Clinton Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Producing Child Pornography

 Identified, Arrested the Same Day He Shared Live Video, Photos with Undercover Officer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Clinton, Missouri, man who was identified and arrested on the same day he shared live video and images of his sexual assault of a toddler with an undercover officer was sentenced in federal court today for producing child pornography.

Gino Alexander Maiorano, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 25 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Maiorano to spend the rest of his life on supervised release following incarceration.

On June 23, 2020, Maiorano pleaded guilty to one count of producing child pornography. Maiorano admitted that he used a 2-year-old victim to produce child pornography on April 12, 2019.

An FBI task force officer in Washington, D.C., acting in an undercover capacity, communicated with Maiorano in an online Kik chat group in April 2019. Maiorano sent two sexually explicit photos and a video of the child victim to the undercover officer on April 12, 2019. The photos and video were shot live during the time Maiorano was chatting with the undercover officer. Investigators immediately began working to identify Maiorano and rescue the child victim.

Emergency disclosure requests were sent to Kik, which led to the identification of a family member of Maiorano. Investigators searching social media accounts found a photograph of a kitchen area that matched the kitchen area depicted in a photograph sent by Maiorano to the undercover agent. Another emergency query to Maiorano’s cell phone provider indicated he had been using his phone at the time he sent the video and images of child pornography to the undercover agent.

Officers arrested Maiorano at his residence on the same day. Officers seized his phone, which contained another video of child pornography involving a different child victim.

This case was prosecuted by Acting U.S. Attorney Teresa A. Moore and Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Barnes. It was investigated by the FBI, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, and the Clinton, Mo., Police Department.

Rochester Man Faces Up To Life In Prison After Pleading Guilty To Methamphetamine Charges

 BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Richard E. Kinsey Jr., 36, of Jamestown, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua A. Violanti and Nicholas T. Cooper, who are handling the case, stated that between September 2019, and February 20, 2020, the defendant conspired with co-defendant Brandi Whitford to sell methamphetamine. On September 6, 2019, investigators executed a search warrant at the residence Kinsey shared with Whitford on Newland Avenue in Jamestown. During the search, three firearms were recovered. A fourth firearm was thrown from the residence during the search. In addition, investigators recovered approximately 159 grams of methamphetamine, approximately $12,045 in US currency, assorted ammunition, and drug paraphernalia. On October 23, 2019, investigators executed another search warrant at the residence and recovered an additional 53 grams of methamphetamine.

On February 20, 2020, investigators assisted the U.S. Marshal’s Service with locating Kinsey, who was wanted on a federal arrest warrant. After learning the defendant might be at a residence on Hedges Avenue in Jamestown, law enforcement made an attempt to contact Kinsey who attempted to flee before being taken into custody. Investigators recovered methamphetamine, a digital scale, drug paraphernalia, brass knuckles, and a loaded handgun from the Hedges Avenue residence.

Terrance McRae was previously convicted and sentenced to serve 36 months in prison. Brandy Whitford was also previously convicted and is awaiting sentencing.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan, New York Field Division; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division; the Jamestown Metro Drug Task Force, under the direction of Jamestown Police Chief Timothy Jackson; and the United States Marshals Service, under the direction of Marshal Charles Salina.

Sentencing is scheduled for October 8, 2021, before Judge Vilardo.

Arkansas Woman Pleads Guilty to Unemployment Benefits Fraud

 SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Deborah Shannell Hollimon, 44, of West Memphis, Arkansas, pleaded guilty today to committing mail fraud in connection with California state unemployment insurance benefits, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, from September 2012 through September 2015, Hollimon and others filed over 100 fraudulent unemployment insurance claims with the California Employment Development Department (EDD) seeking approximately $882,991 using fictitious businesses. Hollimon created fictitious employers with EDD and then submitted information to EDD reporting fake employees for the businesses. Almost all, of the individuals reported as employees of the companies were actually victims of identity theft. Hollimon subsequently filed unemployment claims in her own name and in the names of the fake employees in order to collect the benefits. Approximately $569,168 in fraudulent benefits was paid out by EDD.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and the California Employment Development Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shea J. Kenny is prosecuting the case.

Hollimon is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley on Aug. 19. Hollimon faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

Anchorage Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Attempted Child Sexual Exploitation

 ANCHORAGE – An Anchorage man was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Sharon L. Gleason to 10 years in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for the attempted sexual exploitation, coercion and enticement of a minor.  

According to evidence presented at trial, detectives assigned to the Anchorage Police Department (APD) Crimes Against Children Unit (CACU) received a report that Eric Larsen, 51, solicited a 13-year-old girl for oral sex and had exposed himself to her.

