Month: March 2023

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Greenbelt, Maryland –  Hernan Yanes-Rivera, a/k/a “Recio,” age 22, of Adelphi, Maryland, and Agustin Eugenio Rivas Rodriguez, a/k/a “Terrible,” age 25, of Silver Spring, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to their participation in a racketeering conspiracy, including murder, related to their activities as part of the MS-13 gang.

The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations Baltimore; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

According to court documents, La Mara Salvatrucha gang, also known as “MS-13,” is an international criminal organization composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, with members operating in the State of Maryland, including Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, and Frederick County, and throughout the United States.  In Maryland and elsewhere, MS-13 members are organized in “cliques,” smaller groups that operate in a specific city or region.  MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence, both to maintain membership and discipline within the gang and against rival gangs.  One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, known as “chavalas,” whenever possible.  Participation in criminal activity by a member, particularly in violent acts directed at rival gangs or as directed by gang leadership, increases the respect accorded to that member, resulting in that member maintaining or increasing his position in the gang and opens the door to promotion to a leadership position. 

As detailed in the plea agreement, from at least August 2018 through July 2021, Rivas Rodriguez and Yanes-Rivera were members and associates of Weedams Locos Salvatrucha, (WLS), an MS-13 clique operating primarily in Adelphi, Maryland.  Rivas Rodriguez was the clique’s second in command. 

On February 23, 2020, at the direction of Rivas Rodriquez and another MS-13 leader, Yanes-Rivera and co-defendant MS-13 member Franklyn Sanchez, shot and killed Victim 1, a former WLS member, in retaliation for the victim’s suspected cooperation with law enforcement.  According to the plea agreement, Victim 1 sat for interviews with local police following a robbery he committed with a fellow WLS member.  Victim 1’s co-defendant pleaded guilty prior to Victim 1’s murder.  In the weeks prior to the murder, Victim 1 had been in touch with WLS members over social media, text messages and voice calls.  Records show that WLS members told Victim 1 that if he met with gang members to make amends, his cooperation would be forgiven.  Victim 1 was instructed to wait on the side of a road at a location in or near Adelphi, Maryland, on February 23, 2020.  A junior WLS member drove Yanes-Rivera and Sanchez to the location, where they picked up Victim 1.  They drove to a location in or near Hyattsville, Maryland.  Yanes-Rivera, Sanchez and Victim 1 got out of the car and walked into a wooded area, where Yanes-Rivera and Sanchez shot Victim 1.  Victim 1 died from his gunshot wounds.  As a result of his participation in the murder, Yanes-Rivera was promoted within the hierarchy of MS-13.

On August 8, 2020, WLS members, including Franklyn Sanchez, were gathered at a park in Prince George’s County, Maryland.  Sanchez and several of the WLS members agreed to the murder of Victim 4, who was suspected of cooperating with law enforcement and to whom Sanchez owed a debt.  Sanchez and another MS-13 member murdered Victim 4, then WLS members dragged Victim 4’s body to a stream and left it there.  As he was leaving the woods, Sanchez was concerned that his DNA may have been left on the body.  To prevent the discovery of DNA or other evidence and to hinder the investigation and prosecution of Victim 4’s murder, Rivas Rodriguez and other WLS members were called and ordered to bring shovels to the wooded area, where they dug a hole and buried Victim 4’s body.  Victim 4’s body was later recovered with a bullet wound to the head.

Rivas Rodriguez also conspired with other MS-13 members to kill a female member of the rival 18^th Street gang.  Rivas Rodriguez and the WLS leader ordered subordinate members of the gang to track the female to a house and kill her.  The group of MS-13 subordinates gathered with guns and were preparing to follow their orders, when police arrived on scene and stopped the plan from coming to fruition. 

Rivas Rodriguez and Yanes-Rivera were also responsible for collecting extortion payments, or “rents,” from at least two extortion victims on behalf of WLS.  Rivas Rodriguez and Yanes-Rivera knew that the victims making extortion payments did so under the threat of death or bodily injury by members of WLS.  For example, when WLS imposed rent on Victim-2, an MS-13 member told Victim-2 that “people who don’t pay go down.”  

