Category: Security

Source: US FBI

PORTLAND, Ore.—A Portland man who served as the head men’s basketball coach at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon, was sentenced to federal prison today for persuading a child to send him sexually explicit images.

Nathan Ezell Bowie, 38, was sentenced to 162 months in federal prison and 20 years’ supervised release. 

According to court documents, in November 2021, Bowie conducted a basketball camp at an Oregon high school. Bowie asked students at the camp to connect with him online, and the victim sent Bowie a message asking for basketball drills. Bowie continued communicating with the minor, eventually persuading the victim to send sexually explicit images. In January 2022, another coach learned of the communications and alerted law enforcement. 

On March 15, 2022, Bowie was charged by criminal complaint with sexually exploiting a child, coercion and enticement, and receipt of child pornography. 

On May 15, 2024, Bowie pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor.

This case was investigated by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and FBI Portland’s Eugene Resident Agency. It was prosecuted by Jeffrey S. Sweet, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

The FBI CETF conducts sexual exploitation investigations, many of them undercover, in coordination with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. CETF is committed to locating and arresting those who prey on children as well as recovering and assisting victims of sex trafficking and child exploitation.

Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: US FBI

MIAMI – A Florida man was sentenced yesterday in the Southern District of Florida to 13 months’ imprisonment and a $10,000 fine for his role in an insider trading scheme that netted over $1.6 million in profits. He was also ordered to pay over $200,000 in restitution and over $1.6 million in forfeiture.

According to court documents, from November 2018 to April 2023, Stephen George, 54, of Parkland, was a member of the Finance Department and held roles including controller and vice president at a consumer-packaged goods company headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida (Company A). The company was the maker of a fitness drink whose securities were publicly traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market. At Company A, George received material non-public information (MNPI) regarding the company’s financial performance.

On his final day at Company A on April 7, 2023, George created a consolidated income statement showing its financial performance for the first quarter of 2023, which George knew contained MNPI. The income statement showed that the company’s first quarter results had greatly exceeded expectations. George then emailed the document to himself using two personal email accounts.

On April 10, 2023, the first trading day after his last day of employment, and continuing through May 8, 2023, George purchased Company A securities based on MNPI – specifically, 20,000 shares of common stock and 300 call option contracts. On May 9, 2023, after the market close, Company A publicly reported better-than-expected earnings and sales for the first quarter of 2023, including an all-time quarterly record in revenue. After the public announcement, its stock price increased significantly. During the next trading day, George sold all 20,000 shares of common stock and 300 call option contracts, resulting in over $1.6 million in personal profits.

In February 2025, George pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud.

U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida; Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case. The Justice Department appreciates the assistance of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s Criminal Prosecution Assistance Group.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eli S. Rubin and Elizabeth Young for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorneys Matthew F. Sullivan and Matt Kahn of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff for the Southern District of Florida handled asset forfeiture.

You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-60011.

###

Source: US FBI

PORTLAND, Ore.—A Umatilla, Oregon man who is alleged to have made several hoax phone calls threatening sexual violence against children and possessed dozens of photos and videos depicting child sexual abuse has been indicted in federal court.

Thomas Loren Goatley, 20, has been charged with receiving and possessing child pornography and making interstate threats.

According to court documents, between approximately January 5 and April 30, 2024, Goatley is alleged to have made more than 60 phone calls to various schools, police departments, emergency lines, and animal shelters in at least 12 states. During many of these calls, Goatley claimed that he was sexually assaulting a child, or that he was about to do so. While investigating these threats, special agents from the FBI discovered Goatley was also the subject of numerous CyberTipline Reports submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) indicating that he was active in receiving and distributing child sexual abuse material.

On July 22, 2024, investigators executed a federal search warrant on Goatley’s person and residence in Umatilla, and he was placed under arrest. A later search of Goatley’s cell phone revealed dozens of illicit images and videos depicting child sexual abuse.

On July 23, 2024, Goatley made his initial appearance in federal court before a U.S. Magistrate Judge and was detained pending further court proceedings. He was arraigned Thursday and pleaded not guilty. A four-day jury trial is scheduled to begin on October 22, 2024.

Receiving and possessing child pornography is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison with a five-year mandatory minimum sentence. Transmitting interstate threats is punishable by up to five years in federal prison.

