Month: July 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced today that William Clayton Brown, age 39, of McIntosh County, Oklahoma was found guilty by a federal jury of Murder in Indian Country, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1111(a), 1151, and 1153. The jury trial began on Tuesday, July 5, 2022, and concluded on Thursday, July 7. Based on the jury’s verdict, the Defendant is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of life imprisonment.

During the trial, the United States presented evidence that on October 19, 2019, the Defendant, a validated member of the Indian Brotherhood (IBH) prison gang, killed Mark Lawhead, his cellmate at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, by beating and strangling him. The evidence adduced at trial indicated that the Defendant committed the murder to improve his standing and reputation within the IBH.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted the case because the Defendant is a member of a federally-recognized Indian tribe and the crime occurred in Pittsburg County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation and the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The guilty verdict was the result of an investigation by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Honorable Jodi W. Dishman, U.S. District Judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, sitting in Oklahoma City, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report. Sentencing will be scheduled following the completion of the report. Brown was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending the sentencing hearing.

Assistant United States Attorneys James Montoya and Casey Richmond represented the United States.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

FRESNO, Calif. — Spencer Manning, 28, of Bakersfield, was sentenced today to three years and 10 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Oct. 13, 2021, Manning was inside a Bakersfield grocery store when loss prevention staff observed him placing store merchandise into his backpack. Staff tried to detain Manning as he exited the store, but Manning forcibly resisted. During the struggle, staff removed Manning’s backpack and discovered inside stolen merchandise and a Glock 23, .40 caliber handgun, loaded with a 30-round magazine containing 25 rounds of live ammunition, that was later determined to have been stolen. Manning may not lawfully possess firearms or ammunition because in 2015 he was convicted of two counts of obstruction and resisting arrest.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher D. Baker prosecuted 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 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

BOSTON – The United States Attorney’s Office filed a civil forfeiture action against 24 marksmanship medals from the 1880s and 1890s believed to have been unlawfully removed from the Springfield Armory, a National Historic site, several decades ago. 

The Springfield Armory, located in Springfield, Mass., is a National Historic site managed by the National Park Service. All of the artifacts in the Springfield Armory’s collection are property of the United States Government. 

The medals were awarded to Milan Bull and Freeman Bull, members of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia in the late 1800s. The daughter and niece of Freeman Bull and Milan Bull donated the medals to the Springfield Armory in 1944.

In October 2021, a collector contacted a curator at the Springfield Armory inquiring about the marksmanship medals. Based on the information provided by the collector, the Springfield Armory was able to determine that numerous items matching the collector’s items were missing from the Armory’s collection since the 1990s. The Federal Bureau of Investigation subsequently seized the medals. 

“Massachusetts is the birthplace of the American Revolution, a war that gained our nation’s independence. Protecting and preserving artifacts of our Commonwealth’s history is of fundamental importance to this,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “My office is committed to combating the theft and sale of stolen historical property. The recovery of these important artifacts is the result of the excellent collaborative work between my office’s Asset Recovery Unit, the FBI, and the National Park Service.”

“These stolen medals that once belonged to world class marksmen and have been missing for almost 30 years are now one step closer to being returned to their rightful owner,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Their absence represented not just a physical and financial loss, but a loss to every visitor who missed out on viewing these significant artifacts of military history. The FBI is very proud to have recovered them.” 

The Springfield Armory was established in 1777 as a federal arsenal to supply the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. After the Revolutionary War, the Springfield Armory remained under control of the United States Army until 1974 when Congress designated it as a national historic landmark and transferred control to the National Park Service. The Springfield Armory began operating a museum on the premises in 1866, and from that time, it collected artifacts. 

It is a violation of federal law to embezzle, steal, purloin, or knowingly convert, or, without authority, to sell, convey or dispose of government property. A civil forfeiture action allows third parties to assert claims to property, which must be resolved before the property can be forfeited to the United States and returned to victims.

U.S. Attorney Rollins and FBI SAC Bonavolonta made the announcement today. The civil forfeiture action is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol E. Head, Chief of Rollins’ Asset Recovery Unit. 

The details contained in the civil forfeiture complaint are allegations. 

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            CONCORD – Wilgfrido Valnodis Arias-Mejia, 46, a citizen of the Dominican Republic most recently residing in Manchester, was sentenced today to 91 months in federal prison for conspiring to sell fentanyl and other substances around the Manchester area, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced.  

            According to court documents and statements made in court, Arias-Mejia, also known as “Chino,” was a prolific drug distributor who sold fentanyl and crack cocaine from at least 2018 to November 27, 2019, in the Manchester area.  He ran a drug ring during that time period, selling large quantities of fentanyl and other controlled substances, and employing various co-conspirators to sell drugs on his behalf.  The defendant provided his employees with pre-packaged bags containing multiple “fingers” (10-gram packages) of fentanyl and smaller baggies containing fentanyl, powder cocaine, and crack cocaine, and he would re-supply his co-conspirators as soon as each package was sold.   

            Arias-Mejia previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including more than 40 grams of fentanyl, on March 3, 2021.  He is the last of five defendants in the conspiracy to be sentenced.

            “This defendant was a major drug trafficker in the Manchester area who endangered the community by selling drugs directly to New Hampshire residents, and through others he recruited to do his bidding for him,” said U.S. Attorney Young. “He is the last in this conspiracy to be sentenced, and he is the most culpable.  We will continue to work together with our law enforcement partners to keep drugs off the streets of our communities and hold drug traffickers like Arias-Mejia accountable for their crimes.”

            “Wilgfrido Valnodis Arias-Mejia led a major drug trafficking organization, selling deadly narcotics to a region hit hard by the opioid epidemic. Today’s sentence holds him accountable for setting up multiple drug distribution houses in Manchester that profited from endangering the safety of our communities,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “The FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to crack down on illegal drug trafficking by investigating the criminal organizations behind it.” 

            “DEA is committed to investigating and dismantling Drug Trafficking Organizations and individuals like Mr. Arias-Mejia who are responsible for distributing lethal drugs like fentanyl to the citizens of New Hampshire,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle.  “Let this sentence be a warning to those traffickers who distribute this poison in order to profit and destroy people’s lives.  DEA’s top priority is combatting the opioid epidemic by working with our local, county, state and federal partners to bring to justice anyone who distributes deadly drugs.”

            This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Manchester Police Department and Nashua Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Georgiana MacDonald and Aaron Gingrande.

            This investigation 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.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

PHOENIX, Ariz. –Alanna Marleice Jackson, 23, of Chandler, Arizona, an enrolled member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, was sentenced Wednesday by United States District Judge Susan M. Brnovich to 10 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. On October 7, 2019, Jackson and co-defendant Jose Carpio, stabbed the victim, killing her. Jackson previously pleaded guilty on March 9, 2021, to Voluntary Manslaughter. 

The Gila River Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Raynette Logan, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-20-00182-02-PHX-SMB
RELEASE NUMBER:    2022-112_Jackson

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/

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