Category: Security Intelligence

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

OKLAHOMA CITY – JEFF WENG, 47, of China and Brooklyn, New York, has been sentenced to serve 120 months in federal prison for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

On June 6, 2023, a federal grand jury charged Weng and co-defendant Tong Lin, 29, with conspiracy to possess marijuana plants with intent to distribute.  On January 18, 2024, after a two-day trial, a federal jury deliberated about an hour before it found Weng and Lin guilty of drug conspiracy.

Between December 2022 and May 2023, evidence at trial indicated that Weng managed a marijuana grow in Wetumka, Oklahoma, and licensed by the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority. Evidence showed that Lin managed matters when Weng was not present. One witness testified that, as part of their participation in the drug conspiracy, they drove delivery vans disguised as commercial vehicles, including one disguised as an “Amazon” delivery van, to the Wetumka Grow 10 to 15 times between December 2022 and March 31, 2023.  The witness further testified that they picked up between 150 and 200 pounds of marijuana each time from the Wetumka Grow, and that Lin helped load the fake “Amazon” delivery van with marijuana. The witness testified they transported the marijuana to a stash house in Oklahoma City. Every Friday, the witness transported the marijuana from the stash house to a warehouse in Oklahoma City. There, they loaded more than 2,000 pounds of marijuana at a time into a semi-truck trailer, which transported the marijuana from Oklahoma to the East Coast. Over approximately seven months, the witness shipped upwards of 56,000 pounds of marijuana out of Oklahoma via semi-truck. Evidence also showed that law enforcement searched the Wetumka Grow in May 2023 and located 19,661 marijuana plants in various stages of growth, more than $100,000 of vacuum-sealed cash hidden in Weng’s closet attic space, and a firearm.

At the sentencing hearing on December 19, 2024, U.S. District Judge Scott L. Palk sentenced Weng to serve 120 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. In announcing his sentence, Judge Palk noted the role Weng played in a “significant” illegal marijuana operation, and the need for deterrence. On June 17, 2024, Lin was sentenced to serve 120 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office, along with assistance from the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics. It is also a part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wilson D. McGarry and David Nichols, Jr. prosecuted the case.

Reference is made to public filings for additional information. 

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

A Florida man who participated in a scheme to defraud a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, company in 2020 was sentenced on December 9, 2024, to more than three years in federal prison.

Saransh “Sam” Sharma, age 44, from Wellington, Florida, originally from Muscat, Oman, received the prison term after a December 14, 2023, guilty plea to one count of wire fraud.

At his guilty plea and sentencing hearings, Sharma admitted that a Cedar Rapids company was in the market to purchase one million 3M N95 masks in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.  On October 9, 2020, Sharma falsely represented to the Cedar Rapids company in a phone call that a Florida limited liability company had successfully transacted on 30 million masks in the prior two months when, in truth, the Florida company had not done so.  The Cedar Rapids company wired over $3 million to a Florida lawyer’s bank account on October 19, 2020, expecting to receive the one million N95 masks, but the Cedar Rapids company never received them.  The United States later filed a civil fraud action and recovered approximately $2.4 million of the Cedar Rapids company’s moneys.

In March 2018, Sharma was sentenced to 33 months’ imprisonment after he pled guilty to one count of wire fraud in the Northern District of California for his role in a different scheme.  Sharma’s prior federal prison sentence was discharged on October 9, 2020.

Sharma was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Sharma was sentenced to 37 months’ imprisonment.  He was ordered to make $390,454.57 in restitution victims of the N95 mask scheme.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of Inspector General.  

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

The case file number is 23-CR-71.

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

United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Shaquille Moniz, age 31, of Walthill, Nebraska, was sentenced January 3, 2025, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for domestic assault by an habitual offender in Indian Country. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Moniz to 37 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Moniz’s release from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.

In April 2024, Moniz assaulted his then-girlfriend resulting in substantial bodily injury. At the time that Moniz committed the assault on his girlfriend, he had already been convicted on multiple occasions of domestic violence offenses in state and tribal courts.

