Month: April 2023

Source: United States Department of Justice

A South Carolina return preparer pleaded guilty today, after his jury trial had begun, to two counts of filing false tax returns.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Jeffrey Harmon of Lexington, South Carolina, owned and operated TFL Worldwide, a tax preparation business through which he willfully prepared and filed returns for clients that claimed fraudulent deductions relating to, among other things, rent, utilities, meals, gifts, dues, and depreciation.

In his plea, Harmon admitted to filing a false 2012 tax return for himself and to aiding and assisting in the preparation of a 2016 tax return claiming false deductions for rent and depreciation for one of his clients.  Harmon agreed that the total tax loss from his criminal conduct was approximately $320,000. 

Harmon faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each false return count.  He also faces a period of supervised release, monetary penalties, and restitution. U.S. District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis will determine any sentence after considering the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Adair Boroughs for the District of South Carolina and Special Agent in Charge Donald Trey Eakins of IRS-Criminal Investigation, Charlotte Field Office, made the announcement.

IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Wilson Stamm of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Winston Holliday and Elle Klein for the District of South Carolina prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice

Two men were sentenced in federal court today to crimes related to a scheme to attack power grids in the United States in furtherance white supremacy.

Christopher Brenner Cook, 20, of Columbus, Ohio, and Jonathan Allen Frost, 24, of Katy, Texas, and West Lafayette, Indiana, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. Cook was sentenced was sentenced to 92 months in prison and Frost was sentenced to 60 months in prison. Jackson Matthew Sawall, 22, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was also charged and pleaded guilty in February 2022 in connection with the scheme and will be sentenced at a later date.

“These defendants plotted armed attacks against energy facilities to stoke division in furtherance of white supremacist ideology and now they are being held accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department will not tolerate the use of violence to advance any extremist ideology and we remain determined to protect our communities from such hateful acts of terror.”

“At the root of every terrorist plot – whether foreign or domestic – is hate,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio. “As a society, we must be vigilant against online radicalization, which is a powerful tool used by extremists to recruit both juveniles and adults.”

“The defendants in this case conspired to provide material support to terrorism by putting plans in place to damage America’s infrastructure, motivated by their adherence to racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist ideology,” said Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “When individuals move from espousing ideas to planning or committing acts of violence, the FBI will investigate and take action to disrupt their plans. Today’s sentencing demonstrates the commitment we have to working with our partners to bring violent extremists to justice and to protect our communities.” 

According to court documents, in fall 2019, Frost and Cook met in an online chat group. Frost shared the idea of attacking a power grid with Cook, and within weeks, the two began efforts to recruit others to join in their plan.

As part of the recruitment process, Cook circulated a book list of readings that promoted the ideology of white supremacy and Neo-Nazism. By late 2019, Sawall – a friend of Cook’s – joined the conspiracy and assisted Cook with online recruitment efforts, operational security and organization.

As part of the conspiracy, each defendant was assigned a substation in a different region of the United States. The plan was to attack the substations, or power grids, with powerful rifles. The defendants believed their plan would cost the government millions of dollars and cause unrest for Americans in the region. They had conversations about how the possibility of the power being out for many months could cause war, even a race war, and induce the next Great Depression.

In February 2020, the co-conspirators met in Columbus, Ohio, to further discuss their plot. Frost provided Cook with an AR-47 and the two took the rifle to a shooting range to train.

Frost also provided Cook and Sawall with suicide necklaces during the Columbus meeting. The necklaces were filled with fentanyl and were to be ingested if and when the defendants were caught by law enforcement. Both Cook and Sawall expressed their commitment to dying in furtherance of their mission.

Upon arriving in Columbus, Sawall and Cook purchased spray paint and painted a swastika flag under a bridge at a park with the caption, “Join the Front.” The defendants had additional propaganda plans for their time in Ohio, but they were derailed during a traffic stop, during which Sawall swallowed his suicide pill but ultimately survived.

Court documents detail that Cook and Frost continued to travel together after their Ohio meeting, and drove to Texas in March 2020. Cook stayed in different cities with various juveniles who he was attempting to recruit for their plot.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica W. Knight for the Southern District of Ohio and Trial Attorney Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting this case.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Columbus, Milwaukee, Indianapolis and Houston. The U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Eastern District of Wisconsin and Northern District of Indiana provided valuable support.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. On Saturday, April 22nd, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will provide the public the opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.  Location information is available from the DEA, along with items that cannot be accepted. This service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

This April’s event is DEA’s 23rd nationwide event since its inception 12 years ago.  Last spring, Americans turned in nearly 647,163 pounds of prescription drugs at nearly 4,902 sites operated by the DEA and almost 5,000 from its state and local law enforcement partners.

