Month: April 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

BIRMINGHAM – On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge L. Scott Coogler sentenced three Oklahoma sisters to prison for convictions related to a shooting in Walker County in 2018, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr. 

In July 2021, a federal jury convicted the Tulsa, Oklahoma sisters of various crimes related to shots fired at a Florida resident and his wife as they sat in their car at a rural Walker County convenience store. 

Tierzah Mapson, 29, was sentenced to 60 months in prison for conspiracy to commit interstate stalking and discharging of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, two counts of interstate domestic violence and two counts of interstate stalking.

Elisa Mapson, 25, and Charis Mapson, 33, each were sentenced to 120 months in prison for conspiracy to commit interstate stalking and discharging of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and two counts of stalking. 

Testimony at trial showed that Tierzah Mapson and the male victim had a child together in 2013.  In June of 2018, the child’s father and his wife, also a victim, were planning to meet Tierzah Mapson halfway between their home in Orlando, Florida, and her home in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to take temporary custody of the child.  The victims and Tierzah Mapson agreed to meet on June 18th at a rural convenience store in Eldridge, Alabama, northwest of Jasper.

Testimony and evidence established that the couple drove to Alabama on June 18th, believing that Tierzah Mapson and the child were driving from Oklahoma.  While they waited at the store for over four hours, they received text messages from Tierzah Mapson explaining delays in her travel.  Around 5:40p.m, the victims heard shots, one of which came through the trunk of their car, hitting the child’s father in the shoulder and lodging in his chest.  Store security video showed that as he made two attempts to get out of the car, additional shots hit the ground on his side of the vehicle.  After the two took cover inside the store, the shooting stopped.  The wounded father was later transported to a Tuscaloosa hospital where his wound was treated and determined to be nonlife-threatening. It was later determined that the shots were fired by a rifle from a wooded hill behind a nearby church. 

“These convictions are the result of a collaborative  effort by a multitude of agencies, both here and outside the district,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said.  “ I commend all those who were involved in bringing these defendants to justice.”

“I applaud the sentences handed down today, as the Mapsons showed no regard for human life as they carried out their conspiracy,” SAC Sharp said.  “This case is a perfect example of how law enforcement can combine resources and efforts to bring violent criminals to justice.”    

The FBI North Alabama Violent Crime Task Force and the Walker County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case with assistance from the Walker County District Attorney’s Office, the Orlando, Tulsa, and Eureka-Fortuna (CA) offices of the FBI, the Orlando Police Department, the Hoover Police Department, the Tennessee Valley Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory, and the FBI Electronic Device Analysis Unit at Quantico, Virginia.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alan Baty and Jonathan Cross prosecuted the charges.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Note: Still images of surveillance video showing defendant Thomas Daniels pointing firearm appear at end of this release.

Miami, Florida – A Homestead man who held two people at gun-point, shot them, and stole their car and jewelry has been found guilty by a South Florida federal jury of carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury, discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and possessing ammunition by a convicted felon.  He faces life in prison.

Assistant United States Attorneys Elena Smukler and Dayron Silverio proved at trial that on February 14, 2020, Thomas Daniels showed up at a tow yard in Homestead, Florida, and attempted to break into a car parked just outside the yard.  When he could not get in, Daniels approached the owners of the car who were inside the yard.  Daniels pointed a gun at them, demanding that they hand over their jewelry and other items.  One victim turned around and, with his back to Daniels, started to unclasp and remove his necklace.  Daniels lost patience, shot the victim in the neck, and proceeded to yank the necklace from the victim’s collapsed body.  As that was taking place, the second victim ran, trying get away.  He was not successful.  Daniels chased the second victim and shot him multiple times.  Daniels robbed the second victim of his keys, which Daniels used to steal the car that he had earlier tried to enter.  The two gunshot victims survived.  A law enforcement investigation led to the arrest of Daniels.  

Judge Robert N. Scola, Jr. will sentence Daniels at 8:30 a.m., on June 13, in federal district court in Miami. 

Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Christopher A. Robinson, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Office, announced the guilty verdict.

ATF Miami investigated the case, with assistance from the Homestead Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elena Smukler and Dayron Silverio are prosecuting the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Paster is handling asset forfeiture.

This case stems from Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  In 2017, PSN was reinvigorated as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 20-cr-20138.

Screenshots, Part of Government’s Trial Exhibit 2:

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today the conviction of JULIO MARQUEZ-ALEJANDRO, a/k/a “Chino,” and LUIS BLONDET for racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, murder while engaged in a drug crime, and murder through the use of a firearm.  After less than a day of deliberations, the unanimous jury convicted MARQUEZ-ALEJANDRO and BLONDET yesterday of every count presented to the jury after a three-week trial before U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman.  

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said:  “Yesterday’s verdict brings justice for the more than a dozen victims of the defendants’ years-long campaign of brutal violence.  Using murder after murder and bribery of corrupt Puerto Rico police officers, the defendants profited from distributing tons of cocaine throughout Puerto Rico and other places in the United States, including drugs sold out of a children’s daycare center in the Bronx. Thanks to the tremendous work of our law enforcement partners and the career prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, the defendants’ reign of terror has ended.”

