Month: March 2023

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            CONCORD – William Heredia, 36, of Haverhill, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in federal court today to an indictment charging him with one count of making a false statement during the acquisition of a firearm, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced.

            According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 23, 2018, Mr. Heredia purchased a Smith & Wesson rifle from a federal firearms licensee in Plaistow, New Hampshire.  In completing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) Form 4473, Mr. Heredia stated that he was the actual transferee of the firearm.  In fact, Mr. Heredia, who previously worked as an employee of the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services, was buying the gun for an individual whom Mr. Heredia had met when the individual was in juvenile detention. The individual accompanied Mr. Heredia to the firearms store, and Mr. Heredia transferred the Smith & Wesson rifle to the individual that same day. 

            Heredia is scheduled to be sentenced on June 20, 2023.  

            This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anna Krasinski and Aaron Gingrande.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

DETROIT –The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan resolved its investigation of Bark Bark Wag, a local dog rescue organization based in Livonia, Michigan. The complainant alleged that her adoption application was denied based on stereotypes concerning her use of a wheelchair, leaving her feeling “dehumanized.” The settlement agreement between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Bark Bark Wag requires the dog rescue to fully comply with the non-discrimination requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).

The ADA protects the rights of all individuals, regardless of disability, to fully and equally enjoy the benefits and services offered by places of public accommodation, which includes dog rescues. The settlement agreement emphasizes the organization’s commitment to ADA compliance going forward and requires Bark Bark Wag to adopt ADA policies to ensure that the adoption process does not improperly screen out or scrutinize individuals who have disabilities. Under the terms of the settlement, Bark Bark Wag must train its volunteers on ADA policies and practices and report any future complaints from individuals who have disabilities to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Bark Bark Wag must also provide a copy of its non-discrimination policy to all current and future rescue organizations with which it is affiliated.

“All too often, discrimination comes in the form of implicit bias, stereotypes, or assumptions. Here, an individual was judged not by her actual ability to safely care for the pets she hoped to adopt, but by her perceived inability to do so,” U.S. Attorney Ison said. “My office will continue to enforce the civil rights of our all of our citizens, including those who have disabilities.”

The investigation was led by AUSA Michael El-Zein of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, a member of the Civil Rights Unit. The full and fair enforcement of the ADA is a priority of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. The Civil Rights Unit was established in 2010 with the mission of prioritizing federal civil rights enforcement. For more information on the Office’s civil rights efforts, including a copy of the agreement, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmi/programs/civil-rights.

Individuals who believe they have been subjected to discrimination or have experienced a civil rights violation can submit a complaint with the U.S. Attorney’s Office by email at usamie.civilrights@usdoj.gov or by phone at (313) 226-9151. Complaints can also be submitted to the Civil Rights Division through its complaint portal.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Defendant Appeared in Federal Court Today

            WASHINGTON – A federal indictment was unsealed today charging MPD Sergeant Enis Jevric, 41, with a federal civil rights violation and second-degree murder.  The charges stem from Jevric’s August 25, 2021, fatal shooting of An’Twan Gilmore, 27, in Northeast Washington, D.C. Jevric appeared this afternoon before the Honorable Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. 

            As alleged in count one of indictment, the defendant, while acting under the color of law, willfully deprived Gilmore, 27, of his right to be free from the use of excessive force. Specifically, the defendant used his MPD-issued firearm to shoot and kill Gilmore.  Count two charges Gilmore with violating federal law by using a firearm to commit second-degree murder. Finally, count three charges the defendant with murder in the second-degree, in violation of D.C. Code.  The alleged offenses carry a statutory maximum penalty of life in prison. 

            “We thoroughly investigate every incident where one of our fellow citizens dies during an interaction with law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, in announcing the indictment.  “We have found that most officers use force only when necessary.  In these investigations, we follow the evidence and the law. In the overwhelming majority of these cases, criminal charges would not be appropriate. But when an officer willfully disregards the safety of a citizen he is sworn to protect, he violates the trust placed in him by virtue of his badge. Today’s indictment reinforces that we will hold officers who commit civil rights violations accountable.”

            “Law enforcement officers take an oath to serve and protect our communities, and should be held to the highest standards,” said David Sundberg, Assistant Director in Charge the FBI Washington Field Office. “This investigation demonstrates the FBI’s unyielding commitment to pursuing justice for those whose fundamental rights have been breached.”

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and is being prosecuted by the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

            An indictment 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

PROVIDENCE – A former Pepperell, MA, man arrested during an FBI Safe Streets Task Force drug trafficking investigation that led to the seizure of more than 461 grams of pure crystal methamphetamine pleaded guilty in federal court in Providence today to conspiracy and drug trafficking charges, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

According to information presented to the court, Peter Walkovich, 38, was arrested on May 22, 2022, shortly after he drove away from a Cranston residence in a vehicle that was found to contain three backpacks and various other packaging materials that held a total of 461.23 grams of 100% pure methamphetamine. The residence was under surveillance by FBI Safe Streets Task Force agents at the time. Also seized was a total of $21,711 in cash.

Walkovich pleaded guilty as charged by way of indictment to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and to a charge of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Walkovich is scheduled to be sentenced on June 15, 2023. The defendant’s sentence will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

A co-defendant in this matter, Charles Bersch, 38, of Providence, RI, is awaiting trial on similar charges. A federal indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul F. Daly, Jr.

United States Attorney Cunha thanks the Cranston and Central Falls Police Departments and the DEA for their assistance in the investigation of this matter.

The FBI Safe Streets Task Force consists of agents and law enforcement officers from the FBI, Rhode Island State Police, the Providence, Cranston, Woonsocket, Pawtucket, West Warwick, and Central Falls Police Departments, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander today sentenced Gregory Santos, age 49, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 102 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release for illegal possession of a firearm in a school zone and for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and fentanyl.  

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, on September 17, 2019, Santos was driving in the area of 5^th Street and East Patapsco Avenue.  Baltimore Police officers saw Santos roll through a stop sign.  When Santos saw the officers, he slammed on his brakes, ending up in the middle of the intersection.  Santos then sped through a school zone, failed to stop at a second stop sign, and almost collided with another vehicle as he drove onto the 300 block of Pontiac Avenue, a posted school zone near the Maree Garnett Farring Elementary School.  Officers attempted to perform a traffic stop, but Santos did not stop.  Santos eventually threw a firearm out of his window in the 3600 block of 5^th Street.  Officers recovered  a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, which had disassembled after hitting the ground, and 11 9mm cartridges of ammunition.  Investigators were able to reassemble the handgun and fire it.  Santos admitted he possessed the loaded firearm while he was driving in the school zone.

Santos was arrested on a state warrant for illegal possession of a firearm on October 20, 2019.  While Santos was incarcerated, he instructed his girlfriend to get narcotics that were in their home and sell them.  A search warrant was executed at the residence on November 22, 2019, and law enforcement recovered more than 1,000 grams of powder cocaine and approximately 771.28 grams of fentanyl, as well as items used to mix and package narcotics for sale.  Santos admitted that he was conspiring with others to distribute narcotics.

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 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 Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Keelan Diana and Assistant U.S. Attorney Clinton J. Fuchs, who prosecuted the 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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