Month: November 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

DETROIT – – A man who illegally possessed a handgun equipped with an auto sear, commonly known as a Glock switch, which is designed to convert the handgun into an automatic weapon was sentenced yesterday in federal court, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison. 

United States Attorney Ison was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Paul D. Vanderplow, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Detroit Field Division.

United States District Linda V. Parker sentenced Dion Davis, 19, of Detroit, Michigan, to 41 months in prison for illegally possessing several firearms. Davis was indicted in July 2021 and pleaded guilty in May 2022.

At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that on April 25, 2021, Davis went live on Instagram, flaunting his possession of an illegal machine gun with a device known as an auto sear, a square device about the size of a thumbnail known on the street as a “switch” that turns the gun from a semi-automatic to an automatic weapon. Five days later, federal agents recovered the weapon from Davis while executing a search warrant. Davis had drawn the attention of federal agents after being involved in several shooting incidents on Detroit’s east side. At the time he possessed the firearm with the conversion switch, Davis was on pretrial release for felony cases in both Wayne and Macomb County.

Law enforcement has established that Davis is affiliated with the “700 Gang,” which is also known as the “Wax Gang” and “4GTMT.” During a three-year period, twelve members of the 700 Gang were charged with violent or firearms-related felonies. According to court records, at the time of his arrest, Davis had fanned the flames of a feud with a rival gang by participating in shootings, taunting and threatening rival gang members on social media, and continually flaunting his unfettered access to firearms.     

“The sole and exclusive purpose of Glock switches, which are easily manufactured, is to convert an already dangerous firearm into an extremely dangerous machine gun,” said United States Attorney Ison.  We will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute individuals that use and possess these dangerous devices in our community.”

“Conversion devices are NOT simple firearms parts or accessories but machineguns under federal law. The men and women at the ATF will find and remove these violent criminals from the community who continue to terrorize our State,” said, ATF Special in Charge Paul Vanderplow.  “ATF stands proudly with our Federal, State, and Local law enforcement partners within the State of Michigan to prosecute these individuals.”

The case against Davis 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.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Lanning.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Ricky R. Johnson, of Masontown, West Virginia, was indicted today on a firearms charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.

Johnson, 41, was indicted today on one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.” Johnson, a person prohibited from having firearms because of prior convictions, is accused of having a .22 caliber pistol in December 2021 in Preston County.

Johnson faces up to 10 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher L. Bauer is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives and the Preston County Sheriff’s Office investigated.

An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            CONCORD – Richard J. Crispin, 26, of Rochester, NH, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Monday and charged with sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced today.

            Crispin has been in custody since April 2021 on related charges in Maine. He had an initial appearance on Tuesday, and he will remain in custody pending resolution of his federal and state criminal matters.

            The charges in the indictment are only allegations.  The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

            This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Somersworth, NH Police Department, the Strafford County Sheriff’s Office, the North Berwick, ME Police Department, and the Rochester, NH Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cam T. Le.

            In February 2006, the Department of Justice introduced Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

MOBILE, AL – A pair of New Orleans, Louisiana men were each sentenced to two years in federal prison for a scheme to steal motor vehicles and transport them across state lines.

According to court documents, Tim Jackson, 27, and Jerrell Maxon, 25, were part of a group of individuals from New Orleans called the “East Side Wheelie Kings,” who were responsible for breaking into motorcycle shops along the Gulf Coast and stealing motorcycles, dirt bikes, and four-wheelers.

In the early morning hours of May 1, 2018, Jackson, Maxon, and several other individuals stole two trucks from a U-Haul location in Mobile. Surveillance video showed the thieves entering the U-Haul facility through a hole in the fence, starting the stolen trucks by breaking their key cylinders, and ramming the trucks through the property’s gate. A short time later that morning, the defendants and their coconspirators used the stolen U-Haul trucks to ram into the front entrance of Hall’s Motorsports, a motorcycle shop in Mobile. The group stole several motorcycles and dirt bikes from the business and took them back to New Orleans. Law enforcement later recovered some of the stolen bikes and the stolen U-Haul trucks in Alabama and Louisiana.

Detectives analyzed the defendants’ cell phone geo-location records, both of which placed them in the vicinity of the victim businesses at the time of the break-ins. Law enforcement executed search warrants at the defendants’ houses in New Orleans and found, among other things, clothing matching that worn by the burglars, a stolen dirt bike, keys for four-wheelers, and handwritten notes for motorcycle shops in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Maxon made recorded calls from jail admitting that he had been “hitting the businesses all over the South.” Jackson admitted that he participated in the burglaries, and records from his Instagram account revealed that he offered one of the motorcycles stolen from Hall’s Motorsports for sale. In total, the victim businesses suffered $147,795 in financial losses due to building damage and stolen property.

Senior United States District Judge William H. Steele ordered the defendants to serve three-year terms of supervised release upon their release from prison, during which time they will be subject to credit restrictions. The court did not order a fine, but Judge Steele ordered the defendants to pay $147,795 in victim restitution and a total of $300 in special assessments.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The Mobile Police Department, the Louisiana State Police, and the New Orleans office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bishop Ravenel and Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.