APD detectives assumed the identity of the girl and continued to communicate with him. Larsen used text messages and phone calls to negotiate a time and place to meet with the girl, for the purpose of engaging in sexual intercourse. On February 14, 2019, Larsen arrived at a prearranged location. Instead of meeting the girl, Larsen was met by APD officers and arrested. At the time of his arrest, Larsen was found to be in possession of condoms, personal lubricant, a vibrator, methamphetamine, a glass pipe and a loaded handgun.

“Child sexual exploitation is a serious problem in our community, but thanks to the dedication of skilled investigators and coordination between local, state and federal law enforcement partners offenders like Mr. Larsen should know that they will be brought to justice,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bryan Wilson of the District of Alaska.

The Anchorage Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Alexander and James Klugman prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Rochester Man, Previously Convicted Of Sexually Abusing A Child, Arrested On Child Pornography Charges

ROCHESTER, N.Y.- U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Daniel Rammacher, 62, of Rochester, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with receiving and possessing child pornography, following a New York State conviction of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree. The charges carry a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum of 40 years prison, and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Rossi, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in 2014 the defendant was arrested by the New York State Police in Warren County, NY, after it was discovered that he sexually abused a four year old female in his care.  Rammacher was convicted and sentenced to serve 10 years of sex offender probation.  In 2015, defendant moved to Rochester and his probation supervision was transferred to the Monroe County Probation Department. During a routine visit in 2019, Probation Officers discovered that Rammacher possessed a laptop computer, which contained sexually explicit material in violation of his probation conditions.

The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marian W. Payson and is being held pending a detention hearing.

The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Monroe County Probation Department, under the direction of Chief Probation Officer Jennifer Ball, and the Rochester Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

Former Boston Police Sergeant Charged With Overtime Fraud Scheme

 Defendant is the 12th officer to be charged

BOSTON – A former Boston Police Sergeant has been charged and has agreed to plead guilty in connection with an ongoing investigation of overtime fraud at the Boston Police Department’s evidence warehouse. 

William Baxter, 61, of Hyde Park, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds and one count of embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds. Baxter will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to charging documents, members of Boston Police Department’s (BPD) Evidence Control Unit (ECU), were responsible for, among other things, storing, cataloging and retrieving evidence at the warehouse. ECU officers were eligible to earn overtime pay of 1.5 times their regular hourly pay rate for overtime assignments. It is alleged that, beginning in at least March 2015, members of the ECU routinely departed overtime shifts two or more hours early, and submitted false and fraudulent overtime slips claiming to have worked the entirety of each shift.

One such shift, called “purge” overtime, was focused on reducing the inventory of the evidence warehouse. The shift was supposed to be performed from 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. on weekdays. According to charging documents, on days during which Baxter and other members of the ECU claimed to have worked until 8:00 p.m., the warehouse was closed, locked and alarmed well before 8:00 p.m., and often at 6:00 p.m. or earlier. Despite this, Baxter and, allegedly, other members of the ECU routinely submitted false and fraudulent overtime slips, claiming to have worked until 8:00 p.m. It is alleged that supervisors such as Baxter, who also left early from this shift, submitted their own false and fraudulent slips and knowingly endorsed the fraudulent overtime slips of their subordinates. 

Another shift, called “kiosk” overtime, occurred once a month on Saturdays and involved collecting materials from kiosks located in each of the city’s police districts and transporting it to an incinerator in Saugus. It is alleged that Baxter and other officers routinely submitted overtime slips claiming to have worked eight-and-one-half hours. However, officers frequently completed the necessary work early, often within four hours, and falsely and fraudulently claimed eight-and-one-half hours.

According to charging documents, between March 2015 and June 2016, Baxter personally collected approximately $9,223 for overtime hours he did not work.

From 2015 through 2019, BPD received annual benefits from the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of Justice in excess of $10,000, which were funded pursuant to numerous federal grants. 

Baxter is the 12^th officer to be charged in the investigation of overtime fraud at the evidence warehouse. In September 2020, nine current and former officers were arrested and charged. Four defendants, including Baxter, have now pleaded guilty or have agreed to do so. 

The charge of embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss. The charge of conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Russell W. Cunningham, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, Washington Field Office; and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Grady of Mendell’s Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Rhode Island Woman Charged with Phishing Scheme

 BOSTON – A Rhode Island woman was charged today with sending phishing emails to candidates for political office and others.

Danielle Lebeau, 21, of Cranston, R.I., was charged in an Information with attempted unauthorized access to a protected computer. Lebeau will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston on a later date.

