBI Special Agent and Co-Defendant Plead Guilty to Conspiracy, Bribery, and Obstruction of Justice Scheme

A former FBI special agent and a conspirator pleaded guilty in the District of Utah yesterday and today to participating in a bribery scheme to obstruct a grand jury investigation in exchange for the promise of cash and multimillion dollar business contracts offered by a businessman under investigation.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Carlie Christensen of the District of Utah and Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz made the announcement after the guilty pleas were accepted by U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell.

“No one is above the law, no matter what rank or badge a person might hold,” said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell.  “Corruption by those entrusted to enforce the law strikes at the heart of our criminal justice system, and it will not be tolerated.  This case lays bare a disgraceful attempt by a veteran FBI agent to get rich by thwarting an ongoing investigation.  The Justice Department will fight corruption wherever we find it, even within the ranks of federal law enforcement.”

“These plea agreements demonstrate that Federal law enforcement officers who sell their badges for cash and frustrate the administration of justice will be held accountable for their actions,” said Inspector General Horowitz.  “Department employees are held to the highest standards, and we cannot permit our criminal justice system to be stained by such bribery and corruption.”

“When a law enforcement officer violates his oath and the public’s trust by breaking the law, he must be held accountable,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Christensen.  “In this case, former Agent Lustyik’s decision to enter into a conspiracy to obstruct a significant fraud investigation in Utah is a troubling reminder that corruption may exist even among those we entrust with protecting our citizens and upholding our laws.”

A 24-year veteran of the FBI, Robert Lustyik Jr., 51, of Sleepy Hollow, New York, pleaded guilty on Sept. 30, 2014, to an 11-count indictment charging him with conspiracy, eight counts of honest services wire fraud, obstruction of a grand jury proceeding, and obstruction of an agency proceeding.  A childhood friend of Lustyik, Johannes Thaler, 50, of New Fairfield, Connecticut, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit bribery, obstruction of a grand jury proceeding and obstruction of an agency proceeding.  Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 5, 2015.

In court documents and at the plea hearings, Lustyik and Thaler admitted that from October 2011 to September 2012, Lustyik, while employed as an FBI counterintelligence special agent, and Thaler conspired to use Lustyik’s official position to obstruct a criminal investigation into Michael Taylor, a businessman who owned and operated American International Security Corporation and was under investigation for paying kickbacks to obtain a series of contracts from the Department of Defense worth approximately $54 million.  Taylor promised Lustyik and Thaler that in exchange for their help, he would provide them cash and multimillion dollar business contracts.  Taylor told the two men: “I’ll make you guys more money than you can believe, provided they don’t think I’m a bad guy and put me in jail.”

Court documents state that Lustyik attempted to obstruct the investigation into Taylor by opening Taylor as an official FBI source in an effort to persuade the FBI, the Justice Department and the prosecutors and law enforcement agents investigating Taylor that Taylor’s usefulness as a source outweighed the government’s interest in prosecuting him.  Lustyik also advocated on Taylor’s behalf directly to the prosecutors and law enforcement agents, urging them to use Taylor as a cooperating witness and emphasizing that indicting Taylor would threaten the nation’s security.

According to court documents, while Lustyik was obstructing the investigation into Taylor, Lustyik suggested that Thaler “blatantly” ask Taylor for money, emphasizing “he knows we are keeping him outta jail.”  Lustyik explained to Thaler that on his upcoming trip to meet Taylor in Lebanon, “Taylor is gonna hand you cash in Lebanon,” “[l]ike 150 gs.”  When Thaler asked Lustyik how he was supposed to bring that much cash back to the United States, Lustyik instructed him “[i]n your pants.  Or wire it?  They won’t stop 2 white guys at customs without a reason, [o]r I meet you at customs at JFK and cred you in.”

Court records state that during the conspiracy, Lustyik and Thaler acknowledged that Taylor was probably guilty, but they boasted about their success in using Lustyik’s official position to obstruct the investigation into Taylor, with Lustyik texting Thaler, “at this point IF he is indicted there is NO WAY he gets convicted even though he Prob did it.”  During the conspiracy, Lustyik texted Thaler, “I think we are rich by Christmas!!”  When Thaler asked why, Lustyik responded, “he [Taylor] is gonna be free!!!!!!!!” 

Taylor pleaded guilty in the District of Utah to honest services wire fraud for his role in the scheme on Nov. 27, 2013.  He is scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 5, 2015.

