Category: Security

Source: US FBI

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Ivory S. Cousins, 35, of Glassboro, New Jersey, was convicted today at trial of three counts of depriving an inmate of his civil rights under color of law and one count of filing a false report about the incident, arising from her conduct while employed as a Philadelphia correctional officer. The Philadelphia Department of Prisons provided substantial assistance with this case.

Cousins was charged by indictment in August 2024 with violating the inmate’s constitutional rights for ignoring his significant injuries from an assault by other inmates, pepper spraying him, helping another inmate to steal from him, and obstructing the investigation of what happened to him.

As proven at trial, while on duty at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, the defendant became aware that an inmate had been assaulted by other inmates and had serious injuries, but she was deliberately indifferent to his serious medical needs, failed to get him medical attention, and prevented a superior officer from discovering the inmate’s injuries.

After her partner discovered the injured inmate and called for medical attention, but before assistance arrived to escort him to the medical unit, Cousins subjected the injured inmate to excessive force, unreasonably pepper spraying him.

When the injured inmate had been escorted out of the area for medical attention, Cousins further violated the injured inmate’s constitutional rights by helping one of the inmates involved in his assault to steal the injured inmate’s personal belongings from his cell.

When she later completed a report about the incident, Cousins provided false information about the injured inmate being aggressive, engaging in a fight, and using a weapon.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24 and faces a maximum possible sentence of 41 years in prison.

“Prisoners still have civil rights, and we will prosecute all violations committed by officials entrusted with their security,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf.

“Today’s verdict illustrates that no one is above the law, especially those who swear an oath to uphold it,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “The FBI remains steadfast in investigating and bringing to justice those who abuse their authority.”

The case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Philadelphia Department of Prisons, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Everett Witherell and Jessica Rice.

Source: US FBI

SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Eli Valentine Calero, age 43, of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, and John Charles Ehrhard, Jr., age 56, of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, were indicted yesterday, April 8, 2025, by a federal grand jury on drug trafficking and firearms charges. 

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the superseding indictment alleges that between May 2024 and March 2025, Calero and Ehrhard, Jr. conspired to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine, in Monroe County, Pennsylvania.  The indictment alleges that during that time Ehrhard, Jr. distributed methamphetamine on multiple occasions and possessed a firearm and ammunition in furtherance of his drug trafficking, when he was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a prior felony conviction. The indictment further alleges that on March 12, 2025, Calero possessed over 500 grams of methamphetamine and cocaine for distribution.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Jenny P. Roberts is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is lifetime imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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Source: US FBI

EUGENE, Ore.—A Coos Bay, Oregon man was sentenced to federal prison Wednesday for taking sexually explicit images of a minor.

Willard Verdell Cowan, 61, was sentenced to 300 months in federal prison followed by a lifetime term of supervised release.

According to court documents, beginning in early 2021, Cowan offered to talk with a minor who often suffered from panic attacks. Instead, he preyed on the victim’s vulnerability by providing alcohol and marijuana before sexually assaulting the victim. Cowan continued to sexually abuse the victim, at times recording the abuse and soliciting sexually explicit images from the minor, until he was arrested in March 2023.

On February 16, 2023, a federal grand jury in Eugene returned a two-count indictment charging Cowan with sexually exploiting a child and distributing child pornography.

On August 21, 2024, Cowan pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting a child.

This case was investigated by the FBI and Coos County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Jeffrey S. Sweet, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, in coordination with the Coos County District Attorney’s Office.

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

EUGENE, Ore.—A Eugene man pleaded guilty to three federal hate crimes today for intentionally defacing a Eugene synagogue on multiple occasions.

Adam Edward Braun, 34, pleaded guilty to two counts of intentionally defacing a synagogue and one count of attempting to deface religious property because it was a place of religious worship for Jewish people.

According to court documents, between September 2023 and January 2024, Braun intentionally defaced Temple Beth Israel, a Jewish synagogue in Eugene, by repeatedly targeting the synagogue with graffiti, some of which used antisemitic symbols and phrases. Braun’s pattern of behavior culminated in the early morning hours of January 14, 2024, when he traveled to Temple Beth Israel with a hammer and prepared to swing at the glass doors of the synagogue. Braun stopped when he saw he was being recorded by a surveillance camera, and then moved to a different area of the property and used spray paint to write “White Power” in large letters on the building’s exterior.

On January 31, 2024, officers from the Eugene Police Department, with assistance from the FBI, executed a state search warrant on Braun’s Eugene residence. Investigators located multiple pieces of evidence connecting Braun to the attacks on Temple Beth Israel, along with several items and writings belonging to Braun that were consistent with antisemitic beliefs and biases.

Braun was initially charged by criminal complaint on March 4, 2024. Later, on May 9, 2024, Braun was charged by criminal information with five counts of defacing and attempting to deface religious property because it was a place of religious worship for Jewish people.

