Felon Who Hid Loaded, Fully Automatic Handgun in Six-Year-Old Nephew’s Pants Found Guilty of Unlawful Firearm Possession

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

SAN FRANCISCO – Darneko Yates, 30, of Richmond, Calif., was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm, following a one-day bench trial on Jan. 17, 2025, before the Honorable Araceli Martínez-Olguín, U.S. District Judge.    

The evidence at trial established that on Aug. 27, 2023, San Pablo Police Officers attempted to stop Yates for a vehicle infraction.  Yates drove for several blocks before pulling up partially onto the sidewalk in front of a relative’s house.  Yates had his young nephew and niece in the backseat of his car.  At the time, Yates was on parole following three felony convictions for carjacking, solicitation to commit murder, and possessing a loaded firearm.  

Upon learning that Yates was on parole with a search condition, officers searched his person but did not find anything.  When Yates’s six-year-old nephew got out of the car, Yates urged the child to go inside the house.  The child moved slowly and kept his back to the officers.  When officers looked at the front of the child, they saw an object tucked into the front of his pants.  Upon further inspection, officers located a Glock firearm loaded with 11 rounds of ammunition inside the six-year-old’s pants.  The gun had a “Glock switch” or “machinegun conversion device,” which allows a shooter to fire an endless stream of bullets with one pull of the trigger.  During the traffic stop, Yates sent text messages telling an individual to come get the child out of the car before the police searched the vehicle, and admitting that the child had Yates’s gun on him.

“Defendant’s actions inexcusably endangered a young child.  Thanks to the careful work of the officers on the scene, this did not turn into a tragedy,” said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey.  “My office will continue to use all resources available to reduce violent crime and gun violence in our communities.”

“Using a child to conceal a loaded, fully automatic firearm shows an alarming disregard for their safety and well-being,” said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Dan Costin. “The FBI, alongside our law enforcement partners, remains steadfast in our commitment to holding dangerous offenders accountable and removing illegal firearms from our streets.”

Yates was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g).  He faces a maximum statutory sentence of 15 years in prison.  Defendant’s sentencing is scheduled for April 28, 2025.  

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leif Dautch and Richard Ewenstein are prosecuting this case, with the assistance of Madeline Wachs.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI, the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, and the San Pablo Police Department.  
 

C.R. Bard, Inc. and Affiliates Pay $17 Million to Resolve Allegations of Health Care Kickbacks

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)

ATLANTA – C.R. Bard, Inc. (“Bard”) and its affiliates, Liberator Medical Supply, Inc., Liberator Holdings and Rochester Medical Corporation (collectively the “Liberator Defendants”), have agreed to pay $17 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act and various state false claims act statutes by providing free samples and discounts to encourage urology practice groups to use Bard’s prescription form for prescribing intermittent catheters for their patients.

“The use of inducements to influence a physician’s medical decisions undermines the important physician-patient relationship and interferes with the goal of doing what is best for the patient,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “Our office will coordinate with our federal and state partners to hold accountable those companies who violate federal law for financial gain.”

“Patients should be able to trust the recommendations they receive from their physician are what’s best for their health, not what’s financially beneficial to another provider,” said Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. “We’re committed to putting a stop to any type of fraud or abuse within our healthcare system while protecting taxpayer dollars no matter the amount.”

“Kickback schemes undermine the trust patients place in our health care system,” said Special Agent in Charge Kelly J. Blackmon of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Our office will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to safeguard federal health care programs.”

“Illegal kickbacks in any form pervert our health care system, which is designed to ensure that health care providers make decisions based solely on what is best for the patient,” said Sean Burke, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta.  “This settlement is part of the FBI and our partners’ on-going effort to eliminate the payment of illegal kickbacks to health care providers.”

“This settlement sends a strong message to healthcare practitioners who blatantly disregard patient-centered care for their own personal enrichment and potentially harm TRICARE, the military healthcare system relied on by our servicemembers, retired military members, and their families,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason Sargenski, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office.  “DCIS, alongside our law enforcement partners, will continue to aggressively investigate allegations of healthcare fraud that affect the Department of Defense and put our personnel at risk.”

