Month: February 2023

Source: United States Department of Justice News

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA –Jonathan High, 31, of Steinhatchee, Florida, was sentenced to twenty-two years in federal prison after having been found guilty at a bench trial on October 4, 2022, of two counts of use of a child to produce child pornography. Prior to the trial, High pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. The sentence was announced by Jason R. Coody, Unites States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

“Child predators seek to prey upon our children in any setting imaginable – in this instance from inside a house of worship,” said U.S. Attorney Coody. “As such, we must remain vigilant. This sentence is yet another example of the unwavering commitment to the protection of our most vulnerable and should serve as a significant deterrent to those who would attempt to harm them. We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those who engage in such heinous conduct.”

In August 2021, law enforcement officers received a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that a user of a cloud storage account uploaded files constituting child pornography. An investigation revealed the account was High’s. Law enforcement officers obtained a search warrant for High’s cell phones and desktop computer, and after an examination of their contents, confirmed that High was in possession of multiple child pornography images and videos that depicted prepubescent boys engaged in sex acts or exposing their genitals in a lascivious manner.  Further investigation revealed that some of these images and videos were produced by High personally; High produced separate video recordings of two young boys using the restroom in a Perry, Florida church where High served as a deacon.

“This sentence is yet another example of the unwavering dedication and commitment of HSI special agents, who work tirelessly to protect our most vulnerable,” said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips.  “Our clear-cut message is, HSI will work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney’s Office to bring to justice those who prey upon our children.”

High’s imprisonment prison sentenced will be followed by lifetime supervised release and he will be required to register as a sex offender and will be subject to all sex offender conditions. The Court ordered restitution to provide for counseling to victims in the case and forfeiture of electronic devices used in the commission of the offenses, including two cellular phones and one computer.

 Florida Department of Law Enforcement Special Agent in Charge Mark Perez said, “Our law enforcement partnerships are critical in helping to identify and stop the abuse and exploitation of our most vulnerable population. These crimes will not be tolerated, and it’s my hope that the guilty verdict will help the victims begin the healing process.”  

This conviction was the result of a joint investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Assistant United States Attorneys Justin M. Keen and Kaitlin Weiss prosecuted the case. 

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury in Maryland today returned an indictment charging Sarah Beth Clendaniel, age 34, of Catonsville, Maryland, and Brandon Clint Russell, age, 27, of Orlando, Florida, with conspiracy to destroy an energy facility.  The defendants have been detained since their arrest on February 3, 2023, on related charges.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

The single-count indictment alleges that Russell and Clendaniel conspired to willfully damage the property of an energy facility, causing damage exceeding $100,000 and causing a significant interruption and impairment of a function of the facility.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. If convicted, Russell and Clendaniel each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to damage an energy facility. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the Baltimore FBI Field Office for its outstanding work in the investigation and praised the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Maryland State Police, the Baltimore County Police Department and the Tampa, Washington, and New York Field Offices of the FBI for their valuable assistance. Mr. Barron also thanked the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida for their assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen O. Gavin, who is prosecuting the case and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina Hoffman for her assistance. For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach. To report a Maryland-based hate crime, contact the FBI Baltimore field office at (410) 265-8080 or www.tips.fbi.gov. 

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Dennis Cotto-Alvarado, 45 years old, of Ponce, was sentenced to 151 months (12 years and seven months) in prison and 15 years of supervised release for transporting a female minor with the intent to engage criminal sexual conduct in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2423(a). The FBI investigated the complaint with the collaboration of the Puerto Rico Police Bureau and the Puerto Rico Department of Justice.

According to court documents, Cotto-Alvarado sexually abused a female minor for two years, from on or about June 2017 through February 2019, starting when she was approximately 12 years old. The defendant was a coach for the minor’s softball team and a father figure to her.

“Investigating and prosecuting those who exploit and sexually abuse minors is and will always be a top priority for the Department of Justice,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “I commend the prosecution team and our law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly to seek justice for the victim and hold the defendant accountable for his crimes.”

“The FBI is committed to protecting our most innocent and helpless victims,” said Joseph González, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office. “This sentence highlights the efforts by the US Attorney’s Office, who worked alongside the FBI, to bring the fullest brand of justice to the victims in this case. We remain vigilant and urge anyone who believes they have witnessed a crime such as this to call 787-987-6500 or leave an anonymous tip by visiting www.tips.fbi.gov. Our children are counting on us.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ginette Milanés prosecuted the case.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that AMOS MUNDENDI, a/k/a “Mos,” a/k/a “El Ashile Mundi,” was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court by United States District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer to 42 months in prison for his participation in a scheme to fraudulently obtain over $30 million in Government-guaranteed loans designed to provide relief to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.  MUNDENDI is the last of five defendants to be sentenced in the case.  MACKENZY TOUSSAINT, APOCALYPSE BELLA, a/k/a “Dias Yumba,” BRANDON JACKSON, and ALVIN MAXWELL were previously sentenced by Judge Engelmayer.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic that wreaked havoc on economies worldwide, Amos Mundendi and his co-defendants illegally plundered funds meant to financially support struggling businesses.  All defendants in this case will now serve substantial prison time for stealing much-needed relief intended for legitimately deserving companies.”

