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Source: US FBI

LITTLE ROCK—Three federal investigations culminated in 45 arrests this morning. An investigative focus on the pipeline of drugs and firearms between Pine Bluff and Little Rock resulted in the indictment of 80 individuals, all charged with various federal firearms and drug trafficking charges in multiple indictments that were unsealed today.

Two FBI operations, each focused on a rival gang, were created to address violence and drug trafficking in the corridor between Pine Bluff and Little Rock. The investigations focused on rival gangs responsible for violence throughout central Arkansas, with one operation focused on the EBK or Every Body Killas gang and resulting in the indictment of 35 defendants. The second investigation focused on the Loady Murder Mobb gang and resulted in the indictment of 26 defendants. Three more defendants, Quincy Martez Chambers, D’eandreian Devonte Meadows, and Joseph Riggins, Jr., are charged separately in stand-alone indictments. Three defendants are named in multiple indictments.

A third operation, this one led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), began in August 2021 when DEA and the North Little Rock Police Department identified street-level methamphetamine and fentanyl dealers in central Arkansas who were connected to the same source of supply. Investigation revealed the drugs were being mailed into Arkansas from California, and these shipments—which included kilogram-quantities of methamphetamine and thousands of pressed fentanyl pills—were then distributed to individuals in Little Rock and Pine Bluff as well as Houston, Texas. This investigation culminated in the indictment of 18 defendants. Manuel Taylor was charged in a separate indictment.

Pine Bluff Police Detective Kevin Collins was shot and killed in October 2020 while serving an arrest warrant on an EBK associate wanted for a homicide in Georgia. Prior to his death, Detective Collins was assisting FBI with intelligence related to criminal activity of these gangs, as well as surveillance, interviews, and arrests of individuals responsible for criminal activity in Pine Bluff. In March 2021, the FBI’s GETROCK Task Force obtained a wiretap and used a total of twelve wiretaps through June 2022 as a source of real-time information to intervene and prevent violence in Pine Bluff, Little Rock, and other communities throughout the state. Law enforcement discovered that the gangs were funding their violent activity primarily through the sale of large quantities of high-grade marijuana. The investigation revealed drug trafficking and travel between Arkansas and Texas, California, Arizona, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Oklahoma.

Law enforcement began early this morning by searching for 72 suspects, all of whom were indicted for federal gun and drug trafficking crimes. Of the 80 defendants indicted in the three investigations, 8 of those were already in custody when this morning’s roundup began. In addition to the arrests, during the operation authorities seized 4 firearms, one of which was an AR-style pistol; 2 ounces of cocaine; 1 ounce of crack cocaine; and $30,000 cash.

Prior to today’s FBI arrests in their operations involving the EBK and Loady Murder Mobb gangs, investigators seized 42 firearms, including two machine guns; approximately $775,000 in cash and $428,000 in jewelry; approximately 278 pounds of marijuana, which has an approximate street value of $450,000; 7 ounces of cocaine; 3 ounces of crack cocaine; 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine; and 116 pills containing fentanyl.

Before today’s DEA arrests, investigators seized $146,000 in cash, 10 firearms, 12 pounds of methamphetamine, 1.2 kilograms of powder fentanyl, 600 pressed fentanyl pills, 10 pounds of marijuana, and nine ounces of cocaine.

Twenty-seven fugitives remain after this morning’s arrests. Most of the defendants who were arrested this morning will appear at a later date for arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Joe J. Volpe.

The FBI conducted their operations with assistance from Arkansas State Police, Arkansas Department of Community Corrections, Little Rock Police Department, North Little Rock Police Department, Pine Bluff Police Department, and Jonesboro Police Department. FBI’s GETROCK Task Force was formed in 2017 in response to the escalation in gang and gun violence in Little Rock. The unit’s investigations and operations are coordinated out of FBI Little Rock’s field office, and GETROCK continues to serve as the clearinghouse for gang-related law enforcement activity in Central Arkansas. Additional support was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Arkansas National Guard Counterdrug Joint Task Force; and the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory. These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Julie Peters and Amanda Fields with assistance from Cameron McCree.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Little Rock District Office conducted their operation with assistance from DEA Riverside, California District Office; USPIS; North Little Rock Police Department; Sherwood Police Department; and Benton Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chris Givens.