The Government alleges that, between 2016 and February 2020, the Liberator Defendants provided discounts, excessive free samples, and cost savings for in-office supplies to urology practice groups to persuade those practice groups to use Bard’s own “Link” prescription form to prescribe intermittent catheters to their patients. The provision of remuneration – anything of value – to induce a physician to prescribe certain devices over others is prohibited by the Anti-Kickback Statute, 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b.

Bard began marketing intermittent catheters in 2013, after it acquired Rochester Medical, Inc., a developer and supplier of urological products.  Intermittent catheters are single-use catheters provided to persons suffering from urinary retention to drain the bladder several times a day. They are typically prescribed by the patient’s physician.  The patient then takes the prescription to a medical equipment supplier (“DME supplier”) to purchase the intermittent catheters.

The Government alleges that soon after the acquisition of Rochester, Bard sales representatives began leveraging discounts on and free samples of in-office urological products to convince urology practice groups to make Bard’s “Link” prescription form – which listed the various Bard intermittent catheters – the standard catheter prescription form for its group.  The patients would then take the Link prescription to a DME supplier to purchase the catheters.

Two years later, Bard announced its acquisition of Liberator Medical and Liberator Holdings to create its own medical equipment subsidiary for the sale of intermittent catheters directly to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.  The Government alleges that after this acquisition, Bard used the Link prescription form to encourage urology practices to prescribe intermittent catheters through Liberator Medical rather than other DME suppliers.

The settlement resolves allegations filed by Dirk Etheridge, a former employee of 180 Medical, under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act, which authorizes private parties to sue for false claims on behalf of the United States and share in the recovery.  The lawsuit was filed in the Northern District of Georgia and is captioned United States, ex rel. Dirk Etheridge, et al. v. Liberator Medical Holdings, Inc., et al., No 1:17-cv-05187-LMM (N.D. Ga.).  Mr. Etheridge will receive a share of the settlement.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the Georgia State Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Division investigated this case.

The civil settlement was reached by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeli Ben-David, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Akash Desai, and Georgia State Assistant Attorney General Sara Vann.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

Durham Man Arrested for Attempting to Provide Support to Terrorists

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

RALEIGH, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr., announced today the unsealing of a criminal complaint against a Durham man charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Alexander Justin White, age 29, was arrested on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, as he was preparing to board an international flight from RDU Airport to Morocco. The complaint alleges that White was traveling overseas intent on joining ISIS. If convicted, White faces up to 20 years in prison.

As alleged in the complaint, between May and October of 2024, White used an online account under the name “Sulaiman Al-Amriki” to make numerous posts supporting ISIS and the concept of violent jihad.  This allegedly included videos commonly used to recruit new members and to generate a passion for fighting as well as fundraising videos and several posts and reposts in reference to well-known ISIS supporters and scholars.  The complaint alleges that White’s online communications with like-minded individuals displayed an active effort to find a way to join ISIS overseas so that he could become a mujahideen with ISIS.  In addition, the complaint alleges that White was engaged in financial transactions to refugee camps which are well known for acting as a front to funnel money to ISIS members and their supporters.  White allegedly made online comments noting that he regretted not having traveled to join ISIS earlier, when it may have been easier through certain overseas routes which were now viewed suspiciously.  Believing that his opportunity had come to fruition, White allegedly took steps to make his intended travel appear as nothing more than a vacation when he in fact claimed that he would rather die than return to the United States.  After allegedly making various preparations, to include purchasing a personal combat medical kit, on December 4, White made efforts to board a flight bound for Morocco which he intended to use as a jumping point from which to join ISIS members in Africa.

“We work closely with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force to shut down suspected terrorist activities in the United States, including American citizens willing to commit violence against our troops,” said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. “We couldn’t do our work without strong local partners, willing to share their resources to protect our homeland.”   

“The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces across the country leverage the resources, skills, and authorities of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to identify and combat terrorism threats, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In many ways, our JTTFs are our nation’s first line of defense against terrorism. The threats we face are bigger than any one law enforcement or intelligence agency can tackle, requiring not only a law enforcement partnership, but working with our communities to keep people safe,” said Robert M. DeWitt, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina. The investigation into White is a result of the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Raleigh-based Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). The JTTF is a group of highly trained, locally based investigators, analysts, linguists, and other specialists from dozens of U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies that gather evidence, make arrests, provide security for special events, collect and share intelligence, and respond to threats and incidents at a moment’s notice. There are about 200 JTTFs across the country, including one in each field office, with hundreds of participating state, local and federal agencies.

