Police Blotter - Shore News Network

15-year-old shot Friday night in Baltimore expected to survive

Jeff JonesNovember 19, 20220

BALTIMORE, MD – A 15-year-old male victim was shot multiple times Friday night, but is expected to survive his injuries, police reported. According to the Baltimore Police Department, at around 9:12 pm on Friday, officers in the southern district responded to a shots fired call in the 3100 block of Lorena Avenue. Arriving officers canvassed the area and discovered a 15-year-old suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and is listed in stable condition at an area hospital. No suspects have been identified or charged. Police are investigating.

13-year-old Yonkers gunshot victim due to possible accidental discharge, police

Adam DevineNovember 19, 20220

YONKERS, NY – A 13-year-old was reportedly shot at a home on Linden Street Friday night. The Yonkers Police Department responded to a call regarding a 13-year-old gunshot victim. When officers arrived, they learned a 13-year-old male victim was shot in the hand and leg. It is suspected that the two entry wounds were the result of a single shot. “A 13-year-old male victim suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his hand and leg; he was transported to a local area trauma center in stable condition,” the Yonkers Police Department said Friday night. “Preliminary investigation has yielded that the incident

Federal Jury Convicts Man of Alexandria and Monroe Bombings

DOJ PressNovember 18, 20220

ALEXANDRIA, La. – Daniel Aikens, 40, of Alexandria, Louisiana, was convicted of 8 counts of illegal explosive related charges, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. The jury found Aikens guilty of 3 counts of Making a Destructive Device, 3 counts of Possession of a Destructive Device in violation of the NFA, 1 count of Use of an Explosive to Commit a Federal Felony and 1 count of Conveying Malicious False Information and will be sentenced by Senior District Judge Dee D. Drell on March 3, 2023. “What this investigation shows is that when federal, state and local law enforcement

Woman Who Drove with Meth in her System Sentenced for Taking Another Woman’s Life in a Collision

DOJ PressNovember 18, 20220

A woman who drove while under the influence of methamphetamine and caused a collision that killed another driver was sentenced today in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Courtney Gail Lawson, 43, of Haskell, to 37 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. During the sentencing hearing, the victim’s husband and friends spoke of their tremendous loss and about what Chelsea meant to each of them and her family. Her husband called her a light in the lives of those who knew and loved her. On April 1,

Bayside State Prison Corrections Officer Admits Violating Inmates’ Civil Rights

DOJ PressNovember 18, 20220

NEWARK, N.J. – A corrections officer at Bayside State Prison in Leesburg, New Jersey, today admitted agreeing with others to physically assault inmates for actual, perceived, and fabricated violations of the prison’s rules and customs in a manner that resulted in injury to the inmates, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. John Makos, 42, of Millville, New Jersey, today pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court to an information charging him with conspiring with others to deprive inmates of their right not to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment. According to documents filed

Collin County Dentist Guilty of COVID-19 Relief Related Fraud

DOJ PressNovember 18, 20220

SHERMAN, Texas – A Plano, Texas, dentist has pleaded guilty to federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today. Brian Bui, 42, of Plano, pleaded guilty to wire fraud before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christine L. Stetson on Nov. 17, 2022. According to court documents, Bui used his dentistry business to obtain at least two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans by submitting materially false application paperwork, including fabricating supporting documentation and lying about the number of employees and monthly payroll expenses. As a result of his conduct, he obtained approximately $1.89 million in forgivable loans guaranteed

Two Indicted in Cryptocurrency Money Laundering Conspiracy

DOJ PressNovember 18, 20220

TYLER, Texas – A Nevada man and a South Carolina man have been indicted in a cryptocurrency money laundering conspiracy in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston. Randall V. Rule, 71, of Reno, NV, and Gregory C. Nysewander, 64, formerly of Irmo, SC, were named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury this week, charging them with money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, and a conspiracy to violate the Bank Secrecy Act. According to the indictment, Rule and Nysewander are alleged to have conspired with others to launder the proceeds of wire fraud and mail

Old Town Man Sentenced to 2 Years for Unlawfully Possessing Firearm

DOJ PressNovember 18, 20220

BANGOR, Maine: An Old Town man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for being a felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced William Abney, 57, to two years in prison and three years of supervised release. Abney pleaded guilty on April 28, 2022. According to court records, in October 2021, a concerned citizen saw Abney in possession of an AK-47 style rifle in the living room of his Old Town residence and notified the police. Based on this and other information, investigators obtained a search warrant for the residence. During

Postal Employee Indicted and Arrested for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

DOJ PressNovember 18, 20220

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On November 17, 2022, a federal grand jury returned an Indictment charging Ramón Rodríguez González with sexual exploitation of a minor. The arrest follows an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance of the, United States Postal Service Office of the Inspector General (USPS-OIG) and the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB). According to court documents, Rodríguez González, 43, of Caguas, in or about April 2021 through June 24, 2022, did knowingly attempt to employ, use, persuade, induce, and coerce a female minor while she was 15 and 16 years old to engage in

