Month: June 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

INDIANAPOLIS – Marvin Love, 38, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, being a felon in possession of a firearm and carrying a firearm during and in relation to his trafficking of methamphetamine and cocaine.  

According to court documents, on January 7, 2020, Love was stopped in his vehicle by Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) officers, who discovered Love in possession of distribution quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine. Officers also found a handgun belonging to Love on the floorboard of his vehicle. Love is prohibited from possessing firearms due to multiple prior felony convictions, including two armed robberies in Marion County. During one of those robberies, Love shot a victim twice when stealing $10. Love also has a prior federal felony conviction for illegally possessing a firearm. He was released from prison for that crime in late October 2019, less than 2 ½ months before he was arrested in January 2020 in this case.

Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Randal Taylor made the announcement.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives provided valuable assistance. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt. As part of the sentence, Judge Pratt ordered that Love be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years following his release from federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Abhishek S. Kambli who prosecuted this case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 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.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

BOISE – A Nampa man was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court records, Shawn Eugene Norris, 44, led law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase in a Nampa neighborhood before crashing his vehicle into a trash can in a residential alley.  Officers watched as Norris exited his vehicle and threw an object away in one of the trash cans.  Officers opened the trash can and found that the only item inside was a quarter pound of methamphetamine. 

Norris has a criminal history spanning 30 years with prior state convictions for possession of controlled substances, carrying a concealed weapon without a license, battery-domestic violence, grand theft, and a federal conviction for felon in possession of a firearm. 

Senior U.S. District Judge Bill R. Wilson, from the Eastern District of Arkansas, sitting by designation, also ordered Norris to serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Norris pleaded guilty to the charge on March 1, 2022.

U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez Jr., of the District of Idaho made the announcement and commended the investigation by the Nampa City Police Department, which led to the charges.     

This case was prosecuted by the Special Assistant United States Attorney hired by the Ada County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office with funds provided by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program.  HIDTA is part of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988.  It provides assistance to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States.  Idaho is part of the Oregon-Idaho HIDTA.  The Idaho HIDTA is a collaboration of local, multi-jurisdictional law enforcement drug task forces, and prosecuting agencies dedicated to addressing regional drug trafficking organizations that operate in Ada, Canyon, Bannock, Kootenai, and Malheur Counties.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Olathe, Kansas, man who led police officers on a high-speed chase down a runway at the downtown airport has been indicted by a federal grand jury for disrupting airport operations as well as illegally possessing a firearm and methamphetamine.

Efren Torres-Rodriguez, 34, was charged in a four-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on May 18. He was arrested today.

Kansas City, Mo., police officers were notified of a suspicious car, a Dodge Charger, parked near a gate at the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport on Feb. 1, 2022. When officers arrived, they found Torres-Rodriguez passed out in the driver’s seat of the running car. Officers turned off the car and opened the door, which woke up Torres-Rodriguez.

Officers ordered Torres-Rodriguez out of the car, but he refused. Instead, Torres-Rodriguez started the vehicle and drove away, crashing through the gate to the airfield. Torres-Rodriguez drove at speeds up to 100 miles per hour down the airport runway, with officers in pursuit. Torres-Rodriguez drove on a tarmac on the west side of the airfield. When he attempted to cross over the airstrip into a grassy area, his vehicle became inoperable. Officers removed Torres-Rodriguez from the vehicle and placed him under arrest. Officers found a clear plastic bag in his pants pocket that contained methamphetamine.

When officers searched Torres-Rodriguez’s vehicle, they found a Glock .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine, which were both empty of ammunition, under the driver’s seat. They also found several rounds of ammunition and drug paraphernalia.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Torres-Rodriguez has prior felony convictions for possession of a firearm with a prior violent offense, for being a felon in possession of a firearm, and for robbery.

The federal indictment charges Torres-Rodriguez with one count of damaging and interfering with an air navigation facility, one count of damaging and disrupting an international airport, one count of being a felon and drug user in possession of a firearm, and one count of possessing methamphetamine.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the FBI.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – United States Attorney Dena J. King has selected Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Caroline McLean of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville to serve as the Western District’s Environmental Justice Coordinator.

On May 5, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a series of actions aimed at enhancing the Department’s efforts to secure environmental justice for all Americans. In making the announcement, U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland highlighted specific actions to strengthen the Department’s commitment to ensuring equal justice under the law by advancing the cause of environmental justice. Specifically, Attorney General Garland announced the creation of a new Office of Environmental Justice within the Department’s Environmental and Natural Resources Division (ENRD); the launching of a comprehensive environmental justice enforcement strategy to advance the cause of environmental justice through the enforcement of federal laws; and the issuance of an Interim Final Rule to restore the use of supplemental environmental projects when deemed appropriate.

“Although violations of our environmental laws can happen anywhere, communities of color, indigenous communities, and low-income communities often bear the brunt of the harm caused by environmental crime, pollution, and climate change,” said Attorney General Garland. “For far too long, these communities have faced barriers to accessing the justice they deserve. The Office of Environmental Justice will serve as the central hub for our efforts to advance our comprehensive environmental justice enforcement strategy. We will prioritize the cases that will have the greatest impact on the communities most overburdened by environmental harm.”

Attorney General Garland also directed U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the nation to designate an Environmental Justice Coordinator (EJC). As the Western District’s EJC, AUSA McLean will be responsible for developing and overseeing the Office’s environmental justice enforcement strategy; serve as legal counsel on matters related to environmental justice; prosecute criminal and civil environmental justice cases; and conduct public outreach and awareness activities related to environmental justice. AUSA McLean will also serve as the point of contact for environmental justice matters and will create and participate in environmental enforcement task forces. She will also be in charge of establishing a procedure for members of the public to report environmental justice concerns within the Western District of North Carolina.

AUSA McLean joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in August 2018 and serves in the Office’s Civil Division in Asheville. AUSA McLean is responsible for handling civil defensive litigation in federal and state court, and affirmative civil enforcement cases on behalf of the United States. She is also a member of the Office’s recently-formed Civil Rights Team. In June 2020, AUSA McLean was selected as Buncombe County Bar Distinguished Young Lawyer for her contributions to the legal profession and the community as a member of the Bar. 

In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King said, “AUSA Caroline McLean is an experienced federal prosecutor dedicated to serving the people of the Western District of North Carolina. As my Office’s Environmental Justice Coordinator, AUSA McLean will work closely with Department of Justice components, local, state and federal agencies, and stakeholders within the community to address concerns related to environmental justice, using all available legal tools to promote justice for communities historically harmed by environmental violations.”