U.S. Marshals Service Awards Purple Heart to Deputy U.S. Marshal and St. Lucie County Sheriff's Deputy Injured in the Line of Duty

Ft. Pierce, FL – A deputy U.S. marshal and a St. Lucie County sheriff’s deputy wounded in the line of duty received U.S. Marshals Service Purple Heart awards from Stacia A. Hylton, director of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), at a ceremony here today.

Hylton presented Deputy U.S. Marshal Andy Deacon and St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Pearson, who is also a USMS task force officer (TFO), with the Purple Heart Award, which recognizes law enforcement personnel who are wounded and injured in performance of their duties with the U.S. Marshals Service. The ceremony was held at the federal court house.

DUSM Deacon and TFO Pearson teamed up Nov. 20, 2013, with members of the USMS Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force to execute arrest warrants on two fugitives wanted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office on federal narcotics violations. Robin Jean Guillaume, 28, and Alex Guerrier, 29, were charged with possession with intent to distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine.

The arrest team consisted of deputy U.S. marshals and TFOs from the Martin and St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Offices. After two pre-arrest briefings for this operation, a 12-member arrest team approached a Sebring, Fla., residence where the fugitives were located. Deputy marshals and TFOs knocked on the door and announced their presence. Deacon, holding a ballistic shield for protection, and Pearson were the first two law enforcement personnel in the stack formation to approach the door of the residence.

Within seconds of announcing their presence, Pearson and Deacon were hit by gunshots through the front door. Pearson was shot in the shoulder and quickly moved to cover. Deacon was shot in his right hand, but continued to provide protection for his team with the use of his ballistic shield until law enforcement personnel moved to a point of cover.

Pearson and Deacon were moved to a safe distance, and task force members apprehended the fugitives. A Highland County Sheriff’s Office tactical unit cleared the residence to make sure there were no other armed subjects inside. Three firearms were found during the search.

Deacon and Pearson were transported to a local hospital for treatment. Deacon has not yet returned to duty; he has undergone four surgeries in the past four months and will need more. Pearson returned to full duty within a few days of his injury; he is back at work with the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office and the USMS fugitive task force.

The U.S. Marshals Service established the Purple Heart Award in 2010 to honor USMS operational employees and task force officers injured in the line of duty as a direct result of criminal or hostile action. It is similar to the military Purple Heart Award given to members of the armed forces who have been injured or killed by enemy action.

Carry The Load announces 2014 National Relay route

DALLAS,TX – Carry The Load announced today the dates for its 2014 National Relay, which will begin on April 29 in West Point, NY, and end with its 20 hours and 14 minutes Memorial March in Dallas, TX, during Memorial Day weekend on May 25-26. The vision of Carry The Load is to restore the true meaning of Memorial Day by connecting Americans to the sacrifices of our military, law enforcement, firefighters, and rescue personnel, and to support charitable organizations around the country that help them and their families.

“What was meant to be a day of remembering the sacrifices of our fallen military men and women has become a weekend of sales, barbecues and mini-vacations,” said Clint Bruce, co-founder of Carry The Load. “And though it is a wonderful weekend to celebrate family and the freedoms we enjoy as Americans, the true purpose of Carry The Load calls all of us to ‘never forget to remember’ those who made that ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.”

This year, Carry The Load will log more than 2,000 miles across the nation with relay points in more than 230 cities. Carry The Load encourages people in communities and towns throughout the route to join the National Relay in an effort to remember the true meaning of Memorial Day and share “who they are carrying.” This year’s national nonprofit partners are Team RWB, TAPS, Snowball Express and Heroes on the Water.

“Through the efforts of Carry The Load, we are all able to express our respect and admiration for those who sacrifice for us every day,” added Bruce. “Memorial Day is the perfect time for family members and friends to take time to show their appreciation by participating in the Relay, whether that is walking, biking, running, raising money or just cheering on those walking through your community.”