These efforts are part of several Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operations. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. 

An indictment only contains allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the

United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

https://www.justice.gov/edar

 Twitter: @EDARNEWS

Source: US FBI

Source: US FBI

FBI Little Rock has noted an increase in sextortion schemes targeting children in the northwest Arkansas area. The FBI and local police in northwest Arkansas have received numerous reports of predators attempting to coerce young boys into sending sexual videos of themselves and then extorting money from these victims.

Here’s how this disturbing scheme works:

1. A predator (posing as a young girl on social media) uses deception and manipulation to convince a young male, usually 13 to 17 years old, to engage in explicit sexual activity over video chat.
2. The video is secretly recorded and saved by the predator.
3. The predator then reveals they have saved the recordings and attempts to extort money from the juvenile victim by threatening to post the videos across various social media platforms.
4. To receive money, the predator may ask for bank account login information or request gift cards.

Sextortion is a crime. The coercion of a child by an adult to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM) carries heavy penalties, including life sentences for offenders. To make the victimization stop, children typically notify someone—normally a parent, teacher, caregiver, or law enforcement. The embarrassment children feel from the activity they were coerced to engage in usually prevents them from asking for help. Sextortion offenders frequently have dozens of victims around the world, so when a victim comes forward to help law enforcement identify a predator, they are likely preventing countless future incidents of sexual exploitation.

Here are some tips to protect adults and children online:

• Parents and children need to be selective about what they share online. If social media accounts are open to everyone, offenders can easily learn about parents and their children, and then use that information for predatory purposes.
• Be wary of anyone you encounter online. Block or ignore messages from strangers.
• Predators can pretend to be anyone online. Videos and photos are not proof that a person is who they claim to be.
• Be highly suspicious if someone you meet on a game or app asks you to start communicating with them on a different platform.
• Encourage children to report suspicious behavior to a trusted adult.

If you know someone who may be a victim of sextortion in Arkansas:

1. Contact the FBI’s Arkansas Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force at 501-221-9100.
2. Do not delete anything before law enforcement is able to review it.
3. Tell law enforcement everything about the online encounters. It may be embarrassing, but it is necessary to find the predator.

Source: US FBI

      LITTLE ROCK—A Helena-West Helena man has been sentenced to 65 months in prison for providing material support to a terrorist organization. Bilal Al-Rayanni, 31, a naturalized citizen originally from Yemen, was sentenced Friday by United States District Judge Susan Webber Wright. Judge Wright also sentenced Al-Rayanni to 10 years of supervised release following imprisonment.

      In July 2014, Al-Rayanni traveled from the United States to Yemen to visit his family, where he stayed until January 2015. While Al-Rayanni was in Yemen, a terrorist organization known as Al Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), also known as Ansar al-Sharira (AAS), began to sweep south from the capital of Sanaa in armed conflict with Houthi rebels. Al-Rayanni admitted to federal agents that while he was in Yemen, he drove a vehicle in an armed convoy as part of an AAS recruiting mission.

      Images from Al-Rayanni’s time in Yemen include him with a dagger at his waist bearing the AAS emblem, images of him with the ISIS flag, and images of him in front of a convoy vehicle with an ammunition belt, two rifles, and an AK-47 automatic weapon resting against the vehicle. Al-Rayanni admitted to federal authorities that he drove an AAS recruiter from village to village to recruit fighters to oppose the Houthis.

      “While overseas, Bilal Al-Rayanni willingly volunteered to serve as a driver in an armed AQAP/AAS recruitment convoy,” said FBI Little Rock Special Agent in Charge James A. Dawson. “His lengthy federal prison sentence should serve as a warning to other potential supporters of designated foreign terrorist organizations. FBI Little Rock investigators on the Joint Terrorism Task Force remain dedicated to investigating and preventing acts of domestic and international terrorism which target our Arkansas communities.”

