Month: March 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

DES MOINES, IA – On March 23, 2022, Darrius Decnan Redd, age 33, of Manchester, was sentenced in federal court to 45 years in prison for sex trafficking an adult victim by force, fraud, and coercion; five years for facilitation of prostitution; and 40 years for distribution of a controlled substance to a person under the age of 21. The sentences are to run concurrently (i.e., at the same time). A jury unanimously convicted Redd of those crimes in September 2021.

According to evidence presented at the four and a half-day trial and court documents submitted for sentencing, Redd used deceptive and coercive tactics as well as physical force to compel a victim to engage in sex acts in exchange for money. Redd kept all the proceeds from the victim’s sex acts. Redd trafficked the victim in Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Clive, and surrounding areas in March 2020. Redd also supplied the victim with a controlled substance and posted advertisements for paid sex acts with the victim and other women on an escort website.

Redd’s sex trafficking pursuits were not limited to one victim. Evidence at trial suggested Redd trafficked or attempted to traffic multiple women. Witnesses testified that Redd targeted vulnerable and broken women whom he could traffic and he had boasted about doing so for years. To recruit women for purposes of sex trafficking, Redd, among other things, plied the women with drugs, made video recordings of the women engaged in sex acts to use as blackmail, lied to the women about his intentions, and told the women that they owed him or others money. 

At sentencing, United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger ruled that, during the commission of his crimes, Redd had raped two women. She found further Redd had physically restrained those women and he had abducted them against their will. She also noted Redd had failed to express any remorse for his actions and he had lied while testifying at trial.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This investigation was conducted by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Clive Police Department, University of Iowa Police Department, Iowa City Police Department, Manchester Police Department, Iowa Department of Corrections, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement. The Des Moines Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation participated in trial presentation. Assistant United States Attorneys Amy L. Jennings and Kyle J. Essley, along with Former Assistant United States Attorney Virginia Bruner, prosecuted the case with the assistance of Victim Witness Specialist Charlotte Kovacs.

Human trafficking is a crime involving the exploitation of youth under the age of 18 for commercial sex; the exploitation of adults for commercial sex through the use of force, fraud, or coercion; and the exploitation of any individual for compelled labor. Human trafficking does not require the transportation of individuals across state lines, or that someone is physically restrained. Signs that a person is being trafficked can include working excessively long hours, unexplained gifts, physical injury, substance abuse issues, running away from home, isolation from others, or having a person in their life controlling them or monitoring them closely. Victims particularly susceptible to being trafficked include those with criminal histories, a history of physical or sexual abuse, uncertain legal status, and dependency on controlled substances. Individuals who purchase sex from minors or from those who are otherwise exploited for commercial sex are also subject to prosecution for sex trafficking under federal law, if they knew or were in reckless disregard of the fact that they were under the age of 18, or that force, fraud, or coercion was used.

Anyone who suspects human trafficking is occurring, be it a minor engaging in paid sex acts, or anyone being coerced into prostitution or labor, is urged to call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

DANVILLE, Va. – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia is partnering with Danville’s Project Imagine, a life skills instruction and work-readiness program that provides at-risk and gang-affiliated individuals with education, intervention, and training.

The two organizations will team-up on the evening of March 30, 2022, at Averett University in Danville for a youth training event.

“The work of Project Imagine aligns perfectly with the Department of Justice’s emphasis on community outreach, and our Project Safe Neighborhoods’ initiative,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said. “While the Department will, of course, prioritize prosecution of the most violent offenders in a community, we also recognize the role we play in partnering with community groups that are preventing young people from ever getting involved in criminal activity in the first place. For me, preventing crime is just as important as a prosecution.”

On March 30, Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Swartz, Coordinator of Project Safe Neighborhoods for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Virginia, will explain to the program’s youths the general concepts of liability under federal law, to include the concepts of conspiracy and aiding and abetting.

“The goal of both our organizations is for our youth  to understand how to avoid dangerous behavior they might otherwise view as ‘just helping out’ a friend,” U.S. Attorney Kavanaugh said. “We are thrilled to partner with Project Imagine on March 30 and at similar events beyond.”

Project Imagine is a nationally-recognized violence intervention program in Danville for individuals ages 21 and under that seeks to give teens a future off the streets by giving a positive “image” in the mind of the youth so that he or she can “imagine” a life without gangs or crime.

“It’s impossible to make an educated decision with erroneous information,” said Robert David, Senior, Youth Services and Gang Violence Prevention Coordinator at Project Imagine. “Our hope is that the truth overrides any myths about federal law and gang life, and a better decision will be the outcome.”

