MIL Security Engine-1

Source: US FBI

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Ryan Niles Ameelyenah, 29, of Parker, was sentenced on Monday by United States District Judge Steven P. Logan to 120 months in prison on count one and 60 months in prison on count two, to run concurrently, followed by three years of supervised release. Ameelyenah was convicted of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury (count one) and Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury of an Intimate Partner (count two) by a Phoenix jury on August 17, 2023.   

On July 9, 2022, Ameelyenah, an enrolled member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT), assaulted the victim, who was an intimate partner, causing her to sustain serious and substantial bodily injury. The assault occurred on the CRIT Indian Reservation and the victim is an enrolled member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and CRIT Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christina J. Reid-Moore and W. Vinnie Lichvar, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-22-01296-PHX-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-191_Ameelyenah

# # #

For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

Source: US FBI

TUCSON, Ariz. – On December 1, 2023, the United States Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint charging attempted murder, assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and assault resulting in serious bodily injury against John Turscak, 52.

The complaint alleges that while incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution Tucson, Turscak stabbed another inmate, D.C., who had previously been convicted of federal crimes in another district, approximately 22 times with an improvised knife.

A complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Attempted murder and assault with intent to commit murder violations each carry maximum penalties of 20 years’ incarceration, while assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury each carry maximum penalties of 10 years’ incarceration.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution is being handled by the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson.
 

RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-192_Turscak

# # #

For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

Source: US FBI

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Walter Lee Riggins, Jr., 28, of Chandler, Arizona, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Michael T. Liburdi to 87 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. The defendant pleaded guilty on August 21, 2023, to Voluntary Manslaughter.

On December 27, 2020, Riggins, a member of the Gila River Indian Community, shot the victim, killing him.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Gila River Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Raynette Logan and Vinnie Lichvar, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-21-00553-PHX-MTL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-183_Riggins

# # #

For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

Source: US FBI

PHOENIX, Ariz. – A federal jury in Phoenix convicted three former owners of Backpage.com yesterday of multiple counts of promoting prostitution business enterprises and multiple counts of money laundering, including conspiracy offenses. Michael Lacey, 75, of Paradise Valley, Arizona, was convicted of one count of international concealment money laundering, and the jury was unable to reach a verdict on most of the other counts charged against him. Scott Spear, 72, of Phoenix, was convicted of a conspiracy to violate the Travel Act by facilitating prostitution, and multiple separate violations of the Travel Act, along with a conspiracy to commit money laundering and multiple separate money laundering violations. John “Jed” Brunst, 71, of Phoenix, was convicted of a conspiracy to violate the Travel Act by facilitating prostitution, along with a conspiracy to commit money laundering and multiple separate money laundering violations. Lacey, Spear, and Brunst each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the money laundering charges. Spear and Brunst also face up to 5 years in prison for the Travel Act violations. Federal District Court Judge Diane J. Humetewa will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the defendants owned Backpage.com, which was the internet’s leading forum for prostitution ads from September 2010, when Craigslist shut down its prostitution ad section, until April 2018, when the United States seized Backpage.com. Evidence at trial showed that the defendants knowingly promoted prostitution via various marketing strategies. For example, the defendants engaged in a reciprocal link program with an independent web forum that permitted “johns” to post reviews of prostitution acts with specific women. Additionally, the defendants utilized an automated filter and human moderators to remove known sex-for-money terms, while still allowing the ads to be posted. Through this attempt at sanitizing the ads, the defendants sought “plausible deniability” for what the defendants knew to be ads promoting prostitution. Over the life of the conspiracy, the defendants earned more than $500 million. In an effort to preserve the money earned, Lacey, Spear, and Brunst engaged in extensive money laundering by creating numerous shell companies in multiple foreign countries.

On March 28, 2018, a grand jury in Phoenix charged the defendants in an indictment with the crimes of conspiracy to facilitate prostitution using a facility in interstate or foreign commerce, facilitating prostitution using a facility in interstate or foreign commerce, conspiracy to commit money laundering, concealment money laundering, international promotional money laundering, and transactional money laundering.

