Month: July 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – Today the U.S. Attorney’s Office is observing National Postal Worker Day by recognizing the men and women of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), including those with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) who investigate crimes related to the mails.

“As we all know, the men and women of the U.S. Postal Service work rain, sleet, or shine to ensure the U.S. mail system continues to function. Their work is critical and, as we have seen in our own district with the senseless murder of Irene Pressley, can also be dangerous,” said U.S. Attorney Corey F. Ellis. “I also want to thank our law enforcement partners within the USPS. These agents vigorously investigate crimes related to the mails – which include fraud, violence, and drug crimes – and protect the people of South Carolina and throughout the country.”

“The U.S. Postal Service serves 163.1 million addresses in the country — covering every state, city and town,” said Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division. “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is dedicated to enforcing the laws that defend the nation’s mail system from illegal and dangerous use, persevering the integrity of the U.S. Mail, and most importantly, providing a safe environment for Postal employees and the American Public. We value our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Carolina for supporting our mission and all the employees of the U.S. Postal Service across the country.”

Here in South Carolina, 6,798 postal employees from 415 postal facilities work hard every day to deliver letters and parcels to nearly every residence and business in South Carolina. This includes correspondence from loved ones, shipping orders, and important business documents.

As the agencies who police this system, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigates crimes relating to the mails, while the USPS OIG focuses on internal USPS cases and fraud against USPS.

In September of 2019, the U.S. Postal Service lost one of their own, Ms. Irene Pressley, 64.  Ms. Pressley was brutally murdered while delivering mail on her route near Andrews.  Postal Inspectors from South Carolina and all over the nation converged to Williamsburg County to investigate her murder and bring her killers to justice. The trial for the remaining defendants in that case is scheduled for October of this year.

Together, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the USPS’s law enforcement components have investigated and prosecuted numerous other crimes, including recent investigations leading to multiple arrests in armed robbery and burglary cases here in Columbia, the destruction of postal facilities, financial scams, and major drug trafficking operations.

South Carolina is safer because of the work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and USPS OIG. As America heads into its annual celebration of Independence, the U.S. Attorney’s Office especially thanks all the men and women of the U.S. Postal Service for the work they do for this country.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

PEORIA, Ill. – A Mechanicsburg, Illinois, man, John W. Beck, 55, of the 500 block of East Main Street, was sentenced on June 29, 2022, to 120 months in prison on each of four counts of interference with commerce by robbery, one count of bank robbery, and one count of armed bank robbery, all to run concurrently. He was also ordered to serve an additional 24 months in prison in relation to his conviction for attempted escape from the Livingston County Jail. That sentence is to be served consecutively to the 120 months in prison imposed for the robbery offenses.

At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that Beck admitted to robbing the following businesses and banks:

      Dollar General in Buffalo, Illinois, on April 8, 2021

      Bank of Pontiac, doing business as Odell Bank, in Odell, Illinois, on April 9, 2021

      Fast Stop Store in Odell, Illinois, on April 17, 2021

      Village Pantry in Paxton, Illinois, on April 18, 2021

      Subway in Danville, Illinois, on April 19, 2021

      Elmwood Bank, a division of Morton Community Bank, in Elmwood, Illinois, on April 20, 2021.

During this robbery spree, Beck stole cars from two different individuals, one on April 7, 2021, in Mechanicsburg and another on April 19, 2021, in Paris, Illinois, as well as a car from Green Hyundai in Springfield, Illinois, on April 16, 2021, and one from Central Illinois Motors in Springfield on April 17, 2021. He also stole license plates from two other individuals, which he then used on the stolen cars.

Beck was arrested on the current charges in April 2021, indicted in May 2021, and has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals since that time. While in custody, in September 2021, Beck attempted to escape from the Livingston County Jail, where he was being held.

Beck pleaded guilty to all charges in January 2022.  There was no plea agreement.

At the time of his arrest, Beck was on supervised release for a bank robbery he committed in 2007, for which he was sentenced to the Bureau of Prisons for 151 months. He was also on state parole for an armed robbery conviction in Champaign County, Illinois. He had been released from federal prison in January 2019 and released from the Illinois Department of Corrections sentence in 2020.

Also at the hearing, U.S. District Judge Joe Billy McDade found that, because of previous violent crime convictions, as well as the current bank robbery convictions, Beck was a career offender.

U.S. Attorney Gregory Harris commended the exceptional coordination and cooperation of the law enforcement agencies affected by Beck’s crime spree. “The dedication and cooperation of the law enforcement agencies – including the State’s Attorneys’ Offices for Livingston, Peoria, Edgar, Vermilion, Sangamon, and Ford Counties – led to the arrest of John Beck before he could do any more harm to the people and businesses of central Illinois,” Harris said.

“Thanks to the exemplary work of our law enforcement partners, FBI Springfield was able to piece together Beck’s 14-day crime spree allowing for significant federal charges that help ensure he is no longer a menace to Illinois communities,” said Springfield Field Office Special Agent in Charge David Nanz. “This sentence holds Beck accountable for his actions and demonstrates the effectiveness of working collaboratively with our partners to combat violent crime.”

The investigation was conducted by the Sheriff’s Departments in DeWitt, Edgar, Livingston, Peoria, and Sangamon, Illinois, counties; the Danville, Elmwood, Paxton, and Springfield, Illinois, Police Departments; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Office; and the U.S. Marshals Service. Criminal Chief Darilynn J. Knauss represented the government in the prosecution.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division announced that Joseph Smith, 57, formerly of Fishkill, New York, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,100,450 in restitution by Unites States District Court Judge Gerald J. Pappert for his scheme to defraud prospective franchisees of more than $2.1 million, collectively.