Butte man sentenced to 13 years in prison for armed robberies in Missoula, Helena and Butte

DOJ PressNovember 18, 20220

MISSOULA — A Butte man who robbed at gunpoint three business in three cities in five days was sentenced today to 13 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. Thomas Scott Cockrill, 50, pleaded guilty in July 2021 to three counts of robbery affecting commerce and to brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided. The government alleged in court documents that on Feb. 9, 2021, Cockrill robbed Blackjack Pizza in Missoula and brandished a handgun at an employee. Later that

Former Department of Corrections Deputy Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion

DOJ PressNovember 18, 20220

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The former deputy director of Jackson County Department of Corrections pleaded guilty in federal court today to tax evasion. Isaac Johnston, 53, of Leavenworth, Kansas, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to a federal information that charges him with one count of individual income tax evasion. By pleading guilty today, Johnston admitted that he failed to file personal income tax returns for tax years 2012 through 2020. According to today’s plea agreement, the total personal income tax loss to the IRS for tax years 2012

The Remaining Defendant in a 16-Member Drug Trafficking Organization With Ties to Grape Street Crips Gang Sentenced

DOJ PressNovember 18, 20220

Memphis, TN – A now-33-year-old former California native has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison following a year-long investigation by local state and federal law enforcement agencies into a drug trafficking organization with ties to the Grape Street Crips gang. In July 2019, a federal grand jury indicted 16 individuals in an eleven-count indictment for federal drug and gun charges. The indictment charged that the defendants conspired to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances, including methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl. The defendants charged in the indictment were: • Travon Allen a/k/a “Little Y,” 30, Los Angeles, California

Burlington Man Charged for Selling Drugs in City Hall Park

DOJ PressNovember 18, 20220

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on November 17, 2022, a federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment against Kenneth Jackson, 68, of Burlington, Vermont, which charged him with distribution of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, and being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Jackson was previously charged via criminal complaint and has been ordered detained pending trial. Jackson will be arraigned on the indictment on November 28, 2022, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. According to court records and proceedings, on October 21,

Two Somerset County Attorneys Indicted for Visa Fraud

DOJ PressNovember 18, 20220

TRENTON, N.J. – Two Somerset County, New Jersey, attorneys were indicted today for making false statements under penalty of perjury in visa applications, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Steven G. Thomas, 52, and Maria Thomas, 81, both of Montgomery Township, New Jersey, were indicted for conspiring to prepare and file false visa applications on behalf of clients. Steven Thomas was also charged with one count of filing a false visa application. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: From 2015 to 2021, the defendants encouraged their clients to apply for asylum under fraudulent pretenses. They

O’FALLON, IL, MAN SENTENCED TO TEN YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON

DOJ PressNovember 18, 20220

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Yesterday afternoon, in federal court in East St. Louis, IL, Emmitt T. Tiner, 55, of O’Fallon, Illinois, was sentenced to ten years in federal prison. On July 7, 2022, Tiner pled guilty to wire fraud, extortion, sending interstate communications with the intent to extort, healthcare fraud, money laundering, and conducting financial transactions with criminally derived proceeds. When he pled guilty, Tiner admitted that he extorted more than $2,000,000 from two local businessmen, one from Belleville, IL, and the other from Florissant, MO. Tiner initially borrowed money from the Florissant businessman. When the Florissant man asked for his money back, Tiner told him

Fort Worth Manufacturer Charged in Glock Switch Case

DOJ PressNovember 18, 20220

A Fort Worth man who allegedly manufactured and sold thousands of machinegun conversion devices – small, 3D-printed gadgets that convert ordinary firearms into fully automatic machineguns – has been federally charged, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham. Xavier Desean Watson, was charged via criminal complaint with possession and transfer of machine guns. He was arrested without incident in the parking lot of his apartment complex on Thursday night and made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cureton in Fort Worth on Friday. Three additional conversion device sellers, Ayoob Wali, 23, Jose Corral

New Bedford Man Pleads Guilty to Firearm Offense

DOJ PressNovember 18, 20220

BOSTON – A New Bedford man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition. David Acosta, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition before U.S. District Court Judge Alison D. Burroughs who scheduled sentencing for Feb. 6, 2023. Acosta was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2021. On Oct. 22, 2020, Acosta was found in possession of a loaded Glock .45 caliber pistol and 10 rounds of assorted .45 caliber ammunition. Co-defendant, Marquise Thompson pleaded guilty to one count of

Four Members and Associates of the Folk Nation Gangster Disciples Convicted of Gang-Related Shootings in Brooklyn

