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Source: US FBI

ATLANTA – Between April 28, 2025 through May 1, 2025, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted Operation Restore Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort, by all 55 FBI field offices, United States Attorneys’ Offices across the country, and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division (CEOS), to identify, track, and arrest child sex offenders.  The operation resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 subjects, including six individuals charged in the Northern District of Georgia: Austin Hunter Bedingfield, 27, of Douglasville; Ian Dudar, 26, of Roswell; Kenneth Frazier, 30, of Powder Springs; Eduardo Gardea, 26, of Norcross; Connie Lynn Thompson, 52, of Grantville; and Christopher Welcher, 44, of Grantville.

“The Department of Justice will never stop fighting to protect victims – especially child victims – and we will not rest until we hunt down, arrest, and prosecute every child predator who preys on the most vulnerable among us,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “I am grateful to the FBI and their state and local partners for their incredible work in Operation Restore Justice and have directed my prosecutors not to negotiate.”

“Sex crimes against minors are especially heinous,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “We commend our federal and local law enforcement partners for their tireless efforts to hold accountable those who prey on children and achieve a measure of justice for the victims and their families.”

“Every child deserves to grow up free from fear and exploitation, and the FBI will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of those who exploit the most vulnerable among us,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Operation Restore Justice proves that no predator is out of reach and no child will be forgotten. By leveraging the strength of all our field offices and our federal, state, and local partners, we’re sending a clear message: there is no place to hide for those who prey on children.”

“Our commitment is resolute. FBI Atlanta remains steadfast in its mission to safeguard children from those who seek to harm society’s most vulnerable,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “However, let there be no confusion – this week’s operation is just one chapter in a relentless, year-round effort that our dedicated agents are fully invested in. We will continue to leverage every tool and resource at our disposal to track down child predators and ensure they face justice.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court, the following defendants were arrested in connection with the operation, indicted by federal grand juries seated in the Northern District of Georgia, and have now been arraigned before a United States Magistrate Judge:

• Austin Hunter Bedingfield was charged with distribution of child sexual abuse material and possession of child sexual abuse material. Bedingfield allegedly distributed graphic videos depicting the abuse of minors to an undercover officer via Kik. FBI agents conducted a search of Bedingfield’s electronic devices and recovered additional images of sexual abuse of minor children. He was arrested on April 30, 2025.
• Ian Dudar was charged with possession of child sexual abuse material. Dudar allegedly purchased child sexual abuse material using Bitcoin from a commercial child exploitation ring on at least four occasions in 2022.  Later, in January 2024, when FBI agents executed search warrants on his person and home, they found child sexual abuse material on two of his electronic devices. He was arrested on April 29, 2025.
• Kenneth Frazier was charged with enticement of a minor, receipt of child sexual abuse material, and possession of child sexual abuse material. On November 7, 2024, acting on tips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Cobb County, Georgia, Police Department executed a search warrant at Frazier’s residence in Powder Springs. Officers seized Frazier’s cell phones, which contained hundreds of images and videos of children as young as infants and toddlers forced to engage in sex acts. One of Frazier’s phones also contained chat transcripts in which Frazier allegedly described himself as a “pedophile,” enticed a minor to engage in sexual activity, and received a visual depiction of that minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. He was arrested on May 2, 2025.
• Eduardo Gardea was charged with distribution of child sexual abuse material and possession of child sexual abuse material. Gardea allegedly distributed child sexual abuse material on two internet platforms and possessed thousands of images depicting the sexual abuse of children. He was arrested on April 24, 2025.
• Connie Lynn Thompson was charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly destroying electronic devices to conceal the alleged child exploitation crimes of Christopher Welcher, who was also arrested during the operation, as is more fully described below. Approximately a week after Welcher’s arrest, he allegedly called Thompson from jail and discussed a plan to destroy electronic devices that contained evidence against him. Although Thompson allegedly executed the concealment plan, the FBI recovered the damaged devices from Thompson’s household trash. She was arrested on May 16, 2025.
• Christopher Welcher was charged with enticement of a minor, interstate travel to engage in an illicit sex act with a minor, possession of child sexual abuse material, and commission of a felony by a registered sex offender. On March 4, 2025, Welcher, a registered sex offender who previously served more than six years in federal prison for distributing child sex abuse materials, allegedly exchanged sexually explicit text messages with an undercover investigator he believed to be a 14-year-old girl. Welcher then drove from Alabama to the vicinity of a northwest Georgia high school to allegedly meet and molest the girl. Police arrested Welcher upon his arrival at the meeting location and seized his phone, which contained hundreds of images of child sex abuse. He was arrested on May 16, 2025.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictments only contain charges.  The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

United States Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg and Assistant United States Attorneys James Hwang, Matthew LaGrone, Leanne Marek, and Amy Palumbo are prosecuting these cases.

These cases are being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with valuable assistance from the Cobb County Police Department, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and Rome/Floyd Metro Drug Task Force.

This effort follows the Department of Justice’s observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April 2025, and underscores the Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and raising awareness about the dangers they face. While the Department, including the FBI and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, investigate and prosecute these crimes every day, April served as a powerful reminder of the importance of preventing these crimes, seeking justice for victims, and raising awareness through community education.

The Department is committed to combating child sexual exploitation. These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

The Department partners with and oversees funding grants for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives and shares tips about possible child sexual exploitation received through its 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST and on missingkids.org. The Department urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through the FBI’s tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling your local FBI field office.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6280.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

Source: US FBI

BEAUMONT, Texas – A Beaumont man has been sentenced to federal prison for fraud violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.

