Month: March 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday has sentenced Jeffrey Davis (24, Tampa) to 24 years in federal prison and Tyee Spike (19, Tampa) to 26 years and 3 months for robbing multiple stores at gunpoint. Spike was sentenced on January 13, 2022, and Davis was sentenced on March 23, 2022. Davis had pleaded guilty on March 4, 2021, and Spike had pleaded guilty on August 12, 2021.

According to court documents, between October 13 and 19, 2020, Davis and Spike committed a series of commercial armed robberies in Tampa, Fishhawk, and Riverview. Firearms were brandished during each robbery. During the first robbery, an individual confronted Spike, and Spike shot him in the stomach. The victim remained hospitalized for 12 days but survived. Prior to the robbery spree, Spike committed a carjacking to obtain the getaway vehicle the men used for the robberies. The robbery spree ended with a high-speed chase, in which the defendants crashed the getaway vehicle before being apprehended. At the time of the defendants’ arrests, their getaway vehicle contained a “list of criminal achievements and/or ambitions,” which itemized various houses and personal possessions, and under the heading “Licks,” included the names and locations of several commercial establishments.

In the year prior to the robbery spree, Spike had been convicted of battery on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon, resisting an officer with violence, grand theft motor vehicle, two counts of robbery, and burglary of an unoccupied conveyance. 

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Tampa Police Department, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Callan Albritton and former Assistant United States Attorney Natalie Adams.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

NOTE: To see U.S. Attorney Sellinger’s announcement, click here.

NEWARK, N.J. – U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today the creation of a Civil Rights Division whose sole focus will be the enforcement of federal civil rights laws in New Jersey. The new division, which will report directly to the U.S. Attorney and the U.S. Attorney’s front office, will enforce both civil and criminal civil rights laws. The division will also engage with local community members, advocacy groups, and other federal and state agencies to protect civil rights. This is the first and largest division in the district’s history to focus entirely on enforcing and protecting civil rights.

“No one should ever be subject to acts of discrimination or hate because of where they are from, what they look like, whom they love, or how they worship,” said U.S. Attorney Sellinger. “Hate crimes and unlawful bias incidents are antithetical to the core principles underlying our democracy, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will do all it can to combat these threats to constitutional and civil rights. The Department of Justice was founded to protect the civil rights guaranteed by the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. Building on this legacy, I am creating a Civil Rights Division within the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which will focus all its efforts on protecting and upholding the civil rights of those in our community. To that end, I have nearly doubled the number of civil and criminal attorneys who will carry out this important mission – all of whom will work together in this newly created division.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Civil Rights Division will be led by Division Chief Michael E. Campion. It will combine the Office’s longstanding Civil Rights Unit, which conducted civil enforcement as part of the Office’s Civil Division, with seasoned federal prosecutors from the Office’s Criminal Division, who will focus on federal criminal civil rights prosecutions. By increasing the number of attorneys dedicated to civil rights enforcement and merging civil and criminal civil rights enforcement into one Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will be able to prioritize and coordinate protecting and advancing civil rights for all in New Jersey.

The Civil Rights Division will continue the Office’s past efforts – often in partnership with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division – in bringing criminal civil rights prosecutions, as well as its efforts in bringing civil enforcement actions involving discrimination, fair housing, fair lending, the rights of institutionalized persons, police misconduct, voting rights, and the rights of veterans and servicemembers. Significant actions taken by the Office to advance civil rights in New Jersey include:

• A consent decree to end unlawful sexual harassment by an Elizabeth landlord who required sex acts in exchange for housing benefits from numerous women and gay or bisexual men; this historic settlement provided for the largest victim compensation fund in the Justice Department’s history of sexual harassment in housing matters;

• A consent decree to end a pattern or practice of Eighth Amendment violations and protects prisoners from sexual abuse by facility staff at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women.

• A Letter of Findings in the investigation into the Cumberland County Jail for failing to take measures to prevent inmate suicides, including the failure to provide medication to treat opioid use disorder.

• A consent decree to reform the Newark Police Department’s unconstitutional practices.

