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

          GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that Tyrone Lekese Hooper, 25, of Lansing, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. Hooper pled guilty to one count of felon in possession of firearms and one count of felon in possession of ammunition.

          “Mr. Hooper is a serial offender who has brazenly defied the law,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “He has been caught with guns in his possession multiple times despite being a felon and prohibited from having them. Furthermore, his lawlessness put the lives of two young children in danger. My office will continue our efforts to keep guns out of the hands of felons, focused on those who drive violence in our communities.”

          In June 2022, a two-year-old child found a gun in Hooper’s apartment and accidentally shot himself in the arm.  Police found the gun used by the child, and two additional guns, in Hooper’s car.  Five months later, in November 2022, a different two-year-old child found a different gun in Hooper’s apartment and accidentally shot himself.  Both children survived.

          In addition, police pulled over Hooper’s car in February 2023 and, after arresting him on an open warrant, found a pistol in the glove compartment and a pistol with a drum magazine (pictured above) in Hooper’s backpack in the backseat.  Three months later, police pulled over Hooper’s car and found another gun in the glove compartment.

          “I applaud U.S. Attorney Mark Totten and his team for their diligence in addressing these criminals who believe they can live a criminal life with no consequences,” said Lansing Police Chief Ellery Sosebee. “This is just one of many examples that hopefully show that criminals will be held accountable, and that Lansing is working hard with our federal partners to make the city a safer place.”

          “It is deeply troubling to see the flagrant disregard for the law exhibited by habitual firearms offender Tyrone Hooper,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “The consequences of such recklessness are evident in the tragic incidents where two young children have suffered due to the irresponsible actions of an individual who should not have possessed a firearm in the first place. I want to thank the East Lansing Police Department for their outstanding partnership. This investigation highlights the critical importance of law enforcement working together to enforce firearms regulations to prevent such senseless tragedies from recurring in our community.”

          This case was investigated by the Lansing Police Department, the East Lansing Police Department, the Michigan State University Police Department, the Michigan State Police, and the FBI, and prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Pulda.

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

DETROIT –  The last of seven defendants in a drug conspiracy that resulted in overdoses and at least one death was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today.

Ison was joined in the announcement by Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Today, United States District Court Judge Bernard A. Friedman sentenced Lavante Brown, 30, of Detroit. Brown pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute with the intent to distribute a controlled substance and distribution of fentanyl resulting in death on May 16, 2023.

An FBI investigation revealed that, for years, a group of dealers operated an on-demand drive through for drugs, including crack cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl, on Yacama street in Detroit, Michigan. Drug customers who drove down the street were served at their car window with drugs at any time of day, as many times as they could afford. Residents of the area had been plagued with this incessant drug activity, resulting in home abandonments, which were, in turn, used to further the distribution. Drugs sold from Yacama street caused many overdoses, including at least one fatal overdose.

Seven members of the conspiracy, most of whom had lengthy criminal histories, were charged in federal court. All seven pleaded guilty to offenses related to the sales of controlled substances on Yacama, before United States District Judge Bernard A. Friedman. The co-defendants, and their sentences, are listed below:

• Anthony Foster, 38, of Detroit, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute a controlled substance and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
• Willie Swift, 58, of Detroit, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute a controlled substance and was sentenced to over 10 years in prison.
• Terrance Hall, 34, of Eastpointe, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute with the intent to distribute a controlled substance and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
• Dana Hudson, 46, of Detroit, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute a controlled substance and was sentenced to 5 years in prison.
• David Terry, 41, of Harper Woods, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute a controlled substance and was sentenced to over 4 years in prison.
• Justin Fields, 33, of Rochester Hills, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute a controlled substance and was sentenced to one day custody with credit for time-served, followed by three years of supervised release.

“These defendants believed that they could take over areas of our city, destroy neighborhoods, and risk others’ lives with impunity, but these sentences should serve as notice that federal law enforcement will not stand idly by while drug dealers do harm to our community,” U.S. Attorney Ison said. “

“Today’s sentencing marks a significant victory in our relentless fight against opioid trafficking and its devastating impact on our community,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “This case sends a strong message that we will not tolerate activities that endanger our citizens’ lives and will continue to work tirelessly to hold those responsible accountable. I commend the diligent efforts of the FBI’s Oakland County Gang and Violent Crime Task Force in bringing these criminals to justice.”