The investigation was conducted by Assistant Special Agent in Charge Tom Hopkins of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Inspector General.  The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Chief Peter Koski and Trial Attorney Maria Lerner of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, and Trial Attorney Ann Marie Blaylock of the Criminal Division’s Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section.  Scott Ferber of the Counterespionage Section of the National Security Division also assisted in the prosecution.

United States Hosts Global Alliance Against Child Sexual Abuse Online Ministerial Conference

Today, United States Attorney General Eric Holder and European Union (EU) Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström welcomed high-level government officials representing over 30 members of the Global Alliance Against Child Sexual Abuse Online to a ministerial conference in Washington.  The Global Alliance was launched by Attorney General Holder and Commissioner Malmström in December 2012 with the aim of uniting decision-makers all around the world to commit to more effectively identify and rescue child sexual abuse victims, investigate and prosecute online exploitation offenses, increase public awareness of the risks posed by children’s online activities, and reduce the amount of child sexual abuse images available online.

“Together, thanks to the hard work of the Global Alliance countries, this important, life-changing work has enabled us to intervene to rescue numerous child victims suffering at the hands of abusers; to arrest and prosecute those who did them harm; and to begin the long process of healing for each one of these survivors,” said Attorney General Holder.  “I have no doubt that this work will continue – and be amplified – by the work we’re discussing today.”

The conference was divided into two sessions.  The morning session featured global leaders and experts from the investigative, public policy, victim advocacy and legal arenas, who shared insight and experience from the cutting edge of combating online child exploitation.  They addressed a variety of topics related to the shared policy targets of the Global Alliance, including: investigative tactics that enabled the takedown of a hidden, highly sophisticated global enterprise of distributors of child sexual abuse images; the latest technological and tactical breakthroughs in identifying previously unknown victims of child sexual abuse online; and novel approaches to partnering with the private sector to combat the online proliferation of child sexual abuse images.  The afternoon ministerial session featured keynote speakers from law enforcement and from the private sector with deep experience in combating the online exploitation of children.  In addition, ministerial or other high-level government officials from each nation in attendance highlighted notable accomplishments over the past two years related to the Alliance’s policy targets, as well as offering their vision for the Alliance’s future. 

“The threat to young people posed by online sex predators is on the rise,” said Commissioner Malmström.  “Challenges are constantly evolving.  Every time a picture of an abused child is shown that child is being abused, over and over again.  The global alliance shows our collective willingness to fight this hideous crime, something we can only do by working together.  Our collective promises must become a reality.”

The states participating in the Alliance include Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Global Alliance: Greater Commitments for Better Results

At the conclusion of the conference, the 54 Alliance members endorsed a Ministerial Declaration that commits to addressing the transborder obstacles to identifying and rescuing victims of exploitation and to identifying and prosecuting offenders, by agreeing to pursue the following potential actions where and when possible, in full respect of due process and fundamental rights requirements:

• Enabling law enforcement among Global Alliance countries to gain timely access to electronic information and evidence held by Internet service providers and other repositories of electronic information that is material to the investigation and prosecution of child sexual abuse offenses through central authorities and other legally authorized channels, so that no nation becomes a safe haven for such information;
  
• Facilitating prompt and comprehensive exchange among law enforcement of information and evidence pertinent to child sexual abuse offenses featuring transborder offense conduct, victims, co-conspirators or evidence repositories;
  
• Enabling Internet service providers and other repositories of electronic information to provide information pertinent to the identification, apprehension, and ultimate prosecution of online child sexual abuse offenders to law enforcement pursuant to legal process in a manner and time frame consistent with reasonable investigative and prosecutorial demands; and
  
• Augmenting existing, collaborative and transborder efforts to identify and rescue victims of online child sexual abuse.
  

Background
The United States, through the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, the Postal Inspection Service and other government agencies, in collaboration with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), industry and international partners, has made progress in combating all forms of child sexual exploitation.

For example, this past March, the Department of Justice obtained a 30-year sentence against a United States citizen who served as an English teacher in China, using that position of authority to molest children under the age of 12 and to produce child pornography.  In July, the department obtained a sentence of 120 years against a noncommissioned officer in the U.S. military who had drugged and sexually abused children, producing images and videos of that horrific abuse.

A recent U.S. operation targeting offenders exploiting children on a global scale secured convictions of 30 and 40 years, respectively, for Peter Truong and Mark Newton.  Truong and Newton were residents of Queensland, Australia who brought their five-year-old son to the United States and France to meet with other men from various countries, so that these persons could record the sexual abuse of the minor victim.  Over the course of this scheme to sexually exploit their son, Newton and Truong were also found to have engaged in a conspiracy to transport the child pornography produced during these encounters to individuals around the world, including individuals living in Florida, Virginia, and Indiana.  It was this trafficking of materials that alerted United States Postal Inspectors and Indiana investigators to the case, launching the two year investigation of Newton, Truong, and the other men who conspired to abuse their son.  Prosecutions of these other men are ongoing.

