Category: FBI

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

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

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

           WASHINGTON – Cesar De La O Rodriguez, 21, a citizen of El Salvador and a member of the violent transnational criminal street gang known as 18th Street, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 40 years in federal prison in connection with the 2021 stalking and killing of an individual he suspected was a rival international gang member in Rockville, Maryland, a slaying committed to increase his standing in the 18^th Street gang.

           The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., for the District of Columbia, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office, Criminal and Cyber Division.

           Rodriguez, aka “Lunatico,” pleaded guilty on February 9, 2024, to conspiring to participate in a racketeer influenced and corrupt organization (RICO Conspiracy) and conspiracy to commit violent crime in aid of racketeering-murder. 

           Days after making his plea, on February 18, Rodriguez participated in the jail house stabbing of a fellow inmate at the Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Virginia. Rodriguez is facing additional charges in connection with the stabbing of attempted murder, malicious wounding resulting in significant physical impairment. 

           In addition to the 40-year prison sentence, Rodriguez also will face deportation hearings at the completion of his sentence.

           The 18th Street gang engages in a variety of criminal activities to include acts of assault, robbery, kidnapping, murder, and firearms trafficking in the District of Columbia and other jurisdictions, both within United States and in foreign countries. 18th Street members are required to commit acts of violence to further the interests of the gang. These violent acts are often directed against rival gang members, 18th Street members who have violated gang rules or have otherwise disrespected the gang, and people who are suspected of cooperating with law enforcement.

           According to court documents, on December 19, 2021, at the command of a senior member of 18^th Street, Rodriguez and co-defendants followed the victim, Danis Alcides Salgado Mata, to Mata’s home on the 13700 block of Ashby Road in Rockville, Maryland. Rodriguez and his co-defendants believed that Mata was a member of the international gang MS-13.

           Upon arriving at Mata’s home, Rodriguez and another 18th Street member fired multiple gunshots at Mata, striking him multiple times in the torso. Mata eventually died from his injuries. During the shooting, Mata’s mother and stepfather were also struck by gunfire, but survived their injuries. Rodriguez and the other 18th Street gang member fled the scene and into the District of Columbia. 

           At the time of the shooting, the Rodriguez was a low-ranking member of the 18th Street gang and was ultimately promoted to a full-fledged member or “homeboy.”

           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.

           This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office, the Montgomery County Police Department, United States Marshals Service, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

           This investigation is part of the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking (HIDTA) Washington Area Group Initiative, which seeks to identify, disrupt, and dismantle drug trafficking organizations and money laundering organizations; reduce drug-related crime and violence; and identify and respond to emerging drug trends.

           The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John Korba, Sitara Witanachchi, and William Hart.

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

Baltimore, Maryland – Today, U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Christopher Kenji Bendann, 40, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 35 years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release.

After a three-day trial, on August 28, 2024, a federal jury found the defendant guilty of five counts of sexual exploitation of a child, three counts of possession of child-sexual-abuse material, and one count of cyberstalking.

Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Robert McCullough, Baltimore County Police Department; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.

According to the evidence presented at trial, from approximately September 16, 2017, to February 9, 2019, the defendant — a former teacher at The Gilman School in Baltimore — produced multiple videos of a minor male. Additionally, Bendann engaged in sexually explicit conduct with the minor male who was one of his students. The victim was 16 and 17 years old at this time.

Law enforcement found these same videos stored on the defendant’s iCloud, resulting in a possession of child-sexual-abuse-material charge.  In addition, as detailed at trial, between May and December 2022, the defendant cyberstalked the same victim by sending him electronic cellphone messages. Bendann demanded that the victim remain in contact and send him explicit images of himself. The defendant threatened to make sexually explicit images of the victim public if he did not comply.  Evidence at trial also established that on February 3, 2023, the date of the defendant’s arrest, he possessed multiple depictions of child-sexual-abuse material on multiple electronic devices. 

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 the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.  For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.

U.S. Attorney Barron commended the FBI, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn and Kim Y. Hagan, who prosecuted the federal case.  He also recognized Paralegal Specialist Julie Jarman for her assistance.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 153 months of imprisonment on his conviction of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and violations of federal supervised release, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

United States District Judge Robert J. Colville imposed the sentence on Dirk Barfield Jr., 38.

According to information presented to the Court, Barfield was the subject of a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pennsylvania State Police in September 2022. The investigation revealed that Barfield would travel from a Pittsburgh residence in his Maserati to distribute cocaine. On September 13, 2022, law enforcement executed search warrants upon Barfield and the Pittsburgh residence. When law enforcement announced their presence from outside the residence, Barfield threw bags of suspected controlled substances from a second floor window onto the yard. Law enforcement recovered the bags and made entry into the residence, where, following a waiver of his rights, Barfield admitted to throwing about two ounces of cocaine and one ounce of crack from the window.

