Month: September 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Thank you, Eddie [Bocanegra]. I am so pleased to open this webinar series, and I am so moved by the commitment, from so many people across the country, to the health and safety of our communities.

Today’s session is the first of five webinars focused on expanding community violence intervention and prevention strategies. These strategies are grounded in research and designed and led by experienced practitioners, and they offer tremendous promise in our efforts to reduce violence and build a stronger and safer America.

For too long, we have leaned too heavily on policing as the only solution, and we’ve often downplayed the wealth of resources available through community-based service providers, faith-based organizations and those with lived experience who are an invaluable source of wisdom. This imbalance has too often fed into a cycle of trauma and victimization.

We know there’s a better way, one that builds on what we have learned about violence and its causes. Research shows that community violence – gun violence in particular – can often be traced back to factors like fear, mistrust and a lack of social and economic opportunity. It also shows that multifaceted, data-driven approaches can be effective in curbing violence – and you will hear about some of these approaches during this webinar series. If we hope to achieve sustainable reductions in violence, we must embrace our community assets as a central ingredient in violence reduction strategies.

And we’ve got a huge opportunity in this moment.

As all of you know – and in fact, thanks to the groundbreaking efforts of many of you – President Biden has called for an unprecedented investment in community violence intervention strategies that will build up – and help scale – community infrastructure as a complement to law enforcement. 

In June, the President signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which provides $250 million over five years – $50 million a year – to support community violence intervention and prevention programs. This builds on a $50 million appropriation for fiscal year 2022, meaning the Office of Justice Programs will soon announce investments of nearly $100 million in communities across the country. These resources will help develop and expand the community infrastructure needed to build community safety and strengthen our neighborhoods.  These investments will support cross-agency collaborations that consider the challenges – and the solutions – not simply from the perspective of adults or youth, or from the standpoint of victims versus defendants, but holistically, from the wider lens of the community.

We’ll seed new efforts and fund expansion plans in both community-based organizations and in efforts led by mayors’ offices and other local government agencies. Resources will also support intermediaries that will provide direct funding and technical assistance to help smaller organizations grow their work and build their capacity. And we’ll make technical assistance opportunities available to any jurisdiction, regardless of whether or not they receive federal funding.

Finally, and critically, we’ll be investing in research and evaluation so that we, as a field, can learn as we go and develop stronger, deeper insights into what works to curb violence and save lives.

We know that even more is needed given the demands on the ground. And President Biden’s Safer America Plan in fact proposes $5 billion over 10 years to support CVI programs. But let me say this: Our number one goal at the Office of Justice Programs is to support communities, so that they are strong and vibrant, where everyone has the chance to grow and thrive. We want to strengthen community partnerships, expand opportunities for our youth, address the trauma that many people involved in violence have faced and use data and science to guide us to effective, sustainable public safety solutions.

When I joined the President and Justice Department leaders at the White House in July to celebrate the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, I saw what I’m seeing today – hundreds of concerned and committed people, from all walks of life and from every corner of our country, many of them survivors, many driven by their own profound experience of pain and loss. I was awed and inspired by their resilience and by their tenacious hope in the wake of tragedy.

After hearing their stories, and so many others, I could only nod in agreement at how our President captured the work we are all doing. He said, “What we are doing here today is real, it’s vivid, it’s relevant. The action we take today is a step designed to make our nation the kind of nation we should be.”

What you are doing is real and relevant to your communities, and you should know that it is even more than that. The work you do is vital to fulfilling the promise of a better, a safer and a more just nation.

I am grateful for your contributions, and I look forward to the progress we will make, together.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Memphis, TN – Keatron L. Walls, 37, of Clarksville, Tennessee, has been sentenced to a total of 37 
years in federal prison for four counts of kidnapping, one count of interstate stalking resulting 
in permanent disfigurement of a victim, and one count of using a firearm to commit interstate 
stalking. A federal jury convicted Walls of those offenses after a six-day trial earlier this year. 
 United States Attorney Joseph C. Murphy, Jr. announced the sentence today.

According to information presented in court, on November 23, 2016, Walls drove from Clarksville, 
Tennessee to a residence in DeSoto County, Mississippi where his ex- girlfriend lived with several 
family members.  Armed with a Norinco AK-47 style automatic rifle, Walls fired at least 10 shots 
from the front yard into the home’s living room window. Four of the seven people inside the house 
suffered gunshot wounds. One of those victims lost his leg due to the shooting, and another victim 
lost a finger. The victims were not able to see the shooter, and Walls fled the scene before law 
enforcement arrived. DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department personnel recovered six spent shell casings 
outside the house as evidence. Walls presented a false alibi to law enforcement regarding his 
whereabouts during the shooting. Law enforcement was able to disprove that alibi through further 
investigation.