In April 2018, Carl Ferrer, 57, of Frisco, Texas, Backpage’s co-founder and CEO, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to facilitate prostitution using a facility in interstate or foreign commerce and to engage in money laundering. Additionally, several Backpage-related corporate entities, including Backpage.com LLC, have entered guilty pleas to conspiracy to engage in money laundering.

In August 2018, Dan Hyer, 54, of Dallas, Texas, Backpage’s Sales & Marketing Director, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to facilitate prostitution using a facility in interstate or foreign commerce.

Co-defendants Andre Padilla, 50, of Plano, Texas, and Joye Vaught, 42, of Dallas, Texas, were acquitted on all charges. The remaining defendant, James Larkin, 73, died on July 31 before trial was scheduled to begin in August.

United States Attorney for the District of Arizona Gary M. Restaino, Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge Albert Childress of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Phoenix Field Office, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, Special Agent in Charge Akil Davis of the Phoenix Division, and Inspector in Charge Carroll Harris of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Los Angeles Division made the announcement.

IRS-CI, the FBI Phoenix Field Office, and USPIS conducted the investigation in this case. The Los Angeles Joint Regional Intelligence Center provided substantial assistance.

Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin Rapp, Andy Stone, Margaret Perlmeter, and Peter Kozinets of the District of Arizona and Trial Attorney Austin M. Berry of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section are prosecuting the case, with significant assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, the office of the California Attorney General, and the office of the Texas Attorney General. Assistant United States Attorney Daniel Boyle of the Central District of California is handling the asset forfeiture aspects of the case, with assistance from Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Bozdech of the District of Arizona.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-18-00422-PHX-DJH
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-181_Backpage

###

For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

Source: US FBI

TUCSON, Ariz. – Ryan Schlesinger, 31, of Tucson, was convicted yesterday by a federal jury of second-degree murder of a federal officer. Second-degree murder is a homicide committed with malice aforethought, which means deliberately and intentionally, or recklessly with extreme disregard for human life. Second-degree murder is a class A felony punishable by up to life in prison.

Schlesinger also was convicted of three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison; four counts of assault of a federal officer, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison; and five counts of discharging a firearm during the commission of a violent offense, a felony punishable by not less than 10 years, and up to life, in prison. The guilty verdicts came after a 13-day trial before United States District Judge Raner C. Collins. Schlesinger’s sentencing is set for January 22, 2024.

On November 29, 2018, deputies with the United States Marshals Arizona Wanted Violent Offender Task Force attempted to serve a felony arrest warrant on Schlesinger for allegedly stalking a Tucson Police Department (TPD) sergeant. Schlesinger refused to exit his residence and opened fire on the deputies who were outside his window. Deputy U.S. Marshal Chase White was shot twice in the upper torso and died a short time later.

Prior to the murder, Schlesinger had been in a yearlong dispute with TPD. Schlesinger sent multiple threatening emails, went to a TPD officer’s parents’ home, and attempted to arrest a TPD sergeant. Despite being under multiple active injunctions against harassment, Schlesinger possessed three firearms in violation of those court-issued injunctions. The evidence showed that Schlesinger sent a final threatening email to TPD hours before the murder. While the Task Force attempted to execute the arrest warrant, Schlesinger outfitted himself in body armor. After murdering Deputy White and committing the other crimes of which he was convicted, Schlesinger ultimately surrendered to TPD, wearing the body armor and a ballistic helmet.

Deputy White was 41 years old. He is survived by his wife and four children. He was also a lieutenant colonel with the United States Air Force Reserve. Deputy White was the first Deputy U.S. Marshal killed in the line of duty in Tucson in 66 years.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah B. Houston and Jane L. Westby, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-18-02719-TUC-RCC
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-178_Schlesinger

# # #

For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

Source: US FBI

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Savannah Sandoval, 36, of Camp Verde, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Steven P. Logan to 24 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Sandoval also was ordered to pay over $650,000 in restitution. Sandoval pleaded guilty on August 9, 2023, to Embezzlement and Theft from an Indian Tribal Organization.

