Month: May 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

 

Memphis, TN – United States Attorney Joseph C. Murphy Jr., and United States Marshal Tyreece Miller today announced Operation “River Run,” a joint federal, state, and local law enforcement initiative that resulted in the arrest of 43 violent fugitives in West Tennessee. These individuals were arrested on a variety of criminal charges, including possession of drugs, homicide, illegal possession of firearms by prohibited persons, violation of federal supervised release, state probation and parole violations, burglary, sex crimes and aggravated assault. This coordinated effort to reduce violence was led by the United States Marshals Service.

In February 2022, the Department of Justice announced that it will be working with each United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) to enhance collaborative violent crime reduction efforts by providing resources to support violent crime priorities at the local level. These initiatives will incorporate the pillars of community engagement, prevention, strategic enforcement, and accountability. These four core principles will be the framework that the USAOs will use to serve the local communities in partnership with our federal, state, local and tribal colleagues.

The United States Marshals (USMS) Task Forces nationwide work in collaboration with their federal, state, local and tribal partners to enforce the rule of law through impactful violent crime reduction strategies. Last year alone, USMS Task Forces apprehended approximately 6,000 violent fugitives wanted for homicide and removed approximately 6,900 firearms from the street.

Operation River Run commenced on April 1, 2022 and concluded on April 30, 2022. The coordinated and targeted areas included Dyer, Lake, Lauderdale, Obion, and Tipton Counties. 43 fugitives were arrested; 44 warrants cleared; seven firearms seized; 20 rounds of ammunition seized; $8,945 in cash; 0.751 kg of narcotics seized; and three gang members identified.

“Violent criminal acts wreak havoc in communities throughout our district. Recognizing this fact, reduction in violent crime is a priority for our office. We will work with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to apprehend and prosecute individuals who commit violent crimes. Our goal in this effort is safer communities and we believe that this goal is achievable,” said United States Attorney Joseph C. Murphy Jr.

“Through Operation River Run, the U.S. Marshals Service and our partners made a concerted effort to address criminal activity in more rural areas of West Tennessee. Fugitives may believe they can hide away from law enforcement resources and support larger cities may offer, but they are mistaken. Offenders should be on notice that we stand ready to address violent crime wherever it may be.” said United States Marshal Tyreece Miller.

The following agencies participated in Operation “River Run”:

United States Marshals Service

United States Attorney’s Office

United States Probation Services

Atoka Police Department

Bells Police Department

Drug Enforcement Administration

Dyersburg Police Department

Halls Police Department

Henning Police Department

Hornbeak Police Department

Martin Police Department

Memphis Police Department

Jackson Police Department

Dyer County Sheriff’s Office

Fayette County Sheriff’s Office

Lake County Sheriff’s Office

Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office

Obion County Sheriff’s Office

Shelby County Sheriff’s Office

Tipton County Sheriff’s Office

Weakley County Sheriff’s Office

Tennessee Department of Correction

Tennessee Highway Patrol (Jackson Office)

Tennessee Highway Patrol (Memphis Office)

Texas Department of Public Safety

Additional information about the United States Marshals Service can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

Denver – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces Ignacio Godinez-Mancilla, age 30, of Mexico, was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

According to the plea agreement, on January 15, 2019, detectives with the North Metro Drug Task Force arranged for an order of six pounds of methamphetamine and ten ounces of heroin from the defendant.  The defendant arrived at a location in Aurora arranged by detectives with the requested drugs, as well as over $1500 in cash, where he was placed under arrest.  After being granted bond in the state case arising from these events, the defendant failed to appear for court proceedings and remained in warrant status until his apprehension by federal authorities in this case over two years later.

“We appreciate the work our partners are doing at the local, state and federal levels to take drug traffickers like this defendant off the streets,” said U.S Attorney Cole Finegan. “We cannot and will not allow these illicit drugs to continue to flood our communities. They are dangerous and can be deadly.”

“Drug trafficking cases remain a high priority for the FBI. In this case, the defendant was prepared to sell methamphetamine and fled to avoid prosecution. This lengthy sentence is a result of the common goals and valuable partnerships the FBI has with local and federal law enforcement agencies to stem the distribution of illegal drugs and make our communities safer,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael H. Schneider.

“While we are in the midst of a prolific nationwide drug crisis and fentanyl is the leading cause of overdose deaths, we serve well to remember that methamphetamine and heroin are still readily available and deadly drugs,” said DEA Denver Field Division Special Agent in Charge Brian Besser. “This sentencing should be a clear message to those that push their poison in our communities that DEA and our law enforcement partners will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute anyone who traffics illicit drugs in the Rocky Mountain Region.”

“The investigation of drug traffickers is critical in our fight to reduce the surging violent crime in communities throughout Colorado,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, Special Agent in Charge, HSI Denver. “The men and women of HSI Denver are working tirelessly with our law enforcement partners and will remain laser focused in our joint efforts to bring individuals like Godinez-Mancilla to justice and stop the flow of illegal drugs.”

“Our priority is to identify and remove noncitizens who pose a threat to public safety in Colorado like Godinez-Mancilla,” said Tracey Cammorto, Acting Field Office Director, ERO Denver. “We are thankful our federal law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office continue to work with us in the interest of public safety to stop the flow of illegal drugs in our community.”

Judge Daniel D. Domenico sentenced the defendant on May 11, 2022, to 11 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the North Metro Drug Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration.  The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations assisted in the prosecution of the case, which was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Cyrus Y. Chung.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (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.

Case number 21-cr-340-DDD

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

BOSTON – A Lawrence man was arrested yesterday on fentanyl distribution charges.

Rafael Sierra-Baez, 42, was charged with five counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Following an initial appearance yesterday before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Marianne B. Bowler, Sierra-Baez was detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for May 25, 2022.

According to the charging documents, on five separate occasions between Feb. 22, 2022 and May 4, 2022, Sierra-Baez sold suspected fentanyl to a law enforcement cooperating witness in Methuen.

The charge of distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Dell’Anno of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

HAMMOND- Raheri Boyd, 45 years old, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon, on his plea of guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Boyd was sentenced to 36 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, on June 8, 2021, a vehicle operated by Boyd was involved in a hit and run accident.  When officers arrived, Boyd was found to be asleep in the driver’s seat.  During a search of the vehicle, law enforcement recovered a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol in the center console.  Boyd’s criminal history indicates that he has previously been convicted of multiple felony offenses, including possession of a controlled substance, unlawful use of a firearm by a felon, and aggravated discharge of a firearm.  These convictions prohibit him from possessing a firearm or ammunition.             

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives with the assistance of the Lake Station Police Department.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Toth.       

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

Acting U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler announced that Charles E. Smith, Jr., 52, of Woodmere, Ohio, pleaded guilty on May 19, 2022, to an Information charging him with one count of access device fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.   

According to court documents, from May 2019 through May 2020, Smith purchased stolen credit and debit card account information, including account numbers and addresses, off of the dark web.  Smith then used a credit card reader encoder/writer to program that information onto blank cards and used those cards to make fraudulent purchases of gasoline at various gas stations in Northern Ohio.  Court records state that Smith purchased the gasoline to fuel vehicles used to deliver packages for Amazon.

In total, court documents state that Smith purchased at least $10,621.23 in gasoline using over 100 stolen debit and credit card accounts.  After his arrest, investigators later determined that Smith had purchased more than 600 stolen debit and credit card accounts from the dark web, affecting victims in 25 states.

Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on August 25, 2022.  Smith faces a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison and a maximum of twelve.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Payum Doroodian.