Category: United States Attorneys General

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Florida Man Sentenced To More Than 17 Years For Attempting To Entice A Minor For Sex

Orlando, FL –U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced Eric Bishop (43, Orlando) to 17 years and 5 months in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. He pleaded guilty on September 25, 2017.  

According to court documents, between June 12 and June 21, 2017, Bishop communicated with an undercover FBI agent who was posing as the grandfather of a five-year-old autistic child. During those communications, Bishop made plans to meet and have sex with the “child.” When arrived to meet with the “child,” he was arrested.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alejandro J. Salicrup.

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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Three Florida Residents Sentenced for Operating an Illegal Steroid and Counterfeit Prescription Drug Lab

       Montgomery, Alabama – Three Chipley, Florida residents were sentenced yesterday to serve time in federal prison for their involvement in a steroid and counterfeit prescription drug lab in Northwest Florida, announced Louis V. Franklin, Sr., United States Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama.   

       Ryan Anthony Sikora (24) was sentenced to 41 months in prison, Ariel Anna Murphy (29) to 12 months, and John Joseph Bush, II (26) was sentenced to 8 months.  The three received their sentences after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges for importing, manufacturing, and distributing anabolic steroids as well as counterfeit prescription drugs. 

       The investigation began when United States Postal Inspectors determined that large amounts of steroid and counterfeit prescription drug ingredients were being shipped from China to various locations in South Alabama and Northwest Florida.   The defendants mass-produced counterfeit pills at a lab near Chipley, Florida using two large-scale pill presses.  They marketed the counterfeit drugs online using the brand name “Future Pharma” and they would typically process the orders through encrypted email, and then use the United States Postal Service to send the contraband products across the United States.

       U.S. Attorney Franklin would like to thank the following agencies for their assistance with this case: The United States Postal Inspection Service, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), the Washington County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office, and the Chipley, Florida Police Department.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bradley Bodiford.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Colorado Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Robbing the Same Montgomery Bank Twice

       Montgomery, Alabama – Richard Allen Evans (50), of Arvada, Colorado, was sentenced yesterday to 240 months in federal prison for bank robbery, announced Louis V. Franklin, Sr., United States Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama.  In addition to 20 years in prison, Evans is subject to 3 years of supervised release once he completes his sentence.  There is no parole in the federal system.

       In June of 2017, Evans entered the BBVA Compass Bank near Eastdale Mall in Montgomery, Alabama.  He approached a bank teller and repeatedly demanded that she turn over all of the money in her bank drawer.  The teller complied out of fear for her life and Evans got away with more than $1,900 in cash.  He then fled to Florida where he was arrested the following day.

       Court records indicate that this was the second time Evans robbed the bank.  Approximately ten years ago, Evans was convicted of robbing the same bank along with six other banks.  He was ordered to serve 125 months in prison and was released when his sentence was complete.   Evans was still on supervised release for those prior convictions at the time he committed the June 2017 bank robbery. 

       “A twenty-year sentence is the maximum allowed by statute for this crime,” stated U.S Attorney Franklin.  “This case is a statement of the excellent work law enforcement does to protect our communities and my office will continue to prosecute these violent offenders to the fullest extent of the law.” 

       FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Bret Kirby stated, “These types of cases are a prime example of the good work that is done every day in this country by our agents as well as our state and local partners. This type of team work will ensure these repeat offenders will remain incarcerated.” 

       U.S. Attorney Franklin would like to thank the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Montgomery Police Department (MPD) for investigating this case.  The Suwanee County Sheriff’s Office (Florida) and the U.S. Marshals Service assisted with this investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Bradley Bodiford prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Nine Indicted by Federal Grand Jury for Multiple Violent Robberies in North Texas

DALLAS — A federal grand jury returned an indictment last week charging nine Houston residents with offenses related to eight violent robberies in North Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox of the Northern District of Texas. 

Specifically, the nine-count indictment, unsealed yesterday afternoon, charges, Jarvis Broussard, aka “Koppo,” 29; Trey Nathaniel Dickerson, 25; Christian Demond Gilbert, aka “Go Getta,” 28; Randy Lamark Hammond, 23; John Christopher Jones, aka “2tall,” 27; Brandon Chermaine Mallet, aka “Wookie,” 31; Chrisheena Ladale Milburn, aka “Beanz,” 27; Fernando Rafael Taylor, 29; and Jonathan Walker, aka “Johnathan Walker,” 31, with one count each of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and at least one additional count of interference with commerce by robbery.

The defendants were arrested today and will remain in custody pending their initial appearances.

The indictment arises out of a series of “jugging” offenses in the Dallas area.  “Jugging” is a term informally used to refer to crimes that involve surveilling banks for potential targets suspected of having significant sums of cash and following the targeted victims to other locations where they are robbed.  The indictment alleges that, on February 4, 2016 and continuing until at least July 22, 2017, the defendants conspired together to commit several robberies to obtain U.S. currency.  The defendants discussed and planned the surveillance and selection of individuals for robbery; the acquisition of property for use in committing robbery; the timing and means of transportation to commit   robbery; the roles of participants during the preparation for and commission of robbery; the division of proceeds obtained from robbery; and plans to avoid detection and apprehension by law enforcement.

