Month: November 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 53-year-old man residing in Brownsville has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of trafficking one kilogram of meth, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Jose Salinas pleaded guilty Aug. 2. He is a former law enforcement officer of the Brownsville Police Department.

Today, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. ordered Salinas to serve 96 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was further ordered to pay a $3,000 fine. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the position that Salinas held as an officer and that he misused this position of trust to commit the crime over a period of time, not just on one occasion. Judge Rodriguez also expressed concern that the criminal conduct Salinas committed cast all law enforcement in a bad light in the community.

On March 19, 2020, Salinas met people he believed to be drug traffickers at a used car lot he owned. Salinas received $2,500 in cash for escorting meth and cocaine from the lot to a stash house he provided. During that time, Salinas had parked his marked police car in front of the stash house to protect the drug load.

Salinas was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance of the Brownsville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David A. Lindenmuth, Israel Cano and Jody Young prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 54-year-old man has been sent to federal prison following his conviction of trafficking 75 kilograms of cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Legusta Juaquim Rodan, De Valls Bluff, Arkansas, pleaded guilty Aug. 1.

Today, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. ordered Rodan to serve 87 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, the court noted that Rodan participated in a pattern of conduct in narcotics trafficking as opposed to being caught up in a one time event.

On Sept. 10, 2020, law enforcement inspected Rodan’s vehicle at the Falfurrias Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint. At that time, they discovered 75.5 kilograms of cocaine and 400 kilograms of marijuana in his tractor trailer.

The trailer contained wooden pallets full of cartons of raspberries. After a K-9 alerted to a drug scent, authorities found 43 bundles of drugs hidden below the pallets and cartons of fruit.

Rodan will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations and BP conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Lindenmuth prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

 A Tulsa man who shot and killed a 13-year-old during an argument at Parkview Terrace apartments in Tulsa pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Christian James Harrison, 20, of Tulsa, pleaded guilty to second degree murder in Indian Country.

“Christian Harrison took the life of a 13-year-old boy. Today, he has been held accountable for this terrible crime. My thoughts are with the child’s family and friends,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “Our children are meant to outlive us, not be struck down in senseless acts of violence. Law enforcement officials will continue to pursue justice for victims of violent crime to make our neighborhoods safer for all children.”

On Dec. 22, 2021, an argument occurred between Harrison, who was 19 years old at the time, and the victim’s older brother. The brother had been visiting his girlfriend at Harrison’s apartment. Shortly after, the young man returned with his 13-year-old brother—the victim, and another child to continue the argument. They found Harrison outside near the apartment mailboxes. During the argument, Harrison pulled out a firearm. The older brother asked Harrison if he was going to use the gun rather than fight. Harrison answered “yes” and shot at the group approximately seven times. Three bullets struck the victim. Harrison fled from the crime scene.

At approximately 6 pm, the Tulsa Police Department responded to shots fired at the apartment complex. Officers found the victim with multiple gunshot wounds. He was later pronounced dead at a Tulsa hospital.

Several witnesses identified Harrison as the shooter. On Dec. 28, 2021, the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service and FBI located and arrested Harrison outside a vacant trailer in Locust Grove.

The FBI, Tulsa Police Department, and Cherokee Nation Marshal Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven J. Briden is prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

SOUTH BEND – Sergio Adams, 33 years old, of Michigan City, Indiana was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Robert L. Miller, Jr., on his plea of guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Adams was sentenced to 52 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release. 

According to documents in this case, in November 2021, police responded to an alert and recovered a handgun that had been possessed by Sergio Adams . At the time of this offense, he was on supervised release.  A search of Adams’ criminal history revealed he has three prior felony convictions, any one of which prohibit him from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with the assistance of the Michigan City Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank E. Schaffer.

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.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander today sentenced Billy Wesson, age 20, of Baltimore, Maryland, late yesterday to 125 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  Wesson also participated in a series of armed robberies of convenience stores.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, between August 4 and August 7, 2020, Wesson and a co-conspirator committed three armed robberies of convenience stores.  In the first robbery on August 4, the store clerk began to run to the rear of the store when she saw the robbers enter.  Wesson chased after the employee, caught up with her and walked her back to the cash register, which she opened at gunpoint.  In the second robbery on August 6, Wesson approached a store employee from behind and placed the gun to the back of the employee’s head, telling her to “go to the register and open it.”  Wesson walked the employee to the register area and again ordered her to open the register, which she did.  In the third robbery on August 7, which was committed less than an hour after the second robbery, Wesson pointed a gun at a store employee immediately upon entering the store.  Wesson ordered the employee to open the register, which he did, but the employee could only open the first cash drawer and not the second drawer.  As in the two previous robberies, Wesson took the cash from the drawer and fled the store.

As detailed in his plea agreement, on the evening of August 8, 2020, four Baltimore Police Department officers were conducting routine patrol in an unmarked vehicle in 5100 block of Midwood Avenue in the Winston-Govans neighborhood in Northwest Baltimore.  There was a party in the area and individuals were in the street and on the sidewalk.  The officers saw an individual, later identified as Wesson, wearing a satchel across the right side of his body and conducting a “security check,” indicating that Wesson was armed.

The officers stopped and began to get out of their car to approach Wesson.  Wesson fled, followed by the four officers.  As he ran from the officers, Wesson threw his satchel on the sidewalk not far from one of the homes on Midwood Avenue, where it was almost immediately recovered by law enforcement.  The satchel was searched and was found to contain a loaded firearm that matched the gun used in the robberies.  The satchel also contained multiple baggies of cocaine packaged for street-level distribution.
Wesson was caught and searched.  On Wesson’s person, law enforcement recovered $279 in cash—proceeds from his drug trafficking—and suspected marijuana.  Wesson was arrested and subsequently admitted that he possessed the firearm in connection with and in furtherance of his illegal business selling cocaine and that he knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  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.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul A. Riley and Colleen McGuinn, 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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