Between August 2017 and May 2022, Sandoval, the former Comptroller and Executive Director of the Yavapai-Apache Nation Housing Department, embezzled $670,908 from the Yavapai-Apache Nation, including over $133,000 of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Indian Housing Block Grant Funds.

As Comptroller and Executive Director, Sandoval was the supervisor of the accounting department and oversaw day-to-day activities and financial transactions. As such, she had access to Housing Department credit cards and knowledge of its vendor accounts. In 2022, it was discovered that there had been hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent purchases via Tribal credit cards. On at least 184 occasions funds were fraudulently transferred by Sandoval into her personal accounts.

“Indian Tribal Organizations have historically been vulnerable to theft and embezzlement,” said United States Attorney Gary Restaino. “The theft here meant that roofs and floors and appliances in houses on the Nation could not be repaired or replaced. The Court’s sentence sends a strong deterrent message to those who steal from Native American communities.”

“HUD OIG is committed to protecting the integrity of funds meant to assist with housing on Native lands,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark Kaminsky with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and hold accountable those who would misuse federal tax dollars for personal gain.”

“Financial crimes have long been at the forefront of the FBI’s efforts, and we will continue to meticulously investigate any and all fraudsters in pursuit of our mission of protecting the American people,” said Akil Davis, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Phoenix field office.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation of this case, with assistance from the Yavapai-Apache Nation. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-23-08089-PCT-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-177_Sandoval

# # #

For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

Source: US FBI

Defendant agreed to accept nearly half a million in bribes from a contractor in exchange for providing confidential bidding information about U.S. Department of Defense contracts

Source: US FBI

ANCHORAGE – United States Attorney S. Lane Tucker announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Kelly Cavanaugh will lead the efforts of her Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2022, general election. AUSA Cavanaugh has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the District of Alaska and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.

    United States Attorney Tucker said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”

    The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud.  The Department will address these violations wherever they occur.  The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.

Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input.  It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice.  The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).   

    United States Attorney Tucker stated that: “Voting is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to vote can exercise that right if they choose, and that any who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Cavanaugh will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone numbers: 907-271-5071.”

    In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 907-276-4441 or online at tips.fbi.gov. 

    Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ .

    United States Attorney Tucker said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate.  It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”

    Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities.  State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency. 

###
 

Source: US FBI

Defendant prescribed ~4.5 million opioids with little to no medical justification causing addiction, suffering and deaths across Alaska.

Source: US FBI

ANCHORAGE – An Anchorage man was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of production of child pornography.

According to court documents, Timothy Swensen, Jr., 30, sent sexually explicit text messages, including a series of images depicting his ongoing sexual abuse of a female toddler, to a vulnerable young adult whom he had previously sexually assaulted. During the interview with detectives, the adult victim shared the texts and images. Following an investigation, Swensen was arrested by the FBI’s Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking Task Force in May 2021. Swensen was previously convicted of sexual assault in the second degree by the State of Alaska in 2011.

“Swensen is a predatory danger to society who will now spend 45 years behind bars for actively and directly exploiting some of the most vulnerable members of our community,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “Although nothing can erase the indescribable trauma inflicted on the victims and their families, we hope this sentence will bring some accountability for his actions. It is also a signal to others that we will use all means at our disposal to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit and harm children.”

“This sentence reflects the severity and depravity of the defendant’s crimes, which have no place in our society,” said Special Agent in Charge Antony Jung of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “Protecting the most vulnerable, and removing child predators from our community, will always be a priority for the FBI and our law enforcement partners.”

As part of the sentence, Swensen was also ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution and will be on supervised release for the rest of his life.

The FBI and APD, as part of the FBI’s Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking Task Force, conducted the investigation leading to Swensen’s arrest.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Alexander prosecuted the case.

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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

###