Month: May 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

TOPEKA, KAN. – A Nebraska man pleaded guilty to one count of use of a firearm during a crime of violence.

According to court documents, in February 2021, Cody Deichen, 26, of Hastings, Nebraska, admitted to aiding and abetting in the brandishing and use of a home built .223 caliber AR-15 style rifle during a bank robbery at Guaranty State Bank on South Main Street in Burr Oak, Kansas.

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 27.

The FBI and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Walton is prosecuting the case.

###
 

Source: United States Department of Justice News

CAMDEN, N.J. – A Cumberland County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 168 months in prison for conspiring to commit wire and money laundering, and tax evasion, in connection with a romance fraud scheme, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Rubbin Sarpong, 38, of Millville, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb to an information charging him with conspiring to commit wire fraud, conspiring to commit money laundering and tax evasion. Judge Bumb imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From January 2016 to Sept. 3, 2019, Sarpong and his conspirators, several of whom reside in Ghana, allegedly participated in an online romance scheme, defrauding victims in New Jersey and elsewhere. Sarpong and the conspirators set up dating profiles on various dating websites, using fictitious or stolen identities and posing as United States military personnel who were stationed overseas. They contacted victims through the dating websites and then pretended to strike up a romantic relationship with them. After establishing virtual romantic relationships with victims on the online dating platforms and via email, the conspirators asked them for money, often for the purported purpose of paying to ship gold bars to the United States. Although the stories varied, most often Sarpong and the conspirators claimed to be military personnel stationed in Syria who received, recovered, or were awarded gold bars. The conspirators told many victims that their money would be returned once the gold bars were received in the United States. 

Sarpong and the conspirators used several email accounts and Voice Over Internet Protocol phone numbers to communicate with victims and instruct them on where to wire money, including recipient names, addresses, financial institutions, and account numbers. At least 40 identified victims wired money to Sarpong and others in the United States, including to 13 bank accounts controlled by Sarpong, some of which were in the names of his friends, relatives, and a fictitious business entity, Rubbin Sarpong Autosales. Occasionally, victims also mailed personal checks or cashier’s checks to the conspirators and also transferred money to the conspirators via money transfer services, such as Western Union and MoneyGram. The funds were not used for the purposes claimed by the conspirators – that is, to transport non-existent gold bars to the United States – but were instead withdrawn in cash, wired to other domestic bank accounts, and wired to other conspirators in Ghana.

While engaged in this fraud, Sarpong purchased property in Ghana and posted photographs of himself on social media showing him with large amounts of cash, high-end cars, designer clothing and expensive jewelry. Despite having received approximately $1.14 million in taxable income from the scheme during tax years 2016 through 2018, Sarpong filed no income tax returns and paid no income tax, resulting in a tax loss of $387,923.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Bumb sentenced Sarpong to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution of $3.08 million to 36 victims, $387,923 to IRS, $4,096 to the New Jersey Department of Health and Human Services and $6,903 to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, Atlantic City Resident Agency, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Messenger in Newark; special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina in Newark; special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Tammy Tomlins in Newark; and special agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Thomas Mahoney, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diana Vondra Carrig of the U.S Attorney’s Office in Camden.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Ronald DeWitt Vines, 50, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced to 13 years in prison and five years of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Paul S. Diamond for an armed robbery he and his accomplices, who were two of his sons, attempted to carry out in Bucks County in late 2017.

In August 2021, the defendant pleaded guilty to charges of attempted armed bank robbery, and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, in connection with his attempt to commit the armed robbery of the PNC Bank branch on Buck Road in Holland, PA, in November 2017. To execute the robbery, Vines’ son, Elijah Vines (who was previously sentenced to five years and one month in prison), placed a handgun against the side of a bank employee’s head, forcing her to open the bank door as she arrived for work that morning. A second bank employee screamed when she realized the bank was being robbed. Vines and his accomplices, sons Elijah and Solomon Vines, quickly fled the bank in a getaway vehicle before being stopped by Northampton Township Police Officers responding to a 911 call. A search by officers of the getaway vehicle uncovered one loaded semi-automatic handgun, one loaded rifle, and two body armor vests.

“This defendant terrified and threatened the lives of bank employees who were just attempting to do their jobs, and he convinced his sons – young men with their whole lives ahead of them – to help him pull it off,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “The simple fact is that this family is a danger to the community. This case demonstrates why our All Hands On Deck initiative is so important: we are investigating and prosecuting the most violent criminals to get them off the streets and behind bars.”

