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

Memphis, TN – All three men responsible for a series of violent carjackings and kidnappings that occurred over last year’s holiday season have pled guilty to the charges against them. Adrian Pegues, 19, Malik Malone, 18, and Alan Key, 20, all of Memphis, have each pled guilty in federal court to a series of violent events that occurred in December 2022 in Memphis and Germantown.  Pegues and Key also pled guilty to an additional carjacking that occurred in Memphis in July 2022.  United States Attorney Kevin G. Ritz announced the changes of plea today.

According to U.S. Attorney Ritz and information presented in court, on December 20, 2022, Pegues and Malone carjacked and kidnapped two individuals separately, and forced them at gunpoint to withdraw money from ATMs. The facts of those incidents are as follows:

• The two men kidnapped and carjacked the first victim from her driveway in East Memphis. They forced her to drive her vehicle to an ATM at First Citizens National Bank in Arlington, TN and withdraw money from her bank account.  After they forced her to drive around looking for another ATM, they eventually returned to the same ATM and again forced her to withdraw money. 
• Pegues and Malone then ordered the first victim to follow another vehicle into an apartment complex in Cordova, TN, where they kidnapped and carjacked a second victim, again at gunpoint. 
• Pegues and Malone split up and attempted to force the victims to withdraw more money from ATMs.  Eventually, both Pegues and Malone ordered the victims to drop them off in Memphis and they fled.

On December 30, 2022, Pegues, Malone, and Alan Key attempted to kidnap a person at the Saddle Creek shopping center in Germantown with the intent to commit another robbery. 

• The trio parked next to the victim’s vehicle and waited as she exited a store and approached her vehicle.
• As the victim opened her door, Pegues and Malone bumped the victim with their car door, ordered her to get in the vehicle, and tried to get into her vehicle.
• The victim struggled with Pegues and Malone. An armed private citizen saw what was occurring and intervened.  When confronted, the men got back into their vehicle and escaped.    

Additionally, investigators determined that Pegues and Key committed another carjacking in Memphis on July 25, 2022.  During this carjacking, Pegues was armed with a firearm.  Both Pegues and Key also pled guilty to this carjacking and the use of a firearm in this incident as well. 

On May 25, 2023, Malik Malone appeared before Chief United States District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman and pled guilty to all charges.

On September 5, 2023, Adrian Pegues appeared before Magistrate Judge Charmiane G. Claxton and pled guilty to 11 of the 12 charges against him.  On September 6, 2023, Alan Key also appeared before Magistrate Judge Charmiane G. Claxton; he pled guilty to all charges against him.

Malone is scheduled to be sentenced by Chief Judge Lipman on October 20, 2023.  Pegues and Key will be sentenced by Chief Judge Lipman on December 18, 2023. There is no parole in the federal system.  

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, the Germantown Police Department, and the Memphis Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorney Greg Wagner is handling the prosecution of this matter for the government.

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

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Today, Ildiberto Gonzalez Jr., 29, of San Bernadino, California, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute a quantity of methamphetamine and Keith Royal Goode-Harper, 32, of Charleston, pleaded guilty to use of a communication facility to facilitate drug trafficking. Each admitted to his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that operated in the Charleston area.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 18, 2023, Gonzalez delivered approximately 196 pounds of methamphetamine and four kilograms of cocaine to an individual in Bluefield, West Virginia, in exchange for a box that he believed contained $400,000. Gonzalez admitted that a co-conspirator in California provided the controlled substances in boxes and a bag that Gonzalez transported in his 2009 Freightliner semi-truck with attached trailer. Gonzalez further admitted he knew the boxes and bag contained a controlled substance but believed it was only cocaine.

Gonzalez communicated by cell phone with the co-conspirator, who directed him to a parking lot in Bluefield. There, Gonzalez gave the bag to another individual and loaded the boxes into the individual’s vehicle. Gonzalez admitted that the individual gave him a box that he believed contained the cash, and that he intended to deliver the money to the co-conspirator upon his return to California.

Gonzalez was driving away from the transaction in his semi-truck when law enforcement pulled him over. Gonzalez notified his co-conspirator by phone during the traffic stop. Officers seized his cell phone and a loaded 9mm pistol that Gonzalez also had in the truck’s cab.

Gonzalez admitted that he previously delivered boxes containing a controlled substance in approximately January 2023 from California to the individual in Bluefield at the direction of the co-conspirator. Gonzalez admitted he received cash for that transaction that he took back to California and gave to the co-conspirator.