According to the charging document, in or about January 2020, Lebeau sent phishing emails to approximately 22 members of the campaign staff of a candidate for political office. The emails, which purported to be from either the campaign’s managers or one of the campaign’s co-chairs, directed the recipients to put their account credentials into an attached spreadsheet, or to click a link that connected them to a Google Form that solicited the same credentials. Lebeau also allegedly sent several phishing emails to the candidate’s spouse and to others at the spouse’s workplace. The emails, which purported to be either from Microsoft’s “Security Team” or from an employee of the workplace’s technology helpdesk, requested that recipients provide account credentials or other information about their computers by adding it to attached spreadsheets or on a website that mimicked the appearance of the employer’s legitimate website.

In or about March 2020, Lebeau allegedly drafted and sent phishing emails targeting another candidate for political office. The emails, which purported to be from the candidate’s cable and internet provider, contained a false “login link” that the recipient could use to address an issue with his or her account by providing account credentials. Lebeau also impersonated this candidate in online chats with the cable and internet provider, in an attempt to reset and obtain the candidate’s account password.

According to the charging document, Lebeau did not act with financial or political motive or to benefit any foreign government, instrumentality, or agent.

The charge of access without authorization to a protected computer provides for a sentence of up to one year in prison, one year of supervised release, a fine of up to $100,000 and forfeiture. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth B. Kosto, Deputy Chief of Mendell’s Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit, is prosecuting the case. 

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Wilmington Man Convicted of PCP Distribution Plot

 NEW BERN, N.C. – A federal jury convicted a Wilmington man yesterday on charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute one kilogram or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectible amount of phencyclidine (PCP), a quantity of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana and possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of PCP and aiding and abetting.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Rashawn Aki Simon, 46, utilized connections for a large-scale drug trafficking organization in New York City, New York to import various drugs into North Carolina for distribution for a number of years. In March, 2019, Rashawn Simon ordered multiple pounds of liquid PCP that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) along with Sampson County Sheriff’s Office intercepted while in-route to Wilmington, North Carolina where Rashawn Simon was awaiting its deliver. The DEA, Sampson County Sheriff’s Office, and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office coordinated a controlled delivery that ultimately lead to Rashawn Simon’s arrest. During the trial, the testifying officers and agents stated uniformly that the seizure of PCP was the largest quantity of PCP that any of them had seen at one time. Conservatively, the quantity of PCP seized equated to thousands of individual doses.

Simon faces a sentence of up to life in prison when he is scheduled to be sentenced during the September 7, 2021 term of court.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan accepted the verdict. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Sampson County Sheriff’s Office, and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office are the investigating parties in the case; Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Knott prosecuted and tried the case.

Fort Bragg Marriage Fraud Arranger Sentenced for Marriage Fraud and Conspiracy

 NEW BERN, N.C. – An ex-soldier from Fayetteville was sentenced today to 44 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release.  On August 18, 2020, Ebenezer Yeboah Asane, a/k/a “Ben” pled guilty to marriage fraud and conspiracy.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Asane, 37, operating from Fort Bragg and his home in Fayetteville, planned and organized the sham marriages of several foreign nationals from Ghana to U.S. Army soldiers based at Fort Bragg.  The purpose of the conspiracy was for the foreign-born nationals to evade U.S. immigration laws and obtain lawful permanent residence status and for the soldiers to receive Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) to live off post, as opposed to the barracks. 

Asane recruited additional soldiers into the fraudulent scheme to orchestrate photographs to give the appearance the marriages were legitimate and to submit false statements to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service in support of the sham marriages.  Once charged, Asane also attempted to obstruct justice by asking a witness he knew had been called to testify to lie under oath.  

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The investigation of these cases is ongoing and being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, the Criminal Investigation Division at Fort Bragg and the EDNC Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabriel Diaz  prosecuted the case.

U.S. Attorney’s Office Provides Update on Federal Prosecutions and Ongoing Strategies To Combat Violent Crime in Chicago

 CHICAGO — John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, today provided an update on federal prosecutions and strategies to combat violent crime in Chicago and the surrounding area.

The centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts continues to be Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders works together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develops comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

“The number of violent crimes in Chicago remains stubbornly high, including homicides, shootings, and carjackings, and we have seen troubling increases in these areas since the pandemic began,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.  “We are using every available federal law enforcement tool to continue to bring quality, impactful cases that hold violent offenders accountable and reduce violent crime in Chicago.”

In addition to a sustained focus on prosecutions of federal firearm offenses, the U.S. Attorney’s Office endeavors to disrupt violent crime by seeking pre-trial detention for defendants who pose a danger to the community and pursuing appropriate prison sentences to deter dangerous individuals from continuing to wreak havoc in their communities.  Through enforcement actions, prosecutions, and community partnerships, the U.S. Attorney’s Office works to lower violent crime and make neighborhoods safer.

