Month: January 2023

Source: United States Department of Justice News

This murder-for-hire plot directed against a prominent critic of the Iranian regime is yet another chilling example of the violent tactics used to silence those who speak out for the freedoms and safety of people around the world.  

This is not the first time the Department has disrupted an Iran-based plot against this victim. Last year, DOJ indicted four individuals connected to Iranian intelligence with a kidnapping conspiracy aimed at forcibly returning the victim to Iran. 

These charges are just the latest example of individuals in Iran directing deadly violence on U.S. soil. Last year, DOJ charged a member of the Iranian IRGC with an attempt to assassinate the former U.S. National Security Advisor.

We have the solemn duty to protect the American people from hostile foreign actors who would seek to harm them. Increasingly, authoritarian regimes engage in and support wide-ranging efforts to undermine our core values and the rule of law.  

We face an alarming rise in plots emanating from Iran, China, Russia, and elsewhere, targeting people in the United States, often using criminal proxies and cutouts.

The Department remains steadfast in our determination to defend our fundamental American values of freedom of expression in the face of all forms of transnational repression. 

To foreign actors who plot violence on our soil believing they are out of our reach, know that we will pursue you, wherever you may be.

The lead defendant in this case was a made member of a criminal organization living in Iran, who believed he could get away with plotting to kill an American in New York City. Now, he will face justice in a U.S. courtroom.

This is because of the dedication and partnership of the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the National Security Division, who are working every day to defend our nation’s security.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

A California man pleaded guilty yesterday, in three separate cases, to failing to appear at his sentencing, attempting to evade the assessment of income tax and wire fraud.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Robin J. McPherson, formerly of San Diego, failed to appear for his sentencing in March 2001 following a December 2000 bench trial convicting him and two co-defendants of conspiring to defraud the IRS and collectively evading over $1 million in income taxes for tax years 1993 and 1994. 

While a fugitive, McPherson was indicted for attempting to evade income taxes due on income he received in 1999 and 2000 from individuals who believed they were investing in an internet shopping mall. The defendant cashed checks he received from these individuals, directed the income from this enterprise to a Canadian bank account and did not file income tax returns for those years with the IRS, causing a tax loss of approximately $79,367.

Later, between 2016 and 2020, the defendant, using the name Raymond James, defrauded other individuals of approximately $1.5 million by inducing them to invest in Costa Rican villas that were never built.

In May 2022, McPherson was apprehended in Costa Rica and deported back to the United States.

“Robin McPherson only delayed the inevitable, when he appeared before the Court and entered his guilty plea today to tax evasion and other crimes,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division. “Tax fugitives should know that they will be found and brought to justice, no matter where they hide or how long it takes.”

“After over 20 years since his original conviction for tax charges, McPherson is now being held accountable and taking responsibility for his crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher of the IRS Criminal Investigation Los Angeles Field Office. “Today’s guilty plea serves as a reminder and warning, those who evade their taxes and try to run will face the consequences. No person is above the law, and no one can evade the consequences indefinitely.”

McPherson is scheduled to be sentenced on April 28, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for failure to appear, five years in prison for tax evasion and 20 years in prison for wire fraud. The defendant also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorneys Randy S. Grossman for the Southern District of California and Natalie K. Wight for the District of Oregon made the announcement.

IRS-Criminal Investigation and the FBI are investigating the matter.

Trial Attorney Charles A. O’Reilly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division is prosecuting the cases.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Thank you, Mr. Attorney General.

Today’s indictment exposes a dangerous menace to national security – a double threat posed by a vicious transnational crime group operating from what it thought was the safe haven of a rogue nation.

That rogue nation is the Islamic Republic of Iran, an all-too-familiar, repeat violator of human rights.

This case began with our investigation of Iran’s efforts to project power and extend its tentacles of oppression onto American shores – through the targeting of an Iranian-American journalist who has stood up to the brutal regime, shining a light on Iran’s abuse of human rights and women’s rights.

