Month: April 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that three defendants  have been sentenced in U.S. District Court in Lafayette, Louisiana, on drug and firearms charges.

Chief United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr. sentenced two of the defendants as follows:

Desmond Francois, 32, of Houston, Texas, was sentenced to 120 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. On May 11, 2017, officers with the Lafayette Police Department initiated a bus interdiction at the Greyhound Bus Station located in downtown Lafayette, Louisiana. Law enforcement officers boarded the bus and identified themselves and told the passengers the purpose of their stop. While searching the bus, officers observed that on row 6, there were two black backpacks on the floor, a silver purse, and a gray hoodie and phone on the seat. Directly above that seat was a red and black plaid bag. When all passengers re-boarded the bus and returned to their seats, row 6 remained empty. Officers asked all passengers if the items belong to anyone present and none claimed them. However, one of the passengers told the officer that he saw the male and female from row 6 run when they saw law enforcement boarding the bus. The male was later identified as Francois. Inside the backpack from row 6 was approximately ten kilograms of cocaine and a Greyhound bus ticket for passenger Desmond Francois. Further investigation confirmed that Francois was associated with a drug trafficking organization in the Houston area that has a history of drug trafficking in Louisiana.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Lafayette Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamilla A. Bynog.

Lionel Hill, Jr., 41, of Port Arthur, Texas, was sentenced to 60 months in prison, followed by 4 years of supervised release, on drug trafficking charges.  Officers with the New Iberia Police Department stopped a vehicle being driven by Hill on May 6, 2021 for a traffic violation. Hill consented to a search of his person and officers located 50.6 grams of a substance containing fentanyl and 28.7 grams of a substance containing methamphetamine. Hill admitted to officers that he possessed the narcotics with the intent to distribute them. Lab reports later confirmed that the substance contained a detectable amount of fentanyl. On October 21, 2021, Hill pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute over 40 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of N-phenyl-N-[1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-piperidinyl] propanamide, a Schedule II narcotic controlled substance.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the New Iberia Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Vermaelen.

United States District Judge David C. Joseph sentenced Jacob Wilson Zirlott, 39, of Franklin, Louisiana, to 70 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. On June 19, 2017, officers with the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant on Zirlott’s residence. During their search, deputies located an AR-15 firearm in the living room, along with several magazines located next to the firearm and drug paraphernalia. Zirlott admitted that the gun belonged to him even though he was a convicted felon and knew he was prohibited from possessing any firearm. Zirlott has prior felony convictions for robbery in Florida (1999) and aggravated second degree battery in Louisiana (2010).

The case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Nickel.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

Gulfport, Miss. – A Hattiesburg man was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for using actual force or violence to steal a firearm from Academy Sports + Outdoors, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

According to information presented to the Court, on November 6, 2021, Cody Jerome Cooley, 23, visited Academy Sports + Outdoors in Gulfport. Cooley approached the gun counter and asked to see one of the handguns, a Springfield Armory XDM Elite.  The clerk gave Cooley the firearm to examine. Cooley later motioned towards another handgun in the display case. When the clerk turned his head to look at the gun, Cooley looked both ways, struck the clerk in the face with the Springfield Armory handgun, and fled from the store. This was all captured on surveillance footage.

After he fled from the store with the stolen handgun, armed civilians apprehended Cooley in a nearby restaurant parking lot. Post Miranda, Cooley admitted to taking the gun and striking the clerk.  The clerk that was struck by Cooley had to receive medical care for his injuries.

Cooley pled guilty on January 11, 2022, to unlawfully obstructing, delaying, and affecting interstate commerce by robbery.

“The United States Attorney’s Office along with its federal, state and local partners is dedicated to prosecuting those who commit violent crimes in our communities. In this case, justice was swift. The residents of Gulfport deserve no less,” said United States Attorney Darren J. LaMarca.

Gulfport Police Deputy Chief Craig Petersen stated: “We at the Gulfport Police Department are committed to reducing gun violence in our city. Because of the partnerships with the Drug Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we successfully took a violent individual off the streets who could have participated in callous acts with a stolen firearm in our community. Continued efforts such as the Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative are essential in making Gulfport a safer place to live and work.”

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Gulfport Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Buckner prosecuted the case.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

A Louisiana man was sentenced today to three years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $1,000 fine for possession of an animal in an animal fighting venture.

Clay Turner, 61, of Loranger, pleaded guilty to possession of an animal for use in an animal fighting venture on June 30, 2021. According to court documents, Turner possessed and trained dogs for the purpose of having them participate in animal fighting ventures. On telephone calls obtained via court-authorized wiretaps, Turner and others discussed gambling on dog fights, arranging and participating in dog fights, sponsoring and exhibiting dogs in dog fights, training and housing dogs for the purposes of dog fighting, commerce in and transport of fighting dogs, and the promotion of dog fights.

In October 2017, a federal law enforcement team consisting of agents from the Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and other agencies executed a search warrant on Turner’s residence in Loranger. During the search, 33 dogs were found on the property, many of which had injuries, scarring and fresh wounds. Law enforcement also discovered a large collection of dog fighting paraphernalia, including:

• a water tank equipped to force dogs to swim to condition them for fighting;
• an electrified prod used in conjunction with the water tank;
• two treadmills equipped to force dogs to run to condition them for fighting;
• ledgers containing the weights and prices of dogs;
• “break sticks” and “flirt poles,” training equipment intended to enhance dogs’ jaw strength;
• pedigrees for the fighting dogs Turner bred; and
• photographs of dogs in inhumane conditions.

