The charges against Howard and Rowe were the result of an investigation conducted by the Madison Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey C. Stephan.

WEST SPRINGFIELD, MA – Two Connecticut men were charged in federal court in Springfield on Friday, Sept. 18, 2020 in connection with the theft of 17 firearms from a firearms store in West Springfield.

Fernando Rivera, 24, and Christian Castro, 29, were charged in a criminal complaint with one count each of stealing firearms from a federal firearms licensee.

As alleged in charging documents, on Aug. 29, 2020, Rivera, Castro and others drove in two cars, one of which was stolen and driven by Castro, from Connecticut through Massachusetts to Vermont and New Hampshire, and then back through those three states to Connecticut. At various locations in Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire, members of this group either stole, or attempted to steal, ATMs. Finally, in West Springfield, both cars stopped near a firearms store, and three men exited the car driven by Castro, broke the doors of the store and stole 17 firearms of various calibers. The cars then returned to Connecticut, where the stolen car was abandoned.

The charging statute provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Kelly D. Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Boston Feld Division made the announcement. The West Springfield Police Department, New Britain (Conn.) Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police provided assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of Lelling’s Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the complaint are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced today the indictment of nine additional defendants bringing the total to twenty-eight charged for intentionally staging automobile accidents. Today’s indictment charges CORNELIUS GARRISON (“GARRISON”), age 54, of New Orleans, Louisiana; DONIESHA GIBSON (“GIBSON”), age 29, of New Orleans, Louisiana; CHANDRIKA BROWN (“BROWN”), age 29, of Slidell, Louisiana; ISHAIS PRICE (“PRICE”), age 49, of New Orleans, Louisiana; AISHA THOMPSON (“THOMPSON”), age 42, of New Orleans, Louisiana; DEWAYNE COLEMAN (“COLEMAN”), age 21, of Marrero, Louisiana; DONISESHA LEE, age 30, of Harvey, Louisiana; DONREION LEE, age 22, of Harvey, Louisiana; and ERICA LEE THOMPSON (“ERICA LEE”), age 46, of Harvey, Louisiana.  These nine defendants were charged in a seven-count federal indictment with one (1) count of Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371 and six (6) counts of Mail Fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1341. The indictment alleges that the defendants intentionally used vehicles to cause staged motor vehicle accidents with commercial carriers in order to defraud these carriers and their insurance companies.  If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of five (5) years for Count 1 and twenty (20) years as to Counts 2-7.  Upon their release from prison, each defendant can be placed on a term of supervised release for up to five (5) years and fined up to $250,000.00 per count or twice the gross gain to the defendant of twice the gross loss to the victim.

According to today’s indictment and previous indictments, there were five (5) “slammers,” that is individuals who intentionally caused motor vehicle accidents to defraud commercial vehicles and insurance companies, operating in the New Orleans metropolitan area.  Two alleged slammers, Damian Labeaud and Roderick Hickman, are charged in previous indictments, and, two additional alleged slammers have since died.  Today’s indictment alleges that GARRISON was a slammer.

GARRISON is charged with staging over 50 accidents and was paid over $150,000 by an unnamed Co-Conspirator (“Co-Conspirator A”).  Co-Conspirator A instructed GARRISON as to the number of passengers to use in the staged accidents and to avoid areas patrolled by the Louisiana State Police and instead stage the accidents under the jurisdiction of the New Orleans Police Department.  The indictment alleges that Co-Conspirator A referred the staged accident cases to an attorney referenced as Attorney B.   GARRISON staged accidents mostly on Interstate 10 from Slidell to Baton Rouge and usually at night to avoid eyewitnesses.  GARRISON targeted commercial vehicles, including tractor-trailers, that were changing lanes and would cause the accident by striking the commercial vehicle or tractor-trailer in their blind spot, using the slammer vehicle.  After the accident, GARRISION would usually exit the vehicle from the passenger side in order to avoid being seen by the driver of the target vehicle.  GARRISON instructed the passengers to call 911 to report that they had been hit by a vehicle.  A passenger in the vehicle would falsely claim to have been the driver at the time of the staged accident.

