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Owner of Online Luxury Baby Boutique Sentenced to 90 Months for Defrauding COVID-19 Relief Programs

Source: US FBI

DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Shambrica Washington, 39, now a resident of Parker, Texas, was sentenced to 90 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and restitution of $542,924.45 after being found guilty by a federal jury on 31 counts including wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, and false claims offenses.

According to facts established at trial, Washington obtained loans from the Small Business Administration for two Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and from JP Morgan Chase for two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for a total of $485,749.00 between March of 2020 and July of 2020. During that time, Washington obtained the loans under two business names.  One was “Tiny Toes and Tiaras,” which was an online luxury baby boutique based in Colorado Springs. To obtain the fraudulent loans, Washington misrepresented how many people were employed by her businesses and the businesses’ wages, revenues, and costs of operation.  She used the funds to purchase a car, a custom-built home, pay for elective surgery, and pay credit card debt and other bills.  She then applied for millions of dollars in additional loans, grants, and tax credits, including by applying for advance tax credits from the Internal Revenue Service and a $6 million grant through a Small Business Administration program intended for shuttered concert venues.

“People who steal taxpayer dollars for personal benefit can and will pay the price,” said Acting United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Matt Kirsch. “Our office has and will continue to find people who have abused Covid-19 funds and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Shambrica Washington fraudulently obtained PPP and EIDL designated to provide Americans financial relief during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Tom Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation Denver Field Office. “Washington’s sentence demonstrates the federal government’s commitment to holding individuals accountable who defrauded critical programs that served to provide aid for families and small businesses.”

United States District Court Judge William J. Martinez presided over the trial. IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI Denver Field Office conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Craig Fansler and Taylor Glogiewicz handled the prosecution.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

On July 11, 2023, the Attorney General selected the District of Colorado’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of five national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud.  The Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources and focuses on large-scale, multistate pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors, as well as those who committed multiple instances of pandemic relief fraud. The Strike Force uses prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds. Additional information regarding the Strike Force may be found at https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-results-nationwide-covid-19-fraud-enforcement-action.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

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Ohio Man Arrested for Assaulting Law Enforcement and Other Charges for Actions During January 6 Capitol Breach

Source: US FBI

            WASHINGTON — An Ohio man has been arrested for assaulting law enforcement and other charges during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His 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.

            Cleophus Dulaney, 63, of Columbus, Ohio, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers.

            In addition to the felonies, Dulaney is charged with multiple misdemeanor offenses, including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in the Capitol grounds or buildings, act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.

            Dulaney was arrested by the FBI today in Columbus and will make his initial appearance in the Southern District of Ohio.

            According to court documents, Dulaney was identified in an open-source video among a crowd of rioters gathered to the West of the U.S. Capitol building around the Peace Monument on Jan. 6, 2021. At about 12:50 p.m., rioters bypassed the first line of barricades and approached a second line of barricades that were manned by uniformed U.S. Capitol Police Officers.

            The second line of barricades was constructed of metal bike rack barriers, physically linked end to end, and reinforced with dark-colored plastic mesh safety fencing behind the metal bike racks. The fence was clearly marked with large white “AREA CLOSED” with bold red lettering clearly marked the fence.

            Upon approaching the barricades, the crowd, with Dulaney at the front, immediately became confrontational with the officers in the area. The crowd pushed and pulled on the barricades as the now vastly outnumbered officers attempted to keep the crowd back. At about 12:54 p.m., rioters broke through the barricades, driving the bike racks directly into the police officers. One officer was driven to the ground and suffered a concussion. Another officer was pressed down under the barricade and struggled to avoid being pulled out into the mob. With the police officers under attack, Dulaney, for his part, picked up and moved a metal bike rack to the side, opening a pathway for the mob behind him to surge forward.

            As the crowd surged forward, officers retreated towards the building, and Dulaney and the crowd of rioters approached another line of barricades. The crowd quickly broke through, allowing the mob to move forward and flood the West Plaza. Dulaney remained at the front of the mob as the crowd chanted “USA USA USA!” and “OUR HOUSE!”

            At about 1:35 p.m., court documents say that the situation between the rioters and police began to escalate. At one point, Dulaney charged forward as the rioters fought to obtain control of a bike rack. He reached over several rioters and grabbed the top of the barricade that was now raised in the air and, with the aid of his fellow rioters, pushed the barricade into the police officers.

