Category: Security

Source: US FBI

Director Christopher Wray has named Douglas A. Olson as the special agent in charge of the Portland Field Office in Oregon. Mr. Olson most recently served as a section chief in the Criminal Investigative Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Olson joined the FBI as a special agent in 2003 and was assigned to the Greensboro Resident Agency of the Charlotte Field Office in North Carolina. He worked a variety of criminal and national security matters, including violent crime, white-collar crime, and counterterrorism investigations. In 2006, Mr. Olson transferred to the New York Field Office and investigated organized crime. He was recognized for his efforts investigating members of the Genovese Organized Crime family.

In 2009, Mr. Olson was promoted to supervisory special agent and reported to FBI Headquarters as the program manager of the Eurasian Organized Crime Unit of the Criminal Investigative Division. During this time, he helped establish five new assistant legal attaché positions focused on criminal matters. Mr. Olson was selected in 2013 to serve as the supervisory senior resident agent of the Salem Resident Agency of the Portland Field Office and was responsible for all FBI programs in Salem.

Mr. Olson was promoted to assistant legal attaché in 2016 and served in the Stockholm suboffice of the FBI’s legal attaché office in Copenhagen, Denmark. He received an Attorney General Award for his work to further the interests of U.S. national security.

In 2019, Mr. Olson was named an assistant special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh Field Office, where he was responsible for the cyber, counterintelligence, intelligence, and mission support programs. He was promoted in 2022 to chief of the Operational Support Section of the Criminal Investigative Division at Headquarters.

Mr. Olson earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Virginia Polytechnic State University. Prior to joining the FBI, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a scout-sniper platoon commander and intelligence officer.

Source: US FBI

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Thomas Edward Gailus, age 51, of Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea one count of Possession of Certain Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.

The Indictment alleged that between April of 2018 and March 23, 2023, Gailus knowingly accessed and possessed visual depictions from the internet of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, and that Gailus accessed the images intending to view them.

The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Honorable Judge D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.  Gailus will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessie Pippin and Dak Cohen and U.S. Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section Trial Attorney Gwendelynn Bills represented the United States.

Source: US FBI

ALBUQUERQUE – An Albuquerque man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for a violent crime spree that began with a double murder, after being convicted at trial of two counts of attempted carjacking, one count of carjacking, and the possession and use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

At trial, the court heard evidence that on September 7, 2020, Dakota Briscoe, 38, used a tan handgun to commit a series of violent acts, including the double homicide of two victims whose bodies were discovered in a burning vehicle in the South Valley. Although the firearm was never recovered by law enforcement, witness testimonies confirmed that Briscoe was seen with the firearm, and multiple .45 caliber casings were recovered from the crime scenes.

Briscoe’s violent spree began with the double homicide, which led to his desperate attempts to evade capture through armed carjackings. Briscoe targeted vulnerable individuals, including women, brandishing his firearm during these incidents.

Briscoe successfully evaded arrest that day and was not apprehended until September 16, 2020. He was stopped at a United States Border Patrol checkpoint while driving a white commercial-style van that lacked a license plate or registration tag. During the encounter with USBP, Briscoe exhibited nervous behavior, avoided eye contact, and claimed he did not have identification.Briscoe provided agents with his brother’s name, who had an active warrant issued in New Mexico for failing to appear. As a result, Briscoe was arrested and booked under his brother’s identity.

Upon his release from prison, Briscoe will be subject to four years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Albuquerque Police Department, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, New Mexico State Police and U.S. Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jaymie L. Roybal and Jon Stanford prosecuted the case.

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Source: US FBI

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Charles Daniel Tow, age 34, of Moore, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl and one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition.

The Indictment alleged that on June 6, 2024, Tow knowingly and intentionally possessed 40 or more grams of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, for the purpose of distribution.  The Indictment also alleged that on that same date, Tow knowingly possessed a .380ACP caliber semi-automatic pistol and eight rounds of .380ACP caliber ammunition after having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, despite knowing of that conviction.

The charges arose from an investigation by the District 27 Drug Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Tow will remain in the custody of the U. S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Lorenz represented the United States.

Source: US FBI

ALBUQUERQUE – A Fruitland woman was sentenced to 33 months in prison for a violent incident that left her victim with serious head injuries in February 2023. On October 17, 2024, she pled guilty to both counts in the indictment, which charged her with two felonies—assault resulting in serious bodily injury and assault with a dangerous weapon.

According to court documents, on February 21, 2023, Richelle Rose Upshaw, 24, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, and three other women embarked on a nearly 23-mile trek from the Journey Inn in Farmington to Upshaw’s trailer on the Navajo Nation. The group engaged in multiple physical fights with each other during their journey, reportedly fueled by alcohol consumption. Upon arrival at the trailer, tensions escalated when Upshaw demanded the other women leave. Upshaw then engaged in a fistfight with Jane Doe, which culminated in Upshaw stabbing Doe in the head with her pocketknife.

