Yorkton —  Yorkton RCMP advises residents of an increased police presence on Tupper Avenue in Yorkton

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Yorkton RCMP advises there is an increased police presence on Tupper Avenue in Yorkton in relation to an ongoing investigation. People are asked to avoid the areas where officers are present and to follow any police direction provided.

We will provide an update on this investigation as soon as we are able. If an imminent risk to public safety is identified, we will notify the public.

Moncton — RCMP seeking public’s help following a break and enter

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

The Codiac Regional RCMP is seeking the public’s assistance following a break and enter in Moncton, N.B.

An incident occurred on December 20, 2023, at a business on Rooney Crescent between 4:25 a.m. and 4:35 a.m. where the suspect used a stolen vehicle, that has since been recovered, to ram the gate of a fenced compound and then fled the scene with the same vehicle.

Police are now releasing surveillance footage photos in hopes that someone may be able to identify the person in connection with the investigation. The suspect is described as a man between the ages of 20 and 40-years-old with short dark hair faded on the side, a thick mustache, and facial hair. He was wearing a dark sweater, possibly a hooded sweatshirt, pants, and work boots.

Anyone who has information that could help further the investigation is asked to contact the Codiac Regional RCMP at 506-857-2400. Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), by downloading the secure P3 Mobile App, or by Secure Web Tips at www.crimenb.ca.

The investigation is ongoing.

Alcida — Have you seen this stolen ATV?

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

The Chaleur Region RCMP is asking for the public’s help to locate a stolen all-terrain vehicle (ATV) from a residence in Alcida, N.B.

The theft is believed to have occurred at approximately 8 p.m., on December 29, 2023, from a residence on Alcida Road.

The ATV is described as a blue 2022 CF Moto UForce, with New Brunswick licence plate YE7593, and vehicle identification number LCELV1Z21N6003020.

If you have seen the ATV since December 29, or if you have information that could help further the investigation, please contact the Chaleur Region RCMP at 506-548-7771. Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), by downloading the secure P3 Mobile App, or by Secure Web Tips at www.crimenb.ca.

Crown Point Woman Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison and Ordered to Repay Restitution

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

HAMMOND – Lorraine Duchscher, 50 years old, of Crown Point, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after pleading guilty to three counts of wire fraud.

Duchscher was sentenced to 46 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $490,958.35 in restitution to the victim of the offense.

According to documents in the case, between March 2017 and December 2019, Duchscher worked as an office manager for a company in Crown Point. In this capacity, she had unsupervised access to the company’s bank account, financial records and payroll information. For almost three years, Duchscher made regular adjustments to her paychecks and gave herself additional pay to which she was not entitled. She also wrote over 100 unauthorized business checks to herself and another employee, which were cashed at local banks and currency exchanges. Over the course of the scheme, Duchscher defrauded the company out of $490,958.35; money she used to fund her lavish lifestyle which included the purchase of airline tickets, rental cars, vacation home rentals, entertainment, and cosmetic procedures, among other things.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Chang and Steven J. Lupa.

Man Charged with Sex Trafficking of a Minor in Chicago Suburb

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

CHICAGO — A federal grand jury has indicted a man on sex trafficking charges for allegedly enticing a minor to engage in a commercial sex act in a Chicago suburb.

The two-count federal indictment charges KENNARD CAMERON, 38, of Chicago, with sex trafficking of a minor and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor.  According to the indictment, Cameron recruited and enticed the minor to engage in a commercial sex act in Lansing, Ill., on March 17, 2023.

Cameron was arrested last week.  U.S. Magistrate Judge Beth W. Jantz on Wednesday ordered Cameron to remain detained pending trial.

The indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Chang.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. 

Each charge in the indictment is punishable by a maximum sentence of life in federal prison.  The charge of sex trafficking of a minor also includes a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678.  The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Chicago Man Sentenced to Five and One Half Years in Federal Prison for $2.9 Million COVID-Relief Fraud

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

CHICAGO — A federal judge has sentenced a Chicago man to five and a half years in prison for fraudulently obtaining more than $2.9 million in small business loans and grants under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

From April to November of 2020, QUAMDEEN AMUWO, 41, participated in a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program.  The EIDL program was intended to provide loan assistance and grants to cover working capital and other operating expenses for legitimate businesses suffering the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.  As part of the scheme, Amuwo submitted to the SBA numerous applications for loans on behalf of businesses that he and others purportedly owned.  The applications contained false statements and misrepresentations concerning the purported entities’ owners, employees, revenues, costs, and dates of establishment.  In support of his applications, Amuwo provided false business registration forms and bogus personal identifying information of the purported owners.

Amuwo led and organized a sophisticated fraud scheme that caused the SBA to disburse at least $2.9 million in EIDL loans and grants into bank accounts that he and others controlled.  He used the money to make cash withdrawals, transfers, and purchases for his personal benefit.

