MIL Security Engine-1

Source: US FBI

PORTLAND, Ore.—A La Grande, Oregon man was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison Wednesday for sexually abusing and transporting two minors from Washington State he met through Snapchat.

Albert Wayne Johnson, 42, was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison and 10 years’ supervised release.

According to court documents, on August 8, 2022, deputies from the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call of two minors abandoned at Barton Park in Boring, Oregon. The children told the deputies they met Johnson on Snapchat and that he had driven them from Washington State through Idaho and into Oregon, and had sexually abused both during the trip. Along the way, Johnson stopped at a motel in Othello, Washington, where he abused the children, and a campground near La Grande, where he continued to abuse one of the children. After arriving in Boring, Johnson left the children at a campsite in Barton Park and never returned.

In August 2022, after receiving information about the abduction and abuse that had occurred, detectives from the Othello Police Department contacted the motel in Othello and obtained surveillance footage showing Johnson with the two children.

On August 30, 2022, officers and deputies from the La Grande Police Department, Union County Sheriff’s Office, Union County Probation Department, and Umatilla Tribal Police Department located Johnson at his residence in La Grande and arrested him on an outstanding parole violation warrant.

On October 5, 2022, Johnson was charged by criminal complaint with coercing and enticing a minor and transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Later, on November 2, 2022, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a three-count indictment charging Johnson with traveling across state lines to engage in a sexual act with a minor, transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and commission of a sex offense by a registered sex offender.

On January 24, 2024, Johnson pleaded guilty to transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

This case was investigated by the FBI Pendleton Resident Agency with assistance from the Othello Police Department, La Grande Police Department, Union County Sheriff’s Office, Union County Probation Department, Umatilla Tribal Police Department, and Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Cassady Adams, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at (503) 224-4181 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: US FBI

PORTLAND, Ore.—The leader of Portland’s 18^th Street Gang was sentenced to federal prison today for his role in a conspiracy to traffic large quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine into the Portland area for redistribution and sale.

Gustavo Torres-Mendez, 38, a Portland resident, was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.

According to court documents, in 2019, following his release from state prison for first degree robbery with a firearm, Torres-Mendez established himself as the leader of the 18^th Street Gang in Portland. At the time, investigators were aware that Torres-Mendez maintained a significant stature with and history in the gang developed while serving time in Oregon state prisons and for his activities out of custody.

By late summer 2022, investigators had obtained significant evidence that Torres-Mendez and a close associate were leading a criminal enterprise active in selling counterfeit Oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine in and around the Portland metro area. In early September 2022, investigators uncovered a major effort by Torres-Mendez and several associates to collect money for a large drug purchase and, within days, the group had collected more than $126,000 in cash. At around the same time, on September 7, 2022, police stopped a vehicle connected to the group traveling near Grants Pass, Oregon. A search of the vehicle returned more than 104 pounds of methamphetamine and eight pounds of cocaine.

On November 15, 2022, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a seven-count indictment charging Torres-Mendez and six associates for conspiring with one another to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Two days later, on November 17, 2022, a multi-agency law enforcement operation was conducted targeting Torres-Mendez and his associates. A search of Torres-Mendez’s North Portland home returned a handgun, ammunition, tactical body armor, a small bag of “M30” counterfeit Oxycodone pills, and $6,386 in cash. On the same day, investigators located and seized 10 additional firearms at a location in Portland used by the 18^th Street Gang to store and distribute drugs and keep weapons.

On September 6, 2023, Torres-Mendez pleaded guilty to conspiring with his associates to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Three of Torres-Mendez’s co-conspirators have also pleaded guilty and been sentenced to federal prison.

This case was investigated by the FBI and Portland Police Bureau. It was prosecuted by Thomas H. Edmonds and Nicole M. Bockelman, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

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

This prosecution is the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the U.S. by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Source: US FBI

MEDFORD, Ore.—A Medford man was sentenced to federal prison Monday for distributing fentanyl that caused the overdose death of a local teenager.

John Rocha, 31, was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison and four years’ supervised release.

