SHREVEPORT/LAFAYETTE/ALEXANDRIA/LAKE CHARLES/MONROE, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown joins the Department of Justice and communities nationwide in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week which has been observed during this week of April 24-30, 2022. This year’s theme is “Rights, Access, and Equity for all Victims.” This week is all about honoring victims, survivors, and the people and organizations throughout the United States who support and serve them.
“There are many people in our community who know first-hand what it feels like to have been a victim of crime,” stated U.S. Attorney Brown. “When it happens to you, it affects you for a lifetime and we never forget the events that caused us to be a victim. Our office is committed to protecting the rights of those who are crime victims. We will continue to work with both state and local agencies to bring those who commit those crimes to justice and by providing support to the crime victims throughout the judicial process.”
National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is an opportunity to remember not only victims who we are currently serving, but also those who have lost their lives as the result of senseless acts of terrorism such as the Oklahoma City Bombing on April 19, 1995, the attacks on September 11, 2001 in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania, and the bombing at the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Not only are there victims of crime in other cities, but also right here in the Western District of Louisiana where our office has prosecuted numerous cases and justice was served for many victims. Some significant cases involving victims which our office has prosecuted are as follows:
- In US v. Thomas Steven Sanders, the victims, a mother and daughter, were both kidnapped from Las Vegas and killed by Sanders. A jury in Alexandria, Louisiana, convicted Sanders and he was sentenced to death and is currently on death row.
- In US v. Dillon Merritt, a jury in Shreveport, Louisiana convicted Merritt of kidnapping the victim and brutally beating, raping and torturing her for nearly a week, but she survived and was able to tell her story about the awful things he did to her. Merritt was sentenced to life in prison.
- In US v. Kirbyjon Caldwell and Gregory Smith, both defendants pleaded guilty to defrauding investors out of over $3.5 million. Most of the victims were friends and clients of Smith, who was a financial advisor in Shreveport, Louisiana, and Caldwell, who was the pastor of a mega church in Houston, Texas. Caldwell and Smith were sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to pay $3,588,500 in restitution to the victims in this case.
- In US v. Mehmood Patel, a jury in Lafayette, Louisiana, convicted Patel, who was a cardiologist in Lafayette. Patel was found guilty of health care fraud as a result of his performing heart catheterizations, stents, and angiograms on patients and many of these procedures were found to be medically unnecessary. Patel was sentenced to ten years in prison and was ordered to pay $387,511.56 in restitution to his many victims.
- In US v. David D. DeBerardinis, he pleaded guilty to defrauding numerous victims who were his friends and business associates out of millions of dollars. DeBerardinis, who was a businessman in Shreveport, Louisiana, was sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay $51,462,909.66 in restitution to his victims.
“These are just a few examples of victims we have sought and obtained justice for,” stated U.S. Attorney Brown. “However, we know our job is never done. This office will continue to work hard to ensure that the rights of victims are protected, and the laws are upheld in the Western District of Louisiana.”
During National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, many organizations who work with victims everyday rally together to bring awareness of victims’ rights and services. The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) is part of the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs and supports more than 7,000 local victim assistance programs and victim compensation programs in every state in the United States. Funding for these programs comes from the Crime Victims Fund, which is obtained by the collection of federal criminal fines, penalties and bond forfeitures. Many of our state and local non-governmental agencies receive grants and funding from these sources in order to provide victim services here locally.
The OVC leads the nation in the observance of this week and groups across the nation join in to bring awareness to the need for rights and services to be provided to victims of crime. The annual Awards Ceremony will be held today in Washington, D.C. If you would like to observe the event, click on this link to register: www.ovc.ojp.gov/live.
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