The case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Northampton Township Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney José R. Arteaga.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

MINNEAPOLIS – U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger, along with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, today announced a new federal strategy to address violent crime in the Twin Cities metro area.

“Violent crime is at an all-time high in the Twin Cities. We have before us an urgent task. Every Minnesotan deserves the right to live safely and securely, without fear of shootings, car jackings, and violence,” said U.S. Attorney Luger. “This new strategy is designed to bring swift justice to our communities and to the victims of violent crimes. But it is also designed as a signal to violent offenders to stop. This violence cannot continue – it is causing far too much fear, too much pain and too much heartbreak for families and our community.”

The federal violent crime strategy announced today establishes expanded capacity within the U.S. Attorney’s Office to prosecute violent crime cases. Every federal prosecutor in the office will now take on violent crime cases. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will also be hiring additional prosecutors to assist in these efforts. With this expanded capacity, the office will prioritize the intake of all adult federal carjacking cases; cases involving the illegal possession of firearms and/or ammunition; firearms trafficking cases; straw purchasing cases; as well as cases involving the illegal possession of auto sears and ghost guns. Finally, U.S. Attorney Luger has created a new gang prosecution team that will work directly with law enforcement in addressing the gang violence that is plaguing the metro.

ATF Special Agent in Charge William J. McCrary stated, “I can say without a doubt that our agents are ready and enthused about working alongside U.S. Attorney Luger and his team on this violent crime initiative. We have already identified numerous violent offenders throughout the Twin Cities and other key areas in Minnesota. We are hot on the trails of many individuals who have done violence and those who arm them- who deal in the illegal firearms trade.”

“I commend U.S. Attorney Luger for his renewed focus and priority on violent crime. The FBI is specifically leveraging its Violent Crimes Task Force and its Safe Streets Task Force in the fight against violent crimes and criminal gang activity,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Paul. “To those who are committing these senseless act of violence, we will find you, we will take you off the street and you will be held accountable.”

U.S. Attorney Luger announced several recently unsealed cases:

• Desmond Durelle Graham, 32, of Minneapolis, has been charged in a federal criminal complaint with carjacking and kidnapping. According to court documents, on March 10, 2022, Graham and his co-defendants carjacked and kidnapped a victim who was held, beaten, and brutalized for hours. During the kidnapping Graham set his co-defendant on fire after he became was unresponsive. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Minneapolis Police Department. ( graham_complaint.pdf)

• Dovyion Daquay Glass, 31, of Minneapolis, has been charged in a federal criminal complaint with possession of a firearm as a felon. According to court documents, on March 23, 2022, Glass was in possession of a Glock model 42 .380 caliber semiautomatic pistol. Because of his previous felony convictions, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition at any time. According to a law enforcement affidavit, Glass was involved in a March 5, 2022, shooting outside a bar in St. Paul. Glass fired multiple rounds at people standing outside the bar. One of the bullets struck a man in the chest. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the ATF and the St. Paul Police Department. ( glass_complaint.pdf)

• Nicholas James Bell, 23, of Minneapolis, has been charged in a federal criminal complaint with possession of a machine gun. According to court documents, on February 17, 2022, law enforcement agents intercepted a package sent from China that contained pieces of 21 Glock switches or auto sears. Agents also found that Bell had received four previous shipments from the same company in China over a two-month timeframe. Bell was later found in possession of a handgun outfitted with an auto sear, 70 rounds of ammunition, and seven additional auto sears. This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, CBP, ATF, and the Blaine Police Department. ( bell_complaint.pdf)

• Jay James Olson, 21, of Sauk Rapids, has been charged in a federal criminal complaint with manufacturing firearms without a license and possession of a machine gun. According to court documents, law enforcement learned that Olson was manufacturing and selling “ghost guns” as well as selling large quantities of other firearms throughout the Metro area. Throughout the investigation, law enforcement seized from Olson multiple ghost guns, high-capacity magazines, a silencer, several unserialized gun kits, and other firearms and accessories. This is the result of an investigation conducted by the ATF, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, the Hennepin County Violent Offender Task Force, and the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office. ( olson_complaint.pdf)

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Obtained personal identifying information of more than 20,000 Americans to submit fraudulent claims for more than $2 million in federally funded payments since 2017