This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Umatilla Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Mira Chernick, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at (503) 224-4181 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: US FBI

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Sanjar Jamilov (32, Uzbekistan) has pleaded guilty to conspiring to submit fraudulent voter registrations. Jamilov faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, Dmitry Shushlebin (45, Russia) hired Jamilov and others to submit more than 100 fraudulent voter registration applications to the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections in February and March 2023. These applications were submitted in names other than their own, in envelopes with return and address labels that were identically formatted, including containing the same typographical error, and bore various indicia of fraud including, among other things, repeating dates of birth and addresses and nearly sequential Social Security numbers. Change of address forms were also submitted to the U.S. Postal Service to route mail to the names and addresses on the fraudulent applications to three locations that Shushlebin and Jamilov allegedly controlled. The Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections was able to detect the fraud and rejected the fraudulent applications.

Dmitry Shushlebin has been charged for his alleged role in this case. The case is currently pending.

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel J. Marcet and Trial Attorney Leo Wise from the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section.

Source: US FBI

Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that a federal jury has found Lino Mallari Gutierrez (59, Palm City), a/k/a “Joe Gutierrez,” guilty of conspiracy to commit health care and wire fraud, conspiracy to violate the federal anti-kickback statute, five substantive counts of health care fraud, and four substantive counts of payment of kickbacks in connection with a heath care program. After the jury verdict, the court remanded Gutierrez into custody. Gutierrez faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. 

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Gutierrez and his co-conspirators owned and operated two durable medical equipment (DME) companies that collectively billed Medicare more than $10.9 million for medically unnecessary DME, of which more than $5 million was paid to Gutierrez and his co-conspirators. Gutierrez and his co-conspirators paid kickbacks to marketing companies in exchange for signed doctors’ orders for unnecessary braces, which Gutierrez and the co-conspirators then used to bill Medicare. The marketing companies used call centers to solicit Medicare patients and telemedicine companies to procure prescriptions for unnecessary braces for these patients. Gutierrez concealed his role in the scheme by putting the DME companies in the names of straw owners.

As part of the conspiracy to commit health care and wire fraud, Gutierrez also filed false records with his employer and a private regulatory organization to conceal his involvement in the DME companies. Gutierrez was in the process of establishing four more DME companies with additional straw owners—including Gutierrez’s mother and two of Gutierrez’s friends—when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation identified the DME fraud through a national operation, which began in the Middle District of Florida, and through which dozens of co-conspirators were identified, charged, and convicted. Prior to law enforcement action, Gutierrez had already taken multiple steps to use these additional DME companies to bill Medicare for additional fraudulent claims. After learning of law enforcement action, Gutierrez moved Medicare proceeds from his account into other bank accounts under his control.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Peresie and Trial Attorney Margaret Mortimer of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

Source: US FBI

PORTLAND, Ore.—A Washington County, Oregon man was sentenced to federal prison today for distributing counterfeit pills containing fentanyl that resulted in the overdose death of a local woman.

Robert Lamart James McCollum, 35, was sentenced to 125 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.

“This defendant cut short an innocent life and brought unthinkable tragedy to a local family. And yet, despite everything they have been through, Madolyn’s loved ones have used their experience to raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl and fake pills. Their efforts inspire all of us and will surely prevent other families from experiencing the same tragedy,” said Natalie Wight, United States Attorney for the District of Oregon.

“The investigation conducted by the Westside Interagency Narcotics team into Madolyn’s tragic death highlights the importance of conducting thorough inquiries into overdose deaths to ensure that those who engage in the business of selling fentanyl face justice. Holding dealers accountable is not just about enforcing the law; it’s about protecting our communities and preventing further tragedies. By shining a light on these crimes, we honor the lives lost and send a clear message that the destruction caused by illicit drugs will not be tolerated,” said Chris Gibson, Executive Director for the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program.

“The Washington County Sheriff’s Office Westside Interagency Narcotics team works diligently to mitigate the fentanyl epidemic and the effects on the residents of Washington County. The WIN team takes seriously the responsibility of holding fentanyl dealers accountable and seek to prevent the needless and premature deaths caused by their actions. Madolyn’s story, and the countless others, are the driving force behind the WIN team’s dedication to stop fentanyl trafficking and bring justice for the families of their loved ones,” said Commander Timothy Tannenbaum of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

According to court documents, on August 2, 2021, McCollum sold several counterfeit Oxycodone pills containing fentanyl to Madolyn, a twenty-year-old woman from Beaverton, Oregon. Later that evening, Madolyn took one of the counterfeit pills and fatally overdosed from acute fentanyl poisoning. Soon after, investigators, posing as the young woman, contacted McCollum and arranged an order for more Oxycodone pills. McCollum was arrested when he arrived to complete the sale. During a search of his vehicle, investigators found additional counterfeit pills and a firearm.

