Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Sentencings for January 22 – January 26, 2018

Joshua Kaleb Woodall, 43, of Aurora, Colorado was sentenced by Chief Federal District Court Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal on January 22, 2018 for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Woodall was arrested on I-25 near Douglas, Wyoming. He received 60 months of imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $500.00 and a $100.00 special assessment. This case was investigated by the Converse County Sheriff’s Office, the Wyoming Highway Patrol, and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.

Sadie Marie McKenna, 37, of Murray, Utah was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson on January 26, 2018 for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine . McKenna was arrested in Rock Springs, Wy. She received 78 months of imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $500.00. This case was investigated by the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.

Joseph Gant, 35, with no fixed address, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson on January 26, 2018 for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Gant was arrested in Casper, Wyoming. He received 121 months of imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $200.00 in special assessment. This case was investigated by the Wyoming Highway Patrol and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Seven Defendants Plead Guilty to Drug Trafficking and Firearms Offenses

Abingdon, VIRGINIA – Seven individuals who conspired to distribute crystal methamphetamine in Southwest Virginia from sources in Tennessee and Kentucky have pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking and firearms charges in the United States District Court in Abingdon, United States Attorney Rick A. Mountcastle and Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring announced.

Jeremy Rick Sturgill, 41, of Jonesville, Virginia, pleaded guilty January 24, 2018, to conspiring to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine; maintaining a place for the purpose of manufacturing, distributing, and using methamphetamine; and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. Tony Lynn Ketron, 27, of Church Hill, Tennessee, pleaded guilty January 24, 2018, to conspiring to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, two counts of distributing methamphetamine, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and possessing a firearm while being a prohibited person. 

In addition, a number of co-conspirators have previously pleaded guilty as part of the case. Todd Houston Conyer, 29, of Pennington Gap, Virginia, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute more than 5 grams of methamphetamine.  Leslie Ann Clasby, 42, of Jonesville, Virginia, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute more than 5 grams of methamphetamine.  Jason Dale Moore, 36, of Jonesville, Virginia, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute more than 5 grams of methamphetamine. William Benjamin Brewer, 36, of Jonesville, Virginia, pleaded to conspiring to distribute more than 5 grams of methamphetamine. Kristina Karen Burton, 44, of Jonesville, Virginia, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute more than 5 grams of methamphetamine. 

According to evidence presented at various plea hearings by Virginia Assistant Attorney General and Special Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, and in court documents, the defendants engaged in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute crystal ice methamphetamine from April 1, 2016 – November 7, 2016.  Evidence presented during the guilty plea hearings demonstrated that the conspiracy involved over 50 grams of crystal ice methamphetamine, acquired from multiple sources in Tennessee and Kentucky, and several firearms.  Numerous undercover purchases of crystal ice were conducted by the Southwest Virginia Drug Task Force at Sturgill’s residence in Jonesville, Virginia, where much of the activity concerning the conspiracy occurred. 

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Scott County Sheriff’s Office, the Virginia State Police, the Jonesville Police Department, and the Southwest Virginia Drug Task Force investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Randy Ramseyer prosecuted the case for the United States involving Leslie Ann Clasby.  Special Assistant United States Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Virginia Assistant Attorney General assigned to the Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, prosecuted the case for the United States involving all other defendants. 

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office Collects Over $122 Million In Civil And Criminal Actions For U.S. Taxpayers In Fiscal Year 2017

                                                                        

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          Contact ELIZABETH MORSE
www.justice.gov/usao/md                                                     at (410) 209-4885

 

Baltimore, Maryland – Acting United States Attorney Stephen M. Schenning announced that the District of Maryland collected $122,236,532.64 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2017.  Of this amount, $12,749,554.70 was collected in civil actions and $109,486,977.94 was collected in criminal actions.  

 

Additionally, the District of Maryland worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $36,033,331.72 in cases pursued jointly with these offices.    Of this amount, $35,737,378.12 was collected in civil actions and $295,953.60 was collected in criminal actions.         