The Raleigh-based JTTF includes the Cary, Raleigh, and Durham Police Departments, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, the N.C. State Highway Patrol, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. Critical to this case was also the assistance of the Morocco General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST).

Michael F. Easley Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The FBI JTTF is investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Gabe Diaz and Jason Kellhofer, along with Trial Attorney David Andrew Sigler from the Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section, are prosecuting the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for case number 5:25-CR-00009-M.

A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Charlotte Man is Sentenced to Prison for Transporting Child Sexual Abuse Material

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – David Williams, 45, of Charlotte, was sentenced today to 140 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for transporting of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Williams was also ordered to register as a sex offender after he is released from prison.

Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.

“Williams possessed thousands of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, yet his criminal conduct did not end there,” said U.S. Attorney King. “Williams produced a surreptitious recording of a prepubescent minor using the bathroom, and also used AI technology to modify and alter images of children he found on the internet to generate child sexual abuse material. This type of misuse of technology, and specifically generative AI, is at the forefront of our efforts to protect our children from this emerging threat and secure proper punishment for perpetrators.”

According to filed court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, law enforcement received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that an individual was using the internet to upload CSAM. Law enforcement identified the individual as Williams. On September 14, 2021, law enforcement conducted an interview of Williams. The defendant denied having any CSAM, at first. He later admitted to having CSAM and turned over some of his electronic devices to law enforcement. A forensic examination of Williams’s devices revealed that the defendant possessed images and videos depicting children being sexually abused and that Williams did not provide all of the relevant electronics.

On September 16, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Williams’s residence, seizing additional electronics from the defendant. A forensic analysis of those electronics confirmed the presence of CSAM, including images and videos of children as young as toddlers being sexually abused. In total, Williams possessed over 4,000 videos and images of CSAM. Additionally, forensic analysis determined that Williams produced a surreptitious recording of a prepubescent minor using the bathroom.

Forensic analysis further determined that Williams used an online AI chatbot to generate realistic CSAM by morphing or modifying images of clothed minors he found on the internet.  

On June 12, 2023, Williams pleaded guilty to transportation of child pornography. He is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

In announcing Williams’s sentence, U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn, Jr., emphasized that “this is a serious crime with serious consequences.”

The FBI and CMPD investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Cervantes of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.

 

Former Finance Minister of Mozambique Sentenced to 102 Months’ Imprisonment for His Role in $2 Billion Fraud and Money Laundering Scheme

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

BROOKLYN, NY – Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Manuel Chang, the former Finance Minister of Mozambique, was sentenced by United States District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis to a term of imprisonment of 102 months and ordered to pay $7 million in forfeiture.  The restitution amount will be determined at a later date.   Chang was convicted after a four-week trial in July and August 2024 of conspiring to commit wire fraud and money laundering in connection with his role in a $2 billion international fraud, bribery and money laundering scheme that victimized investors in the United States and elsewhere.  He was arrested in December 2018 in South Africa, pursuant to a provisional arrest warrant issued at the request of the United States and extradited to the Eastern District of New York in July 2023.

Carolyn Pokorny, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Brent S. Wible, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the sentence.

“Today’s sentence shows that foreign officials who abuse their power to commit crimes targeting the U.S. financial system will meet U.S. justice,” stated Acting United States Attorney Pokorny.  “My Office will continue to pursue those who violate our laws and harm U.S. investors regardless of their power, position or title.”  

“Manuel Chang abused his position as Finance Minister of Mozambique by obtaining $7 million in bribe payments in exchange for helping secure more than $2 billion in loans,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brent S. Wible, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Chang’s brazen misconduct betrayed his duty to the people of Mozambique and defrauded investors, including those in the United States, of substantial amounts. With today’s sentence, Chang has been held accountable for his violations of U.S. law.”

“Manuel Chang abused his authority as the former Mozambique Finance Minister by helping to obtain billions of dollars in loans, a large portion of which was diverted from its intended purposes to satisfy bribe payments, ultimately causing significant financial loss to U.S. and global investors,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Dennehy.  “With the support of his co-conspirators, Chang violated the trust of his office and wielded his position to enrich himself and other Mozambican officials. May today’s sentencing reiterate the FBI’s commitment to dismantling all corruptive malpractices orchestrated by foreign governments, especially those targeting our country as their personal piggy bank.”

