Category: MIL-OSI

Source: US FBI

LITTLE ROCK—For over 26 years, the disappearance of Morgan Nick has remained a troubling mystery for Morgan’s family, her community, and law enforcement. As many remember, 6-year-old Morgan was taken from a parking lot area near the Wofford baseball field during a little league game on June 9, 1995. The person responsible for taking Morgan has never been identified.

Today, law enforcement may be closer than ever to identifying this person. Based on their ongoing investigation, FBI agents are seeking any information about Billy Jack Lincks. Mr. Lincks was born and raised in Crawford County, Arkansas. He served with the U.S. Army during World War II and then worked at Braniff Airlines in Dallas, Texas, from 1962 to 1974. He returned to Van Buren, Arkansas, sometime in the late 1970s. Approximately two months after Morgan’s 1995 disappearance, Lincks attempted to abduct a young girl in Van Buren at a location eight miles from the Wofford baseball field where Morgan was last seen. Lincks died in prison in 2000.

The FBI is requesting help from anyone who knew Billy Jack Lincks. Whether it was through school, work, church, or any social activity, we need information about Lincks and details about his entire life. Attached is a photo of Billy Jack Lincks, and we ask our media partners to share this image with their consumers. Remember, every piece of information about Lincks’ life is important—no detail is too small or insignificant.

If you knew Billy Jack Lincks or have any information about him and his life, please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Source: US FBI

FORT SMITH, Ark. – A federal grand jury in the Western District of Arkansas returned an indictment this week charging a Lavaca man who owned or managed numerous diagnostic testing laboratories with health care fraud in connection with over $100 million dollars in false billings for urine drug testing, COVID-19 testing, and other clinical laboratory services.

According to court documents, Billy Joe Taylor, 42, engaged in a scheme between February 2017 and May 2021 in connection with diagnostic laboratory testing, including urine drug testing and tests for respiratory illnesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, that were medically unnecessary, not ordered by medical providers, and/or not provided as represented. According to the indictment, Taylor controlled and directed multiple diagnostic laboratories, and used those labs to submit more than $100 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare. The indictment alleges that Taylor obtained medical information and private personal information for Medicare beneficiaries, and then misused that confidential information to repeatedly submit claims to Medicare for diagnostic tests that were not ordered by medical providers and were not actually performed by the laboratories. Taylor allegedly then used the proceeds of the fraud to live a lavish lifestyle, including purchasing numerous luxury automobiles, including a Rolls Royce Wraith, as well as real estate, jewelry, guitars, and other luxury clothing and items.

Taylor is charged with 16 counts of health care fraud, and one count of engaging in a monetary transaction in criminally derived property. Taylor was previously charged by criminal complaint in May 2021. The defendant is scheduled for his arraignment on November 23, 2021, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark E. Ford of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas. Each of the counts is punishable by a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes for the Western District of Arkansas; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge James A. Dawson, of the FBI’s Little Rock division; Special Agent in Charge Miranda Bennett of the Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Dallas Regional Office; and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Altemus of the IRS-Criminal Investigation, Dallas Field Office, made the announcement.

The FBI, HHS-OIG, and IRS-Criminal Investigation are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Elser of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas and Senior Litigation Counsel Jim Hayes and Trial Attorney D. Keith Clouser of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section’s National Rapid Response Strike Force are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: US FBI

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – An Anderson, Indiana man was sentenced yesterday to 108 months on each count (to run concurrently) in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release on one count of Robberies Involving Controlled Substances (Aiding and Abetting) and one count of Conspiracy and Possession with Intent to Distribute a Schedule II Controlled Substances. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Hot Springs.

According to court documents, on or about June 7, 2018, Jerome Scott King, 22, along with two (2) other unidentified males, entered the CVS Pharmacy in Hot Springs, Arkansas, brandished a weapon, and forced employees to give them several Schedule II controlled substances.  The amount of controlled substance taken were valued at $22,421.87. In September of 2019, King was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison, out of the Western District of Missouri, Central Division, for a similar pharmacy robbery.  Yesterday’s sentencing was ordered to run consecutive to that 168-month sentence.

Acting U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.

