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Michigan Medical Provider Convicted of Aggravated Identity Theft

Source: United States Department of Justice

A federal jury convicted a Michigan businessman today of aggravated identity theft for placing the name and address of another man with the same name in legal documents to avoid a settlement payment of more than $6 million.

According to documents and evidence presented at trial, Hassan Kamal Fayad, of Dearborn, operated three medical practices and a transportation business. To fund business operations, Fayad sold outstanding medical and transportation invoices to a Texas-based investment firm. After Fayad failed to make appropriate payments to the Texas firm pursuant to their contracts, the Texas firm sued him in civil court for damages. Throughout the civil proceedings, Fayad caused the name and address of another Michigan resident who shared Fayad’s first and last name, but lived at a different address, to be placed on multiple legal documents, including on a settlement document which obligated Fayad to pay the Texas firm more than $6.3 million. Fayad’s use of the other Michigan resident’s name and address caused the garnishment of all funds from the other Michigan resident’s bank account.

A date for sentencing has not been set. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.

The FBI investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Mark McDonald and Christopher P. O’Donnell of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.

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Justice Department Secures Agreement with Oklahoma State Agency to Ensure Oklahoma Mobile Apps Are Accessible to People with Disabilities

Source: United States Department of Justice

The Justice Department announced today that it secured a settlement agreement with Service Oklahoma, a state agency, to resolve its findings that the agency violated Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by maintaining a mobile application that is inaccessible to individuals with disabilities.

“When public entities make services available through mobile apps, they may not exclude people with disabilities by failing to make their technology accessible,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Through this agreement, Service Oklahoma will ensure their mobile apps comply with the ADA by removing barriers that prevent Oklahomans with disabilities from accessing public services. As more state and local governments turn to mobile apps for critical public services, the Justice Department will work to ensure that people with disabilities are guaranteed the ADA’s promise of equal access.”

The department investigated Service Oklahoma’s predecessor entity based on a complaint from a blind Oklahoma resident alleging that the Oklahoma Mobile ID Application is inaccessible to individuals with vision disabilities. In November 2023, the department issued a letter of findings concluding that the mobile app imposes critical accessibility barriers for people with vision disabilities. The department found that Service Oklahoma violates the ADA by denying people with disabilities equal access to the mobile app and by failing to ensure that communications with them are as effective as communications with others.

Under the agreement, Service Oklahoma will ensure that any mobile app that it creates, administers or maintains is accessible to individuals with disabilities and conforms to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Version 2.1, Level AA, which are industry guidelines for making web content accessible. Service Oklahoma will take other corrective actions, including soliciting accessibility feedback and requests from the public, retaining an ADA coordinator, providing ADA training to employees and reporting to the department.

This settlement agreement is part of the Civil Rights Division’s Tech Equity Initiative to combat disability discrimination that occurs through technology such as websites and mobile apps. For more information on the ADA, please call the department’s toll-free ADA information line at 800-514-0301 (TTY 833-610-1264) or visit www.ada.gov. For more information on the Civil Rights Division, please visit www.justice.gov/crt. If you believe you’ve been discriminated against, you may file a complaint online at www.civilrights.justice.gov/.

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Two youths convicted of murdering teenager in Chingford after ‘methodical’ forensic and CCTV work by detectives

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

Two teenagers who ambushed 17-year-old Chima Osuji and left him with fatal stab injuries have been convicted of murder.

Detectives used detailed forensic work, including mobile phone data and CCTV footage, to prove conclusively that the two teenagers, both aged 16 at the time of the incident and who cannot be named for legal reasons, were responsible for the attack in Chingford.

Detective Chief Inspector Larry Smith, from the Met’s homicide team, led the investigation and said: “By methodically unpicking the events leading up to the attack on Chima, we could establish both teenagers conspired to carry out this cowardly assault.

“After spending the evening together, they took a minicab to Longshaw Road in Chingford and lay in wait armed with knives, using parked vans as cover, before ambushing an unsuspecting Chima.

“Within seconds, the pair had fled to the waiting cab and left the scene, leaving Chima dying on the pavement. The driver recalls the pair in jubilant mood – a sickening comparison to the devastating scene they had left behind.

“Neither of them has ever admitted why they carried out this attack. From the evidence gathered it is clear this was not a chance encounter but a planned act of violence that had catastrophic consequences.”

An investigation was launched after police were called at around 21:20hrs on 10 April 2023. Chima was found collapsed on the pavement in Longshaw Road suffering stab injuries. Despite the efforts of police and paramedics, along with members of the public who provided first aid, Chima died at the scene.

Detectives quickly established through initial CCTV work that two males had carried out the attack. Chima was in the company of another teenager at the time of the attack who had managed to flee unharmed and he was able to assist police in identifying one of the attackers.

A sword was also recovered at the scene – while it was not used to inflict the fatal injuries on Chima, it did contain a fingerprint of the other teenage attacker.