As proven at trial, Chang received $7 million in bribes in exchange for signing guarantees on behalf of the Republic of Mozambique to secure funding for three loans for maritime projects.  As part of the scheme, Chang and his co-conspirators falsely stated to banks and investors that the loan proceeds would be used for the projects and that the borrower would not pay bribes to Mozambican government officials. In fact, however, Chang and his co-conspirators facilitated the criminal diversion of more than $200 million of the loan proceeds that were used to pay bribes and kickbacks to Chang and others.

Between approximately 2013 and 2016, in his capacity as Mozambique’s Minister of Finance, Chang, together with his co-conspirators – including executives of Privinvest Group, a United Arab Emirates-based shipbuilding company – ensured that Credit Suisse AG, through its subsidiary in the United Kingdom, Credit Suisse Securities (Europe) Limited (CSSEL), and another foreign investment bank would arrange for more than $2 billion to be extended to companies owned and controlled by the Mozambican government:  Proindicus S.A. (Proindicus), Empresa Moçambicana de Atum, S.A. (EMATUM), and Mozambique Asset Management (MAM).  The proceeds of the loans were intended to fund three maritime projects for which Privinvest was to provide the equipment and services. Specifically, Proindicus was to perform coastal surveillance, EMATUM was to engage in tuna fishing, and MAM was to build and maintain shipyards.

Instead, Chang and his co-conspirators illegally facilitated Privinvest’s diversion of more than $200 million of the loan proceeds to bribes and kickbacks.  These funds included more than $150 million that Privinvest used to bribe Chang and other Mozambican government officials to ensure that companies owned and controlled by the Mozambican government would enter into the loan arrangements, and that the government of Mozambique would guarantee those loans.  The loans were subsequently sold in whole or in part to investors worldwide, including in the United States.  In doing so, the participants in the scheme conspired to defraud these investors by misrepresenting how the loan proceeds would be used.  Ultimately, Proindicus, EMATUM, and MAM each defaulted on their loans and proceeded to miss more than $700 million in loan payments, causing substantial losses to investors.

In October 2021, Credit Suisse AG and CSSEL admitted to defrauding U.S. and international investors in the financing of an $850 million loan for the EMATUM project. CSSEL pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and Credit Suisse AG entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section (Fraud Section) and the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS).  As a part of the resolution, Credit Suisse AG and CSSEL paid approximately $475 million in penalties, fines, and disgorgement as part of coordinated resolutions with criminal and civil authorities in the United States and the United Kingdom.

The Office’s Business & Securities Fraud Section is handling the case.  Assistant United States Attorneys Hiral D. Mehta, Genny Ngai and Jonathan Siegel, and Trial Attorneys Peter Cooch of the Fraud Section and Morgan Cohen of MLARS, are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Timothy Migliaro.  The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance. The Justice Department appreciates the assistance of South African authorities, particularly those in the South African Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the South African Police Service, as well as authorities in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Spain and Portugal.

The Defendant:

MANUEL CHANG
Age: 69
Mozambique

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 18-CR-681 (NGG)

Former School Bus Driver Admits Recording Sexual Abuse of Minors

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

ST. LOUIS – A former school bus driver on Wednesday admitted recording his sexual abuse of two young children.

Robert W. Stillwell, 67, of St. Peters, Missouri, pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child pornography. Stillwell admitted filming his sexual abuse of one girl, born in 2016, and another, born in 2022. Stillwell abused the victims while they were both asleep and awake, and coerced the older girl into complying with his demands by promising toys and money as well as by threatening her. She said Stillwell would become angry and scream when she did not cooperate. He also modified his voice to resemble that of two elementary school-aged girls and recorded messages to the older victim in which the “girls” encourage her to comply with his demands. 

The parents of the older victim contacted the St. Peters Police Department in December 2023 after their daughter said Stillwell was drinking her urine, claiming it was medicine for him. Investigators then found recordings of his abuse of the victims.

Stillwell is scheduled to be sentenced on April 22. The government will recommend a sentence of 30 years in prison.

The FBI, the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force and the St. Peters Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals 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.