• Settlement agreements with the Union County and Ocean County Boards of Election under the Americans with Disability Act to ensure that voters with disabilities have access to polling places.

• Guilty pleas by several Paterson Police officers for violating civil rights, using excessive force, and filing false police reports.

• Settlements with several municipalities to end religious discrimination and burdens on the practice of religion resulting from unlawful zoning ordinances and zoning denials regarding mosques, synagogues, and other houses of worship.

• A consent decree with Hudson City Savings Bank to end redlining and pay $27 million to ensure equal lending services to predominantly Black and Hispanic communities.

• A consent decree with New Jersey’s student lending authority to provide damages to servicemembers who were subjected to unlawful default judgments with respect to student loans.

• A settlement with Newark Public Schools to require the district to provide effective English learner services.

Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations through the https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/civil-rights-enforcement or may call the U.S. Attorney’s Civil Rights Hotline at (855) 281-3339.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that an Oglala, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.

Aric Singing Goose, a/k/a Eric Sharpfish, age 34, was indicted on March 8, 2022.  He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta L. Wollmann on March 25, 2022, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to ten years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  Restitution may also be ordered.

The Indictment alleges that Singing Goose, a person required to register as a sex offender by reason of conviction under federal law, knowingly failed to register and update his registration.  The allegations include various dates beginning on or about May 27, 2021, and ending on or about December 1, 2021, while living in the District of South Dakota.

The charges are merely accusations and Singing Goose is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Abby Roesler is prosecuting the case.   

Singing Goose was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial.  A trial date has not been set.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Manderson, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for one count of Sexual Abuse and two counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor.

John Joseph White Plume, Sr., age 50, was indicted on October 21, 2021.  He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on February 23, 2022, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is lifetime imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine, up to life of supervised release, and a $300 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  Restitution may also be ordered.

The charges relate to White Plume knowingly engaging in and attempting to engage in sexual acts with a minor female at Manderson in March 2021.

The charges are merely accusations and White Plume is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

The investigation is being conducted by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen is prosecuting the case.

White Plume was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial.  A trial date has been set for May 3, 2022.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

DETROIT, MI – Timothy Edmunds, the former Financial Secretary-Treasurer of Local 412 of the United Auto Workers union, pleaded guilty today to embezzling $2.2 million in union funds and to money laundering, announced U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison.

Joining in the announcement are Irene Lindow, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, Josh Hauxhurst, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit, Michigan office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sarah Kull, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit, Michigan office of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, and Thomas Murray, District Director, U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Labor-Management Standards.

Timothy Edmunds, 54, of South Lyon, Michigan, pleaded guilty to Counts 1 and 3 of the Indictment, to the crimes of embezzling union funds and money laundering, respectively, before United States District Judge Sean Cox.

Between 2011 and 2021, Edmunds served as the Financial Secretary-Treasurer of union Local 412 of the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Workers of America (“UAW”). UAW Local 412 is headquartered in Warren, Michigan, and it represents approximately 2,600 members employed by the automaker FCA US LLC, which is owned by Stellantis N.V. The local union’s members include many of those employed at the following Stellantis facilities located within the Detroit area: Sterling Stamping Plant, Mack Engine Plant, Warren Truck Assembly Plant, Warren Stamping Plant, and Jefferson Assembly Plant.

As an elected officer of UAW Local 412, Edmunds was responsible to hold Local 412’s money and property solely for the benefit of the organization and its members and to manage, invest, and expend the funds in accordance with the UAW constitution and Local 412 bylaws. Instead, Edmunds systematically drained the Local 412 accounts of $2.2 million by (1) using Local 412 debit cards for over $142,000 in personal purchases, (2) cashing Local 412 checks worth $170,000 into accounts he personally controlled, and (3) transferring $1.5 million from bona fide Local 412 accounts into accounts that he personally controlled. Edmunds then converted the funds for his own personal use.

To conceal his theft from other UAW officers and the Local 412 members, Edmunds created false bank statements and caused false Department of Labor (“DOL”) reports to be filed with the U.S.
DOL. Edmunds supplied the fake bank statements to international UAW auditors in an effort to conceal his embezzlement.

