Category: US Department of Justice

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Good afternoon.

I first want to thank our Canadian colleagues for hosting this year’s Cross-Border Crime Forum.  In particular, I want to thank Ministers Mendicino and Lametti for the warm welcome to Ottawa.

Today, we reaffirmed the importance of the partnership between the United States and Canada in confronting some of our most urgent shared challenges. And we reaffirmed the principle underlying that partnership – our shared commitment to uphold the rule of law.

The United States and Canada are united in our commitment to addressing the fentanyl epidemic that is devastating families and communities in both of our countries. 

The Justice Department’s Drug Enforcement Administration and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are stepping up information-sharing on precursor chemical and clandestine lab seizures.

We are working together to target each stage of the movement, manufacturing, and sale of fentanyl, from start to finish.

In just one example of that work, in 2021, Canada extradited a defendant to face charges in the United States related to the movement of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues from China for distribution in the United States and Canada.

Earlier this week, the Justice Department announced the conviction of that defendant for her role in a large-scale international fentanyl trafficking operation. A number of other defendants have also been charged as part of this investigation.

This case also demonstrates the importance of disrupting the fentanyl precursor supply chain originating in China. As I have said before, the PRC government must take responsibility for its role in this epidemic and stop the unchecked flow of fentanyl precursor chemicals coming out of China.

The Justice Department will continue to work together with our partners both here in Canada and in Mexico to combat fentanyl trafficking and get deadly fentanyl out of our communities.

In addition to reaffirming our shared commitment to addressing the fentanyl epidemic, we reiterated the importance of our joint efforts to combat the trafficking of illegal guns.

In another example of our work together, earlier this month, the Toronto Police Service announced the results of Project Moneypenny, a cross-border firearms trafficking investigation.  

In coordination with other Canadian police agencies and the Justice Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the ATF, Project Moneypenny resulted in the seizure of 173 illegal firearms in Canada and the United States as well as 42 arrests.

And we are committed to doing even more of this work. Last month, ATF and the Canada Border Services Agency took an important step forward by signing a new agreement to strengthen information-sharing between the two agencies.

We have seen time and again in our own investigations in the United States that data and information-sharing are powerful tools in the fight against gun violence.  They enable us to turn evidence collected at crime scenes into the leads that assist in identifying, investigating, and prosecuting those who commit violent crimes.

The Justice Department is using every tool at our disposal to combat gun trafficking and hold accountable those who flood our communities with illegal guns.

That includes putting to use new authorities to prosecute gun traffickers and seize illegal guns.  Last year, the United States Congress passed the first major gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years, giving the Justice Department new tools to disrupt gun trafficking networks.  Our prosecutors have since charged defendants across the United States with new violations under that law.

As part of our efforts to keep citizens of both our countries safe, we also discussed the importance of coordination in investigating and prosecuting crimes involving digital assets.  We must work together to crack down on criminal cryptocurrency transactions and take down the online criminal marketplaces that enable them.

Finally, we reaffirmed the importance of the principle that unites our countries – adherence to the rule of law.

Russia’s unprovoked and unjust invasion of Ukraine has demonstrated to all of us the stake we have in the success of democracy.

And it has demonstrated to all of us the importance of standing together in the face of efforts to undermine the rule of law upon which our governments are based.

The United States is committed to holding the Russian regime accountable for its atrocities against the Ukrainian people.

We look forward to finding more ways to work with our international partners to build on those efforts.

Thank you.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

JUNEAU – A Washington family has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Indian Arts and Crafts Act for crimes committed when they owned and operated several businesses in Ketchikan, Alaska, involving the sale of Philippine produced stone carvings and wood totem poles as authentic Alaska Native produced artwork. 

According to court documents, between April 2016 through December 8, 2021, Cristobal “Cris” Magno Rodrigo, 59, Glenda Tiglao Rodrigo, 46, and Christian Ryan Tiglao Rodrigo, 24, operated Alaska Stone Arts, LLC, Rail Creek, LLC, and Rodrigo Creative Crafts.  During the course of the conspiracy the Rodrigos operated Alaska Stone Arts, LCC, which primarily sold stone carvings, and Rail Creek, LLC, that primarily sold wood totem poles in Ketchikan, Alaska.  Those carvings were sourced from Glenda Rodrigo’s company, Rodrigo Creative Crafts, located in the Philippines. This Philippine business was created for the sole purpose of producing carvings featuring Alaskan Native designs and motifs through the use of Philippine labor.  The carvings were shipped to the United States and subsequently to the Rodrigo’s stores in Ketchikan, and were then sold as authentic Alaskan Native art to unsuspecting customers in Alaska and elsewhere.         

