Source: United States Attorneys General 12

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Midlothian man pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud and commit offenses against the United States, including human trafficking of individuals from Central America, benefiting from forced labor, money laundering, and harboring undocumented non-citizens.

According to court documents, George William Evans, 68, was the fifty-percent owner of a commercial laundry business, Northstar Holdings of Virginia LLC d/b/a Magnolia Cleaning Services, LLC. Evans participated in a conspiracy to harbor, transport, and benefit from the employment of undocumented noncitizens at the commercial laundry business he co-owned.  Between the first quarter of 2018 and the first quarter of 2022, the business’s wage records reflect approximately 121 employees with alleged invalid or mismatched Social Security Numbers and wage payments of more than $1.2 million to these employees.

At the direction of Evans and his coconspirators, Magnolia Cleaning Services exploited undocumented noncitizens to work long hours in poor working conditions. In some cases, employees were threatened with deportation, physical harm, and harm to their families if they refused to work as directed. Some undocumented employees lived in the laundry facility without access to a kitchen or bathroom with a shower or bathtub. One employee was a child who was made to work night shifts while attending school during the day. 

Evans pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud and commit offenses against the United States and engaging in a transaction in criminally derived property. Evans agreed to forfeit an amount not less than $3,938,630 to the United States – of which he agreed to pay $1,969,315 no later than thirty days before sentencing.  He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 20. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the conspiracy offense and ten years in prison for the money laundering offense.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Derek W. Gordon, Acting Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; Troy Springer, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Washington, DC Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Wilson Hanes accepted the plea.

This investigation was conducted by the Hampton Roads Human Trafficking Task Force, a collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutors, as well as non-governmental organizations, working together to combat human trafficking in the Hampton Roads Region.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian J. Samuels and D. Mack Coleman are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:22-cr-92.

Source: United States Attorneys General 12

St. Thomas, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Tashawn T.A. Warner, 25, Shemar Webster, 23, and Jamari Benjamin, 25, all of St. Thomas, were sentenced by United States Chief District Judge Juan R. Sánchez to terms of imprisonment ranging from 135 to 36 months for their roles in the Hobb’s Act armed robbery of Gem and Gold Corner Jewelry Store in St. Thomas. Warner, the leader and organizer of the group, was sentenced to 135 months incarceration, while Webster was sentenced to 125 months incarceration and Benjamin was sentenced to 36 months incarceration. All three defendants were also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $510,000.00 to Dorchester Insurance D/B/A Topa Insurance Services, Inc., and Gem and Gold Corner Jewelry Store.

According to court documents, on September 19, 2020, Warner, Webster and Benjamin robbed Gems and Gold Corner Jewelry Store located on the waterfront near Veteran’s Drive in St. Thomas. The group arrived at Gem and Gold Corner Jewelry Store at approximately 9:31 a.m., in a white Suzuki Vitara. Warner and Webster entered the jewelry store, both armed with an AK 47 rifle and a Glock 22 handgun and wearing face coverings, while Benjamin, the getaway driver, remained in the vehicle. Once inside the store, Webster and Warner pointed their firearms at five employees, two of whom were unarmed security officers, and ordered them to lie on floor with their hands up. Warner and Webster then used their firearms to smash glass cases and removed jewelry with a gross estimated value of approximately $1.1 million. Both men stuffed a large quantity of jewelry in a duffel bag, and when the bag was full, they stuffed more jewelry in their pants pockets. During the armed robbery, Webster physically assaulted the owner of Gem and Gold Corner with his firearm causing injury to his head. The three men later fled the scene and traveled to the Mafolie Hill area where Webster escaped in a second vehicle while Warner and Benjamin fled the area in the white Vitara. Virgin Islands Police Officers pursued Warner and Benjamin as they traveled to the Bovoni Housing Community and abandoned the Vitara and fled on foot. Forensic Officers collected masks, gloves and jewelry from the abandoned vehicle, and DNA collected from those items linked Warner and Webster to the armed robbery. Benjamin later turned himself in to law enforcement, while Webster fled to Altanta, GA, and Warner went into hiding. In November 2020, Webster was extradited back to St. Thomas, and Warner was arrested in December 2020.