More information about the project may be found here:  www.danville-va.gov/2012/Project-Imagine

Source: United States Department of Justice News

INDIANAPOLIS – Carl Lee, 45, of Indianapolis, was recently sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.

According to court documents, in June 2018, federal and local law enforcement were investigating the drug trafficking activities of Lee. Lee was selling large quantities of crystal methamphetamine in and around the Indianapolis area. Lee supplied roughly a pound of methamphetamine to various individuals who would then sell the drug to their customers. Between September 2016 and May 2018, Lee repeatedly utilized nominees to send the drug proceeds back to his California based source of supply. Lee was assisted in his drug trafficking activities by his brother, Lewis Thurman, who was charged separately, pled guilty, and was sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for his related drug trafficking activity.

Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, and Justin Campbell, IRS Criminal Investigation, Special Agent in Charge, Chicago Field Office made the announcement.

The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the Carmel Police Department investigated this case. The Hamilton/Boone County Drug Task Force, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives provided valuable assistance. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson. As part of the sentence, Judge Magnus-Stinson ordered that the defendant be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 5 years following his release from federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle P. Brady who prosecuted this case.

This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Today, the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are issuing a rule to improve and expedite processing of asylum claims made by noncitizens subject to expedited removal, ensuring that those who are eligible for asylum are granted relief quickly, and those who are not are promptly removed.

The rule authorizes asylum officers within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to consider the asylum applications of individuals subject to expedited removal who assert a fear of persecution or torture and pass the required credible fear screening. Currently, such cases are decided only by immigration judges within the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR).

Due to existing court backlogs, the process for hearing and deciding these asylum cases currently takes several years on average. When fully implemented, the reforms and new efficiencies will shorten the process to several months for most asylum applicants covered by this rule.

“This rule advances our efforts to ensure that asylum claims are processed fairly, expeditiously, and consistent with due process,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “It will help reduce the burden on our immigration courts, protect the rights of those fleeing persecution and violence, and enable immigration judges to issue removal orders when appropriate. We look forward to receiving additional input from stakeholders and the public on this important rule.”

“The current system for handling asylum claims at our borders has long needed repair,” said Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “Through this rule, we are building a more functional and sensible asylum system to ensure that individuals who are eligible will receive protection more swiftly, while those who are not eligible will be rapidly removed. We will process claims for asylum or other humanitarian protection in a timely and efficient manner while ensuring due process.”

Under the rule, individuals who receive a positive credible fear determination will receive a timely interview with an asylum officer to elicit all relevant and useful information about their asylum claim. Following an interview, USCIS will decide whether to grant asylum, and, if necessary, determine the applicant’s eligibility for withholding of removal or protection under the Convention Against Torture (CAT).

Any individual who is not granted asylum by USCIS will be referred for a removal proceeding before an immigration judge. The rule establishes streamlined procedures for these removal proceedings, designed to promote efficient resolution of the case.

The rule will not apply to unaccompanied children, and it will only apply to individuals who are placed into expedited removal proceedings on or after its effective date. The rule will be implemented in phases, starting with a limited number of individuals and subsequently expanding as the USCIS Asylum Division receives additional resources and builds capacity.

This rule modifies the NPRM’s proposal in response to public comments received following the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) issued by DHS and the Department of Justice in August 2021. The rule will be effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. The Departments encourage further public comment on the rule during the 60-day comment period for the Departments to consider. Details for submitting public comments are in the rule.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Frederick J. Haresign, age 62, of Oswego, New York pled guilty yesterday to possessing child pornography. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Matthew Scarpino, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo Field Office.

As part of his guilty plea, Haresign, a school bus driver, admitted that, in 2017, he provided a minor child who rode on his bus with nicotine and other gifts in exchange for the child creating sexually explicit images and videos and providing those images and videos to Haresign. Haresign admitted that he possessed those images and videos in 2017 so that he could view them.

Sentencing is set for July 20, 2022, before Chief United States District Court Judge Glenn T. Suddaby. If the Court accepts the parties’ plea agreement, Haresign will be sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment to be followed by 20 years of supervised release. In addition, the court could impose a fine of up to $250,000 and order restitution to the victim. Haresign will have to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statute the defendant violated, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

This case is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the New York State Police: Fulton Bureau of Criminal Investigations, and Troop D Computer Crimes Unit. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Gadarian in coordination with the Oswego County District Attorney’s Office as part of Project Safe Childhood.

Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.