According to allegations in the Complaints, the Indictments, the Superseding Information, and statements made during court proceedings:

TOUSSAINT, BELLA, MAXWELL, and MUNDENDI were involved in an extensive scheme to prepare and submit fraudulent applications to the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) and to at least one company which processed loan applications under the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”).  Over the course of the scheme, TOUSSAINT, BELLA, MAXWELL, and MUNDENDI attempted to fraudulently obtain over $30 million in Government-guaranteed loans for various companies through the PPP, designed to provide financial relief to qualifying companies during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The scheme resulted in over $15 million in actual loss.

The defendants’ scheme included the submission of fraudulent applications for PPP loans for several companies, including two companies (“Company‑1” and “Company-2”) both located in the Southern District of New York.  The loan proceeds for Companies-1 and -2 totaled approximately $4 million, and the fraudulent funds were distributed to a series of bank accounts located in the United States and elsewhere, including bank accounts controlled by TOUSSAINT and BELLA. 

The PPP loan applications for Company-1 and Company-2 were false, containing lies designed to maximize proceeds to the fraud scheme.  Specifically, applications for both Company-1 and Company-2 contained material differences from loan applications submitted for both companies under the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) program just months earlier.  For instance, the PPP loan application for Company-1 — which was submitted on June 30, 2020 — represented that Company-1 had over 100 employees.  However, an earlier EIDL loan application for Company-1 dated on or about March 30, 2020, represented that Company-1 had only four employees.

TOUSSAINT, BELLA, and MUNDENDI devised and executed the fraud scheme by conspiring with individuals who owned, operated, or otherwise were affiliated with businesses such as Company-1 and Company-2.  MAXWELL was one such individual — a business-owner who participated in the scheme to fraudulently obtain over $1.6 million for his own business.

In addition, TOUSSAINT and JACKSON engaged in a separate scheme to submit fraudulent EIDL applications, often through the use of synthetic identities (i.e., a fake name used in combination with true personal identifying information of another person).  TOUSSAINT and JACKSON used Social Security Numbers belonging to minors as part of the synthetic identities created for use in the fraud scheme.  At least approximately $1.7 million in EIDL loan funds were disbursed as a result of TOUSSAINT’s and JACKON’s EIDL loan fraud scheme.

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In addition to the prison sentence, MUNDENDI, 33, of Irving, Texas, was ordered to pay $9,315,418.00 in restitution.

On October 27, 2022, BELLA, 48, of Clackamas, Oregon, was sentenced to 40 months in prison and ordered to pay $4,088,084.42 in restitution.

On November 10, 2022, TOUSSAINT, 40, of Irving, Texas, was sentenced to 90 months in prison and ordered to pay $12,402,676.92 in restitution.

On December 6, 2022, MAXWELL, 46, of Lancaster, Texas, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay $1,696,534.63 in restitution.

On February 3, 2023, JACKSON, 35, of Farmer’s Branch, Texas, was sentenced to 33 months in prison and ordered to pay $1,772,453.00 in restitution.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Small Business Administration’s Office of the Inspector General, and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.

The case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Dina McLeod is in charge of the prosecution.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Defendant Electro-Shocked Metropolitan Police Officer

            WASHINGTON, D.C. – A California man, who tased a Metropolitan Police Officer (MPD) during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, pleaded guilty today to the assault and three other charges. 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 2020 presidential election.

            Daniel Rodriguez, 40, of Fontana, California, pleaded guilty to conspiracy, obstruction of an official proceeding, obstruction of justice, and assaulting a law enforcement officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon. Rodriguez admitted to assaulting MPD Officer Michael Fanone with a taser during the breach of the U.S. Capitol. U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson scheduled a sentencing hearing for May 16, 2023.

            According to court documents, Rodriguez and others created a Telegram group chat, called the “Patriots 45 MAGA Gang,” in the Fall of 2020, and used it as a platform to advocate violence against certain groups and individuals that either supported the 2020 Presidential election results, supported what the group perceived as liberal or communist ideologies, or held positions of authority in government. The group’s activities included collecting weapons and tactical gear to bring to Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, storming past barricades to gain unlawful access to the Capitol, and coordinating activities before, during, and after the riot. According to court documents, Rodriguez conspired to stop, delay, and hinder Congress’s Certification of the Electoral College Vote as well as to prevent evidence from being used in the investigation of his and his co-conspirators’ activities. 

            Rodriguez was arrested on March 31, 2021, by the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.

            This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Counterterrorism Section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Los Angeles and Washington Field Offices, along with the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police.

            In the 25 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 985 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including approximately 319 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.