Enforcement Actions and Prosecution Activity

The U.S. Attorney’s Office works closely with U.S. law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI), and U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), to investigate and prosecute a variety of violent crimes.  State and local partners in this effort include the Chicago Police Department (CPD), Illinois State Police (ISP), Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Rockford Police Department, and other police departments throughout northern Illinois.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Gun Crimes Prosecution Team continues to enhance the prosecution of illegal firearm possession in the most violent police districts in Chicago.  Working collaboratively with federal and local law enforcement, the team focuses on charging Chicago’s most dangerous criminals quickly after arrest, endeavoring to disrupt the cycle of violence in the neighborhoods most in need.

“Our Gun Crimes Prosecution Team works tirelessly to investigate and prosecute firearms cases from those Chicago neighborhoods suffering from the most violent crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.  “Our partnerships with CPD and other state and local law enforcement have never been better.”

Firearm and violent crime investigations in Chicago have also been bolstered by an important tool from ATF: the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN).  NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms.  NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles.  Federal, state, and local law enforcement in Chicago have used NIBIN extensively to help solve violent crimes and prosecute trigger-pullers and other gun offenders.

Following up on the activities our office reported in October of last year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office remains active in fighting violent crime through various enforcement actions, prosecutions, and sentencings, as illustrated by the examples below: 

• Gang-Related Prosecutions

“Combating the unacceptable level of gang violence in Chicago has been and will continue to be a top priority in our office,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.

• Last month, DAVID SANTIAGO, of Chicago, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for illegally selling guns to Chicago gang members.  During the investigation law enforcement seized 16 firearms, including rifles and semi-automatic handguns.  Santiago purportedly obtained many of the firearms in Kansas and boasted to the Chicago buyers that the guns were “clean” and “brand new.”  The case was investigated by ATF and CPD.
• RONTRELL TURNIPSEED, of Matteson, Ill., was sentenced in March to ten years in federal prison for engaging in a pattern of racketeering activity that included attempted murder, drug trafficking, and obstruction of justice.  Turnipseed conspired with leadership of the Four Corner Hustlers street gang to violently protect the gang’s drug dealing in Chicago.  Eight co-defendants have pleaded guilty, while three have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.  The probe was led by FBI, ATF, and CPD.  The effort was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the U.S. using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
• A superseding indictment in March accused JASON BROWN, the alleged leader of the AHK street gang, of illegally possessing four loaded handguns in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime that included distributing methamphetamines.  The superseding indictment also renewed charges previously filed against Brown for allegedly providing material support to the terrorist organization ISIS.  The case was investigated by FBI, CPD, IRS-CI, ISP, USPIS, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, HSI, Lombard, Ill., Police Department, and Addison, Ill., Police Department, with assistance from the National Security Division of the Department of Justice.
• Firearm Trafficking and Firearm Theft Prosecutions

“Straw purchasers and firearms traffickers enable unlawful possession of guns and the violence that may follow,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.  “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners, including our colleagues in other U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Midwest and across the country, to hold accountable individuals or groups who traffic firearms into Chicago.”

• KALIL WARNER, of Chicago, was charged earlier this month with five counts of illegal transfer and possession of a machine gun.  The indictment accuses Warner of transferring and possessing “switch devices,” which are designed to convert handguns into machine guns.  The investigation was led by ATF.
• Earlier this month, three U.S. Army soldiers at Fort Campbell were charged in the Middle District of Tennessee with illegally purchasing and transferring dozens of firearms to the streets of Chicago.  During the probe, five firearms recovered from a shooting scene in Chicago were found to have been purchased at firearms dealers in Tennessee.  Further investigation identified the soldiers as the alleged majority purchasers of the firearms.  Law enforcement in Chicago, including CPD and ATF, assisted in the investigation.
• Last month, SCOTT TREECE, of Rockford, Ill., and KYLE HALL, of Skokie, Ill., were charged with trafficking firearms.  In social media postings, Treece allegedly offered to purchase firearms in Georgia on behalf of others and distribute the guns in the Chicago area.  The investigation was led by ATF.
• DARIUS BROWN, of Chicago, was indicted last month on a federal firearm charge for allegedly straw purchasing multiple handguns in a suburban store on behalf of another individual.  ATF led the probe.
• BENITTA GROSS, of Springfield, Ill., was charged in March with providing a semi-automatic handgun to a convicted felon in the Chicago area whom she knew was not lawfully allowed to possess it.  The investigation was led by ATF and CPD, with valuable assistance from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office, Sangamon County Sheriff's Office, USMS, and Springfield Police Department.
• Alleged straw-purchaser DIAMOND SMITH, of Chicago, was charged in March with making false statements in the acquisition of a firearm for allegedly buying handguns in a Chicago suburb on behalf of another individual.  ATF conducted the investigation.
• LEONARD D. JOHNSON was charged in December after law enforcement seized machine guns and more than 100 “switch devices” from his home in the Chicago suburb of Robbins.  Each “switch device” is capable of converting a semi-automatic handgun into a machine gun.  ATF led the probe, with valuable assistance from the Lansing Police Department and Midlothian Police Department.
• BENJAMIN CORTEZ-GOMEZ and GUSTAVO URIEL GOMEZ-HIPOLITO were indicted in November for allegedly trafficking multiple handguns from Indiana to Chicago.  ATF and CPD led the investigation, with assistance from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations.

