MIL Security Engine-1

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM – A federal jury on Monday convicted a Bessemer man charged under the “Kingpin” statute, and three other defendants, on charges of operating a continuing criminal enterprise involved in the large-scale distribution of illegal drugs, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr., and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Atlanta Field Office Special Agent in Charge James E. Dorsey.

After a week-long trial before United States District Court Judge Annmarie C. Axon a jury convicted Rolando Antuain Williamson, also known as “Baldhead” and “Ball Head,” 37, of Bessemer, Alabama, of leading a multi-million dollar continuing criminal enterprise.  Williamson, Adrien Hiram Taylor, also known as “Slim,” 34, of Bessemer, Alabama, Ishmywel Calid Gregory, also known as “C,” 38, of Mulga, Alabama, and Hendarius Lamar Archie,  also known as “Hen,” 33, of Bessemer, Alabama, were convicted of conspiring to distribute and possession with intent to distribute heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana. Williamson, Taylor, Gregory, and Archie were all convicted of distributing or possession with intent to distribute heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana. Williamson and Archie were convicted of using, carrying, or possessing a firearm during or in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  Williamson and Taylor were convicted of several counts of using a communication facility to commit a drug trafficking crime. 

With today’s verdict, all 18 people charged in the indictment returned on October 29, 2019, have now been convicted. The convictions were the result of  a three-year investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”)  of this West Jefferson County-based drug-trafficking enterprise. The investigation identified acts committed in furtherance of the conspiracy over a period of six years.  Prior to the trial, 14 of the charged defendants pleaded guilty. Seven members of the criminal enterprise have been sentenced and the remaining defendants await sentencing.

The OCDETF agencies involved in this investigation are the FBI, IRS, member agencies of the FBI North Alabama Safe Streets Task Force, Bessemer Police Department, and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department. 

The North Alabama Safe Streets Task Force arrested Williamson the morning of August 22, 2019, in the parking lot of a grocery store located in Homewood, Alabama. Williamson was driving a 2016 Dodge Hellcat worth $80,000. At the time of arrest, Williamson was found to be in possession of two loaded pistols (with additional loaded magazines) and almost $14,000 in cash.  All other members of the conspiracy were arrested on or about November 13, 2019.

At the time of Williamson’s arrest law enforcement officers also seized from Williamson and three of his stash houses, 366 grams of heroin/fentanyl, 109 grams of suspected cocaine, 573 grams of pure methamphetamine, 52 kilos of marijuana, over $97,000 in cash, multiple firearms, and over 1700 rounds of ammunition.

“This verdict should send a message to those engaged in violent crime and distribution of deadly drugs  in our communities,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said.  “The investigation and prosecution of violent crime continues to be our highest priority.  I commend our  law enforcement partners for their tireless  efforts to ensure these defendants were brought to justice.”

“Removing this “kingpin” and the dangerous drugs he and his criminal enterprise peddled will no doubt save lives and families from the pain of addiction,” SAC Sharp said. “This sentence reflects the severity of Williamsons actions, and he will have decades in prison to consider the impact of his decisions. This case highlights the joint commitment, dedication, and partnership between our law enforcement partners in combatting drug trafficking in our community.”

“Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputies assigned to the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, worked in conjunction with the FBI and other participating agencies during this 3-year investigation,” Sheriff Pettway said. “The illegal drug trade ruins hundreds of lives in Jefferson County every year.  We are proud to have been a part of disrupting the trade and distribution of these illegal narcotics in western Jefferson County.  Working in unison with our fellow local and federal agencies, we are able to share and act on critical intelligence that is imperative to shutting down these type operations.  This case is an example of how these agencies working together successfully disrupted a large-scale drug operation.  We look forward to continuing these invaluable partnerships against crime.”

As, a convicted “Kingpin,” Williamson faces  a mandatory sentence of life in prison.  Taylor faces a  mandatory minimum sentence of twenty-five years to life in prison. Gregory faces a maximum of  thirty years in prison. Archie faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years to forty years in prison.

