MIL Security Engine-1

Source: US FBI

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Kole Glen Brimhall, 27, of Orem, Utah, was sentenced today to 12 months’ and one day imprisonment after he defrauded approximately 135 investors through the sale of a fraudulent investment offered through Alpha Influence, LLC, a registered Utah company. Brimhall was also sentenced to three years’ supervised release, and ordered to pay a forfeiture money judgement in the amount of $1,097,709.82 and $5,003,400 in restitution to the victims.  

The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Judge David Sam, comes after Brimhall pleaded guilty on November 18, 2024, to fraud in the offer and sale of securities. See prior press release: Utah Sales Agent Admits to Defrauding Clients of More than $4.9M.

According to court documents and statements made at the defendant’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, from March 2020 to June 2022, Brimhall sold fraudulent investment security contracts for Alpha Influence. As part of the scheme, Brimhall and others aggressively promoted, primarily through social media, that purchasing the Alpha Influence investment would generate life-changing passive income for investors in a very short amount of time exclusively through the efforts of the “Alpha Influence Team.”

As team lead within the Alpha Influence sales structure, Brimhall was responsible for the sale of approximately 135 Alpha investments to individual investors and received $1,097,709.82 in verified commissions for those fraudulent sales.

“Brimhall’s participation in defrauding investors not only left investors in financial devastation, but with a loss of trust that can have a lifelong impact in their personal and professional life,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Felice John Viti of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah. “It is our hope that by prosecuting these crimes, we will deter others from participating in affinity fraud schemes in our communities.”

“This $20 million fraud, driven by bold displays and false promises shared on social media, caused significant harm to over 500 Utahns,” says Executive Director of the Utah Department of Commerce, Margaret Busse. “Today’s sentence sends a clear message: such predatory actions will not be tolerated, and we stand firmly committed to protecting Utah investors. Fraudulent activities like this erode public trust in legitimate investments and undermine the very foundations of our financial system. I’m proud of the hard work and collaboration between our Utah Division of Securities, the U.S. Attorney General’s Office, and the FBI that went into bringing these individuals to justice.”

“Many of the victims in this case are members of the working class who have the least margin for loss. Yet the defendant shamelessly used their hard-earned money on fancy cars and extravagant vacations,” said Special Agent in Charge Mehtab Syed of the Salt Lake City FBI. “While fraud schemes are not violent in nature, they can be financially and emotionally devastating. The FBI is dedicated to holding accountable those who profit through deception.”

The case was investigated jointly by the Utah Division of Securities and the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office.

Assistant United States Attorneys Mark E. Woolf, Jennifer E. Gully, and Brian Williams of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.

Source: US FBI

            WASHINGTON— A Father and son from Tennessee were sentenced to prison today after they were both previously convicted of assaulting law enforcement and other charges stemming from their conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. Their actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

            Mark Waynick, 53, of Charlotte, Tennessee, was sentenced to 54 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.

            Jerry McKane Waynick, 21, also of Charlotte, Tennessee, was sentenced to 30 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.

            Both men were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly.

            Mark and Jerry Waynick were each convicted of 11 felony offenses and three misdemeanors, including, among other charges, assaulting law enforcement with a dangerous weapon. The men were found guilty following a bench trial before Judge Kelly.

            According to the evidence presented during the trial, on Jan. 6, 2021, the Waynicks attended the “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, D.C., near the Ellipse. After the rally, the two men made their way to the U.S. Capitol building wearing helmets, tactical vests, gloves, and goggles. The pair then entered the closed U.S. Capitol grounds shortly after the initial breach of the Peace Circle at 12:55 p.m. The men then made their way to the West Front, where a line of Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and United States Capitol Police (USCP) officers were attempting to prevent rioters from breaching the Capitol.

            On the West Front, the Waynicks joined other rioters’ efforts to push against a line of police officers just before 1:36 p.m.  During that time, McKane Waynick saw that police officers were attempting to detain another rioter and rushed to the barricade to grab the rioter and pull him away from the officers, interfering with the detention. While grabbing the other rioter, Jerry Waynick swiped at an officer’s riot baton.

