Month: March 2023

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON – Stefen Farmer, 52, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of the February 2021 shooting of a man on a sidewalk in Northeast Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department. The verdict was returned today. The Honorable Anthony Epstein scheduled sentencing for June 9, 2023.

            Farmer, 52, was found guilty following a two-week trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of aggravated assault while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with significant bodily injury, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a license, and lesser included firearms offenses.

            According to the government’s evidence, on February 25, 2021, the Defendant was sitting in the driver’s seat of a small black SUV parked on the 4400 block of Gault Place, around 6 pm.  The victim, a longtime friend of the Defendant’s, walked up to the Defendant’s window and started a conversation.  The Defendant repeatedly asked the victim for $2 and the victim said no. The Defendant, upset at the victim’s response, retrieved a gun, stepped out of the car, and shot at the victim from pointblank range three times, as the victim was walking away.  Two bullets hit the victim while he was trying to escape the gunfire and he sustained injuries to his hand and leg.  The Defendant only stopped shooting because a mutual friend of both men pushed the Defendant back while he was firing the gun.  Three days after the shooting, Defendant sent the victim a Facebook message apologizing “for the inconvenience.” 

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.  It was prosecuted and tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alec Levy and Omeed Assefi of the Major Crimes Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Kern, Paralegal Specialist Antoinette Sakamsa, and Litigation Technology Specialist Lief Hickling.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Defendant Came to Washington, D.C. “For The War”

            WASHINGTON – A California man pleaded guilty today to a felony charge for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. 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.

            Jorge Riley, 45, of Sacramento, California, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to obstruction of an official proceeding, a felony. U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta scheduled a sentencing hearing for September 6, 2023.

            According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, the defendant attended the “Stop the Steal” rally taking place in Washington, D.C. On December 31, 2020, the defendant purchased a “6 Ninja Tactical Combat Hunting Kunai Throwing Knife Set” and later posted on Facebook, “I just bought new kanai throwing knives and am going to do what my president asks” and “I’m going for the war.”  The defendant later posted on Facebook, “Do you really not get what is going to happen on the 6th?  I absolutely am looking forward to that and NO MATTER WHAT THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN STOP IT!!!!” On January 6, 2021, the defendant marched with others to the Capitol building and posted on Facebook a video of him and others with the Capitol building in the foreground and added, “There’s 100’s of thousands of people marching on the Nation’s Capitol!!!” and “Hey we’re storming the Capitol…what are you doing?”

            From January 6 through January 8, 2021, the defendant posted on Facebook over 150 messages, photographs, and videos (saved in an album titled, “Who’s House”) that detailed the defendant’s actions in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021, and showed the defendant inside the United States Capitol building. At approximately 2:22 PM, the defendant unlawfully entered the United States Capitol building through the Senate Wing Doors. Inside, the defendant was part of a mob that pushed past law enforcement officers and through hallways, outside Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s Office, balconies, Statuary Hall, and the Rotunda. At approximately 3:22 PM, the defendant exited the Capitol building through the East Rotunda lobby. After exiting the Capitol building, the defendant stood on the east Capitol steps and stated in a recorded video, “It was mostly a peaceful, physical takeover of the Capitol … We stopped the steal because they were in there and they weren’t going to stop the steal, so we stopped the steal, we took our country back.”

            On the evening of January 6, 2021, the defendant posted on Facebook, “What do you do after you just got done taking your National Capitol back?” The defendant later posted, “I can sleep on the plane I guess . . . or in jail when I land?!?” The defendant knew at the time he entered the U.S. Capitol Building that he did not have permission to enter the building. The defendant obstructed, influenced, and impeded an official proceeding,

            Obstruction of an official proceeding carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, as well as potential financial penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. 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 U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Sacramento and Washington Field Offices.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police.

            In the 26 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 999 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 320 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.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Martell Mitchum, 36, Chicago, Illinois was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 5 years in federal prison for possessing over 50 grams of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.  The prison term will be followed by 4 years of supervised release.  Mitchum pleaded guilty to this charge on November 22, 2022.

On June 30, 2020, a Wisconsin State Patrol trooper located a vehicle that had crashed in a construction zone on Interstate 39/90 in Madison, Wisconsin.  Mitchum was identified as the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle.  A trooper searched the vehicle after smelling marijuana coming from Mitchum and from inside the vehicle.  The trooper found a loaded Glock 43X handgun, a bag of methamphetamine, and multiple baggies of marijuana in a safe on the front passenger seat; a loaded magazine on the steering column; body armor on the front passenger floorboard; and additional bags of methamphetamine and marijuana, digital scales, and three cases of 9mm ammunition were located elsewhere in the car.  In total, 106 grams of methamphetamine and almost 5 pounds of marijuana were seized.  Subsequent laboratory testing determined that Mitchum had marijuana in his system at the time of his arrest.

At sentencing, Judge Conley highlighted the dangerous nature of Mitchum’s conduct, which involved possessing a loaded firearm, body armor, and a large quantity of drugs all while driving under the influence of marijuana.

The charge against Mitchum was the result of an investigation conducted by the Wisconsin State Patrol.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven P. Anderson prosecuted this case. 

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Greenbelt, Maryland – Franklyn Edgardo Sanchez, a/k/a “Freddy,” “Magic,” “Miclo,” and “Delinquente,” age 26, of Adelphi, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to his participation in a racketeering conspiracy, including two murders, related to his activities as part of the MS-13 gang.

The guilty plea was 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, Sanchez was a member and associate of Weedams Locos Salvatrucha, (WLS) an MS-13 clique operating primarily in Adelphi, Maryland.  On February 23, 2020, at the direction of an MS-13 leader, Sanchez and a co-defendant MS-13 member, 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 Sanchez and f Sanchez’s co-defendant to the location, where they picked up Victim 1.  They drove to a location in or near Hyattsville, Maryland.  Sanchez, his co-defendant, and Victim 1 got out of the car and walked into a wooded area, where Sanchez and the co-defendant shot Victim 1.  Victim 1 died from his gunshot wounds.  As a result of his participation in the murder, Sanchez was promoted within the hierarchy of MS-13.

On August 8, 2020, WLS members, including 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.  After driving to a nearby wooded area, a WLS leader called Victim 4 and told him to come to the wooded area to participate in a disciplinary beating of Sanchez.  In reality, as Sanchez knew, the gang intended to murder Victim 4.

Sanchez was armed with a revolver, and a second revolver was given to another MS-13 member to participate in the murder.  When Victim 4 arrived, Sanchez and the other MS-13 member each fired multiple shots at Victim 4, causing Victim 4 to fall to the ground.  Sanchez then pistol-whipped Victim 4 and stabbed him with a knife.  WLS members dragged Victim 4’s body to a stream and left it there.  As he was leaving the woods, Sanchez noticed he was bleeding and became concerned that his DNA was 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, 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.

Sanchez also participated in money laundering by transferring gang funds to MS-13 members and associates in El Salvador.  Sanchez knew the money he transferred was the proceeds of the gang’s extortion activities

The government and the defendant have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea, Sanchez will be sentenced to 28 years in federal prison.  Sanchez will also be required to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, including any funeral costs incurred by Victim 1 and Victim 4’s estates.  U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for 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 the Montgomery County Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 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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