A federal jury in June convicted Amuwo on all twelve wire fraud counts against him.  In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang on Wednesday ordered Amuwo to pay more than $2.9 million in restitution.

The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  Substantial assistance was provided by the SBA’s Office of Inspector General.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heidi Manschreck and Matthew Moyer.

Anyone with information about attempted fraud involving Covid-19 can report it to the Department of Justice by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud at (866) 720-5721, or by filing a complaint online at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

Second Aryan Brotherhood Prison Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Murder in Aid of Racketeering

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

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Pat Brady, 53, of Lake Forest, pleaded guilty today to murder in aid of racketeering as part of a long-running investigation into the California Aryan Brotherhood prison gang, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between 2011 and 2016, Aryan Brotherhood (AB) members and associates engaged in racketeering activity, committing multiple acts involving murder, conspiracies to murder, and drug trafficking crimes. The charges allege that AB members oversaw a significant heroin and methamphetamine trafficking operation from their California prison cells using smuggled cellphones to direct drug trafficking activities, order murders, and oversee other criminal activities inside and outside of the prisons.

According to the plea agreement, on July 28, 2018, Brady murdered an inmate at High Desert Prison as part of an AB-related killing. Brady admitted that he committed the murder because the victim falsely claimed to be an AB member and had run up a significant drug debt at his previous prison — both violations of the AB’s expected codes of conduct. Brady willfully, deliberately, and with premeditation, murdered the victim in order to maintain his status within the gang.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Vallejo Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office, and the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Hitt, Ross Pearson, and David Spencer are prosecuting the case.

U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller is scheduled to sentence Brady on March 25, 2024. Brady faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Four remaining defendants, Ronald Yandell, Billy Sylvester, Danny Troxell, and Jason Corbett are scheduled for trial in February 2024. The charges against them are only allegations; they are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

Charlottetown — PEI RCMP Go Electric

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

January 5, 2024, Charlottetown PE – PEI RCMP have taken delivery of their first electric car. The car just arrived at RCMP Headquarters in Charlottetown and is intended for use in administrative functions, not out on patrol. “This is an exciting opportunity for PEI RCMP to learn and adapt to electric vehicles and determine viability in other areas of policing on the island,” says Supt Kevin Lewis. “It serves as a first step in taking more environmentally conscious choices about our vehicles. Not only does it help to meet environment goals it should save tax payers on fuel as well,” says Lewis.

It is a common question being asked by many Islanders wondering when will patrol cars will go electric. Currently, all RCMP duty patrol vehicles have to meet RCMP standards and be approved for use. These decisions are made by RCMP National Fleet Management and PEI RCMP take direction on operational patrol cars from them.

Man Charged with Federal Drug Offense

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

ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, announced that Jeremy Isaac Lopez appeared in federal court on a criminal complaint charging him with possession with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. Lopez, 28, will remain in temporary custody pending a detention hearing.

According to the criminal complaint, on April 19, 2023, officers from the Pueblo of Pojoaque Tribal Police Department attempted to detain Lopez at the Cities of Gold Casino in Santa Fe on a arrest warrant for failure to comply with his conditions of release related to a pending state armed robbery charge. Officers observed Lopez inside the casino and followed him outside to his car where he got in the driver’s seat of a car. When officers commanded Lopez to exit the vehicle, Lopez put the vehicle in drive and accelerated forward, smashing into a parked vehicle. Officers contained and disabled the vehicle. Lopez was then removed from the vehicle and placed under arrest.

A search incident to the arrest located approximately 12 grams of suspected methamphetamines, on Lopez’s person as well as an additional 7 grams of suspected Heroin and 53 grams of suspected Fentanyl in the vehicle.

A criminal complaint is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of the most serious allegation, Lopez faces 20 years in prison.

The Santa Fe Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Pueblo of Pojoaque Tribal Police Department and Espanola Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert James Booth II is prosecuting the case.

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Brothers Charged with Sexual Abuse of a Minor

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

ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, announced that Dustin Roy Rockmen and Kenzie Roy Rockmen appeared in federal court on an indictment charging them with coercion and enticement of a minor, transfer of obscene material to a minor, sexual abuse of a minor, and sexual abuse. Dustin Roy Rockmen is also charged with the distribution of obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of a child and possession of child pornography. Dustin Roy Rockmen, 32, of Navajo, New Mexico, and Kenzie Roy Rockmen, 24, of Hunters Point, Arizona, will remain in temporary custody pending a detention hearing.

According to the indictment, between Oct. 16, 2020, and Jan. 10, 2022, Dustin Roy and Kenzie Roy coerced Jane Doe, a minor, into engaging in sexual activity with both men using threats and by placing Jane Doe in fear of her life. Subsequently, Dustin Roy Rockmen transferred and distributed obscene material depicting him engaging in sexual activity with Jane Doe.

An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Dustin Roy Rockmen and Kenzie Roy Rockman face up to life in prison.

The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert James Booth II is prosecuting the case.

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