Month: October 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury returned an indictment late yesterday charging former Baltimore City Assistant State’s Attorney Adam Lane Chaudry, age 43, of Baltimore, Maryland, with 10 counts of fraud in connection with obtaining confidential phone records.  The indictment alleges that Chaudry committed the crime knowing that information may be used in furtherance of and with the intent to commit stalking.

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

According to the indictment, from June 2009 to June 18, 2021, Chaudry worked as an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office (“BSAO”).  From September 2015 until he left the BSAO Chaudry worked in the BSAO’s Homicide Division.  Chaudry maintained a romantic relationship with Victim #1 from May 2005 through January 2018; and with Victim #2 from August 2017 through September 2020.  Victims #3, #4, and #5 were long-time friends of Victim #1.  At no point were any of the victims a witness or target of any criminal investigation or prosecution by the BSAO.

The indictment alleges that between January 3, 2019 and April 12, 2021, Chaudry caused 33 grand jury and trial subpoenas to be issued for the telephone records of Victim #1.  The indictment alleges that Chaudry caused the subpoenas to appear to be related to a “special investigation in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City”; to contain no identifying case number; and to further state, “The information sought in this subpoena is relevant and material to a legitimate law enforcement inquiry.”  Other subpoenas contained similar fraudulent information.

In a similar manner, Chaudry allegedly caused grand jury and trial subpoenas to be issued for the telephone records of Victim #2 between February 22, 2019 and April 12, 2021; caused multiple grand jury and trial subpoenas to be issued for the telephone records of Victim #3 between March 12, 2019 and April 21, 2020; caused multiple grand jury and trial subpoenas to be issued for the telephone records of Victim #4 between March 22, 2019 and February 8, 2021; and caused multiple grand jury and trial subpoenas to be issued for the telephone records of Victim #5 between January 21, 2019 and February 18, 2020.

As detailed in the indictment, not only did Chaudry request telephone records for the victims, on January 10, 2019, while Chaudry was living with Victim #2, Chaudry asked an investigator from BSAO to run the name of a relative of Victim #2 who had served time in a detention center in another Maryland county in a case not involving BSAO.  There was no grand jury investigation relating to Victim #2 or to Victim #2’s relative.  After Victim #2 and Chaudry ended their relationship, Chaudry allegedly caused to be issued subpoenas for jail calls between Victim #2 Victim #2’s incarcerated relative.  Chaudry also caused to be issued a subpoena for Victim #2’s relative’s visitor logs.  According to the indictment, Chaudry further sent a letter on BSAO letterhead for 911 calls made by Victim #2 that appeared in phone record logs he had obtained.  He represented that the records were “pertinent to a legitimate law enforcement inquiry.”

In addition, the indictment alleges that on March 26, 2019, an investigator at BSAO provided Chaudry information that Chaudry had previously requested including Victim #1’s home address, MVA information, and her driver’s license photograph.  Chaudry then allegedly used the information, including Victim #1’s driver’s license photograph to contact a hotel to request information about Victims #1 and #3’s stays at the hotel using his BSAO email address.  The hotel number appeared in Victim #1’s phone records previously obtained by Chaudry. 

If convicted, Chaudry faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each count, with a possible enhancement of five years in prison per count for stalking.  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.  Chaudry will have an initial appearance at a later date in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.

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 and State Prosecutor’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean R. Delaney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah R. David, who are prosecuting the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

NEW BERN, N.C. – A New Bern man was sentenced on September 30, 2022, to 118 months in prison  and 60 months of supervised release for trafficking heroin and fentanyl in December 2018 and January 2019.  On April 15, 2022, Quentin Tavaris Bryant pleaded guilty to the charges.

“Working together with law enforcement, we are investigating and prosecuting those that are bringing deadly fentanyl into our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “This defendant will trade his time dealing drugs for time behind bars.”

