Category: MIL-OSI

Source: US FBI

Today, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released the following statement: 

“The IC assesses that Russian influence actors manufactured a recent video that falsely depicted individuals claiming to be from Haiti and voting illegally in multiple counties in Georgia. This judgment is based on information available to the IC and prior activities of other Russian influence actors, including videos and other disinformation activities. The Georgia Secretary of State has already refuted the video’s claims as false. 

Russian influence actors also manufactured a video falsely accusing an individual associated with the Democratic presidential ticket of taking a bribe from a U.S. entertainer. 

This Russian activity is part of Moscow’s broader effort to raise unfounded questions about the integrity of the U.S. election and stoke divisions among Americans, as detailed in prior ODNI election updates. In the lead up to election day and in the weeks and months after, the IC expects Russia to create and release additional media content that seeks to undermine trust in the integrity of the election and divide Americans.” 

Source: US FBI

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on November 21, 2024, Stephanie Horvath, 39, of Rutland, Vermont, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 29 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Horvath previously pleaded guilty to distributing cocaine base to a law enforcement confidential informant in June 2023, in Rutland.

According to court records, starting in 2017-18 and continuing until her arrest in the current case in August 2023, Horvath “middled” drug sales for a rotating group of drug suppliers who were armed and dangerous. Horvath was involved in the distribution of cocaine base and heroin/fentanyl at the Highlander Motel in Rutland in 2022 and 2023. Horvath would distribute controlled substances herself, as well as have others distribute drugs from her hotel room. During the investigation that led to Horvath’s arrest, five controlled purchases were conducted by the Vermont State Police’s Drug Task Force involving the defendant’s room between December 2022 and June 2023. Records also indicate that in November 2022, Horvath’s acquisition of a large supply of cocaine and heroin/fentanyl from another drug supplier was associated with the violent assault of one of her associates.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Vermont State Police’s Drug Task Force, the Rutland City Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Turner and Jonathan A. Ophardt. Horvath was represented Natasha Sen, Esq.

Source: US FBI

Today, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released the following statement: 

“The IC assesses that Russian actors manufactured and amplified a recent video that falsely depicted an individual ripping up ballots in Pennsylvania, judging from information available to the IC and prior activities of other Russian influence actors, including videos and other disinformation activities. Local election officials have already debunked the video’s content.  

This Russian activity is part of Moscow’s broader effort to raise unfounded questions about the integrity of the US election and stoke divisions among Americans, as detailed in prior ODNI election updates. In the lead up to election day and in the weeks and months after, the IC expects Russia to create and release additional media content that seeks to undermine trust in the integrity of the election and divide Americans.” 

Source: US FBI

Rutland, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on November 20, 2024, Desmond Ipaye Adebiyi, age 37, of Miami, Florida was sentenced by United States District Judge Joseph N. Laplante to a term of 18 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Ipaye previously pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting unauthorized access of a computer.

According to court records, Ipaye worked with others who infiltrated the email system of a Vermont business to receive emails intended for the company’s president and to send emails masquerading as from the company’s president. This ruse allowed Ipaye’s confederates to misdirect $450,000 intended for the Vermont business to a bank account that Ipaye and his conspirators had established for receiving crime proceeds. Fortunately, fast action by the Vermont business and law enforcement enabled complete recovery of the $450,000.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Drescher and Colin Owyang. Ipaye was represented by Heather E. Ross, Esq. from the law firm of Sheehey Furlong & Behm.

Source: US FBI

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Robert Cutter, age 44, of Lake George, New York, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for attempting to entice and coerce a 12-year-old child into sexual activity.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Cutter admitted that on June 27, 2023, he exchanged sexually explicit text messages with someone he believed was an adult offering the sexual services of a 12-year-old girl, in an attempt to entice the child into engaging in sexual acts with him.  Cutter also admitted that on that same date, he traveled to a pre-determined location in Warren County, New York, with the intent to engage in sexual acts with the 12-year-old girl.  Cutter was arrested by law enforcement shortly after arriving at the location.

United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also imposed a 15-year term of post-imprisonment supervised release.  Cutter will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force – comprised of FBI Special Agents, and state and local police investigators, including from the New York State Police, Rotterdam Police Department, Warren County Sheriff’s Office, and Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen J. Vickey prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood. 

Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s 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, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc. 

