Month: February 2023

Source: United States Department of Justice News

One Defendant Swung a Flagpole at Police While the Other Recorded It

            WASHINGTON — Two Michigan residents were arrested on charges, unsealed today, stemming from their actions during the breach of the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021. Their actions, and the actions of others, disrupted a joint session of the United States Congress when Congress convened to certify the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

            Isaac Thomas, 20, of Flint, Michigan, was arrested on January 26, 2022 in Flint, Michigan on the felony charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon, obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder, corruptly obstructing an official proceeding, entering or remaining on restricted grounds without lawful authority to do so while carrying or using a deadly or dangerous weapon, engaging in disruptive conduct while using or carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon, knowingly engaging in any act of physical violence while carrying or using a deadly or dangerous weapon; and the misdemeanor offenses of engaging in an act of physical violence on the Capitol grounds, engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct within the Capitol Building, and parading, demonstrating, and picketing in the Capitol Building.

            Christina Legros, 22, of Beaverton, Michigan, was arrested yesterday in Flint, Michigan, on the misdemeanor charges of entering or remaining on restricted grounds without lawful authority to do so, engaging in disruptive conduct on restricted grounds, engaged in disorderly or disruptive conduct within the Capitol Building, and parading or demonstrating in the Capitol Building.

            According to court documents, the two defendants were among a mob that illegally engaged in a physical confrontation with law enforcement officers on the west front of the United States Capitol. Isaac Thomas used a flagpole on fully uniformed police officers during that confrontation, with the interaction captured on Christina Legros’s phone. Eight minutes after Thomas swung the flagpole at the first officer, at another confrontation with police Thomas struck an officer with the United States Capitol Police to help the mob move up the steps to the upper west terrace.

            Both defendants entered the Capitol through the Senate Wing Door and paraded to the House side of the Capitol until returning to the central room known as the Crypt, where they ascended to the second floor. Once at the second floor, the two entered a suite of offices designated for the Speaker of the House where Thomas recorded a video message on his cell phone: “. . . The United States of America thinks we were playing . . . Do not let them take our country. Mike Pence failed us today. Ya’ll better take your country back. Take your freedom back for the sake of your families and your children!”

            Both defendants then moved to a lobby outside the Old Senate Chamber where Thomas again clashed with officers who were attempting to keep rioters away from the Senate Chamber. During this clash, the defendants were separated and left the Capitol building separately.

            These cases are being prosecuted by the United States 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 United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.

            These cases are being investigated by the FBI’s Detroit Field Office – Flint Resident Agency, and the Washington Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In the 24 months since January 6, 2021, more than 950 individuals have been arrested from nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the United States 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.

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

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Defendant Accused of shooting juvenile in early morning hours outside his home after confronting him and other juveniles for apparently tampering with vehicles

            WASHINGTON – Jason Michael Lewis, 41, of Washington, D.C., turned himself in today on a charge of second-degree murder while armed, stemming from the homicide of 13-year-old K.B. on January 7, 2023 in the Brookland neighborhood, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced. 

            Mr. Lewis will be arraigned on the charges in Courtroom C-10 of Superior Court in Washington, D.C. It is expected he will enter a plea and that the court will hear arguments to determine whether probable cause exists for the existing charges, and to decide whether to incarcerate Lewis pending trial.  The court will also schedule a preliminary hearing within 10 days.  

            An arrest on a complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal law and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.

            In announcing the arrest, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.  

Source: United States Department of Justice News

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Washington D.C. man pleaded guilty today to laundering roughly $3,500,000 generated by the illegal sale of marijuana and THC. 

According to court documents, Connor Pennington, 39, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit money laundering. Pennington was the Chief Executive Officer of JointVentures, LLC., a company that operated primarily under the name “Joint Delivery” as a delivery service of marijuana and THC products, including THC vape cartridges, wax, and edibles. JointVentures was never licensed as a medical marijuana dispensary in any state or the District of Columbia.

JointVentures operated the distribution and delivery side of the enterprise out of a residential building in downtown D.C., and delivered its products to customers using delivery drivers or cyclists. The business generated nearly $1.5 million in 2018 alone. By 2021, in just the first three quarters of the year, JointVentures generated well over $2.3 million in revenue. Pennington oversaw and approved of a scheme by which he and other representatives of the company deposited cash in denominations less than $10,000 into several bank accounts the company operated, thus allowing JointVentures to avoid scrutiny from the banks and to disguise the source of the cash.

Pennington is scheduled to be sentenced on May 2. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; and Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Rumbaugh and David A. Peters are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:22-cr-127.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The Justice Department today commemorates National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and renews its commitment to investigating and prosecuting human traffickers, protecting victims, and preventing human trafficking from happening in the first place. We do this work in collaboration with our interagency partners and external stakeholders.

“As the Justice Department’s National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking recognizes, an effective response to human trafficking requires collaboration across government and beyond. Most important, it requires listening to victims and survivors and incorporating their perspectives into everything we do,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “As we commemorate National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the Department of Justice reaffirms our commitment to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of survivors, and to empowering them to help bring their traffickers to justice. The Justice Department will continue to work relentlessly to prevent human trafficking crimes, prosecute perpetrators of these crimes, and provide protection and trauma-informed assistance to victims and survivors.”

The Justice Department’s National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking, announced last year by Attorney General Garland, laid out the Department’s multi-year strategy to combat all forms of human trafficking. Over the past 12 months, the Department has taken significant actions to implement the National Strategy. These actions include:

• Launching an interagency Forced Labor Initiative to enhance the detection, investigation, and prosecution of federal criminal forced labor violations. The Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit (HTPU) convened an interagency steering committee of subject matter experts from the FBI, Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA), and the Departments of Labor and Homeland Security to conduct threat assessments and to screen for possible forced labor indicators. The steering committee identifies jurisdictions with elevated forced labor threats, prioritizes among actionable leads, and imparts specialized expertise and strategic guidance to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other law enforcement and non-governmental partners in each relevant jurisdiction.