This case was investigated by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the Oakland County Gang and Violent Crime Task Force. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara Hindelang.

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

Fort Myers, Florida – United States District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell today sentenced Marvin Harris, Jr., aka “Mesh,” (25, Fort Myers) to 45 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire. Harris, Jr.’s co-defendant, Latrel Jackson, aka “Kobe,” (26, Chicago, Illinois), is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24, 2024, and faces a mandatory term of life imprisonment.

According to court documents, in November 2019, Harris, Jr. hired two individuals, Latrel Jackson and unindicted co-conspirator D.S. (deceased), to travel from the Chicago-area to Fort Myers to commit murder in exchange for $10,000. Harris, Jr.’s motive was to retaliate against individuals he believed had robbed a Fort Myers residence from which he and others associated with him sold drugs. The individuals Harris, Jr. suspected of committing the robbery belonged to a Fort Myers gang known to law enforcement as “Bucktown.”

With the agreement to retaliate against Bucktown in place, Jackson and D.S. traveled to Fort Myers from Chicago aboard a commercial airline on October 28, 2019. Upon their arrival, Harris, Jr. picked Jackson and D.S. up from the Southwest Florida International Airport and provided them with partial payment for the planned murder, as well as firearms to accomplish their task. Initially, Jackson and D.S. stayed at Harris, Jr.’s “trap house” (a residence used primarily to distribute drugs from) in Fort Myers but later moved to a local motel on Palm Beach Boulevard. During that time, Jackson, D.S., and others attempted to find members of Bucktown to murder in the retaliatory scheme.

On November 2, 2019, Harris, Jr. obtained a vehicle for Jackson and D.S. to use during the commission of a murder. Jackson and D.S. proceeded to a known Bucktown hangout in Fort Myers and observed the victim, K.U., standing in front of the residence near the curb of the street. Jackson and D.S. quickly circled the block and, at close range, opened fire on K.U., killing him in front of the residence via a gunshot wound of the head.

After the shooting, Harris, Jr. paid Jackson and D.S. the remaining sum of money owed for completing the murder-for-hire scheme. Jackson and D.S. were also left in possession of the firearms used to commit the murder. Jackson and D.S. then returned to the Chicago area via commercial bus on November 3, 2019.

During a search of Jackson’s Chicago-area home on November 21, 2019, law enforcement recovered two firearms from an attic space in Jackson’s room. Expert testing and examination of the firearms by ATF confirmed that both matched shell casings recovered from the murder scene and the murder vehicle, and that one of the firearms had fired the bullet which had been recovered from K.U.’s head during his autopsy.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fort Myers Police Department, with the assistance of the Joliet (Illinois) Police Department, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael V. Leeman.

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.

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

Hagatña, Guam – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that defendant Sung Peel Hwang a.k.a. Don Sung Peel Hwang, age 39, from the Republic of Korea and naturalized citizen of the United States, was sentenced to serve 41 months imprisonment.  He was charged with Bank Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1344(1) and Money Laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1957.  The Court also ordered 5 years of supervised release, restitution of $615, 271.51 and a mandatory $200 special assessment fee. 

Beginning in September 2015 and continuing until December of 2018, Defendant Hwang engaged in a scheme to defraud his employer and to embezzle over $600,000.00. Hwang was an administrator in the Korean Air Lines (KAL) Guam office at the Guam International Airport. KAL operated commercial passenger flights between Guam and South Korea. All airlines operating out of GIAA are required to report the number of passengers on their flights and to pay a corresponding Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) to GIAA. As an administrator at the Guam KAL office, Hwang’s duties included reporting the number of passengers and paying the corresponding PFC, procuring, and paying for other office supplies and services, and acting as one of two co-signatories on KAL Guam’s business checking account at the Bank of Guam. As one part of his scheme, Defendant Hwang underreported the PFC owed to GIAA and kept the difference between the actual PFC owed and the PFC paid for himself. Over the course of the three-year scheme Defendant Hwang deposited over $3.5 million in KAL funds into his personal bank account and diverted over $600,000.00 in KAL funds to his own personal use.