Source: US FBI

Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office announced that Adam Champagne, 42, a Burlington native who currently has no stable residence, pleaded not guilty on November 8, 2024 in United States District Court in Burlington to a charge of bank robbery. U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin Doyle ordered that Champagne be held without bail pending trial, which has not been scheduled.

On October 24, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment charging Champagne with robbing a bank on Shelburne Road in South Burlington on September 25, 2024. According to court records, Champagne told the bank teller that he had a bomb in a bag he was carrying. Local law enforcement arrested Champagne on this charge on November 7. According to court records, Champagne is suspected of robbing three other banks in the Burlington area since last summer.

The United States Attorney emphasizes that the charge in the indictment is merely an accusation and that Champagne is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty.

If convicted, Champagne faces up to 20 years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

This case was investigated by the South Burlington, Burlington, and Essex police departments,  as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Champagne is represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.

Source: US FBI

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Troy Alexander Mendez, age 25, a resident of Temple City, California, plead guilty on Tuesday to distribution of controlled substances. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

As part of his guilty plea, Mendez admitted that, in August 2023, he sold and shipped over 300 grams of methamphetamine via the U.S. Postal Service to a customer in the Syracuse, New York area. Law enforcement intercepted the package and identified Mendez as the source of the shipment.

Sentencing is scheduled for February 11, 2025, in Syracuse, at which time Mendez faces a mandatory minimum federal prison sentence of 5 years and a maximum sentence of 40 years, a fine of up to $5,000,000.00, and a term of supervised release of at least 4 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the case, with assistance from the New York State Police and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Gillis is prosecuting the case.
 

Source: US FBI

ALBUQUERQUE – A Vanderwagen man was sentenced to 46 months in prison for a fatal drunk driving incident in 2022.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, on October 2, 2022, near Bread Springs, New Mexico, Sheldon Carlton Daye, 31, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, struck and killed two individuals who were stopped on the shoulder of Highway 602 to repair a flat tire. The victims’ disabled truck was pulled off to the side of the road, beyond the white shoulder line and rumble strips. Witnesses observed Daye‘s truck driving erratically before colliding with John Doe and Jane Doe, killing them instantly.

After the collision, Daye fled the scene. He attempted to conceal evidence by trying to hammer out the dents in his truck and by providing multiple false statements about his involvement to law enforcement. Daye fabricated an alibi and initially denied driving the vehicle, claiming his friend was responsible. He was not apprehended until May 11, 2023, when he finally admitted to drinking and driving on the night of the incident. He eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter as charged in a Superseding Indictment in this matter.

Upon his release from prison, Daye will be subject to three years of supervised release.

Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark A. Probasco and Meg P. Tomlinson are prosecuting the case.

Source: US FBI

ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock woman pleaded guilty in federal court to assault resulting in serious bodily injury after driving while intoxicated and causing a crash that severely injured two children on the Navajo Nation.

According to court documents, on April 23, 2023, Jazmyne Deschinny, 22, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was driving a sedan carrying eight people within the exterior boundaries of the Navajo Nation. Deschinny was heavily intoxicated, with a blood alcohol level of 0.264, which is more than three times the legal limit in New Mexico. She also had opiates and cannabinoids in her system at the time of the incident.

The crash occurred when Deschinny ran a red light and collided with a flatbed trailer being towed by a truck. The sedan was overcrowded with three adults and five children, and there were insufficient seatbelts and car seats to properly secure all occupants. As a result, two unsecured minors suffered severe injuries.

John Doe 1, one of the minors in Deschinny‘s vehicle, sustained a life-threatening head injury, including subdural hematomas, a fractured skull, and bleeding within the brain structure. The child’s condition was so critical that he nearly died during the emergency flight to the University of New Mexico Hospital. John Doe 1 required weeks of hospitalization for treatment.

Jane Doe 1, another minor in the vehicle, suffered multiple facial fractures, a fractured wrist, and facial lacerations that required surgical repair. She was hospitalized for several days following the incident.

According to the plea agreement, Deschinny faces up to 10 years in prison at sentencing followed by three years of supervised release.

Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting the case.

Source: US FBI

ALBUQUERQUE – A Lordsburg man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for producing child pornography.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, between July 1, 2022, and September 18, 2022, Keith Joseph Medina, 38, recorded at least four videos of himself performing sexual acts on a minor victim at his residence in Lordsburg.

Upon his release from prison, Medina will be subject to twenty years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender. Medina was also ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to his victims.

Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from Lordsburg Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marisa Ong and Jackson K. Dering V prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.