Pennsylvania Man Receives Maximum Penalty of 30 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

AKRON, Ohio – Soumya Rudra, 42, of Whitehall, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison by U.S. District Judge John R. Adams, after he pled guilty to traveling across state lines to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and to possession of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM), also referred to as child pornography. He was also ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release after imprisonment and a $50,000 fine.

According to court documents, Rudra met the victim, who was 14-years old at the time of the incident, on the “Kiss Kiss” dating game app. He then used the Snapchat social platform to text and talk to her via video calls throughout several months in 2023. In late November 2023, Rudra made a 400-mile trek from Pennsylvania to Ohio to meet the underage victim. He admitted to picking her up in his vehicle to drive her to a hotel for the purpose of engaging in criminal sexual acts with her. During the investigation, the defendant’s electronic devices recovered in the hotel room were found to contain multiple CSAM images involving other minors.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI-Canton Field Office and the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Toni Beth Schnellinger Feisthamel for the Northern District of Ohio prosecuted the case.

To report child exploitation, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Shawnee Resident Pleads Guilty to Felony Assault Charge

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Dustin James Coggins, age 34, of Shawnee, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to an Indictment charging him with one count of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country.

The Indictment alleged that on August 2, 2024, Coggins assaulted the victim with a dangerous weapon, intending to do bodily harm.  The crime occurred in Okmulgee County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The charge arose from an investigation by the Okemah Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.  Coggins will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Soverly and Michael E. Robinson represented the United States.

Three High-Ranking MS-13 Gang Members Plead Guilty to Racketeering Charges in Connection with Nine Murders

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

Two Defendants Were the New York Leaders of the Gang’s Hollywood and Sailors Cliques

Earlier today and on January 16, 2025, in federal court in Central Islip, three members of the violent transnational criminal organization La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13, pleaded guilty to multiple crimes, including nine murders committed on Long Island and elsewhere between 2016 and 2017.  David Sosa-Guevara, also known as “Risky,” the New York regional leader of the Hollywood Locos Salvatruchas (Hollywood) clique of MS-13, and Victor Lopez-Morales, also known as “Persa,” a high-ranking member of the Hollywood clique, pleaded guilty on January 16, 2025.  Kevin Torres, also known as “Inquieto” and “Quieto,” the New York regional leader of the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside (Sailors) clique of MS-13, pleaded guilty on January 17, 2025.  

Collectively, the three defendants pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in connection with their respective roles in nine MS-13 driven murders: (1) the April 26, 2016 murder of Samuel Martinez-Sandoval in Freeport; (2) the April 29, 2016 murder of Oscar Acosta in Brentwood; (3) the May 21, 2016 murder of Kerin Pineda in Freeport; (4) the September 4, 2016 murder of Josue Amaya-Leonor in Roosevelt; (5) the September 5, 2016 murder of Marcus Bohannon in Central Islip; (6) the October 10, 2016 murder of Javier Castillo in Freeport; (7) the October 14, 2016 murder of Carlos Ventura-Zelaya in Roosevelt; (8) the July 21, 2017 murder of Angel Soler in Roosevelt; and (9) the August 29, 2017 murder of David Rivera in Maryland, as well as narcotics trafficking. Additionally, Sosa-Guevara and Lopez-Morales pleaded guilty to participating in an August 2017 conspiracy to kidnap an individual identified in the superseding indictment as “John Doe #3.”

The three guilty plea proceedings were held before United States Magistrate Judge Lee G. Dunst.  When sentenced by United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack, pursuant to the terms of their plea agreements, Sosa-Guevara and Torres each face up to 65 years in prison, and a minimum sentence of 40 years in prison.  Victor Lopez-Morales faces up to 60 years in prison and minimum sentence of 40 years. 

Carolyn Pokorny, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), Robert E. Waring, Acting Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), Patrick J. Ryder, Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department (NCPD) and Anne T. Donnelly, Nassau County District Attorney, announced the guilty pleas.

“The defendants have admitted to their participation in numerous murders savagely committed with machetes and guns, all on behalf of the MS-13 and to increase their status in that depraved criminal organization,” stated Acting United States Attorney Pokorny.  “As a result of the guilty pleas, the defendants will be severely punished by serving decades in prison and provide some measure of relief and closure to the families of the many victims.” 