A federal indictment is an accusation by a grand jury.  A defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty.  If convicted, however, the defendants’ sentences will be determined by the court after a review of the federal sentencing guidelines and factors unique to the case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record (if any), the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation.   

The investigation is being conducted by the FBI, with assistance from the Dallas, Garland, Irving, and Richardson Police Departments.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian McKay and Sid Mody are in charge of the prosecution.

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Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Lubbock Man Involved in Furanyl Fentanyl Distribution Conspiracy Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Charge

LUBBOCK, Texas — A Lubbock, Texas, man, Steven Lawrence Forcum, 32, appeared yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge D. Gordon Bryant Jr. and pleaded guilty to a federal offense stemming from his role in a large-scale furanyl fentanyl distribution conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox of the Northern District of Texas.

Forcum pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute furanyl fentanyl.  He faces a statutory penalty of not more than twenty years in federal prison and a $1 million fine.  Judge Bryant recommended that the district court accept Forcum’s guilty plea.

Co-defendants, Krisandrea Monee Dobbs, 31; Peyton Cleveland Wilson, 27; and Ashlyn Paige Utley, 23, previously pleaded guilty to their role in the conspiracy and are awaiting sentencing.

Law enforcement first learned of Forcum’s involvement in distributing the potent synthetic opioid when Forcum voluntarily made a police report that someone had stolen his supply of fentanyl. 

According to the plea agreement factual resume in Forcum’s case, between 2015 and October 2016, Forcum used his email account to contact numerous international companies to purchase large quantities of furanyl fentanyl and other controlled substances.  In corresponding with these international companies, Forcum would boast that he sells a kilogram of furanyl fentanyl every two months.  He also bragged that fentanyl and synthetic fentanyl were his “hottest sellers for years.”  Forcum admitted that he routinely supplied Wilson and Dobbs with furanyl fentanyl for distribution in the Lubbock, Texas, area. 

Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid analgesic that is about 30 to 40 times stronger than heroin and up to 100 times more powerful than morphine.  Besides analgesia, Fentanyl produces a variety of pharmacological effects, including alteration in mood, euphoria, drowsiness, respiratory depression, suppression of cough reflex, constriction of pupils, and impaired gastrointestinal mobility.  Fentanyl is a Schedule II controlled substance.  Fentanyl is potentially lethal, even at very low levels.  Ingestion of small dosages—the equivalent of a grain of salt—can be fatal.  Fentanyl can also be absorbed through the skin and accidental inhalation of airborne powder can occur.

Furanyl Fentanyl is a controlled substance analogue that has a chemical structure substantially similar to Fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act, and has a stimulant, depressant, or hallucinogenic effect on the central nervous system that is substantially similar to or greater than the stimulant, depressant, or hallucinogenic effect on the central nervous system of Fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Lubbock Police Department are in charge of the investigation.

Assistant United States Attorney Russell Lorfing is in charge of the prosecution.

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Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Former CPA Sentenced for Obstructing the IRS

St. Louis, MO – Mark A. Beckham was sentenced today to 36 months in prison for obstructing the administration of the internal revenue laws.

Beckham, 62, St. Charles County, was found guilty in September 2017 of one felony count of attempting to interfere with the administration of the internal revenue laws. The six-day trial was held before United States District Judge Ronnie L. White.

Beckham was a former CPA, whose license to practice as a CPA was revoked following his federal mail fraud conviction in 2006.

The evidence at trial showed that Beckham prepared 2009 and 2010 individual and corporate federal income tax returns for a client. These returns were subsequently audited by the IRS. During this audit, Beckham provided his client’s dayplanner calendar to the IRS. This dayplanner calendar had been altered to reflect that Beckham’s client worked for a company that had large tax losses, when, in fact, Beckham’s client had not worked for this company. This dayplanner calendar was given to the IRS to support deductions for non-passive losses on the tax returns that Beckham prepared for his client.

This case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Steven Muchnick and Reginald Harris are handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Independence Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Meth Conspiracy

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Timothy A. Garrison, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that an Independence, Mo., man was among four area residents sentenced in federal court for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

William D. Whitehurst, 54, of Independence, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018, to 15 years in federal prison without parole.

Co-defendants John D. Grandon, 47, of Independence, his sister, Regina R. Williamson, 54, of Kansas City, Mo., and James P. Earl, 48, of Blue Springs, Mo., were also sentenced yesterday. Grandon was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole. Williamson was sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison without parole. Earl was sentenced to four years and six months in federal prison without parole.

