Month: September 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

FRANKFORT, Ky. – A former Lieutenant Colonel of Kentucky State Police (KSP), Michael Crawford, 58, of Georgetown, Ky., was convicted on Tuesday by a federal jury of conspiracy to misappropriate weapons belonging to Kentucky State Police.   

According to evidence at trial, in 2016, Crawford conspired with John Goble, 68, the former coroner of Scott County, and KSP armorer, Mitch Harris, to unlawfully misappropriate 21 firearms belonging to Kentucky State Police, including 19 shotguns and 2 M1A rifles.  Crawford’s co-defendant, John Goble, previously pleaded guilty to a related conspiracy between the same individuals to misappropriate 187 cases of KSP ammunition, valued at approximately $40,000, which was stored in the basement of Goble’s office.

Crawford and Goble were indicted federally in March 2021.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; and Col. Phillip Burnett, Commissioner, Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the conviction.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI and KSP.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ken Taylor and Kate Smith.

Crawford is scheduled to be sentenced on December 13, 2022.  He faces up five years in prison and a maximum of a $250,000 fine.  However, any sentence will be imposed by the Court, after its consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes. 

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man involved in two separate shootings on the same day has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing firearms.

Deion D. Alford, 22, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs on Tuesday, Aug. 30, to six years and 10 months in federal prison without parole.

On March 7, 2022, Alford pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms. By pleading guilty, Alford admitted he was in possession of a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber handgun and a Glock .40-caliber handgun on February 3, 2021. Alford was also involved in two shootings, one of which resulted in injury to a victim.

On the afternoon of January 28, 2021, Kansas City, Mo. police officers responded to a shots-fired call in the area of East 40th Street and South Benton Avenue. Officers contacted a victim, who was in the driver’s seat of a white pickup and had been shot in his left leg. A nearby residence had also been struck by errant gunfire. Officers recovered six nine-millimeter shell casings near the scene.

Detectives identified Alford as a suspect in the shooting. The owner of the red SUV told detectives that Alford had been driving the SUV at the time of the shooting. The owner also told investigators that Alford had been shot the previous year, and when Alford saw the victim’s car, had stated that was the person who shot him. A shell casing recovered from the red SUV matched the shell casings recovered from the scene of the shooting.

Alford was also involved in another shooting later that same day, in the area of East 31st Street and Benton Boulevard. Kansas City, Mo. police officers heard gunshots and received reports that individuals in a red vehicle (later determined to be the same red SUV from the earlier shooting) were firing shots. Officers located a red SUV with multiple bullet holes in its windshield, abandoned in the middle of a nearby street. Witnesses told officers that two individuals had fled the vehicle on foot. Officers found one of the suspects, as well as a Glock handgun nearby. The Glock was later linked to 9 mm shell casings recovered from the scene of the shooting, as well as 9 mm shell casings found in the back seat of the red SUV. During her interview, the owner of the red SUV told detectives that Alford had borrowed her SUV prior to the second shooting.

Alford was arrested a week later, at his grandmother’s house. When officers searched the residence they found a backpack that contained the loaded Smith & Wesson .40-caliber handgun and the loaded Glock .40-caliber handgun.

According to court documents, Alford was affiliated with the Click Clack/Foot Soldier gang.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearms or ammunition. In December 2017, Alford was convicted in Iowa state court of first-degree theft and felony eluding, related to his distribution of stolen cars. Two months later, in February 2018, while on probation in connection with the Iowa case, Alford was arrested in Jackson County, Mo., for possessing a stolen gun, resulting in a felony conviction for receiving stolen property. Evidence in that case indicates Alford had also been firing the gun. Alford also has a number of misdemeanor convictions for charges ranging from fleeing police, obstructing/resisting arrest, providing false information, and unlawful use of a weapon. Alford’s convictions involve multiple instances of flight from law enforcement, including several high-speed pursuits, as well as brandishing and firing guns and other violent conduct.