On September 21, 2021, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a three-count indictment charging McCollum with possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute, possessing a firearm as a felon, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

On May 21, 2024, McCollum pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl and possessing a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

This case was investigated by the Westside Interagency Narcotics Team (WIN). It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott M. Kerin.

WIN is a Washington County, Oregon-based multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force supported by the Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program that includes members from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Beaverton and Hillsboro Police Departments, Oregon National Guard Counter Drug Program, FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives.

Note: The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon does not typically refer to victims by name in public documents and press releases. In this case, the victim’s family requested their daughter be referred to by name and so we have honored their wishes.

Source: US FBI

PROVIDENCE – Three Rhode Island men have been charged in federal court in Providence for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to steal and sell hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of catalytic converters, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.

Kuron Mitchell, 25, of Newport, Alberto Rivera, 25, of Cranston, and Luis Aceituno, 27, of Providence, are each charged by way of a federal criminal complaint with interstate transportation of stolen property in excess of $5,000 and conspiracy to commit the same. Additionally, Aceituno is charged with filing false tax returns.

According to charging documents, in January 2022, the Cranston Police Department began tracking patterns surrounding the thefts of catalytic converters. A criminal group was later identified as allegedly being responsible for more than 7,000 stolen catalytic converters in Southern New England and in the greater Boston area, valued at more than $2.4 million. It is alleged that many of the stolen catalytic converters were sold to a Providence company (identified in court documents as Company 1) that recycles catalytic converters. Depending on the model and type of precious metal component, the average scrap price for catalytic converters ranged from $300 to $1,500.

Charging documents reflect that from at least January 2021 until November 2022, Rivera, Aceituno, Mitchell, and others canvassed neighborhoods and parking lots in search of unoccupied vehicles from which they could steal catalytic converters. Working in groups, they allegedly targeted vehicles in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, cut off the catalytic converters, and sold many of them to Company 1.

An FBI analysis of Company 1’s databases seized during a court-authorized search of the business in February 2023, and a review of a database maintained by Rhode Island Attorney General Bureau of Criminal Identification, revealed that from 2021 to 2022, Rivera allegedly sold 19 catalytic converters and received $7,100; and Aceituno allegedly sold 2128 catalytic converters to Company 1 and received $699,735.

In addition to his alleged participation in the conspiracy to steal and sell catalytic converters, it is further alleged that Luis Aceituno failed to disclose to the IRS income derived from the sale of catalytic converters in tax years 2021 and 2022. It is alleged that for tax years 2021 and 2022, Aceituno failed to report a total of $699,735 in income and failed to pay a total of $199,908 due to the IRS.

Luis Aceituno appeared in U.S. District Court on Monday and was released on unsecured bond; Kuron Mitchell appeared in U.S. District on April 25, 2024, and was ordered released to home detention with GPS monitoring; Alberto Rivera is currently detained on charges unrelated to this matter.

A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Paul F. Daly, Jr., and Julie M. White.

The matter was investigated by the FBI, Cranston Police Department, Providence Police Department, IRS-Criminal Investigations, United States Marshal Service, National Insurance Crime Bureau, Newport Police Department, Fitchburg State University Police, Watertown Police Department, Canton Police Department, Attleboro Police Department, Fall River Police Department, and Department of Veterans Affairs- Office of Inspector General-Criminal Investigations Division.

###

Source: US FBI

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that John Ray Collins Jr., age 49, and Tambara Lorene Collins, age 38, of Okmulgee, Oklahoma, appeared in United States District Court for sentencing.

John Ray Collins Jr. was sentenced to 240 months in prison for one count of Attempted Murder, and 360 months each on two counts of Child Abuse, and 360 months for one count of Child Neglect.  The terms of imprisonment will run concurrently for a total of 30 years imprisonment, to be followed by a five year term of supervised release.

Tambara Lorene Collins, age 38, of Okmulgee, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 216 months in prison per count on two counts of Child Abuse, and 216 months in prison for one count of Child Neglect.  The terms of imprisonment will run concurrently for a total of 18 years imprisonment, to be followed by a five year term of supervised release.

The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Lighthorse Police.

On November 17, 2023, a federal jury convicted John Collins at trial of all counts.  On October 24, 2023, Tambara Collins entered a guilty plea to two counts of child abuse and one count of child neglect.