FBI Assistant Director in Charge Dennehy stated: “MS-13 callously used murder in an attempt to exert control over territory for their ruthless gang operations.   As demonstrated by the guilty pleas of these three, high-ranking MS-13 members for their roles in nine murders, this type of extreme and senseless violence will not go unpunished. The FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to bring to justice members of MS-13 or any other violent gang using violence and murder to terrorize our communities.”

“These defendants used their rank in the gang to help orchestrate multiple brutal murders and other crimes,” stated SCPD Acting Commissioner Waring.  “We in law enforcement will never stop working to fight the pervasive violence sowed throughout these gangs.”

“The charges brought forth is a clear example of the results when Law Enforcement Personnel from Federal and Local Agencies combine their efforts and resources,” stated NCPD Commissioner Ryder.  “Their relentless and continued investigations resulted with the charging of these criminals who were responsible for committing these murders. This combined investigation demonstrates the diligence of the well trained and determined investigators.  The Nassau County Police Department remains committed in working with our law enforcement partners halting any gang activity on our streets and keeping our residents safe.  I would like to thank all of the assisting agencies and their investigators on a job well done.”

“These defendants carried out vicious and senseless violence to instill fear and assert their dominance. Today’s guilty pleas bring us one step closer to ridding this dangerous gang activity from Nassau County communities,” stated Nassau County District Attorney Donnelly.  “Together with our partners, we remain committed to protecting Long Island from this criminal organization’s brutality and ensuring individuals involved in these devastating acts are held accountable for their crimes.”  

According to court filings and statements made during the guilty plea proceedings, Torres was the New York regional leader of the Sailors clique, Sosa-Guevara was the New York regional leader of the Hollywood clique, and Lopez-Morales was a high-ranking member of the Hollywood clique.  The defendants admitted to committing the crimes set forth below in order to maintain and increase their membership and status within the gang, and to further the mission of the MS-13.

April 26, 2016 Murder of Samuel Martinez-Sandoval

The defendants pleaded guilty to the murder of 20-year-old Martinez-Sandoval, which was carried out in April 2016, by the defendants and other members from the Sailors, Hollywood and Normandie Locos Salvatruchas cliques, who planned a joint operation to lure and kill Martinez-Sandoval because they believed that he was a member of the rival Sureños gang.   

On April 26, 2016, MS-13 members convinced Martinez-Sandoval to drive with them to a secluded, wooded area near Freeport Lake in Roosevelt, under the guise of smoking marijuana.  Separately, more than a half dozen MS-13 members, including the defendants, armed with machetes and other weapons, had gathered at a designated location along Freeport Lake where it was agreed that the other gang members would bring the victim.  When Martinez-Sandoval arrived, Sosa-Guevara, Torres, Lopez-Morales and the other MS-13 members surrounded and attacked the victim, each taking turns hacking him with a machete and other weapons.  After the victim was killed, the MS-13 members dug a shallow grave and buried the victim.  However, because the initial hole was not deep enough to conceal Martinez-Sandoval’s body, a group of MS-13 members went back the following day, reburied the victim and covered his body with cement and dirt.  Martinez-Sandoval’s body was not found until September 2024.

April 29, 2016 Murder of Oscar Acosta

Torres pleaded guilty to the murder of 19-year-old Acosta.  In early 2016, Torres, as leader, ordered a “greenlight” authorizing other gang members to murder Acosta because the gang suspected that he was associating with the rival 18th Street gang after previously aligning himself with the MS-13.  Torres assigned roles as to which members would take the lead in planning and carrying out the murder. 

 On April 29, 2016, MS-13 members met Acosta in a wooded area near an elementary school in Brentwood where he had been lured under the guise of smoking marijuana.  They brutally beat Acosta with tree limbs, knocking him unconscious. They bound Acosta’s hands and feet, wrapped an article of clothing around his mouth to prevent him from making noise and summoned other MS-13 members who arrived in two cars.  The MS-13 members loaded Acosta into the trunk of one of the cars and drove to a more secluded area in Brentwood near the abandoned Pilgrim State Psychiatric Hospital.  The MS-13 members then removed Acosta, who was still alive, from the trunk and carried him deeper into the woods where they took turns hacking him to death with a machete.  The murder was supervised by the local leaders of the Sailors clique who reported back to Torres once completed.  After killing Acosta, the MS-13 members buried his body in a shallow grave.