Visit CarryTheLoad.org to join the National Relay, make a donation, or to share your story. The website provides a town-by-town overview, lists activities planned in local cities, and highlights the progress of the cross-country event.

About the Carry The Load

Carry The Load is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Carry The Load exists to restore the true meaning of Memorial Day by honoring the sacrifices made by members of the military, law enforcement officers, firefighters and rescue personnel. Carry The Load programs provide an interactive way for Americans to remember, honor and celebrate Memorial Day in dedication to those who sacrifice for us daily.

Funds raised during Memorial May programs allow Carry The Load to grow its vision and execute its mission, as well as provide existing nonprofit partners with valuable visibility, resources, and meaningful connections.

California Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Racially Motivated Assault on White Man and African-American Woman

Billy James Hammett, 30, of Marysville, Calif., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez to serve 87 months in prison for violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in a 2011 racially motivated attack against a white man and an African-American woman in Marysville.  The court also ordered Hammett to pay restitution in the amount of $175 and to serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.  Hammett pleaded guilty on Dec. 17, 2013, and his co-defendants, Perry Sylvester Jackson, 28, and Anthony Merrell Tyler, 33, have also pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

 

According to documents filed with the court, around 10:45 p.m. on April 18, 2011, a white man and an African-American woman parked their car at a convenience store in Marysville.  Shortly afterward, the three defendants, each of whom has white supremacist tattoos, attacked the man and woman based on race.  After calling the male victim a “[racial slur]-lover,” Jackson punched him twice in the head through the open passenger window.  At the same time, Hammett kicked the woman in the chest.  A few seconds later, Tyler smashed the car’s windshield with a crowbar.   As the attack continued, the woman managed to take refuge inside the convenience store.  All three assailants then descended upon the male victim and began attacking him in the parking lot.  He sustained abrasions on his right forearm and knees, while the woman suffered bruising to her chest.  At the end of the incident, Tyler used a racial slur to refer to an African-American witness.

 

In sentencing the defendant, Judge Mendez said he found surveillance video footage of the assault “disturbing.”  He noted that Hammett’s attack on the victims was “unprovoked and unwarranted,” and that the victims continue to suffer.

 

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Mendez also specifically considered Hammett’s background and criminal history, which includes a conviction in 2006 for assaulting a 72-year-old black man, also in Marysville.  According to court records, Hammett made racial comments immediately before the unprovoked attack.  In addition, Hammett has been affiliated with a number of white supremacist gangs, including Supreme White Power.  He has tattoos of the words “white power” across his abdomen, a large swastika on the right side of his torso and the word “skinhead” written across the top of his back.  Judge Mendez stated during the sentencing hearing that Hammett poses “a serious threat to the public.”

 

“The defendant and his associates accosted the victims in public and assaulted them because of their race,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels for the Civil Rights Division.  “The department is committed to stamping out racial violence and will continue to prosecute hate crimes vigorously.”

 

“Racially-motivated violence has no place in civilized society,” said U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner for the Eastern District of California.  “This office has a history of prosecuting those who perpetrate crimes of hate, and as long as these crimes continue, we will be there to enforce the law and uphold this nation’s constitutional values.”

 

Jackson is scheduled to be sentenced on April 22, 2014, and Tyler is scheduled to be sentenced on July 8, 2014.  Each defendant faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. 

 

This case was investigated by the FBI with the assistance of the Yuba County Sheriff's Office and the Yuba County District Attorney's Office. The case is being prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Wagner and Trial Attorney Chiraag Bains of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.

Louisiana Man Sentenced to Prison for Threatening Witness in Federal Trial

Anthony Williams Used Instagram to Threaten Witness at His Mother’s Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Trial

 

Anthony Williams, of Baton Rouge, La., was sentenced to serve 24 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release, the Justice Department, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) announced today.  Williams previously pleaded guilty to threatening to retaliate against a witness by causing bodily injury.      

