Month: December 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

NEWARK, N.J. – A Union County, New Jersey, man admitted participating in a conspiracy to commit multiple armed robberies from August 2018 to February 2019, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.

Jaime Fontanez, 45, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler on Nov. 30, 2022, to eight counts of an indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, five substantive counts of Hobbs Act robbery, and two counts of brandishing a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From August 2018 through February 2019, Fontanez conspired with a number of other individuals to commit 13 armed robberies in Bronx and New York counties in New York and Union, Middlesex, and Essex counties in New Jersey. The conspirators targeted convenience and liquor stores. After entering the business, one of the conspirators pointed a firearm at the store clerk while another conspirator went behind the counter to steal money from the cash register. On one occasion, one of the conspirators discharged a firearm into the liquor store.

The Hobbs Act charges each carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison. The brandishing of a firearm during a crime of violence carries a maximum potential penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison, which must run consecutively to any other prison term. Each count also carries a potential $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for April 26,2023.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents with the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the  guilty plea. He also thanked the Elizabeth Police Department, the Rahway Police Department, the Woodbridge Police Department, the Bloomfield Police Department, the Linden Police Department, the Kenilworth Police Department, the Union Police Department, and the New Jersey States Police for their assistance.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tracey Agnew of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Trenton and Shawn Barnes of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Today, Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA), announced the completion of the first of a series of events designed to help community members and leaders have a better understanding of hate crimes and how to report them to law enforcement.

Yesterday evening, EDVA and the Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater co-hosted a presentation called “United Against Hate: Identifying, Reporting and Preventing Hate Crimes” at the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish Community in Virginia Beach. Members of communities in Hampton Roads who are at risk of being targeted in hate crimes, as well as organizations representing these communities, were invited to the event, as well as law enforcement professionals who work on investigating hate crimes. The goal of this event series is to empower community members to prevent and respond to hate crimes and incidents by meeting and facilitating conversations with the law enforcement members to whom they can direct questions and reports about hate crimes and hate incidents.

“One of the greatest promises our country offers is the opportunity for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, regardless of your background or identity,” said Aber. “Unfortunately, that promise can be compromised for some because of discriminatory acts against them, one of the most heinous of which is hate crimes. We at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, along with our federal and state law enforcement partners, want to encourage the community to report all incidents of hate to law enforcement. Although not every incident can be prosecuted as a crime, reporting allows us to prosecute those that can and enables us to connect incidents across the Commonwealth and the nation, to marshal resources to the most targeted communities, and to better monitor trends in order to prevent future incidents. We hope that UAH will be the beginning of increased public awareness about hate crimes.”

The speakers at the event included U.S. Attorney Aber and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh, as well as law enforcement professionals from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, and Norfolk Police Department. Over 40 people attended the event.

Through hypothetical scenarios and video clips depicting real-life hate crime cases and stories, United Against Hate promotes robust interaction between community members and law enforcement participants. Program topics include defining hate crimes versus hate incidents; the importance of reporting unlawful acts of hate; providing options for responding to hate incidents when situations do not constitute a federal or state crime; and distinguishing unlawful conduct from protected First Amendment activity, including identifying protected speech versus speech that advocates violence or encourages people to commit hate crimes.

On May 27, 2021, Attorney General Garland issued a memorandum on “Improving the Department’s Efforts to Combat Hate Crimes and Hate Incidents,” which emphasized the importance of prioritizing community outreach around hate crimes. The United Against Hate presentation, developed by the Department’s Hate Crimes Enforcement and Prevention Initiative, is designed to meet that objective. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia applied for and was proud to be selected for the first national phase of this important program.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. 

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Davenport, IA – Paul John McNicol, age 30, of LeClaire, was sentenced on November 30, 2022, to 216 months in prison for receiving child pornography. McNicol was also ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution and a $5,000 special assessment under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. Following his imprisonment, McNicol was ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release.

Law enforcement identified McNicol after he uploaded sexually explicit images of minors to the social media program, KIK. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at McNicol’s residence and seized electronic devices, on which they located numerous images and videos depicting child pornography. McNicol was required to register as a sex offender following his 2014 Illinois convictions for Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse and Criminal Sexual Abuse.

U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.

This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Childhood” initiative, which was started in 2006 as a nationwide effort to combine law enforcement investigations and prosecutions, community action, and public awareness in order to reduce the incidence of sexual exploitation of children. Any persons having knowledge of a child being sexually abused are encouraged to call the Iowa Sexual Abuse Hotline at 1-800-284-7821.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Attorney David C. Weiss announced that Michael Younger, 45, a New Castle County man, was sentenced yesterday to 94 months in prison for distributing fentanyl.  U.S. District Judge Richard G. Andrews pronounced sentence.  The government argued at sentencing that Younger continued selling deadly fentanyl despite knowing that the drugs he sold were causing overdose deaths.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Younger is a career offender, with two prior convictions for serious drug offenses.  The Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) began investigating Younger in early January 2021, after receiving information suggesting that Younger supplied fentanyl that caused the overdose death of a person.  While under investigation, Younger sold additional fentanyl to a government cooperator on February 4, 2021.  During that transaction, Younger told the cooperator that a second customer had died of an overdose after ingesting Younger’s drugs. As a result, Younger changed the stamp he used to brand his fentanyl because Younger thought that law enforcement could trace that stamp to him.  The government’s investigation revealed that Younger’s other customer had indeed died of drug overdose in late January 2021. 

The drugs Younger sold contained not only fentanyl but also xylazine, a horse tranquilizer. Recently, xylazine has been commonly used as an additive included within fentanyl baggies.

U.S. Attorney Weiss commented on the sentencing, “Investigating and prosecuting those who knowingly sell drugs that kill continues to be a top priority for my office and our law enforcement partners.  As overdoses continue to ravage our community, those who profit from illegal fentanyl sales can and will face justice. And if customers die from your drugs, you are facing the prospect of decades in prison.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer K. Welsh prosecuted the case.  The case was investigated by the DEA and the New Castle County Police Department.

The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to helping those who suffer from substance abuse. If you need help, drug treatment information is available any time through the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Treatment Referral Routing Service, found online at dpt2.samhsa.gov/treatment/ or by dialing 1.888.545.2600.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:22-cr-00004.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

NEWARK, N.J. – A Pennsylvania man was arrested for sexually exploiting and attempting to entice a minor victim, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.

Diego Ramos, 19, of Blakeslee, Pennsylvania, is charged by complaint with one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of attempted enticement of a minor. He appeared on Nov. 30, 2022, before U.S. Magistrate Judge André M. Espinosa in Newark federal court and was detained.

According to documents filed in this case:

From May 29, 2021 through Nov. 29, 2022, Ramos used multiple Instagram accounts and other social media and messaging platforms to successfully coerce a minor to send sexually explicit images and videos to Ramos. He threatened the victim with public exposure if the victim did not send additional sexually explicit images and videos requested by Ramos, and caused the victim to pay Ramos $12,982 to stop him from publicly releasing the images.

The count of sexual exploitation of a child carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison; the count of attempted enticement of a minor carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison. Both counts are punishable by a maximum of life in prison.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI the Newark Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy, with the investigation leading to today’s charges. He also thanked the FBI-Philadelphia, the Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory, the Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, Police Department, and the Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Police Department for their assistance.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny Chung of the OCDETF/Narcotics Unit in Newark.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.