Less than 18 months later, on April 20, 2018, Walls kidnapped his ex-girlfriend, her five- year-old 
daughter, and her boyfriend at gunpoint from their apartment in Memphis, Tennessee. He forced the 
victim to drive them in her car to a nearby location, where Walls’s vehicle was parked. He 
retrieved an AK-47 style rifle from his car and put it into the trunk of the victim’s car.  After 
that, he ordered the victim to drive back to her apartment, where he forced her to lock her 
daughter inside the apartment by herself. He then ordered her to drive to a house in Marshall 
County, Mississippi where Walls’s
relative lived. During the drive, Walls threatened to kill both victims and hit them with one of his two pistols. When they arrived at the house, Walls forced both victims out of the car, 
onto their knees, and fired three gunshots past their heads. After arguing with several family 
members about whether he should let the victims go, Walls directed both victims back into the car. 
He forced them to drive into Shelby County, Tennessee, where officers were able to stop the car and 
rescue both victims.

Forensic ballistics testing showed that the AK-47 style rifle in the car’s trunk matched the spent 
shell casings recovered from the November 23, 2016, shooting in DeSoto County, Mississippi.

“This sentencing demonstrates there is no tolerance for this type of criminal activity and cruel 
treatment of victims,” said Douglas M. Korneski, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation Memphis Field Office. “The FBI is committed to working closely with our law 
enforcement partners to protect victims and bring those who commit such heinous acts to justice.”

On September 8, 2022, United States District Judge John T. Fowlkes, Jr., sentenced Walls to a total 
of 37 years in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. There is no 
parole in the federal system.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the DeSoto County Sheriff’s 
Department, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, and the Memphis Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorneys Tony Arvin and Murre Foster prosecuted this case on behalf of the 
government.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

      LITTLE ROCK—A Little Rock man has been sentenced to 300 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. United States District Judge Brian S. Miller sentenced Bradley Clayton Walker, 39, to the 25-year term of imprisonment today. Judge Miller also sentenced Walker to five years of supervised release.

      In January 2021, Walker shot a man in Bryant in the chest and fled the scene in a white Chevrolet pickup truck. Law enforcement identified the vehicle as belonging to Walker, and officers waited near Walker’s home. At the time of the shooting, Walker lived in Conway. Walker saw the officers and fled. Driving over 80 miles per hour through residential neighborhoods in Conway, Walker continued into Perry County, where he was ultimately stopped and taken into custody.

      In the vehicle, officers located an empty 9mm magazine under the driver’s seat and a Glock Model 26 9mm handgun, which Walker had used in the earlier shooting, loaded with 23 rounds in an extended magazine. The search also revealed over 50 grams of methamphetamine as well as a bag containing fentanyl.

      Walker’s sentence was based on the offense as well as his criminal history, which classifies him as an armed career criminal and increased his sentencing range. Walker has a prior federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm as well as prior convictions for possession of cocaine, aggravated battery, and robbery, among numerus other offenses. In 2016, in Kansas, Walker shot a victim in the face, causing near-fatal injuries, during a robbery of some electronic devices.

      The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Bryant Police Department, and Conway Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Crews.

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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

An indictment was unsealed today charging three Iranian nationals with allegedly orchestrating a scheme to hack into the computer networks of multiple U.S. victims.

As alleged in the indictment, from October 2020 through the present, Mansour Ahmadi, aka Mansur Ahmadi, 34; Ahmad Khatibi Aghda, aka Ahmad Khatibi, 45; and Amir Hossein Nickaein Ravari, aka Amir Hossein Nikaeen, aka Amir Hossein Nickaein, aka Amir Nikayin, 30, engaged in a scheme to gain unauthorized access to the computer systems of hundreds of victims in the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Iran, and elsewhere, causing damage and losses to the victims. 

“The Government of Iran has created a safe haven where cyber criminals acting for personal gain flourish and defendants like these are able to hack and extort victims, including critical infrastructure providers,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “This indictment makes clear that even other Iranians are less safe because their own government fails to follow international norms and stop Iranian cyber criminals.”