Braun faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison, a $100,000 fine, and one year of supervised release for each count. He will be sentenced on February 18, 2025, before U.S. District Court Judge Michael J. McShane.

As part of the plea agreement, Braun has agreed to pay restitution in full to the victim.

This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Eugene Police Department. Gavin W. Bruce, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, and Cameron A. Bell, Trial Attorney for the Civil Rights Division Criminal Section, are prosecuting the case.

Source: US FBI

A former police officer from Pendleton, Oregon, was sentenced to federal prison for possessing child pornography on the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

Source: US FBI

PORTLAND, Ore.—A Madras, Oregon man was sentenced to federal prison Wednesday for possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in Jefferson County, Oregon.

Wyatt Franklin Powell, 61, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release.

According to court documents, on October 28, 2023, a Warm Springs Police Department (WSPD) officer responded to a report of erratic driving. During the traffic stop, the officer smelled a strong chemical odor consistent with narcotics. A second WSPD officer with drug detection dog arrived to assist and the dog alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. Officers located methamphetamine, fentanyl pills, a BB gun, drug paraphernalia and a digital scale in Powell’s vehicle.  

On February 22, 2024, Powell was charged by criminal information with one-count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. He pleaded guilty on July 2, 2024.

This case was investigated by the FBI and Warm Springs Police Department. It was prosecuted by Pamela Paaso, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

Source: US FBI

PORTLAND, Ore.—A federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment Tuesday charging a Eugene, Oregon man with posting violent threats online, announced the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.

Jeffrey Allen Voss, 31, has been charged with transmitting interstate threats and attempting to tamper with evidence.

According to court documents, between September 24 and 27, 2024, Voss is alleged to have posted several videos of himself online making violent threats, including two in which he was holding a firearm. In another video, Voss discussed becoming the next Kip Kinkel, referring to a school shooter who, in 1998, first murdered his parents then opened fire at a Springfield, Oregon school, killing two of his classmates and injuring twenty-five others.

Following those videos, on September 27, 2024, concerned citizens called 911 to report a Facebook Live video Voss posted wherein he allegedly claimed he was minutes from a high school and made violent threats. Acting quickly, the Eugene Police Department located and arrested Voss the same day.

On October 1, 2024, the FBI executed a search warrant on Voss’s residence. Agents located and seized two firearms, one replica firearm, ammunition, body armor, electronic storage media, and a handwritten note outlining his desires for vengeance and specifying individuals Voss wished to harm. The same day, upon learning his residence would be searched, Voss attempted to persuade an individual to conceal or remove evidence from his home.   

Voss made his initial appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. He was arraigned, pleaded not guilty, and ordered detained pending further court proceedings.

If convicted, Voss faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, 3 years’ supervised release, and a fine of $500,000.

This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Eugene Police Department. It is being prosecuted by William M. McLaren, 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.

Source: US FBI

TULSA, Okla. – A Tulsa man was sentenced today for Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography in Indian Country, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

U.S. District Judge John D. Russell sentenced Joseph Gunther Sampson, 31, to 121 months followed by 15 years of supervised release. He will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. Upon release, Sampson will be required to register as a sex offender. Restitution will be heard at a later date.

In a separate child pornography investigation, the FBI discovered messages between another individual and Sampson discussing minor children for sexual purposes. When the FBI interviewed Sampson in August 2024, he allowed law enforcement to search his phone. Even though he stated his phone was new, the FBI discovered multiple images that contained Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). When confronted about the CSAM, Sampson admitted to having viewed child pornography for the past five years. He further admitted to receiving and sharing CSAM through an application on his phone.

When the FBI searched Sampson’s home, they found three more electronic devices. The forensic analysis revealed that between December 2023 and August 2024, Sampson possessed 100s of images and videos containing CSAM. Multiple videos depict minors under the age of 12.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) CyberTipline is the nation’s centralized reporting system for the online exploitation of children. Since its inception in 1998, the NCMEC’s CyberTipline has received more than 195 million reports. The Child Victim Identification Program began in 2002 and has reviewed more than 425 million CSAM images or videos and helped identify more than 30,000 victims.

NCMEC assisted in this case by analyzing the images found by investigators to identify known and unknown child sexual assault victims. The FBI investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Ihler prosecuted the case.

This case was brought 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.

Source: US FBI

Operation Not Forgotten Will Surge 60 FBI Personnel to 10 FBI Field Offices to Support Investigations of Indian Country Violent Crimes

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Justice Department today announced that it will surge FBI assets across the country to address unresolved violent crimes in Indian Country, including crimes relating to missing and murdered indigenous persons.

FBI will send 60 personnel, rotating in 90-day temporary duty assignments over a six-month period.  This operation is the longest and most intense national deployment of FBI resources to address Indian Country crime to date.  FBI personnel will support field offices in Albuquerque; Denver; Detroit; Jackson, Miss.; Minneapolis; Oklahoma City; Phoenix; Portland, Oreg.; Seattle; and Salt Lake City. The FBI will work in partnership with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tribal law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions.