The instant indictment charges GARRISON with staging two accidents.  The first occurred on October 15, 2015, and involved a Hotard bus.  GARRISON intentionally drove a 2014 Dodge Avenger owned by GIBSON into a Hotard bus while traveling on the I-10 near the flyover of the I-510.  Also in the vehicle were defendants BROWN and PRICE.  Total settlement for the Hotard bus accident was approximately $677,500.

The second staged accident charged in this indictment occurred on September 6, 2017, on the I-10 near the Almonaster exit when GARRISON crashed defendant ERICA LEE’s 2015 RAV4 into a tractor-trailer owned by Averitt Express.  The passengers in this vehicle were COLEMAN, DONISEHA LEE, DONREION LEE, and an unknown female passenger who gave the name Aisha Thompson to the police after the staged accident.  Total settlement for the Averitt accident was $30,000.

In total, the victim trucking, bus, and insurance companies paid out approximately $707,500.00 for these two fraudulent claims.

An arrest warrant was issued for COLEMAN. The remaining defendants will be required to appear, at a later date, before a United States Magistrate Judge for an initial appearance and arraignment on this indictment.

U.S. Attorney Strasser reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendants must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louisiana State Police, and the Metropolitan Crime Commission with this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Supervisor of the Financial Crimes Unit; Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Rivera; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Carboni.

Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced today that a pair of former high school classmates have been indicted for allegedly defrauding a multinational energy development corporation of approximately $7.2 million.

Forrest Wright, 40, and Nathan Keays, 40, both of Anchorage, have been named in a 34 count indictment charging them with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.

From January 2012 to December 2019, Wright was employed by a multinational energy development corporation as a Senior Drilling and Wells Planner, responsible for ordering materials and labor for the drilling and wells program. Wright had authority to approve orders up to $1 million and was trusted to endorse and recommend vendor suppliers for approval.  Keays is employed as a police officer with Anchorage Police Department and owns a personal business, Eco Edge Armoring, LLC (Eco Edge).

The indictment alleges beginning in February 2019, Wright devised a scheme to defraud his employer, a multinational energy development corporation, of monies. In furtherance of the scheme and using his trusted position within the company, Wright authored emails containing technical data and industry specific content in order to present Eco Edge as a legitimate oil and gas business with the purpose of obtaining an approved vendor status with his employer. Wright sent the emails from his personal email account to Keays with instructions to send the emails to Wright’s business email account. Wright then used the correspondence as a basis to obtain approved vendor status for Eco Edge. Once Eco Edge received an approved vendor status, Keays submitted fraudulent invoices in the amount of $3,251,383 for materials that did not exist and labor that was not performed. Wright used his trusted position within the company to instruct other employees to approve payment of the invoices, falsely representing the materials were accounted for and that work had been performed. Electronic payments in the amount of $3,087,720 were made from the victim business to Eco Edge’s business banking account. Keays then paid a kickback to Spectrum Consulting Business, a business wholly owned by Wright. Wright and Keays used the proceeds of the scheme on personal expenses, real estate and supporting their ongoing purported business operations.

The indictment further alleges that also beginning in February 2019 and continuing through December 2019, Wright, independent of Keays, devised another similar scheme by manufacturing and representing a business, “DB Oilfied Support Services” (DB Oilfield) as a legitimate oil and gas company, with the purpose of obtaining an approved vendor status with his employer. Wright furthered the perception of a legitimate oil and gas industry business by hiring a contractor to create a website for the business and creating a business email account for DB Oilfield. Wright then recommended DB Oilfield be approved as a vendor by his employer. Once DB Oilfield was approved as a vendor, Wright then authored and sent emails from the DB Oilfield email account to his official business email account, and used the correspondences to justify contract awards to DB Oilfield. Wright then caused fraudulent invoices in excess of $4.1 million for materials that did not exist to be submitted to Victim Business. Wright used his trusted position within the company to instruct other employees to approve payment of the invoices, falsely representing the materials were accounted for when the materials did not exist. Electronic payments in the amount of $4,148,000 were made from the victim business to the DB Oilfield business banking account. Wright then caused monies from the DB Oilfield business banking account to be deposited into the Spectrum Consulting Services business banking account. Wright purportedly used the proceeds on personal expenses and real estate property.

If convicted, Wright and Keays each face up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.  Under federal sentencing statutes, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charisse Arce.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable

Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced today that an Anchorage man has been sentenced to federal prison for charges relating to gun violence within an Anchorage school zone.

