Month: April 2023

Source: United States Department of Justice News

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, man has admitted to operating a multi-state organized drug trafficking business dubbed the “19^th Street Enterprise.”

Christopher Arthur Jones, also known as “Smooth,” pled guilty today to a racketeering enterprise (RICO) conspiracy and fentanyl distribution charges. Jones, 38, was the leader of the organization, directing members of the enterprise to sell drugs, commit acts of violence, launder money, and commit fraud in West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The business was based in Philadelphia, but Jones had drug houses in Martinsburg, West Virginia and elsewhere.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble heard testimony today that Jones ordered armed robberies at residences in West Virginia and Maryland to help fund his enterprise. The homeowners were targeted because of perceived wealth.  The organization was selling an estimated 100 grams of fentanyl per week and laundering at least $500 per day from a house on Crooked Way in Martinsburg. Jones also committed COVID fraud, receiving COVID relief funds under false pretenses.

As a part of the plea agreement, Jones has agreed to forfeit any proceeds from the crimes, as well as his Philadelphia property, which was used as the stash house for his operation.

Jones is facing at least 10 years and up to life in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Department of Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; the West Virginia State Police; the Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; and the West Virginia Air National Guard investigated. The Eastern District of Pennsylvania U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Kent County Sheriff’s Office assisted.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

 

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman Durbin and Ranking Member Graham, and members of the Judiciary Committee. I am honored to appear before you today to discuss how the Justice Department is working to hold Russia accountable for its brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

I want to thank the members of the Committee for their bipartisan leadership in support of the Administration’s response to Russia’s aggression. The Department of Justice welcomes the opportunity to work with the Committee on additional authorities, including:

• Conferring federal criminal jurisdiction over certain crimes against humanity,
• Increasing the range of seized assets we can transfer for the rebuilding of Ukraine,
• And expanding the Department’s authority to prosecute acts of torture committed against U.S. nationals abroad.

These additional tools will strengthen our response.

Before I begin, Mr. Chairman, I want to recognize that today marks 28 years since the Oklahoma City bombing, 35 years since the deadly siege at Waco, and just earlier this week, we recognized the 10th anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing.

As we remember and honor the innocent lives lost, we are also reminded of why each of us swore an oath to protect this country and the freedoms for which it stands.

Mindful of that oath, when I appeared before this committee two years ago as a nominee, I pledged to protect our national security and uphold the democratic and rule-of-law values that define us as Americans.

Those values and the Justice Department’s mission to uphold them are what bring me back before this committee today.

For over a year now, Russia has deliberately and unilaterally inflicted horror upon Ukrainians. Its brutal, unprovoked, and unlawful invasion of Ukraine poses a serious threat to global peace and stability. 

Its forces have targeted and viciously attacked civilians:

• By bombing hospitals and apartment buildings;
• By committing sexual violence against women, men, and children—including girls who the United Nations estimates could be as young as four years old;
• By carrying out execution-style murders, including of children;
• And by illegally removing thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia or Russian-occupied territory.

The facts, Mr. Chairman, are clear: Russia has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine.

We cannot—we will not—let war criminals escape accountability for the aggression and atrocities they have committed.

The Justice Department has a clear message for those who have committed these crimes and who think they can get away it: You will face justice. 

Our long history of holding Nazis and terrorists accountable shows that the women and men of the Justice Department never forget—and never give up—in the pursuit of justice.

I was reminded of this resolve in February, when I traveled to Nuremberg, Germany, to visit the courtroom where the United States and allied partners prosecuted Nazi leaders for the atrocities they committed in World War Two.

Through principled adherence to the rule of law, former Attorney General Robert Jackson and other prosecutors sought justice and accountability on behalf of millions of victims. 

Today, this Justice Department and our partners around the world are answering history’s call. Using every tool at our disposal, we are committed to holding the perpetrators and enablers of these atrocities accountable—no matter how long it takes.

We are working closely with our Ukrainian partners. On Monday, the Attorney General and I met with Ukrainian Prosecutor General Kostin to discuss our work together to investigate Russian aggression and war crimes and to hold accountable all those responsible.

Every day since February 24, 2022, the men and women of the Justice Department have responded to Russian aggression by pursuing accountability for Russian war crimes, striking back against malign Russian cyber activity and by using every available tool to limit Russia’s access to the global financial system and degrade its ability to fuel its war machine;

In that time we have:

• Restrained over $500 million—that’s half a billion dollars—in assets of Russian oligarchs and others who unlawfully support the Russian regime and evade U.S. economic countermeasures;
• We’ve indicted over 30 individuals accused of sanctions evasion, export control violations, money laundering, and other crimes
• And arrested defendants in over half a dozen countries.

We are grateful for the tools Congress—and this Committee in particular—has provided to the Department to hold Russia accountable. 

We look forward to working together to expand those tools, to close loopholes, and to stay one step ahead of those who would try to escape justice.

Thank you. I look forward to the Committee’s questions.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON – A mother and son, from Tennessee, have been found guilty in the District of Columbia of felony charges for their actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Their 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 presidential election.

            Eric Gavelek Munchel, 32, of Nashville, Tennessee, and Lisa Marie Eisenhart, 59, of Woodstock, Georgia were found guilty yesterday following a stipulated bench trial before U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 8, 2023.

            The two were found guilty of: conspiracy to commit obstruction and obstruction of an official proceeding, both felonies, as well as entering and remaining in a gallery of Congress, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

            Munchel alone was found guilty of two additional felonies: disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, and unauthorized possession of a deadly or dangerous weapon on Capitol grounds.

            According to evidence presented to the court and facts admitted by the defendants, Munchel and Eisenhart entered the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 to disrupt Congress’s certification of the 2020 presidential election. As they approached the Capitol building, they saw other rioters fighting with police and encouraged them to do so. They experienced police wearing body armor and using chemical irritants and gas to repel rioters like themselves, but they were not deterred. Instead, even though they were aware their actions were unlawful, they pushed forward, past police lines, and entered the Capitol building. Once inside, they penetrated all the way to the Senate Gallery. Photos and video captured Munchel and Eisenhart wearing tactical vests and carrying plastic zip tie-style handcuffs that they stole from a closet inside the Capitol. Additionally, Munchel had a Taser  holstered on his right hip. While inside the Senate and carrying the stolen restraints, Munchel and Eisenhart wondered aloud where the “traitors” and “cowards”—meaning the Senators—had gone. Later, both Munchel and Eisenhart gave statements to a reporter in which they acknowledged that their actions were intended to intimidate Congress.

            These cases are being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Counterterrorism Section of the DOJ’s National Security Division, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

            The cases were investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the FBI’s Nashville Field Office, the FBI’s Memphis Field Office, and the United States Capitol Police.

            In the 27 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,000 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.