“Hwang cheated his employer and GIAA out of a substantial sum of money,” stated United States Attorney Anderson.  “Fortunately, GIAA’s auditing procedures eventually revealed this scheme.  The sentence imposed by the Court is a strong message of accountability and deterrence.  I applaud our federal law enforcement partners for their hard work in bringing Hwang to justice.”

“The FBI is focused on addressing financial crimes that have an impact on our communities,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill. “This sentence should give pause to others who consider engaging in similar criminal conduct.”

“Mr. Hwang’s greed may have netted him a temporary windfall, but at great cost to those he stole from and to the detriment of his community,” said IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Adam Jobes. “Today’s sentencing shows that CI is committed to fighting financial crime, and making sure that fraudsters pay the just cost for those crimes.”

The investigation was conducted by the FBI Guam Resident Agency and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division. This case was prosecuted by Benjamin K. Petersburg, Assistant United States Attorney, District of Guam.

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

LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury has returned a six-count indictment against a Compton mother and son for allegedly forcing two 13-year-old victims to engage in sexual activity for money, the Justice Department announced today.

Daisy Pollard-Gilliam, 41, a.k.a. “Queen,” and her son, Reuben Gilliam, 24, a.k.a. “Tre,” are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor and two counts of sex trafficking of a minor. Reuben Gilliam also is charged with one count of production of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography. Daisy Pollard-Gilliam also is charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Reuben Gilliam is in state custody on unrelated charges and is expected to be transferred over to federal custody in the coming weeks. Daisy Pollard-Gilliam was arrested on April 24 and a federal magistrate judge ordered her jailed without bond. Her arraignment is scheduled for May 14 in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

According to court documents, the victims were walking down a street in Bell Gardens at approximately 2 a.m. on June 3, 2023, when a vehicle containing three men – including Reuben Gilliam – stopped next to them. One of the men exited the vehicle and told the minor victims to get in. The victims were then driven to a residence in Lynwood.

Throughout the next week, both victims were required to engage in sexual activity with Reuben Gilliam, Daisy Pollard-Gilliam and unidentified commercial sex customers to make money, the indictment alleges. The customers told one victim that they paid $100 to have sexual intercourse with her and the defendants collected the cash after the customer had sex with the victims, according to court documents.  The defendants allegedly also directed the victims to dress in lingerie and pose for pictures to be used to advertise commercial sex.

After spending a few nights at the Lynwood residence, the defendants allegedly saw missing children’s flyers in circulation on social media – identifying both victims as 13 years old – seeking the minor victims’ whereabouts. The victims were then transferred to different locations in Los Angeles County.

On the evening of June 9, 2023, law enforcement officials rescued the victims from a recreational vehicle in Gardena. Among the items law enforcement seized during the rescue were clothing, shoes, eyewear, and one cellphone that the suspects allegedly gave the victims so they could call the suspects if they were in trouble. The victims allegedly used the cellphone to text and call Daisy Pollard-Gilliam on multiple occasions.

On June 6, 2023, Daisy Pollard-Gilliam distributed images and videos of the victims to an inmate at Kern Valley State Prison in Delano, California, according to court documents. A review of Reuben Gilliam’s Instagram account made pursuant to a search warrant revealed that on June 4, 2023, he communicated with other Instagram users regarding his commercial sex trafficking of the two victims, according to court documents.

In April 2024, Pollard-Gilliam allegedly possessed a semi-automatic pistol and 25 rounds of ammunition. She is permitted to possess neither because of her felony conviction in Los Angeles Superior Court in 2021 for child abandonment.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

If convicted, the defendants would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.

The FBI and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are investigating this matter.

Assistant United States Attorneys Damaris Diaz of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Angela C. Makabali of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.

Any member of the public who has information related to child sex crimes is encouraged to call the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office at (310) 477-6565 or report tips online at https://tips.fbi.gov.