Acosta’s body was discovered by law enforcement nearly five months later, on September 16, 2016, during a search for another MS-13 victim.  His cause of death was homicidal violence, including sharp and blunt force injuries to his head and torso.

May 21, 2016 Murder of Kerin Pineda

The defendants also pleaded guilty to the murder of 20-year-old Pineda, who, like Acosta, was killed because of his suspected membership in the 18th Street gang. Torres, again, ordered the “greenlight” for Pineda, marking him for death.  In response, MS-13 members from the Sailors and Hollywood cliques, including Sosa-Guevara and Lopez-Morales, devised a plan to kill Pineda.

On May 21, 2016, MS-13 members, armed with machetes, lured Pineda to a secluded wooded area near the Merrick-Freeport border.  Torres, Lopez-Morales, and Sosa-Guevara acted as lookouts for police and coordinated the attack, staying in contact with the MS-13 members in the woods while they waited for Pineda.  When Pineda arrived, he was surrounded and violently attacked by the group of MS-13 members, each of whom took turns hacking and slashing him with the machetes. Pineda’s body was then buried in a hole that had been dug in the ground the day before, in anticipation of the murder. Before leaving the scene, the MS-13 members contacted the lookouts – Torres, Lopez-Morales, and Sosa-Guevara – who advised them that they could safely come out of the woods and drove them away from the scene.

September 4, 2016 Murder of Josue Amaya-Leonor

Sosa-Guevara and Lopez-Morales pleaded guilty for their roles in the murder of 19 year-old Amaya-Leonor on September 4, 2016.  Like the other victims, Amaya-Leonor was lured to a secluded wooded area and killed because of his perceived association with the 18th Street gang.  On the evening of the murder, MS-13 members convinced Amaya-Leonor to venture deep into the Roosevelt Preserve, in Roosevelt, to smoke marijuana.  Sosa-Guevara was in communication with the gang members by cell phone and was directing them on where to bring the victim.  Once there, Amaya-Leonor was surrounded by the MS-13 members who were armed with machetes; he was struck repeatedly, and killed.  Thereafter, Lopez-Morales, who was in the immediate area of the murder looking out for police, arrived on the scene and supervised the other MS-13 members as they dug a hole and buried Amaya-Leonor’s body, which was not found until May 2018 – over a year and a half after the murder had occurred.

September 5, 2016 Murder of Marcus Bohannon

Torres pleaded guilty to authorizing the murder of 27-year-old Marcus Bohannon.  On September 4, 2016, members of the Sailors clique met at the house of local clique leaders Alexi Saenz and Jairo Saenz, in Central Islip, where Torres directed the gang members to go out hunting for rival gang members to kill.  The MS-13 members separated into several cars and drove around Central Islip and Brentwood, until one of the cars spotted Bohannon walking along Lowell Avenue in Central Islip in the early morning hours of September 5.  Suspecting that Bohannon was a member of the rival Bloods gang, two MS-13 members, carrying firearms, got out of the vehicle, approached him and started shooting. Bohannon was struck nine times, including in his head, neck, and chest, and died from his wounds.

October 10, 2016 Murder of Javier Castillo

Torres also pleaded guilty to the murder of 15-year-old Javier Castillo.  In October 2016, the MS-13 targeted Castillo because he was believed to be a member of the 18th Street gang.  On October 10, 2016, members of the Sailors clique in Brentwood convinced Castillo, who lived in Central Islip, to go with them to Freeport – approximately 30 miles away – to smoke marijuana.  Torres authorized the members of the clique operating in Brentwood to bring Castillo to his territory in Freeport to be killed.  The MS-13 members took Castillo to an isolated marsh area along the water in Cow Meadow Park, in Freeport, where they attacked and killed him, taking turns hacking him with a machete.  Torres also served as the lookout for police in the area during the murder. Thereafter, the MS-13 members dug a hole and buried Castillo’s body, which was not recovered until one year later, in October 2017.