Both teenagers were arrested within three days of the attack; officers seized phones belonging to the pair and built up a picture of contact that suggested Chima was lured to the scene via a third party.

It also tracked the pair’s movements to the murder scene, and in the hours after they had carried out their fatal attack.

Both teenagers refused to answer any questions while in police custody, but the weight of evidence that was built ensured both were charged with murder.

The pair appeared for trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court and were found guilty of murder on Monday, 22 January – both will be sentenced at the same court on Friday, 1 March.

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Former Marfa Substitute Teacher Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Sexual Abuse Material

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

ALPINE – Sonya Conchita Murillo, 32, who was a substitute teacher for the Marfa Independent School District, pleaded guilty last week to one count of production of child pornography.

According to court documents, during an investigation involving Murillo’s former boyfriend, Patricio Javier Serrano, 36, for possessing child sexual abuse materials, videos also were found of Murillo sexually abusing a minor. 

Murillo pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography. A sentencing date has not been set. Murillo faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

Murillo has been in federal custody since her arrest on June 7, 2023.

Serrano, who was charged in a separate indictment, was arrested on May 11, 2023, and has remained in federal custody since his arrest.  Serrano, a former Marfa youth softball coach, pleaded guilty on October 27, 2023, to one count of transportation of child pornography, aiding and abetting and one count of possession of child pornography.  He faces no less than five and up to 20 years in prison for the transportation charge, and up to 20 years in prison for the possession charge.  Serrano’s sentencing date is set for February 27, 2024.

U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas; FBI Special Agent in Charge John S. Morales, El Paso Field Office; and HSI Special Agent in Charge Francisco B. Burrola, El Paso Division, made the announcement.

The FBI, HSI, Texas Department of Public Safety, and Marfa Police Department are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Greenbaum and Kevin Cayton are prosecuting the case.

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 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.

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Appeal for witnesses to fatal collision in Barking

Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

Police are appealing for information following a fatal collision in Barking.

Officers were called by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) at 09:22hrs on Monday, 22 January to reports of a collision involving a car and a pedestrian on Movers Lane, near to the junction of Gordon Road.

Police attended alongside colleagues from LAS and London’s Air Ambulance.

The pedestrian, a man aged in his 60s, was taken to hospital for treatment.

Despite the best efforts of medical professionals, the man sadly died as a result of his injuries. His next of kin have been informed.

The driver of the car failed to stop at the scene of the collision. Two men have since been arrested in connection with the incident and they both remain in custody.

Enquiries are ongoing.

Any witnesses, or those who have dash cam footage of the incident or moments leading up to it, are asked to call 101 quoting CAD 1645/22Jan.

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Louisiana Man Arrested for Assaulting Law Enforcement and Other Charges During January 6 Capitol Breach

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

            WASHINGTON — A Louisiana man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges, including for assaulting law enforcement 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.

            Edward Richmond Jr., 40, of Geismar, Louisiana, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of civil disorder, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. In addition to the felonies, Richmond is charged with several misdemeanor offenses, including disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, and violent entry and disorderly conduct.

            Richmond was arrested today in Baton Rouge and will make his initial appearance in the Middle District of Louisiana. 

            According to court documents, Richmond traveled to Washington, D.C., from Ohio with a group of approximately nine other individuals who planned to attend the rallies planned for the day. Richmond wore a black helmet, goggles, shoulder pads, an orange two-way radio, and a Louisiana State Flag patch on his chest during the attack.

            Court documents say that video footage taken from the U.S. Capitol building closed-circuit television (“CCTV”) footage from Jan. 6, 2021, depicts Richmond in the area of the Lower West Terrace Tunnel that day. This area was the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement officers on January 6th. In addition to the CCTV footage, Richmond is seen on body-worn camera footage using a baton to strike law enforcement officers in the Lower West Terrace Tunnel multiple times.  

            This case is being 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 Middle District of Louisiana. 

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which identified Richmond as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #182 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s New Orleans Field Office, 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.

            A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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Crow Agency Methamphetamine Trafficker Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Role in Large Conspiracy Based on Crow Indian Reservation

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

BILLINGS — A Crow Agency man who admitted to trafficking methamphetamine as part of a large, multiple-state conspiracy that was based on the Crow Indian Reservation was sentenced today to five years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Jeffrey Prettypaint, 30, pleaded guilty in September 2023 to possession with intent to distribute meth.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. The court allowed Prettypaint to self- surrender to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

In court documents and in court, the government alleged that federal law enforcement, in a collaborative effort with local and tribal law enforcement, investigated a large-scale, multiple-state narcotics trafficking organization that was centered on multiple properties on the Crow Indian Reservation. The properties, including one known as Spear Siding, were a source of supply of meth for both the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Reservations and the Billings community from about January 2022 to March 2023. Prettypaint is one of approximately two dozen defendants charged in the conspiracy and was considered to be in the mid-level of the conspiracy.