At the time Barfield committed this crime, he was serving a term of federal supervised release related to his last drug trafficking conviction in the Western District of Pennsylvania, for which he had been sentenced to 151 months of imprisonment. While on federal supervised release, Barfield was also the subject of an attempted traffic stop, during which he drove over a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper’s foot and hit a pedestrian who was crossing a street in the South Side of Pittsburgh. The pedestrian required surgery to fix his broken bones.

Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Pennsylvania State Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Barfield.

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

Gregory Hite and Bridget Bureau Defrauded Nearly 40 Victims of $3,019,972

          GRAND RAPIDS – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that Gregory Hite and Bridget Bureau, both age 39 and residents of Lake, Michigan, were sentenced to federal prison for their roles in defrauding nearly 40 victims of more than $3 million dollars in a long-running fraud and identity theft scheme. U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney sentenced Hite to serve 150 months in prison and Bureau to serve to 51 months in prison. Both defendants were ordered to pay $1,952,186 in restitution to their victims.

          “Protecting victims from financial crimes is part of keeping our communities safe,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “Hite and Bureau deceived unsuspecting victims out of millions of dollars for their personal gain. Criminals do not always wear masks and carry a gun; sometimes they carry out their deeds with a pen and paper and a dash of charm. We are determined to hold fraudsters accountable whoever they are.”

          Gregory Hite and Bridget Bureau, a married couple, pleaded guilty to conspiring with each other to commit wire fraud and unlawfully using the identities of others to fraudulently obtain financing for their former west Michigan businesses. Those businesses operated under several names, including Hites RV, Alpine Trailer Sales, Great Lakes Recreational, Great Lakes Trailer, GLR Transport, and Great Lakes Trailer Manufacturing. 

          Between 2016 and 2020, the defendants assumed the identities of credit-worthy individuals to fraudulently obtain $5,443,982 in loans to support their fledgling business venture. The defendants made materially false statements on loan/equipment financing documents, unlawfully used other people’s identities to obtain financing they could not get on their own, impersonated those victims on phone calls with other victims, and used multiple limited liability companies to facilitate and conceal their fraudulent conduct. The fraud scheme collapsed when the defendants ran out of money and lenders began seeking repayment from the identity theft victims.

          The sentencing of Gregory Hite and Bridget Bureau highlights the FBI’s steadfast commitment to safeguarding vulnerable victims and financial institutions from those who exploit and defraud the system,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “The FBI in Michigan will remain relentless in its efforts to protect our communities and ensure accountability for those who engage in fraudulent schemes.”

          The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case.

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

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Thursday sentenced the former IT director of a St. Louis-area university to 46 months in prison and ordered him to repay $3.9 million to his employer and an IT equipment supplier that he had defrauded.

Ronald Simpson, of St. Peters, Missouri, was responsible for repairing and replacing defective IT equipment used at the university’s multiple locations. Beginning about Nov. 29, 2018, Simpson sold hundreds of items of IT equipment to a third party. The items had been approved for purchase after Simpson falsely claimed they would be used or installed at university locations.

He also fraudulently obtained items from the university’s IT supplier by falsely claiming that the equipment they originally supplied was defective. Simpson sold both the original equipment and the replacement gear.

Judge Autrey ordered Simpson to pay $3.19 million to the university and $780,233 to the IT supplier.

In a victim impact letter, a university official said Simpson’s crime “struck a serious blow to our financial stability,” forcing the university “to redirect money away from essential programs and resources that directly benefit our students.” Simpson also harmed the university’s reputation, betrayed the trust of coworkers and damaged their morale.

The IT supplier said in their own letter that Simpson took advantage of the company’s practice of providing replacement products on an expedited basis to customers to repair critical IT infrastructure, before the defective product is returned.

“In addition to bringing perpetrators to justice, the FBI has a dedicated process to try to make victims whole by seizing assets gained from a fraud or theft,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashley Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division. “In this case, there were no substantial assets to seize because Ronald Simpson frivolously blew away millions of dollars on himself without any regard to how his crimes would damage the university, its employees and its students.”

Simpson, 54, pleaded guilty in June U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of wire fraud.

The FBI investigated the case. Both Simpson’s former employer and the IT supplier worked extensively with law enforcement during this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman prosecuted the case.

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

Former bank teller alleged to have conspired with his brother to steal almost $200,000

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

FRANKFORT, Ky. – A Mexican National illegally residing in Lexington, Serafin Bayona, 35, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, before U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove, to two counts of financially benefiting from forced labor. 

According to his guilty plea agreement, Bayona participated in a venture to financially benefit through the forced labor of others. Specifically, Bayona would loan money to the victims, all Mexican nationals then living in Mexico, to be smuggled into the United States.  He would then coordinate the smuggling of these victims and arrange transportation to Lexington, where they would be housed in one of several properties he maintained. The victims would repay Bayona, after they obtained work in the United States, with interest that was added to their debt.  Bayona also would charge the victims other fees, including fees for rent, transportation, cleaning, food, clothing, and obtaining employment and false identification documents.  Ultimately, the amounts owed by the victims resulted in an endless cycle of debt.  When the victims protested paying the continued fees, Bayona used threats of force on victims and the victims’ families, including instances of brandishing a firearm, to compel the victims to continue to work in order to pay him.  During the execution of a search warrants at properties Bayona maintained, over $50,000 in cash was discovered, which he admitted was generated through his participation in this forced labor venture. 