Finally, Yanes-Rivera also participated in money laundering by transferring gang funds obtained through its extortion activities to MS-13 members and associates in El Salvador. 

The government and the defendant have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea, Yanes-Rivera will be sentenced to 22 years in federal prison and Rivas Rodriguez will be sentenced to 16 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for Rivas-Rodriguez and Yanes-Rivera on July 21, 2023 and July 28, 2023, respectively.

Franklyn Edgardo Sanchez, a/k/a “Delinquente,” age 26, of Adelphi, Maryland, pleaded guilty to the same charges on March 7, 2023.  Judge Xinis has scheduled sentencing for Sanchez on May 19, 2023.

Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement.  The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations both have nationwide tiplines that you can call to report what you know.  You can reach the FBI at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or you can call HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.

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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  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.

This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.    

United States Attorney Barron and Assistant Attorney General Polite commended the FBI, HSI and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and the Montgomery County Police Department for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Crespo, and Trial Attorneys Brendan Woods and Christopher Taylor of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, who are prosecuting the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The lead of 11 defendants charged in a Scioto County child sex trafficking operation was sentenced in federal court here today to 480 months in prison.

“Larry Dean Porter is a predator who manipulated and abused children and drug-addicted women in southern Ohio for many years. He used force, violence, and threats to coerce these vulnerable victims to engage in sex acts with him,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Though no sentence can undo the indescribable, despicable harm he caused, it is fitting that he will spend the rest of his life where he belongs – in a federal prison.”

A federal grand jury originally indicted Larry Dean Porter, 72, of Wheelersburg, Ohio, and several of his family members and associates in June 2020. All 11 defendants have since been convicted.

Porter’s physical and sexual abuse of women and children in Scioto County spanned numerous decades and involved additional victims other than those identified in the charged offenses in this case.

Porter exchanged drugs obtained in Columbus and elsewhere for sexual access to the children of drug-addicted parents and guardians.

Agents with the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force began investigating Porter in April 2019 following reports from several sources that Porter was involved in sexually abusing male and female minors with the consent of the minors’ parents in exchange for illegal drugs from Porter.

Porter sexually abused multiple children and produced child pornography that he kept on flash drives and used extreme methods to conceal, including by burying the flash drives in the yard surrounding his house.

In addition to sexually assaulting the children himself, Porter also instructed drug-addicted parents to sexually abuse children and recorded it to use as blackmail. Porter also used other methods of force, such as duct taping and tying women to chairs, burning them with cigarettes and firing guns by their ears, to ensure they continued to comply with his various sexual demands and remained silent about his crimes.

Porter’s manipulation and sexual assaults of women and children took place several times a week for years. For example, several of Porter’s co-conspirators took three children under the age of 10 to Porter’s residence on a regular basis to traffic the children sexually in exchange for pills. The abuse occurred a few times per week for up to five years.

Porter was arrested in March 2020 on local charges during a human trafficking sting operation by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.

After Porter was arrested locally, his friends and relatives – including two of his daughters and one of his cousins – attempted to destroy evidence and intimidate witnesses on Porter’s behalf.

For example, family and friends dug holes in the ground on Porter’s property to retrieve and attempt to conceal or destroy SD cards containing child pornography that had been buried in Porter’s yard. Agents also found eight DVDs containing child pornography linked to Porter’s home computer at the house of one of Porter’s friends. Porter’s cousin discussed in jail calls with Porter their plans to assault and potentially kill a witness they believed was a source for law enforcement.

Porter pleaded guilty on Aug. 10, 2022, to conspiring to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, child sex trafficking, and participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy. Porter was also ordered today to pay more than $300,000 in restitution to the victims.

Co-defendants sentenced to date include, Joshua D. Aldridge (324 months in prison), Charity Rawlins (210 months in prison), Frank E. Andrews (121 months in prison), Ronnie L. Rawlins (63 months in prison), Jonathan David Flagg (60 months in prison), Ralph Albert Aldridge (48 months in prison), Crystal D. Porter (30 months in prison), Denna Sue Porter (three months in prison), and Erroll Wayne Porter (six months of home detention).