• Carjacking and Robbery Prosecutions

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office works closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement officers to prosecute violent crimes, such as carjacking, that violate federal law,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.

• A violent carjacking late last week in Chicago led to a federal charge against KIAR EVANS, of Chicago.  Evans allegedly took a vehicle at gunpoint near Garfield Park.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office filed the carjacking charge directly in federal court the day after the incident.  FBI and CPD investigated the case.
• ANTONIO EDWARDS, of Chicago, was sentenced last month to more than 18 years in federal prison for participating in a violent robbery crew that targeted cell phone stores in the Chicago area and downstate.  Two other members of the crew – ANDREW MCHANEY and JAMES BATES, both of Chicago – previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced to federal prison terms of 14 years and eight years, respectively. The probe was led by the FBI, with assistance from police departments in Chicago, Waukegan, Bradley, Mount Prospect, North Aurora, Skokie, and Homewood.
• Chicago residents FALANDIS RUSSELL and TERRANCE WILLIAMS were charged earlier this year with conspiring to violently rob pawn shops, currency exchanges, and retail stores in Chicago and the suburbs, netting the conspirators more than $22,000 in cash and more than $305,000 worth of jewelry.  The case was investigated by the FBI, with valuable assistance from Police Departments in Chicago, Calumet City, Summit, Burbank, Bolingbrook, Round Lake Beach, Hammond (Ind.), Streamwood, and Arlington Heights.
• DAVID JOHNSON, of Chicago, was charged in February after he allegedly carjacked a vehicle in Orland Park and fired a shot at a police officer who was pursuing him.  Johnson allegedly drove the stolen vehicle to Chicago, where he crashed into another car and fled on foot before being arrested.  ATF, CPD, Oak Forest Police Department, and Orland Park Police Department participated in the probe.
• Carjacking charges were also filed against OMARION FRANKLIN, of Chicago, who allegedly violently took an Infiniti G35 sedan from a victim in Skokie last summer.  FBI investigated, with valuable assistance from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Skokie Police Department, and CPD.
• An Uber Eats driver was the victim of a carjacking last summer allegedly carried out by JAHEIM HENYARD, of Chicago.  Henyard was also charged with a carjacking in Cicero and an attempted carjacking in Oak Park.  FBI, CPD, Oak Park Police Department, and Cicero Police Department participated in the investigation, with assistance from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.
• Lake County resident ZAYVEON THOMAS was charged in January with attempted carjacking for allegedly trying to violently take a Lexus IS300 sedan from a victim in the parking lot of a north suburban golf course last summer.  FBI led the probe, with assistance from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

• Illegal Possession of Firearms Prosecutions

“If you are a felon and thinking about picking up a gun in Chicago, you should expect to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and face the possibility of going to federal prison for a long time,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.

• Earlier this month, RODNEY BURNETT, of Chicago, was sentenced to more than nine years in federal prison for illegally possessing ammunition near Garfield Park on the city’s West Side.  As a convicted felon, Burnett was prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm.  The case was investigated by FBI and CPD.
• Last month, MARIO PRADO, of South Elgin, Ill., who had previously been convicted of a felony firearm offense, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison for illegally possessing a semi-automatic rifle and numerous semi-automatic handguns.  ATF and ISP conducted the probe.

• Convicted felon RAMONE SHAFFERS, of Chicago, was sentenced in January to eleven years in federal prison for illegally possessing a loaded gun and offering to pay witnesses to lie on his behalf.  ATF and CPD investigated.
• Eight-time convicted felon LARRY CARADINE, of Chicago, was sentenced in December to more than five years in federal prison for illegally possessing a loaded handgun in the city’s West Garfield Park neighborhood.  The case was investigated by ATF and CPD, with assistance from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

• Opioid Prosecutions

Opioids are a class of highly addictive drugs that includes heroin, fentanyl, and prescription painkillers such as oxycodone and hydrocodone.  Public safety is being threatened by unprecedented levels of opioid misuse and overdose.  The Department of Justice is committed to using every available tool to enforce federal drug laws and combat the opioid epidemic.  In the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has deployed a strategy of aggressive investigations and prosecutions of those who are most responsible for this epidemic.  This includes prosecuting the leaders of traditional drug trafficking organizations, as well as rogue healthcare providers, pharmacists, pharmacist technicians, and others who contribute to the misuse of opioids. 