According to court documents, Alford has been involved in multiple physical altercations with other inmates while in custody pending sentencing in this case.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron H. Black and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie C. Bradshaw. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

KC Metro Strike Force

This prosecution was brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Co-located Strike Forces Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against a continuum of priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks. These prosecutor-led co-located Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term relationships that can be forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who remain together over time, and they epitomize the model that has proven most effective in combating organized crime. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

BRUNSWICK, GA:  A Glynn County woman has been sentenced to federal prison after admitting to her role in a conspiracy to use fraudulent prescriptions to obtain thousands of pills, including opioids, for street distribution.

Teresa Hickman, 49, of Brunswick, was sentenced to 38 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, a Controlled Substance, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood also ordered Hickman to serve three years of supervised release after completion of her prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Americans continue to die in record numbers from drug overdoses, and drug traffickers like Teresa Hickman pour gasoline on this raging epidemic,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Our law enforcement partners continue to do outstanding work in identifying and shutting down those who profit from such misery.”

As described in court documents and testimony, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating Hickman in April 2020 after receiving reports that she was fraudulently obtaining large numbers of prescriptions from a pharmacy in Jacksonville, Fla., using the real names and DEA registration numbers of doctors who were unaware of the practice.

Agents investigating the case identified more than 300 fraudulent prescriptions filled through the conspiracy, many of them for highly addictive opioids. The drugs were then sold to drug users.

“Although these pills came from pharmacies, the prescriptions were fake,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Teresa Hickman had no business obtaining and distributing these highly addictive drugs.”

“The Glynn County Sheriff’s Office appreciates the coordinated efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration in fighting the opioid epidemic that is destroying our community,” said Glynn County Sheriff Neal Jump. “Our office will continue to work with our partner agencies to fight this ongoing battle.”

The case was investigated by the Savannah Office of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Glynn County Sheriff’s Office, and the Brunswick Police Department, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew A. Josephson.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

ATLANTA – Twenty-five defendants, including three of the seven founders of the Ghostface Gangsters Gang (“GFG”), have pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO) conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, attempted murder, maiming, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, use of a firearm during a crime of violence, use of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

“On the street and from behind bars, Ghostface Gangsters have trafficked drugs and orchestrated and perpetrated horrific acts of violence,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan. K. Buchanan. “Thanks to the tireless and coordinated efforts of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, 25 gang members and associates charged in this case have pleaded guilty, including three of the men who created this dangerous criminal organization.”

“ATF will continue to dedicate federal resources in conjunction with those crucial law enforcement contributions of local agencies to the pursuit of eradicating and forestalling criminal gang activity,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Atlanta Field Division, Beau Kolodka.

“The Cobb County Police Department is proud of the work of our investigators and civilian staff who work hand in hand with other local, state, and federal agencies in these types of cases. The perseverance and diligence required of such interagency cooperation is what is necessary to ensure such violent criminals are charged and prosecuted accordingly. We remain dedicated to protecting our citizens and bringing to justice those who would seek to do them harm.  In this particular case, Cobb County Police investigators worked long hours and gathered an inordinate amount of evidence to help secure this indictment. We are especially proud of the sincere dedication of all involved. And we vow to continue to work in such a fashion on future cases as well,” said Cobb County Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer.

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: GFG, a whites-only gang, was originally organized in or about 2000 in a Georgia county jail. Within GFG, the seven founding members are known as “pillars.” All GFG members trace their gang “bloodline” directly back to one of the pillars. GFG members and associates engaged in drug distribution and acts of violence involving murder, kidnapping, assault, and witness intimidation. GFG operated both within and outside the Georgia prison system.

Within the past year, three GFG pillars charged in the case have been convicted and will be, or have been, sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael L. Brown as follows:

• On August 25, 2022, Jeffrey Alan Bourassa, a/k/a “JB,” “Babyface,” and “Kid,” 40, of Cobb County, Georgia, a GFG founding pillar, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering.  He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 25, 2022.

• On July 22, 2021, David Gene Powell, a/k/a “Davo,” 45, of Cobb County, Georgia, a GFG pillar, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering. On February 23, 2022, Powell was sentenced to four years, one month of imprisonment.

• On June 9, 2021, Joseph M. Propps, Jr., a/k/a “JP,” 44, of Smyrna, Georgia, a GFG pillar, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute at least 500 grams of methamphetamine. On October 5, 2021, Propps was sentenced to 10 years, one month of imprisonment.

