Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Five Members of Robeson County Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced

RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that today in federal court, Chief United States District Judge James C. Dever III sentenced five members of a Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) operating in Robson County, responsible for shipping and distributing large quantities of cocaine and marijuana within the Eastern District of North Carolina.  The following sentences were handed down on today’s date:

MITCHELL RAY LOCKLEAR, 55, of Maxton, North Carolina was sentenced to 180 months imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release.

TIMMY LLOYD HUNT, 43, of Maxton, North Carolina was sentenced to 120 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release.

BRANDON DARRIS LOCKLEAR, 36, of Maxton, North Carolina was sentenced to 60 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release.

ARCHIE LYNN STRICKLAND, 41, of Fairmont, North Carolina was sentenced to 60 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release.

TORREY LOCKLEAR, 38, of Maxton, North Carolina was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release.

The defendants were named in an Indictment filed on April 11, 2017 charging them with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute marijuana, cocaine, and cocaine base (crack).  Four additional defendants are pending sentencing in this case.

The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).  Additional assistance was provided by the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the North Carolina National Guard, and the United States Department of Agriculture.  Assistant United States Attorney Lawrence J. Cameron is prosecuting the case for the government.    

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Boys And Girls Club Shooter Sentenced On Federal Robbery And Gun Charges

CONTACT:      Barbara Burns
PHONE:         (716) 843-5817
FAX:            (716) 551-3051
 
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Johnny Blackshell, Jr., 23, Rochester, NY, was sentenced to 147 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa based upon his November 2017 plea to Hobbs Act Robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. The defendant was also ordered to serve five years of post-release supervision if he is released from state prison. Blackshell was previously sentenced in state court to life in prison without parole for the murders of Johnny Johnson, Raekwon Manigault, and Jonah Barley during a mass shooting outside the Boys & Girls Club of Rochester on August 19, 2015.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas E. Gregory, who handled the case, stated that on August 10, 2015, at approximately 3:20 a.m., Blackshell and co-defendant Joseph Lowry entered the 7-Eleven convenience store located on Lake Avenue in Rochester intending to rob both cash and goods. After entering the store, the defendant and Lowry jumped over the service desk and ordered the employees to the ground. Blackshell then pointed a silver handgun at the victim’s head and instructed the victim to open the cash register. Lowry took $80 in United States currency from the cash register. In addition to the money, Blachshell and Lowry took an unknown quantity of cigarettes, tobacco, chewing gum, and numerous rolls of New York State scratch-off lottery tickets. The two then left the store and ran eastbound towards Lake Avenue.  Several of the stolen lottery tickets were later redeemed, and attempted to be redeemed, as winners. Blackshell received monies for the winning lottery tickets. 

Lowry was previously convicted and sentenced to 128 months in prison.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ashan Benedict, New York Field Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent–in-Charge Kevin Lyons, and the  Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Ciminelli. 

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: St. Louis County Man Sentenced for Scamming Individuals

St. Louis, MO – David E. Schultz was sentenced to 96 months in prison for wire fraud.  Schultz was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $452,376.00.   

David E. Schultz defrauded multiple victims by falsely stating that he could provide various legal remedies to them.  He demanded victims provide him cash or assets, such as jewelry, gold, silver, and other items of value that could quickly be converted into cash in exchange for future services. Schultz demanded victims borrow money from their family members or open lines of credit in order to provide him with money in exchange for future services.

As part of his fraudulent scheme, Schultz developed a relationship with victim R.R.  Victim R.R. was a St. Louis pharmacist whose pharmacology license was suspended in 2014.  David E. Schultz falsely represented to Victim R.R. that he was a non-practicing attorney who worked closely with a Saint Louis area attorney.  Schultz told R.R. that in exchange for payments, he would be able to obtain a “Letter of Exoneration” from the Missouri Board of Pharmacy and broker a lucrative lab-testing contract with the Missouri Department of Corrections. Victim R.R. paid David E. Schultz approximately $50,000 for services which were never provided and which David E. Schultz never intended to provide.