Forfeiture was obtained for two high-end vehicles of Williamson: a $46,000 Ford F-250 “King’s Ranch” and a $37,000 Cadillac Escalade; over $100,000 dollars in cash; $45, 000 in jewelry; and all firearms and ammunition used to facilitate the drug trafficking enterprise.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Internal Revenue Service,  investigated the case along with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Bessemer Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan S. Cross and Gregory R. Dimler are prosecuting the case. 

This  investigation is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF is an independent component of the U.S. Department of Justice.  Established in 1982, OCDETF is the centerpiece of the Attorney General’s strategy to combat transnational-organized-crime and to reduce the availability of illicit narcotics in the nation by using a prosecutor-led, multi-agency approach to enforcement.  OCDETF leverages the resources and expertise of its partners in concentrated, coordinated, long-term enterprise investigations of transnational organized crime, money laundering, and major drug trafficking networks.

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – An Alabama man has been charged with devising a scheme to defraud Jefferson County’s retirement plan, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr.

An information filed today in United States District Court charges GARY DEAN GIBBS, JR., 52, with one count of wire fraud. According to the information, Gibbs’ father was a former employee of Jefferson County, Alabama, who was receiving benefits from The General Retirement System for Employees of Jefferson County (“GRS”). GRS is a retirement plan that provides benefits to retired and disabled employees of Jefferson County, Alabama. The information alleges that, beginning in September 2017 and continuing until February 2022, Gibbs concealed his father’s death from GRS and collected money from GRS to which he was not entitled. According to the information Gibbs used his father’s personal identifiers and forged his father’s signature on documents submitted to GRS to further his scheme. Additionally, the information alleges that Gibbs assumed his father’s identity during telephone calls with a GRS employee.

According to a plea agreement, also filed today, Gibbs agreed to plead guilty to the information. The plea agreement states that Gibbs collected approximately $132,646.12 to which he was not entitled.

The maximum penalty for wire fraud is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The FBI investigated the case along with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney George Martin is prosecuting the case.

An information contains only charges.  A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: US FBI

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A Huntsville doctor has been charged for conspiring to commit health care fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr., and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Special Agent in Charge Tamala E. Miles. 

An information filed yesterday in U.S. District Court charges, Dr. Eric Beck, 63, of Huntsville, Alabama,  with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.  Beck operated Valley Center for Nerve Studies and Rehabilitation in Huntsville.  According to the information, Beck conspired with the owner of QBR, a Huntsville-based testing company, to bill insurers millions of dollars for electro-diagnostic testing that its technicians performed, regardless of whether there was a medical need for them.  Beck billed insurers for tests using his National Provider Identifier (NPI) number, even where he did not conduct the tests, supervise the tests, interpret the test results, or have anything to do with the tests beyond allowing his NPI number to be used for billing purposes.

In a plea agreement also filed yesterday, Dr. Beck agreed to plead guilty to the information.  According to the plea agreement, the defendant caused health insurance programs to be billed over $28 million for medically unnecessary electro-diagnostic testing QBR performed.  Dr. Beck has fully cooperated with the investigative team during its investigation. 

The maximum penalty for conspiracy to commit health care fraud is five years in prison.

The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Don Long and J.B. Ward are prosecuting it. 

An information contains only charges.  A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM – On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge L. Scott Coogler sentenced three Oklahoma sisters to prison for convictions related to a shooting in Walker County in 2018, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr. 

In July 2021, a federal jury convicted the Tulsa, Oklahoma sisters of various crimes related to shots fired at a Florida resident and his wife as they sat in their car at a rural Walker County convenience store. 

Tierzah Mapson, 29, was sentenced to 60 months in prison for conspiracy to commit interstate stalking and discharging of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, two counts of interstate domestic violence and two counts of interstate stalking.