The defendants’ hacking campaign exploited known vulnerabilities in commonly used network devices and software applications to gain access and exfiltrate data and information from victims’ computer systems. Ahmadi, Khatibi, Nickaein and others also conducted encryption attacks against victims’ computer systems, denying victims access to their systems and data unless a ransom payment was made.

The defendants victimized a broad range of organizations, including small businesses, government agencies, nonprofit programs and educational and religious institutions. Their victims also included multiple critical infrastructure sectors, including health care centers, transportation services and utility providers.

“Ransom-related cyberattacks — like what happened here — are a particularly destructive form of cybercrime,” said U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey. “No form of cyberattack is acceptable, but ransomware attacks that target critical infrastructure services, such as health care facilities and government agencies, are a threat to our national security. Hackers like these defendants go to great lengths to keep their identities secret, but there is always a digital trail. And we will find it.”

“The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to work with our U.S. government partners for the purpose of imposing cost on our adversaries,” said Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “This indictment, when coupled with other disruptive operational activities, demonstrates what’s possible when we team up with our domestic and international partners and take a whole-of-government approach. We, along with our partners, remain dedicated to protecting the United States of America and the victims affected by these egregious crimes.”

According to court documents, in February 2021, the defendants and their conspirators targeted a township in Union County, New Jersey. They exploited known vulnerabilities to gain control and access to the township’s network and data and used a hacking tool to establish persistent remote access to a particular domain that was registered to Ahmadi.

In or before February 2022, the defendants and their conspirators targeted an accounting firm based in Morris County, New Jersey. They again exploited a known vulnerability to gain unauthorized access and then used a particular hacking tool to establish a connection to a server that was registered to Nickaein and to steal data. In March 2022, the defendants launched an encryption attack against the accounting firm; after denying the firm access to some of its systems, Khatibi demanded payment of $50,000 in cryptocurrency and threatened to sell the data on the black market.

The defendants also compromised, and often encrypted and extorted, hundreds of other victims, including an accounting firm based in Illinois; a regional electric utility company based in Mississippi; a regional electric utility company based in Indiana; a public housing corporation in the State of Washington; a shelter for victims of domestic violence in Pennsylvania; a County government in Wyoming; a construction company located in the State of Washington that was engaged in work on critical infrastructure projects; and a state bar association.

Ahmadi, Khatibi and Nickaein, all residents of Iran, are each charged by indictment with one count of conspiring to commit computer fraud and related activity in connection with computers; one count of intentionally damaging a protected computer; and one count of transmitting a demand in relation to damaging a protected computer. Ahmadi is charged with one additional count of intentionally damaging a protected computer. All defendants remain at large abroad.

The conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The intentional damage to protected computers charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The transmission of a ransom demand charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The offenses also carry a potential maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross amount of gain or loss resulting from the offense, whichever is greatest.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys David E. Malagold and Matthew Feldman Nikic for the District of New Newsey, and Trial Attorney Andrew D. Beaty of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

MONROE, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Montrelle D. Jones, 21, of Monroe, Louisiana, has been sentenced by United States District Judge Terry A. Doughty to 78 months (6 years, 6 months) in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, on firearm charges. Jones was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 26, 2022 and charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a firearm in a school zone. He pleaded guilty to the charges on March 28, 2022.

These charges stem from an incident on January 14, 2022, when a Monroe Police Department officer who was working off-duty security at the Neville High School basketball game on the school campus was alerted by several individuals that there were a group of males fighting outside in front of the gym. As the off-duty officer made his way outside to break up the fight, he observed approximately 30 individuals who were in an agitated state gathering in the foyer of the gym. The officer immediately went inside the foyer and observed Jones lift up his shirt with his left hand and saw he had a Glock-style handgun with an extended magazine secured in his waistband. The officer went to Jones and placed one hand on the weapon and the other on his shoulder and brought him to the nearest wall. He placed Jones’ gun on the floor and took Jones into custody. The officer observed several people flee from the foyer. Jones was escorted to the police vehicle and secured. The gun was taken into evidence and identified as a Glock Model 17, 9mm pistol.

At the time of Jones’ arrest, he was the subject of a court order which had been issued in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana on June 25, 2021 restraining him from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner. That order included a finding that Jones was a credible threat to the physical safety of the intimate partner, which prohibited him from possessing any firearm or ammunition.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Monroe Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Aaron Crawford.

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