            At the same time that McKane Waynick reached for the baton, Mark Waynick swung an American flag attached to a metal pole with a metal finial into the line of police officers. Before the pole hit any officers, an officer intercepted the pole by grabbing it from Mark and throwing it behind the line of police officers. Minutes later, McKane Waynick returned to the metal barricades and joined with at least four other rioters to separate one metal bicycle rack from the others and pull it into the crowd to create an opening in the barricade; however, police prevented them from achieving their intent.

            Less than a minute later, at 1:40 p.m., McKane Waynick picked up a large plastic construction marker, aimed it at police, and hurled it with both hands, striking two officers. Court documents say that this marker weighed approximately ten pounds and was three feet tall. After hurling the object at police, McKane Waynick retreated back into the crowd.

            The Waynicks entered the Capitol building from the Senate Wing Door at 2:20 p.m., just minutes after the initial breach at 2:13 p.m. Once inside, they moved throughout the building for approximately 35 minutes, entering the Will Rogers Hallway, which was outside the House Chamber, and joining with a mob of rioters who pushed past the handful of officers guarding that hallway.

            At approximately 2:35 p.m., the mob pushed through police officers and entered the House Chamber’s Main Door. The Waynicks followed the advancing rioters and moved to within a few feet of the House Chamber as the mob repeatedly chanted, “Break it down!” An individual recording video captured the scene afterward and asked McKane Waynick about what he had seen, to which he replied that he saw “guns” and said, “We’re an imminent threat to the people inside.”

            The Waynicks exited the Capitol building at 2:55 p.m. via the Upper House Door.

            The FBI arrested the Waynicks on Feb. 17, 2022, in Tennessee.

            This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee.

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Memphis Field Office and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which identified Jerry McKane Waynick as #157 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police.

            In the 46 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,561 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 590 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

            Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

Source: US FBI

NASHVILLE – Josiah Ernesto Garcia, 23, of Toledo, Ohio, formerly of Hermitage, Tennessee, has pleaded guilty to federal charges after meeting with an undercover FBI agent to finalize a deal to murder an individual for payment, announced United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Garcia pleaded guilty to using interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire.

According to court records, Garcia needed money to support his family and in mid-February 2023 began searching online for contract mercenary jobs and found the website www.rentahitman.com. Originally created in 2005 to advertise a cyber security startup company, the company failed and over the next decade it received many inquiries about murder-for-hire services. The website’s administrator then converted the website to a parody site that contains false testimonials from those who have purported to use hit man services, and an intake form where people can request services. The website also has an option for someone to apply to work as a hired killer.

Garcia submitted an employment inquiry indicating that he was interested in obtaining employment as a hit man and that he had “military experience, and rifle expertise.” Garcia followed up on this initial request and submitted other identification documents and a resume indicating he was an expert marksman and had been employed in the Air National Guard since July 2021. The resume also provided that Garcia was nicknamed “Reaper” which was earned from military experience and marksmanship. Garcia continued to follow up with the website administrator indicating that he wanted to go to work as soon as possible. 

An FBI undercover agent spoke with Garcia by phone then met him in person to discuss his application. Both conversations were recorded. The agent then met with Garcia at a park in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and provided him with a target packet of a fictional individual, which included photographs and other information about the individual to be killed, and a down payment of $2,500. After agreeing to the terms of the murder arrangement, Garcia asked the agent if he needed to provide a photograph of the dead body. Garcia was then arrested by FBI agents, who in a subsequent search of his home, recovered an AR style rifle.

Garcia is scheduled to be sentenced on February 7, 2025. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Nashville Resident Agency, Memphis Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooke K. Schiferle prosecuted the case.

# # # # #

Source: US FBI

NASHVILLE – Terrell Stevenson, 35, of Nashville was sentenced to 16 years in federal prison today, announced United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Henry C. Leventis.