     

According to court documents, Williams is the son of Angela Myers, who was tried in federal court in Baton Rouge in March 2013 for filing fraudulent tax returns with stolen identities.  One of the witnesses at Myers’ trial was an individual who testified on March 6, 2013, and the next day Williams used Instagram, a popular social media platform, to make a threat against this witness.  Williams described the witness as a “rat” and threatened bodily injury against him in retaliation for his testimony.  As explained in court documents and court proceedings, federal law enforcement took steps to ensure the safety of the witness and to prevent the threat from being carried out.  On March 7, 2013, a jury found Myers guilty on 21 felony counts and she was later sentenced to serve 11 years in prison .  Williams was indicted in July 2013 and pleaded guilty to making the threat in October 2013. 

 

“Our legal system depends on witnesses testifying without the fear of retribution,” said Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally for the Tax Division.  “This prosecution shows that the Justice Department will take action when someone threatens a witness.”

 

“Threatening or intimidating a witness in a federal criminal matter is a quick way to find yourself in federal prison,” said U.S. Attorney J. Walter Green for the Middle District of Louisiana.  “Our office will continue to have zero tolerance for such conduct and will continue to devote the necessary resources to aggressively pursue those who engage in such conduct.  No one should fear speaking the truth about possible federal criminal activity.”

 

“It is extremely important for witnesses who provide testimony in criminal matters to know that our justice system protects them from retaliation,” said Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation Gabriel L. Grehan.  “It is also appropriate for Anthony Williams to suffer the consequences of his actions to threaten a witness in a criminal proceeding.  IRS-CI would like to thank the Department of Justice and our federal law enforcement partners for pursuing this case to its foreseeable end.”

 

Assistant Attorney General Keneally and U.S. Attorney Green commended the efforts of special agents of IRS - Criminal Investigation and TIGTA, who investigated the case, and of Tax Division Trial Attorney Jason Poole and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Stevens, who prosecuted the case.

U.S. Marshals Task Force Tracks Down Murder Suspect

Memphis, TN - A first degree murder suspect was arrested in Memphis, Tenn., today by the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force.

Rodney “Big Head” Jennings was wanted out of Chattanooga, Tenn., on a First Degree Murder Warrant. On January 28 Jennings allegedly shot a Rapheal White to death in Chattanooga. Jennings was added to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Ten Most Wanted list.

The Chattanooga Police, TBI, the U.S. Marshals Smokey Mountain Fugitive Task Force, and the U.S. Marshal’s office in Abingdon, Virginia, worked in conjunction for weeks to try to locate the fugitive. Information was developed that the fugitive was in the Memphis area. At this point the Gulf Coast Regional Task Force was brought in to assist.

The fugitive was tracked to the Oak Court apartments in south Memphis. Once agents had surrounded the apartment he was hiding in he surrendered without incident. An Uzi style gun was seized at the apartment as well. (See attached picture.) At this time it is not known if it is involved in any crimes.

At the time of this report Jennings is in the Shelby County Jail awaiting extradition.

The U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force is a multi-agency task force with divisions in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. The Western Tennessee Division of the GCRFTF has offices in Memphis and Jackson, and its membership is primarily composed of Deputy U.S. Marshals, Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputies, Memphis Police Officers, Madison County Sheriff’s Deputies, Jackson Police Officers, and the Tennessee Department of Corrections Special Agents. The primary mission of the Task Force is to arrest violent offenders and sexual predators.

Active shooter exercise keeps Youngstown ready to respond

by Eric M. White
910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs Office

3/19/2014 - YOUNGSTOWN AIR RESERVE STATION, Ohio -- Are you prepared to respond appropriately if an active shooter enters your workplace and opens fire? That's the question the 910th Airlift Wing Inspection Team sought to answer with a base-wide training exercise here, March 18.

