Month: September 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

HOUSTON – The U.S. Department of Justice, together with numerous law enforcement partners, met today at Jack Yates High School in Houston to announce a new initiative that will surge law enforcement tools and resources to target gangs who are terrorizing communities in Houston.

“This new violent crime initiative, led by the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section (OCGS), will surge the tools and resources we use to investigate and prosecute violent crime nationally and apply those tools to gangs who are terrorizing communities here in Houston,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

“The new initiative will include federal prosecutors from OCGS, our nation’s foremost experts in charging federal racketeering (RICO) prosecutions, as well as dedicated investigative agents, analysts and forensic experts from the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Marshals Service, Houston Police Department (HPD), and the Harris County Sherriff’s Office (HCSO).”

“Together we will employ a data-driven approach to strategically identify and prosecute the worst of the worst criminals and gang members who are responsible for a disproportionate amount of violent crime in underserved communities in Houston,” said Assistant Attorney General Polite.

The initiative will also include efforts to invest in prevention, intervention and reentry. Today the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs announced grant awards totaling $100 million to help communities across the U.S. reduce gun crime and other serious violence. Included in that announcement is a $2 million award to Harris County in Houston to provide funding to community and hospital-based violence interruption programs.

“If we work together to battle the problem, we can make a difference,” said U.S. Attorney Jennifer Lowery of the Southern District of Texas. “This is our community, too, and we want to do all we can to make sure everyone feels safe here in Houston.”

As part of the announcement, Assistant Attorney General Polite and U.S. Attorney Lowery met with Yates students to hear directly from them about the violence and gang activity in their neighborhoods. They also met with various community and faith-based leaders and business owners in the Third Ward.

Joining Assistant Attorney General Polite and U.S. Attorney Lowery in the press conference today were Chief Troy Skinner of the HPD; Special Agent in Charge James Smith, FBI Houston Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Fred Milanowski, ATF Houston; Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, HCSO; and Associate Deputy Director Cornelia Sigworth of the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs.   

OCGS is leading the new violent crime initiative in coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas and will include dedicated investigative agents, analysts and forensic experts from the FBI, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, HPD, HCSO as well as many other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. 

Source: United States Department of Justice News

      LITTLE ROCK—Five defendants were sentenced yesterday for their involvement in crimes carried out on behalf of a white supremacist gang. Each defendant previously pleaded guilty to various crimes associated with the New Aryan Empire (NAE), a white supremacist organization that began as a prison gang and functioned as a drug trafficking organization.

      Russell Robinson, 35, of Dover, Arkansas, was sentenced to 204 months imprisonment for kidnapping in aid of racketeering, assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and maiming in aid of racketeering. The remaining four defendants were sentenced for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine: Jeffrey Howell, 38, of Russellville, was sentenced to 188 months imprisonment, Richard Hampton, 42, of Pottsville, and Tiffany Parker, 42, of Russellville, were both sentenced to 96 months imprisonment, and April Teeter, 40, of Russellville, was sentenced to 90 months imprisonment. In addition to prison time, United States District Judge Brian S. Miller also sentenced each defendant to five years of supervised release following their terms of imprisonment.

      The investigation began in 2016, when local and federal agencies initiated a joint investigation to identify, infiltrate, and dismantle drug trafficking organizations in Russellville. Agents identified multiple individuals who were trafficking methamphetamine in the Pope County area. 

      In June 2017, NAE members and associates kidnapped two individuals that they suspected of cooperating with law enforcement, which violated the rules of NAE. One victim was held against their will and subsequently beaten and stabbed multiple times. While the victim was held to the ground, another NAE member heated a knife with a torch and burned the victim’s cheek, leading to permanent disfigurement. Another victim was kidnapped at the same time and restrained and repeatedly beaten.