Photo of Upshaw’s knife with three-inch blade

Following the stabbing, Jane Doe was transported to the Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock, where she was treated for serious injuries.

Upshaw fled the scene and was arrested later that day by officers from the Navajo Nation Police Department at a nearby residence, where officers noted a strong odor of alcohol on her.

Upon her release from prison, Upshaw will be subject to three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez, 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 assistance from Navajo Nation Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorneys Zachary C. Jones and Meg Tomlinson are prosecuting the case.

 

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Source: US FBI

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Salasha Fae Bosley, age 25, of Wagoner, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to two counts of Child Neglect in Indian Country.

The Indictment alleged that between September 2023 and June 16, 2024, Bosley failed to provide two children with adequate nurturance, affection, food, shelter, sanitation, hygiene, medical care, supervision, and sanitary living conditions while responsible for the health, safety, and welfare of the children.

The crimes occurred in Wagoner County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The charges arose from an investigation by the Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Bove and Caila M. Cleary represented the United States.

Source: US FBI

ALBUQUERQUE – A Church Rock man was sentenced to 264 months in prison after pleading guilty to multiple counts of sexual abuse involving three young victims, two of whom were under the age of 12 at the time of the offenses and one was under the age of 16.

According to court documents, between January 2014 and December 2021, Nathaniel Luz, 32, and enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, engaged in sexual contact with two victims, both children who had not yet attained the age of 12 years.

In August 2022, Luz also engaged in a sexual act with a third victim, a child who had attained the age of 12 years but had not yet attained the age of 16 years.

Upon his release from prison, Luz will be subject to fifteen years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.

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

The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations investigated this case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany DuChaussee 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.

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Source: US FBI

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that Richard Leroy Osborn III, age 47, of Wagoner County, Oklahoma, was found guilty by a federal jury of eight counts of child sexual abuse, including five counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse and three counts of Abusive Sexual Contact.  Two of the counts of conviction carry a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

The jury trial began with testimony on December 9, 2024, and concluded on December 11, 2024, with the guilty verdicts.

During the trial, the United States presented evidence that Osborn sexually assaulted three children starting in 2011 and continuing until May of 2022, when one of the children first disclosed the sexual abuse.  Additionally, the United States presented evidence that Osborn, already a registered sex offender at the time of the crimes, had previously sexually abused three other victims when they were minors.

The guilty verdicts were the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The crimes occurred in Wagoner County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservations, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The Honorable Kea W. Riggs, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court of New Mexico, sitting by assignment, presided over the trial in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and ordered the completion of a presentence report.  Sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report.  Osborn will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service until sentencing.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Morgan Muzljakovich and Nicole Paladino represented the United States.

Source: US FBI

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A Youngstown, Ohio, resident was sentenced to 92 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl and fluorofentanyl, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

Senior United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on Teqwan Scott, 29, also ordering Scott to serve four years of supervised release following his prison term. Scott previously pleaded guilty in this case to conspiring to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 10 grams or more of fluorofentanyl.

Prior to sentencing, the Court was informed that Scott was responsible for trafficking between 40 and 70 grams of a mixture of fentanyl and fluorofentanyl from May 2021 to October 2022, during which time Scott was on bond with a pending state fentanyl trafficking charge in Venango County, Pennsylvania. Scott had already been convicted in Ohio of committing several crimes since 2014, including domestic violence, aggravated possession of drugs, illegal conveyance of prohibited items onto the grounds of a detention facility, and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.

United States Attorney Olshan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, United States Postal Inspection Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Lawrence County Drug Task Force, Mercer County Drug Task Force, New Castle Police Department, Sharon Police Department, and Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Scott.

Source: US FBI

ALBUQUERQUE – An Albuquerque man was sentenced in federal court to 20 years in prison for a series of armed robberies committed in February and March 2022 after he absconded from a federal halfway house.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, Xavior Akina, 28, committed the following crimes:

• On February 23, 2022, Akina robbed a Chevron gas station in Los Lunas at gunpoint, stealing money, cigarettes, and an energy drink.
• On February 25, 2022, Akina robbed a Circle K in Los Lunas, again using a silver handgun to demand money from the clerk.
• On March 12, 2022, Akina robbed another Circle K in Albuquerque, shooting and injuring the clerk during the incident.
• On March 13, 2022, Akina committed two more armed robberies in Albuquerque, targeting a DK convenience store and a Sally’s Beauty Store.

Prior to his crime spree, Akina had absconded from a federal halfway house. Akina‘s criminal history includes a prior conviction for armed robbery of a pizza delivery person in 2018, for which he was sentenced to 84 months in prison.

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

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

The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel A. Hurtado prosecuted the case.

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