Month: February 2023

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A Virginia man was arrested last night on criminal charges related to his alleged transportation of images depicting the sexual abuse of children.

According to court documents, the investigation into James Gordon Meek, 53, of Arlington, was initiated from an investigative lead sent by Dropbox and ultimately received by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. That lead ultimately led to a court-authorized search of Meek’s residence in April 2022 by members of the task force, where law enforcement seized multiple devices that allegedly contained evidence of the transportation of images of child sexual abuse.

According to court documents, several of Meek’s devices allegedly contained images depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and multiple chat conversations with users engaged in sexually explicit conversations where the participants expressed enthusiasm for the sexual abuse of children. In two of those conversations, a username allegedly associated with Meek received and distributed child sexual abuse materials through an internet-based messaging platform.

Meek is charged with transportation of child pornography. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division made the announcement.

Trial Attorney Whitney Kramer of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoe Bedell for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.

This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, with significant assistance from the Arlington County Police Department. The task force is comprised of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: United States Department of Justice

Note: The release has been updated to correct a statistic.

The Justice Department today announced the publication of Crime Gun Intelligence and Analysis, the second volume of the National Firearms Commerce and Trafficking Assessment (NFCTA), a four-part, comprehensive examination of commerce in firearms and the diversion of firearms to illegal markets. Volume II presents and analyzes data – much of which has not previously been available – regarding criminal use of firearms that have been diverted from lawful commerce. In April 2021, Attorney General Garland directed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to undertake its first comprehensive study of criminal gun trafficking in over two decades. The first volume of the assessment was published in May of 2022.

“In 2021, I directed ATF to begin work on the first study of criminal gun trafficking in over two decades, and today’s report is yet another historic step in that effort,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “This collection of data will equip our prosecutors and agents – and our law enforcement partners across the country – with unprecedented insights into firearm trafficking networks and dangerous emerging firearm technologies. The Justice Department will continue to use every tool at its disposal to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and save lives.”

“This report will help law enforcement who are on the front lines in the battle against gun violence take illegal firearms off the streets,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “The Department of Justice is committed to using cutting-edge crime gun intelligence to reduce violent crime, and this first of its kind data set on emerging threats, specifically the epidemic of stolen firearms and the proliferation of machinegun conversion devices, will have real-world impact in safeguarding our communities.”

“Information is power,” said ATF Director Steven Dettelbach. “This report provides more information on America’s crime guns than has ever been compiled in a single publication. Much of this data, including comprehensive presentation of results from ATF’s National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN), has not previously been available to policymakers and researchers. The comprehensive – and unprecedented – compilation of data in this report is intended to provide strategic insight to law enforcement, policymakers, and researchers as they work to reduce and prevent gun violence. I commend the excellent work by the men and women of ATF involved in producing this important study.”

Volume II presents and analyzes data on crime guns (firearms used in crime) recovered between 2017 and 2021. The analysis reinforces the critical importance of ATF’s unique crime gun tracing authority and highlights the value of data from ATF’s NIBIN program.

One of the key data-points trace data provides is the “time to crime” – the time from the last known retail sale of a firearm to when it is recovered in a crime. Shorter time-to-crime periods are indicators of illegal trafficking and provide crucial intelligence to investigators. Between 2017 and 2021, nearly 25% of traced crime guns – more than 366,000 guns – had a time-to-crime of less than one-year, and 46% had a time-to-crime of three years or less.

Trace data also provides key intelligence on firearm trafficking patterns. The data analysis in Volume II confirms that although most – 72% nationally – traced crime guns are recovered in the same state in which they were acquired from a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL), certain states and cities are targets for firearm traffickers. The cross-jurisdictional nature of this issue – guns purchased in one state and trafficked to another where they’re used in crime – is what led the Attorney General to launch five firearms trafficking strike forces in July 2021.

A significant way firearms are diverted is through theft. The report shows that from 2017 to 2021, there were 1,023,538 firearms stolen from private citizens. These private thefts make up 96% of all firearms reported stolen during that time period. 

The data also reveals emerging technological trends. For instance, in the last five years, the number of illegal machine gun conversion devices that law enforcement agencies reported being recovered has increased by an alarming 570%. Conversion devices are used to convert semi-automatic firearms, which are legal, into fully automatic machine guns, which are illegal under the National Firearms Act.