“I express my appreciation to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for vigorously prosecuting Bryant and obtaining an active prison sentence,” said Craven County Sheriff Chip Hughes.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Bryant, previously convicted on state charges for cocaine trafficking, began trafficking in heroin and fentanyl in 2018.  After conducting several controlled purchases of heroin from Bryant, Craven County Sheriff’s Office deputies witnessed him make a drug sale from his car.  Deputies observed Bryant return home and then drive away.  A deputy began following Bryant and activated blue lights and siren to conduct a traffic stop.  In response, Bryant accelerated and changed lanes. During the chase, deputies saw Bryant throw items out the window, including a bag that landed on church property in New Bern. During his attempt to flee, Bryant drove in excess of 110 miles per hour, ignored stop signs, and continued to throw items out his window. 

After Bryant was apprehended, deputies recovered items along the chase route they had witnessed were thrown from the car including the large plastic bag at the church which contained loose rice and a second bag inside that contained an off-white substance.  They also recovered a  plastic bag of white powder on a bridge. Sheriff’s Office deputies executed a search warrant at Bryant’s home and seized $15,000, a drug sales ledger and many items in a plastic storage bin appearing to be a drug manufacturing/packaging station.  The N.C. Crime Lab analyzed the materials from the search and the chase and found 131.86 grams of heroin/fentanyl; 57.5 grams of powder cocaine; and 14.49 grams of crack cocaine.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Craven County Sheriff’s Office and the DEA Wilmington Resident Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennis M. Duffy prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:19-CR-00085-FL.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON – Bernard McCutcheon, 27, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon stemming from an incident in which he confronted U.S. Capitol Police officers while in possession of two Molotov cocktails, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and J. Thomas Manger, Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police.

            At the time of the offense, McCutcheon was on probation in another case in which he threw a Molotov cocktail at a woman who was walking on a street in Northwest Washington.

            McCutcheon pleaded guilty today in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He is to be sentenced on Nov. 3, 2022, by the Honorable Michael O’Keefe.

            According to court documents, on July 6, 2022, at approximately 3:30 p.m., McCutcheon was in possession of two Molotov Cocktails on the steps of 25 Massachusetts Avenue NW when U.S. Capitol Police officers responded to a 911 call. As the officers approached McCutcheon, he backed away from them while holding one of the Molotov Cocktails. During this confrontation, that Molotov Cocktail hit the ground near where the officers were standing.

            McCutcheon then took out the second Molotov Cocktail. While in close proximity to one of the officers, McCutcheon attempted several times to light the white cloth hanging from the bottle. After failing to light the cloth, McCutcheon fled and ran into a nearby bicycle rack, where the second Molotov Cocktail shattered on the ground. In a search at the time of the arrest, officers found a backpack containing a 2-liter soda bottle containing a pale amber liquid consistent with the appearance and odor of gasoline. McCutcheon has been in custody since his arrest.

            In the earlier case, McCutcheon pleaded guilty earlier this year to a charge of attempted assault with a dangerous weapon. On the afternoon of April 28, 2021, McCutcheon threw a Molotov cocktail at a woman who was walking near a gas station in the 300 block of Rhode Island Avenue NW. The bottle landed on the victim’s foot and burst into flames, catching her shoe on fire and bruising a toe. Shards of glass from the bottle also cut the victim’s shin. On May 20, 2022, McCutcheon was sentenced to 13 months in prison in this case, with all of the time suspended on the condition that he successfully complete 18 months of supervised probation.

            In announcing today’s plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Manger commended the work of those who investigated the case from the U.S. Capitol Police. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case form the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Tonya Queen, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Omeed A. Assefi, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm sentenced Deante Mandel Duckett, age 37, of Cheverly, Maryland, to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for dealing in firearms without a license and for transporting a firearm with intent to commit a felony.  The sentence was imposed on September 28, 2022.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Charles County Sheriff Troy Berry.

According to his guilty plea, between March 2019 and April 2019,although Duckett was not a licensed firearms dealer he engaged in the business of selling firearms.  Duckett traveled outside of Maryland to acquire firearms that he transported back to Maryland with the intent to sell them.

