Month: November 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

OKLAHOMA CITY – KACIE DEYO, 30, formerly of Yukon, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty today to accepting bribes while serving as a Correctional Officer at a federal prison in El Reno, Oklahoma, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

Public records reflect that on September 28, 2022, Deyo was charged by Information with one count of accepting a bribe by a public official.  Public records further reflect that from November 2016 through January 31, 2022, Deyo was employed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons as a Correctional Officer at the Federal Correctional Institution located in El Reno (FCI – El Reno).  FCI – El Reno is a medium-security prison for male inmates from throughout the United States serving federal terms of imprisonment.  As a Correctional Officer, Deyo’s job duties included guarding federal inmates and enforcing regulations.

Today, Deyo pleaded guilty to accepting thousands of dollars of bribes in exchange for smuggling contraband into FCI – El Reno between March 3, 2021, and May 7, 2021.  Deyo will be sentenced in approximately 90 days.  At sentencing, Deyo faces up to 15 years in federal prison, followed by up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Oklahoma City Field Office.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bow Bottomly.

Reference is made to the information and other public filings for further information.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Ka’Toine Richardson (a.k.a. Kado), 20, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 4 years in federal prison for receiving a handgun while facing state felony charges.  This prison term will be followed by three years of supervised release.

On March 18, 2022, Richardson faced eleven felony charges in Dane County, Wisconsin cases.  Charges included burglary armed with a dangerous weapon and burglary to building or dwelling, bail jumping felonies, possession of a firearm after being adjudicated delinquent, resisting an officer, and 1st and 2nd degree recklessly endangering safety.  These charges are pending, and Richardson is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Despite these charges, Richardson obtained a firearm on March 18, 2022, by stealing it from another person.  Richardson possessed the firearm until March 23, 2022, when he was arrested. 

In imposing the four-year sentence, Judge Peterson reflected on Richardson’s criminal history, his pending state charges, and the threat he posed to public safety.  In addressing Richardson, Judge Peterson stated that he “makes people unsafe” and that the “community reasonably perceives [Richardson] as a threat.“  The four-year sentence, Judge Peterson concluded, specifically deterred Richardson from endangering the public, and, with three years of federal supervision, gave Richardson on opportunity to turn his life around.    

The charge against Richardson was the result of an investigation conducted by the Fitchburg Police Department with assistance from the Madison Police Department, the Dane County Sheriff’s Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  U.S. Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea prosecuted this case. 

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.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

A Waterloo man who purchased at least 38 guns for other people was sentenced November 8, 2022, to over six years in years in federal prison. 

Joshua William Butler, age 35, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison sentence after a May 3, 2022 guilty plea to false statement during purchase of a firearm and possession of a firearm by a drug user.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that in 2020, Butler purchased at least 38 firearms from different retailers in the Waterloo and Cedar Falls area. When Butler filled out the forms to purchase the firearms, he indicated that the guns were for him and that he did not use controlled substances.  However, it was later determined that Butler purchased the firearms for others.  In January 2021, police officers searched Butler’s Waterloo residence.  During their search, officers found a Glock 9mm firearm, ammunition, a 33-round extended magazine, marijuana, and 62 ecstasy pills.  The Glock 9mm had a serial number that someone had attempted to scratch off.  Officers also searched a storage unit belonging to Butler and found another gun.  Officers believe that only ten of the firearms purchased by Butler have been recovered.  The majority of the firearms were recovered in the Chicago area.  Many of the firearms were recovered from people who were lawfully prohibited from possessing firearms, including one individual who was out on bond at the time for murder charges.

“Keeping guns out of the hands of criminals saves lives. Our partners in this case, the ATF, FBI, and the Waterloo Police Department, successfully devoted their time and effort to put an end to Butler’s illegal activities,” said United States Attorney Timothy Duax.  “As a result, our community is safer. To those who would act as straw purchasers and provide guns to convicted criminals, I can only say look at Mr. Butler, and ask whether you want to share his fate. The United States Attorney’s Office, its law enforcement partners, and the law-abiding public are committed to enforcing our firearms laws, and keeping guns out of the hands of violent criminals.”

ATF Special Agent in Charge, Fred Winston said: “Firearms trafficking is never a victimless crime and this case highlights ATF’s commitment to restrict the flow of firearms to the violent criminals.  There is no way to know the number of violent crimes that were prevented by disrupting Mr. Butler’s firearms trafficking scheme, but we do know that this investigation not only put a trafficker behind bars, but also made our communities safer by limiting criminals access to firearms.”

Butler was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Butler was sentenced to 78 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term and pay a $100 special assessment fee.  There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ashley Corkery and Kyndra Lundquist.  This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) through a cooperative effort of the Waterloo Police Department, FBI Safe Streets Task Force, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.  PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-CR-2020.

Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Robert Wilson Planned and Helped Carry Out the January 2019 Murder of Nelson Ramos in the Monroe Houses

Source: United States Department of Justice News

PORTLAND, Ore.—The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon announced today that it has reached a settlement with Studio 6, a Portland motel, to resolve allegations that the motel lacked accessible entrances, rooms, and other facilities.

The settlement resolves an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) complaint filed by an individual with a mobility impairment who alleged that Studio 6 did not have an available guest room to accommodate persons with mobility-related disabilities, including wheelchair users; had no accessible entrances or internal routes from the motel’s lobby to its guest rooms; and that the motel’s only accessible parking space was being used for other purposes and its reservation service failed to sufficiently identify and describe the property’s accessible guest rooms.

Under the ADA, inns, hotels, and motels may not exclude individuals with disabilities by failing to provide accessible accommodations and accurately describing their accessible features in enough detail to reasonably permit individuals with disabilities to assess whether a property will meet their accessibility needs.

Under the settlement agreement, Studio 6 has agreed to make certain modifications to improve accessibility at its property, including installing an exterior wheelchair ramp to the main entrance, providing three accessible guest rooms and parking spaces, altering the lobby area and first floor to increase overall accessibility, and conducting annual ADA staff training.

“Our office is committed to working with any property owners, public or private, to help obtain compliance with the ADA,” said Natalie Wight, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

Studio 6 cooperated with the U.S. Attorney’s Office during this investigation.

The United States was represented in this matter by Michael Jeter and Joshua Keller, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

Individuals in Oregon who believe their civil rights may have been violated may submit complaints online by visiting https://civilrights.justice.gov. For more information on the ADA, or to access publications available to assist entities in complying with the ADA, visit ada.gov or call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA information line at 1-800-514-0301 or 1-800-514-0383 (TDD).