In May 2022, the Department issued Volume I of the NFCTA, Firearms in Commerce, which presents and analyzes data collected by ATF and other federal agencies related to the manufacture, exportation, and importation of firearms.

To produce the NFCTA, the ATF assembled a team of subject experts from ATF, as well as from academic and related fields. Although ATF issues a variety of public and law enforcement reports and bulletins regarding firearm commerce, trafficking, and related issues every year, it has not undertaken a joint academic study on the scale of the NFCTA in more than 20 years.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Defendant allegedly claimed to run a taxi business during period of incarceration

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Angel Almeida will be arraigned this afternoon at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn on a superseding indictment charging him with the sexual exploitation and attempted exploitation of a minor, coercion and enticement and attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, possession of child pornography, and possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon.  Almeida was arrested in November 2021 on a complaint charging him with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.  He was indicted in December 2021 and has been detained pending trial.  Today’s arraignment will be held before United States District Judge Rachel P. Kovner.  

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the superseding indictment.

“The defendant’s alleged exploitation of minors has been extremely harmful mentally, emotionally and physically to his victims,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “His possession of a firearm despite a prior felony conviction, combined with his crimes against minors, reflect Almeida’s dangerousness and lack of respect for the law.  Protecting the community from predators like the defendant will always be a priority of this Office.  Additionally, I urge parents and caregivers to have conversations with their children about the dangers of communicating online with strangers and individuals who seek to exploit them.” 

“As alleged, Almeida posed multiple threats to our community, not only as a felon in possession of a firearm, but also through targeting children as victims of sexual abuse.  Today’s indictment serves as a reminder the FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to aggressively pursue and hold accountable anyone willing to exploit some of the most vulnerable members of our society.  We ask anyone who may have been victimized by Almeida to contact us at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.

As set forth in court filings, in September 2021 and October 2021, the FBI received tips regarding an individual named Angel Almeida possessing firearms and posting sexually explicit images of children online.  The tipster identified social media profiles used by Almeida, including a Facebook account with the profile name “Sargent Grey” (the “Sargent Account”).  A review of the Sargent Account, as well as Instagram accounts used by Almeida, revealed photos of Almeida holding what appeared to be firearms.  On November 23, 2021, members of law enforcement executed a search warrant at Almeida’s residence and recovered a 9 mm Taurus handgun that appeared to be the same firearm that the defendant had posed with.  Almeida has a 2019 felony conviction in Florida for burglary.   As a result, in December 2021, Almeida was charged in an indictment with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

In addition, between July 2021 and December 2021, Almeida enticed a minor, Jane Doe-1, to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing videos.  Between February 2020 and November 2021, Almeida also enticed another minor, Jane Doe-2, to engage in sexual contact, a violation of the Mann Act.  In addition to the enticement and coercion charges, Almeida is also charged with possession of child pornography recovered from multiple cell phones.  

The government’s investigation is ongoing.  Anyone with information about sexual exploitation by Almeida is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov

The charges in the superseding indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

If convicted of the charges, Almeida faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment and up to life in prison.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chand Edwards-Balfour. 

The Defendant:

ANGEL ALMEIDA
Age:  22
Queens, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-613 (RPK)

Source: United States Department of Justice News

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Raytown, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today in two separate and unrelated criminal cases for a nearly $10 million conspiracy to distribute almost 1,000 kilograms of methamphetamine and for a fraud scheme that utilized the stolen identities of Johnson County, Kansas, government employees to make fraudulent credit card purchases.

Michael B. Becher, 41, was sentenced in two separate hearings before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to a total of 20 years in federal prison without parole. The court sentenced Belcher to 20 years in federal prison for the drug-trafficking conspiracy and five years in federal prison for the fraud scheme, to be served concurrently.

The court also ordered Becher to pay a money judgment of $1,165,500, which represents the proceeds of the drug-trafficking conspiracy. The forfeiture is based on Becher’s distribution of 185 kilograms of methamphetamine at $6,300 per kilogram. The court also ordered Becher to pay $189,378 in restitution to the victims of the credit card fraud conspiracy and for property Becher admitted stealing in Nebraska.