John-Rexie Lagman, 23, of Anchorage was sentenced on Thursday, September 17, 2020 by Chief  U.S. District Judge Timothy M. Burgess to 30 months in federal prison followed by 2 years of supervised release for possessing a firearm within a designated school zone.

On July 2, 2019, two teenagers involved in a social medial dispute planned to fight at Williwaw Elementary School, recruiting friends to join them. The dispute turned violent when one teen began stabbing others, including Lagman, with a screwdriver. In response, Lagman pulled out a Springfield XD .40-caliber handgun and shot the teen twice as he was running away. The teen survived the shooting but suffered life-threatening injuries.

At the sentencing hearing, Judge Burgess remarked that Lagman’s conduct “defied any sort of reasonable reaction or behavior” and noted the sentence should “send a message to the community about gun violence.”

U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder stated, “The United States Attorney’s Office, along with our law enforcement partners, are committed to enforcing the laws that protect children from gun violence at and around schools.”

This case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please visit https://www.justice.gov/ag/about-project-guardian

The Anchorage Police Department (APD) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of this case.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Ivers. The United States Attorney’s Office has prosecuted this case with support from the Anchorage Municipality.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Ivers initiated the case when she was a municipal prosecutor assigned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office to combat violent crime and promote public safety within the Municipality of Anchorage.

Jackson, TN – Calvin Cole a/k/a “Fathead,” 46, of Jackson, TN, has been sentenced to 170 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. D. Michael Dunavant, U.S. Attorney announced the sentence today.

According to information presented in Court, in April 2017, agents with the 28th Judicial District Drug Task Force received a phone call from a concerned citizen that a heavyset male traveling to and from a residence on London Road in Alamo, Tennessee, was selling “dope” regularly.

Agents conducted surveillance and observed Cole on an almost daily basis arrive at a residence on London Road, driving different automobiles on different days and distributing crack cocaine throughout the day. Throughout the investigation, it was determined that multiple people would approach Cole and exchange money and crack cocaine.

In March of 2016 and April of 2016, agents with the Drug Task Force and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation made five separate undercover drug transactions with Cole on separate dates utilizing multiple reliable confidential sources (CSs) to purchase crack cocaine. Agents continually monitored the CSs throughout the meeting with Cole; after each transaction, the CS would turn over the crack cocaine to agents. The substance was then forwarded to the DEA crime laboratory for analysis, which determined that the substance was crack cocaine.

The transactions also included a co-defendant, identified as Tony “Bone” Douglas. Douglas was seen on surveillance video assisting Cole with distributing crack cocaine. Douglas would arrive to the location site prior to Cole’s arrival, search the customers for wires, and then sell crack cocaine to the large number of customers. Douglas was previously sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for his involvement in the drug conspiracy. Other co-defendants, including Arvis “Shorty” Ball of Alamo, TN, and Bob

Terry of Bells, TN were part of the Calvin Cole Drug Trafficking Organization, and were indicted along with Cole and Douglas in February, 2018:

https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtn/pr/four-suspects-arrested-west-tennessee-federal-drug-trafficking-and-money-laundering.

During the sentencing hearing, the government presented numerous photographs and one video of Cole distributing crack cocaine to multiple drug buyers. Based upon statements from the drug buyers who were identified from the surveillance video, each person described when they began purchasing crack cocaine from Cole and for how long. Cole was ultimately found responsible for distributing approximately 2.8 kilograms of crack cocaine in Crockett County.

On September 16, 2020, U.S. District Court Judge J. Daniel Breen sentenced Cole to 170 months in federal prison followed by five years supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said: “Fathead Cole and his fellow drug dealers will no longer sell poison for profit with impunity. We will not tolerate illegal drug activity disrupting and destroying the daily lives of citizens in our small communities, and this lengthy sentence will rightly punish and incapacitate Cole for his harmful criminal conduct. This is a high impact case that will improve public safety and the quality of life in Crockett County and across West Tennessee.”

The 28th Judicial District Drug Task Force, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), Jackson-Madison County Metro Narcotics Unit, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Crockett County Sheriff’s Department, Gibson County Sheriff’s Department, Madison County Sheriff’s Department, Jackson Police Department and Gibson County SWAT Team investigated this case.