            As Dulaney and the rioters forcefully pushed the bike rack forward, the bike rack made physical contact with several officers. After the mele, Dulaney continued to watch as rioters attacked police officers and, eventually, broke through the police line.

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting this case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio provided valuable assistance.

            The FBI’s Cincinnati and Washington Field Offices are investigating this case. The U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department provided valuable assistance.

            In the 37 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,313 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 469 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.

            A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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U.S. Attorney Joins with Special Agents in Charge of FBI and DEA to Announce Law Enforcement Surge Combatting Nighttime Fentanyl Trafficking in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco

Source: US FBI

Law Enforcement Officials also Release Video Providing Update on “All Hands on Deck”

SAN FRANCISCO – U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey joined with Special Agent in Charge Brian Clark of the Drug Enforcement Administration and Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to announce a surge in nighttime activities in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco. The surge is in furtherance of “All Hands on Deck,” a law enforcement initiative to address endemic drug dealing in the area. The law enforcement officials also released a video regarding the surge that can be seen here.

In November of 2023, U.S. Attorney Ramsey convened a press conference and circulated a press release announcing the new joint initiative. The press conference was attended by numerous federal, state, and local officials and dignitaries all of whom pledged to contribute resources to All Hands on Deck. The initiative, designed to change the basic cost/benefit analysis for fentanyl dealers throughout the Northern District of California, included several programmatic elements including the following:

•    ramping up arrests of street dealers and suppliers of fentanyl who sell fentanyl near federal buildings (including near the James R. Browning U.S. Courthouse at 7th and Mission Streets, the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building on 7th and Mission Streets, and the Phillip Burton Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse at 450 Golden Gate Avenue);
•    expanding efforts to track down and hold accountable suppliers of fentanyl;
•    bringing additional charges against persons operating money services operations who turn a blind eye to drug trafficking and money laundering transactions on their networks;
•    using targeted wiretaps, arrests, and searches throughout the Bay Area to enable drug seizures and to stem the flow of drugs and dealers coming into San Francisco from nearby counties;
•    conducting regular joint federal and SFPD “jump out” operations in the Tenderloin to make on-the-spot arrests for open-air drug dealing;
•    “fast-tracking” certain federal cases so that they take as little as a month from time of arrest to disposition; and
•    federal “adoption” of state cases to raise the stakes by holding drug dealers accountable in the federal system.

As part of today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ramsey confirmed that “since November, we have announced numerous lengthy sentences handed down to drug dealers, extraditions of alleged drug dealers from Honduras, the prosecution of persons operating money services operations who had turned a blind eye to drug trafficking and money laundering transactions on their networks, and the federalizing and fast tracking of certain cases traditionally handled by local governments.”

In addition, Special Agent in Charge Clark stated that in recent weeks, law enforcement officials have “ramped up night operations.” “Federal agents are now being deployed to hold drug dealers accountable regardless of the time of day. Our presence makes it clear there is no time to be safe from law enforcement in our neighborhoods,” he said. The night operations have resulted, thus far, in more than 20 federal criminal complaints as well as the seizure of pounds of drugs (including more than 11 lbs. of fentanyl and more than 5 lbs. of methamphetamine) and over $20,000 in seized cash.

Referring to the unveiling of All Hands on Deck, Special Agent in Charge Tripp stated, “As we stated last November, our objective is to change the equation for drug dealers. As the consequences of choosing to supply drugs in the Tenderloin become more severe, dealers and suppliers are going to have to reassess their risk. Is it worth it? We aim to show the answer is no.”

Since the inception of the initiative in November of 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged over 90 individuals for drug distribution activities in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco. As of this week, over 70 of those cases have resulted in federal convictions.

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El Dorado Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking

Source: US FBI

El Dorado, Arkansas – David Clay Fowlkes, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that, Justin Dewayne Johnson, 30, of El Dorado, was sentenced today to 84 months in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing, in the United States District Court’s El Dorado Division.

According to court records, on December 22, 2019, at approximately 12:50 AM, an officer with the El Dorado Police Department was driving behind a black 2006 Honda Accord operated by Johnson. After establishing probable cause, the officer attempted to stop the vehicle by activating his emergency blue lights.  After a vehicle pursuit resulting in Johnson wrecking the vehicle and fleeing on foot, he was apprehended and arrested by officers.  A search of the vehicles trunk resulted in officers locating approximately 414.5 grams of heroin. 