During the execution of Warner’s arrest warrant, Shemelle Isaac, 31, was also arrested after federal agents observed Isaac driving a black Infiniti sedan at a high rate of speed toward Warner’s residence. Isaac stopped his vehicle next to Warner’s parked vehicle and opened the trunk of his Infiniti while still seated in the driver’s seat. Agents then observed Warner remove a duffel bag from his vehicle that matched the description of the bag used in the Gem and Gold Corner Jewelry Store armed robbery and place it in the trunk of Isaac’s vehicle. Isaac was charged as an accessory after the fact after federal agents found four firearms, including the Glock 22 used in the robbery, a large quantity of jewelry and $5,540.00 cash inside the duffel bag. Isaac admitted to the agents that he was aware that Warner was wanted by law enforcement in connection with Gem and Gold Corner’s armed robbery. For his role, Isaac was sentenced four days incarceration, and three years of supervised release.

“The effects of gun violence are felt far and wide in our small community. This vicious and senseless act left a permanent and traumatic impact on the victims of the robbery. The tremendous work of the Virgin Islands Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations, however, delivered the ultimate reward to the victims and the people of our Territory – justice, lengthy terms of imprisonment and full restitution”, United States Attorney Delia L. Smith stated. The Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Agency investigated, and Assistant United States Attorney Daniel H. Huston prosecuted this case. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Source: United States Attorneys General 12

St. Thomas, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Shakari Francis, 26, of St. Thomas, and Ahkoy Smith, 24, of Daytona Beach, FL, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Ruth Miller for an initial appearance hearing after being charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

According to court documents, on January 11, 2023, Customs and Border Protection Officers at Cyril E. King Airport were screening passengers on Spirit Airlines flight NK283 from St. Thomas to Orlando. During the screening, Smith, a ticketed passenger on flight NK283, attempted to flee but was apprehended by CBP officers. A CBP canine later alerted to Smith’s “Jordan” backpack which was on his back when he was apprehended. Smith admitted that he packed his backpack and that it belonged to him. CBP officers inspected Smith’s backpack and discovered two brick-shaped objects wrapped in black tape which later tested positive for the presence of cocaine and weighed approximately 2.25 kilograms. Also on January 11, 2023, CBP officers observed Francis, a Cape Air ramp agent, entering the men’s restroom located in the departure terminal shortly after Smith entered the same restroom. Francis admitted that he entered the restroom with two bricks of cocaine which he later delivered to Smith. Francis and Smith both face a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment if convicted. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Patrol are investigating, and Assistant United States Attorney Adam Sleeper is prosecuting this case. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

United States Attorney Delia L. Smith reminds the public that a criminal complaint is merely an allegation that a crime was committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: United States Attorneys General 12

ST. THOMAS, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Rammer Guerrero Morales, 31, of the Dominican Republic, was sentenced to 141 months of imprisonment by Chief Judge Robert A. Molloy. In March 2022, Guerrero Morales pleaded guilty to possession and discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and assaulting a federal officer.

According to court documents and evidence presented at co-defendant Samuel Pena Columna’s trial, on September 25, 2019, Guerrero Morales was involved in a shootout with several U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Interdiction agents. On the evening of September 25, 2019, Guerrero Morales and three co-conspirators were driven by Pena Columna to Haulover Bay, a well-known drug smuggling area on the east end of St. John, with over $1.1 million to conduct a 100-kilogram cocaine transaction with traffickers from Tortola, BVI. After arriving at the trail in Haulover Bay, Guerrero Morales and co-defendant Joan Morales Nolasco headed down the trail. Guerrero Morales was armed with a handgun and Morales Nolasco was armed with the long gun. After confirming that the trail was clear, Guerrero Morales and Morales Nolasco had planned to signal for the other co-conspirators waiting in Pena Columna’s vehicle to bring the $1.1 in cash down the trial to complete the drug transaction while Pena Columna waited at the top of the trail in his vehicle.