In February 2022, the defendant. the owner of New York Bagel Enterprises, Inc., (“New York Bagel”), which operated in Pennsylvania and other states, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and tax evasion in connection with this scheme. According to court documents and statements made in court, Smith and Dennis Mason, charged separately, made numerous misrepresentations to individuals interested in buying a New York Bagel franchise. These misrepresentations included: a guarantee that New York Bagel could get financing for the prospective franchisee, the actual costs to open a franchise, the number of franchises that were already open or opening, and the profitability of existing franchises. The defendant and Mason charged prospective franchisees fees ranging between $7,500 and $44,500 to gain rights to open stores. When some prospective franchisees learned of the misrepresentations and demanded their money back, Smith refused to refund these fees. As a result of the fraud, Smith and New York Bagel sold more than 160 franchises and obtained more than $2.1 million in franchise fees.

Further, from 2014 through 2016, Smith deposited more than $1.3 million in franchise fees into New York Bagel bank accounts which he controlled. The defendant spent these funds on personal items unrelated to the business, including rent for his home, travel, car payments for personal vehicles and living expenses. Smith did not file corporate or individual income taxes for these three years or pay the taxes he owed to the IRS.

Mason previously pleaded guilty to related charges and was sentenced to three years in prison in April 2022.

“Individuals seeking to own and operate business franchises are seeking opportunity and financial stability for themselves and their families; they deserve honesty and forthrightness in their business dealings so they can make informed decisions,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Mr. Smith took advantage of his position to swindle millions of dollars from people seeking legitimate business opportunities, and for that crime he will now spend years in prison.”

“While Smith was defrauding investors out of their franchise fees, he also evaded nearly $175,000 in taxes due on that income,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division. “Business owners who pay the IRS their fair share of taxes deserve to compete on a level playing field. Competitors who cut corners and seek to skirt their legal obligations should know they will be investigated and prosecuted.”

“Mr. Smith’s scheme served no purpose other than to mislead and defraud perspective franchisees,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty. “Furthermore, he took steps to hide his earnings from IRS, thus shirking his tax liability. The sentence he received is a victory for all Americans who play by the rules.”

“Joseph Smith peddled what looked like a great opportunity to potential franchisees,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “But once they signed on the dotted line, they learned he’d been peddling something else instead. Smith treated their franchise fees like found money. It was a clear-cut case of fraud and this sentence puts him behind bars and provides some justice for his victims. The FBI will always fight to hold crooks like this accountable.”    

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David J. Ignall and Trial Attorney Eric B. Powers of the Department of Justice Tax Division.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            Montgomery, Alabama – On Thursday, June 30, 2022, John Adam Vinson, Jr., 32, from Montgomery, Alabama, was sentenced to 360 months in prison following convictions for bank robbery and discharging a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart.

      According to the plea agreement and other court documents, Vinson entered the Regions Bank branch located near Eastdale Mall in Montgomery on December 14, 2020. Vinson then pulled out a handgun and fired a shot into the desk of an empty teller station. A bank employee came out of her office and into the lobby area upon hearing the shot. Vinson immediately grabbed the employee and moved her to the door that accesses the teller counters. When Vinson realized the employee could not open the door, he jumped over the counter and began opening the teller drawers. Vinson put money from the drawers into a bag, jumped back over the teller counter, and ran out of the bank. A Montgomery police officer spotted Vinson as he fled from the bank. When the officer confronted the fleeing suspect, Vinson fired his gun a second time—this time at the officer. Fortunately, the officer was not injured. When law enforcement officers took Vinson into custody, they seized from him a total of $18,378.00 in United States currency.

      Vinson’s 30-year prison sentence will be followed by five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. The court also ordered that the proceeds of the robbery be returned to Regions Bank.

      This case was investigated by the Montgomery Police Department, the FBI, and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Valuable assistance was also provided by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark E. Andreu prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

INDIANAPOLIS – Brenton Preston, 25, was sentenced late yesterday to 57 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

According to court documents, on May 8, 2021, Hamilton County Sheriff’s deputies attempted to stop Preston after they observed him driving 80 miles-per-hour in a 55 miles-per-hour zone in Westfield, Indiana. Preston fled from the deputies and led them on a high-speed chase reaching speeds of approximately 100 miles-per-hour, until Preston lost control of his car and crashed into a field. Preston continued to flee on foot but was eventually apprehended. Deputies arrested Preston, who appeared to be intoxicated, and recovered a loaded handgun and a liquor bottle from the front passenger floorboard of the car. Preston’s DNA was later found on the firearm.

Evidence presented at sentencing showed that Preston was on probation for a prior armed robbery conviction at the time of this incident and that he had recently been arrested in Marion County, Indiana, for illegally possessing another firearm and firing shots inside a girlfriend’s home. Preston was on pretrial supervision with GPS monitoring in the Marion County case at the time of the high-speed chase and his arrest.

Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Chief Ed Gebhart, Fishers Police Department, and Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Columbus Field Division made the announcement.

The Indiana Crime Guns Task Force investigated the case. The Fishers Police Department, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives provided valuable assistance. U.S. District Judge James R. Sweeney imposed the sentence following Preston’s guilty plea. As part of the sentence, Judge Sweeney ordered that Preston be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years following his release from prison.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Massa who prosecuted this case.

This case was brought as part of the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force (ICGTF). ICGTF is a partnership of law enforcement officers and analysts from several central Indiana law enforcement agencies in Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion, Morgan, Johnson, and Shelby counties. In cooperation with state, local, and federal partners, ICGTF collaborates to address violent crime through a comprehensive strategy including innovative approaches to locating suspects and evidence related to violent crimes and illegal possession of firearms.

Additionally, this case is also 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.