      This case was investigated by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacy Williams.

# # #

This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the

United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

https://www.justice.gov/edar

Twitter:

@EDARNEWS

Source: US FBI

LITTLE ROCK, AR— During an enforcement campaign conducted over the past two weeks, the FBI and its law enforcement partners identified and located 84 minor victims and rescued 37 actively missing children. This is the 13th iteration of the FBI-led nationwide operation, dubbed “Operation Cross Country,” focused on identifying and locating victims of sex trafficking. The campaign also develops state and federal cases against individuals and criminal enterprises involved in both child sex trafficking and human trafficking.

In addition to the identification and location of adolescent victims, the FBI and its partners located 141 adult victims of human trafficking across the nation. Special agents and investigators also identified or arrested 85 suspects with child sexual exploitation and human trafficking offenses. Those suspects identified will be subject to additional investigation for potential charges. The average age of victims located in similar operations is approximately 16 years old, while the youngest victim discovered during this operation was 11 years old.

In Arkansas, FBI agents from the Fayetteville Resident Agency partnered with northwest Arkansas victim advocacy organizations and law enforcement from Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Bentonville Police Department, Greenland School District Police Department, Lakeview Police Department, Rogers Police Department, Siloam Springs Police Department, and the University of Arkansas Police Department. Beginning on August 4th, this team identified and located two human trafficking victims, arrested one alleged human trafficker, and apprehended three individuals who allegedly traveled or intended to travel to northwest Arkansas from other states and cities in separate attempts to engage in unlawful sexual conduct with minors.

“Human trafficking is among the most heinous crimes the FBI encounters,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Unfortunately, such crimes—against both adults and children—are far more common than most people realize. As we did in this operation, the FBI and our partners will continue to find and arrest traffickers, identify and help victims, and raise awareness of the exploitation of our most vulnerable populations.”

As part of Operation Cross Country XII, FBI special agents, intelligence analysts, victim specialists, and child adolescent forensic interviewers— working in conjunction with over 200 local, state, and federal partners and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)— conducted 391 operations over a two-week period.

“The success of Operation Cross Country in Arkansas this year is a direct result of the enduring partnerships we share with local and state law enforcement,” said FBI Little Rock Special Agent in Charge James A. Dawson. “Without our partners, four alleged predators may have avoided justice and two human trafficking victims may not have received the assistance they desperately needed. We will continue to work with Arkansas police agencies to combat human trafficking and child exploitation throughout our state.”

Source: US FBI

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Trevor Lee O’Dowd, 29, of Prescott Valley, was arrested last week for making online threats to kill anyone who attended yesterday evening’s music event at a venue in Tempe, Arizona. O’Dowd was charged by federal criminal complaint with a single count of Interstate Communication of Threats.

The complaint alleges that, between March 12 and 13, 2024, O’Dowd used a social media platform to post numerous threats to injure and kill attendees at the music event. O’Dowd posts indicated that he felt disrespected for not being invited to the event. His threatening posts included the following statements:

            “If they go im going on a rampage im just letting yall know before it happens.”

            “Anyone got an AK I can b[o]rrow. Bout to go end some lives since u think I’m never      gonna make it.” 

            “I suggest hiring more security for ur events soon.” 

            “April 7^th will be the last day for AZ hip hop.”

            “[D]on’t show up to mill Ave is all imma say.” 

In other messages, O’Dowd welcomed a police presence and added that it would “be a wild west shootout like the good old days . . . I have no reason to live so good luck with that.” 

The single count of Interstate Communication of Threats carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.

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.