Trial evidence further revealed that, on their way down to the trail, Guerrero Morales and Morales Nolasco encountered two CBP agents who immediately announced themselves as police. The agents were fired upon by Guerrero Morales and a shootout ensued leaving one agent with gunshot wounds to his shoulder and leg. The agents returned fire hitting Guerrero Morales in his leg which was later amputated due to the severity of his injury. During the shootout, Morales Nolasco fled the scene and ultimately made his way to the Dominican Republic. He was later extradited back to the Territory for prosecution. Pena Columna and the two remaining co-conspirators also fled the scene. Pena Columna, a paid confidential source conducting his own drug trafficking organization, later told federal agents that he took the two men, along with the $1.1 million dollars, near the Cruz Bay area where they escaped.

Pena Columna was convicted in September 2022, and his sentencing is scheduled for January 19, 2023. Morales Nolasco pleaded guilty in March 2022, and on December 6, 2022, he was sentenced to 101 months of incarceration for his role in the drug trafficking conspiracy.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, and the Virgin Islands Police Department investigated this case, and Assistant United States Attorneys Meredith Edwards and Kyle Payne prosecuted the case. This effort was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/ OCDETF.

Source: United States Attorneys General 12

U.S. Virgin Islands – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that the District of the Virgin Islands collected $246,498.00 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2022. Of that amount, $244,898.00 was collected in criminal actions and $1,600.00 was collected in civil actions. Additionally, the District of the Virgin Islands worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $73,600.00 in civil cases pursued jointly by those offices.

“The primary incentive for most federal crimes is money,” stated U.S. Attorney Delia Smith. “By aggressively recovering illegal proceeds from criminals, the Justice Department fights to ensure, in a very literal sense, that crime does not pay. Even more importantly, we work tirelessly to recover money from defendants to make the victim of their crimes whole again.” The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the Justice Department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the United States and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to victims, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the Department’s Crime Victims Fund which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.

Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Virgin Islands, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $820,902.00 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2022. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.

Source: United States Attorneys General 12

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Antonio Alvarez, 45, of New York, NY was arraigned today in United States District Court in Burlington on an indictment charging him with unlawfully attempting to transport individuals that entered the United States illegally.  Alvarez pleaded not guilty at his appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle and remains on release conditions.  

According to public documents in the case, during the evening of November 7, 2022, a United States Border Patrol Agent performing surveillance in the vicinity of Moon Road in Derby Line, Vermont, less than a mile from the Canadian border, observed six individuals, who were subsequently identified as Mexican nationals without identification or paperwork allowing them to reside in the United States legally. Shortly thereafter, another Border Patrol Agent stopped a Toyota Tacoma with New York plates that was driving slowly in a remote area approximately one mile from where Border Patrol encountered the six individuals.  The driver of the Toyota Tacoma was identified as Antonio Alvarez, a Mexican national living in New York, NY who is in immigration removal proceedings.  Alvarez later admitted that he was to be paid $2,000 for picking up and transporting the Mexican nationals. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment is an accusation only and that the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.  As currently charged, Alvarez faces up to 5 years of imprisonment if convicted. Any sentence in the case will be advised by the United States Sentencing Guidelines. 

U.S. Attorney Nikolas Kerest credited the agents of the United States Border Patrol for their investigation and apprehension of Antonio Alvarez and their continued efforts to prevent the exploitation of foreign nationals by human-smuggling organizations. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew C. Gilman represents the United States in this case. Alvarez is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Steven Barth.

Source: United States Attorneys General 12

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Jorge Torres, 23, of Hartford, Connecticut, was sentenced to 27 months of imprisonment today in United States District Court by United States District Judge William K. Sessions III.  Torres previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Judge Sessions also ordered that Torres serve three years of supervised release after he serves his term of imprisonment. 

According to court records, on December 21, 2021, Torres was arrested in the town of Orleans in the Northeast Kingdom while he was traveling northbound on Interstate 91 in possession of about 1500 bags of fentanyl, several grams of crack cocaine, and a loaded 9mm handgun.  Prior to his arrest, Torres had sold fentanyl on several occasions to one or more persons cooperating with law enforcement.  Torres was detained following his arrest and had been in custody since that time.  This was Torres’ first criminal conviction. 

