Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Joran van der Sloot, 35, was arraigned today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gray Borden in Birmingham, Alabama, on one count of extortion and one count of wire fraud for soliciting money from Beth Holloway, Natalee Holloway’s mother, on promises he would reveal the location of her daughter’s remains in Aruba and the circumstances of her 2005 death. Van der Sloot was brought to the United States to stand trial on these charges pursuant to the Extradition Treaty Between the United States of America and the Republic of Peru and will be returned to Peru after this case concludes pursuant to the terms of that same treaty.

Assistant United States Attorneys Lloyd C. Peeples, III and Catherine L. Crosby are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, FBI, and Peruvian law enforcement authorities have been instrumental in securing the temporary surrender of van der Sloot.

An indictment contains only charges.  A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: US FBI

            WASHINGTON — An Ohio man was found guilty of assaulting law enforcement officers related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, which disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

            Kenneth Joseph Owen Thomas, 41, of East Liverpool, Ohio, was found guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia of four counts of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers; obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder; and engaging in physical violence on Capitol grounds. U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich scheduled a sentencing hearing for September 6, 2023.

            Thomas was on the Upper West Terrace at 3:30 p.m. standing in front of a line of police officers who were preventing the rioters from advancing further towards the Capitol.  When the crowd surged forward against the police line, Thomas twice charged the line of police officers, striking two Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers with his hands and shoving them. Thomas’ assaults against these two MPD officers were captured on police body worn cameras (BWC) and in many open-source videos from the scene.

            Then, approximately an hour later  in a different part of the Upper West Terrace, Thomas was captured on MPD BWC footage advancing toward a line of law enforcement and pushing against their shields.. At 4:26 p.m., officers began to advance to dispel the crowd of rioters from the steps. Thomas turned toward rioters and ordered them to “hold the line” against advancing officers, repeating this statement fifteen times as he locked arms with the other rioters and pushed against the officers. Then, at 4:28 p.m., again as officers attempted to clear the Upper West Terrace, Thomas rushed to the head of the line of rioters and twice threw himself into an MPD officer while yelling to the rioters “hold the fucking line.” In subsequent interviews, law enforcement officers confirmed the attack and stated Thomas “was one of the first to come in and start hitting [and] pushing officers on the line.”

            The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, who identified Thomas as #214 on their seeking information photos, as well as the MPD, with significant assistance provided by the FBI’s Birmingham Field Office.

            In the first 28 months since Jan. 6, more than 1,000 individuals have been arrested on charges related to the Capitol breach, including more than 320 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.  

            Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

Source: US FBI

Georgia Woman Sentenced to 25 Years for Sex Trafficking Minors

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal judge this week sentenced a Georgia woman for sex trafficking of minors, announced United States Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples.

U.S. District Judge Madeline H. Haikala sentenced Marlette Laishell Smith aka “Lala,” 29, of Rome, Georgia, to 300 months in prison followed by 20 years of supervised release.  On March 23, 2023, Smith pleaded guilty to two counts of Sex Trafficking of a Minor and two counts of Transportation of a Minor with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity. 

According to court documents, Smith recruited two minor females (15 and 16 years of age) into prostitution for her own financial gain.  The minor victims were stranded in Memphis, Tennessee, and were trying to get back home to California.  Smith met them on a stairwell at the Motel 6 in Memphis – the minor victims were hungry, had no money, no place to stay, no mode of transportation, only the clothes on their back, and an uncharged cell phone.  Smith told them that she would help them get back home if they would go with her to Alabama and make $200 each.  Smith drove the minors to Georgia then to Alabama where she sexually trafficked them.

“The commercial sexual exploitation of children causes long-lasting harms to child victims and the entire community,” said U.S. Attorney Escalona. “The fight to prevent and disrupt exploitation would be impossible without the support of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners. We are especially grateful for the work of FBI Birmingham in apprehending the defendant in this case.”