Earlier during the case:

• On September 22, 2021, Victor Manuel DeJesus, a/k/a/ “VG Vic,” 40, of Gwinnett County, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering and using a firearm during a crime of violence. The latter charge arose from a 2016 incident during which DeJesus violently carjacked a woman at gunpoint and threatened to kill her. He took the car and picked up co-defendant Christopher Marlow, a/k/a “Loco,” 43, of Marietta, Georgia. Together, they fled from a Cobb County deputy sheriff. DeJesus shot at the deputy from inside the car and discarded the gun through a window. DeJesus was sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment in connection with the shooting and his role in the RICO Conspiracy. Marlow was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment for attempted murder and aiding and abetting DeJesus’s discharge of a firearm.

• On August 24, 2021, Richard Brian Sosebee, a/k/a “Dirty,” 47, of Hall County, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering and using a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. The latter charge arose from a 2016 incident during which Sosebee shot a victim in the eye during a drug deal gone bad, causing the victim permanent injury. He was sentenced to 22 years of imprisonment on December 7, 2021.

• On July 22, 2021, Jennifer Barteski, 37, of Conyers, Georgia, a GFG associate, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of that crime. She was sentenced on November 18, 2021, to seven years in prison.

• Between February 19, 2019 and April 26, 2021, Cody Ryan Todd, 32, of Carroll County, Georgia, Timothy Wilkins, a/k/a “Dino,” 36, of Woodstock, Georgia, Jonathan Stubbs, 33, of Hamilton County, Tennessee, William J. Goodman, 28, of Paulding County, Georgia, Brie Dewitt, 45, of Woodstock, Georgia, Toby James Ogletree, 47, of Spalding County, Georgia, and Kevin Scott Sosebee, a/k/a “Sosa,” 31, of Cobb County, Georgia, pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy. Ogletree also pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. Sosebee, who was sentenced to 24 years of imprisonment, also pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm in connection with a 2017 incident during which he shot four times at a Cobb County police officer. The officer was pursuing Sosebee from inside a police vehicle, swerved to avoid the bullets, and avoided injury.

• Between August 10, 2018 and March 5, 2020, GFG members Mark Avon Lefevre, a/k/a “Ghost,” 37, of Cobb County, Georgia, Christopher Lasher, a/k/a “Retta,” 39, of Marietta, Georgia, Christopher Steven Jones, a/k/a “Red,” 39, of Canton, Georgia, Samantha Miller, 31, of Cobb County, Georgia, Genevieve Waits, 40, of Cleveland, Ohio, Kayli Brewer, 31, of Cobb County, Georgia, Brittany Nicole Jones, 35, of Rockdale County, Georgia, and Hailey Sizemore, 32, of Douglas County, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, and Xanax.

• On December 5, 2019, Christopher Jarman Davis, 32, of Walker County, Georgia pleaded guilty to maiming another GFG member. While co-defendant Jonathan Stubbs held the other gang member at gunpoint, Davis used an axe to slice a GFG tattoo off that other gang member’s chest as a punishment for violating gang rules.

• On October 4, 2018, Randall Arthur Lee Chumley, 40, of Jasper, Georgia pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and was sentenced on December 10, 2020, to 160 months of imprisonment.

• On April 20, 2018, Kelly Ray Shiflett, 34, of Rome, Georgia pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Cobb County Police Department, along with assistance from the Georgia Department of Corrections and the following law enforcement agencies: Marietta Cobb Smyrna (MCS) Organized Crime Task Force and Narcotics Unit, Cobb Anti-Gang Enforcement (CAGE) Unit, Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, Marietta Police Department, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, Ball Ground Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Douglasville Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, Floyd County Police Department, Rome/Floyd Metro Task Force, Carrollton Police Department, Gainesville Police Department, Pickens County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson County (Alabama) Sheriff’s Office, Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Walton County Sheriff’s Office, Newton County Sheriff’s Office, Covington Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, Murray County Sheriff’s Office, and the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Theodore S. Hertzberg and Erin N. Spritzer of the Northern District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Kristen S. Taylor of the Justice Department’s Organized Crime and Gang Section are prosecuting the case, which was investigated and initiated by former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine M. Hoffer and Jolee Porter.

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.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.