But this time, it was a newer actor who brought the campaign of violence into America: an Eastern European criminal organization made up of self-described “Oğru,” or thieves, who engaged in extortion, kidnapping, and – in this case –  murder-for-hire.

The charges unsealed today show how organized crime, in pursuit of profits and operating from a rogue nation, can pose a grave threat to our national security and to the freedoms that we hold dear.

Increasingly, we are seeing national security and criminal threats blend, as rogue nations and criminal organizations make common cause and share capabilities. From ransomware groups targeting critical infrastructure to facilitators of sanctions evasion, these criminal actors embolden our enemies and threaten our national security.

All too often, they seek refuge in countries they believe will protect and empower them – in this case, Iran.

While they may think they are out of reach, our agents and prosecutors are uniquely equipped to combat this double threat with both law enforcement and national security tools.

This case also highlights the evolving threat and increasingly brazen conduct emanating from Iran.

I have spoken before about the threat Iran poses to our homeland through its networks and proxies.

• In the last year, we have charged members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) with a plot to murder the former U.S. National Security Advisor;
• We’ve indicted Iranian hackers for targeting utility companies and other critical U.S. infrastructure;
• And we’ve called out Iran for a destructive cyberattack that crippled a partner government’s computer networks.

We will not tolerate this belligerent and criminal conduct. Instead, we will hold accountable those who would bring Iran’s campaign of violence to our shores. We will hold accountable those who seek to silence voices for human rights and women’s rights.

The charges announced today expose a dangerous – and ultimately thwarted – plot to export violent oppression to America. But today, we have demonstrated the strength and the reach of the Department of Justice and the rule of law.

Today’s actions show that the United States will zealously protect freedom and hold accountable all those who would use violence to undermine it.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A Maryland man was sentenced today to 35 years in prison for production and distribution of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.

Justin Michael Peterson, 28, pleaded guilty in the District of Maryland to one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of distribution of child pornography on Aug. 30, 2022.

According to court documents, in January 2020, Peterson used Instagram to video chat with a minor victim and entice the minor victim to masturbate and insert objects into the victim’s anus while Peterson masturbated. Peterson used special software to record those chats and distributed the recordings to another minor child with whom Peterson had been exchanging sexually explicit messages on Kik and Snapchat. During his chats with the second minor child, Peterson discussed his interest in traveling to the minor victim’s home to kidnap them.

After his arrest in February 2020, Peterson admitted to law enforcement that he is sexually attracted to children as young as three years old. Peterson’s phone contained hundreds of images depicting the sexual abuse of children, including toddlers and infants. Forensic examination of Peterson’s phone also revealed that he actively participated in several online chat groups dedicated to the sexual exploitation of children and distributing child sexual abuse material. Peterson also posted messages to these groups offering to “rent” one of the minor victims as a “cam slave.”

Peterson was previously convicted in Maryland in 2016 for distributing child pornography and was required to register as a sex offender at the time of his offenses.

In addition to serving 35 years in prison, Peterson was sentenced to 30 years of supervised release years and will be required to register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland, and Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division made the announcement.

The FBI, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, and the Boone, North Carolina, Police Department investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Eduardo Palomo of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow for the District of Maryland prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

1,061 Pounds of Drugs and 393 Firearms Removed Off Streets and $1.3 Million Taken Away from Drug Traffickers

OKLAHOMA CITY – Over the last nine months, numerous federal, state, and local investigators and prosecutors have concluded their fourth unrelated long-term investigation and prosecution of separate drug trafficking networks being directed from inside Oklahoma state prisons using contraband cell phones, announced United States Attorney Robert J. Troester.  Details of the four investigations are described more completely in the following press releases:

Together, these four investigations have yielded the following combined results: 

• 275 defendants were convicted, including multiple defendants who either ordered or participated in acts of violence, such as witness retaliation, witness tampering, shootings, kidnappings, and death threats against prosecutors, as a part of these conspiracies;
• 30 of the defendants were incarcerated in Oklahoma Department of Corrections (ODOC) facilities while directing these often-violent drug trafficking networks through use of contraband cell phones;
• Four corrections workers at the ODOC and county level were prosecuted for crimes including conspiring to distribute drugs inside correctional facilities, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and conspiring to launder drug money; 
• 1,061 pounds of methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine were removed from the streets;
• 393 firearms were seized; and
• $1.335 million in cash was seized by law enforcement.