             

Overall, the Justice Department collected just over $15 billion in civil and criminal actions in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2017.      

 

The statistics show that the $12,749,554.70  collected in civil actions in Maryland, include affirmative civil enforcement cases, in which the United States recovered government money lost to fraud or other misconduct or collected penalties imposed on individuals and/or corporations. These recoveries reflect civil enforcement actions for violations of federal health, safety, civil rights or environmental laws, and debts collected on behalf of several federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, the Department of Treasury, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

These cases include the successful resolution of False Claims Act investigations against AC4S, Inc., to settle allegations that it submitted inflated invoices to the government for work performed at Joint Base Andrews; Comprehensive Health Services, Inc., to settle allegations that it knowingly double-charged for vision screenings and electrocardiograms when those costs were included in the bundled contract price for medical exams performed for IRS Special Agents; and Dr. Hitesh Patel and Dr. Darab Hormozi to settle allegations that they billed false claims to Medicare.  Additionally, the District of Maryland collected civil penalties under the Controlled Substances Act on behalf of the Drug Enforcement Administration from its investigation of Cardinal Health for failing to report suspicious orders of controlled substances to the DEA.

 

The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with Department of Justice litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. 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 the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the Department of Justice Crime Victims’ Fund, which distributes the funds to state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.

 

The largest civil collections were from affirmative civil enforcement cases, in which the United States recovered government money lost to fraud or other misconduct or collected fines imposed on individuals and/or corporations for violations of federal health, safety, civil rights or environmental laws.  In addition, civil debts were collected on behalf of several federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Internal Revenue Service, Small Business Administration and Department of Education.

 

Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s office in the District of Maryland, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $9,876,957 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2017.  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

Headline: Fort Dodge Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Firearms While Distributing Cocaine

A man who conspired to distribute cocaine and possessed firearms pled guilty January 25, 2018, in federal court in Sioux City.

 

Jovon Naylor, 27, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, was convicted of conspiring to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and illegal possession of a firearm.

 

At the plea hearing, Naylor admitted to conspiring to distribute cocaine in the Fort Dodge area from January through September 2016.  Naylor was involved in a number of controlled purchases of cocaine with law enforcement.  Naylor also admitted that when he distributed cocaine, he possessed firearms during the drug deals.  Drug dealers typically carry firearms for protection of their drugs and drug proceeds.  Naylor further admitted to previously being convicted of possession of a firearm by a felon in the Iowa District Court for Webster County on April 13, 2012.  Federal law prohibits persons previously convicted of a felony from possessing firearms. 

 

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Naylor remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Naylor faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, $300 in special assessments, and at least three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

 

The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Mikala M. Steenholdt and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Fort Dodge Police Department, DCI Criminalistics Laboratory, and the Webster County Sheriff’s Office.

 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 16-3049.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Trio Pleads Guilty To Heroin Distribution Conspiracy

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces that Eric Massey (41) and Meldon Foster (44), both of Jacksonville, have pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin. Their co-defendant, Jaris Anacreon (33, Miami) pleaded guilty to the same offense on December 21, 2017. All three men face a minimum mandatory penalty of 5 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison.

According to their plea agreements, after selling an ounce of heroin to a confidential informant (CI), Massey introduced the CI to Foster, his source of supply, and told the CI that Foster had large amounts of heroin for sale. Foster and Massey later provided the CI with another ounce of what was sold as heroin, but which laboratory testing showed was carfentanil (an analog of the synthetic opioid fentanyl). In the period that followed, Foster sold the CI more heroin and discussed the possibility of larger deals. Foster eventually introduced the CI to Anacreon and bragged that he and Anacreon had access to significant quantities of both cocaine and heroin. The CI brokered the purchase of five ounces of heroin from Anacreon and Foster. While Anacreon was on the way to the deal with the drugs, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop, arrested Anacreon, and seized approximately five ounces of the heroin.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Fernandina Beach Police Department, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Highway Patrol. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Texas Man Charged with Threatening Mass Shooting at Steelers-Jaguars Playoff Game