This case was prosecuted in federal court because the offense was a felony and occurred on the Omaha Nation Indian Reservation in Nebraska.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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

A convicted felon who possessed two firearms was sentenced December 20, 2024, to two years in federal prison.

Devonte Oye Robertson, age 29, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 14, 2024, guilty plea to one count of possession of firearms by a felon.  At the plea hearing, Robertson admitted that on January 19, 2024, he possessed Sig Sauer and Smith & Wesson pistols after having been convicted of two felonies.

Robertson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Robertson was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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 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.

Robertson is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael S.A. Hudson and it was investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations.  

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

The case file number is 24-cr-00054.

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man who drove a 13-year-old victim from her home in Texas pleaded guilty in federal court today to engaging in illicit sex to produce child pornography.

Talib Bwana Muhammad, 26, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one count of producing child pornography.

By pleading guilty today, Muhammad admitted that he used a minor victim to produce child pornography from June 9 to 15, 2023. Muhammad met the child victim on a social media application. Muhammad purchased an airline ticket for the child victim but, when she was unable to leave home, he drove to Texas to pick her up and bring her to Kansas City.

Law enforcement was notified when the child victim was missing and an Amber Alert was issued. Investigators traced her to Muhammad’s residence.

Muhammad and the child victim engaged in sexual contact, which Muhammad video recorded and photographed with a cell phone.

Under federal statutes, Muhammad is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 30 years 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 Maureen A. Brackett. It was investigated by the FBI, the Hitchcock, Texas, Police Department, and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.

Project Safe Childhood

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 Attorneys’ 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 Saf Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”

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

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Christina Robinson, 52, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge David C. Keesler today, and pleaded guilty to wire fraud for embezzling nearly $1.2 million from her employer, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, joins U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.

According to filed plea documents and the hearing, from September 2013 to April 2023, Robinson engaged in a scheme to defraud a Charlotte-based company by abusing her position as the company’s controller to embezzle nearly $1.2 million in company funds. During the scheme, Robinson misused her position and access to the company’s bank accounts to carry out the scheme by moving the embezzled funds and withdrawing them in cash. To conceal the theft and to remain undetected, Robison made materially false and misleading accounting entries in the company’s books and records. As Robinson admitted in court today, she used some of the embezzled funds to pay for personal expenses, including more than $330,000 in purchases, over $324,000 in credit card payments, more than $80,000 in loan payments, over $40,000 in mortgage payments, and more than $35,000 in car payments.

Robinson was released on bond following the plea hearing. At sentencing, she faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the wire fraud charge. A sentencing date has not been set.

The FBI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney William Bozin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.

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

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 Eastern District of California Law Enforcement Awards. These awards are presented annually to law enforcement agencies and investigators in the District’s Sacramento and Fresno divisions to recognize outstanding collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement in addressing public safety issues in this region.

“Congratulations to all of our award recipients on being chosen and for their efforts to address dangerous crimes that threaten the residents of the Eastern District of California,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “We owe a debt of gratitude to these agencies, detectives, and agents who conduct extensive investigations to seek justice for victims and for the public. It is a privilege for our office to work alongside them to keep our communities safe.”

Outstanding Law Enforcement Agency Awards

The Outstanding Law Enforcement Agency Award is presented to a local or state law enforcement agency that has demonstrated outstanding professionalism, commitment to public safety partnerships, and strong support for the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s initiatives.

The Fresno Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium (MAGEC) is the 2023 recipient of the Eastern District of California Law Enforcement Award for Outstanding Law Enforcement Agency in the Fresno Division. MAGEC received the award for two investigations. The first led to the arrest and charging of more than 25 Norteño gang members in Parlier and surrounding communities for murder, drug trafficking, gun trafficking, and witness and victim intimidation. The second led to the charging of 10 members of the MS-13 gang for six different murders committed in and around the Mendota area. MAGEC is composed of personnel from the Clovis Police Department, the Fresno Police Department, the Kerman Police Department, the Kingsburg Police Department. the Parlier Police Department, the Sanger Police Department, the Selma Police Department. the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, the California Highway Patrol, and the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, working in partnership with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Fresno County Probation, the California Department of Justice’s Special Operations Unit, Homeland Security Investigations, DEA, ATF, and FBI. MAGEC demonstrates our shared commitment to keeping our communities safe from violent criminal gangs through teamwork among federal, state, and local law enforcement partners.