As detailed in the plea agreement, on three occasions between March 6 and April 11, 2019, Duckett met with a confidential source and sold the source firearms.  Specifically, on March 6, Duckett sold the confidential source a .38 Special caliber revolver for $400.  Duckett told the source that he had obtained the gun in Atlanta and brought it back to Maryland.  On April 2, Duckett sold the confidential source a 380 cc semi-automatic pistol, a .22 caliber revolver, and a .32 caliber revolver in exchange for $1,200.  During the exchange, Duckett stated to the confidential source, “See, I go down south, man.”  Finally, on April 11, 2019, Duckett provided the confidential source with one 12-gauge shotgun, one.32 caliber revolver, and one.32 caliber semi-automatic pistol loaded with 7 rounds of ammunition.  Duckett admitted that he transported the firearms from outside Maryland prior to their recovery.

On April 22, 2019, Duckett sent the confidential source a text message requesting that the confidential source call him.  During the conversation, Duckett informed the confidential source that he was planning to bring 10 to 15 firearms into Maryland from “down yonder.”  Duckett elaborated that “somebody just did something, so they putting a couple more out here on the streets, so everybody trying to get rid of what they got . . . .” Law enforcement arrested Duckett before the transaction could take place.

In all, Duckett sold seven firearms to the confidential source, transporting the firearms from outside the state of Maryland for the purpose of engaging in the business of firearms trafficking. Duckett made these transactions after having sustained a felon drug conviction in Charles County in 2014 and an armed robbery conviction in 2009.  As a convicted felon, Duckett was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

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.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and the Charles County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Geonard F. Butler II and Joseph R. Baldwin, who prosecuted the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

Damian Williams, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Daniel B. Brubaker, Inspector-in-Charge, New York Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”), Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Northeast Area Field Office of the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General (“USPS-OIG”), Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and Keechant L. Sewell, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced the arrest of ELHORIN YISREAL on Hobbs Act robbery and firearm charges in connection with the gunpoint robbery of a post office in the Bronx, New York, on September 6, 2022.  YISREAL was arrested yesterday and will be presented today before the Honorable James L. Cott.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said:  “As alleged, Elhorin Yisreal brazenly robbed a Bronx post office in broad daylight, endangering the lives of a post office employee and her husband in the process.  Yisreal’s alleged actions show his disregard for the rule of law, and I commend our law enforcement partners for working with this Office to swiftly identify and apprehend Yisreal.”

USPIS Inspector-in-Charge Daniel B. Brubaker said:  “This has been a true team effort between multiple federal, state, and local agencies.  We hope this arrest sends a crystal-clear message to any and all criminal elements: if you target a U.S. Post Office and accost our employees with a gun, you will go to jail.  Period.  We will tirelessly pursue you and bring you to justice.”

FBI Assistant Director Michael J. Driscoll said:  “This was not a random robbery. We allege Yisreal sat waiting for the victims to arrive, forced his way in using a gun, and then stole a significant sum of money.  He also stole a device used to print money orders.  Whatever Yisreal’s intent for that device may have been, he will get no use out of it in federal prison.  I want to commend our law enforcement partners at the United States Postal Inspection Service, and other agencies, who all worked diligently to solve this case so quickly.”

NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said:  “Today’s charges affirm the NYPD’s unwavering commitment to work in close collaboration with all of our law enforcement partners to identify and arrest anyone who commits a violent crime in New York City – especially a brazen gunpoint robbery of two people inside a post office.  I commend and thank everyone at the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and all of the investigators at the NYPD, the FBI’s New York Field Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General for their work on this important case.”

According to the allegations contained in the Complaint:[1]

On September 6, 2022, YISREAL committed a gunpoint robbery of a post office in the Bronx, New York.  On the morning of September 6, YISREAL was waiting outside the post office in a parked vehicle when a post office employee and her husband arrived.  After the post office employee and her husband unlocked the front entrance to the post office, YISREAL emerged from the vehicle wearing a black mask and carrying a firearm.  YISREAL ordered the post office employee and her husband inside the post office at gunpoint.  He then ordered the post office employee to open a safe and give him two remittance bags containing approximately $100,000 in United States currency, as well as blank money orders, and a machine used to print money orders.  Following the robbery, YISREAL fled in the vehicle parked outside.

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YISREAL, 44, is charged with one count of Hobbs Act robbery, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of brandishing a firearm, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison. 

The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the USPIS, USPS-OIG, the FBI, and the NYPD.

This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit.  Assistant United States Attorney Alexandra S. Messiter is in charge of the prosecution.