Month: April 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

BILLINGS — A Billings man accused of trying to coerce and entice a girl he believed to be a minor into engaging in sexual activity during an undercover investigation admitted to charges on April 7, U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said today.

Jason Robert Kroepelin, 32, pleaded guilty to attempted coercion and enticement. Kroepelin faces a mandatory minimum 10 years to life in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years to life of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. Judge Watters set sentencing for Aug. 17. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other sentencing factors. Kroepelin was detained pending further proceedings.

In court documents, the government alleged that in late October 2021, Kroepelin posted an advertisement on the internet seeking a young female for sexual purpose. In response, an undercover FBI employee, using a fictitious persona, contacted Kroepelin about a young girl, also fictitious, who was available.

Kroepelin and the undercover employee exchanged messages, engaged in sexually explicit conversation about the fictitious girl and agreed to meet at a property in Billings. Kroepelin also contacted a social media account purportedly belonging to the fictitious girl and sent a picture of himself. On Oct. 28, Kroepelin was arrested when he arrived at an agreed upon location in Billings. Kroepelin had condoms and lubricant in his pocket and a cellular phone showing his communication with the undercover employee.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Billings Police Department, Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office and the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force.

This case was initiated under the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative, which was launched in 2006 to combat the proliferation of technology-facilitated crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children. Through a network of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and advocacy organizations, Project Safe Childhood attempts to protect children by investigating and prosecuting offenders involved in child sexual exploitation. It is implemented through partnerships including the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The ICAC Task Force Program was created to assist state and local law enforcement agencies by enhancing their investigative response to technology facilitated crimes against children.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

Yakima, Washington – Chief U.S. District Judge Stanley Bastian has sentenced David Reyes, 30, of Kennewick, Washington, to 120 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin. As part of the sentence, Chief Judge Bastian also imposed a period of five-years’ federal supervised release. Reyes’s drug trafficking activities occurred primarily in the Tri-Cities area (Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland, Washington).

According to information disclosed during court proceedings, Reyes was arrested on drug trafficking charges in March 2021. At that time, the Washington Department of Corrections (“DOC”) was supervising Reyes for multiple convictions in Washington state court. During a March 11, 2021 search of Reyes’s home, DOC officers seized approximately 350 grams of methamphetamine, a number of fentanyl-laced pills, and 280 grams of heroin inside a sweatshirt, which was in Reyes’s bedroom. DOC also recovered a digital scale and several thousands of dollars in U.S. Currency. Reyes is a known member of the Sureno Gang. He goes by the moniker, “Lil’ Monster.”

“The seamless partnership of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pasco Police Department, and Washington Department of Corrections lead directly to the apprehension of this Sureno Gang Member, who was distributing deadly narcotics while on state supervision,” U.S. Attorney Waldref stated. “These types of federal, state, and local partnerships, coupled with community engagement, are necessary to rid our communities of this dangerous poison, thereby making our communities safer and stronger.” U.S. Attorney Waldref continued, “Today’s sentence will remove Mr. Reyes from our community for 10 years, sending a powerful signal that our office continues to vigorously prosecute those who distribute deadly narcotics in Eastern Washington.”

“The fact that Mr. Reyes previously served time in prison was no deterrent to reoffending.” said Special Agent in Charge Donald M. Voiret of the FBI’s Seattle Field Office. “This sentence will keep him from distributing drugs into our communities for the next decade. I want to thank our investigators and partners on the Southeast Washington Safe Streets Task Force for their work on this case.”

This case was prosecuted under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. The OCDETF program provides supplemental federal funding to the federal and state agencies involved in the investigation of drug-related crimes. This OCDETF investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s

Safe Streets Task Force in Tri-Cities Washington, Pasco Police Department, and Washington Department of Corrections.