As part of the conspiracy, the Rodrigos also hired Alaskan Natives at Alaska Stone Arts, LLC and Rail Creek, LCC to represent and sell Philippine produced artwork as their own authentic Alaskan Native artwork in order to deceive customers into believing they were purchasing authentic Alaskan Native produced carvings.  The investigation is still ongoing.                      

The defendants were arraigned and pled guilty on April 28, 2023, before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew S. Scoble. If convicted, the Rodrigos face a maximum of 10 years in prison. A sentencing hearing has been set on August 17, 2023, before Senior District Court Judge Timothy M. Burgess in federal district court.  The judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

“This type of fraud directly affects Alaska Native artisans and their ability to make a living and is an affront to Alaska Native artists that have produced these beautiful works throughout the history of their culture” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker. “The United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to work to protect this cultural heritage, protect unwitting consumers, and prosecute and hold accountable those who perpetrate this type of fraud.”

“Protecting Alaska Native and American Indian culture and traditions is a critical part of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act,” said Edward Grace, Assistant Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement. “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a dedicated team of special agents that work on Indian Art and Crafts Act violations on behalf of the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Indian Arts and Crafts Board. Their investigative efforts protect consumers from those who choose to misrepresent Indian arts and crafts products. This exploitation of Alaska Natives for personal and financial gain is unacceptable. We thank our partners at the U.S. Department of Justice and the Indian Arts and Crafts Board for their assistance with this investigation.”

“Alaska has a very rich cultural heritage in which Alaska Native arts and crafts play a central role, including the passing down of cultural traditions from generation to generation.  Accordingly, the Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB) is very pleased that these defendants have been brought to justice for their roles in producing as well as selling counterfeit Tlingit totem poles and stone carvings,” said U.S. Department of the Interior IACB Director Meridith Stanton.  The IACB is responsible by statute for administering the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, an anti-counterfeiting statute enacted to rid the Alaska Native and American Indian arts and crafts market of fakes like those being misrepresented by defendants Cristobal M. Rodrigo, Glenda T. Rodrigo, and Christian Ryan T. Rodrigo.  “Cases like these, particularly in popular Alaska tourist destinations which attract consumers from all over the world, are critical to preserving the integrity and viability of authentic Alaska Native art and craftwork, culture, and economies,” Director Stanton added. “The IACB applauds the diligent work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Alaska and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Indian Arts and Crafts Act Enforcement Division in investigating and prosecuting these important cases.”

The Department of Interior – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Office of Law Enforcement lead the investigation with the assistance of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Schmidt is prosecuting the case.

If you were a customer of Alaska Stone Arts, LLC or Rail Creek, LLC and purchased a stone carving or wood totem pole believing that it was an authentic Alaskan Native artwork, please contact U.S. Fish and Wildlife Special Agent Sherrell at 907-586-7545.

If you suspect potential Indian Arts and Crafts Act violations being committed, a complaint may be submitted through the Indian Arts and Crafts Board’s online complaint form, www.doi.gov/iacb/should-i-report-potential-violation, email, iacb@ios.doi.gov, or toll free number, 888-278-3253.

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usao/ak/23-034

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher today sentenced Robert Jackson Wyatt, Jr., age 54, of Fallston, Maryland, to 15 years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for distribution of child pornography.  Wyatt had a previous federal conviction for possession of child pornography.  Judge Gallagher ordered that, upon his release from prison, Wyatt must register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”). 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr., Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler and Harford County State’s Attorney Alison Healey.

According to his guilty plea, on August 31, 2021, members of the Maryland State Police (“MSP”) were conducting an investigation into offenders sharing child pornography using a communication protocol for peer-to-peer file sharing that enables users to distribute data and electronic files over the Internet in a decentralized manner.  An IP address that was sharing suspected child pornography was identified as belonging to Wyatt and a search warrant for his home was executed on October 1, 2021.  Investigators learned that Wyatt was not home but was at a nearby marina on his boat where he often spent time.  Investigators went to the marina and watched as Wyatt walked from his boat to his car.  Wyatt then drove back to his residence, where he was confronted by investigators.