On January 25, 2023, Goode-Harper obtained 7 ounces of methamphetamine from a co-defendant at the co-defendant’s residence in Charleston. Goode-Harper admitted that he arranged the purchase with the co-defendant in advance over a series of cell phone calls. Goode-Harper further admitted that he had asked to purchase 10 ounces of methamphetamine for a customer, but that the co-defendant told him that he only had 7 ounces of methamphetamine available.

Gonzalez is scheduled to be sentenced on January 4, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $1 million fine. Goode-Harper is scheduled to be sentenced on January 8, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of four years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

Gonzalez and Goode-Harper are among 32 individuals indicted as a result of Operation Smoke and Mirrors, a major drug trafficking investigation that has yielded the largest methamphetamine seizure in West Virginia history. Law enforcement seized well over 400 pounds of methamphetamine as well as 40 pounds of cocaine, 3 pounds of fentanyl, 19 firearms and $935,000 in cash.

Twenty-one of the defendants have pleaded guilty. Indictments against the other defendants are pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia National Guard Counter Drug program, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.

Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is prosecuting the case.

The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 1:23-cr-32 (Gonzalez) and 2:23-cr-135 (Goode-Harper). 

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

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – 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 today that Nathaniel Luz appeared in federal court on a complaint charging him with four counts of aggravated sexual abuse, one count of sexual abuse of a minor and two counts of abusive sexual contact. Luz, 31, of Church Rock and a registered member of the Navajo Nation, will remain in custody pending trial.

According to court documents, between January 2014 and April of 2022, Luz allegedly engaged in sexual acts with a child who had not then attained the age of 12 years in five separate incidents. Then, between January 2021 and December 2021, Luz allegedly engaged in sexual contact with a second victim, a child who had not yet attained the age of 12 years. Lastly, in August 2022, Luz allegedly engaged in a sexual act with a third victim, a child who had attained the age of 12 years but had not attained the age of 16 years.

An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted on the current charges, Luz faces up to life in prison.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, Navajo Police Department and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany DuChaussee is prosecuting the case.

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

Director Christopher Wray has named Arlene Gaylord the executive assistant director of the Information and Technology Branch. She most recently served as the assistant director of the Information Management Division.  

Ms. Gaylord began her career with the FBI as an honors intern in 1991, assigned to the Visual Investigative Analysis Unit at Headquarters. She was hired full-time in 1992 and served as a Spanish language specialist at Headquarters and at several field offices. Ms. Gaylord was promoted to supervisory language specialist in 1998 for the San Diego Field Office. 

In 2004, Ms. Gaylord became an intelligence analyst in San Diego and moved to the Sacramento Field Office as a supervisory intelligence analyst in 2009. She was named a senior supervisory intelligence analyst in 2010 and led the Western Regional Intelligence Group. 

Ms. Gaylord returned to FBI Headquarters in 2012 as the national program manager for the Joint Regional Intelligence Groups—the interagency U.S. Intelligence Community teams that centralize intelligence collection and analysis regionally against shared threats. 

In 2013, she was promoted to chief of the Language Services Section in the Directorate of Intelligence. She served as the FBI’s senior authority for all foreign language and culture-related matters and led the Foreign Language Program. In 2015, she moved to chief of the Global Intelligence Section in the Directorate of Intelligence. 

Ms. Gaylord was appointed assistant director of the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Affairs in 2016, ensuring the FBI complied with applicable federal anti-discrimination statutes, regulations, and policies. In 2020, she was promoted to assistant director of the Information Management Division.  

Ms. Gaylord earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from The American University and a master’s degree in organizational management from the University of Phoenix. She is a certified FBI intelligence officer and is certified as a master police instructor by the FBI and the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. 

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

ATHENS, Ga. – An Athens resident with a lengthy and violent criminal history was sentenced to serve more than ten years in federal prison for illegally possessing a gun, hiding homemade shanks while in federal detention and violating the terms of his supervised release.

Michael Anthony Randall, 33, of Athens, was sentenced to a total of 129 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self III on Sept. 7.: Randall was sentenced to serve 105 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in Case No. 3:22-cr-00023; he was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison concurrent after he pleaded guilty to one count of possession of contraband while in jail in Case No. 3:22-cr-28; and he was sentenced to serve 24 months in prison consecutive for violating his supervised release for a total of 129 months imprisonment. Randall is not eligible for parole.

“The penalty is steep for prisoners caught with contraband weapons and violent repeat offenders who illegally possess guns. In this case, Michael Randall violated both and is now held accountable with additional prison time,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “In collaboration with our law enforcement partners, our office will seek federal prosecution against the most dangerous and repeat criminals in our communities.”