The government alleged that Prettypaint was directly involved with major players above him in the drug distribution ring and could go to Spear Siding and other property to get meth. In February of 2023, Prettypaint sent the following text message to one of the main co-conspirators and suppliers:

“..we picked up 3oz this morning but we need 4oz, Hahaha, ask [co-conspirator] if he can tip me hahaha 3+3+4=10 zips in 5 days, and Tell [co-conspirator 2] may I please have an Xmas bonus or some crystal tips. Pretty sure [co-conspirator 3] n I clesring [sic] a quarter pound a day not. Everyone coming to us.”

Prettypaint also was aware of a co-conspirator having a “safe house” where they could get fentanyl and meth. In September 2022, Prettypaint told an individual that the person could buy a pound of meth from Spear Siding for $6,000. The individual went to Spear Siding and purchased a half a pound of meth for $3,000. Further, Prettypaint excelled at dealing meth and suggested in his own messages ways to make it better. In discussing expanding the business with Prettypaint, a top co-conspirator told Prettypaint to be thinking about a “few other peeps who might want to purchase or who can be great distributors,” as well other locations. Prettypaint responded that they needed to “expand to other locations and start using cash apps.” Throughout the investigation, law enforcement determined that Prettypaint was being supplied meth from sources for Spear Siding and was redistributing meth.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI conducted the investigation.

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.

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Lame Deer Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Shooting, Killing Man on Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation

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

BILLINGS — A Lame Deer man was sentenced today to 14 years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, after he admitted to shooting and killing another man in 2022 on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Terence Arturo Limberhand, 32, pleaded guilty in September 2023 to voluntary manslaughter.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. The court also ordered $8,000 restitution.

The government alleged in court documents that on the night of June 21, 2022, Limberhand was driving a four-wheeler and approached the victim, identified as John Doe, who was standing outside of a house near Lame Deer. Limberhand had a dispute with John Doe and an affiliate, leading Limberhand to believe that he and his family may be in danger. Limberhand shot John Doe multiple times before fleeing on the four-wheeler. John Doe was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Five days later, Limberhand went to a ranch outside of Lame Deer and told individuals there that he had been threatened. Bureau of Indian Affairs officers arrested Limberhand a short time later.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI conducted the investigation.

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Box Elder Man Admits Assaulting Woman on Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation

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

GREAT FALLS — A Box Elder man admitted today to assaulting a woman at his residence on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation in 2021, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Gabriel Evan Jordan, 26, pleaded guilty to a superseding information charging him with assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Gabriel faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for May 30. Jordan was detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that on Nov. 16, 2021, the victim, identified as Jane Doe, visited Jordan at his residence. Jordan held Jane Doe down and assaulted her, which resulted in serious bodily injury.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer S. Clark and Stephanie D. Robles are prosecuting the case. The FBI, Rocky Boy’s Police Department, Hill County Sheriff’s Office and Chippewa Cree Law Enforcement Services conducted the investigation.

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Assaults, Robbery Send Browning Woman to Prison for Almost Five Years

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

GREAT FALLS — A Browning woman who admitted to stabbing a man, biting a federal correctional officer and robbing a local store in three separate incidents on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was sentenced today to four years and eight months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Jada Mulon Wells, 21, pleaded guilty in August 2023 to assault resulting in serious bodily injury, assault on a federal officer and robbery.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

In court documents, the government alleged the three separate crimes involved different victims and occurred over a few months in late 2022 and early 2023.

In the first assault, the government alleged that on Nov. 5, 2022, Wells, who had been drinking alcohol, went to a family member’s home in Browning and assaulted the victim, identified as John Doe, over a bottle of alcohol. Wells struck John Doe, kicked him in the head while he was on the ground and stabbed him four times. John Doe was transported to a local hospital then flown to Benefis hospital in Great Falls where he underwent life-saving surgery.  

In the second assault, the government alleged that after Wells’ arrest on Nov. 6, 2022, she was incarcerated at the Browning Jail, a federal correctional facility operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. While being processed into the jail, Wells bit the hand of Jane Doe, a federal correctional officer, as she was being escorted to a holding cell. The bite broke the skin of Jane Doe’s hand.

In the robbery, the government alleged that on Jan. 13, 2023, Wells went with another person to a quilting store in Browning to try to sell a buffalo skull. The cashier, identified as Jane Doe 2, declined to buy the buffalo skull. Wells became agitated and ultimately grabbed a pair scissors. Holding them at waist high, Wells demanded that Jane Doe 2 open the till. Jane Doe 2 complied, and Wells took almost $300 from the till and stuffed it into her jacket.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah A. Paisley prosecuted the case. The FBI, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, BIA and Cut Bank Police Department conducted the investigation.

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