Wyatt consented to a search of his cell phone and an MSP digital forensic examiner found several files of child pornography on the phone.  A peer-to-peer filesharing program was installed on the phone, as well as a virtual private network application and an anti-forensic application.  On a chat application, Wyatt belonged to chat groups including “Incest and Little Girl” and “mommy and daughter.”  On October 26, 2022, a search warrant was executed on Wyatt’s boat.  Two thumb drives were found with multiple images and videos of child pornography, including several known series involving depictions of babies, toddlers, and sadomasochistic abuse of children.  Several of the files located on Wyatt’s devices matched those that were distributed during the MSP investigation via the peer-to-peer file sharing originating from the suspect IP address.

Wyatt admitted that he was the person who shared the files with the MSP investigator on August 31, 2021.  In total, over 1170 images files and over 170 video files were located on Wyatt’s devices.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.  For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.       

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, the Maryland State Police, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office and the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen E. McGuinn, who prosecuted the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Source: United States Department of Justice 2

A Tennessee man was found guilty yesterday of obstructing an investigation into allegations that he sexually abused an inmate in his custody.

James Stewart Justice, 32, of Columbia, a corrections officer with the Maury County Jail, was convicted of one count of falsification of records. According to evidence introduced at trial, the defendant, formerly known as James Stewart Thomas, wrote an official report for the jail in response to allegations that he had violated the Prison Rape Elimination Act. In his report, the defendant 1) falsely claimed that he had reported to two Maury County Jail supervisors that an inmate had made sexual advances toward him while the inmate was in his custody at a hospital; 2) falsely claimed that those two Maury County Jail supervisors both advised him not to write a report about those alleged sexual advances by the inmate; and 3) omitted that he had a sexual relationship with the inmate after the inmate’s release from the custody of the Maury County Jail.

“The defendant pledged to protect and serve but instead he abused his authority as a corrections officer to try to cover up sexual misconduct at the county jail,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This verdict sends a clear message that the Justice Department will hold accountable any official who obstructs a federal civil rights investigation.”

“Today’s verdict ensures that James Justice will be held accountable for his actions. As importantly, it ensures that he will no longer be entrusted to serve as a law enforcement officer,” said U.S Attorney Henry C. Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee. “I commend our trial team and partners at the FBI for an excellent job of investigating and presenting this case to the jury.”

“When a correctional officer abuses his authority, it undermines the respect and reputation of all law enforcement officers,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas DePodesta of the FBI Memphis Field Office. “The FBI will vigorously investigate and bring to justice any official who violates the constitution and the trust of the people.”

Justice faces maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Sentencing has been scheduled for Sept. 18.

The FBI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Klopf for the Middle District of Tennessee and Trial Attorney Kyle Boynton of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice 2

On April 27, Pardon Attorney Elizabeth Oyer and members of her team visited United States Penitentiary (USP) Lewisburg, a medium-security Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facility, and its adjacent minimum-security satellite camp. The Pardon Attorney and her team provided an overview of the federal clemency process and answered questions from inmates and staff. The Pardon Attorney and her team met with over 300 inmates and staff in three different housing units, including the Reintegration Unit, the Camp and the Residential Drug and Alcohol Program.

The visit to USP Lewisburg was the second in a series of quarterly educational events that the Pardon Attorney is providing to inmates and staff in the BOP. The first took place at FCI Ft. Dix, a low-security institution, in January 2023. During that visit, the Pardon Attorney and her team met with over 700 inmates and staff in a day-long series of trainings throughout the facility.

The Pardon Attorney’s visit to USP Lewisburg is one of a series of outreach and education events conducted by the Office of the Pardon Attorney in recognition of Second Chance Month. Other events have included:

• An educational webinar on the pardon application process, presented in connection with the ACLU on April 26.
• An informational session on the pardon application process for D.C. residents, hosted by the Mayor’s Office on Returning Citizens Affairs.
• A Celebration of Second Chances, highlighting clemency recipients and their advocates within and outside the Department of Justice, on April 21.

These April outreach events are part of a year-round initiative by the Office of the Pardon Attorney to increase the accessibility and transparency of the clemency process through education and community engagement.