Month: February 2023

Source: United States Department of Justice News

BANGOR, Maine: A Bangor man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to theft of a firearm from a licensed firearms dealer.

According to court records, in July 2021, Jonathan Birtz, 39, stole a .380 caliber pistol from Main Street Pawn in Lincoln. Security footage showed Birtz reaching over the counter to take the pistol and then concealing it in a folded blanket he was carrying.

Birtz faces up to 10 years in prison followed by up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The Lincoln Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.

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Tel: (207) 945-0373

Source: United States Department of Justice News

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

ROCHESTER, N.Y.B U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Hugh Mahoney, 50, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa to robbing the ESL Federal Credit Union on Merchants Road in Rochester. The charge carries a maximum possible penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.

Assistant U.S. Charles E. Moynihan, who is handling the prosecution, stated that on August 22, 2022, Mahoney entered the ESL Federal Credit Union, approached a teller, and displayed a demand note which stated, “You are being robbed. 100, 50, 20, no dye packs.” The teller handed approximately $3,260 in United States currency to Mahoney, who took the money and left the credit union. Officers responding to investigate the robbery stopped a vehicle in which Mahoney was riding and saw a hat and shirt which appeared to match the suspect’s reported description from the robbery. Mahoney admitted that he was given a ride to the credit union by the driver of the vehicle, but the driver did not know that Mahoney was going to rob the credit union. 

The charges are a culmination of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Darren Cox and the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith. 

Sentencing is scheduled for June 1, 2023, at 9:15 a.m. before Judge Siragusa.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

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

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Fernando Santiago, 67, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and being a felon in possession of ammunition. The fentanyl charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years, and a fine of $1,000,000 or both.  

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Moynihan, who is handling the case, stated that on June 28, 2022, law enforcement, who were investigating Santiago’s drug trafficking activities,  approached Santiago to perform a welfare check after seeing him fall from a stopped minivan he was driving. After seeing an unknown pill not contained in any prescription pill bottle in the driver’s door, officers detained Santiago and searched the vehicle. Officers found various quantities of suspected controlled substances, later confirmed to be cocaine, fentanyl and para-flourofentanyl. Officers then obtained a search warrant for a Norton Street residence where Santiago had been earlier that day. During the search, officers recovered 40 rounds of ammunition.  Santiago was previously convicted of five separate felonies and is legally prohibited from possessing ammunition. 

The matter was brought by the United States Attorney’s Office as part of its Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative.  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.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith, the Greater Rochester Area Narcotics Enforcement Team (GRANET), and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 31, 2023, at 12:30 p.m. before Judge Wolford.

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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 Tyler Collins, 27, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny to assaulting a federal officer and causing a bodily injury. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Franz M. Wright and Douglas A. C. Penrose, who are handling the case, stated that on July 12, 2022, at approximately 4:00 p.m., Collins attempted to enter the FBI-Buffalo Division main office but was denied entry by the security guards inside of the front door. At the time, three federal agents were walking back to the main office and encountered Collins, who they observed was yelling into the intercom system. Collins was heard yelling expletives while physically banging on the FBI building’s door demanding entry. One of the federal agents attempted to calm Collins, at which time Collins punched the federal agent, physically assaulting him. One of the other federal agents discharged pepper spray, in an attempt to subdue Collins, who then fled on Elmwood Avenue. Collins was later taken into custody that evening after he was found walking on Delaware Avenue.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Darren Cox, and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia. 

Sentencing is scheduled for June 7, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. before Judge Skretny.   
 

Source: United States Department of Justice News

MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Timothy P. McDowell, 40, of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 25 years in prison for producing child pornography. This term of imprisonment will be followed by 30 years of supervised release.    McDowell pleaded guilty to this offense on October 25, 2022.

Law enforcement began their investigation into McDowell in October 2021 after they received information that McDowell was posting what appeared to be self-produced child pornography onto Kik.  They searched the defendant’s home the next day and on his phone, found images and videos of the defendant sexually assaulting two young children.  The defendant admitted producing these images and sending them to others on Kik. 

Judge Conley found a 25-year sentence was warranted due to the abhorrent nature of the defendant’s conduct and because the defendant created the potential for endless victimization for the children by sharing the images on the internet. 

The charge against McDowell was the result of an investigation conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation and the Wood County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Altman prosecuted this case.