Johnson was indicted by a federal grand jury in March of 2020 and entered a guilty plea in August of 2020.

This case was investigated by the El Dorado Police Department and the FBI.  Assistant United States Attorney Graham Jones prosecuted the case for the Western District of Arkansas.

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Columbus Man Sentenced to More Than 14 Years in Prison for Attempting to Support Terrorist Plot to Murder Former President

Source: US FBI

COLUMBUS, Ohio – An Iraqi citizen living in Columbus was sentenced in federal court here today to 178 months in prison for attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization as part of a plot to murder former United States President George W. Bush.

Shihab Ahmed Shihab Shihab, 53, believed the former President was responsible for killing many Iraqis and breaking apart the entire country of Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The defendant’s own life changed during and after the war and he proudly assisted in this plot.

Shihab originally entered the United States in September 2020 and primarily resided in Columbus from December 2020 until his arrest in May 2022. Throughout much of that time, Shihab attempted to provide material support to terrorists in furtherance of a plot to assassinate former President George W. Bush.

Shihab hoped to smuggle at least four Iraqis associated with ISIS into the United States with the goal of completing the assassination. In fact, in the fall of 2021, Shihab believed he successfully smuggled an ISIS member into the United States for a fee of $40,000. Shihab accepted tens of thousands of dollars for the purported smuggling. In reality, the individual was fictitious, and the interaction was coordinated under the direction of the FBI.

In furtherance of the assassination plot, Shihab traveled to Dallas in February 2022 to conduct surveillance of locations associated with the former President. For example, he recorded videos of the front access gate and surrounding area leading into the neighborhood of the former President’s home.

In March 2022, Shihab met with others in a hotel room in Columbus to look at sample firearms and law enforcement uniforms.

Shihab required the use of burner phones, encrypted communication applications and code names as plans evolved.

Shihab was arrested by FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force agents in May 2022. He pleaded guilty in March 2023 to attempting to provide material support to terrorists. Shihab was also sentenced today to a lifetime of supervised release following his prison sentence.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice, National Security Division; Cheryl Mimura, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Yvonne Dicristoforo, Special Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. Deputy Criminal Chief Jessica W. Knight and Trial Attorney Frank Russo from the Department of Justice’s National Security Division are representing the United States in this case.

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El Sobrante Resident Charged with Fraudulently Obtaining More Than $1.1 Million in Pandemic-Relief Funds in 2020 and 2021

Source: US FBI

Defendant Misused PPP and EIDL Funds to Pay Off His Personal Debts and Enrich Himself

OAKLAND – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging a Contra Costa County man with wire fraud and other crimes relating to a scheme in which he fraudulently obtained more than $1.1 million in government-backed COVID-19 relief funds, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp; and Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) Special Agent in Charge Weston King of the Western Region.

According to the indictment filed this week, Lane Jenkins, 53, of El Sobrante, California, was president of a company called A & L Investments LLC (A&L), which was founded in 2016, headquartered in El Sobrante, and purported to purchase, renovate, and sell distressed properties. The indictment alleges that, in February 2021 and April 2021, Jenkins applied for and received two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans totaling more than $1 million on the basis of false and fraudulent representations that A&L had dozens of employees and hundreds of thousands of dollars in monthly payroll expenses. In fact, A&L had zero employees and no monthly payroll. In December 2021, Jenkins applied for and received forgiveness of the first of those two loans, falsely certifying he had used the PPP funds to make payroll for A&L’s nonexistent employees. In fact, Jenkins had used the money for personal expenses and to pay off personal debts.

The indictment also states that, in July 2020, Jenkins applied for and received an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) of nearly $95,000 for a maid and cleaning service he said he operated as a sole proprietor. The application falsely stated that Jenkins had 10 employees and gross revenues of $241,353. In fact, he had no employees and no revenues. Rather than use the EIDL funds he received on approved business expenses, Jenkins used that money to enrich himself.

The PPP was administered by the SBA as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a federal law enacted in March 2020 to provide billions of dollars in emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans suffering from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The PPP provided forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other qualified business expenses. PPP funds were disbursed by SBA-approved third-party lenders.