PITTSBURGH – Yuttana Choochongkol, aka Jason Manotham, 40, of San Antonio, Texas, has been arrested and charged in a criminal complaint with one count of transmitting interstate threatening communications, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

According to the January 12, 2018, criminal complaint, defendant Yuttana Choochongkol sent three separate communications threatening a mass shooting aimed at Pittsburgh Steelers players and fans at Heinz Field during the January 14, 2018, Steelers AFC Divisional Round game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Choochongkol is alleged to have communicated a threat of a mass shooting and suicide to KDKA-TV through their ‘Contact Us” internet portal on January 10, 2018, at 8:47 p.m. EST. He transmitted subsequent violent threats related to the Steelers playoff game through the Heinzfield.com “Contact Us” internet portal on January 10, 2018, at 8:26 p.m. EST and again on January 11, 2018, at 9:04 a.m. EST. Special Agents with the FBI-Pittsburgh’s Joint Terrorism Task Force were able to trace the originating address of the communications to a facility in San Antonio, Texas. FBI agents in San Antonio responded to that location and identified the individual who communicated the threats as Yuttana Choochongkol, aka Jason Manotham.

Choochongkol was arrested on January 12, 2018, in San Antonio, Texas. Today, a federal magistrate judge in the Western District of Texas granted the government’s request that Choochongkol be detained without bond pending trial in the Western District of Pennsylvania.

“Just days prior to 68,000 fans gathering at Heinz Field, the FBI worked rapidly to identify and arrest this defendant, who threatened mass violence against players and fans,” said U.S. Attorney Scott Brady. “We commend the FBI and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for their exceptional work in the arrest of Choochongkol, which averted a potential disaster. The safety and protection of the citizens of Western Pennsylvania remains our highest priority.”

The law provides for a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Paul Hull is prosecuting this case. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, aided by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, conducted the investigation that led to the complaint against Choochongkol. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas is also assisting in the prosecution of this case.

A criminal complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant may not be prosecuted unless, within 30 days, a grand jury has found probable cause to believe that he is guilty of an offense.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Buffalo Woman Indicted On Heroin Charge In Case Involving Overdose Death

CONTACT:      Barbara Burns
PHONE:         (716) 843-5817
FAX:            (716) 551-3051

BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Brittney Ridgeway, 29, of Buffalo, NY, with possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul C. Parisi, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment and a previously filed complaint, on November 24, 2017, at approximately 8:30 p.m., Cheektowaga Police officers responded to a report of a possible overdose death. After the officers arrived, they discovered a deceased 28 year-old female in the residence. Investigators who examined the scene discovered a NARCAN kit which had been opened but unused, items of drug paraphernalia, and a red and white checkered wax envelope, the type commonly used to package heroin.

Also discovered, a cellular phone belonging to the deceased woman. Investigators accessed the contents and recovered a series of text messages between the woman and another individual that appeared to be drug related in nature. Subsequent investigation determined that the other individual was Brittney Ridgeway.

The defendant was previously convicted on a federal charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of fentanyl and sentenced to 15 months in prison. Ridgeway was released on June 28, 2017, and began 36 months supervised release.

On November 29, 2017, United States Probation officers met with the defendant.  Ridgeway refused to provide her cell phone for examination. Officers then conducted a search of Ridgeway’s Waverly Street residence and recovered a box containing numerous red and white checkered wax envelopes, similar in physical size and color to the envelope found near the deceased woman. Ridgeway was uncooperative with Probation Officers conducting the investigation.

The indictment is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division; the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Zack; and the U.S. Probation Department, under the direction of Chief Probation Officer Anthony SanGiacomo.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.