According to investigators, between January 1, 2023, and June 12, 2023, John and Tambara Collins repeatedly abused and failed to protect two children in their care.  The children sustained bruising and abrasions to the face, ears, back, legs, and feet.  In mid-June, John Collins escalated his abuse, beating one of the children with a pipe.  The child was then denied food, water, medical care, and sanitary living conditions.  The child suffered head lacerations, internal bleeding, a broken arm, broken fingers, and traumatic skeletal muscle deterioration before rescuers were able to remove the children from the Collins residence.

The crimes occurred in Okmulgee County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

“The suffering these innocent children endured at the hands of two people who were supposed to love and care for them is horrific and unconscionable,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater.  “The FBI is proud to have been part of the investigative team that helped put John and Tambara Collins behind prison bars where they undoubtedly belong.”

“The defendants subjected children in their care to unthinkable abuse and neglect, and I am thankful for the collaborative work of county, tribal, and federal investigators and federal prosecutors in securing convictions and significant sentences in this case,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson.

The Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing.  The defendants will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caila M. Cleary and Sarah McAmis represented the United States.

Source: US FBI

TULSA, Okla. – Today, U.S. District Judge John D. Russell sentenced Teddy Lee Martin, 63, for Robbery in Indian Country and Assault with Intent to Commit a Felony in Indian Country. Judge Russell ordered Martin to be sentenced to 78 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, and to pay $6,000 in restitution.

“Martin was a threat to our community, and behind bars is the best place for him,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “This case is an excellent example of law enforcement using technology and working with prosecutors towards the same goal. With their swift action, Martin was in custody and off the streets.”

In August 2023, Creek County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a home in Sapulpa. Upon arrival, the 85-year-old victim told deputies that a masked man, later identified as Martin, entered the house with a handgun, demanded money, and threatened to kill the victim if she did not cooperate. Martin stole jewelry and physically assaulted the victim before leaving the home.

Neighborhood video surveillance and FLOCK cameras show Martin fleeing in a vehicle from the area. Law enforcement shared the vehicle information that Martin was seen fleeing in. Tulsa Police officers pulled over the vehicle and confirmed with Creek County that the vehicle occupants matched the description of the suspects seen fleeing the home.

Upon searching the vehicle, law enforcement found some of the jewelry taken from the home, the mask and the clothing seen on video footage.

Investigators discovered that Morgan Turley was driving the vehicle away from the victim’s home. In December, she pled guilty in State Court for conspiring to commit robbery with Martin and falsely impersonation when she gave officers the incorrect name.

Martin is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and he will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

The FBI, Creek County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tulsa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Dunn prosecuted the case.

Source: US FBI

TULSA, Okla. – Two Tulsans were sentenced for selling illegal drugs on the dark web that were purchased from China, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill sentenced Aaron Michael Thomas, 42, for Introduction of Misbranded Drug into Interstate Commerce, Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises for the distribution of Pregabalin, and Possession of Child Pornography. Judge Hill ordered Thomas to 78 months imprisonment followed by 10 years of supervised release.

According to court documents, in 2022, the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service opened an investigation into an illegal vendor selling drugs on the dark web. The vendor was suspected to be one of the largest illegal prescription drug vendors in the country. Drugs were being sold without the requirement of a prescription, and paid for via cryptocurrency. They were packaged with misleading and false labeling and did not have warnings or directions for safe use.

Law enforcement discovered the packages were being shipped by Thomas and his co-defendant, Darren Doil Means, from their home in Tulsa. Undercover agents successfully made three undercover purchases. In October 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant where agents seized more than 270 pounds of 21 different drugs or active pharmaceutical ingredients, including pregabalin and xylazine.

Thomas and Means had a room outfitted as a packaging and distribution center for their operation. Agents also found encapsulating devices for making drug capsules and misleading drug labels. The electronic devices recovered showed that Thomas illegally purchased all of the drugs from vendors in the People’s Republic of China and that he took deliberate steps to avoid detection by U.S. Customs when shipping the drugs into the United States. Additionally, the agents discovered numerous images of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Means, 59, pled guilty to Introduction of Misbranded Drug into Interstate Commerce and Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises. In January 2025, Judge Hill sentenced Means to three years of probation.

Thomas will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – Office of Criminal Investigations, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, FDA Office of Chief Counsel, Consumer Protection Branch, Tulsa Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and FBI Joint Criminal Opioid Darknet Enforcement investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan E. Michel, Aaron M. Jolly, and Reagan V. Reininger prosecuted the case.