The EIDL program is also administered by the SBA. It provides low-interest financing to small businesses, renters, and homeowners in regions affected by declared disasters. As relevant here, the CARES Act authorized the SBA to make EIDL loans of up to $2 million to eligible small businesses experiencing substantial financial disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic. EIDL funds are disbursed directly by the SBA.

The Indictment charges three counts of wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343, and one count of submitting false writings to a government agency, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(3).

An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Jenkins faces a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in prison on each of the three counts of wire fraud and a maximum statutory sentence of 5 years in prison on the fourth count, which charges him with submitting false writings to a government agency. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Jenkins has not yet appeared in court to face the charges against him.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Chambers is prosecuting the case. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI and SBA-OIG.

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Eighth Defendant Pleads Guilty in TRICARE Scheme

Source: US FBI

      LITTLE ROCK—An eighth defendant has pleaded guilty in connection with a $12 million scheme to generate prescriptions for expensive compounded drugs paid for by TRICARE. Blake Yoder, 39, of Scott, entered his guilty plea Wednesday afternoon before United States District Judge Kristine G. Baker.

      Yoder joins seven others who have pleaded guilty: Albert Glenn Hudson, 40, of Sherwood; Derek Clifton, 39, of Alexander; Donna Crowder, 66, of North Little Rock; Jennifer Crowder (formerly Bracy), 38, of Little Rock; Keith Benson, 50, of North Little Rock; Keith Hunter, 52, of Little Rock; and Angie Johnson, 49, of North Little Rock. Remaining defendants Joe David May a.k.a. Jay May, 40, of Alexander, and Kenneth Myers, Jr., 42, now of Alpharetta, Georgia, await trial on December 6, 2021, also before Judge Baker.

      Charges were first filed in January 2020. A superseding indictment followed in September 2020. Hudson admitted paying Benson, Hunter, Johnson, Myers, and Yoder to recruit TRICARE beneficiaries to receive expensive compounded drugs and then paying Bracy and Clifton to get Crowder and May to rubber stamp medically unnecessary prescriptions. Hudson, Bracy, and Crowder admitted Crowder’s signature was secured by payments to her daughter (Bracy). Additionally, Clifton admitted giving cash to May in exchange for his signature, a fact also known to Hudson. After federal agents began investigating, Hudson and Clifton acknowledged helping Crowder and May fabricate medical records to make it seem as if patients were examined before receiving prescriptions.

      May and Myers are charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud, violating the anti-kickback statute, and lying to the FBI. May faces additional charges for falsifying records and aggravated identity theft, while Myers faces additional charges for witness tampering and obstruction of justice. An indictment contains only allegations; May and Myers are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

      All eight co-conspirators pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute, which is punishable by up to five years in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Together they agreed to forfeit over $3.2 million in illicit proceeds. Sentencing will follow at a later date.

      Jonathan D. Ross, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Diane Upchurch, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Little Rock Field Office, and Miranda Bennett, Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the guilty plea.

      The investigation was conducted by the FBI and HHS-OIG. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alexander D. Morgan.

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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

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Dayton Man Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl, Methamphetamine

Source: US FBI

DAYTON, Ohio – Dlaquan Cantrell, 33, of Dayton, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 132 months in prison for trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine.

According to court documents, in fall 2022, Cantrell sold narcotics to an undercover officer on four occasions. Prior to the meetups, Cantrell used FaceTime, voice calls and text messages to set up the drug transactions. For example, in one FaceTime call, Cantrell opened a shoe box and showed the undercover officer a large amount of drugs and cash.

Cantrell sold drugs in the parking lots of local establishments like Applebee’s and Kohl’s.

When law enforcement executed a search warrant at a residence at which Cantrell was staying, officers discovered hundreds of grams of marijuana hidden in a Lego box in a child’s room, as well as fentanyl, a stolen, loaded firearm and magazine attachment. Cantrell also hid $8,000 in cash inside a child’s teddy bear.

The fentanyl Cantrell sold was mixed with Xylazine.

Cantrell was arrested in October 2022 and pleaded guilty in September 2023.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Cheryl Mimura, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and members of the Warren County Drug Task Force announced the sentence imposed by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Thomas M. Rose. Assistant United States Attorney Kelly K. Rossi is representing the United States in this case.