“Michael Randall is the definition of a repeat offender,” said Supervisory Senior Resident Agent of FBI Atlanta’s Macon office. “The FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to keep dangerous criminals like Randall off Georgia streets.”

According to court documents, Randall was indicted for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on Oct. 11, 2022, in the Middle District of Georgia, after he was arrested for illegally possessing a .380 pistol in Athens, on Jan. 12, 2021. Randall has multiple prior state felony convictions in North Carolina and Georgia, including assault with serious bodily injury and drug convictions. Randall was also previously convicted in the Middle District of Georgia for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.

On Nov. 8, 2022, while in custody awaiting his initial appearance in federal court, Butts County Jail officers found a shank—a handmade knife—hidden on Randall’s person. Officers found another shank on Randall on Nov. 10, prior to his federal court appearance. On Dec. 16, Randall was found with another shank inside the Butts County Jail.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

The case was investigated by FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department and the Butts County Sheriff’s Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamara Jarrett prosecuted the case for the Government.

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

Defendant Committed a String of Crimes in One Day

            WASHINGTON – Roscoe Rosborough, 32, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 78 months in prison for two separate assaults that took place on the same day in Northeast and Northwest DC, in February of 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, and Acting Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Rosborough pleaded guilty in June 9, 2023, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of assault with significant bodily injury.

            According to the government’s evidence, on February 17, 2023, at approximately 4:55 a.m., the defendant entered a homeless shelter, though he was not a resident, and demanded to use the bathroom. After being refused, he continued into the shelter and ran into a resident walking to the cafeteria for breakfast. The defendant pulled out a tire iron from inside his clothing and struck the resident multiple times to the head, causing a laceration to the head that required nine staples.

            At approximately 3:30 p.m. that same day, the defendant was on a metro train headed for the Gallery Place – Chinatown station. He approached an elderly couple with their three minor grandchildren visiting from out of town. He got into their faces, unprovoked, and began yelling profanities at them. The 78-year-old grandfather put his hand on the defendant’s arm and said, “back off pal.” The defendant then assaulted the man, punching him, pulling him to the floor, and kicking him. This assault caused the victim to require multiple knee-drains and eventually surgery to his knee.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, SAC Jacobs, and Acting Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, specifically Special Agent Deborah Frye, Special Agent John Perren, and Trial Attorney Sanjay Patel. They also expressed appreciation for the work of those who assisted with the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Gauri Gopal and Victim/Witness Advocates Lakeisha McFall, Jennifer Clark, and Paola Molina.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katie Sessa and Katrenia Shelly, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

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

            WASHINGTON – A Kansas man pleaded guilty on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023, to a felony offense related to his actions 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. 

            Christopher Kuehne, 50, of Olathe, Kansas, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to a felony offense of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder before U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly. Judge Kelly scheduled Kuehne to be sentenced on Feb. 23, 2024.

            According to court documents, Kuehne, associated with the Kansas City chapter of the Proud Boys, made plans with other members of the group to attend a rally in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021. Prior to his arrival, Kuehne sent a message to others in the group regarding a potential confrontation with Antifa and BLM, stating, “Be prepared not only to beat down but when you do action of violence so utterly massive that we send a message.” 

            Kuehne traveled to Arlington, Virginia, on Jan. 4, 2021, with other members of the Proud Boys chapter. On Jan. 6, Kuehne met with a larger group of Proud Boys at the Washington Monument. Kuehne, wearing a ballistic helmet and carrying protective gloves, then made his way to the U.S. Capitol, shouting, among other things, “Whose streets? Our streets!” 

            Kuehne and others in the group proceded to the west side of the Capitol’s grounds and gathered outside of the barricades. Shortly before 1 p.m., the crowd breached the barriers and surged toward the Capitol building, allowing Kuehne and others in the group to move past multiple lines of barricades and toward the Lower West Plaza, inside the restricted area. Kuehne remained on the west front of the Capitol for more than an hour, ignoring law enforcement commands to disperse. Eventually, Kuehne made his way to the base of the Capitol and onto the Upper West Terrace. Kuehne entered the Capitol through the Senate Wing Door at approximately 2:25 p.m. 

            Once inside the building, Kuehne and others in the group made their way to the Crypt. Kuehne and others in the group maneuvered a portable lectern to block police from closing a door in the Crypt that would have prevented the group from moving further throughout the building. Kuehne and others then moved from the Crypt to the Capitol Visitor Center and eventually left the building through the Senate Wing Door. Kuehne later deleted materials from his phone that he had sent to others in the group and encouraged others to do the same. 

            A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

            The case is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas. 

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Kansas City and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In the 32 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,146 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 398 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.

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