He also developed a relationship with victim E.B.  Victim E.B. owned and operated a health care products distribution firm and was convicted of health care fraud in 2015. David E. Schultz falsely represented to Victim E.B. that he was a non-practicing attorney who worked closely with a Saint Louis area attorney.  David E. Schultz represented to Victim E.B. that in exchange for payments, he would be able to have E.B.’s conviction overturned.  In July 2016, David E. Schultz presented to Victim E.B. two fraudulent and forged documents falsely representing that E.B.’s conviction was overturned.  Victim E.B. paid David E. Schultz approximately $81,000 for services which were never provided.

Schultz also developed a relationship with Victim D.G.  Victim D.G. was convicted of health care fraud in 2014.  David E. Schultz falsely represented to Victim D.G. that in exchange for payments, he would have D.G.’s conviction “expunged” and falsely represented that he was in close contact with the Federal District Court Judge who sentenced Victim D.G.  Victim D.G. paid David E. Schultz approximately $17,000 for services which were never provided.

Schultz also developed a relationship with Victim O.G.  Victim O.G. was the sister of Victim D.G.  David E. Schultz falsely represented to Victim O.G. that he was working with attorneys to secure her brother’s release from prison.  David E. Schultz also falsely represented to Victim O.G. that upon Victim D.G’s release from prison, he intended to open several Dollar Stores with Victim D.G.  David E. Schultz represented to Victim O.G. that in exchange for payments, he would pay attorneys to have her brother released from prison and pay for hotel and meal expenses for Dollar Store executives that he hosted.  Victim O.G. paid David E. Schultz approximately $22,000 for services which were never provided.

Schultz developed a relationship with Victim R.J.  Victim R.J. was a former cardiologist convicted of health care fraud in 2002 and 2009. David E. Schultz falsely represented to Victim R.J. that he was working with attorneys to reinstate Victim R.J.’s medical license.  David E. Schultz falsely represented to Victim R.J. that in exchange for payments, he would pay his personal attorney, V.A., to secure “immunity” for Victim R.J. Additionally, David E. Schultz falsely represented that he would pay attorneys to testify for R.J. during the medical license reinstatement process; hire private investigators; and make court-ordered restitution payments on R.J.’s behalf. Victim R.J. paid David E. Schultz approximately $162,000 for services which were never provided.

Furthermore, Schultz developed a romantic relationship with Victim S.M.  David E. Schultz falsely represented to Victim S.M. that he was a “hard money lender” and was a wealthy real estate investor.  David E. Schultz promised to marry Victim S.M. and provide her with a lifetime of financial security.  David E. Schultz represented to Victim S.M. that he needed to borrow money from her only until he received several large cash payments from his overseas accounts.  Victim S.M. drained her own saving and retirement accounts, borrowed money from her parents, borrowed money from her siblings and opened credit accounts to generate money for David E. Schultz.  In total, Victim S.M. paid David E. Schultz approximately $120,000.

Schultz, 50, of St. Louis County, pled guilty in November to two felony counts of wire fraud.  He appeared today for sentencing in front of U.S. District Judge Ronnie White.

The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Dianna Collins is prosecuting the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Michigan Men Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute Oxycodone and a Firearm Offense

LEXINGTON, Ky., – Two Detroit men have been sentenced to federal prison for drug and firearm offenses.  U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves formally sentenced each, on Friday, February 2, 2018.   

Marcella Lorenzo Dunbar, 37, was sentenced to 105 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and being a felon in possession of a firearm. 

Gerald Jones, 31, was sentenced to 51 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute oxycodone.

Dunbar and Jones previously admitted that they had traveled from Detroit to Winchester in late 2016, and began selling oxycodone to local users.  Dunbar also admitted renting a house in Winchester so that he and Jones could sell oxycodone.  When arrested, Dunbar and Gerald Jones were found in possession of 1,550 oxycodone pills for sale, a firearm, and $4,750 in drug proceeds.  Dunbar also admitted that he had previously been convicted of a felony and was prohibited from possessing a firearm.  Dunbar and Jones pleaded guilty to the charges in October 2017.

Under federal law, Dunbar and Jones must serve 85 percent of their prison sentences; and, upon release, they will be under the supervision of the United States Probation Office for 5 years and 3 years, respectfully.

Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Michael Klinger, Field Office Director, Department of Homeland Security, Detroit; Richard Sanders, Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; and Clark County Sheriff Berl Perdue, Jr., jointly announced the sentences.

These cases were prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.   Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority.   In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001. 