This matter was investigated by the Vermont State Police Narcotics Investigation Unit and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Newport, Vermont Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Drescher was the prosecutor.  Torres was represented by Lisa Shelkrot, Esq., of Burlington.

Source: United States Attorneys General 12

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Andrew Lane, 36, of South Burlington, was arraigned yesterday in United States District Court in Burlington on an indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of two firearms.  Lane pleaded not guilty. Chief U.S. District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford ordered that Lane be held without bail pending trial.

According to court records, on October 14, 2022, law enforcement executed federal search warrants for the Lane’s South Burlington residence, a Burlington apartment, and Lane’s 2017 BMW 540i.  From a hidden compartment beneath the center console of the BMW, which was parked next to Lane’s South Burlington residence, law enforcement recovered two loaded firearms:  a semi-automatic 9mm handgun and a .38 caliber revolver.  Lane is prohibited from possessing firearms as a result of his prior felony convictions.  In the search of the South Burlington residence, law enforcement also recovered approximately $36,000 in U.S. currency. 

The United States Attorney emphasizes that the charge in the indictment is merely an accusation and that Lane is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty.

If convicted, Lane faces up to fifteen years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000.  The actual sentence would be determined with reference to federal sentencing guidelines.

U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations, and recognized the helpful assistance of the Vermont State Police Drug Task Force, South Burlington Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Burlington Police Department, and Drug Enforcement Administration.  

Lane is represented by Michael J. Straub, Esq.  The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew C. Gilman.

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.  For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn

Source: United States Attorneys General 12

The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Edmund Thornton, 65, who until recently lived in East Calais, pleaded not guilty today in United States District Court in Burlington to a charge that he failed to register as a sex offender after moving to Vermont.  U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin Doyle ordered that Thornton be detained pending trial, which has not been scheduled.

According to court records, on October 27, 2022, a federal grand jury in Vermont returned a one count indictment alleging that Thornton violated the Sex Offender Registration And Notification Act (SORNA).  Thornton was arrested in Pennsylvania on the charge on October 31 and has been held pending his transfer to Vermont.  

Records indicate that in 1999, Thornton pleaded guilty in Pennsylvania to charges that included attempted deviate sexual intercourse with a ten-year-old girl.  Thornton served several years in prison.  Under Pennsylvania law, Thornton was required to register in that state as a convicted sex offender upon his release from custody.  The federal Sex Offender Registration And Notification Act also required Thornton to promptly register with authorities in any state to which he moves.  According to the indictment, Thornton moved to Vermont in about June 2020 but failed to register with authorities here, as required by SORNA.

The United States Attorney emphasizes that the charge in the indictment is merely an accusation and that Thornton is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty.

If convicted, Thornton faces up to ten years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000.  The actual sentence would be determined with reference to federal sentencing guidelines.

This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service.

Thornton is represented by the Office of the Federal Defender.  The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and Child Exploitation Obscenity Section, Criminal Division (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc

Source: United States Attorneys General 12

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Olayinka Babatunde (a.k.a. “Tom”), 23, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William K. Sessions III to 36 months of imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release after previously pleading guilty to fentanyl distribution. 

According to court records, on January 29, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at 8 Sheldon Place in Rutland, Vermont. Court records show that Babatunde and Quadeim Mack, also from Brooklyn, used this residence as a base station to distribute drugs in the Rutland area. In an upstairs bedroom, law enforcement seized 9 grams of fentanyl, 57 grams of cocaine base, and 50 grams of cocaine. Law enforcement also seized a loaded .22 caliber revolver and $13,050 of drug proceeds. Judge Sessions previously sentenced Mack to 48 months’ imprisonment for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine base, and cocaine. 

In the plea agreement, the government and Babatunde agreed to a term of imprisonment of 36 months and that the federal sentence be served concurrently to the defendant’s state sentence in New York for attempted murder (2nd degree), a charge to which Babatunde previously pleaded guilty and agreed to an eight-year sentence. 

U.S. Attorney Nikolas Kerest commended the investigative efforts of the Vermont State Police Drug Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Rutland City Police Department.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Perella. Babatunde was represented by Richard Goldsborough, Esq. of South Burlington, Vermont.
Babatunde’s prosecution was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.