According to court documents, on September 7, 2021, officers from the Medford Police Department responded to a report of an overdose death of a local 17-year-old high school student. Investigators soon learned that the teenager had taken counterfeit Percocet pills containing fentanyl. Within days, investigators identified Rocha as the victim’s fourth-level drug supplier and, when confronted by law enforcement, he admitted to having recently sold counterfeit pills.

On February 3, 2022, a federal grand jury in Medford returned a five-count indictment charging Rocha and four others with distributing fentanyl, possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

On February 20, 2024, Rocha pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement Team (MADGE). It was prosecuted by Marco A. Boccato, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

MADGE is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force that identifies, disrupts, and dismantles local, multi-state, and international drug trafficking organizations using an intelligence-driven, multi-agency prosecutor-supported approach. MADGE is supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) and is composed of members from the Medford Police Department, the Jackson County Sheriff and District Attorney’s Offices, the Jackson County Community Corrections, FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives.

Source: US FBI

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jade Larae Duncan, age 27, of Stilwell, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea of one count of Involuntary Manslaughter in Indian Country.

The Indictment alleged that on December 2, 2022, Duncan unlawfully killed an individual in the commission of an unlawful act not amounting to a felony and in the commission in an unlawful manner, without due caution and circumspection, while driving under the influence of alcohol and departing the roadway into a creek bed.  The crime occurred in Adair County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and the Adair County Sheriff’s Department.

The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick M. Flanigan, Lewis M. Reagan, and T. Cameron McEwen represented the United States.

Source: US FBI

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Brian Keith Bowen Jr., age 26, of Stilwell, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 48 months in prison for one count of Child Abuse in Indian Country.

The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cherokee Nation Marshals Service.

On May 22, 2024, Bowen pleaded guilty to the charge.  According to investigators, between April and May of 2023, Bowen maliciously harmed a child entrusted in his care.  Bowen’s mistreatment came to light on May 2, 2023, when medical professionals treating the child observed numerous injuries, including fading bruises, petechiae, and a spiral bone fracture consistent with child abuse.

The crimes occurred in Adair County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing.  Bowen will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Pippin represented the United States.

Source: US FBI

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jason Edward Lewis, age 48, of Kenefic, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Assault with Intent to Commit Murder in Indian Country.

The Superseding Indictment alleged that on or about July 10, 2024, Lewis assaulted an individual with intent to commit murder.  The crime occurred in Bryan County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Police, and the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office.

The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.  Lewis will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Geizura represented the United States.

Source: US FBI

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Wesley Wayne Hunter Jr., age 29, of Yukon, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 70 months in prison for one count of Destruction, Alteration, or Falsification of Records to Obstruct a Federal Investigation.

The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

On June 5, 2024, Hunter pleaded guilty to the charge.  According to investigators, on July 20, 2023, in his official capacity as a Canadian County Deputy, Hunter purposefully deactivated the mobile tracking system on his work phone while transporting a pretrial detainee from Bryan County to Canadian County before pulling his patrol car off the transport route.  Hunter admitted during the June plea hearing he did this to conceal and impede any future investigation into his subsequent criminal misconduct.

“The FBI will not stand by when a law enforcement official abuses the authority entrusted to them,” said FBI Oklahoma City Acting Special Agent in Charge Sonia Garcia.  “We will continue to hold accountable any public servant who fails the community they were sworn to protect.”

“Wesley Wayne Hunter Jr. betrayed his employer, his community, and his oath by engaging in misconduct against a detainee and attempting to conceal his acts,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson.  “Today, thanks to the diligent work of the FBI, the OSBI, the DOJ Civil Rights Division, and Eastern District prosecutors, Hunter is being held accountable for his crime.”

The Honorable John D. Russell, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, sitting by assignment, presided over the hearing in Muskogee.  Hunter will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicole Paladino and Richard Lorenz, in consultation with Trial Attorney Laura Gilson of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, represented the United States.

Source: US FBI

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Cody Lynn Lusk, age 34, of Henryetta, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Burglary in the First Degree in Indian Country, and one count of Assault of a Spouse, Intimate Partner, or Dating Partner by Strangling, Suffocating, and Attempting to Strangle and Suffocate in Indian Country.

The Indictment alleged that on March 22, 2024, Lusk broke into the dwelling house of an individual and entered, intending to commit a crime within.  The Indictment further alleged that Lusk then strangled and suffocated a dating partner.

