Month: June 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

TUCSON, Ariz. – Last week, Anthony Michael Brumfield, 24, of Tucson, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Scott H. Rash to 57 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Brumfield previously pleaded guilty to one count of Possession of a Machine Gun. 

On February 12, 2020, Brumfield posted a video on his social media account showing him in possession of two conversion devices, which are designed to convert Glock pistols into automatic firearms. These conversion devices are defined as machine guns under federal law. On the same date, Brumfield sold one of the conversion devices to another individual. 

“Conversion devices like the ones possessed by the defendant are inherently dangerous,” said United States Attorney Gary Restaino. “And let’s be clear: these aren’t used for hunting, or for personal protection. These devices are drivers of violence in communities across America.”

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.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            CR-20-00889-TUC-SHR (EJM)
RELEASE NUMBER:    2022-091_Brumfield

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Richard Brent Collum, of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 12 months and one day of incarceration for a firearms charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.

Collum, 36, pleaded guilty in February 2022 to one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.” Collum, a person prohibited from having a firearm because of a prior conviction, admitted to having a .45 caliber handgun in August 2021 in Jefferson County.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy D. Helman prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Charles Town Police Department investigated. 

U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that David Roda, 36, of Philadelphia, PA, was charged by Criminal Information with insider trading.

The defendant was an employee of Penn Interactive, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Penn National Gaming, Inc., and served as its Director of Backend Architecture. The Information alleges that in this capacity, Roda learned in early July 2021 that Penn National was considering a potential acquisition of Score Media and Gaming, Inc., and knew that he had a duty to keep this information confidential. Nonetheless, on July 22, 2021, using this material, non-public information, Roda purchased 200 Score Media call option contracts for approximately $13,000.  Moreover, after a senior officer at Penn Interactive informed Roda in August 2021 that the acquisition would be announced within days, Roda allegedly purchased 300 more Score Media call option contracts for approximately $7,000. The following day, Penn National announced its agreement to acquire Score Media, and Score Media’s stock price rose drastically.  The defendant then closed out his Score Media call option contracts for approximately $580,000, netting personal profits of approximately $560,000.

“Insider trading undermines faith in our financial markets and harms ordinary investors who play by the rules,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “As alleged, David Roda placed himself above the law by using information to which he had privileged access to cheat the market and other investors. Our Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to maintain the integrity of the financial markets.”

“David Roda allegedly traded on material, non-public information and made out like a bandit,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Insider trading like that is patently unfair to investors and a direct threat to the integrity of our financial markets. The FBI takes this crime seriously, and if you decide the risk of such illegal behavior is worth the potential reward, know that we will investigate and ensure you’re held accountable.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick J. Murray. The parallel civil enforcement proceeding was filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Philadelphia Regional Office, under the direction of Norman Ostrove.

An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Keith Joseph, of Miami, Florida, was sentenced today to 50 months of incarceration for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.

Joseph, age 37, pleaded guilty in January 2022 to one count of “Wire Fraud” and one count of “Aggravated Identity Theft.” Joseph admitted to fraudulently accessing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) eAuthentication online taxpayer system, which has servers located in Berkeley County, from March 2015 to March 2017.  Joseph obtained personal identifying information of taxpayers without their knowledge to gain access to the IRS online taxpayer system.  Once he had access, Joseph unlawfully obtained income tax transcripts and fraudulently filed tax returns using the taxpayers’ personal identifying information. 

Joseph was ordered to pay $142,237 in restitution.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn M. Adkins prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration Cybercrime Investigations Division investigated. 

U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.