Elisa Mapson, 25, and Charis Mapson, 33, each were sentenced to 120 months in prison for conspiracy to commit interstate stalking and discharging of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and two counts of stalking. 

Testimony at trial showed that Tierzah Mapson and the male victim had a child together in 2013.  In June of 2018, the child’s father and his wife, also a victim, were planning to meet Tierzah Mapson halfway between their home in Orlando, Florida, and her home in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to take temporary custody of the child.  The victims and Tierzah Mapson agreed to meet on June 18th at a rural convenience store in Eldridge, Alabama, northwest of Jasper.

Testimony and evidence established that the couple drove to Alabama on June 18th, believing that Tierzah Mapson and the child were driving from Oklahoma.  While they waited at the store for over four hours, they received text messages from Tierzah Mapson explaining delays in her travel.  Around 5:40p.m, the victims heard shots, one of which came through the trunk of their car, hitting the child’s father in the shoulder and lodging in his chest.  Store security video showed that as he made two attempts to get out of the car, additional shots hit the ground on his side of the vehicle.  After the two took cover inside the store, the shooting stopped.  The wounded father was later transported to a Tuscaloosa hospital where his wound was treated and determined to be nonlife-threatening. It was later determined that the shots were fired by a rifle from a wooded hill behind a nearby church. 

“These convictions are the result of a collaborative  effort by a multitude of agencies, both here and outside the district,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said.  “ I commend all those who were involved in bringing these defendants to justice.”

“I applaud the sentences handed down today, as the Mapsons showed no regard for human life as they carried out their conspiracy,” SAC Sharp said.  “This case is a perfect example of how law enforcement can combine resources and efforts to bring violent criminals to justice.”    

The FBI North Alabama Violent Crime Task Force and the Walker County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case with assistance from the Walker County District Attorney’s Office, the Orlando, Tulsa, and Eureka-Fortuna (CA) offices of the FBI, the Orlando Police Department, the Hoover Police Department, the Tennessee Valley Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory, and the FBI Electronic Device Analysis Unit at Quantico, Virginia.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alan Baty and Jonathan Cross prosecuted the charges.

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Bessemer man was convicted Tuesday on drug and gun charges, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr.

After two days of testimony, United States District Court Judge Karon O. Bowdre returned a guilty verdict against Christopher James Moton, 42, at a bench trial. Moton was convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin and possession of a firearm by a felon.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Moton was found in possession of a firearm despite being a prohibited felon. A search conducted at Moton’s residence found trafficking amounts of methamphetamine and black tar heroin. Evidence at trial revealed that Moton intended to distribute these controlled substances to drug users in the community.

“Yesterday’s verdict is another success in law enforcement’s efforts to eliminate the distribution of dangerous drugs in our communities and remove firearms from the hands of convicted felons,”  U.S. Attorney Escalona said.  “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those who intend to devastate our communities and ruin lives.”

“This conviction was an outstanding example of law enforcement partnerships working together to remove dangerous criminals from our neighborhoods,” SAC Sharp said.  “Thanks to the great work of my agents and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Moton has been held responsible for his crime.”

The maximum penalty for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon is 10 years. The maximum penalty for possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine is life in prison.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case along with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory R. Dimler and Allison J. Garnett are prosecuting the case. 

Source: US FBI

Defendant Brought Firearms and Components of Molotov Cocktails on Jan. 6, 2021, to Area Near U.S. Capitol

Source: US FBI

           Montgomery, Ala. –    On March 18, 2022, Athens City Schools administrator, William Richard (“Rick”) Carter, Jr., 46, was convicted for his role in a scheme to defraud the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE), announced Acting United States Attorney Alice S. LaCour, FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr., and Special Agent in Charge Reginald J. France of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General’s Southeastern Regional Office.