In addition, the U.S. Congress has funded the creation of state-level task forces, known as the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Forces, which help state and local agencies to develop successful, long-term responses to online child exploitation.  These task forces are supported by the Department of Justice, not just with funding, but with training.

As threats to our children continue to evolve in every corner of the globe, the Department of Justice is committed to drawing upon the collective experience of every country, and the cooperation of every community, to protect our young citizens and to hold abusers accountable to the fullest extent of the law.  For more information regarding the Justice Department’s efforts to combat child exploitation, please visit: http://www.justice.gov/criminal/ceos. 

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Marshall L. Miller Delivers Remarks at Aryan Brotherhood of Texas Press Event

The gang problem that plagues our communities has cut across state and district lines, even across national boundaries. But it has also broken through the barriers that we have built to separate the inmates of our nation’s prisons from the American public.

The Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, or ABT, launched its brutal, murderous and racist ideology within the prisons of the state of Texas. Unfortunately, ABT then unleashed a violent crime wave that jumped the prison walls and spread like a virus, infecting communities throughout this region.
Over the course of years, Department of Justice prosecutors worked with our law enforcement partners to develop the evidence necessary to bring the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas to justice. We have used every law enforcement tool and technique to protect the communities impacted by ABT’s brutal crimes.

And today, we are announcing sweeping convictions that strike at the heart of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas: 73 convictions in five federal districts in cases prosecuted by the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division; 36 convictions in the case we prosecuted here with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas. Every single ABT defendant charged in this district has now been found guilty of serious, violent gang crimes.

Now, the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas is a highly structured, disciplined organization. At the top of its organizational chart were five generals, who ran the organization with an iron fist, issuing orders to kill and maim. In this case, we arrested – and have now convicted – all five of ABT’s active generals, decapitating the gang’s leadership.

But ABT was more than just five ruthless generals. Those generals used a host of gang members in leadership positions to control their regions, relying on ABT majors and captains and sergeants-at-arms to spread racial hatred and violence. Again, we arrested – and have now convicted – the majors, captains and sergeants-at-arms of each of the five ABT regions.

Below them were the soldiers of ABT. And we arrested – and have now convicted – those soldiers who were responsible for the most violent crimes committed by ABT.

The result of our efforts has been a dramatic recent decrease in the crimes committed by the ABT gang – crimes that had severely impacted the safety and quality of life in this region.

But we will not rest. Using every tool at our disposal, we will ensure that these ABT gang members – from the generals to the soldiers – spend their years in federal prison paying for their crimes, not committing new ones.

The violent gang problem is a nationwide problem. And it demands a nationwide solution. The Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section is the tip of the spear in America’s fight against violent crime.

Working in lockstep with our partners in law enforcement and in U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country, through sweeping gang-wide convictions like the ones we are announcing here today, we will target and we will dismantle the gangs that terrorize too many of our communities.

Department of Justice Launches National Violence Reduction Network

Attorney General Eric Holder and Assistant Attorney General Karol V. Mason for the Office of Justice Programs today launched the Violence Reduction Network (VRN), a national comprehensive approach to reduce violent crime in communities around the country.  The Justice Department’s ability to provide intensive training and cutting-edge technical assistance will give local officials and law enforcement executives in each of the partner communities the support they need to advance anti-violence strategies.

“This new ‘all-hands’ approach to curbing endemic violence is founded on the recognition that our efforts are most effective when all criminal justice leaders stand united,” said Attorney General Holder.  “It’s predicated on the notion that – although violent crime is in some ways a fundamentally local problem – it is not one that any community can meet in isolation.”

The Violence Reduction Network will help localities access a broad spectrum of Justice Department resources – empowering the federal government to strengthen partnerships and collaboratively tackle persistent challenges caused by violent crime.  The partnering cities announced today are Camden, New Jersey; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; Oakland/Richland, California; and Wilmington, Delaware.

The VRN summit’s agenda is dedicated to collaborative working sessions analyzing each city’s violence challenges and discussing the variety of department resources available to address the issues.  Following the summit, the department will work with police chiefs and city leaders, along with leading criminal justice researchers and practitioners, to develop effective approaches to accomplishing each city’s violence reduction strategies.