Evidence indicates that Edmunds used portions of the proceeds of his embezzlement to gamble extensively, to purchase firearms, and to purchase various high-end vehicles. For example, between 2018 and 2020, Edmunds used the UAW Local 412 debit card to make over $30,000 in unauthorized withdrawals at the Greektown Casino. While gambling at the Greektown Casino, records indicate that Edmunds had cash buy-ins of over $1 million, and he put over $16 million in play while gambling at the casino.

Based on his conviction for embezzling union funds, Edmunds faces a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. For money laundering, Edmunds faces a maximum of ten years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Under the terms of the parties’ Rule 11 Plea Agreement, Edmunds faces a sentencing guideline range of between 46 to 57 months in prison. Edmunds also will owe $1.9 million in restitution to the UAW. Although Edmunds embezzled $2.2 million in UAW funds, Edmunds returned approximately $300,000 in stolen UAW funds before his crimes were discovered.

Edmunds is the seventeenth defendant convicted in connection with the ongoing criminal investigation into corruption within the UAW or relating to illegal payoffs to UAW officials by FCA executives. The following other individuals have already pleaded guilty to their participation in the scheme and have been sentenced: former UAW President Gary Jones (28 months), former FCA Vice President for Employee Relations Alphons Iacobelli (66 months), former FCA Financial Analyst Jerome Durden (15 months), former Director of FCA’s Employee Relations Department Michael Brown (12 months), former senior UAW officials Virdell King (60 days), Keith Mickens (12 months), Nancy A. Johnson (12 months), Monica Morgan, the widow of UAW Vice President General Holiefield (18 months), former UAW Vice President Norwood Jewell (15 months), former senior UAW official Michael Grimes (28 months), former UAW Midwest CAP President Edward “Nick” Robinson (12 months), former UAW Vice President Joseph Ashton (30 months), former UAW President Dennis Williams (21 months) and former UAW Region 5 Director UAW Board member Vance Pearson (12 months). The company, FCA US LLC, now known as Stellantis, pleaded guilty in January 2021 to conspiring to violate the Taft-Hartley Act, and was ordered to pay a fine of $30 million and be subject to an outside Monitor for three years. Former senior UAW official Jeffrey Pietrzyk passed away before being sentenced.

In December 2020, the United States filed a civil lawsuit against the International UAW under the Anti-Fraud Injunction Act based on the criminal investigation of the UAW, FCA US LLC, and FCA’s executives. Subsequently, the United States and the International UAW entered into a Consent Decree to settle the lawsuit that was approved by the U.S. District Court. The Court has appointed attorney Neil Barofsky to serve as the Independent Monitor of the UAW for six years. The Monitor is tasked with providing federal oversight of the UAW concerning fraud, corruption, and misconduct within the UAW.

U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison commended the outstanding work of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Labor-Management Standards and Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in conducting a comprehensive criminal investigation into labor corruption activities involving a vital sector of the local and national economy.

“The hard-working men and women of the UAW deserve leaders dedicated to serving the best interests of the membership,” said United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison. “Today’s conviction demonstrates our zealous pursuit of those who would seek to take advantage of their positions of trust within the UAW to steal and defraud union members.”

“Timothy Edmunds engaged in a multifaceted scheme to embezzle funds from UAW Local 412 and conceal his crimes from the union’s membership. He embezzled approximately $2 million to personally enrich himself at the expense of dues-paying UAW 412 members. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect the financial integrity of labor organizations,” stated Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge, Chicago Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.

“By stealing money from the union, Tim Edmunds betrayed the UAW members who elected him to serve on their behalf,” said Josh Hauxhurst, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office. “The FBI will continue to work with our federal partners to root out corruption from the UAW and other labor unions.”

“Mr. Edmunds is yet another example of a UAW official enriching himself at the expense of the UAW membership. IRS Criminal Investigation will continue working with our law enforcement partners to vigorously investigate allegations of fraud involving UAW officials.” said Special Agent in Charge Sarah Kull, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Detroit Field Office.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Gardey.