According to the Indictment and the evidence at trial:

MARQUEZ-ALEJANDRO was one of the founding fathers of La Organization de Narcotraficantes Unidos, or La ONU, a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, from in or about 2004 to in or about 2016, dozens of murders, the bribery of corrupt police officers in Puerto Rico, and the distribution of thousands of kilograms of cocaine, including the shipment of cocaine from Puerto Rico to New York. Cocaine supplied by La ONU was distributed in New York City, including out of a children’s daycare center in the Bronx. BLONDET was a member of La ONU and one of MARQUEZ-ALEJANDRO’s closest allies.

On or about April 9, 2005, BLONDET murdered Crystal Martinez-Ramirez. After Martinez-Ramirez refused BLONDET’s advances, BLONDET shot Martinez-Ramirez in the head twice and dumped her body on a street corner in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

On or about December 28, 2006, Israel Crespo-Cotto was murdered on the orders of MARQUEZ-ALEJANDRO because Crespo-Cotto was believed to be cooperating with law enforcement. MARQUEZ-ALEJANDRO’s assassins killed Crespo-Cotto, a double amputee, while he was sitting in his wheelchair in the Manuel A. Perez public housing projects in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Crespo-Cotto was shot 24 times.

On or about March 20, 2009, Carlos Barbosa was murdered on the orders of MARQUEZ-ALEJANDRO because Barbosa was believed to be plotting to seize power from MARQUEZ-ALEJANDRO.  Barbosa was shot over a dozen times while getting his hair cut at a barbershop in Levittown, Puerto Rico.

In addition, evidence was presented at trial of MARRQUEZ-ALEJANDRO and BLONDET ordering, committing, or otherwise participating in more than a dozen other murders, some of which include:

On or about May 9, 2007, members of La ONU, including MARQUEZ-ALEJANDRO,  hired corrupt Puerto Rico police officers to participate in the murder of Anthony Castro-Carrillo in Carolina, Puerto Rico, in exchange for a cash bonus.  Members of La ONU and two corrupt cops stormed Castro-Carrillo’s residence while dressed as police officers and shot and killed him.

MARQUEZ-ALEJANDRO, BLONDET, and other members of La ONU arranged for the murder of Hommysan Cariño-Bruno, a leader of a rival drug organization, paying a driver to kill Cariño-Bruno and providing a firearm.  Cariño-Bruno was shot and killed while inside a van on or about April 29, 2008, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

On or about November 27, 2009, Emanuel Correa Romero, a/k/a “Oreo,” was murdered on the orders of MARQUEZ-ALEJANDRO.  Members of La ONU beat Correa Romero until he appeared dead.  After the assault, members of La ONU placed Correa Romero’s body into a suitcase, and later reported back that they shot the suitcase dozens of times and then lit it on fire.

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MARQUEZ-ALEJANDRO, 52, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and BLONDET, 47, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, were returned to the custody of the U.S. Marshals following the return of the verdict. MARQUEZ-ALEJANDRO and BLONDET were convicted of racketeering conspiracy, which carries a maximum of life in prison. With respect to the murder of Crystal Martinez-Ramirez, BLONDET was convicted of murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison, and murder through the use of a firearm, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of life in prison, which must run consecutively to any other term of imprisonment imposed. With respect to the murders of Israel-Crespo-Cotto and Carlos Barbosa, MARQUEZ-ALEJANDRO was convicted of two counts of murder in aid of racketeering, each of which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison; two counts of murder while engaged in a drug crime, each of which carries a mandatory minimum of twenty years in prison and a maximum of life in prison; and two counts of murder through the use of a firearm, each of which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and maximum sentence of life in prison, which must run consecutively to any other term of imprisonment imposed.

The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.

Mr. Williams praised the investigative work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jamie E. Bagliebter, Peter J. Davis, Jacob R. Fiddelman, and Justin V. Rodriguez are in charge of the prosecution and represented the Government at trial. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jordan Estes, Andrew Thomas, Lara Pomerantz, Allison Nichols, and Dina McLeod also participated in the investigation and prosecution of the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA — David James Allison, 33, of Bluffton, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for production of child pornography.

Evidence presented to the Court showed that on January 4, 2020, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call regarding the alleged sexual assault of a 22-month-old by David James Allison.  Allison admitted to assaulting the victim approximately five times between September 2019 and December 2019, and live streaming these assaults over Skype. 

Investigators determined that Skype communications were tied to an IP address in Littlehampton, West Sussex, United Kingdom. Subsequent investigation by the Sussex Police identified Andrew McPherson-Young, 52, of West Sussex, United Kingdom, as a subject in this matter.  McPherson-Young admitted to Sussex Police that he directed Allison on how to sexually assault the victim while McPherson-Young watched the assaults over Skype.  McPherson-Young is currently being prosecuted in the United Kingdom.

United States District Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks sentenced Allison to 360 months in federal prison, to be followed by a lifetime term of court-ordered supervision.  There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Dean H. Secor prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.

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