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost; Jackson County Sheriff Tedd E. Frazier; Jackson County Prosecutor Justin Lovett; Scioto County Sheriff David Thoroughman and Scioto County Prosecutor Shane A. Tieman announced today’s sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Senior Litigation Counsel Heather A. Hill and Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Rausch and Jessica W. Knight are representing the United States in this case.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA – An information was filed yesterday charging Garrett Elder, owner of Tycoon Trading LLC, The Daily Bread Fund LLC, and other entities with executing an investment scheme that resulted in approximately $25 million in losses to over 130 victims.

According to the information, from about 2016 through October 2022, defendant Garrett Elder executed a scheme to raise between $30 and $34 million in investments from approximately 130 victims. The scheme began about early 2016 when defendant’s parents provided to defendant between $10,000 and $20,000 to invest in stocks and foreign currencies. Defendant deposited those funds into an entity he had created called Tycoon Trading, LLC (“Tycoon Trading”). Defendant lost all of those funds.

Despite the losses, defendant told his family and friends about his trading business, and some expressed an interest in investing. Defendant did not tell the potential investors that he had lost the money provided by his parents. Instead, defendant gave these victims the false impression that he was a successful trader.

Based on these omissions and false impressions, between 2016 and March 2018, investors transferred approximately $500,000 to Tycoon Trading for defendant to invest. Defendant again began losing money, but created false quarterly performance reports for his victim investors stating that the investments were earning positive returns. By March 2018, defendant had lost almost all the victims’ money while trading and only had approximately $10,000 to $15,000 left in his trading account. In March 2018, defendant disclosed to the victims that their investments had failed, but he did not disclose that he falsified the quarterly performance reports he had sent them.

Meanwhile, notwithstanding the near total losses, defendant continued to seek new investors, claiming to be a successful trader. By the end of 2018, defendant had approximately 30 new investors who were investing substantially more money than the original group of investors.

In 2019, defendant created an entity called The Daily Bread Fund, LLC.

From 2019 through 2022, defendant continued to solicit new investors through Tycoon Trading and the Daily Bread Fund by claiming to be a successful trader and paying a limited amount of distributions to select investors to provide the appearance of investment successes.

Defendant successfully solicited significant new investments; however, in reality, defendant continued to steadily lose money.  Despite continued mounting losses, defendant again created and emailed to investors false reports indicating positive returns. Defendant also used some of the victims’ money on personal expenditures, including real estate investments, vehicles, a boat, a camper, bicycles, tools, and jewelry.

In total, the amount of funds transferred to defendant via Tycoon Trading, The Daily Bread Fund, and related entities is presently estimated to be approximately $30 million to $34 million from 138 victim investors.

By October 2022, although some money was distributed back to certain investors, defendant had lost the majority of investments while trading, resulting in approximately $25 million in losses to victims.

Garrett Elder agreed to the government filing an information charging him with wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343.  He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  If convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The you believe you are a victim of Garrett Elder’s investment scheme, please contact the FBI at: (907) 276-4441.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Heyman and Seth Beausang of the Alaska United States Attorney’s Office are prosecuting the case.

An information is merely an allegation and defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

DETROIT– A former Detroit police officer was sentenced to 27 months in prison for accepting bribes in a conspiracy with a Detroit police lieutenant in connection with corruption in the towing industry in Detroit, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today.

Ison was joined in the announcement by James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Daniel Vickers, 54, of Livonia, Michigan, spent his career as a police officer in Detroit. Vickers conspired with former Detroit police lieutenant John F. Kennedy. Kennedy at one point commanded the department’s Public Integrity Unit, a division of the Internal Affairs Division responsible for investigating reports of law violations and professional misconduct by police officers and other city employees. The two agreed to commit bribery by accepting money and other items of value in exchange for Kennedy using and promising to use his influence as a supervisor to persuade other officers to make tow referrals to a towing company in violation of the city’s ordinance and Detroit Police Department policy. Kennedy pleaded guilty to the bribery conspiracy in August 2022, and he will be sentenced on April 18, 2023.