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Arkansas Couple Sentenced to a Combined Four Years in Federal Prison for Aggravated Identity Theft and Mail Fraud

Source: US FBI

El Dorado, Arkansas – David Clay Fowlkes, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced today that Patrick Wayne Watson, age 24, now of Conway, Arkansas, and Kennan Dane O’Bier, age 24, now of Nash, Texas, were sentenced in Federal Court for their roles in a Mail Fraud and Identity Theft scheme in Magnolia, Arkansas.  O’Bier was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release and Watson was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release, both on one count of Mail Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft.  They were each ordered to pay $200 in special assessments and to pay restitution in the amount of $42,113.12.  The Honorable Susan O. Hickey, Chief United States District Judge, presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in El Dorado, Arkansas.

According to court records, between August of 2018 through January 31st of 2019, Watson, who was employed at a local bank, used his position at the bank to review personally identifiable information and banking information of customers.  While doing so, Watson took photographs of the personally identifying information of over one hundred bank customers on his cellular phone.  Watson and O’Bier together then used at least six (6) of those customer’s information to open PayPal, Amazon, and Wayfair accounts in the names of the unsuspecting bank customers.

Over the six months of the scheme, Watson and O’Bier then used those accounts to order thousands of dollars in products from Amazon and Wayfair and had them delivered to multiple addresses, to include their home in Magnolia, Arkansas.  On April 23, 2019, a federal search warrant was obtained by the FBI and executed on their Magnolia home.  Many of the shipped items were found as well as additional evidence of the Mail Fraud and Identity Theft scheme.  Subsequent to this search warrant, a search of Watson’s cell phone resulted in law enforcement discovering the photographs of additional bank customers’ information which were not, to date, used in the scheme.   

Watson and O’Bier were indicted on the scheme in August of 2019.  Watson entered a plea to Mail Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft charges on June 22, 2020.  O’Bier entered his plea to Mail Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft on July 20, 2020.   

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Hot Spring County Sheriff’s Office, the Hempstead County Sheriff’s Office and the Miller County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Wulff prosecuted the case for the United States.

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Bay Area Serial Bank Robber Sentenced to More Than Five Years in Prison

Source: US FBI

Defendant Robbed a Bank Only Nineteen Days After His Release from Custody for a Previous Bank Robbery

SAN FRANCISCO – Brandon Elder was sentenced to 63 months in prison for bank robbery, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), San Francisco Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp. The sentence was handed down by the Hon. James Donato, United States District Judge.

Elder, 29, of Antioch, pleaded guilty to the charge on December 14, 2023. According to court filings, Elder walked into a bank in the Marina District of San Francisco on September 20, 2022, wearing a black hoodie, black facemask, and blue gloves. He approached the teller window, stated “this is a robbery,” and demanded “50s” and “100s.” The teller handed over $10,000 in cash to Elder, who ran out of the bank and back to his getaway car in a nearby parking garage. Elder was arrested two days later in Pleasant Hill, Calif., while shoplifting a PlayStation from a Target with $7,867 cash in his pocket. A grand jury indicted Elder on November 1, 2022, charging him with one count of bank robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a). Elder pleaded guilty to the charge without a written plea agreement.

Elder committed this bank robbery while still on post-release community supervision. He had been released from state custody only 19 days earlier after serving a custodial sentence related to the robbery of a bank he committed on January 26, 2022, in Brentwood, Calif. In addition, Elder already had been convicted of 11 other thefts in state court, including a violent incident during which he slashed a loss prevention officer with a box cutter.

“Repeat offenders like Brandon Elder should not be allowed to continue terrorizing the community,” said United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey. “Enough is enough. This Office will ensure that criminals like Mr. Elder face serious repercussions for their actions.”

“Elder used threats and intimidation to terrorize the employees of the bank he robbed,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp. “His complete disregard for the law demanded justice, and justice he received with this sentence. The FBI will not waver when it comes to preserving the peace of our community by taking dangerous criminals off the streets.”

In addition to sentencing Elder to prison, Judge Donato ordered the defendant to serve a year of supervised release to begin after his prison term is completed. The defendant was immediately remanded into custody.

Assistant U.S. Attorney George Hageman is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Lakisha Holliman. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI.