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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that OTRAVIOUS ROMEL HARRIS, SR. (“HARRIS”), age 44, a resident of Bogalusa, Louisiana, was sentenced on September 9, 2025, to five years of probation, after previously pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1). This statute carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years in a federal penitentiary, as well as up to 3 years of supervised release following imprisonment and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. According to court records, the United States Sentencing Guidelines called for a sentence of 70-87 months in prison, based on his significant criminal history, that included prior convictions and prison terms for Distribution of Cocaine, and Possession with the Intent to Distribute Cocaine in 2006, as well as Possession with the Intent to Distribute Cocaine, Oxycodone, and Alprazolam, and Aggravated Flight from an Officer and Possession of Oxycodone in 2018. United States District Judge Darrell James Papillion granted HARRIS’ motion for a downward departure and sentenced HARRIS to 5 years of probation. This sentence was imposed over the objection of the United States Attorney’s Office, who sought a jail sentence as called for by the Guidelines. HARRIS was charged in federal court with being a felon in possession of a firearm after he was the subject of a traffic stop on June 22, 2022. During the traffic stop officers observed that HARRIS was smoking marijuana. During a search of his vehicle officers located a loaded Glock 9mm handgun. DNA test of the firearm showed that HARRIS’ DNA was on the firearm. HARRIS pled guilty as charged to this federal offense on November 5, 2024.

As part of his probation, HARRIS must not violate any local, state, or federal laws, and he will have a curfew where he will have to remain in his house from 9:00 pm until 5:00 am. He will also have to report to his probation officer.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Maurice E. Landrieu, Jr. of the Narcotics Unit.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

            WASHINGTON – A 63-year-old man, of Southeast Washington, was sentenced today to life in prison for federal child exploitation offenses, including production of child pornography, enticement of a minor, and possession of child pornography, as well as multiple counts of first- degree child sexual abuse and first-degree sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances. 

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The defendant, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, was found guilty by a jury in October 2021, following a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell.

            According to the government’s evidence, the defendant repeatedly sexually abused his stepdaughter from May 2016 until April 2017. The victim was 12 and 13 years old at the time and living with her mother, younger sister, and the defendant at the defendant’s apartment. The defendant also directed the victim to take photographs of herself constituting child sexual abuse material and to transfer those photographs to the defendant’s cell phones. Additionally, he stored these sexually explicit photographs on his cell phones and computer. These photographs, as well as dozens of text messages to the victim corroborating the sexual abuse, were recovered from the defendant’s electronic devices by law enforcement. 

            The defendant was arrested in May 2019 and was subsequently detained pending trial. 

            The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jacobs, and Chief Contee acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the FBI-Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Division, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. The FBI task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and human trafficking.

            They also expressed appreciation for those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Specialist Lezlie Richardson, Paralegal Specialist Alexis Spencer-Anderson, Assistant U.S. Attorney Elana Suttenberg, former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Loeb and Andrea Hertzfeld, and Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Section Intern David Offit.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Burrell and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Sedky, who prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Spokane, Washington – Dr. Ray Smith, a mental health counselor practicing in Spokane, and his company, “A Brief Counseling Center,” also known as “Healthy Counseling Center” (“ABCC”) have agreed to pay $138,984 to resolve allegations that he and his company fraudulently billed Washington State Medicaid. Dr. Smith is a licensed mental health counselor in the State of Washington and is the sole owner of ABCC. During the relevant time period, ABCC employed a number of mental health treatment providers, and billed Washington State Medicaid for their services. Washington State Medicaid – also known as Apple Health – is funded by federal and state taxpayers and provides health insurance for needy and low-income residents of Washington. Medicaid provides reimbursement for mental health treatment services provided by qualified and licensed providers who are enrolled and contracted with the state Health Care Authority, which administers the Medicaid program in Washington.

According to court documents, this settlement resolves allegations under the False Claims Act that Dr. Smith and ABCC improperly billed Medicaid for unlicensed and unqualified therapists who did not meet qualification requirements, were not contracted with the state, and were not eligible for reimbursement through Medicaid. The settlement also resolves allegations that Dr. Smith and ABCC fraudulently billed Medicaid for the services by falsely misrepresenting that the services had been provided by licensed and qualified therapists.

“Mental health services are a vital component of a safe and strong community, and our public funding for those services is a precious and limited resource,” said United States Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref. “Fraudulently billing the public for unqualified and unlicensed therapy services provided to some of the most vulnerable members of our community is simply unconscionable, and will not be tolerated.”

The case began in November 2019 when two whistleblowers who had previously provided billing services for ABCC filed a qui tam complaint under seal. When a whistleblower, or “relator,” files a qui tam complaint, the False Claims Act requires the United States to investigate the allegations and elect whether to intervene and take over the action or to decline to intervene and allow the relator to go forward with the litigation on behalf of the United States. The relator is generally able to then share in any recovery. In this case, the United States intervened in February 2022 and obtained the settlement. Pursuant to the settlement agreement, the relator will receive $25,712 of the settlement amount, which includes both state and federal components.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said “the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for high-quality mental health services. To pose as qualified mental health professionals in order to claim Medicaid dollars is unethical, dangerous, and unlawful. I am proud of our collaboration with our federal partners, and the hard work it took to bring this company to justice. I look forward to continuing our work together to protect Medicaid dollars for those who need them.”

“Beneficiaries of federal health care programs deserve legitimate services furnished by certified practitioners,” said Special Agent in Charge Steven J. Ryan with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Medicaid patients should receive nothing but quality care at all times. HHS-OIG and partnering agencies resolutely pursue providers who deviate from this commitment.”