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

On April 13, 2022, Becher pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from Sept. 1, 2018, to Nov. 5, 2019. Becher was part of the drug-trafficking organization led by Mirza Alihodzic, 37, of Kansas City, Mo.

Becher admitted he was responsible for the distribution of at least 185 kilograms of methamphetamine. Becher also admitted that he purchased multiple pounds of methamphetamine on a daily basis.

Becher was arrested on Nov. 5, 2019, after he met a co-conspirator who was planning to travel on a private plane the same day to purchase 40 to 50 kilograms of methamphetamine in California. Becher paid his co-conspirator $1,000 to purchase methamphetamine. Law enforcement officers were conducting surveillance of the residence when they heard noises that sounded like firearms and people screaming. Officers entered the residence and arrested Becher and others.

Becher admitted that he had purchased 11 kilograms of methamphetamine from his co-conspirator in the prior two weeks and had purchased two kilograms from a second source a week before his arrest. Becher paid Alihodzic $5,000 per kilogram for the methamphetamine and sold it for $6,300 per kilogram. Becher also admitted that in the past he had purchased four to five pounds of methamphetamine daily from a third source and had once stolen 23 to 27 pounds of methamphetamine from that source. On one occasion, Becher said, he had more than 80 pounds of illegal drugs in his car.

Officers searched Becher’s BMW 650i and found approximately a half-pound (205.01 grams) of pure methamphetamine inside a grey backpack between the front seats of the vehicle. Becher told investigators the methamphetamine came from a fourth source, co-defendant Jesus Banuelos, Jr., 24, of Kansas City, Mo. Becher purchased one pound of methamphetamine from Banuelos the night before his arrest. Officers also found two plastic bags that contained a total of 1,547.06 grams of “imitation” methamphetamine, used as a cutting agent.

Officers searched a storage unit Becher rented and found two M20 Super Bazooka rockets, an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 5.56mm semi-automatic rifle with a magazine that contained 21 rounds of ammunition, a zip-lock bag that contained .1 gram of methamphetamine, and various rounds of ammunition. One rocket was determined to be live with propellant and a live warhead and the other, a training rocket with propellant and training warhead. Becher said he received the rockets from Alihodzic.

Becher is among 12 defendants who have been sentenced in this case. Additionally, six co-defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing in two separate indictments that resulted from this investigation. Alihodzic was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison without parole. Banuelos was sentenced to 18 years and nine months in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and to illegally possessing a firearm.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradley K. Kavanaugh and Sean T. Foley. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the FBI, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the Mid-Missouri Drug Task Force.

Conspiracy to Commit Credit Card Fraud

On May 19, 2022, Becher pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to commit credit card fraud from Feb. 1 to June 30, 2019.

Becher admitted that he and his co-conspirators used stolen identity information to make fraudulent purchases. Many of the identity theft victims were current or former employees of Johnson County, Kan. The Johnson County, Kan., government experienced a data breach of employees’ personally identifiable information in 2015.

Becher caused a financial loss to retail stores and vendors where the fraudulent transactions occurred and caused significant problems to the individuals whose identity he stole.

Becher was responsible for making counterfeit driver’s licenses in the names of the identity theft victims. Becher and co-conspirators used the counterfeit licenses to open fraudulent credit accounts. Before making a counterfeit driver’s license, Becher performed a credit check on the identity theft victim to determine the likelihood of establishing a credit account.

Becher made at least seven fraudulent purchases himself, using the stolen identities of three victims, at Lowe’s and Home Depot in transactions ranging from $1,617 to $8,049. Becher then sold the goods and equipment for half of the actual value of the property. Becher kept half of the proceeds that he sold and gave the other half to co-conspirators.

According to court documents, Becher’s criminal history is substantial and filled with various fraud-related convictions. He obtained his first felony conviction in 2005 when he was convicted of forgery in Cass County, Mo., for stealing from his own mother. In that case, Becher forged and used a check for $500 belonging to his mother’s account. Becher has 23 prior felony convictions.

This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley Cooper and Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Daly. It was investigated by the Olathe, Kan., Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement to specifically identify criminals responsible for significant violent crime in the Western District of Missouri. A centerpiece of this effort is Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods is an evidence-based program that identifies the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develops comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, Project Safe Neighborhoods focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.