“Dog fighting is a particularly cruel form of animal abuse,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Turner bred dogs solely to abuse them, through inhumane training methods and violent fights that left them scarred, severely injured, or dead. These dogs deserved better. As this prosecution demonstrates, those who engage in this abhorrent conduct will be brought to justice.”

“This case lifts the veil on the brutal realities associated with this heinous activity,” said U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans of the Eastern District of Louisiana. “This federal crime exploits animals for the sake of human entertainment and ill-gotten financial gains. Collectively, local, state and federal law enforcement partners are actively engaged in ending this criminal industry by holding accountable perpetrators who engage in dog fighting and rescuing victimized dogs from this appalling pastime.”

“The provisions of the Animal Welfare Act were designed to protect animals from being used in illegal fighting ventures, which often entail other forms of criminal activity involving drugs, firearms, and gambling,” said Special Agent-in-Charge, Dax Roberson of USDA-OIG. Together with the Department of Justice, animal fighting is an investigative priority for USDA-OIG, and we will work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and assist in the criminal prosecution of those who participate in animal fighting ventures.”

“Animal cruelty is a heinous crime that deserves our ultimate condemnation and serious legal consequences for those who engage in it for ‘sport’ and/or profit,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Williams Jr. of the FBI New Orleans Field Division. “Today’s sentencing should serve​as a reminder to those like Mr. Clay Turner who commit such criminal activity, that they will be held accountable. For their outstanding cooperation and great work, we thank our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Louisiana, the Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General, and the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section in the criminal prosecution of those who participated in animal fighting ventures.” 

Trial Attorneys Matthew D. Evans, Christopher Hale and former Senior Trial Attorney Jennifer L. Blackwell of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Shih for the Eastern District of Louisiana prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

A U.S. citizen who conspired to provide services to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea), including technical advice on using cryptocurrency and blockchain technology to evade sanctions, was sentenced to 63 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

According to court documents, Virgil Griffith, 39, began formulating plans as early as 2018 to provide services to individuals in the DPRK by developing and funding cryptocurrency infrastructure there, including to mine cryptocurrency. Griffith knew that the DPRK could use these services to evade and avoid U.S. sanctions, and to fund its nuclear weapons program and other illicit activities.

Pursuant to the IEEPA and Executive Order 13466, U.S. persons are prohibited from exporting any goods, services or technology to the DPRK without a license from the Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

In April 2019, Griffith traveled to the DPRK to attend and present at the “Pyongyang Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Conference” (the DPRK Cryptocurrency Conference). Even though the Department of State had denied Griffith permission to travel to the DPRK, Griffith delivered presentations at the DPRK Cryptocurrency Conference, tailored to the DPRK audience, knowing that doing so violated sanctions against the DPRK.

At the DPRK Cryptocurrency Conference, Griffith and his co-conspirators provided instruction on how the DPRK could use blockchain and cryptocurrency technology to launder money and evade sanctions. Griffith’s presentations at the DPRK Cryptocurrency Conference had been approved by DPRK officials and focused on, among other things, how blockchain technology such as “smart contracts” could be used to benefit the DPRK, including in nuclear weapons negotiations with the United States. Griffith and his co-conspirators also answered specific questions about blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies for the DPRK audience, including individuals whom Griffith understood worked for the North Korean government.

After the DPRK Cryptocurrency Conference, Griffith pursued plans to facilitate the exchange of cryptocurrency between the DPRK and South Korea, despite knowing that assisting with such an exchange would violate sanctions against the DPRK. Griffith also attempted to recruit other U.S. citizens to travel to North Korea and provide similar services to DPRK persons and attempted to broker introductions for the DPRK to other cryptocurrency and blockchain service providers. At no time did Griffith obtain permission from OFAC to provide goods, services or technology to the DPRK.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division and U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York made the announcement.

The FBI’s New York Field Office investigated the case, with valuable assistance provided by the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, Office of International Affairs, and the Singapore Police Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly Ravener and Kyle A. Wirshba for the Southern District of New York and Trial Attorney Matthew J. McKenzie of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Hattiesburg, Miss. – A Mexican citizen was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge David L. Denton of  Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans.

Martin Ruiz-Amayo, 41, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today.  In addition to his term of imprisonment, he was ordered to pay $5,100 in fines and special assessment, and to serve 3 years of supervised release after completion of his prison sentence.  Additionally, after completion of his prison sentence, Ruiz-Amayo will be subject to removal proceedings by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security 

Ruiz-Amayo pleaded guilty and was convicted of the offense on November 4, 2021. 

According to court records, on June 3, 2021, the Homeland Security Investigations, Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) and Jones County Sheriff’s Office agents conducted a controlled purchase from Ruiz-Amayo, for approximately one ounce of methamphetamine for $800 in Laurel, Mississippi.  Ruiz-Amayo said he could provide additional meth at lower prices and noted the quality of the methamphetamine. 

Record checks revealed that Ruiz-Amayo is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States with a prior removal history. Ruiz-Amayo also has been known as Martin Ruiz.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Jones County Sheriff’s Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Harris.