Month: August 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

WACO – Two Killeen men were sentenced today for their roles in armed robberies in Killeen.  Roosevelt Jones IV, 26, was sentenced to 20 years in prison and ordered to pay $12,026 in restitution and Christopher Teon Fults, 29, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $9,356 in restitution.

According to court documents, from November 2017 through January 2018, Jones and Fultz robbed five area merchants at gun point.  Jones was also charged with armed robbery of another merchant in February 2018.

“Those who perpetrate violence among us forfeit their freedom,” said U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff. “The sentences of Mr. Jones and Mr. Fults are entirely appropriate given their crimes and the harm to their victims. I commend our law enforcement partners for their hard work and dedication to community safety.”

“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message that the FBI is committed to working with our local law enforcement partners to reduce violent crime and ensure every person has the opportunity to live and work in a safe community,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Oliver E. Rich Jr., San Antonio Division.

On September 7, 2021, Jones and Fults both pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery and both have remained in federal custody since their arrests in October 2019.

The FBI Central Texas Violent Crimes Task Force, with valuable assistance from the Temple Police Department and the Killeen Police Department’s Violent Crime Unit, investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Gloff prosecuted the 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 gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

MISSOULA — Two Washington residents suspected of picking up six Mexican nationals who crossed illegally into the United States from Canada through a remote area in Lincoln County were convicted of charges, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.

A federal jury convicted Miguel Angel Medina, 62, of Seattle, Washington, on Aug. 23 of transportation of illegal aliens following a two-day trial that began on Aug. 22. Co-defendant Leslie Patricia Rivera, 51, of Seattle, Washington, pleaded guilty on Aug. 22, before the trial began, to transportation of illegal aliens.

Rivera and Medina face a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided. Judge Christensen set sentencing for Dec. 14 for both defendants. Rivera was released pending further proceedings, while Medina was detained.

“Rivera and Medina, motivated by money, transported six illegal Mexican nationals who walked across the border in the middle of winter to be picked up in the middle of nowhere. We will continue working with law enforcement to secure our border with Canada and will prosecute those who engage in this dangerous smuggling activity that exploits vulnerable people. I want to thank our assistant U.S. attorneys and the U.S. Border Patrol for their work on this case,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.

In court documents and at trial, the government alleged that Rivera and Medina picked up six illegal aliens who had just crossed the international border from Canada in the Green Basin area of the West Kootenai near Rexford, in Lincoln County, a place that was not a port of entry. Rivera and Medina had left Seattle in a rented car the prior day and drove straight through. A friend of Rivera’s had offered her $3,500 to pick up four people and drive them back to Seattle. At the time of Rivera’s arrest, she had received partial payment. Rivera paid Medina $1,000 to accompany her. At approximately 5 a.m. on Jan. 19, a U.S. Border Patrol agent was notified of persons potentially attempting to illegally enter the United States. The agent ultimately stopped a SUV with a Washington license plate on a Forest Service road. Rivera was the driver, Medina was the front passenger and six other occupants, who acknowledged being from Mexico and in the country illegally, were in the rear two seats. All eight suspects were transported to the Eureka Border Patrol Station for processing. The six illegal aliens claimed to have paid from $180 to $7,324 to be smuggled into the United States.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the U.S. Border Patrol.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON – Officer Philip Dupree, 38, formerly of the Fairmount Heights Police Department in Maryland, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of violating a man’s civil rights and obstruction of justice. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves of the District of Columbia, and Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement.

            The indictment alleges that during the early morning hours of Aug. 4, 2019, Dupree was on duty as a Fairmont Heights Police Officer when he conducted a traffic stop in the District of Columbia. Dupree allegedly detained a man identified as T.S. and then deployed pepper spray in an unreasonable use of force against him. Dupree allegedly obstructed justice by submitting a probable cause statement that offered a false justification for his use of force on T.S.

           The indictment was returned in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Dupree faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for his alleged use of unreasonable force. The obstruction of justice charge carries with it a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. If convicted, a federal district court judge would determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Sanjay Patel of the Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Rakoczy of the District of Columbia.

            The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

WILMINGTON, Del. – David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced today that a Wilmington woman pled guilty in federal court on August 12, 2022, to three counts of tax evasion.  U.S. District Judge Richard G. Andrews accepted the plea.

According to court documents, Brenda Mathis, the owner of LJ’s Playpen Academy, a Wilmington daycare center, failed to declare all of the income received by the daycare on its corporate tax returns.  As a result, the daycare underpaid taxes in 2015, 2016, and 2017.

Mathis faces a maximum of 5 years in prison for each count when sentenced on December 16, 2022. Judge Andrews will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Weiss commented, “Brenda Mathis’ scheme to evade taxes for the purpose of lining her own pockets was a theft from the American public.  Together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to protect the interests of law-abiding taxpayers by pursuing those who evade taxes for their own enrichment.”

“This guilty plea is a win for all those who play by the rules,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty. “Mathis defrauded our nation’s tax system, a criminal act that will not be tolerated. Let her admission of guilt serve as a stern warning to anyone thinking about engaging in similar criminal behavior.”

IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (“OIG”), FBI, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture OIG.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ruth Mandelbaum and Alexander Ibrahim are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cr-00003.

Source: United States Department of Justice

Officer Philip Dupree, 38, formerly of the Fairmount Heights Police Department in Maryland, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of violating a man’s civil rights and obstruction of justice. 

The indictment alleges that during the early morning hours of Aug. 4, 2019, Dupree was on duty as a Fairmont Heights Police Officer when he conducted a traffic stop in the District of Columbia. Dupree allegedly detained a man identified as T.S. and then deployed pepper spray in an unreasonable use of force against him. Dupree allegedly obstructed justice by submitting a probable cause statement that offered a false justification for his use of force on T.S.

Dupree faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for his alleged use of unreasonable force. The obstruction of justice charge carries with it a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves of the District of Columbia and Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement.

The case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Sanjay Patel of the Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Rakoczy of the District of Columbia.

The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.