The Hot Springs Police Department and the FBI Little Rock investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Achorn and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Daniels prosecuted the case.

This case was prosecuted as 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.

Source: US FBI

Source: US FBI

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Donald Day, Jr., 58, of Heber, was arrested on Friday, on a federal arrest warrant after a federal grand jury indicted him on two counts of Interstate Threats.

From January 2022 to February 2023, Day used social media platforms to express a desire to incite violence and threaten a variety of groups and individuals, including law enforcement and government authorities. As to Count One, following the killing of two Queensland (Australia) Police Service officers in December 2022, Day posted a video on YouTube threatening any law enforcement official who came to his residence. Separately, as to Count Two, Day threatened to kill a victim (the Director General of the World Health Organization) in February 2023 on the video platform BitChute, calling on others to join him.

Each count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.

An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, is handling the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:            CR-23-8132-PCT-JJT
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-196_Day

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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

PHOENIX, Ariz. – A federal grand jury in Phoenix returned an indictment against Jeremie Sowerby, 45, of Fountain Hills, Arizona, on November 14, 2023, for wire fraud and transactional money laundering.

The indictment alleges that Sowerby scammed a victim-investor, an Arizona physician, out of $207,000 under the guise of a purported risk-free investment opportunity called “Justice Capital.” Sowerby convinced the victim to invest in what he claimed to be an exclusive hedge fund investment opportunity that supposedly used a “bot” algorithm to invest in a product tied to the stock market. Sowerby claimed that the investment and its guaranteed rates of return could be withdrawn in cash or Bitcoin at any time. Instead, however, Sowerby stole the money and used it for himself, including for an $83,000 cashier’s check made out to an entity he owns and controls.

Sowerby was previously charged in a separate case, along with co-defendant Luis Ortega, in a 55-count indictment alleging that Sowerby and Ortega scammed hundreds of victims out of millions of dollars in a cryptocurrency investment scheme under the guise of three entities: Now Mining, VIP Mining, and Millennium Technologies. That case remains pending.

A conviction for wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000, or both. A conviction for transactional money laundering carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000, or both.

An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and IRS-Criminal Investigation have conducted the investigation in this case. Further investigation remains ongoing. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

The FBI and IRS-CI believe that additional victims of Sowerby’s investment fraud schemes remain unidentified. Anyone who believes they were defrauded by the defendant in this case should contact the Victim Witness Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona at usaaz.victimassist@usdoj.gov or fill out the questionnaire at this link: https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/seeking-potential-victims-of-jeremie-sowerby-luis-ortega-fraud-schemes.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-23-01586-PHX-SMB
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-194_Sowerby

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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

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Ryan Niles Ameelyenah, 29, of Parker, was sentenced on Monday by United States District Judge Steven P. Logan to 120 months in prison on count one and 60 months in prison on count two, to run concurrently, followed by three years of supervised release. Ameelyenah was convicted of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury (count one) and Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury of an Intimate Partner (count two) by a Phoenix jury on August 17, 2023.   

On July 9, 2022, Ameelyenah, an enrolled member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT), assaulted the victim, who was an intimate partner, causing her to sustain serious and substantial bodily injury. The assault occurred on the CRIT Indian Reservation and the victim is an enrolled member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and CRIT Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christina J. Reid-Moore and W. Vinnie Lichvar, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-22-01296-PHX-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-191_Ameelyenah

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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

TUCSON, Ariz. – On December 1, 2023, the United States Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint charging attempted murder, assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and assault resulting in serious bodily injury against John Turscak, 52.

The complaint alleges that while incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution Tucson, Turscak stabbed another inmate, D.C., who had previously been convicted of federal crimes in another district, approximately 22 times with an improvised knife.

A complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Attempted murder and assault with intent to commit murder violations each carry maximum penalties of 20 years’ incarceration, while assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury each carry maximum penalties of 10 years’ incarceration.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution is being handled by the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson.
 

RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-192_Turscak

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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

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Walter Lee Riggins, Jr., 28, of Chandler, Arizona, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Michael T. Liburdi to 87 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. The defendant pleaded guilty on August 21, 2023, to Voluntary Manslaughter.