The Department of Homeland Security, Kentucky State Police, and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Roger W. West represented the United States.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Laredo Couple Sentenced for Methamphetamine Conspiracy

LAREDO, Texas – A man and woman from Laredo have been ordered to prison following their convictions of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Roberto Rodriguez, 30, and his girlfriend Maria Del Carmen Sarabia, 33, pleaded guilty July 6 and Sept. 7, 2017, respectively.

Today, visiting U.S. District Judge Hilda G. Tagle found Rodriguez to be a leader, organizer or supervisor and ordered him to serve 121 months in prison, while Sarabia received a 70-month-term of imprisonment. They will serve three and two years of supervised release following their sentences, respectively.  

On Jan. 12, 2017, police officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle Rodriguez was driving. Sarabia was riding as a passenger. Inside the vehicle were methamphetamine crystals scattered on and around the driver’s seat after a failed attempt to toss the package out of  the window. Rodriguez was taken into custody. Following his arrest, authorities also searched their apartment which resulted in the discovery of a bag of methamphetamine which was packaged for distribution. 

Authorities later reviewed calls between Rodriguez and Sarabia which revealed discussions of distributing additional methamphetamine still hidden at their apartment. A subsequent search of the apartment resulted in the recovery of additional narcotics. Sarabia was then taken into custody and also charged in the conspiracy.

Law enforcement eventually recovered a total of 228 grams of methamphetamine between Jan. 12 and Jan. 19, 2017.

The couple have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Laredo Police Department and the Webb County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney José Angel Moreno prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Registered Sex Offender Detained on Child Pornography Charge

PROVIDENCE, RI –  A registered sex offender serving lifetime federal supervised release, having been convicted of possession and distribution of child pornography in 2011, and sentenced to 84 months in federal prison followed by lifetime supervised release, was ordered detained in federal custody today, less than 5 months after completing his term of incarceration on a criminal complaint charging him with possession child pornography.

Robert L. MacGregor, 55, of Providence, was arrested by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents and members of the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children ( RI ICAC) task force earlier today, following an investigation that determined that MacGregor was allegedly in possession of approximately 100 images of child pornography.

According to court documents, during a routine home visit on January 24, 2018, a United States Probation Officer allegedly observed inappropriate materials on MacGregor’s cell phone.  A subsequent forensic examination of the phone by members of the RI ICAC task force allegedly revealed approximately 100 images of child pornography. 

MacGregor’s arrest and detention are announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch; Michael S. Shea, Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI for New England; and Colonel Ann C. Assumpico, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police.

Possession of child pornography in this matter (2^nd offense) is punishable by statutory penalties of a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, with a maximum penalty of 20 years of incarceration; lifetime supervised release; and a fine of up to $250,000.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

MacGregor was ordered detained by U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. McAdams.

###

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Warm Springs Woman Pleads Guilty to Assault with Intent to Commit Murder of Two Family Members

PORTLAND, Ore. – On Wednesday, February 7, 2018, Rhyan Leigh Smith, 26, of Warm Springs, Oregon, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to two counts of assault with the intent to commit murder in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 113(a) and 1153, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c).

According to court documents, in the early morning hours of March 16, 2016, Smith returned to a house she had periodically resided in with five of her family members. At approximately 8:00 a.m., Smith retrieved a pistol she had taken from the owner without permission. Smith conversed briefly with a family member in doorway of the family member’s bedroom before shooting him five times. A second family member heard the gunshots and tried to stop Smith, but Smith shot her multiple times. Both victims suffered life-threatening injuries.

The Warm Springs Police Department and the FBI responded to the house and found Smith hiding in sagebrush near the house with an AR-15 assault rifle. Investigators later found a camouflage rifle bag with multiple AR-15 magazines, loose ammunition and a 9mm pistol in a vehicle at the house.

Smith faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 21, 2018 before United States Chief District Court Judge Michael W. Mosman.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Warm Springs Police Department and prosecuted by William Narus and Craig Gabriel, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

On March 3, 1994, the FBI initiated “Operation Safe Trails” with the Navajo Department of Law Enforcement in Flagstaff, Arizona. The operation, which would later evolve into the Safe Trails Task Force (STTF) Program, unites FBI and other federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies in a collaborative effort to combat the growth of crime in Indian Country. STTFs allow participating agencies to combine limited resources and increase investigative coordination in Indian Country to target violent crime, drugs, gangs, and gaming violations.