United States Attorney Waldref commended the whistleblowers for exposing this fraud: “It takes real courage to come forward, and I thank the whistleblowers for performing their civic duties. I am extremely proud of the top-notch investigative work performed by HHS-OIG, and of our close partnership with Washington’s Office of the Attorney General, Medicaid Fraud Control Division. Today’s result demonstrates that we will work hand-in-glove with our law enforcement partners to protect precious public funds from greed, and that we will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute health care fraud in Eastern Washington.”

The settlement was the result of a joint investigation conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington, HHS-OIG’s Seattle Field Office, and the State of Washington, Office of the Attorney General, Medicaid Fraud Control Division. The Executive Office for U.S. Attorney’s Forensic Investigations Group provided invaluable financial analytic support. Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Fruchter and Tyler H.L. Tornabene of the Eastern District of Washington handled this matter on behalf of the United States.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

WILLIAMSPORT – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Joseph Rinker, 51, of Lycoming County, was sentenced to two years of probation by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Matthew W. Brann for tax evasion. 

According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Rinker pleaded guilty to a criminal information that charged him with using his position as the manager of the Harvest Moon Restaurant in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to embezzle over $300,000, that he subsequently failed to report as income to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) from 2014 to 2017.  Rinker was ordered to pay $64,250 in restitution to the IRS prior to the sentencing hearing held on February 18, 2022. 

The case was investigated by the IRS’s Criminal Investigations Division.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan V. Martin prosecuted the case.

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Dean Whittles, 61, formerly of Syracuse, New York, waived indictment and pled guilty yesterday in federal court in Utica to one felony count of willful failure to pay federal payroll taxes, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Thomas Fattorusso, Executive Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI), New York Field Office.

From 2016 through 2019, Whittles was the sole owner of multiple businesses in and around Syracuse, New York:  DJ’s on the Hill and DJ’s on the Boulevard; the 317 Corporation (restaurant); and Dejon’s Hair Design, with salons in Cicero, Westvale and Skaneateles. Whittles no longer owns or operates any of the businesses at issue and recently moved to Tucson, Arizona.

In pleading guilty yesterday, Whittles admitted that he failed to make payroll tax payments to the government with respect to his employees, including for Social Security and Medicare taxes, even though he withheld such taxes from his employees’ paychecks. Instead, he used the money withheld from employees to pay for business and personal expenses. In total, Whittles failed to pay approximately $617,843 in payroll taxes to the Internal Revenue Service between 2016 and 2019. As part of his plea agreement, Whittles agreed to repay $617,843 to the IRS.

The charge to which Whittles pled guilty yesterday carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to three years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. Whittles will be sentenced on June 22, 2022 by United States District Judge David N. Hurd.

This case is being investigated by Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI), and it is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Perry.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PITTSBURGH – A Beaver County resident has been sentenced in federal court to 50 months’ imprisonment and seven years’ supervised release on his conviction of violating federal child exploitation and firearm laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy imposed the sentence on William Johnson, age 34, of Monaca, PA 15061.

According to information presented to the court, Johnson, on April 3, 2019, possessed more than 100 digital photographs and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children, some of whom were under the age of 12 years and depicted in sadistic and violent imagery, as well as possessed 12 unregistered firearms, including a Glock pistol with an installed auto switch, a Smith and Wesson rifle with a bump stock, and eight silencers. Each of the 12 firearms required registration under the National Firearms Act.

Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Hardy acknowledged the serious and violent nature of Johnson’s crimes and the damage and long-term effect on child victims who are subjected to sexual exploitation.

Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Chung commended the Department of Homeland Security and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Johnson.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

WILLIAMSPORT – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Braheem Lewis, 24, of Philadelphia and Ethan Bailey, 23, of Williamsport were sentenced on February 23, 2022, by Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann for their roles in a drug trafficking conspiracy. 

Lewis was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment and Bailey was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment.  Both will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release after serving their imprisonment sentences. 

According to U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus, Lewis and Bailey conspired to distribute fentanyl in Lycoming County from August 2019 to August 2020.  At the hearing, Chief Judge Brann highlighted the way that the distribution of fentanyl has ravaged this community and the country.

Three other co-defendants were previously sentenced and received the following:

• Basil Arties, 27, was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment;
• Damion Bethea, 26, was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment; and
• Kenyon Bonaparte, 21, was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment.

Co-defendants Kevin Bryant and Ira Sims have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Co-defendants Angellitto Lawton and Jordan Watkins are awaiting trial.

The charges stem from an investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police, the Williamsport Bureau of Police, the Lycoming County Narcotics Enforcement Unit, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.  Assistant United States Attorney Alisan V. Martin is prosecuting the case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).  OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.

This case was also brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.

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

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Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that BETTY ARRINGTON a/k/a “Betty Callie Arrington,” a/k/a “Betty Francis C Miller,” a/k/a “Betty Miller” (“ARRINGTON”), age 72, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty on February 23, 2022 in federal court before U.S. District Judge Lance M. Africk to Theft of Government Funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641.

According to court records, ARRINGTON engaged in a 35-year multifaceted scheme to defraud the Social Security Administration (“SSA”). From 1984 through 2019, ARRINGTON intentionally used a Social Security number (“SSN”) not assigned to her by the Commissioner of the SSA to conceal her earnings from employment in the New Orleans area. ARRINGTON’s fraudulent use of a SSN, in addition to the concealment of program eligibility factors and the intentional submission of false statements to SSA, aided ARRINGTON in fraudulently gaining and maintaining Supplemental Security Income Disability benefits totaling approximately $164,270.90.

The Court set sentencing in this matter for June 1, 2022. ARRINGTON faces a maximum penalty of ten (10) years imprisonment, followed by up to three (3) years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.

U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans praised the work of the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General for its work in investigating this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brandon Long.

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