On December 27, 2020, Riggins, a member of the Gila River Indian Community, shot the victim, killing him.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Gila River Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Raynette Logan and Vinnie Lichvar, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-21-00553-PHX-MTL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-183_Riggins

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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

PHOENIX, Ariz. – A federal jury in Phoenix convicted three former owners of Backpage.com yesterday of multiple counts of promoting prostitution business enterprises and multiple counts of money laundering, including conspiracy offenses. Michael Lacey, 75, of Paradise Valley, Arizona, was convicted of one count of international concealment money laundering, and the jury was unable to reach a verdict on most of the other counts charged against him. Scott Spear, 72, of Phoenix, was convicted of a conspiracy to violate the Travel Act by facilitating prostitution, and multiple separate violations of the Travel Act, along with a conspiracy to commit money laundering and multiple separate money laundering violations. John “Jed” Brunst, 71, of Phoenix, was convicted of a conspiracy to violate the Travel Act by facilitating prostitution, along with a conspiracy to commit money laundering and multiple separate money laundering violations. Lacey, Spear, and Brunst each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the money laundering charges. Spear and Brunst also face up to 5 years in prison for the Travel Act violations. Federal District Court Judge Diane J. Humetewa will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the defendants owned Backpage.com, which was the internet’s leading forum for prostitution ads from September 2010, when Craigslist shut down its prostitution ad section, until April 2018, when the United States seized Backpage.com. Evidence at trial showed that the defendants knowingly promoted prostitution via various marketing strategies. For example, the defendants engaged in a reciprocal link program with an independent web forum that permitted “johns” to post reviews of prostitution acts with specific women. Additionally, the defendants utilized an automated filter and human moderators to remove known sex-for-money terms, while still allowing the ads to be posted. Through this attempt at sanitizing the ads, the defendants sought “plausible deniability” for what the defendants knew to be ads promoting prostitution. Over the life of the conspiracy, the defendants earned more than $500 million. In an effort to preserve the money earned, Lacey, Spear, and Brunst engaged in extensive money laundering by creating numerous shell companies in multiple foreign countries.

On March 28, 2018, a grand jury in Phoenix charged the defendants in an indictment with the crimes of conspiracy to facilitate prostitution using a facility in interstate or foreign commerce, facilitating prostitution using a facility in interstate or foreign commerce, conspiracy to commit money laundering, concealment money laundering, international promotional money laundering, and transactional money laundering.

In April 2018, Carl Ferrer, 57, of Frisco, Texas, Backpage’s co-founder and CEO, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to facilitate prostitution using a facility in interstate or foreign commerce and to engage in money laundering. Additionally, several Backpage-related corporate entities, including Backpage.com LLC, have entered guilty pleas to conspiracy to engage in money laundering.

In August 2018, Dan Hyer, 54, of Dallas, Texas, Backpage’s Sales & Marketing Director, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to facilitate prostitution using a facility in interstate or foreign commerce.

Co-defendants Andre Padilla, 50, of Plano, Texas, and Joye Vaught, 42, of Dallas, Texas, were acquitted on all charges. The remaining defendant, James Larkin, 73, died on July 31 before trial was scheduled to begin in August.

United States Attorney for the District of Arizona Gary M. Restaino, Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge Albert Childress of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Phoenix Field Office, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, Special Agent in Charge Akil Davis of the Phoenix Division, and Inspector in Charge Carroll Harris of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Los Angeles Division made the announcement.

IRS-CI, the FBI Phoenix Field Office, and USPIS conducted the investigation in this case. The Los Angeles Joint Regional Intelligence Center provided substantial assistance.

Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin Rapp, Andy Stone, Margaret Perlmeter, and Peter Kozinets of the District of Arizona and Trial Attorney Austin M. Berry of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section are prosecuting the case, with significant assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, the office of the California Attorney General, and the office of the Texas Attorney General. Assistant United States Attorney Daniel Boyle of the Central District of California is handling the asset forfeiture aspects of the case, with assistance from Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Bozdech of the District of Arizona.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-18-00422-PHX-DJH
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-181_Backpage

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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.