Whitehurst, Grandon, Williamson and Earl each pleaded guilty to their roles in a drug-trafficking conspiracy that ran from Nov. 1, 2013, to Sept. 24, 2014. Grandon also pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

Whitehurst and Earl each admitted that he purchased methamphetamine from co-defendant Melanie C. Hamilton, 45, of Independence. They then redistributed that methamphetamine to Grandon, Williamson and others.

Grandon admitted that he is individually responsible for the purchase and redistribution of at least 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine. A confidential informant told investigators that he had seen Grandon at his residence with half a pound of methamphetamine and a gun. Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Grandon’s residence on July 1, 2014, and found approximately 160 grams of methamphetamine, a Smith and Wesson .380-caliber revolver, $2,944 and numerous items of drug paraphernalia. Grandon told investigators that he had purchased approximately half a pound of methamphetamine each week from Whitehurst over the past three months (approximately 2.7 kilograms).

Williamson admitted to selling approximately three to four ounces of methamphetamine per week at $1,000 per ounce for approximately two months (approximately 792 grams of methamphetamine). Williamson sold methamphetamine to her brother Grandon’s customers while he was incarcerated.

Hamilton pleaded guilty to being the source of supply for the drug-trafficking conspiracy and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 12, 2018. Hamilton admitted that she obtained large quantities of methamphetamine, which she broke down into smaller quantities for redistribution. A confidential informant made three separate controlled purchases from Hamilton; on each occasion she weighed out approximately 8.3 grams of methamphetamine from a large zip-lock freezer bag that contained multiple pounds of methamphetamine.

Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Hamilton’s residence on Sept. 24, 2014, and seized more than a kilogram of methamphetamine, a DVR containing video surveillance of individuals coming and going from her residence, and drug paraphernalia. Hamilton told investigators that she had received one to two pounds of methamphetamine from her source every other week over the past three months (1.5 pounds per two weeks, or three pounds per month, totals nine pounds, or 4,086 grams). The totality of the investigation indicates that Hamilton was involved in the distribution of at least five kilograms of methamphetamine.

Five additional co-defendants have also pleaded guilty and been sentenced.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Edwards. It was investigated by the Jackson County Drug Task Force and the Independence, Mo., Police Department.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: South Carolina Man Arraigned on Charge of Mailing Firearms to St. Thomas

St. Thomas, USVI – Steven Baxter, 31, of South Carolina, was arraigned Wednesday in District Court on the charge of sending firearms through the mail, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced. Baxter, who was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 7, 2017, was extradited from South Carolina based on an arrest warrant issued by the District Court the same day. U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller ordered Baxter detained pending further proceedings.

According to the indictment, on or about March 29, 2017, Baxter caused two firearms to be shipped from South Carolina to a third person in St. Thomas, knowing that the third person was not a licensed firearms dealer. If convicted, Baxter faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Postal Inspection Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Everard E. Potter.

United States Attorney Shappert emphasized that an indictment is merely a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Mexican Citizen who was in the U.S. Illegally Sentenced to 210 Months in Federal Prison for His Role in a Methamphetamine Distribution Conspiracy

DALLAS — Rosalio Ramos Tapia, aka “Rosalio Ramos,” “Chale,” and “Mocho,” 43, a citizen of Mexico and in the United States illegally, was sentenced earlier this week before U.S. District Judge David C. Godbey for his role in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox of the Northern District of Texas.

Tapia was sentenced to 210 months in federal prison following his guilty plea in October 2016 to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute a controlled substance, said substance being 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.  He was in the United States illegally at the time of the offense and will be deported after serving his sentence.  Tapia has been in custody since his arrest in July 2016.

Tapia was charged along with twenty-one others with various offenses related to a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy.  Of the twenty-one charged, fourteen have pleaded guilty, seven have been sentenced and two are awaiting trial. Four defendants remain fugitives.

According to documents filed in the case, between September 25, 2015 through March 18, 2016, Tapia and his coconspirators conspired to distribute methamphetamine and on several occasions, discussed the preparation and conversion of liquid methamphetamine into crystal methamphetamine. 

Specifically, Tapia used coded language to purchase multiple kilograms of methamphetamine so that he could distribute the methamphetamine to other people. Once Tapia sold the kilograms of methamphetamine he provided drug proceeds to the supplier of the methamphetamine.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated, with assistance from the Dallas Police Department and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations Division.  Assistant U.S. Attorney George Leal prosecuted.    

 

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Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Jackson County Resident Charged With Methamphetamine Offense

 

James E. Sizemore, a/k/a “Jimmy,” 58, of Carbondale, was indicted on January 4, 2018, in a one-count indictment charging conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Donald S. Boyce, announced today.

The indictment alleges that the offense occurred between June 2016 and November 2017, in Jackson County. Sizemore made his initial appearance in federal court on January 31, 2018. He was ordered held without bond pending an April 9, 2018, jury trial.

The conspiracy offense carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and a $1,000,000 fine.

An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Carbondale Police Department, and Drug Enforcement Administration.