Month: June 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Joey Miles Sherwood, 31, of Rutland, was sentenced today in United States District Court in Burlington to 38 months’ imprisonment following his guilty plea to a charge that he robbed the Cumberland Farms convenience store in Wallingford, Vermont last August. As part of his plea agreement, Sherwood admitted to committing three additional convenience store robberies last August: the robbery of the Maplefields convenience store in Pittsford, the robbery of the Union Street Grocery in Brandon, and the attempted robbery of the Maplefields convenience store in Shoreham. U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss also ordered that Sherwood serve 3 years of supervised release following completion of his prison term and pay restitution in the amount of $746. Sherwood has been detained since he first appeared in federal court last September.

According to court records, Sherwood’s prosecution and conviction stemmed from an investigation into several convenience store robberies occurring in Rutland and Addison Counties during the months of July and August 2021. Additionally, according to court records, during each of the robberies to which Sherwood admitted, Sherwood entered the store, retrieved a beverage from a cooler, and approached the cashier. As the cashier rang up the sale, Sherwood demanded money and brandished a knife in the direction of the cashier. On August 30, 2021, Sherwood was arrested in Rutland. On September 2, 2021, a federal grand jury in Burlington returned an indictment charging Sherwood with the robbery of the Wallingford Cumberland Farms. In February of this year, Sherwood pleaded guilty to the Wallingford robbery and admitted to committing the Pittsford, Brandon, and Shoreham robberies.

United States Attorney Nikolas Kerest commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Vermont State Police, and the coordination and assistance provided by the Brandon Police Department, the Middlebury Police Department, the Rutland City Police Department, and the Rutland County Sheriff’s Department. U.S. Attorney Kerest stated, “This case exemplifies the type of important investigative and collaborative work that Vermont’s federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies do every day.  Their collaborative efforts allow our office to prosecute individuals such as Joey Sherwood, whose actions sow unacceptable levels of fear and disorder in Vermont communities.”

Sherwood is represented by Assistant Federal Defender Sara Puls. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Ang.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

GREAT FALLS  — A Chinook man who admitted to trafficking methamphetamine on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation was sentenced on June 16 to six years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.

Kalled Sam Hassen Jaha, 39, pleaded guilty in March to possession with intent to distribute meth.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

In court documents, the government alleged that in March 2019, a Fort Belknap Law Enforcement police officer attempted a traffic stop of a vehicle that was speeding through a neighborhood on the reservation. After a short chase, the driver and passenger left the car and fled on foot. Multiple officers were unable to locate the individuals. Officers saw drugs and other items in the car, including a receipt with Jaha’s name printed on it, and impounded the car. Officers located Jaha the next day and detained him at the police station for questioning. While at the station, an officer noticed Jaha was chewing on a piece of paper and pulled it from mouth. The paper appeared to be pieces of a drug ledger. Jaha was charged with tribal offenses and released on bond.  Two days later, officers attempted a traffic stop of a truck Jaha was driving. Jaha refused to pullover, and after a short chase, Jaha left the truck and fled on foot. Officers were unable to locate Jaha and impounded the truck. Tribal officers contacted the Tri-Agency Task Force, which knew Jaha was on state probation, and a state probation officer ordered a search of Jaha’s truck. During the search, officers found meth, miscellaneous pills, paraphernalia, two cellular phones and $685 in U.S. currency. A search warrant was served on the phone and law enforcement found text messages between Jaha and others that indicated Jaha intended to sell the meth.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey K. Starnes prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI, Tri-Agency Task Force and Fort Belknap Law Enforcement.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. Through PSN, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

GREAT FALLS  — A Whitehall man who admitted to downloading child pornography for approximately six years was sentenced on June 16 to seven years and two months in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.

Tyler D. Pinnt, 35, pleaded guilty in February to an information charging him with receipt of child pornography.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. Chief Judge Morris also ordered a total of $6,000 restitution to two victims. Chief Judge Morris ordered Pinnt to self-report to the Bureau of Prisons.

The government alleged in court documents that Pinnt received child pornography from about March 2015 to July 2021. The Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force was investigating Pinnt for online crimes against children and on July 13, 2021, served a search warrant on his residence near Whitehall. Agents seized several computers and cellular phones and conducted a forensic examination of the devices. At the time of the search, Pinnt admitted in an interview that he found child pornography online and that agents would locate child pornography on his laptop and desktop computers. Investigators located child pornography images and videos on Pinnt’s two phones and his computers and determined that Pinnt had downloaded the material between March 2015 and July 2021.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyndee L. Peterson prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, FBI, Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Helena Police Department and Seattle (Washington) Police Department Human Trafficking Unit.

This case was initiated under the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative, which was launched in 2006 to combat the proliferation of technology-facilitated crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children. Through a network of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and advocacy organizations, Project Safe Childhood attempts to protect children by investigating and prosecuting offenders involved in child sexual exploitation. It is implemented through partnerships including the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The ICAC Task Force Program was created to assist state and local law enforcement agencies by enhancing their investigative response to technology facilitated crimes against children.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

OXFORD, MS – A federal grand jury in Oxford, Mississippi returned an indictment on Wednesday charging Columbus, Mississippi residents Jabari Ogbanna Edwards and Antwann Richardson with fraud in connection with more than $2,000,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funds received by their defunct business North Atlantic Security.

According to court documents, Jabari Ogbanna Edwards, 49, and Antwann Richardson, 37, of Columbus, Mississippi applied for and received PPP and EIDL loan funds shortly before and after their company North Atlantic Security (NAS) ceased to do business. Specifically, the indictment alleges that NAS received more than $500,000 in PPP funds approximately one month before it sold all its contracts and assets to American Sentry Security Services in March 2021. Despite ceasing to do business in March 2021, NAS applied for and received $1,850,000 in Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) modification funds in October and November 2021.

Rather than use the PPP and EIDL funds for permissible expenses, the indictment alleges that Edwards and Richardson laundered these funds through their other businesses, including J5 Solutions, Edwards Enterprises, J5 GBL, BH Properties, and The Bridge Group, and used these funds for a number of unauthorized expenses, including personal real estate transactions, political contributions, charitable donations, loan payments for vehicles, lump sum payments to friends, family, and employees of their other companies and the purchase of Court Square Towers in Columbus, Mississippi.

Edwards and Richardson are charged with Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Wire Fraud, and Money Laundering. Edwards also faces charges for Making a False Statement. The defendants appeared in court for their initial appearance on Thursday, June 16, 2022, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Roy Percy. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. A federal district judge would determine any sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Office of Special Inspector General for Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) and the FBI  are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip Levy, Robert Mims, and Sam Wright are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, today announced that a federal grand jury in Bridgeport has returned a 22-count indictment charging KEYANTE PAUL, 33, of, Florida, with tax fraud offenses.

The indictment was returned on June 15, 2022.  Paul was arrested yesterday in Florida.  She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel Irick in Orlando and was released on bond.  Her arraignment in the District of Connecticut is scheduled for June 30.

As alleged in the indictment, Paul, through her business Keys Tax Services, operated as a tax return preparer, and she traveled to Connecticut for part of the year to prepare returns for Connecticut clients.  For the 2015 through 2018 tax years, Paul prepared numerous federal tax returns for clients that included false income “adjustments” that reduced taxpayers’ reported adjusted gross income, false expenses and losses in connection with sole proprietorship businesses that clients did not operate, and, in at least one instance, false charitable contributions.

The indictment charges Paul with 22 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false income tax returns, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of three years on each count.

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This investigation is being conducted by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer R. Laraia and Lauren C. Clark.