• Establishing a departmental working group to review current policies, procedures, practices, and trainings to ensure that the Department is avoiding inappropriate immigration consequences and inappropriate arrest and punishment of victims of human trafficking.

• Convening a Working Group of Victim Assistance specialists from 17 components throughout the Department that meet regularly to exchange expertise in stabilizing and supporting vulnerable victims of human trafficking at all stages of the criminal justice process and to enhance the dissemination of victim-centered, trauma-informed best practices in victim-witness assistance to anti-trafficking partners nationwide.

• Partnering with over 200 federal, state, and local agencies to locate and assist victims of human trafficking, particularly child victims, as part of Operation Cross Country XII (OCC XII). The FBI’s Victim Services Division (VSD) coordinated the national victim assistance response for OCC XII, which included training on the importance of using a victim-centered, trauma-informed approach and ensuring the unique needs of each identified victim were addressed throughout the operation. VSD personnel, in collaboration with local non-government organizations (NGOs), child protective services, medical organizations, and other community, state, and national groups, provided more than 850 services to more than 220 identified minor and adult victims of human trafficking. These services included crisis intervention, needs assessments, child and adult protective services notification, mental health/safety planning, and referrals to human trafficking NGOs and service providers.

• Developing a comprehensive training on human trafficking and gender-based violence to train Bureau of Prisons staff on how to identify and respond to potential indicators of human trafficking among detained people.

• Strengthening coordination among departmental anti-trafficking subject matter experts, such as those in HTPU, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, U.S. Attorneys’ Offices (USAOs), and the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), to identify challenges and improve District-level anti-trafficking efforts.

• Enhancing the response to human trafficking in Indian Country through increased cooperation with Tribal, federal, state, and local partners. For example, EOUSA, in partnership with the National Indian Country Training Initiative, published a memorandum reaffirming its commitment to ensuring USAOs receive training and support to effectively combat human trafficking and address challenges specific to Indian country. In addition, the Department’s Office on Violence Against Women provided funding for the Sovereign Responses to Sex Trafficking in Indian Country and Alaska national conference held this month in New Orleans. The conference brought together Tribal leadership, federal partners, and experts in the anti-trafficking field, including experts on domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, Missing or Murdered Indigenous People, and sex trafficking, in Tribal communities to better address the safety of children, women, and men. 

• Funding an almost $1 million award from OVC to support a survivor-led team to assist OVC anti-trafficking grantees and their partners in intentional and sustainable engagement with survivors to improve anti-trafficking programming.

• Funding a $979,022 award from the National Institute of Justice to the National Opinion Research Center to conduct a rigorous 48-month multisite process and outcome evaluation of the Enhanced Collaborative Model Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking Program, which aims to develop, expand, or strengthen a multidisciplinary approach to fight human trafficking.

• Developing legislative proposals to amend existing statutes to combat human trafficking, assist victims, and increase prosecution of perpetrators. These proposals would significantly strengthen procedures for collecting mandatory restitution, criminalize fraudulent labor recruitment practices, and enable consistency in enforcement.

Anyone who has information about a potential human trafficking situation or who thinks they or someone they know may be a victim of human trafficking who needs help should contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A Michigan man was convicted by a federal jury today in the Eastern District of Michigan on charges of providing, attempting to provide, and conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, in connection with his support for ISIS in Syria from 2015-2018. He was also convicted of receiving military-type training from ISIS while in Syria.

Ibraheem Izzy Musaibli, 32, of Dearborn, was convicted after a nine-day trial conducted before U.S. District Judge David M. Lawson in Detroit. The jury deliberated for approximately four hours before returning the guilty verdict.

“With this verdict, the defendant is being held accountable for traveling overseas, joining ISIS, and receiving training from the terrorist organization,” stated Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen. “The National Security Division, working with our partners, is committed to identifying and holding accountable U.S. citizens who leave this country in order to join and support ISIS and other foreign terrorist organizations. I want to thank the many agents, analysts, and prosecutors who are responsible for this investigation and prosecution.”

“Ibraheem Musaibli traveled halfway around the world and joined a vicious, brutal, and violent terrorist organization known — and proud of — its barbaric acts of terror,” said U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan. “Today’s verdicts highlights the dedication of this office, along with our law enforcement partners, in pursuing anyone who poses a danger to the United States—no matter where they are located.”

“This defendant willingly traveled to Syria, joined ISIS, and attended a terrorist training camp,” said Special Agent in Charge James A. Tarasca of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “Today’s verdict demonstrates to anyone who would seek to contribute to ISIS’s terrorist activities that the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force will be unwavering in its mission to protect the American people by identifying, disrupting, and bringing them to justice.”

Evidence provided during the trial established that Musaibli, originally born in Dearborn, moved to Yemen in April 2015. From Yemen, he traveled to Syria in the fall of 2015 where he attended an ISIS-run religious training camp before undergoing military training where he learned to shoot, carry and otherwise handle a machine gun. Upon graduation from the ISIS military training camp, Musaibli swore allegiance to ISIS and its leader and remained with ISIS for over two and half years. Musaibli was eventually captured by Syrian Democratic Forces in 2018 and turned over to the FBI and flown back to the United States to face terrorism related charges.

Musaibli faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison when he is sentenced. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan, Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI Counterterrorism Division and Special Agent in Charge James A. Tarasca of the FBI Detroit Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hank Moon and Michael Martin for the Eastern District of Michigan prosecuted the case, with assistance from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.