           According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Carter, conspired with other school officials to fraudulently enroll students in public virtual schools and then falsely reported those students to the Alabama State Department of Education in order to illegally receive additional education funding. Carter’s co-conspirators include former superintendent of the Athens City Schools district Dr. William L. (“Trey”) Holladay, III; David Webb Tutt, of Uniontown, Alabama; Gregory (“Greg”) Earl Corkren, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama; and former superintendent of the Limestone County School district Thomas Michael Sisk.

           During Carter’s four-week trial, the jury heard evidence that he and his co-defendants obtained student identities to use in their scheme from various private schools located across the state—particularly private schools in the Black Belt region of Alabama. The defendants offered the private schools computers, direct payments, and access to online curriculum to persuade them to share their students’ academic records and personal identifying information with the public school districts. Multiple private school parents and former students testified that during the school years that the scheme occurred, 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, they had little to no connection with the public-school districts in which they were supposedly enrolled. The parents continued to pay private school tuition and the students continued to attend the brick-and-mortar private schools each day, receiving instruction from teachers at those private schools.

           There was also testimony provided about a meeting with the ALSDE in March of 2016 where the state notified Athens City School officials that private school students were being erroneously listed as public-school enrollees and directed the Athens School officials to correct the problem. However, evidence presented at trial showed that instead of following that guidance, Carter and his co-conspirators took steps to conceal and continue their scheme. For example, they created fake report cards, manufactured false addresses for the students of the private schools who lived outside of Alabama, and submitted falsified course completion reports to the state department of education. When shown the fake report cards and completion reports during the trial, the parents and former students testified that they had never seen them before and did not know any of the teachers listed on them.

           The submission of this false documentation allowed payments to continue from Alabama’s Education Trust Fund to the Athens City Schools district and the Limestone County Schools district. Carter and his co-conspirators then received, for their own personal use, portions of the state funding. They skimmed the state money through direct cash payments and payments to third-party contractors owned by the various co-conspirators. During the course of the scheme, the total potential loss was approximately $10 million.

            The jury found Carter guilty on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, four counts of wire fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft. At some upcoming date, Carter will be sentenced. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, as well as substantial monetary penalties and restitution. He is also facing a mandatory consecutive two-year sentence on each count of aggravated identity theft. Co-defendants William L. Holladay, III, Gregory Earl Corkren, David Webb Tutt, and Thomas Michael Sisk, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government. Gregory Corkren also pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft.

           “We trust every educator to make teaching our children the top priority,” said Alice S. LaCour, acting United States Attorney for this case. “In this case, Mr. Carter violated that trust and put profit ahead of the well-being of students. I am proud of the work of the law enforcement agents who spent countless hours uncovering the disheartening fraud perpetuated by Mr. Carter and his co-conspirators.”

           “Today’s verdict is the result of hard investigative work by my office and our partners,” stated FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp. “The FBI will continue to work to hold accountable public officials who fail the citizens of their community by misusing their positions of trust for personal gain.”

           “Today’s action shows that this former school official not only knowingly and willfully abused his position of trust for personal gain, but did so at the expense of the educational development of children. That is unacceptable,” said USDOE-OIG Special Agent in Charge Reginald J. France. “Deservedly, Mr. Carter will be held accountable for cheating Alabama students and taxpayers.”

           “Integrity and trust are character traits common to teachers and administrators across Alabama,” stated Alabama State Department of Education Superintendent Dr. Eric G. Mackey. “As much as this case saddens educators everywhere, the State Department of Education is proud to have worked with the U.S Attorney’s Office, U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General (OIG), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Alabama Attorney General’s Office to bring this fraud to light. When the Board selected me as Superintendent, I made it clear that core tenants of my administration would be integrity and transparency. The U.S. Attorney, FBI, and OIG, like us, are determined to make sure every taxpayer dollar is accounted for and every dollar intended for the classroom is spent on the classroom. We appreciate their hard work and dedication throughout the investigation and adjudication.”

           This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General, with assistance from the Alabama Attorney General’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan S. Ross, Alice S. LaCour, and Brett J. Talley prosecuted the case.