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: 25 Members And Associates Of Bronx Gang Charged In Manhattan Federal Court With Narcotics Trafficking

Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, James P. O’Neill, the Commissioner of the Police Department for the City of New York (“NYPD”), Angel M. Melendez, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), Ashan M. Benedict, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (“ATF”), and James J. Hunt, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), announced charges today against 25 members and associates of the “Hooly Gang,” a crew operating primarily in the vicinity of Fox Street and Leggett Avenue in the Bronx, New York.  The defendants are charged with narcotics conspiracy in Superseding Indictment S1 17 Cr. 449 (KPF).

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “The defendants are charged with narcotics conspiracy.  What they allegedly did was annex a residential neighborhood, including two playgrounds, and make it a virtual open-air bazaar for dangerous and potentially lethal drugs.  We commend our partners at the NYPD, HSI, ATF, and DEA for working together to restore our neighborhoods to the law-abiding people who deserve to live without fear of gangs and the violence they often bring.”

NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill said:  “As alleged, the defendants in this case plied their poison, including heroin and oxycodone, across two Bronx playgrounds, endangering the lives of many in the neighborhood.  Our focus on crime—and violence—is unwavering.  And it is exhibited clearly in today’s action.  I am thankful for the efforts of detectives, agents, and prosecutors whose work resulted in the arrest of dozens this morning and the unsealing of this superseding indictment.”

HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Angel M. Melendez said:  “The individuals arrested during this operation are alleged to sell crack and heroin around playgrounds.  They have a clear disregard for law enforcement and clearly no regard for the communities in which they live.  HSI and its law enforcement partners will continue to arrest and remove gang members, like those today, off our city streets.”

ATF Special-Agent-in-Charge Ashan M. Benedict said:  “The Hooly Gang and its members, as alleged, turned playgrounds into open air drug markets where narcotics were more common than the sights and sounds of children laughing and playing.  Thank you to all of the federal, state and local partners that helped create a force multiplier effect to help rid the streets of violent narcotics traffickers thus sending a message to the community that the rule of law runs the streets. I would like to extend my gratitude to the United States Attorney’s Office for their work in prosecuting the case.” 

DEA Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt said:  “Allegedly, the Hooly Gang was a feared drug supplier in the Longwood section of the Bronx.  Their products – ranging from crack, heroin, marijuana, and oxycodone – invited gang wars into the surrounding communities and enabled drug addiction.  This unique law enforcement partnership, targeting gang violence in our city, led to today’s arrests.” 

According to the Superseding Indictment[1] unsealed today in Manhattan federal court and other publicly filed documents:

The Superseding Indictment arises from a joint investigation, beginning in 2017, by the NYPD, HSI, DEA, and ATF into a crew operating in the vicinity of Fox Street and Leggett Avenue in the Bronx called the “Hooly Gang.”  Members and associates of the Hooly Gang operated an open-air drug market in this residential neighborhood – including within and around two playgrounds – and sold, among other things, crack, heroin, oxycodone, and marijuana.  In order to protect its drug turf and advance its aims, members and associates of the Hooly Gang also committed acts of violence, including shootings.

*                   *                  *

Defendants arrested in New York yesterday and early this morning will be presented later this afternoon in Manhattan federal court.  Defendant MELVIN ALSTON is presently in custody on state charges and will be transferred to federal custody.  Defendants ANTHONY RODRIGUEZ, a/k/a “Ant,” ROBERTO JORGE, and GIOVANNI TORRES are already in federal custody on related charges.

Each defendant is charged with one count of narcotics conspiracy, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.  The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencings of the defendants would be determined by the judge.

The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla. 

Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the NYPD’s Bronx Gang Squad, HSI’s Violent Gang Unit, ATF’s Joint Firearms Task Force, and the New York Field Division of the DEA, as well as the United States Marshals’ Service and the New York State Division of Parole for their assistance in today’s arrests.  He also thanked the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office and the New York City Department of Investigation for their support in the investigation of this matter.

The Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit is overseeing the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel Maimin, Jessica Feinstein, and Danielle Sassoon are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Superseding Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.