Month: December 2024

Source: United States Department of Justice 2

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland today announced the recipients of the Seventh Annual Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community Policing. This prestigious award recognizes law enforcement officers who demonstrate exceptional dedication to strengthening trust, promoting community engagement, and enhancing public safety.

“All 21 of today’s awardees have demonstrated what community-oriented policing looks like in practice,” said Attorney General Garland. “They come from all different parts of the country. They represent communities of all shapes and sizes.  Their typical days might not all look the same. But they are united by a deep commitment to protecting their communities.”

The Attorney General’s Award recognizes individual state, local, and Tribal sworn officers, deputies, and troopers for exceptional efforts in community policing. The awarded individuals have demonstrated active engagement with the community in one of three areas: criminal investigations, field operations, or innovations in community policing.

“Today, we stand in the presence of extraordinary individuals who exemplify the very best of what it means to protect and serve,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “We celebrate a remarkable truth: the profound and positive impact that law enforcement officers and deputies have on the communities they serve every single day. These awards honor those who exemplify the very best of the profession and showcases these individuals as pillars of trust, empathy, and unity.”

The 2024 award recipients are:

Category: Criminal Investigations

• Detective Matthew Newbold of the Polk County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office;
• Detective Liz Grant of the Kennewick, Washington, Police Department;
• Detective Tyler Norman of the Salt Lake City, Utah, Police Department; and
• Police Officer Reece Walno of the Spearfish, South Dakota, Police Department.

Category: Field Operations

• Deputy Sheriff Jahmar Robinson of the Palm Beach County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office;
• Lance Corporal Justin Boyd of the Columbia, South Carolina, Police Department; and
• Detective/Community Policing Officer Stephen Leacroy of the La Marque, Texas, Police Department.

Category: Innovations in Community Policing

• Corporal Adrian Maldonado, Deputy James Mackey, Deputy Jason Coker, Deputy Tammy Fox, and Deputy Yanick Exceus of the Palm Beach County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office;
• Detective Edwin Hugh and Police Officer Thomas Joy of the Suffolk County, New York, Police Department;
• Officer Stephen Malandro, Officer Trevor Stamper, and Specialist Todd Nutbrown of the Largo, Florida, Police Department;
• Officer Wesley Griffith and Officer Bill Koehn of the Overland Park, Kansas, Police Department;
• Master Police Officer Thomas Rodriquez of the Manassas City, Virginia, Police Department; and
• Master Officer Shauna Moller of the Manassas City Police Department.

“It is an honor to share the stage with these recipients,” said Director Hugh T. Clements Jr. of the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). “I am inspired by their actions and service.”

The awardees were selected from a nationwide pool of nominees for their outstanding achievements in fostering safer, more inclusive communities.

The Justice Department commends these officers for their service, leadership, and unwavering commitment to their communities. For more information about the awards, visit www.justice.gov.

The COPS Office is the federal component of the Justice Department responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. The only Justice Department agency with policing in its name, the COPS Office was established in 1994 and has been the cornerstone of the nation’s crime fighting strategy with grants, a variety of knowledge resource products, and training and technical assistance. Through the years, the COPS Office has become the go-to organization for law enforcement agencies across the country and continues to listen to the field and provide the resources that are needed to reduce crime and build trust between law enforcement and the communities served. The COPS Office has been appropriated more than $20 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, territorial, and Tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 138,000 officers.

Source: United States Department of Justice 2

A podiatrist and a patient recruiter were sentenced to 45 months and 60 months in prison, respectively, and ordered to pay over $7 million in restitution for their roles in a scheme to fraudulently bill TRICARE — the health care program for U.S. service members and their families — for compounded creams that were medically unnecessary and procured through kickbacks and bribes.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Brian Carpenter, 58, of Paradise, Texas, was a podiatrist who signed prescriptions for compounded pain and scar creams for TRICARE beneficiaries to whom he never spoke and whom he never examined or treated. Jerry Lee Hawrylak, 71, of Lake Worth, Texas, recruited Carpenter to sign the prescriptions and recruited TRICARE beneficiaries to accept the medically unnecessary creams. From November 2014 to January 2017, Carpenter, Hawrylak, and others caused the Fort Worth-based pharmacy involved in the conspiracy to fraudulently bill TRICARE approximately $8.5 million for these creams. Evidence at trial included so-called standing orders signed by Carpenter that were backdated so the pharmacy could change prescriptions after the fact to maximize TRICARE reimbursement. The prescriptions Carpenter signed and maintained in his office authorized unlimited refills and listed fake addresses for beneficiaries.