“The current opioid epidemic is the deadliest drug crisis in American history,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.   “We are actively attacking this crisis from all investigative and prosecutorial angles.”

• Suburban Chicago resident DENNIS GERMAN was charged in February with allegedly trafficking fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin, and illegally possessing loaded handguns.  The indictment also accuses German of conspiring with two others to traffic cocaine and heroin last year.  ATF investigated, with assistance from the Midlothian Police Department, Orland Park Police Department, and Dolton Police Department.
• More than 26 individuals were charged with various narcotics trafficking or firearms offenses as part of an investigation into criminal activities on the West Side of Chicago.  As part of the probe, law enforcement shut down a telephone drug hotline utilized by the defendants to sell narcotics.  DEA, ATF and CPD participated in the investigation, with assistance from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, USMS, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, and IRS-CI. 

• Other Significant Drug Trafficking Prosecutions

The U.S. Attorney’s Office targets traffickers who bring illegal drugs into Illinois from other states or countries, with a focus on organizations or individuals who use guns, violence and threats of violence to protect and promote their illegal businesses.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office works directly with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to ensure that individuals trafficking drugs are charged with appropriate offenses in either federal or state court.

• This week, a drug trafficking investigation dubbed “Operation Tragic Blow” resulted in federal charges against 17 individuals for allegedly distributing or attempting to distribute heroin and cocaine in Chicago.  Law enforcement during the multi-year probe seized multiple kilograms of the narcotics.  HSI and CPD led the investigation, which was part of an OCDETF operation.
• Last month, Chinese national XIANBING GAN was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for laundering illegal narcotics proceeds on behalf of drug traffickers in Mexico.  Gan schemed in 2018 to have approximately $534,206 in narcotics proceeds picked up in Chicago and transferred to various bank accounts in China, with the money ultimately intended for drug traffickers in Mexico. The investigation was conducted by HSI and IRS-CI.
• In March, five suspected associates of the Sinaloa Cartel were indicted on drug trafficking charges for allegedly conspiring to distribute cocaine in the Chicago area.  One defendant was recently extradited to the United States to face the charges.  DEA conducted the probe, with valuable assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, USMS, and INTERPOL.
• Federal drug and gun charges were filed in February against LARRY DENNIS, of Markham, who allegedly sold suspected crack cocaine on three occasions.  Dennis also allegedly illegally possessed a loaded handgun in his residence in January.  ATF and the Midlothian Police Department investigated the case, with assistance from the Markham Police Department, Dolton Police Department, and Orland Park Police Department.

Community Partnerships

The PSN program continues to invest resources in violence-prevention initiatives.  Members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office have participated in offender notification meetings and youth outreach forums.  Even during the current COVID-19 pandemic, these meetings and forums are still being held, including in a virtual environment, to maintain the outreach to former offenders.

Offender notification meetings provide an opportunity for individuals who have been convicted of a state or federal offense to make an informed choice not to engage in further criminal activity.  Researchers at Arizona State University found that the forums in Chicago have a positive influence on the offenders’ perception of police and help create an understanding that criminal activity results in a higher risk to return to prison.  Researchers at Yale University found that ex-offenders who attend an offender notification meeting in Chicago are 30% less likely to commit a new offense than those who did not attend a meeting.

The quarterly youth forums assist children aged 13-17 to identify a path other than gang membership.  The youth forums are conducted in partnership with CPD, the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, and the University of Chicago Crime Lab, which tracks the progress of the children to assess results.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Announces New Effort to Reduce Violent Crime

WASHINGTON – Attorney General Merrick B. Garland today announced a new Department of Justice effort to help protect our communities from the recent increase in major violent crimes.

“Today, we renew our commitment to reducing violent crime and building strong communities where all Americans are safe,” said Attorney General Garland. “The Deputy Attorney General is issuing a comprehensive strategy to deploy our federal resources in the most effective way, disrupting the most dangerous threats and supporting the ground-level efforts of local law enforcement. In this endeavor, we will engage our communities as critical partners. And through our grant-making, we will support programming at all stages – from the earliest violence interruption strategies to post-conviction reentry services.”

“Violent crime is irrefutably linked to the transnational criminal organizations flooding our communities with illicit drugs,” said Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Administrator D. Christopher Evans. “Leveraging our strong partnerships with state, local, and Tribal law enforcement, DEA will concentrate our efforts on the most serious offenders in areas with the highest crime rates.”