Within 40 minutes on Halloween night 2018, Stevenson robbed a Dollar General Store and a Mapco gas station in Nashville, brandishing a semi-automatic pistol and pointing it at the head of the clerk working at the Dollar General Store. Stevenson and his accomplice were arrested by police officers after fleeing from a traffic stop. Stevenson was charged by a federal grand jury in January of 2020 with two counts of Hobbs Act Robbery, two counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was convicted on all charges following a jury trial in September 2023.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel Stephens and Kathryn Risinger prosecuted the case.

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.

# # # # #

Source: US FBI

NASHVILLE –A federal criminal complaint filed today charges David Aaron Bloyed, 59, of Frost, Texas, with threatening to lynch and kill Glenn Funk, the elected District Attorney General (“DA”) for Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee, announced United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Henry C. Leventis.

According to the complaint, on July 14, 2024, members of the Goyim Defense League (“GDL”) – an antisemitic Neo-Nazi group – were protesting in downtown Nashville when they encountered an employee of a local bar. A fight broke out and a GDL member was arrested and charged with aggravated assault for hitting the bar employee repeatedly using a metal flagpole with a swastika flag affixed to the top.

While in Nashville, GDL members routinely posted about their activities on various social media platforms, including Telegram. Following the arrest of the GDL member, a Telegram user associated with GDL posted threats against DA Funk that included a photograph of DA Funk with the caption, “Getting the rope,” and an emoji finger pointed towards Funk’s image. The posts also included a photograph of a person hanging by the neck from a gallows, with the phrases, “The ‘Rope List’ grew by a few more Nashville jews today,” and “Will you survive the day of the rope?” Law enforcement subsequently identified another social media account with an almost identical username, belonging to Bloyed and containing threats nearly identical to those posted on the Telegram account.

“In a functioning democracy, we simply cannot tolerate threats of violence against elected officials,” said United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis. “The charges announced today are just the latest illustration of the Department’s commitment to protecting public servants and upholding the rule of law.”  

If convicted, Bloyed faces up to five years in federal prison. This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Nashville Resident Agency, Memphis Field Office and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.

A federal complaint is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

# # # # #

Source: US FBI

NASHVILLE – Wesley Olan Landers, 55, of Cumming, Georgia, and Jeffrey Scott Wells, 54, of Canton, Georgia, have been charged by felony information with conspiracy to obstruct justice and to commit perjury in connection with a $123 million contract to provide behavioral health services to Tennessee Department of Corrections (“TDOC”) inmates, announced Thomas J. Jaworski, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.

According to the information, Landers was the Deputy Commissioner and Chief Financial Officer for TDOC from 2012 until March 2020. From at least 2018 until February 2021, Wells was a Vice President of Company B.

In 2019, Company A provided behavioral health services to TDOC inmates. In anticipation of the contract’s expiration, the State of Tennessee issued Requests for Proposals (“RFP”) for a new TDOC behavioral health services contract. Pursuant to the RFPs, prospective vendors could bid for the new contract. The State received bids from several prospective vendors and, in July 2020, issued a notice of its intent to award the new contract to Company B in Tennessee. The total amount for the new contract was $123,513,819.

Before the new contract was awarded, from September 2018 until February 2020, Landers (while serving as a Tennessee State official) used his personal email account to provide confidential TDOC information related to the bidding process to Wells. On March 1, 2020, Company B hired Landers as its Vice President of Operations, reporting to Wells. This position was created specifically for Landers; it was not advertised to other candidates and neither Landers nor any other candidates were interviewed before he was hired. By February 2021, senior leadership of Company B learned that Landers had given confidential TDOC information to Wells in connection with the RFPs, and the CEO of Company B fired them both.

A few months earlier, in October 2020, Company A filed a civil lawsuit relating to the RFPs in federal court in Nashville, naming among others, Company B and the State of Tennessee as defendants. In that lawsuit, Company A served subpoenas for documents and testimony on Landers and Wells for all their communications with TDOC employees related to the RFPs.

To impede an investigation into a matter within the FBI’s jurisdiction – namely, bribery – and to conceal that Landers gave confidential TDOC information to Wells about the RFPs, Landers and Wells agreed to engage in a cover up and to commit perjury in the federal civil lawsuit. Landers began using a specialized program to delete his personal email account’s communications with Wells that were sought in the subpoena. Landers and Wells both got new cell phones which they used to discuss the need to hide information in response to Company A’s subpoenas and deposition notices. They also both testified falsely under oath in their depositions, including about whether they shared documents related to the RFPs, when they last spoke, and if they communicated on WhatsApp.

If convicted, both defendants face up to five years in federal prison.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Memphis Field Office, Nashville Resident Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Taylor J. Phillips and M. Scott Cole are prosecuting the case.

An information is merely an accusation. All defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty.

# # # # #

Source: US FBI

The FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, graduated 254 law enforcement officers, including five from Tennessee:

• Lieutenant Clayton Charles Cates, Franklin Police Department
• Lieutenant Jennifer Caruthers, Dickson County Sheriff’s Office
• Assistant Chief of Police James Raymond Colvin, Brentwood Police Department
• Major Daniel Benjamin Jones, Chattanooga Police Department
• Lieutenant Robert Nelms, Sevierville Police Department

These officers were among the men and women from 47 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam, who completed the 10 weeks of training and became the 291st class to graduate. The class also included members of law enforcement agencies from 26 countries, seven military organizations, and seven federal civilian organizations.

The FBI National Academy is a professional course of study for U.S. and international law enforcement managers nominated by their agency heads because of demonstrated leadership qualities. The 10-week program—which provides coursework in intelligence theory, terrorism and terrorist mindsets, management science, law, behavioral science, law enforcement communication, and forensic science—serves to improve the administration of justice in police departments and agencies at home and abroad and to raise law enforcement standards, knowledge, and cooperation worldwide.

The FBI Memphis Field Office and the FBI Knoxville Field Office congratulate the five members of the law enforcement community in Tennessee for completing this comprehensive training.

A total of 55,440 graduates have completed the FBI National Academy since it began in 1935. The National Academy is held at the FBI Training Academy in Quantico, the same facility where the FBI trains its new special agents and intelligence analysts.

Source: US FBI

NASHVILLE – Karl Hampton, 65, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, was sentenced to 60 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay over $1.2 million in restitution for executing a scheme to defraud an elderly widow who had dementia, announced Henry C. Leventis, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Hampton and his wife Deborah, both formerly of Franklin, Tennessee, were indicted in June 2021 on multiple counts of conspiracy and money laundering and Karl Hampton was also charged with eight counts of wire fraud.  After a week-long jury trial in April 2023, Karl Hampton was convicted on all counts.

At trial, the evidence showed that Karl Hampton met the 86-year-old widow while he was working as an exterminator for a pest control company based in Nashville. Between January 2018 and February 2020, Karl Hampton tricked the woman into believing that he would care for her personally and financially. Hampton held himself out to the woman and others as her “personal representative,” her “son” or “godson,” and pretended that he was acting on her behalf.  In April 2019, Hampton convinced her to sign over her Power of Attorney and to name him in her Revocable Living Trust and in her will.  He then methodically drained the woman’s bank accounts, took out a $500,000 line of credit in her name, and amassed huge charges on her credit cards for his own personal expenses.

Some of the funds Hampton stole came from two investment accounts that belonged to the estate of the woman’s deceased sister. Those funds were supposed to be split between the woman and another individual. Instead, Hampton transferred the funds to himself.

In total, Hampton took more than $1.2 million. from the woman’s accounts in the form of checks, cashier’s checks, and bank transfers, cash withdrawals, and using the woman’s credit card for his own benefit.  Hampton frequently purchased luxury items, including a car and a luxury SUV, and a 4.3-karat diamond ring that cost more than $21,000. Hampton often spent over $1,000 per day in cash buying lottery tickets.

Deborah Hampton pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering on February 13, 2023. She was sentenced to time served, 3 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $21,000.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Memphis Field Office, Nashville Resident Agency.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Booth prosecuted the case.

# # # # #

Source: US FBI

Memphis, TN – United States Attorney Kevin G. Ritz announced today the indictments of ten individuals who were charged with federal gun and violent crime offenses in West Tennessee.  United States Attorney Ritz also reinforced his office’s commitment to federal prosecution of individuals who commit violent crimes, illegally possess machine-gun conversion devices (also known as “switches”), or commit other federal firearm offenses. 

“As alleged, these individuals have committed serious federal crimes involving firearms or violent activity,” said United States Attorney Ritz.  “Our office will continue to work with the Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force and other law enforcement partners to reduce violent crime in our community.  The citizens of Memphis and Shelby County deserve to feel safe.” 

The following defendants were charged with federal crimes involving switches: 

• Wayne Sanders, 31. Sanders was charged in June 2024 with being a felon in possession of firearms and possessing a machine gun on February 24, 2024.  A superseding indictment returned on August 29, 2024, charged Sanders with four additional counts related to his arrest by officers in April 2024:
  • Possession of a machine gun;
  • Being a felon in possession of a firearm;
  • Assault of a Task Force Officer with the U.S. Marshals Service; and
  • Brandishing a firearm during and in relation to the assault on a federal officer. 

• Myles Bowens, 22. Bowens was indicted on August 29, 2024, for being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing a gun with an attached machine-gun conversion device. 

• Taveon Earnest, 20. Earnest was indicted on August 29, 2024, for possessing a gun with an attached machine-gun conversion device. 

• Actavious Ellis, 30. Ellis was indicted on August 29, 2024, for possessing a gun with an attached machine-gun conversion device. 

The following defendants were charged with other firearm or violent crime offenses: 

• Nathenael Tekle, 23. Tekle was indicted on August 29, 2024, for four separate armed business robberies in Memphis, committed over a 10-day span in October and November 2023.  He is charged with four counts of robbery of a business affecting interstate commerce and four counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to the robberies. 

• Caran Stokes, 26. Stokes was indicted on August 29, 2024, on one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to the carjacking.  

• Tony Thomas, 27. Thomas was indicted on August 29, 2024, on one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to the carjacking.  

• Pierre Jones, 34. Jones was indicted on August 29, 2024, for possession of a firearm after having at least three prior convictions for serious drug offenses or violent felonies.  

• Marcus Oher, 26. Oher was indicted on August 29, 2024, for being a felon in possession of a firearm on two different occasions. 

• Jermaine Cooper, 35. Cooper was indicted on August 29, 2024, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. 

These cases are being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force; the Project Safe Neighborhoods Gun Task Force; the Memphis Police Department; and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.  Anyone with information about switches or other federal gun crimes can call 1-800-ATF-GUNS (1-800-283-4867).

The charges and allegations contained in the indictments are merely accusations of criminal conduct, not evidence.  The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law.  If convicted, each defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of the factors unique to the case, including the defendant’s prior criminal records (if any), the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation. 

These indictments are 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, using data-driven methods to set focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. 

United States Attorney Kevin Ritz thanked the Assistant United States Attorneys prosecuting these cases, as well as the law enforcement partners who investigated the cases.   

###

For more information, please contact the Media Relations Team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.

Source: US FBI

NASHVILLE, TN—The FBI Memphis Field Office, Nashville Resident Agency is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the location and return of Sebastian Wayne Drake Rogers or to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for his disappearance.

Sebastian Wayne Drake Rogers, a 15-year-old male, was last seen on February 26, 2024, in the area of Stafford Court in Hendersonville, Tennessee. He was wearing a black sweatshirt, black sweatpants, and black, square-framed glasses. Sebastian has medical conditions, including autism, that may impair his ability to return safely without assistance.

If you have any information concerning the whereabouts of Sebastian Wayne Drake Rogers, please contact the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office at (615) 451-3838, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND or TipsToTBI@tbi.tn.gov, your local FBI office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or you can submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.