Month: February 2023

Posted on

Texas Man Sentenced For Assaulting Officers With a Dangerous Weapon During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON – A Texas man was sentenced for assaulting law enforcement officers with a dangerous weapon during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

            Daniel Ray Caldwell, 51, of The Colony, Texas, was sentenced yesterday to 68 months in prison. Caldwell pleaded guilty on September 26, 2022, in the District of Columbia, to assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon, a felony. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered three years of supervised release and $2,000 in restitution.

            According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, at approximately 2:05 p.m., Caldwell was among rioters illegally gathered in the Lower West Terrace area of the U.S. Capitol. A line of law enforcement officers was in front of him. Caldwell stepped forward and sprayed the line of officers with a chemical spray.

            Caldwell was arrested on Feb. 10, 2021.

            This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas.

            The case was investigated by the FBI’s Dallas Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the U.S. Capitol Police.

            In the 24 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 950 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 284 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing. 

            Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov. 

Posted on

District Man Found Guilty of Bias-Related Assault on African-American Woman

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Defendant Screamed Racial Slurs and Intentionally Spit at Victim at Height of Pandemic

            WASHINGTON – Gueorgui Iskrenov, 33, of Washington, DC, has been found guilty on charges stemming from a hate crime in which he spit in the face of a female neighbor in Southwest Washington.

            The announcement was made by United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Robert J. Contee, III, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Iskrenov was found guilty on February 1, 2023, of bias-related assault. The verdict followed a three-day trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in front of Judge Andrea Hertzfeld, who scheduled a sentencing hearing for February 9, 2023.

            According to the government’s evidence, on July 20, 2020, at approximately 2 p.m., the victim, an African-American female, was walking her service dog and crossing the exit ramp of her apartment complex by the Wharf in Southwest, Washington. Iskrenov drove his SUV up the exit ramp at a high rate of speed, almost hitting the victim and her dog. After the victim told him to be careful, Iskrenov began screaming racist and sexist epithets. Iskrenov then intentionally spit into the victim’s face, with the spit landing on her glasses and in her hair. Iskrenov drove away and was arrested 23 days later after he was positively identified. The government’s evidence at trial showed that Iskrenov had a history of racist tirades against African-American neighbors. 

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erica Rudolf and Katie Sessa, who prosecuted the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Kubo and Travis Wolf who investigated the case.

Posted on

New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Being a Felon in Possession of a Gun

Source: United States Department of Justice News

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – MORRIS SUMMERS, age 31, a resident of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on January 31, 2023 before United States District Judge Susie Morgan to a one count indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of the Federal Gun Control Act, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

According to court records, SUMMERS was previously convicted  in another federal case before Judge Morgan for conspiring to distribute crack and conspiring to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.  On June 26, 2022, SUMMERS possessed a Springfield Armory Model Hellcat, nine-millimeter caliber semi-automatic pistol.

Judge Morgan set sentencing for April 27, 2023.  SUMMERS faces up to 15 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000  up to three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment  and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

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.

This case was investigated by the New Orleans Police Department, the Louisiana State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller.

Posted on

New York Man Sentenced on Felony Charge For Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Defendant Entered Senate Chamber, Paged Through Notebook, Took Out Papers on Senator’s Desk

            WASHINGTON – A New York man was sentenced on a felony charge for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

            Christopher Patrick Moynihan, 32, of Salt Point, New York, was sentenced yesterday to 21 months in prison. Moynihan was found guilty, on August 23, 2022, of obstruction of an official proceeding, a felony. He also pleaded guilty to a total of five related misdemeanor charges. In addition to the prison term, Judge Christopher R. Cooper ordered 36 months of supervised release and restitution of $2,000.

            According to the stipulated facts presented at trial, on Jan. 6, 2021, Moynihan was among rioters who broke through the security perimeter on the east side of the Capitol Building.  He joined rioters outside the Rotunda Door, and at approximately 2:40 p.m., was among those who entered the building.  At approximately 2:45 p.m., he briefly entered the Senate Gallery. Several minutes later, he entered the Senate Chamber. While in the Senate Chamber, Moynihan paged through a notebook on top of a Senator’s desk, taking out papers, and taking pictures with his cellphone. While looking through the papers, he said, “There’s gotta be something in here we can f—- use against these —-bags.”

            Moynihan then walked down to the Senate well, where he stood adjacent to an elevated desk and platform. He stood with a group of rioters who shouted, cheered, and said prayers with a bullhorn. At approximately 3:08 p.m., law enforcement officers cleared the Senate Chamber and Moynihan was escorted out of the Capitol Building.

            This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

            The case was investigated by the FBI’s New York and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the Metropolitan Police Department, and the U.S. Capitol Police.

            In the 24 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 950 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 284 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing. 

            Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

Posted on

Omaha Man Sentenced for Firearm Offense

Source: United States Department of Justice News

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – Ryan Daniel Linehan, age 42, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on January 31, 2023, to 100 months in prison following his plea of guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. After he is released from prison, Linehan will serve three years of supervised release.

On February 5, 2021, law enforcement encountered Linehan at work, operating an excavator. When notified officers were there to arrest him on an outstanding warrant, Linehan barricaded himself in the excavator, in possession of a loaded Ruger handgun, which led to a nine-hour standoff. In Linehan’s truck, officers also located a loaded Hi-Point handgun.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Council Bluffs Police Department, United States Marshal Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the 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. In May 2021, the Department of Justice 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.