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Michael Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; Rana Saoud, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, jointly announced the guilty plea.         

The investigation was conducted by the FBI, HSI, and Lexington Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Bayona is scheduled to be sentenced on May 7, 2025.

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

Jackson, Miss. – A Vicksburg man was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate to 32 years in prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud, mail fraud and health care fraud; money laundering; aggravated identity theft; mail fraud; and contempt of court. He was also ordered to pay $1,917,231.26 in restitution to the victims in the case.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Laron Evans conspired with co-defendant Travious Quinshad Jackson and others to execute a health care fraud scheme involving Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) using interstate wire communications and the U.S. postal system. The scheme used interstate wire communication via the Internet to send Personal Identification Information (PII) of 57 actual people, pretending that they were employees of an imaginary company, to a third-party administrator company located in Maryland.

The third-party administrator company used the stolen PII to create individualized HSA accounts, and corresponding debit cards, for all 57 employee names, and sent debit cards for each employee name in the mail to Vicksburg addresses. The third-party administrator advanced and credited funds to each HSA account created for the supposed employees, which money could then be spent through the debit card at designated retail stores.

Evans, assisted by Jackson and others, spent the debit cards in various stores throughout April and May 2018, buying gift cards, debit cards, and other consumer goods to deplete the HSA accounts. The third-party administrator in the meantime had learned that there was no money in the bank account that Evans had identified for his fake company, when the company sought reimbursement for the HSA accounts.

On July 10, 2018, using proceeds gained from the health care fraud scheme, Evans bought a 2018 Chevrolet Suburban SUV in Forrest County, Mississippi, for $44,335 in cash plus a trade-in vehicle.

On February 13, 2019, Evans appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Linda Anderson for his initial appearance and arraignment in this case. Judge Anderson entered an Order permitting Evans to be released on bond pending trial, subject to conditions forbidding travel without prior permission of the Court before leaving the Southern District of Mississippi.  

In April 2019, Evans travelled outside the State of Mississippi without permission of the Court.  While outside the State of Mississippi and on his return to Vicksburg, Evans continued to execute health care fraud schemes using the Internet and the U.S. Mail. Evans falsely represented himself as leader and manager of an Orlando, Florida, business, seeking to establish health care benefits including HSA accounts for its purported employees. Evans submitted over the Internet to a third-party administrator company located in Minnesota, bank account information for drawing reimbursement, plus employee information for creation of HSA debit cards. The Minnesota company sent some of the debit cards, during the period April 16-25, 2019, to Evans at his Vicksburg home address through the U.S. Mail. Evans had requested that the Minnesota administrator fund those HSA accounts up to $91,000.

Evans pled guilty on August 1, 2019 to conspiring to commit wire fraud, mail fraud and health care fraud; money laundering; aggravated identity theft; mail fraud; and contempt of court.  

Co-defendant Travious Quinshad Jackson pled guilty on June 18, 2019 to aggravated identity theft and was sentenced to two years in prison. He was also ordered to pay $302,099.34 in restitution.

U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, Vicksburg Police Department, and Warren County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly T. Purdie prosecuted the case.

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a conspiracy to commit a series of armed robberies across the state over a four-day period.

Kentrail M. Collins, 26, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, five counts of robbery, one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

By pleading guilty today, Collins admitted that he participated in a conspiracy to commit a series of armed robberies from Jan. 5 to Jan. 8, 2023. Collins pleaded guilty to the armed robberies of three businesses on Jan. 5, 2023 – the Petromart at 1004 N. Stadium in Columbia, Mo., the Breaktime at 2241 Pioneer St. in Boonville, Mo., and the Casey’s at 807 S. Broadway in Oak Grove, Mo. Collins also pleaded guilty to the Jan. 8, 2023, armed robberies of Casey’s at 5869 N. Main in Joplin, Mo., and Lamarti’s Truck Stop at 71 US 160 in Lamar, Mo.

Collins also admitted that he was in possession of a loaded Taurus 9mm luger pistol with an extended magazine. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Collins has felony convictions for burglary, robbery and resisting arrest.

On Jan. 9, 2023, a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper pulled over a black Honda Accord being driven by Collins. Collins initially pulled over but then fled when the trooper began walking up to his vehicle. The trooper pursued Collins and the chase reached speeds up to 120 miles per hour. Collins lost control of his vehicle, crashed, then fled on foot. The trooper continued to pursue Collins on foot and eventually found him hiding behind some bushes. After Collins was arrested, officers found the Taurus pistol on the front passenger seat of the Honda he had been driving.

Under federal statutes, Collins is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan A. Baker. It was investigated by the FBI, the Columbia, Mo., Police Department, the Boonville, Mo., Police Department, the Oak Grove, Mo., Police Department, the Jasper County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Barton County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.