The strategy announced today is three-pronged. First, it establishes a set of four fundamental principles to be applied Department-wide to guide violent crime reduction:

I. Build trust and earn legitimacy. Meaningful law enforcement engagement with, and accountability to, the community are essential underpinnings of any effective strategy to address violent crime, as well as important ends in themselves. Accordingly, building trust and earning legitimacy within our communities is the foundation on which the strategy is built.

II. Invest in prevention and intervention programs. Violent crime is not a problem that can be solved by law enforcement alone. Accordingly, the Department must invest in community-based violence prevention and intervention programs that work to keep violence from happening before it occurs.

III. Target enforcement efforts and priorities. The Department is most effective when it focuses its limited enforcement resources on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the most significant drivers of gun violence and other violent crime.

IV. Measure results. Because the fundamental goal of this work is to reduce the level of violence in our communities, not to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions as if they were ends in themselves—we must measure the results of our efforts on these grounds.

The whole-of-Department approach means that these four fundamental principles will guide not only the Department’s 94 U.S. Attorneys’ offices, but also its law enforcement components (the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the United States Marshals Service (USMS)), its grant-making components (the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), and the Office of Victims of Crime (OVC)), and litigating divisions, such as the Criminal Division.

Second, the strategy enhances the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program by directing all U.S. Attorneys across the country to update their PSN programs to be aligned with the Department’s guiding principles to improve community engagement, support proven community-violence intervention programs, develop strategic enforcement plans in coordination with state, local, and Tribal law enforcement partners as well as community groups, and measure the effectiveness of these collective efforts to reduce violence. By drawing on lessons learned from research and experience over the past two decades, the Department will help ensure that PSN remains the leading initiative bringing together law enforcement partners at all levels and a broad array of community stakeholders to develop comprehensive solutions to the more pressing violent crime problems in our communities.

Third, the strategy directs each U.S. Attorney’s Office to work with its state, local, federal, Tribal, and community partners to establish an immediate plan to address spikes in violent crime that are typically seen during the summer.

The Department recognizes that there is no one-size-fits-all solution and that the needs of each jurisdiction will vary based on the nature of violent crimes and the ability of local criminal justice systems to respond. Thus, the Department has committed to providing the following additional support where it is needed and appropriate:

• The FBI will make available cutting-edge analytical resources to support state and local law enforcement efforts to identify the most violent offenders and most dangerous criminal organizations in communities. The FBI will then deploy agents to assist with enforcement operations targeting these entities.
• Where feasible, the ATF will embed with local homicide units and expand the availability of its NIBIN Correlation Center, which matches ballistics from crime scenes to other ballistic evidence nationwide.
• The DEA will focus its efforts, in coordination with state, local and Tribal law enforcement, to disrupt the activities of the most violent drug trafficking gangs and egregious drug-trafficking organizations operating in the highest-crime areas.
• The United States Marshals Service, in coordination with state and local authorities, will conduct fugitive sweeps throughout the country focused on individuals subject to state or local warrants for homicide, aggravated assault with a firearm, aggravated robbery, robbery with a firearm, rape or aggravated sexual assault.
• The Department’s grant-making components will highlight funding opportunities for community programs focused on reducing gun violence and other violent crime, share information about effective community-violence intervention programs, and provide training and technical assistance to support the violent crime reduction work of state, local, tribal and community partners.

To learn more, see the Deputy Attorney General’s detailed guidance to federal prosecutors, law enforcement agencies, and other components across the Department of Justice. A Fact Sheet on 2021 Grant Opportunities and Other Resources to Support Violent Crime Reduction can be found here.

Dominican National Sentenced for Illegal Reentry After Deportation

 Defendant previously deported three times

BOSTON – A Dominican national was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for illegally reentering the United States after deportation.

Antonio Curio-Ruiz, 53, of the Dominican Republic, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to one year and one day in prison and three years of supervised release. Curio-Ruiz also faces deportation upon completion of his sentence. On Feb. 3, 2021, Curio-Ruiz pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. 

Curio-Ruiz was previously deported in December 2007, April 2011 and November 2012.  On Oct. 12, 2017, officers encountered Curio-Ruiz and determined him to be illegally present in the United States.

Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell and Todd M. Lyons, Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of Mendell’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.

17 Defendants Charged in Drug Trafficking Probe Targeting Heroin and Cocaine Sales in Chicago

 CHICAGO — A joint federal and local drug trafficking investigation has resulted in federal charges against 17 individuals for distributing or attempting to distribute heroin and cocaine in Chicago.

