Month: November 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

DEL RIO, Texas – A federal grand jury in Del Rio returned an indictment last week charging two Texas men with smuggling goods from the United States.

According to court documents, on October 10, 2022 Miguel Angel Ocura-Arenas, 67, of San Antonio was arrested when he attempted to smuggle seven firearms along with 29 magazines, ammunition a rifle barrel and a universal fake suppressor into Mexico. The following day, Rafael Martinez, 40, of Dallas, was also arrested for attempting to smuggle seven firearms and more than 300 rounds of ammunition into Mexico.

Both defendants made their initial court appearances on October 12 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Collis White of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. Martinez and Ocura-Arenas have been detained without bond while awaiting further proceedings. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff of the Western District of Texas and Acting Special Agent in Charge, Craig Larrabee, HSI San Antonio, made the announcement.

Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case with assistance from Customs and Border Protection.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Brown is 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.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

MINNEAPOLIS – A Rochester man has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a felon, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on May 25, 2022, Marcus Anthony Jackson, 49, was in possession of a Taurus G2C 9MM pistol. Officers with the Rochester Police Department executed a search warrant at Jackson’s residence in Rochester. At the beginning of the search, Jackson indicated there were no firearms present. However, as an officer began to search above the kitchen cabinets, Jackson informed the officer that he had a gun above the refrigerator. Because he has multiple prior felony convictions in Olmsted, Ramsey and Hennepin Counties, Jackson is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

Jackson pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court before Senior Judge Joan N. Erickson to one count of felon in possession of a firearm. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.  

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Rochester Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew S. Ebert is prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

CONTACT: Barbara Burns   
PHONE:       (716) 843-5817 
FAX #:          (716) 551-3051  

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Christopher D. Robbins, 61, of Williamsville, NY, who was convicted of possession of child pornography, was sentenced to serve 72 months in prison by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Rudroff, who handled the case, stated that in January 2020, Robbins was identified as a member of a group on Kik used to exchange images and videos of child pornography. Subsequently, on July 2, 2020, the FBI executed a search warrant at Robbins’ residence in Williamsville, seizing several electronic items that contained child pornography.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Milwaukee Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in Charge Robert E. Hughes; the Buffalo Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Stansbury; and the Town of Tonawanda Police Department, under the direction of Chief James P. Stauffiger.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Fulton, Mo., man who secretly recorded two teenage victims has been sentenced in federal court for attempting to produce child pornography.

Craig Michael Glover, 52, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes on Tuesday, Nov. 15, to 15 years in federal prison without parole.

On July 19, 2022, Glover pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to produce child pornography. Glover admitted that he secretly placed a hidden camera in the bedroom of a victim, identified in court documents as FV1. Glover also admitted that he placed a hidden camera in a bathroom to capture video of a second victim, identified in court documents as FV2.

According to the plea agreement, FV1 discovered the camera, which was designed to look like a USB phone charger, a few days after Glover had been alone in her home. She was plugging in a Christmas tree on Jan. 2, 2021, when she discovered a brown cord plugged into the wall. She followed the extension cord and found the camera attached with tape to a shelving unit in her room. On the same day, FV1 and her mother took the camera, which had a 32GB micro SD card installed in the device, to the Jefferson City Police Department. An FBI special agent reviewed the video files stored on the SD card, which revealed multiple videos of FV1 completely nude or partially nude in her bedroom. Another recording stored on the SD card showed Glover placing the camera.

A Jefferson City police detective interviewed Glover, who admitted this was the second time he had installed a camera in FV1’s bedroom. Glover admitted that he also had installed a hidden camera when FV1 was a minor.

Investigators examined Glover’s iPhone and found multiple images of FV1 at various stages of undress. The computer forensic examiner also found images of another victim. The images, which were still shots taken from video from a hidden camera, depicted FV2 in various stages of undress in the bathroom. FV2 told investigators the images were recorded at her 17^th birthday party, which Glover had attended.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by the Jefferson City, Mo., Police Department and the FBI.

Project Safe Childhood

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”

Source: United States Department of Justice News

SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Stephen M. Smith, age 42, of Bushkill, Pennsylvania, was charged on November 9, 2022, by criminal information with possession of fentanyl at the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, on August 29, 2022, Smith was stopped in his vehicle by Park Rangers at the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and was found to be illegally in possession of packets of fentanyl.

The charge against Smith resulted from an investigation conducted by Park Rangers from the National Park Service.  Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara is prosecuting the case.

Under federal law, the maximum penalty for possession of controlled substances on federal property is up to one year in prison.  The charge also carries a minimum fine of $1000.  A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Criminal informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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