      The overall indictment in this case charged more than 50 people from the Pope County area with violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering, and numerous gun and drug violations. The case is named “To The Dirt,” a reference to the NAE slogan referring to the rule that members must remain in the NAE until they die. The charges allege acts involving attempted murder, kidnapping, maiming, and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Of the 55 total defendants charged in “Operation ‘To The Dirt,’” 53 defendants have pleaded guilty, 1 defendant was found guilty at trial, and 35 of those defendants have already been sentenced to prison terms: Courtney Talley 94 months; Corey A. Ford 45 months, Henri T. Keener, II 84 months, Jared Dale, 84 months; Britanny Conner, 120 months; Keith Savage, 120 months; Joseph Pridmore, 150 months; Daniel Adame, 262 months; Justin Howell, 155 months; James George, 70 months; Amos Adame, 121 months; and Skippy Don Sanders, 262 months; Andrew Syverson 151 months; Amanda Rapp 262 months; Jayme Short 90 months; Cory S. Donnelly 188 months; Wesley Pierson 120 months; Ralph Ross 36 months; Jeffrey L. Knox 180 months; Robert Chandler 65 months; Timothy Ferguson 180 months; Paula S. Enos 180 months; Heath Kizer 96 months; Christopher S. Helms 102 months; David D. Singleton 131 months; Kathrine R. Ross 60 months BOP; Courtney Talley 94 months; Corey A. Ford 45 months; Henri T. Keener, II 84 months; April Howell 198 months; Kevin M. Long 369 months; James Scott Oliver 327 months; and Wesley S. Gullett 420 months. The remaining defendant, Troy L. Loadholt, remains a fugitive.

      The investigation was conducted by ATF, DEA, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Pope County Sheriff’s Office, Fifth Judicial Drug Task Force, and the Russellville Police Department, with assistance from the FBI.

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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the

United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

https://www.justice.gov/edar

Twitter:

@EDARNEWS

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Anna Gabrielian, age 36, and her husband, Jamie Lee Henry, age 39, both of Rockville, Maryland, with conspiracy and for the disclosure of individually identifiable health information (“IIHI”), related to their efforts to assist Russia in connection with the conflict in Ukraine.  The indictment was returned on September 28, 2022 and unsealed today upon the arrest of the defendants. 

Gabrielian is scheduled to have initial appearance at 11:30 a.m. today, in U.S. District Court in Baltimore before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brendan A. Hurson.  Henry is also expected to have an initial appearance today, although a time has not yet been set.  

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

As stated in the indictment, Gabrielian is an anesthesiologist and worked at Medical Institution 1, located in Baltimore, Maryland.  Henry, a Major in the United States Army, who held a Secret-level security clearance, is Gabrielian’s husband and a doctor.  During the time of the alleged conspiracy, Henry worked as a staff internist stationed at Fort Bragg, the home of the Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps, headquarters of the United States Army Special Operations Command, and the Womack Army Medical Center.

According to the eight-count indictment, Gabrielian and Henry conspired to cause harm to the United States by providing confidential health information of Americans associated with the United States government and military to Russia.  Specifically, the indictment alleges that beginning on August 17, 2022, Gabrielian and Henry conspired to provide IIHI related to patients at Medical Institution 1 and at Fort Bragg to an individual they believed to be working for the Russian government in order to demonstrate the level of Gabrielian’s and Henry’s access to IIHI of Americans; their willingness to provide IIHI to the Russian government; and the potential for the Russian government to gain insights into the medical conditions of individuals associated with the United States government and military in order to exploit this information.

Gabrielian and Henry met with an individual they believed to be associated with the Russian government, but who was, in fact, a Federal Bureau of Investigation Undercover Agent (“UC”), in order to convey to the UC their commitment to aid Russia, and to discuss ways in which they could help the Russian government.  Gabrielian told the UC that she had previously reached out to the Russian embassy by email and phone, offering Russia her and her husband’s assistance.  Gabrielian told the UC that, although Henry knew of Gabrielian’s interaction with the Russian Embassy, she never mentioned Henry’s name to the Russian Embassy.  Gabrielian wanted to make sure Henry could deny any knowledge of her actions.  On August 17, 2022, Gabrielian met with the UC at a hotel in Baltimore.  During that meeting, Gabrielian told the UC she was motivated by patriotism toward Russia to provide any assistance she could to Russia, even if it meant being fired or going to jail.  Gabrielian proposed potential cover stories for meeting the UC and stressed the need for “plausible deniability” in the event she was confronted by American authorities about meeting with the UC.  Gabrielian also told the UC that, as a military officer, Henry was currently a more important source for Russia than she was, because he had more helpful information, including how the United States military establishes an army hospital in war conditions and information about previous training provided by the United States military to Ukrainian military personnel.  Gabrielian arranged to meet with the UC and Henry later that evening.