FBI personnel will be assisted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, and they will use the latest forensic evidence processing tools to solve cases and hold perpetrators accountable.  U.S. Attorney’s Offices will aggressively prosecute case referrals.

“Crime rates in American Indian and Alaska Native communities are unacceptably high. By surging FBI resources and collaborating closely with US Attorneys and Tribal law enforcement to prosecute cases, the Department of Justice will help deliver the accountability that these communities deserve,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi.

“The FBI will manhunt violent criminals on all lands – and Operation Not Forgotten ensures a surge in resources to locate violent offenders on tribal lands and find those who have gone missing,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.

“Today’s announcement provides necessary additional resources to seek justice for victims of violent crime and families of missing loved ones in Indian Country,” said United States Attorney Robert J. Troester. 

“Whether it’s a family mourning a murder victim, or a community searching for a missing friend or neighbor, there have been countless lives touched by violent crime in Indian Country. FBI Oklahoma City is proud to continue our collaboration with our Tribal law enforcement partners, BIA, OSBI, OHP, Tulsa PD, and other state and local agencies, in addition to the US Attorney’s Offices to investigate Indian country matters, and to find sustainable solutions that will improve public safety for our tribal communities.” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater.

Indian Country faces persistent levels of crime and victimization.  At the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025, FBI’s Indian Country program had approximately 4,300 open investigations, including over 900 death investigations, 1,000 child abuse investigations, and more than 500 domestic violence and adult sexual abuse investigations.

Operation Not Forgotten renews efforts begun during President Trump’s first term under E.O. 13898, Establishing the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives.  This is the third deployment under Operation Not Forgotten, which has provided investigative support to over 500 cases in the past two years.  Combined, these operations resulted in the recovery of 10 child victims, 52 arrests, and 25 indictments or judicial complaints.

Operation Not Forgotten also expands upon the resources deployed in recent years to address cases of missing and murdered indigenous people.  The effort will be supported by the Department’s MMIP Regional Outreach Program, which places attorneys and coordinators in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the United States to help prevent and respond to cases of missing or murdered indigenous people.

Source: US FBI

OKLAHOMA CITY – An Oklahoma man was sentenced in a federal court in Midland, Texas, on March 27, 2025, to 540 months in prison for charges related to sexual exploitation of children.

According to court documents, on Jan. 30, 2024, JONATHON CHASE RUSSELL, 36, of Elk City, posted in a messaging app 15 images that depicted two minor females engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The next day, Russell sent three of the images to an undercover federal investigator, stating that the two minors were three and 11 years old. Further investigation led FBI agents to identify Russell’s IP addresses and locate him at a hotel in Midland. On Feb. 8, 2024, agents executed a warrant on his hotel room, where they discovered pairs of children’s underwear and a green tactical backpack that contained sexual devices. Agents also discovered a smartphone, which had been hidden underneath a refrigerator and which forensic examination revealed contained a substantial collection of images depicting sexual abuse of minor children.  

The Western District of Texas filed a three-count indictment on Feb. 28, 2024, charging Russell with possession of child pornography, distribution of child pornography, and travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. Russell was also indicted in the Western District of Oklahoma on April 3, 2024, for one count of production of visual depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. His Oklahoma case was transferred to Midland, and on Aug. 19, 2024, Russell pleaded guilty to the count charged in the Western District of Oklahoma indictment and to all three counts charged in the Western District of Texas via a superseding indictment.

“This defendant’s abhorrent behavior has been put to an end thanks to cooperation between federal prosecutors and law enforcement across the country,” said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester for the Western District of Oklahoma. “The lengthy sentence imposed is yet another example of the Department’s focus on protecting children and serving justice to those who seek to target the most vulnerable in our communities.”

“The lengthy sentence imposed in this case reflects the immense damage this individual inflicted on multiple children, who will be plagued by these experiences for the rest of their lives,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas. “Along with our law enforcement partners and, when necessary, across districts, we will continue to hold accountable the predators who harm the lives of children through illicit sexual crimes.”

“The significant sentence imposed on Jonathan Chase Russell sends a clear message that there are serious consequences for those individuals who exploit children. Russell will serve the next 45 years in federal prison for his incomprehensible acts,” said John Morales, FBI El Paso Special Agent in Charge. “We remain committed in working with our law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue those who victimize the most vulnerable members of our society, our children, from infants to toddlers to young children to teenagers, we will hunt you down and serve justice for these horrendous crimes.”

The FBI El Paso and Oklahoma City field offices investigated the case with assistance from the Elk City Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Ganz prosecuted the case for the Western District of Oklahoma, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Haywood prosecuted the case for the Western District of Texas. 

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the DOJ Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC 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 PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Reference is made to public filings for additional information.