Source: United States Navy
BREMERTON, Wash. – Under Secretary of the Navy Erik Raven and Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti visited Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF), March 29, 2023, to discuss implementation of the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program and Naval Sustainment System – Shipyards, and to assess ongoing seismic upgrades to the shipyard’s dry docks.
Source: United States Department of Justice News
“Martin Luna, Miguel Luna, Urbano Santiago, and Hector Gutierrez were beloved fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons. In 2015, Nicholas Tartaglione, a former police officer-turned drug dealer, suspected that Martin Luna had stolen money from him. Tartaglione then devised a scheme to confront Martin at a meeting. Unaware he was being lured into a deadly trap, Martin tragically brought his two nephews — Miguel and Urbano — and a family friend — Hector — to the meeting. What occurred next could only be described as pure terror, as Tartaglione tortured Martin, then forced one of his nephews to watch as Tartaglione strangled Martin to death with a zip-tie. Tartaglione and two of his associates then transported Miguel, Urbano, and Hector — who were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time — to a remote wooded location, forced them to kneel, and executed them with gunshots to the back of the head. Tartaglione then buried all four victims in a mass grave. Tartaglione’s heinous acts represent a broader betrayal, as he was a former police officer who once swore to protect the very community he devastated. Today, a jury has found Tartaglione guilty of these heinous acts, sending a message that no one is above the law. We commend the career prosecutors and investigators for their relentless pursuit of justice in this case over the past seven years, and for ensuring that Nicholas Tartaglione faces a lifetime in federal prison for his unconscionable murder of four men. Most of all, we thank the victims’ families for trusting law enforcement to find their loved ones and see that justice was done.”
Source: United States Department of Justice News
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Julio Alvarez Sanchez, 39, Mexico, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 5 years in federal prison for distributing 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. The prison term will be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Alvarez Sanchez pleaded guilty to this charge on December 19, 2022.
Alvarez Sanchez brought methamphetamine from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Madison and provided it to Juana Armenta Mora. On April 4, 2022, Armenta Mora sold 973 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in Madison.
On April 14, 2022, Alvarez Sanchez met with the confidential informant in a parking lot in Madison for an additional methamphetamine deal. The defendant provided the confidential informant with a toolbox containing 6.77 kilograms of methamphetamine. Alvarez Sanchez was arrested following the drug deal.
Alvarez Sanchez subsequently was interviewed by law enforcement and admitted to participating in the April 2022 deliveries, as well as additional deliveries of methamphetamine.
At sentencing, Judge Peterson noted that this was a serious crime because of the very large quantity of methamphetamine involved and because Alvarez Sanchez admitted to dealing methamphetamine on additional occasions. In arriving at the five-year sentence, Judge Peterson weighed these aggravating factors against Alvarez Sanchez’s limited prior criminal record.
Juana Armenta Mora pleaded guilty on September 8, 2022 to distributing methamphetamine. She was sentenced on December 22, 2022 to 15 months in federal prison.
The charge against Alvarez Sanchez was the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Jefferson County Drug Task Force, and Madison Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven P. Anderson and Kathryn E. Ginsberg prosecuted this case.
Source: United States Department of Justice News
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Lenton Jerome Hatten, 54, of Tallahassee, Florida, was indicted by a federal grand jury charging him with one count of sexual abuse of an individual in federal custody. The indictment was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. Hatten made his initial appearance in federal court to face the charge this afternoon.
The indictment alleges that, between October 2021, and August 2022, Hatten engaged in sexual acts with an inmate while employed as a sports specialist for the Bureau of Prisons.
Trial for Hatten is set for June 5, 2023, at 8:15 a.m., at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before the Honorable Senior United States District Judge Robert L. Hinkle.
If convicted, Hatten faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison, 5 years to Life on supervised release, and a maximum $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Source: United States Department of Justice News
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Lorenzo Miner, 30, Stevens Point, Wisconsin was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to six years in federal prison for possessing a firearm after previously being convicted of a felony. Miner pleaded guilty to this charge on November 21, 2022.
On January 12, 2022, the Stevens Point Police Department was looking for Miner as part of a state investigation and observed him leaving a hotel and walking to a car, carrying an AR15 rifle partially concealed under a bathrobe. A detective drew his handgun, pointed it at the defendant, and told him that he was under arrest. Miner denied having a gun – he had already placed it in the vehicle – and refused to comply with the officer’s commands. The detective tried to gain control of him, but the defendant punched the detective in the face. After a very physical struggle the defendant was eventually taken into custody. Police searched the vehicle and recovered the unloaded AR15 in the backseat. The defendant had felony convictions for burglary, bail jumping, and drug trafficking.
At sentencing, Judge Peterson acknowledged both the aggravating facts of this case and the defendant’s significant criminal history, concluding that a long period of imprisonment was necessary to protect the public.
The charge against Miner was the result of an investigation conducted by the Stevens Point Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan.
This case has been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.