Month: May 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that John Paul Angel, Jr., a/k/a “John Saravia,” (43, St. Petersburg) has been arrested and charged by a criminal complaint with failing to register as a sex offender. If convicted, Angel faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. 

According to the criminal complaint, in May 2001, Angel was convicted of second-degree sexual assault of a minor child after a guilty plea in Bergen County, New Jersey. After his release from a three-year prison sentence, Angel was required to register as a sex offender. Since 2003, however, Angel repeatedly failed to report his whereabouts and his status as a convicted sex offender as required by law. In May 2005, Angel failed to report annually to officials in New Jersey, as required by law, resulting in a warrant being issued for his arrest. In April 2022, law enforcement officers discovered Angel living in St. Petersburg using the alias “John Saravia.” He has been in the Middle District of Florida since 2012. There is no record of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement that shows Angel, or “John Saravia” ever registering as a sex offender in Florida, as required by state and federal law.

A criminal complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. 

This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service with assistance from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Clifton Police Department, and the New Jersey Parole Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Claire Favorit.

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

Source: United States Department of Justice News

HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Luis Rodriguez-Pagan, age 28, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury on firearms charges. 

According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that Rodriguez-Pagan purchased eight handguns falsely claiming that they were for himself when in fact they were not.  The purchases occurred in Lebanon and Dauphin Counties between July 2021 and December 2021. The indictment also alleges that Rodriguez Pagan was engaged in the unlicensed business of dealing in firearms.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Fireworks and Explosives  (ATF) and the Lebanon County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaime M. Keating is prosecuting the case.

This case is being 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 works 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.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 10 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.  A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Indictments are only allegations.  All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

ST. LOUIS – United States District Court Judge Ronnie L. White sentenced Horatio T. Harris Wednesday to 46 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm during a domestic dispute sparked by the death of a toddler.

In Harris’ plea agreement, he admitted that on Sept. 4, 2020, a crowd of 15 to 20 people gathered outside a boarding house where Harris lived. Harris’ stepdaughter and others in the crowd wanted to confront Harris about the death of her two-year-old son.

When Harris saw the group, he retrieved a .38 caliber Colt Army Special revolver from his room and answered the door with the gun in hand. Harris argued with his stepdaughters, who later fled in fear from Harris.

Harris admitted knowing he was a convicted felon and that he was prohibited from possessing the firearm.

After Harris was indicted, he fled St. Louis and was eventually located by the United States Marshals in Louisville, Kentucky.

Harris pleaded guilty in February to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Harris is facing a pending second-degree murder charge and three counts of child abuse in St. Louis Circuit Court related to the death of the two-year-old and the alleged abuse of that boy and his twin brother.

The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Bluestone.