This case was prosecuted by Caitlin A. Baunsgard, Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Yakama, Washington – Chief U.S. District Judge Stanley Bastian has sentenced Jesus B. Zavala-Alvarez, 28, of Kennewick, Washington, to 135 months in federal prison for his role in guarding a stash house, where the Drug Enforcement Administration (D.E.A.) seized over 8 pounds of methamphetamine, 64 ounces of liquid methamphetamine and 19,000 deadly fentanyl-laced pills, along with a loaded firearm. Zavala-Alvarez was also sentenced to serve five years on federal supervision if he is allowed to remain in the United States. Zavala-Alvarez’s drug trafficking organization operated primarily out of the Tri-Cities area, which includes Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland, Washington.

According to information disclosed during court proceedings, DEA Tri-Cities and the Tri-City METRO Drug Task Force identified a transnational drug trafficking organization operating in and around the Tri-Cities. DEA agents identified Zavala-Alvarez during an investigation into two of his codefendants – Daniel Hernandez and Jessie Mendoza. During the investigation, Zavala-Alvarez delivered two pounds of methamphetamine as part of a controlled buy. This led agents to Zavala-Alvarez’s residence in Kennewick, Washington. Upon the execution of a federal search warrant at Zavala-Alvarez’s residence in April 2020, agents seized a large stash of narcotics, which included over 19,000 fentanyl-laced pills. Hernandez and Mendoza were later arrested and found to be in possession of more than 20,000 fentanyl-laced pills, approximately 5 pounds of methamphetamine, and several ounces of heroin. Hernandez and Mendoza were also in possession of multiple firearms.

At the sentencing proceedings in the case, Chief Judge Bastian noted Zavala-Alvarez’s substantial role in the organization, including that he was entrusted to safe keep a large cache of drugs, while armed with a loaded firearm. Chief Judge Bastian also acknowledged that this was Zavala-Alvarez’s first felony offense, but because of the seriousness of the case, imposed a sentence of 135 months in federal custody.

U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref commended the law enforcement team who investigated the case, leading to the prosecution of Zavala-Alvarez and his co-defendants. She stated, “Fentanyl is a poison being pumped into our communities at an unprecedented rate with devastating effects. Even trace amounts in a fentanyl-laced pill can kill a person. I am grateful to for the state, federal, and local law enforcement officers who work together on a daily basis to identify the large-scale suppliers of this dangerous drug. Through these joint efforts to curb the distribution of fentanyl, we are building safer and stronger communities in Eastern Washington.”

“The Zavala-Alvarez’s drug trafficking organization was flooding our city streets with their methamphetamine and poisonous fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills, marketed as legitimate prescription pills to unsuspecting victims of the Tri-Cities community,” said Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent-in-Charge DEA Seattle Field Division. “Our neighborhoods are under siege from the criminal drug networks who use guns and violence to push these fake pills to the most vulnerable people in our communities. The drug and gun evidence seized in this investigation are examples of the link between violence and drug trafficking, which is responsible for causing the most harm in the United States. With the assistance of our law enforcement partners and the community, we will continue to drive down the overdoses and violence that are negatively impacting the people of Tri-Cities and their quality of life.”

This case was prosecuted under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. The OCDETF program provides supplemental federal funding to the federal and state agencies involved in the investigation of drug-related crimes.

This case was investigated by the DEA Tri-Cities Office, Border Patrol, the Tri-City METRO Drug Task Force, Kennewick Police Department, Richland Police Department, and Pasco Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Stephanie Van Marter, Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia Hernandez Covington has sentenced Anthony Wayne Smith (58, Bradenton) to 18 months in federal prison for manufacturing counterfeit currency. The Court also ordered Smith to forfeit a firearm and ammunition found during a search of his house. Smith had pleaded guilty on January 14, 2022.

According to the plea agreement, Smith manufactured U.S. Federal Reserve notes at his home in Bradenton. During the execution of a search warrant at Smith’s residence, law enforcement officers recovered, among other things, a large quantity of counterfeit notes hidden throughout the residence, texturized printing paper, and printers. Additionally, Smith’s laptop computer contained digital images of U.S. Federal Reserve notes that had been used in the production and manufacture of counterfeit currency.

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David W.A. Chee.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Several Large-Scale Distributors Charged in Federal Court as Part of Ongoing Efforts to Target the Distribution of Fentanyl in Eastern Washington