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

CASE NUMBER:           24-6135MJ
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-046_O’Dowd

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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 X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

Source: US FBI

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Alaa Robert Bartley, 41, of Gilbert, was arrested on Friday for receiving and possessing child sex abuse images. He was charged by federal criminal complaint on Friday with one count of Knowingly Receiving Child Pornography and one count of Knowingly Possessing Child Pornography. Bartley is an officer with the Phoenix Police Department.

The complaint alleges that, between August 2020 and February 2022, while living in Gilbert, Bartley used a social media platform to communicate with an adult woman, with the two expressing their sexual interest in children and the woman sending Bartley child pornography images. The affidavit alleges that Bartley used a fictitious name, but identified himself as a police officer and sent a picture of himself that showed his face to her. The adult woman has been charged separately in the Eastern District of Michigan in CR-23-20653.

A count of Knowingly Receiving Child Pornography carries a minimum mandatory sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. A count of Knowingly Possessing Child Pornography carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; if the offense involved a visual depiction of a prepubescent minor or minor who had not attained the age of 12, the offense carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to a lifetime of supervised release.

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.

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

CASE NUMBER:            24-6161MJ
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-047_Bartley

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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 X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

Source: US FBI

TUCSON, Ariz. – Linh Cao Nguyen, M.D., of Peoria, pleaded guilty on March 19, 2024, to Health Care Fraud. Nguyen’s sentencing is scheduled for May 28, 2024, before United States District Judge John C. Hinderaker.

Nguyen admitted that for years, he engaged in a scheme to defraud various health care benefit programs, including Medicare, TRICARE, AHCCCS, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and UnitedHealthcare. As part of his scheme, Nguyen knowingly caused to be submitted thousands of false billing claims. Nguyen also falsely created patient records to conceal and avoid detection of his fraudulent billing scheme. Generally, the fraudulent claims identified a medical doctor as the treating provider when, in fact, another provider such as a nurse practitioner, social worker, unlicensed psychology intern, or wound care nurse provided the service independently. By billing the medical service as if it were provided by a physician, Nguyen falsely inflated the amount his company was to be paid for the service.

Nguyen admitted the loss he caused was at least $3.7 million dollars. Nguyen agreed to pay restitution to the private insurance companies totaling over $1 million.

A conviction for Health Care Fraud carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-21-02716-TUC-JCH
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-044_Nguyen

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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 X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

Source: US FBI

ARIZONA—Have you ever wanted to be part of a SWAT Team? Collect evidence or fingerprint a suspect? If so, then consider participating in the FBI Teen Academy.

The FBI Phoenix division invites all interested Arizona high school upcoming juniors and seniors (class of 2025/2026) to apply to the FBI Phoenix Teen Academy. Class will be held on June 12, for Phoenix students and June 14, for Tucson students from 8:30 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.

The FBI Teen Academy program provides an opportunity for students to learn about the different careers within the FBI, and actively engage with FBI agents to learn about crime prevention, evidence gathering, and investigative techniques.

Graduates of the Teen Academy program develop a keen understanding of how the FBI interacts and works with local law enforcement agencies to protect our communities.

Participation is free and volunteer organizations provide supplies for the events. Applicants must be rising juniors or seniors in high school in the state of Arizona.

This is a competitive program, and not all applicants will be selected. Student selection for the Teen Academy will be based on a quality application and written assignment. The application, release form, and supporting assignment must be received by the FBI Phoenix office by May 10, 2024. Incomplete and/or late applications will not be accepted.

To apply and for more information on the FBI Teen Academy, visit: https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/phoenix/community-outreach.

Source: US FBI

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA—Former Advanced Nurse Practitioner Jessica Joyce Spayd (52) was sentenced in U.S. District Court yesterday to 30 years (360 months) imprisonment for illegally prescribing and dispensing opioids outside the scope of legitimate medical practice that resulted in the deaths of five people between 2014 and 2019. United States District Judge Joshua M. Kindred handed down the sentence.

A jury convicted Spayd on October 27, 2022, of 10 crimes including five counts of illegal drug distribution that resulted in death and one count of maintaining a drug involved premises. She was also ordered to forfeit $117,000 in unlawful proceeds.