During the multi-year probe, dubbed “Operation Tragic Blow,” law enforcement seized multiple kilograms of heroin and cocaine, including a 14-kilogram cocaine seizure in Chicago’s Belmont Cragin neighborhood and a two-kilogram heroin seizure in a high-rise apartment building in Chicago’s Buena Park neighborhood.  The joint federal and local investigation, led by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations and the Chicago Police Department, utilized extensive undercover and covert surveillance operations to shut down the defendants’ drug trafficking activities.

Many of the 17 federal defendants were arrested Wednesday and have begun making initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  In addition to the 17 federal defendants, two other individuals were charged in state court as part of this investigation.

The federal charges were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Angie Salazar, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of HSI; and David Brown, Superintendent of CPD.  Substantial assistance was provided by the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron Bond, Erin Kelly, and Brian Kerwin represent the government. 

This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

Charged with a federal drug offense are: YARNELL ALLEN, 41, of Dolton, Ill.; ULISES AVINA, 32, of Chicago; OSCAR BALDERAMA, 42, of Chicago; CELESTINO BARAHONA-SERRANO, 38, of Chicago; DIEGO GALEANA-GONZAGA, 35, of Mexico; MARGARITO GALEANA-GOMEZ, 36, of Mexico; JOSE GONZAGA, 58, of Chicago; RAFAEL MEDELLIN, JR., 32, of Chicago; RICHARD C. RINCON, 39, of Oak Lawn, Ill.; JUAN ROSAS-CABRERA, 31, of Mexico; SERGIO SANCHEZ-CHAVEZ, 36, of Mexico; FRANCISCO SANCHEZ-YANEZ, 32, of Chicago; ANTONIO SEGURA, 39, of Oak Lawn, Ill.; JORGE A. VALDEZ, 40, of Chicago; VIRGINIA VAZQUEZ-PEREZ, 37, of Cicero, Ill.; DELVIN WILLIAMS, 42, of Chicago; and RAFAEL ZARCO-PICAZO, 33, of Chicago.

According to criminal complaints unsealed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, Zarco-Picazo sold distribution levels of cocaine to Jorge Valdez, who in turn re-sold it in smaller quantities to customers in Chicago.  Law enforcement on Jan. 30, 2021, seized 14 kilograms of cocaine from Zarco-Picazo’s Nissan Z sedan, which was parked at a residence in the 2300 block of North Menard Avenue in Chicago, the charges allege.  The cocaine was packed into several bricks and hidden behind a speaker console, the complaint states.

The complaint also describes the heroin seizure in the high-rise apartment building in the 4200 block of North Marine Drive in Chicago.  Galeana-Gomez and Gonzaga had allegedly conspired to sell nearly two kilograms of heroin to an undercover law enforcement officer and an individual who was surreptitiously cooperating with law enforcement.  On the afternoon of Sept. 17, 2020, Gonzaga attempted to sell the heroin, which was wrapped in two vacuum-sealed bricks, to the undercover officer and the cooperating individual in the building’s underground parking garage.  Law enforcement arrested Gonzaga and then searched two apartments on the 27th-floor of the building, where they discovered supplies used to package narcotics, including a heat sealer, vacuum sealer rolls, and a digital scale, the complaint states. 

Other alleged illicit transactions cited in the charges include a two-kilogram cocaine deal on April 30, 2020, involving Segura and Allen behind a residence in the 6100 block of South Talman Avenue in Chicago’s Chicago Lawn neighborhood, and a kilogram of heroin distributed by Galeana-Gonzaga in two separate deliveries – 720 grams to Williams at an apartment building in the Chicago suburb of Brookfield, and 280 grams to Vazquez-Perez in a vehicle in the 2900 block of North Cicero Avenue in Chicago’s Belmont Cragin neighborhood.

The public is reminded that a complaint contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt.  The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

Fort Myers Drug Trafficker Sentenced To Eleven Years In Federal Prison

 Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Edgar Vazquez (36, Fort Myers) to 11 years in federal prison for possessing with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine. The court also ordered Vazquez to forfeit a firearm and ammunition that were involved in the offense. 

Vazquez had been found guilty by a jury on September 15, 2020.

According to evidence presented at trial, in September 2018, Vazquez was driving a vehicle on Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers, when he was stopped by Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies for committing a traffic infraction.  After a trained drug canine unit alerted to the presence of drugs in the vehicle, law enforcement conducted a search of the vehicle and recovered approximately 500 grams of cocaine from inside the vehicle. A subsequent search warrant was executed at Vazquez’s residence, where approximately 700 grams of cocaine, cash, and a loaded gun were seized from his bedroom.  

This case was investigated by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Simon R. Eth and David P. Sullivan.