“This sentence sends a strong message to those who prey on minors and abuse their trust. The victims, who found themselves in a vulnerable state entrusted this person for assistance in returning home. The FBI is dedicated to ensuring the safety and security of the victims and reuniting them with their families,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples. “I am proud of the diligent work of FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force, the Homewood Police Department, and other law enforcement partners who assisted in bringing this individual to justice.”

The FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force (CEHTTF) investigated the case along with the Homewood Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys R. Leann White and Darius Greene prosecuted the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal grand jury yesterday indicted a convicted felon on an armed bank robbery charge, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples. 

A two-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges Edward Aliji Muhammed Brown, 41, of Gadsden, with armed bank robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to the indictment, Brown used a firearm during the robbery of Exchange Bank in Gadsden in March 2023. Brown is prohibited from possessing a firearm because of a prior felony conviction. Brown was convicted on August 24, 1999, in the Circuit Court of Etowah County, Alabama, of the offense of Robbery, First Degree.

The maximum penalty for armed bank robbery is 25 years in prison. The maximum penalty for being a felon in possession of a firearm is 15 years in prison.

The FBI investigated the case along with the Gadsden Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Royster is prosecuting the case.

An indictment contains only charges.  A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: US FBI

Defendant Posted a Video to YouTube Admitting He Carried a Knife

            WASHINGTON – An Alabama man was sentenced today on felony and misdemeanor charges for his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

            Joshua Matthew Black, 46, of Leeds, Alabama, was sentenced to 22 months in prison for three felony charges and two misdemeanors. Black was found guilty on January 13, 2020, following a trial in the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon on Capitol grounds or buildings; entering and remaining on the floor of Congress; and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Amy B. Jackson ordered 24 months of supervised release and  restitution of $2,000.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 6, 2021, Black was among a mob of rioters illegally on the Capitol grounds. He entered the Capitol Building and was captured in photographs and on video, posted to social media sites, standing on the floor of the Senate chamber. Black later posted a video to YouTube in which he discussed entering the Capitol and the floor of the Senate chamber on Jan. 6, 2021.  He explained that “once we found out Pence turned on us and that they had stolen the election, like officially, the . . . crowd went crazy. I mean, . . .  it became a mob.  We crossed the gate, we got up.”  He also admitted carrying a knife to the Capitol because “you’re not allowed to carry guns in DC and I don’t like being defenseless.” 

            During a search of his residence on Jan. 14, 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation recovered the knife Black admitted he carried at the Capitol.  The FBI arrested him later that day at a police station in Moody, Alabama. 

            The case was investigated by the FBI’s Birmingham and Washington Field Offices, which listed Black as #6 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

            The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama.

            In the 28 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,000 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 320 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing. 

            Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal judge today sentenced a Shelby County woman for stealing more than a million dollars from the surgical practice where she had worked for fifteen years, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples. 

U.S. District Court Judge Karon O. Bowdre sentenced Betty Jo “BJ” Latsis, 58, of Birmingham to 26 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. As a condition of the plea agreement she signed last year, Latsis was required to pay $400,000 back to her victims by the time of sentencing, which she did. At sentencing she was ordered to pay an additional $600,000 in restitution. Latsis pleaded guilty in January to an information charging one count of wire fraud.

According to the plea agreement, from 2005 until 2020, Latsis, a registered nurse, worked as office manager and administrator at Colon & Rectal Surgical Associates of Birmingham. Latsis handled bookkeeping and accounting functions for the practice, and she used that position of trust to steal money in a variety of ways. According to court documents, between 2013 and 2020 Latsis transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars from practice accounts to a PayPal account she controlled. She paid herself hundreds of thousands of dollars more than she was authorized to receive. She used practice funds to pay off her personal credit card bills and those of her spouse. She used credit card accounts in doctors’ names to pay personal expenses, including a “7 Night Northern European CityScapes” Royal Caribbean cruise for her and her spouse. And she used practice funds to pay her and her spouse’s personal expenses directly—car lease payments, life insurance premiums, and even an $8,000 home entertainment system from Best Buy. In all, Latsis admitting to stealing more than $1.1 million from the practice during her tenure there.

The FBI investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney J.B. Ward prosecuted the case.