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

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A federal jury has convicted Paul Gordon Day, 36, of Brentwood, Tennessee, for the armed robbery of a bank in Asheville, 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) in North Carolina and Interim Chief Michael Lamb of the Asheville Police Department join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.

According to filed court documents, trial evidence, and witness testimony, on November 9, 2022, at approximately 4:20 p.m., Day entered the PNC Bank branch at 8 O’Henry Avenue, located across the street from the federal courthouse in Asheville. Upon entering the bank, Day walked up to the teller counter, held up a firearm, and demanded money from tellers. According to trial evidence, the tellers complied and gave Day the cash. Unbeknownst to Day, the tellers also included a GPS tracking device concealed within the money. Day then fled the scene on a bicycle.

According to trial evidence, law enforcement tracked the GPS device and determined it was located inside a vehicle traveling on I-26 highway toward Weaverville, North Carolina. Law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle and arrested Day, who was the sole driver and occupant of the vehicle. Law enforcement searched the vehicle and recovered the firearm, the stolen cash and GPS tracking device, a bicycle, and numerous articles of clothing worn by Day during the commission of the robbery. 

Today, the jury convicted Day of bank robbery using a dangerous weapon, which carries a maximum statutory sentence of 25 years in prison, and possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, which carries a minimum sentence of seven years in prison, consecutive to any other term of imprisonment imposed. Day will remain in federal custody. A sentencing date has not been set.

In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the FBI, the Asheville Police Department, and the Weaverville Police Department for their investigation of the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex M. Scott of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville is prosecuting the case.

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 News

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that MATTHEW MILLS was sentenced to 15 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Nelson Román for his enticement of an 11-year-old minor.  Today’s sentencing followed MILLS’s guilty plea on September 29, 2023.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Matthew Mills’s crimes are the nightmare of every parent.  Even after registering as a sex offender, Mills was able to prey on a young child from across the country, but the career prosecutors of this Office and our investigative partners were relentless in pursuing this predator.  Today’s lengthy sentence ensures that Mills will face justice for his reprehensible conduct.”

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in related court proceedings:

From on or about July 30, 2020, up to and including on or about July 31, 2020, MATTHEW MILLS exchanged text messages with an 11-year-old minor (“Victim-1”) and directed Victim-1 to take and transmit sexually explicit photographs and videos of Victim-1 to MILLS.  At the time of these communications, MILLS was in Colorado and Victim-1 was in Orange County.

Earlier in 2020, MILLS pled guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Child, a Class 4 Felony, in the state of Colorado.  As a result of this offense, on or about July 10, 2020, MILLS was sentenced to an eight-year term of probation and was required to register as a sex offender in Colorado.

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In addition to the prison sentence, MILLS, 32, of Aurora, Colorado, was sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release.      

Mr. Williams praised the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), the FBI Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the Denver Police Department in connection with this investigation.      

The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcia S. Cohen is in charge of the prosecution.  

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

           WASHINGTON – A Missouri man was sentenced today for carrying a firearm during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

           Jerod Thomas Bargar, 37, of Centralia, MO., was sentenced to five years probation, six months of home confinement, and ordered to pay a $4,000 fine by U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton. Bargar pleaded guilty to one felony count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, a felony, on June 8, 2023.

           According to court documents, Bargar traveled to Washington, D.C., by car with a friend to participate in the “Stop the Steal” rally planned by former President Donald Trump for January 6, 2021. After the rally, Bargar and his friend walked to the U.S. Capitol building, entered onto the restricted Capitol grounds, and participated in the ongoing riot. While on the restricted grounds, Bargar illegally carried a loaded, 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol. Bargar did not have a license to carry a firearm in Washington, D.C., and the firearm was not registered in Washington, D.C., as required by law.

           This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri.

           This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with valuable assistance provided by the FBI’s Kansas City Field Office, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department.

           In the 36 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,265 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 440 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

           Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Independence, Mo., woman pleaded guilty in federal court today to stealing more than $500,000 from her employer.

Tammy Myers, 50, waived her right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to a federal information that charges her with one count of wire fraud.

Myers was employed by Builders Overhead Door Service, Inc., in Blue Springs, Mo., from 1998 through 2022. Myers, who became the head of accounting in 2012, admitted that she engaged in a scheme to defraud Builders Overhead Door Service from January 2013 to December 2022.

Myers admitted she used the company’s bank account information to pay off the balances on her personal credit cards, totaling $429,025.

In addition to paying her personal credit cards, Myers admitted she wrote checks to herself from the company’s bank account without the authorization of the owner. Myers deposited the unauthorized checks, which had been pre-signed by the owner, into her personal bank account and spent that money on personal expenses. The total amount of unauthorized checks she wrote to herself was $86,477.

Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Myers must pay $521,996 in restitution to Builders Overhead Door Service, which represents the total loss she caused and includes loss attributable to related criminal activity. Myers must also pay a money judgment to the government of $429,025.

Myers also admitted that while she was using company funds to pay her personal credit cards and writing checks to herself, she let the company fall behind on payroll, real estate, and sales and use taxes.

Under federal statutes, Myers is subject to a sentence of up to 20 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 Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley Cooper. It was investigated by the FBI.

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

PITTSBURGH, PA – Two residents of Washington, PA, have been sentenced in federal court on their convictions of conspiracy to defraud the United States, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy imposed a sentence of 3 years’ probation on Julia Jolly, age 37, and a sentence of 3 years’ probation on Ethan Gordon, age 30, both of Washington, PA, with joint restitution of $61,852.

According to information presented to the court, Gordon and Jolly agreed to submit false Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loan applications (COVID-19 pandemic relief loans administered by the Small Business Administration). One false application was submitted in Gordon’s name, and one in Jolly’s name, resulting in a combined loss of over $60,000 to the government.

Assistant United States Attorneys Gregory C. Melucci and William B. Guappone prosecuted these cases on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Olshan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Jolly and Gordon.