“Through our partnerships with local leaders and practitioners and the wide range of resources we have available to address America’s public safety challenges, the Department of Justice is putting its full support behind violence reduction efforts in these five cities,” said Assistant Attorney General Mason.  “I am eager to begin working with each of the sites and to help define a way forward to safer, healthier communities.” 

Even with reports of national violent crime decreasing, in too many communities, crime rates have remained unacceptably high, particularly in areas where social ills like poverty, unemployment, and a lack of opportunity lead to tragic circumstances in which systemic violence can easily take root.
The launch of VRN is a result of the Obama administration’s continuing efforts to address violence in communities across the country.  Nearly a year ago, President Obama convened a meeting at the White House with 18 mayors to discuss strategies for reducing youth violence.  Following that meeting, Attorney General Holder sat down with mayors and police chiefs to talk about how the federal government can better support local efforts.

Representatives from VRN partner federal agencies include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the United States Marshals Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Executive Office of the United States Attorneys, the Community Oriented Policing Services Office, the Office on Violence Against Women and the Office of Justice Programs.

Jury Imposes Death Sentence on a Las Vegas Man for Kidnapping and Murdering a 12-Year-Old Girl

A federal jury in the Western District of Louisiana today returned a verdict imposing the death penalty on a Las Vegas man for the brutal kidnapping and murder of a 12-year-old girl.  This case represents the first time the death penalty has been imposed in federal court in the Western District of Louisiana.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Stephanie A. Finley and Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Anderson of the FBI’s New Orleans Division made the announcement.

Thomas Sanders, 57, was convicted on Sept. 8, 2014, of one count of kidnapping resulting in death and one count of using a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in death, for the kidnap and murder of Lexis Roberts in the fall of 2010.

“This is a heartbreaking case,” said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell.  “A young girl witnessed the murder of her mother, was held captive for days, and had her life cut tragically short by a senseless, brutal murder.  We hope today’s verdict will help Lexis’s family as they continue to struggle with the loss of their loved ones.”

“These types of cases are never easy, but today we remember the victims, their families and their loved ones,” said U.S. Attorney Finley.  “The nature of the crime and the level of violence involved are something that we never get used to no matter how long we have done this.  The severity of the sentence imposed against Sanders underscores the senseless brutality of his acts against an innocent 12-year-old girl.  Lexis Roberts was needlessly taken from a family that loved her, and she was denied the most fundamental right of life, and they were denied the joy of knowing what that life could have been.  Still, we do not lose sight of the fact that this trial and sentencing also represent the right of due process that was extended to Sanders, and a jury of his peers has rendered justice. 
Nothing, no trial or sentence, can ever bring Lexis or her mother back, but we hope that the verdict brings some measure of closure to Lexis’s family.  The prosecutors and the law enforcement agencies that assisted in this case are to be commended for their hard work.  The importance of their collective efforts cannot be overstated.”

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the victims who have endured unimaginable grief while awaiting the just verdict and sentence for such horrific crimes,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Anderson.

Evidence admitted during trial established that Sanders met Suellen Roberts, 31, in the summer of 2010 when Roberts rented a storage unit at a warehouse in Las Vegas where Sanders worked.  Roberts and Sanders began dating, and approximately two months later Roberts agreed that she and her 12-year-old daughter, Lexis, would go on a trip with Sanders over the Labor Day weekend to a wildlife park near the Grand Canyon.  As they were returning to Nevada after three days of traveling, Sanders pulled off Interstate 40 in a remote location in the Arizona desert and shot Suellen Roberts in the head and forced Lexis Roberts into the car, keeping her captive.

Sanders drove several days across the country before he murdered Lexis Roberts in a wooded area in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.  Evidence at trial established that Sanders shot Lexis Roberts four times, cut her throat and left her body in the woods, where a hunter found her body on Oct. 8, 2010.  A nationwide manhunt ensued, and Sanders was arrested on Nov. 14, 2010, at a truck stop in Gulfport, Mississippi, by FBI agents and a Harrison County Sheriff’s Deputy.

At trial, the jury heard a recorded confession in which Sanders admitted killing the mother and daughter.  

This case was investigated by the FBI’s New Orleans Division, Central Louisiana Safe Streets Task Force, Catahoula Parish Sheriff’s Office, Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, Yavapai County Arizona Sheriff’s Office, Coconino County Arizona Sheriff’s Office, and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.  Trial Attorney Julie Mosley of the Criminal Division’s Capital Case Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys William J. Flanagan and Brandon B. Brown prosecuted the case.