In recorded conversations during the investigation, Vickers admitted to soliciting bribe payments from at least three towing companies in the Detroit area. In addition to the cash payments Vickers solicited, he and Kennedy also agreed to accept bribes in the form of thousands of dollars in cars, car parts, car repairs, and new carpeting for Vickers’ home. Besides making illegal tow referrals in exchange for the bribes, Vickers and Kennedy also agreed to provide the towing company that Kennedy was investigating with confidential information about the status of the Public Integrity Unit’s case.

In total, between February 2018, and June 2018, Vickers accepted over $3,400 in bribe payments from the towing company. In addition, Kennedy accepted bribes amounting to $14,950 during the course of the conspiracy. 

Vickers and Kennedy were charged as part of the government’s investigation known as “Operation Northern Hook.” Northern Hook is an investigation of corruption within the government and the Police Department of the City of Detroit relating to the towing industry and other matters.  Thus far, six defendants have been charged in the probe.

United States Attorney Ison said, “Any police officer who chooses the path of corruption should understand that we will not tolerate unethical conduct from our public officials at any level. We  commend Detroit Chief of Police James White  and the Detroit Police Department for their cooperation assistance in this investigation.”   

“Police officers take an oath to protect and serve their communities. Today, Daniel Vickers is being held responsible for violating that oath by using his official position to benefit himself personally. His actions were not in keeping with the integrity and professionalism exhibited by the Detroit Police Department every day,” said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office. “The FBI appreciates the partnership and cooperation of Police Chief James White as we continue to address public corruption in the City of Detroit.”

“This former officer’s actions are completely unacceptable for anyone who is sworn to protect and serve our city as a Detroit Police officer,” said Detroit Police Chief James E. White. “We appreciate U.S. Attorney Ison’s work to hold those engaging in corruption accountable and will continue to collaborate with her office in any investigation of alleged wrongdoing by our officers. It is a top priority of my administration to guarantee that Detroiters can depend on our officers to act ethically.”

The case was investigated by the Detroit Area Public Corruption Task Force, which is led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Detroit Police Department, Michigan Attorney General’s Office, Michigan State Police, Customs & Border Protection, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eaton P. Brown.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

           Montgomery, Alabama – Today, United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart announced that Iziquel Pasheng Vang, 23, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, received a sentence of 30-years in prison for kidnapping and carjacking. The federal judge also ordered that Vang serve five years of supervised release following his prison term.

            According to the plea agreement and other court records, in 2021, Vang was living in Alabama’s Wiregrass area. During that time, he became friends with a 16-year-old girl from Slocomb, Alabama. The friendship eventually ended when Vang became aggressive. In early May of 2021, Vang began watching the girl’s house. On May 9, 2021, Vang entered the home and threatened the girl and her mother with a gun. Vang forced the girl to drive him in her family’s car to Georgia. They later left Georgia and headed south to Florida. Law enforcement in southern Georgia spotted Vang and the victim in the stolen vehicle and attempted to pull them over. Vang refused to stop. Instead, Vang led law enforcement on a chase into Florida at excessive speeds, shooting at the pursuing officers multiple times. Vang ultimately wrecked the vehicle and was apprehended. The girl suffered minor injuries during the crash.

           On November 30, 2022, Vang pleaded guilty to kidnapping and carjacking. Vang’s sentencing hearing occurred on March 10, 2023. There is no parole in the federal system.

           “The defendant in this case inflicted unimaginable terror upon a minor and her parents,” stated United States Attorney Stewart. “No family should be forced to endure events like those caused by Vang. Moreover, by trying to run from law enforcement, Vang placed at risk the lives of countless individuals. Given the disturbing facts of this case, the 30-year sentence is certainly appropriate.”

            The FBI and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency investigated the case, with assistance from: the Geneva County, Alabama Sheriff’s Office; the Slocomb, Alabama Police Department; the Dale County, Alabama Sheriff’s Office; the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Police Department; the Brooks County, Georgia Sheriff’s Office; the Georgia Highway Patrol; the Lowndes County, Georgia Sheriff’s Office; the Morven, Georgia Police Department; the Florida Highway Patrol; the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission; and the Madison County, Florida Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Kevin P. Davidson prosecuted this case.