In April 2023, a jury in the Northern District of Texas convicted both Carpenter and Hawrylak of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and six counts of health care fraud.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan Settle of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Southwest Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Jason E. Meadows of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Dallas Regional Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge P. J. O’Brien of the FBI Dallas Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Casey Howard of the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG) Central Regional Office; and Special Agent in Charge Kris Raper of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG) South Central Field Office made the announcement.

DCIS, HHS-OIG, FBI, DOL-OIG, and VA-OIG investigated the case.

Assistant Chief Brynn Schiess and Trial Attorney Andrea Savdie of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Remarks as Delivered

Thanks, Ben, for that overly generous introduction. And thank you Hugh and to the whole COPS team for everything you do every single day.

Thanks also to the Howard University Color Guard and the Justice Department’s own Rhea Walker for getting us started today.

And thank you to everyone who has joined us for the seventh annual Attorney General’s Awards for Distinguished Service in Community Policing.

Our mission at the Justice Department is to uphold the rule of law, to keep our country and our communities safe, and to protect civil rights. Our nation’s law enforcement officers are our indispensable partners in that work.

Since becoming Attorney General nearly four years ago, I have met with state, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement officers from across the country. And everywhere I have gone, I have seen their bravery and their resolve.

Their work is often dangerous. And most of it happens out of public view. Officers and their families make enormous sacrifices to keep the rest of us safe.

I know, as Hugh alluded, that this sacrifice is weighing particularly heavy on our six honorees from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

Last month, just before Thanksgiving, three of their office’s deputies were killed in a horrific car accident while they were conducting traffic enforcement.

Today, my heart is with the families of Corporal Luis Paez, Deputy Ralph Waller, and Deputy Ignacio Diaz, and with all of the law enforcement families across the country mourning someone who was lost in the line of duty.

We owe these fallen officers, and the people who loved them the most, an immeasurable debt of gratitude. I know I speak for all of us when I say we are committed to honoring them through our continuing work.

Much of the Justice Department’s work to partner with state, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement is led by the COPS Office, which just marked its 30th anniversary. As Ben said, I have been in the Justice Department a very long time, long enough to have been there at the creation.

For the past three decades, the COPS Office has worked to advance a model of policing based on the idea that public trust is essential to ensuring public safety.

All 21 of today’s awardees have demonstrated what community-oriented policing looks like in practice.

They come from all different parts of the country. They represent communities of all shapes and sizes. Their typical days might not all look the same. But they are united by a deep commitment to protect their communities.

Among them is a detective who earned the trust of victims of unspeakable sexual violence — and secured justice for them.

A deputy sheriff who gained the confidence of community members impacted by violent crime — and convinced eyewitnesses to come forward.

A lance corporal who believes so strongly in maintaining open lines of communication with his community that he gives out his cell phone number to the people he serves and encourages them to call.

A detective and an officer who partnered with groups that have faced discrimination to ensure they feel protected in the expression of their culture and their faith.

A detective who never gave up on solving a decades-old homicide — and helped the victim’s family finally get answers using advanced investigative techniques.

A detective who discovered a pattern while investigating a local street gang — and through painstaking work, built a criminal enterprise case that led to charges and arrests of 19 gang members.

A police officer who personally fielded more than 1,200 calls for service in a single year.

A detective and community policing officer whose recruitment efforts put his department on track to be fully staffed for the first time in decades.

A master police officer who went out of his way to develop and improve programming for parents who were worried about addressing at-risk behaviors.

Officers who worked with community members and business owners to design spaces that promote crime prevention.

And teams throughout the country that have worked with their communities to address some of our nation’s most entrenched issues — like homelessness, mental illness, and substance abuse — with empathy and care.

Each of you works each day to ensure that when Americans face their darkest moments, they never have to face them alone. You represent the best of community policing, and the best of our country. I am proud of you.

I am equally proud of your loved ones, many of whom are here today. I know that law enforcement careers require sacrifice from the entire family. You are there at the end of every shift. You are there through difficult days and long nights. You offer support and compassion as the people you love carry the burden of the toughest jobs out there. Thank you for making their sacrifices possible and for making their service possible. We know they would not be here without you. So, we celebrate you today as well.

Serving as Attorney General for the past four years has been a tremendous honor.

It has been an honor to work alongside the extraordinary professionals of the COPS Office who have committed their careers to advancing community policing.

And it has been a true honor to work alongside the kinds of heroes who we recognize today.

Thank you for everything you have done for your communities. And thank you for all that you will continue to do.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A federal district court in the Northern District of Ohio today unsealed a second superseding indictment against 18 members and associates of a violent street gang known as the Fully Blooded Felons, who have been charged with various federal crimes, including racketeering (RICO) conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping in aid of racketeering, assault in aid of racketeering, firearms violations, and drug trafficking offenses.