October 14, 2016 Murder of Carlos Ventura-Zelaya

Sosa-Guevara and Lopez-Morales pleaded guilty to the murder of 24-year-old Ventura-Zelaya, who had been marked for death by the MS-13 because of his suspected membership in the rival 18th Street gang.  On the day of the murder, Ventura-Zelaya was observed at a deli in Roosevelt by a member of the Hollywood clique. Sosa-Guevara mobilized other members of the clique to kill Ventura-Zelaya and conducted surveillance of the victim until the other gang members arrived.  The gang members tasked with carrying out the murder first drove to pick up a gun from Lopez-Morales.  After obtaining the weapon, the group drove in the direction of the deli to look for and kill the victim.  Once they spotted Ventura-Zelaya walking on Hudson Street in Roosevelt, two MS-13 members got out of the car, approached him and one

of them fired multiple times, striking and killing the victim.  They then ran back to the car and drove away from the scene.  

July 21, 2017 Murder of Angel Soler

Sosa-Guevara and Lopez-Morales also pleaded guilty to the murder of 15-year-old Soler. The MS-13 suspected Soler was an 18th Street gang member, and Sosa-Guevara ordered his murder. Lopez-Morales and other MS-13 members carried out the murder, luring Soler to wooded lot near Milburn Creek in Roosevelt to smoke marijuana.  The group attacked Soler with machetes and a pickaxe, and buried his body in a shallow grave.  The following day, MS-13 members went back to lay cement over Soler’s body, in order to better conceal it.  Soler’s remains were recovered in October 2017.

August 2017 Conspiracy to Kidnap John Doe #3

Lopez-Morales and Sosa-Guevara also admitted that, just weeks after the Soler murder, they and other MS-13 members planned the kidnapping, assault, and/or murder of John Doe #3, an MS-13 member who had violated the rules of the gang. Specifically, Sosa-Guevara assigned Lopez-Morales and two other MS-13 members to carry out the kidnapping and attack. Lopez-Morales was instructed that, once they had John Doe #3, to wait for further guidance from MS-13 leadership as to whether to kill or brutally assault him.  On August 6, 2017, Lopez-Morales and the other gang members’ plan to kidnap John Doe #3 was foiled by law enforcement, who had been intercepting the calls arranging the attack, pursuant to court-ordered wiretaps of certain MS-13 members’ cell phones, and Lopez-Morales was taken into custody.

August 29, 2017 Murder of David Rivera

Sosa-Guevara also admitted to his participation in the murder of 16-year-old Rivera in Maryland.  To avoid law enforcement in New York, Sosa-Guevara and another Hollywood member from Long Island relocated to Maryland where they connected with the local Hollywood clique.  After arriving, Sosa-Guevara learned of a plan to kill a rival gang member and directed the other Long Island member of his clique to participate.  On August 29, 2017, Sosa-Guevara drove the other gang member to a park outside of Edgewater, Maryland, for him to participate in the Rivera murder.  The victim was brought to that location by other MS-13 members, attacked with machetes and killed.  After the murder, Sosa-Guevara drove the member of his clique away from the scene. Rivera’s body was not found until June 7, 2024.

Narcotics Trafficking Conspiracies

Finally, Torres pleaded guilty to conspiring with the members of the Sailors clique to distribute cocaine and marijuana, and Sosa-Guevara and Lopez-Morales pleaded guilty to conspiring with members of the Hollywood clique to distribute marijuana. These charges stemmed from the MS-13 cliques’ street-level sales of cocaine and marijuana on Long Island, the proceeds of which were used to help finance the MS-13’s criminal operations.

                                                              *          *          *          *

These guilty pleas are the latest achievements in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent, transnational criminal organization.  The MS-13’s leadership is based in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, but the gang has thousands of members across the United States.  With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the most violent criminal organization on Long Island.  Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York. A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders and assaults.  Since 2010, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 70 murders in the Eastern District of New York, resulting in the convictions of dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders.  These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers of the FBI, SCPD, NCPD, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, the Hempstead Police Department, the Rockville Centre Police Department and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys Paul G. Scotti, Justina L. Geraci and Megan E. Farrell are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Assistant District Attorney Jared Rosenblatt of the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office and Paralegal Specialist Kerry Ucci and Automated Litigation Specialist Michael Compitello.

The Defendants:

VICTOR LOPEZ-MORALES (also known as “Persa”)
Age:  36
Roosevelt, New York

DAVID SOSA-GUEVARA (also known as “Risky”)
Age:  33
Roosevelt, New York

KEVIN TORRES (also known as “Quieto” and “Inquieto”)
Age:  29
Freeport, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-251 (S-1)(JMA)