The Sacramento Hi-Tech Crimes / Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force is the 2023 recipient of Eastern District of California Law Enforcement Award for Outstanding Law Enforcement Agency in the Sacramento Division. The ICAC Task Force received the award for investigations that led to the successful charging and prosecution of some of the Sacramento region’s most serious sexual offenders in 2023, including multiple defendants who produced child pornography and sexually abused minors. Those defendants included a physician, a nurse practitioner, and an adoptive and foster father who sought to sexually exploit young children. The ICAC Task Force is composed of personnel from the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, the Citrus Heights Police Department, the Elk Grove Police Department, the Folsom Police Department, the Rocklin Police Department, the Tracy Police Department, the Sacramento Police Department, the California Department of Justice, the California Highway Patrol, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, as well as from Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI. The ICAC Task Force exemplifies commitment to protect the most vulnerable in our community by thoroughly investigating internet-facilitated crimes against children.

Outstanding Individual Awards

The Outstanding Investigator and Outstanding Federal Agent awards are presented to local, state, and federal law enforcement officers who have demonstrated outstanding professionalism; timely, thorough, quality investigations; exceptional knowledge and investigative skill; energy and commitment to public safety; and commitment to law enforcement partnerships and teamwork.

The Outstanding Investigator award for the Sacramento Division was given to Yuba County Sheriff’s Office Peace Officer Sixto Torres for his work as a DEA Task Force Officer on Operation Splazh Down, an investigation into a large-scale, poly-drug distribution organization in the Sacramento Area. During Operation Splazh Down, TFO Torres identified the leadership structure of a drug trafficking organization. As a result of his efforts and that of his team, DEA seized more than 500 pounds of methamphetamine and large amounts of cocaine, fentanyl, heroine, and firearms. Torres dedicates exceptional energy to his investigations and consistently exemplifies professionalism and service before self.

The Outstanding Investigator award for the Fresno Division was given to Fresno County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Scott Schwamb for his work with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. One case where Schwamb was the lead investigator culminated in a 21‑year prison sentence for the defendant. That case began when Schwamb received information that hidden cameras were recording a minor in her bedroom and bathroom. Despite having already worked a full shift, Schwamb reviewed the evidence and assembled an investigative team that evening and applied for a search warrant. By early the next morning, evidence had been collected at the suspect’s home and work and the suspect had been interviewed. Schwamb continued to work on the case by preparing for trial and was the prosecution’s key law enforcement witness at trial. While working on the Task Force, Schwamb has assisted in the investigation of hundreds of leads involving child sexual exploitation, and as a result, dozens of cases have been prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office.

The Outstanding Federal Agent award for the Sacramento Division was given to FBI Special Agent Jessi Groff for her work as a member of FBI’s international terrorism squad. She has led the investigations into some of the most important cases in the District, using her unique ability to master details of a case while never losing sight of the big picture. Her work is often unheralded and tedious, yet Special Agent Groff maintains a positive demeanor and attitude. Throughout her years of service, she has become a bedrock of federal law enforcement.

The Outstanding Federal Agent award for the Fresno Division was given to Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Jackie Lovato for his work on the Fentanyl Overdose Resolution Team (FORT). Agent Lovato has spearheaded the investigation into dozens of fentanyl traffickers in the Central Valley, including some who caused overdose injuries and deaths. One of his cases led to charges against 20 fentanyl and cocaine traffickers, including the self‑proclaimed counterfeit M-30 fentanyl “King of Fresno.” Special Agent Lovato has also offered support to overdose victims and their families and played a key role in educating the public about the dangers of fentanyl in schools, hospitals, law enforcement agencies, and other organizations.