The parties presented 51 witnesses during the four-week trial. Government witnesses included pharmacists who refused to fill prescriptions from Spayd, law enforcement agents and officers who investigated the deaths, Spayd’s employees, individuals who received pills from Spayd, medical experts, every Medical Examiner in Alaska (each of whom performed autopsies on different overdose victims), and family members of the victims.

Evidence presented during the trial showed that Spayd prescribed and dispensed 4.5 million dosages of opioids in just over five years including fentanyl, methadone, oxycodone, and hydromorphone. Many times she combined those prescriptions with prescriptions for dangerous other drugs like valium and muscle relaxers, known as the “holy trinity,” greatly increasing the chances of overdose death. She wrote these prescriptions with little to no medical justification or treatment plan; minimal, if any, tests or physical examinations; and little, if any, considerations of non-opioid treatment. Many of her patients were vulnerable and suffering from chronic pain, addiction, and mental illness, yet Spayd disregarded their medical histories, risk factors, past overdoses, symptoms, and pleas to reduce or taper their doses. She also ignored warnings from patients’ family members, pharmacists, and other medical providers, and defied thousands of warning letters sent by insurance companies about the dangers of her practices.

In imposing the sentence, Judge Kindred emphasized the trust that society places in medical practitioners like Spayd and remarked that “when [practitioners] fail in their responsibilities, [they] can do far greater harm than the drug dealer on the street corner.” He also acknowledged that Spayd “knew she was in effect killing people, and she just kept doing it,” for nearly two decades.

“This is the deadliest drug case in this district’s history. And disturbingly, the five deaths the Defendant was convicted of at trial are just the tip of the iceberg” because “Spayd may have caused or contributed to the deaths of dozens: 20 total confirmed drug overdoses and many others suspected. She was a serial killer with a ‘poison pen,’” Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan D. Tansey wrote in a sentencing memorandum filed with the court. “[H]er conduct was far more insidious” than that of a street level dealer “because she sanctioned (and supplied) lethal levels of drugs for her patients, day after day, year after year, under the shroud of a prescribing license, assuring them that it was safe and necessary. In the process, she abused her authority and violated her oath as a medical professional, prescribing higher doses per patient than any other prescriber in Alaska during the charging period.”

“Medical practitioners who abuse their positions of trust by supplying millions of opioids for no legitimate medical purpose wreak havoc on our community,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker. “Let this sentence send a clear message to any other medical practitioners considering similar conduct in Alaska: our office and law enforcement partners will work tirelessly to investigate and prosecute these cases, and you will be punished severely.”

“Ms. Spayd betrayed the trust of her profession, those under her care, and her community by prescribing a staggering amount of opioids along with other powerful narcotics,” said Jacob D. Galvan, Acting Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “This lengthy sentence emphasizes the seriousness of Ms. Spayd’s actions and should be seen as deterrent to those who aim to bring harm to our communities.”

“Spayd callously abused her dispensing authority, while fueling the opioid epidemic and poisoning our communities in the process,” said Special Agent in Charge Antony Jung of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “This investigation and subsequent prosecution was about seeking justice for the victims and their families, and holding Spayd accountable for her destructive and lethal crimes. With Spayd’s abuse linked to a significant loss of life, this sentence will undoubtedly have a direct public safety impact on our community.”

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Tansey and Michael Heyman prosecuted the case. 

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted the investigation leading to the charges in this case, with invaluable assistance from members of the North Slope Borough Police Department, the Alaska Health Care Fraud Task Force, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of the Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Office of Law Enforcement and Security, Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Alaska State Parks Rangers, Alaska State Troopers, Anchorage Police Department, Alaska Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the State of Alaska Division of Insurance.

The Alaska Health Care Fraud Task Force (AHCFTF) is a partnership of local, state, federal, and private agencies focused on the investigation of health care fraud, waste, and abuse in Alaska or affecting Alaskan interests.