The DEA will now accept vaping devices and cartridges at any of its drop-off locations during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.  It is important to note that DEA cannot accept devices containing lithium-ion batteries.  If batteries cannot be removed prior to drop-off, DEA encourages individuals to consult with stores that recycle lithium-ion batteries.  Concerns have been raised across the United States over illnesses and deaths caused by vaping and the high youth vaping initiation rates.  To support a healthy lifestyle and energetic population, especially among America’s youth, DEA is committed to doing all it can to help safely dispose of vaping devices and substances.

The DEA’s “Take Back” day and “Get Smart About Drugs” initiatives address the vital public safety and public health issue.  Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse.  Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses because of these drugs. Synthetic opioids, such as illicit fentanyl, are the primary driver of the increase in overdose deaths.  For information on DEA’s “Take Back” in Spanish, click here, or for more information on the “Get Smart About Drugs” publication, click for English or Spanish.

In addition to DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, there are many other ways to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs every day, including the 11,000 authorized collectors that are available all year long.  For more information, visit DEA’s year-round collection site locator.  Participating in the next DEA Take Back Day on Saturday, April 22nd, simply means cleaning out your medicine cabinet or anywhere you keep unused, unwanted, or expired medications and dropping them off at your nearest collection site.  For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the April 22nd Take Back day event, go to DEA Drug Take Back event or by calling 800-882-9539.

The FDA also provides information on how to properly dispose of prescription drugs. More information is available here: English or Spanish. 

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

Today, United States Attorney Robert J. Troester announced the issuance of Savanna’s Act guidelines for the Western District of Oklahoma.  The guidelines follow consultation with Indian nations and tribal agencies, federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and victim service providers.

“For years, Native Americans have been victimized by violent crime and mourned a murdered or missing loved one,” said U.S. Attorney Troester.  “Addressing these issues is a top priority for my office and the Department of Justice.  Throughout the Western District of Oklahoma, we are fortunate to have strong working relationships across law enforcement and the Tribal nations in our district.  These guidelines will help us to further strengthen those relationships and coordinate efforts to better address Native Americans who are victimized by violence or have been reported missing.”

In 2020, bipartisan members of the 116th United States Congress took an important step toward addressing the issue of Missing or Murdered Indigenous Peoples (“MMIP”) in passing Savanna’s Act.  The Act directed United States Attorney’s Offices to develop regionally appropriate guidelines to respond to MMIP-related cases involving American Indians and Alaska Natives.  The guidelines include important provisions designed to improve law enforcement and justice protocols, enhance cooperation between agencies, and address jurisdictional issues, with a goal to establish a comprehensive federal law enforcement strategy to respond to violence against Native Americans. A first of its kind, the Guidelines specifically address: (1) interjurisdictional law enforcement cooperation and protection order enforcement, (2) best practices for searching for missing persons, (3) standards on data collection, reporting and analysis, and identification and handling of human remains, (4) coordinating law enforcement agencies responsible for updating  databases, (5) improving law enforcement agency response rates and follow-up responses to missing persons cases, and (6) access to culturally appropriate victim services. 

An important part of the overall strategy includes efforts to identify all missing or murdered Indigenous people, utilizing the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (“NamUs”).  Through the past year, the United States Attorney’s Office has worked with various state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies, and has solicited input to update and track current MMIP cases utilizing the NamUs database.  The NamUs database can be found online at:  https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/.

“Missing In Oklahoma 2023” Public Event, April 22, 2023

Tomorrow, April 22, 2023, from 10:00 to 3:00, a “Missing in Oklahoma 2023” event will be held at the University of Central Oklahoma (“UCO”) Forensic Science Institute, located at 801 E. 2nd Street, Edmond, Oklahoma.  At the event, families and friends of missing persons may complete a missing person report for law enforcement, provide additional investigative leads, enter the missing person into the NamUs database, and provide family reference DNA samples to compare to potential remains recovered during investigations, along with other pertinent information about the mission person.  All resources are available at no cost to families; NamUs is funded through the Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ).  For additional information visit the “Missing In Oklahoma 2023” event on Facebook.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has partnered with other law enforcement and private organizations to be present at the “Missing in Oklahoma 2023” event.  Participating agencies include the University of Central Oklahoma Forensic Science Institute, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the Stillwater Police Department, Edmond Police Department, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma City Police Department, the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and the Oklahoma Indian Bar Association.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Tse Ernst Bangarie, age 47, of Hyattsville, Maryland, and co-defendant Edith Ngang, age 57, of St. Louis Park, Minnesota, each to 46 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for conspiracy, and for illegally exporting firearms and ammunition from the United States to Nigeria without obtaining the required licenses from the U.S. State Department.  According to court documents, the purpose of the conspiracy was to assist separatists fighting against the government of Cameroon.  Bangarie was sentenced on April 18, 2023 and Ngang was sentenced yesterday. 