The investigation that led to the second superseding indictment took place over the last two years. Agents apprehended individuals in a series of coordinated arrests. They seized cocaine, methamphetamine, over 400 grams of fentanyl, and 15 illegally possessed firearms throughout the investigation.

“The superseding indictment alleges that these 18 defendants were leaders, members, or associates of the Fully Blooded Felons, a violent gang that — for more than a decade — made money and controlled territory in Northern Ohio through murder, arson, robbery, drug trafficking, and firearms possession,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Violence and other gang activities make communities less safe for all of their residents.  Addressing violent crime — including through the arrests announced today — is one of the Criminal Division’s highest priorities.  I am proud of the outstanding work done by our Violent Crime and Racketeering Section, in partnership with our federal, state, and local partners, to make our communities safer places to live by targeting the most violent offenders on our streets.”

“As the indictment alleges, the Fully Blooded Felons styled themselves after a Mafia crime family, terrorizing Cleveland’s streets and operating an open-air illegal drug market in the Cedar Central neighborhood for years. I commend the valiant efforts of our brave law enforcement partners who have worked diligently to win back our streets and protect our community by taking down these bad actors,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio. “The USAO will aggressively continue to pursue — through RICO prosecutions and other federal charges — violent criminals who seek to secure territory, power, and money by ruthlessly harming others, peddling poisons, and creating an atmosphere of fear. Members of FBF or other violent gangs in this district who have yet to be caught should think twice before continuing to engage in such illegal and destructive behavior.”

“For several years, according to the indictment, these individuals committed a homicide, armed robberies, and unlawfully imported and distributed fentanyl and other dangerous opioids throughout the community,” said Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen of the FBI Cleveland Field Office. “The Fully Blooded Felons, a subset of the Heartless Felons criminal network, has been identified as Cleveland’s most significant gang threat and their reign of terror is over thanks to the collaborative efforts of FBI and the Safe Streets Gang Task Force. We will not waver in our mission to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle gangs not only in the larger cities across America, but also right here in northern Ohio.”

As alleged in the second superseding indictment, the Fully Blooded Felons have been in existence in Ohio since approximately 2012, operating primarily out of the east side of Cleveland, as well as Akron, Youngstown, and elsewhere. They are also allegedly active in the Ohio prison system.

According to the facts alleged in the indictment, the Fully Blooded Felons’ structure includes a “Commission,” which is a group of members tasked with maintaining the structure and organization of the enterprise through physical discipline and by determining which illicit means the organization would use to make money.

As alleged in the indictment, the Fully Blooded Felons had rules that members were required to abide by. The rules were disseminated to members online, by text message, and in face-to-face communications. Members were required to abide by “omerta,” or the code of silence. Members were also required to memorize and recite at meetings the “Fully Five,” a set of rules that included following all orders issued by the Commission, pledges of loyalty to fellow members, and being respectful to Capos, a position held by senior gang members. If a member did not know the “Fully Five,” they were punished. Members were also expected to know and abide by the “Fully Commandments,” a similar set of rules.

Fully Blooded Felon members allegedly utilized different two separate stash-houses at a local apartment complex. According to court documents, during the execution of two search warrants, law enforcement recovered over 300 grams of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine, as well as seven firearms.

Members and associates of the Fully Blooded Felons allegedly came together for the common purposes of making money through robberies and drug trafficking, preserving and promoting Fully Blooded Felon territory, and promoting and enhancing the Fully Blooded Felon enterprise and its members and associates’ activities.

According to the indictment, on Sept. 12, 2023, three Fully Blooded Felon members — Raven Mullins, Henry Burchett, and James Clemons — and another individual shot and killed a victim on the west side of Cleveland. After killing the victim, the defendants allegedly fled the scene in a stolen Honda Pilot, which Fully Blooded Felon members later burned.

The second superseding indictment alleges a years-long pattern of racketeering and violence including a murder, kidnapping, assaults, and drug trafficking.

The defendants and their charges are:

• Raven Mullins, 35, also known as Dunny and Dun, of Cleveland, is charged with RICO conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping in aid of racketeering, assault in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, numerous counts of possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and use of a communications facility to facilitate a felony drug offense.
• Henry Burchett, 29, also known as Noodles, Noo, and Omerta, of Cleveland, is charged with RICO conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping in aid of racketeering, assault in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, numerous counts of possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, felon in possession of a firearm, and use of a communications facility to facilitate a felony drug offense.
• Elijah Johnson, 37, also known as Loon, of Youngstown, is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, interstate travel in aid of racketeering, and use of a communications facility to facilitate a felony drug offense.
• Demarcus Elliott, 37, also known as Moo and Fast Lane, of Cleveland, is charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and use of a communications facility to facilitate a felony drug offense.
• Dontez Hammond, 35, also known as Donny and Tez, of Cleveland, is charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and illegal receipt of a firearm and ammunition by a person under indictment.
• Jeffrey Lee, 24, also known as Fatty, of Cleveland, is charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, numerous counts of possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and use of a communications facility to facilitate a felony drug offense.
• Jerrell Jones-Ferrell, 25, also known as Ruga, of Cleveland, is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, felon in possession of a firearm, and use of a communications facility to facilitate a felony drug offense.
• Devonte Johnson, 32, also known as D Nut and Nut, of Euclid, Ohio, is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and felon in possession of a firearm.
• Jerome Williams, 29, also known as Jay, and JT, of Cleveland, is charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and use of a communications facility to facilitate a felony drug offense.
• Christepher Horton, 41, also known as Cam and Killa, of Cleveland, is charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, and use of a communications facility to facilitate a felony drug offense.
• Deeundra Perkins, 33, also known as Drizzy, of Garfield Heights, Ohio, is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
• Deon Blackwell, 38, also known as White Boy, of Cleveland, is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and use of a communications facility to facilitate a felony drug offense.
• James Clemons, 32, also known as Flock, Pope, and Fully Pope Flock, of Cleveland, is charged with RICO conspiracy and murder in aid of racketeering.
• Alex Darden, 23, also known as Lil’ Pee Wee, of Cleveland, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
• Esmond Williams, 35, also known as Relle, of Cleveland, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
• Adrionna Null, 27, also known as Ali, of Cleveland, is charged with kidnapping in aid of racketeering and assault in aid of racketeering.
• Myeasha West, 31, also known as Action, of Lorain, Ohio, is charged with kidnapping in aid of racketeering and assault in aid of racketeering.
• Kyla Sharie Tyler, 27, also known as Yayeo, of Cleveland, is charged with kidnapping in aid of racketeering and assault in aid of racketeering.

The FBI is investigating the case, with assistance from the Cleveland Division of Police, U.S. Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Trial Attorneys Brian W. Lynch and Alyssa Levey-Weinstein of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Hanna and Robert F. Corts for the Northern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The Justice Department announced today that it secured a settlement agreement with Watercrest Community Management LLC (Watercrest) resolving the department’s determination that Watercrest violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) at its Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, location. The department determined that Watercrest discriminated against a non-U.S. citizen worker by rejecting her valid document showing her permission to work and asking for additional and unnecessary documents because of her citizenship status.

“Under federal law, employers cannot discriminate based on citizenship status when verifying an individual’s ability to work,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division is committed to protecting workers from citizenship status discrimination and removing unnecessary barriers to work in the United States.”

After opening an investigation based on a worker’s complaint, the Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) determined that Watercrest improperly refused to honor the valid document that a non-U.S. citizen provided to prove her permission to work in the United States. IER’s investigation also revealed that Watercrest asked the worker for additional and unnecessary documents that Watercrest said were required by the commercial Form I-9 software program the company used. Watercrest improperly and repeatedly asked for those documents. Form I-9 is a government form that employers and workers are required to complete that verifies that a worker has the ability to work in the United States.

An employer must follow all legal requirements when verifying someone’s permission to work, and using a software program to electronically complete this process does not guarantee compliance with federal law. Under the INA, employers cannot reject valid documentation or request more documents than necessary when verifying a worker’s permission to work because of a worker’s citizenship or immigration status.

Under the terms of the settlement, if Watercrest encounters difficulty using its software program to complete an employee’s Form I-9, it will complete a physical Form I-9 for that employee rather than reject the employee’s valid documents showing permission to work. Watercrest also will pay a civil penalty to the United States, train its employees on the INA’s anti-discrimination requirements, revise its employment policies and be subject to monitoring by the department.

IER is responsible for enforcing the anti-discrimination provision of the INA. Among other things, the statute prohibits discrimination based on citizenship status and national origin in hiring, firing or recruitment or referral for a fee, unfair documentary practices and retaliation and intimidation.

Find more information about how employers can avoid discrimination when verifying someone’s permission to work on IER’s website. Information regarding how to avoid unlawful discrimination and other Form I-9 violations when using commercial or proprietary programs to electronically complete the Form I-9 or participate in E-Verify is also available. Learn more about IER’s work and how to get assistance through this brief video. Applicants or employees who believe they were discriminated against based on their citizenship, immigration status or national origin in hiring, firing, recruitment or during the employment eligibility verification process (Form I-9 and E-Verify), or subjected to retaliation, may file a charge. The public can also call IER’s worker hotline at 1-800-255-7688 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); call IER’s employer hotline at 1-800-255-8155 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); email IER@usdoj.gov; sign up for a live webinar; watch an on-demand presentation; or visit IER’s English and Spanish websites. Subscribe for email updates from IER.