The exercise began at 9:10 A.M. when coordinators triggered the mass notification system. Bright lights flashed in base buildings as audio messages informed personnel that an exercise was commencing. WIT members were careful to keep details hidden until the scenario began.

"We don't want people prepping for the exercise," said Air Force Reserve Captain Adam Schubel, a pilot with the 773rd Airlift Squadron and deputy inspection planner for the 910th AW. "We want it to be as real as possible."

Shortly after the exercise notification, personnel in the headquarters building were jolted from their work by the sound of simulated weapon fire and a frantic voice shouting, "exercise, active shooter, exercise, active shooter." A masked gunman moved from office to office with an orange training rifle and sidearm complete with gunfire sound effects, before hiding in a crowded training room. Inspectors, identified by bright safety vests, watched and noted the responses of base personnel.

YARS went under a total lockdown and was elevated to Force Protection Level Delta as first responders stepped into action. A 910th Security Forces Squadron fire team began a sweep of the headquarters building where the active shooter was reported. Moving in formation through hallways and offices, the fire team searched for the shooter, eventually exchanging simulated fire to neutralize him.

"First responders get some very valuable training out of it," said Schubel, "but in reality, we want everybody to get valuable training. It helps us evaluate evacuation and lockdown procedures and measure how well personnel respond."

Once the building was cleared of immediate danger, YARS fire and emergency services personnel set up triage stations outside headquarters and began treating those affected. The responders found several training dummies throughout the building with placards indicating the extent of their injuries. Other base personnel, identified by WIT members as wounded or deceased, were marked with similar placards and artificial wounds.

"When we respond to incidents like an active shooter situation, we know that people we call friends and comrades could be injured or deceased, and that is a tough pill to swallow," said John Lewis, II, YARS fire emergency services chief. "That is the prime reason we participate in the response exercises. It prepares us for this type of incident and we revel in the opportunities to support and take care of the folks on this installation."

Shortly after the exercise began, key personnel reported to the Emergency Operations Center to work through response processes and checklists. The EOC provides a centralized location for communication and response actions. The first priority after such an emergency is to account for personnel.

Once full accountability of base personnel was achieved, the end of the exercise was sounded throughout the base. That's when the real work began for the WIT. They will spend days sorting through after action reports and discussing lessons learned during the event.

The primary purpose of disaster exercises is to identify and correct response weaknesses, ensuring the safety and security of personnel and property. Preparedness helps preserve personnel and assets should a real-world disaster ever occur.

Understanding Trends in Hate Crimes Against Immigrants and Hispanic-Americans

This report informs policy makers and practitioners about the strength of the empirical foundation of measured hate crime in the United States. Trends are frequently in question when discussing the need for action to combat hate crime, as are determinations about which groups are at highest risk, and where best to direct efforts to prevent and respond to such offenses. This report provides an overview of current time-series data measuring hate crime and the use of this data for assessing trends. It describes the process of gathering the databases and other information discussed in this report, how they were analyzed, and the conclusions reached about the ability of extant data to measure trends in hate crimes against immigrants and those of Hispanic heritage living in the U.S. This report is the results of National Institute of Justice-funded project but was not published by the U.S. Department of Justice. To read the report, go to https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/244755.pdf

New Study Reveals the Dynamics of the Commercial Sex Trade

A study is available of the underground commercial sex economy in eight cities (Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, Miami, Seattle, San Diego and Washington, D.C.). The study, conducted by the Urban Institute and funded by the National Institute of Justice, is a step toward building scientific understanding of the illicit sex market. The research team interviewed pimps, traffickers, prostituted women, child pornographers and members of law enforcement to understand the dynamics central to the underground commercial sex trade. The team estimated the sex economy to be between $39.9 and $290 million in 2007 across the eight cities, but with decreases since 2003 in all but two cities. The report also offers policy suggestions to combat the illicit sex market. To read Estimating the Size and Structure of the Underground Commercial Sex Economy in Eight Major US Cities, go to https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/245295.pdf.