The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Baltimore; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) Baltimore Field Division; and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (“DCIS”) – Mid-Atlantic Field Office.

According to their plea agreements, from at least November 2017 until July 19, 2019, Bangarie, Ngang and their co-conspirators agreed to export firearms, ammunition and other military-type items in violation of the federal smuggling statute, the Arms Export Control Act and other export laws.  Bangarie owned and operated a freight forwarding company in Landover, Maryland and was responsible for arranging for the shipment of the firearms, ammunition and other items in at least one overseas shipping container.  Bangarie also referred individuals to co-conspirator Tamufor St. Michael to cut open and then weld shut metal compressors that the conspirators used to conceal many of the firearms in the shipping containers.  Bangarie participated in meetings of the conspirators, both online and in person, including in the basement of St. Michael’s residence, where the conspirators also reloaded ammunition, assembled firearms, and wrapped various items for overseas shipment.

Ngang admitted that she also participated in the reloading of ammunition in the basement of St. Michael’s residence in at least August and October 2018.  However, the conspirators banned her from coming in person after a video of Ngang loading the ammunition was posted on social media in October 2018, something the conspirators considered a serious security breach.  Ngang remained a member of the conspiracy and continued to communicate with St. Michael and others about the ongoing efforts to unlawfully export the firearms, ammunition and other items from the United States.

As detailed in their plea agreements, in December 2018, Ngang provided a shipping container, with a 1989 Toyota truck inside, for the conspirators to use to export the firearms, ammunition and other items.  St. Michael and other co-conspirators then loaded the container, secreting weapons, ammunition and other military-type items inside the truck and multiple compressors.  The container was sent to the Port of Baltimore for export, departing on January 17, 2019, with a destination of Onne, Nigeria.  Bangarie caused the electronic export information (“EEI”) to be filed with the Department of Commerce, listing the contents of the container as one Toyota Tundra truck, one 1989 Toyota truck, and “doors and frames.”  The EEI also listed the U.S. Principal Party in Interest as an individual with the initials M.A.O. and a non-existent address.  The telephone number listed for M.A.O. corresponded with a pre-paid cellular telephone.  Bangarie knew that much of the information on the EEI was false and he intentionally did not include any mention of the firearms, ammunition and other items hidden in the container.

Approximately one month later, the shipping container was ordered returned to the Port of Baltimore and on May 20, 2019, law enforcement personnel in Baltimore unsealed the container and examined its contents.  In addition to the trucks and what appeared to be the contents of an old schoolhouse, the defendants and their co-conspirators had concealed firearms, ammunition, rifle scopes, and other items in duffle bags placed in the trucks and in heavily wrapped packages inside sealed compressor units, in the shipping container.  In all, law enforcement recovered from the shipping container 38 firearms, 28 of which had obliterated serial numbers.  The guns included sniper rifles, SKS assault rifles (some with bayonets), other rifles and several handguns.  There were 44 high-capacity magazines, two rifle scopes and over 35,000 rounds of ammunition, as well as military-type items, including boots, pepper spray, zip-tie style handcuffs, hydration packs, and other items.  

Tamufor St. Michael, age 42, of Rosedale, Maryland and five co-conspirators pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy and are awaiting sentencing. A jury convicted three other members for the conspiracy, transportation of firearms with obliterated serial numbers, and smuggling following a jury trial in May, 2022.  Judge Bennett has sentenced two of those individuals, Eric Fru Nji and Wilson Nuyila Tita, to 63 months of incarceration and the third, Wilson Che Fonguh, is awaiting sentencing.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, the ATF and DCIS for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron recognized the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement; the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service; the Naval Criminal Investigative Service; and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their contributions to the investigation.  U.S. Attorney Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen O. Gavin, who is prosecuting 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/community-outreach.

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