DOJ PressNovember 18, 20220

Earlier today, a federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Lorenzo Bailey, Quincy Battice, Jean Fremont, and Oluwagbenga Agoro on multiple counts of a superseding indictment charging them with conspiracy to murder rival gang members in-aid-of racketeering, attempted murder in-aid-of racketeering, attempted assault with a dangerous weapon in-aid-of racketeering, assault with a dangerous weapon in-aid-of racketeering and possessing, brandishing and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence in connection with multiple shootings in Brooklyn in November 2020. Bailey, Battice, Fremont, and Agoro are all members or associates of the Flatbush-based Folk Nation Gangster Disciples, also known as “GD.” Bailey and Fremont

Man Charged for Robbing Banks in Arizona and Texas

DOJ PressNovember 18, 20220

EL PASO – A federal criminal complaint was filed Thursday charging a Tucson man with bank robbery. According to court documents, Sherman Edward Lester Jr., 45, of Tucson, Arizona, robbed an El Paso GECU Credit Union at gun point on September 2, 2022. The robber obtained an undisclosed sum of money and fled the bank. On September 14, 2022, Lester attempted to rob a US Bank located inside a Safeway Grocery store in Tucson. Forensic analysis of 9mm shell casings left at both crime scenes traced back to Lester. Lester is charged with bank robbery and incidental crimes. The defendant

Catoosa Woman Sentenced for Fraudulently Applying for $1M in Loans

DOJ PressNovember 18, 20220

A Catoosa woman who defrauded banks and credit unions through a complex scheme involving falsified loan applications and lien releases was sentenced Friday in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. U.S. District Judge John F. Heil III sentenced Pamela Kathryn Conley, 60, to 54 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. She was further ordered to pay $451,065.64 in restitution. In September 2021, Conley pleaded guilty to 24 counts of bank fraud and four counts of aggravated identity theft. At the time of her plea, a jury had been selected, and federal prosecutors were set

Blaine Felon Arrested, Charged with Illegal Possession of Firearms

DOJ PressNovember 18, 20220

MINNEAPOLIS – A Blaine man has been arrested and charged in a federal criminal complaint for illegal possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. According to court documents and a law enforcement affidavit, on August 10, 2022, at approximately 1:26 p.m., deputies with the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residential burglary in Ham Lake. A video surveillance system at the residence showed a man, later identified as Carson Thomas McCoy, 21, pried open the front door of the residence and later sped away in a stolen black BMW sedan. Among the items stolen from the

Rochester Drug Trafficker Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine Distribution Conspiracy

DOJ PressNovember 18, 20220

MINNEAPOLIS- A Rochester drug trafficking ringleader has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. According to cour documents, from September 2021 through February 2022, Jerry Lee Milliken, 40, led a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy that was based in Rochester, Minnesota and operated throughout southeastern Minnesota and elsewhere. Milliken organized the delivery of methamphetamine from a supplier in Kansas City, Missouri, to sub-distributors in the Rochester area. Milliken also collected and received drug proceeds and facilitated communications in support of the conspiracy. Between the fall of 2021 and the winter of 2022, law enforcement seized

Lupton Man Sentenced to Over Five Years for Robbery

DOJ PressNovember 18, 20220

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Dominic Tyah Watchman, 20, of Lupton, Arizona, and a member of the Navajo Nation, was sentenced on November 2, 2022, by United States District Judge Susan M. Brnovich to 66 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Watchman previously pleaded guilty to robbery. On November 7, 2021, at a rest stop in Lupton, Arizona, Watchman approached the 82-year-old victim and tried to get him to turn over the keys to his vehicle. When the victim refused, Watchman pepper sprayed him, knocked him to the ground, and fled the rest stop in the victim’s vehicle.

New Mexico Woman Sentenced to more than Four Years in Prison for Conspiracy to Smuggle Firearms into Mexico

DOJ PressNovember 18, 20220

EL PASO – A New Mexico woman was sentenced Wednesday to 50 months in prison for her involvement in a scheme to purchase firearms in West Texas and Southern New Mexico and then export them into Mexico. According to court documents, Carmen Gallegos, aka Carmen Salazar-Andujo, of Hobbs, New Mexico, participated in a conspiracy to purchase at least 23 firearms in a two-month period, then illegally smuggle them from the U.S. into Mexico. Between September 2, 2021 and October 29, 2021, Gallegos had listed a Texas address on at least three separate Firearm Transaction Records while in the Western District

Charlotte Man Charged In Connection With Multi-Million Dollar Investment Scheme

DOJ PressNovember 18, 20220

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – An indictment was unsealed today in federal court charging Wynn A.D. Charlebois, 52, of Charlotte, with wire fraud and money laundering in connection with a multi-million dollar investment fraud scheme, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Charlebois had his initial court appearance this morning after he surrendered to the FBI. Michael C. Scherck, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Charlotte Division, and Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), which oversees Charlotte, join U.S. Attorney King in making