The crimes occurred in Muskogee County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service, and the Muskogee Police Department.

The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.  Lusk will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caila M. Cleary and Morgan Muzljakovich represented the United States.

Source: US FBI

An Ohio man was sentenced yesterday to three years in prison for possessing a green card he illegally obtained by concealing that he had been charged with a war crime in Croatia prior to immigrating to the United States.

According to court documents, Jugoslav Vidic, 56, of Parma Heights, in applying to become a lawful permanent resident of the United States, falsely stated that he had never been charged with breaking any law even though he knew he had been charged in Croatia with a war crime against the civilian population. Vidic also falsely stated that his only past military service was in the Yugoslav Army from 1988 to 1989, when, in fact, he fought with the Serb Army of Krajina and its predecessors during the civil war in the former Yugoslavia from 1991 to 1995. As a result of these materially false statements, Vidic was approved for lawful permanent resident status and received a green card.

“Jugoslav Vidic lied about war crimes charged against him in an attempt to escape his past and live in the United States unlawfully,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Thanks to the dedication of prosecutors, law enforcement, and our international partners, Vidic will serve prison time in the United States followed by his removal. His sentence demonstrates that human rights violators will not be allowed to hide from their crimes in the United States.”

“Vidic committed serious human rights violations and was convicted of war crimes in Croatia as a result. Yet, he lied to U.S. immigration officials about his conviction and participation in a violent military force to claim refugee status and obtain a green card — becoming a permanent legal resident of our country — when he was not eligible to do so,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio. “Those who run away from violent crimes they commit elsewhere in the world and then enter our country by brazenly lying about their past will be held to account, as yesterday’s sentence demonstrates. Vidic’s deceitful actions are detestable, and unfairly hurt people in need who legitimately seek refuge to flee real harms in their home countries.”

“Our communities here in Ohio and across the United States are not safe havens for war criminals to escape accountability in their home countries,” said Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “It is my hope that this sentencing provides some measure of solace to the victims’ families with the knowledge that despite the passage of time, the United States will seek justice.”

“Jugoslav Vidic intentionally circumvented the laws of the United States by lying on his green card application about his war crimes conviction in Croatia,” said Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “This case should serve as a warning to others that the FBI will work with our law enforcement partners to identify and hold accountable those like Vidic who seek to violate U.S. law by fraud of any kind.”

“Jugoslav Vidic knowingly avoided the truth of his past to enjoy the freedoms and liberties of the United States for over two and a half decades,” said Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen of the FBI Cleveland Field Office. “Yesterday’s sentence underscores the work of the FBI and its local, state, federal, and international partners and sends a clear message that people in the United States who take part in war crimes, regardless of when or where they occurred, or by masking their involvement, will be identified, investigated, and prosecuted.”

Vidic admitted in his plea agreement that he was charged with a war crime in Croatia in 1994 and convicted in absentia in 1998. The Croatian court found that during an attack by ethnic Serb forces in Petrinja, Croatia, on Sept. 16, 1991, Vidic cut off the arm of civilian Stjepan Komes, who died afterward. Vidic further admitted that he knew about the Croatian charges when he immigrated to the United States as a refugee in 1999, applied to become a lawful permanent resident in 2000, and was interviewed by U.S. immigration officials and received his green card in 2005.

Vidic pleaded guilty to one count of possessing an alien registration receipt card knowing it had been procured through materially false statements. As part of the plea agreement, Vidic agreed to the entry of a judicial order of removal from the United States.

HSI and the FBI investigated the case with coordination provided by the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center, including the FBI’s International Human Rights Unit. The Justice Department thanks the Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Justice and Public Administration of the Republic of Croatia, which were both instrumental in furthering the investigation.

Trial Attorney Patrick Jasperse of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Shepherd and Jerome J. Teresinski for the Northern District of Ohio prosecuted the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided assistance.

Members of the public who have information about human rights violators or immigration fraud in the United States are urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or through the FBI online tip form, or HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or through the ICE online tip form. All are staffed around the clock, and tips may be provided anonymously.

Source: US FBI

U.S. Army Private First Class Provided Tactical Guidance in Attempt to Help ISIS Attack and Murder U.S. Service Members in the Middle East