Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: US FBI

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Brian Jerry Ogstad, 60, of Cullman, Alabama, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Michael T. Liburdi to 30 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release. Judge Liburdi also ordered Ogstad to pay a $1,000 fine. Ogstad pleaded guilty to one count of Making a Threatening Interstate Communication on July 25, 2024.

“In this election season we honor and respect those public servants who enable Americans to exercise their constitutional right to vote,” said United States Attorney Gary Restaino. “And we seek to protect all election workers from intimidation and harassment. Threats of violence, whether conveyed by words or deeds or pictures, will be met in this District with robust prosecution.”

“As Director Wray has said many times, threats of violence toward election workers are also threats to the democratic process and cannot become normalized,” said FBI Phoenix Acting Special Agent in Charge Jarod Brown. “The FBI takes seriously all threats of violence against public officials, and we will continue to assess them and take swift action as necessary.”

On August 2, 2022, Arizona held primary elections for federal and state officeholders, including a gubernatorial primary election that received nationwide media coverage. From the day of the election through August 4, 2022, Ogstad sent multiple threatening messages to an Instagram social media account maintained by Maricopa County Elections. For example, on or about August 3, 2022, Ogstad stated, (1) “You did it! Now you are [expletive]. Dead. You will all be executed for your crimes”; (2) “[expletive] you! You are caught! They have it all. You [expletive] are dead”; (3) “You are lying, cheating [expletive] . . . you better not come in my church, my business or send your kids to my school. You are [expletive] stupid if you think your lives are safe”; and (4) “You [expletive] are so dead.” On or about August 4, 2022, Ogstad further stated, “[Y]ou people are so ducking [sic] stupid. Everyone knows you are lots [sic], cheats, frauds and in doing so in relation to elections have committed treason. You will all be executed. Bang [expletive]!”

The FBI Phoenix Field Office, with substantial assistance from the FBI Birmingham Field Office, conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Sue Feldmeier, District of Arizona, and Trial Attorney Tanya Senanayake of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-24-03130-PHX-MTL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-142_Ogstad

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

 

Source: US FBI

Birmingham, Ala. – United States Attorney Prim F. Escalona announced today that an Assistant U.S. Attorney will serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) and lead the efforts of her Office in connection with the Department of Justice’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5, 2024, general election.   The DEO is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with the Department of Justice’s Headquarters in Washington.

“Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election,” said U.S. Attorney Escalona.  Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence.  The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”

The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud.  The Department will address these violations wherever they occur.  The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.

Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input.  It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice.  The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).  

U.S. Attorney Escalona added, “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy.  We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice.”

To respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, the District’s AUSA/DEO will be on duty in this District while the polls are open.  The DEO can be reached by the public at 205.244.2001.

In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day.  The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 205-326-6166.

Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.

“Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate,” said U.S. Attorney Escalona.  “It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”

But please note that in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, you should call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities.  State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A jury has convicted a Madison man of child exploitation, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples.

The jury returned a guilty verdict against Anthony Ray Lawrence, 37, of Madison, after 3 days of testimony before U.S. District Court Judge Madeline H. Haikala. Lawrence was convicted of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.

According to evidence presented at trial, between April and May 2023, Lawrence used a social media application to engage with someone he thought to be a 14-year-old female but who actually was an undercover law enforcement officer. He told the undercover officer that he used the application to meet younger girls. On May 1, 2023, Lawrence traveled from Madison, Alabama, to Homewood, Alabama, to engage in a sexual act with a minor. At the time of his arrest, Lawrence possessed condoms and sexual lubricant. He had rented a hotel room nearby.

If you suspect or become aware of possible sexual exploitation of a child, please contact law enforcement. To alert the FBI Birmingham Office, call 205-326-6166. Reports can also be filed with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) or online at www.cybertipline.org.

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.

The FBI investigated the case along with the Homewood Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel S. McBrayer and R. Leann White are prosecuting the case. 

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal grand jury indicted a Hoover man in connection with his solicitation of a murder-for-hire, announced U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton Peeples.

A one-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges Mohammad A.H. Mohammad, 63, of Hoover, with use of a cell phone in attempting to hire someone to murder his selected victim.  The crime allegedly occurred between August 2024 and September 2024 in Jefferson County. 

The maximum penalty for use of interstate commerce facilities in the attempted commission of murder-for-hire is 10 years in prison.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan S. Cross and William R. McComb are prosecuting the case.

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

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A former Tuscaloosa wealth manager has been charged in connection with his theft of more than $500,000 in client funds, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples.

A one-count information filed in U.S. District Court charges Jason Brooks Head, 46, of Tuscaloosa, with bank embezzlement. A plea agreement was filed with the information, indicating that Head has agreed to plead guilty to the charge.

According to the information and plea agreement, Head was a registered stockbroker who worked for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management throughout the relevant period.  Beginning in July 2020 and continuing through November 2023, Head withdrew approximately $500,114.81 from the accounts of two of his Morgan Stanley clients without their authorization. Head transferred the funds to accounts he controlled and used for his personal benefit.

The Court will set a date for Head to enter his guilty plea.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brett A. Janich and Ryan S. Rummage are prosecuting the case.

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

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Birmingham-area man has been sentenced to a decade in prison for his role running a Telegram channel that sold millions of dollars in stolen and fraudulent checks, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples.

U.S. District Judge Madeline Haikala sentenced Mekhi Diwone Harris, 25, of Birmingham, to 120 months in prison and ordered him to forfeit $160,000. In April 2024, Harris pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud.

“Check fraud is a growing national problem,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “That is in no small part due to Telegram channels like the one run by the defendant, which operated as a one-stop shop for other scammers to purchase stolen financial instruments. Thanks to the tremendous partnership from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama and our law enforcement partners who worked on this case, we were able to bring the administrator of the ‘Work Related’ channel to justice.”

“Fraud poses a fundamental threat to our national security as well as to our everyday way of life,” said Special Agent in Charge Peeples. “The FBI is committed to coordinating with our partners and aggressively pursuing those who seek to victimize others for their personal gain. I hope this sentencing serves as a warning to others who might engage in these types of schemes.”

According to the plea agreement, from April 2022 to August 2023, Harris acted as an administrator of the “Work Related” Telegram channel using the Telegram handle “@O1ihk.” During this period, more than one thousand stolen or fraudulent checks were sold on the channel. The victims included individuals, businesses, churches, schools, and non-profit organizations. The total value of the checks posted to the channel was more than $10 million.

The FBI investigated the case with significant assistance from the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Secret Service Cyber Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Canter prosecuted the case.

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A West Virginia man has been charged with bombing a methane gas pipeline owned and operated by Warrior Met Coal, Inc., in Brookwood, Alabama, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson.

A one-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges Jerry Gale Kerns, 52, with destruction of property used in interstate commerce by means of fire or explosive. 

According to the indictment, on March 23, 2022, Kerns bombed a section of a methane gas pipeline near the intersection of Hanna Creek Road and Sandlin Mountain Road in Brookwood, Alabama.  At the time, Kerns was the Region II Director of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) union.  The UMWA represented striking, unionized coal miners employed by Warrior Met Coal, which operated a mine in Brookwood. 

If convicted, Kerns faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of twenty years in prison.

FBI and ATF investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan “Jack” Harrington and Lloyd C. Peeples, III are prosecuting the case. 

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