“Being behind bars did not stop state inmates in four separate criminal organizations from accessing contraband cell phones to continue directing their drug trafficking and violent networks through associates outside prison walls,” said United States Attorney Robert J. Troester.  “Now, 275 dangerous criminals have been held accountable, more than a half-ton of poisonous drugs and 393 firearms have been removed from the streets, and $1.3 million in cash has been taken away from drug traffickers.  I commend the dedicated efforts by law enforcement and the prosecutors who worked these investigations and cases.”

“The FBI and our law enforcement partners have worked relentlessly over the last several years to disrupt the violence and drug trafficking activity plaguing our state,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray. “We are all committed to eliminating the threat of gang activity, regardless of where it takes place, to make Oklahoma communities safer for our citizens.”

“Drug trafficking, directed from inside our prisons systems, impacts the safety and security of all Oklahomans,” said Eduardo A. Chávez, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Dallas Field Division, who oversees operations in Oklahoma.  “These joint federal investigations should send a strong message that DEA and our federal partners will continue to identify, disrupt and destroy these criminal groups from wherever they operate.”

“The collaborative efforts of the law enforcement agencies involved in these investigations are another step in the right direction to eradicate the trafficking of illicit drugs and violent crime involving transnational criminal gangs in Oklahoma,” said Robert Melton, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the HSI Dallas – Oklahoma and Texas Panhandle Division. “Our intent is clear; we will aggressively pursue prosecution for anyone who pushes these deadly substances to keep them from poisoning and destroying our communities.”

“The financial expertise of IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agents was critical in detecting and tracing money laundering transactions of the various criminal organizations during the four separate investigations,” said Christopher J. Altemus Jr., IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Field Office. “The men and women of IRS-CI worked with federal and state agencies to expose the profits of these organizations, helping seize more than $1.3 million. This joint effort demonstrates our resolve to hold criminals accountable for their actions and disrupt their ability to conduct illegal activities.”

“ATF is proud to stand next to our partners as we all continue the fight against violent crime across Oklahoma. These cases highlight what can be done when we all work together to go after the worst of the worst. Whether you are playing gangster on the inside or the outside of a jail, you will be caught. Our network is bigger than yours,” stated ATF Dallas Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey C. Boshek II.

“The United States Marshals Service is committed to join forces with federal, city, and state law enforcement partners to hold offenders accountable and protect public safety,” said Johnny Kuhlman, United States Marshal for the Western District of Oklahoma.

Oklahoma City Police Chief Wade Gourley said, “This case demonstrates that an incarcerated violent offender can still present a threat to public safety. We are honored to be a part of operations such as these, that serve to better protect the citizens of our community.”

These investigations were led by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Homeland Security Investigations, which received valuable assistance from the Oklahoma City Police Department; the United States Marshals Service; Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Oklahoma Department of Corrections Office of Inspector General; the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics; the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office; the Oklahoma Highway Patrol; the District 2 Drug Task Force; the District 6 Drug Task Force; the Sallisaw Police Department; the Moore Police Department; and the Edmond Police Department.

The prosecutions arising out of these four investigations were handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David McCrary, Tom Snyder, Jason Harley, Chelsie Pratt, Nick Coffey, Travis Leverett, Steven Creager, David Petermann, Nick Patterson, and Kerry Blackburn, with assistance from Paralegals Jenifer Rowe and Linda Nixon.

These prosecutions are also part of multiple Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigations.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.