At about 8:10 p.m. that evening, the indictment alleges that Gabrielian and Henry met with the UC in the UC’s hotel room.  During the meeting, Henry explained to the UC he was committed to assisting Russia and had looked into volunteering to join the Russian Army after the conflict in Ukraine began, but Russia wanted people with “combat experience” and he did not have any.  Henry further stated, “the way I am viewing what is going on in Ukraine now, is that the United States is using Ukrainians as a proxy for their own hatred toward Russia.”  Henry and Gabrielian allegedly offered to provide the UC with private medical records from the United States Army and Medical Institution 1 in order to help the Russian government.  During the same meeting, Gabrielian demanded that if she were put at significant risk of arrest, she wanted her and Henry’s children to, “have a nice flight to Turkey to go on vacation because I don’t want to end in jail here with my kids being hostages over my head.”  Henry also indicated that he was concerned about passing a background check for his security clearance, telling the UC, “I don’t want to know your name . . . because I want plausible deniability too.  In a security clearance situation they want to know names and people and all this stuff.”

As detailed in the indictment, a few days later Gabrielian and the UC again met at the hotel in Baltimore to discuss providing Army medical records to the UC.  Gabrielian told the UC that Henry was concerned about violating HIPAA, but Gabrielian had no such concerns.  Gabrielian stated that she would check with Henry about providing medical records from Fort Bragg patients and get back in touch.  The next day, Gabrielian sent a text to the UC, using coded language, to advise that Henry would provide Army medical records to the UC.  On August 31, 2022, Gabrielian and Henry allegedly met the UC at a hotel room in Gaithersburg, Maryland.  According to the indictment, Gabrielian provided the UC with IIHI related to two individuals, including the spouse of an employee of the Office of Naval Intelligence, whom Gabrielian pointed out had a medical condition Russia could “exploit.”  Henry also allegedly provided IIHI related to five individuals who were military veterans or related to military veterans.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the conspiracy, and a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for each count of disclosing IIHI.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI for its work in the investigation and thanked the U.S. Army Counterintelligence for its collaboration  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron S.J. Zelinsky, who is prosecuting the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, and its efforts to protect national security, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/anti-terrorism.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

Four individuals pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud the Department of Education’s financial aid programs of millions of dollars in federal funds.

According to court documents and statements made in connection with their guilty pleas, Sandra Anderson, 63, of Palmetto, Georgia; Yolanda Thomas, 51, of Columbus, Georgia; Leo Thomas, 56, of Phenix City, Alabama; Kristina Parker, 35, of Stone Mountain, Georgia; and their co-conspirators fraudulently obtained millions of dollars in federal financial aid funds that they misused for their personal benefit. They did so by creating an elaborate sham university – the Columbus, Georgia, satellite campus of the Apex School of Theology.

As part of their guilty pleas, the co-conspirators admitted that, at Anderson’s direction, they enrolled individuals at Apex who agreed to pose as students, knowing that those individuals did not qualify to enroll in college or graduate school. The co-conspirators then fraudulently completed financial aid applications in students’ names and completed students’ homework and exams. The co-conspirators also served as teachers and manipulated student grades to ensure that the purported students could meet the minimum grade requirements to continue to qualify for federal financial aid. Then, the co-conspirators either stole student financial aid refund checks outright or required students to cash their aid checks and provide a portion to the co-conspirators.

Anderson, Yolanda Thomas, and Parker each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, five counts of wire fraud, and four counts of financial aid fraud. They each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each of the conspiracy and wire fraud charges, and five years in prison on each of the financial aid fraud charges. Leo Thomas pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. All defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 15. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary for the Middle District of Georgia; Special Agent in Charge Keri E. Farley of the FBI Atlanta Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Reginald J. France of the Department of Education Office of Inspector General (ED-OIG), Southeastern Regional Office; and Special Agent in Charge James E. Dorsey of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) made the announcement.

The FBI, ED-OIG, and IRS-CI are investigating the case.

Assistant Chief Leslie S. Garthwaite and Trial Attorneys Siji Moore and Spencer Ryan of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.