Jerry Leonard Carnley, Jr., 55, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on May 16, 2025.  Carnley was also ordered to pay restitution of $191,251.35 to his victims.

According to information presented in court, Carnley was employed as an office manager and information technology (IT) specialist for a local psychiatric practice. As such, Carnley had access to the business checking account.  As part of his scheme to defraud the business, Carnley would utilize the business checking account, which had a debit card attached to it, and withdraw money from ATMs for matters other than business, including his own personal use. One of Carnley’s responsibilities was to provide an accounting firm with documents necessary for the filing of federal income tax returns. From December 2020 to September 2021, However, Carnley purposefully refused to provide the accounting firm with requested information such as quick books and bank statements. Eventually, Carnley told the accounting firm that he would file the taxes himself and that the doctor would no longer be using their services.  These actions allowed Carnley to continue to discretely withdraw money from the business checking account. Carnley befriended the doctor’s mother with the pretense of getting to know the doctor better and obtained information that would help him change passwords to bank accounts.  From November 2020 to December 2021, Carnley made 355 unauthorized withdrawals from an ATM machine located at the Delta Downs Racetrack, Hotel and Casino in Vinton, Louisiana, and 53 unauthorized cash withdrawals from banks in and around Beaumont, Texas. As a result of the scheme, Carnley was responsible for obtaining over $191,000 by fraud.

This case was investigated by FBI’s Beaumont field office and the Beaumont Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Reynaldo P. Morin.

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Source: US FBI

            WASHINGTON – A North Carolina man pleaded guilty today to assaulting law enforcement during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. 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.

            David Paul Daniel, 37, of Mint Hill, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to a felony offense of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers before U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden. Judge McFadden will sentence Daniel on May 5, 2025.

            According to court documents, Daniel traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend the Jan. 6, 2021, “Stop the Steal” rally on the National Mall.

            At approximately 2:12 p.m., the initial breach of the U.S. Capitol building occurred at a doorway known as the Senate Wing Door. Eventually, U.S. Capitol Police officers were able to stop the influx of rioters from that doorway. To secure the area, the officers, among other efforts, placed heavy wooden structures in front of the Senate Wing Door and nearby windows.

            At approximately 2:42 p.m., a rioter succeeded in once again breaking open the Senate Wing Door, but further entry was blocked by one of the heavy wooden structures, which was placed in front of the door like a barricade. At approximately 2:46 p.m., Daniel moved to the front of the crowd directly in front of that barricade.

            About one minute later, Daniel and another rioter to his right thrust their arms into and forcefully pushed the barricade into the officers standing on the other side. Officers attempted to keep the heavy wooden barricade in place as the crowd swarmed behind Daniel to support the push. Approximately one minute later, rioters succeeded in overwhelming the officers and swarmed into the Senate Wing Door hallway.

            At about 2:49 p.m., Daniel climbed over a pile of wooden structures to exit the Senate Wing Door area through a broken window. Daniel then re-entered the Capitol through another broken window beside the Senate Wing Door. He spent several moments walking around the perimeter of the area just inside the Senate Wing Door, then then walked south down a corridor, through the Small House Rotunda, and entered the Capitol Crypt. After a few moments, Daniel walked back north to the Senate Wing Door, where, at approximately 3:04 p.m., he eventually exited the building through a broken window.

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

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Charlotte and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In the 48 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,583 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 600 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

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

Source: US FBI

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Christina Robinson, 52, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge David C. Keesler today, and pleaded guilty to wire fraud for embezzling nearly $1.2 million from her employer, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, joins U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.

According to filed plea documents and the hearing, from September 2013 to April 2023, Robinson engaged in a scheme to defraud a Charlotte-based company by abusing her position as the company’s controller to embezzle nearly $1.2 million in company funds. During the scheme, Robinson misused her position and access to the company’s bank accounts to carry out the scheme by moving the embezzled funds and withdrawing them in cash. To conceal the theft and to remain undetected, Robison made materially false and misleading accounting entries in the company’s books and records. As Robinson admitted in court today, she used some of the embezzled funds to pay for personal expenses, including more than $330,000 in purchases, over $324,000 in credit card payments, more than $80,000 in loan payments, over $40,000 in mortgage payments, and more than $35,000 in car payments.

Robinson was released on bond following the plea hearing. At sentencing, she faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the wire fraud charge. A sentencing date has not been set.

The FBI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney William Bozin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.

 

Source: US FBI

MIAMI – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, ATF Miami, and Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO), in collaboration with other federal and local law enforcement agencies, secured federal convictions and prison sentences against 18 members of violent South Florida street gangs – including Zoe Mafia Family (ZMF), the 3^rd World gang, and several sects of the Bloods gang.

The joint operation involved charges of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine trafficking; carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and felon in possession of a firearm. It led to the recovery of 23 firearms, three kilograms of fentanyl, and seven kilograms of cocaine, as well as methamphetamine, crack cocaine, and marijuana.

The defendants, former residents of South Florida (Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties) were convicted and sentenced to prison terms as follows: 

Andre Allen, 37, was sentenced to 120 months for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl (22-cr-20190);

David Brown,41, was sentenced to 151 months for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl (22-cr-60177);

Tirell Caldwell,26, was sentenced to 57 months for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon (22-cr-60220);

Johnnie Gibson,51, was sentenced to 175 months for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine (23-cr-60205); 

Brionne Griffin,35, was sentenced to 60 months for possessing with the intent to distribute fentanyl, crack cocaine, cocaine, and methamphetamine (22-cr-60082);

Joseph Johnson, Jr.,46, was sentenced to 120 months for possessing with the intent to distribute fentanyl (23-cr-60131);

Timothy Neil Lewis, Jr.,26, was sentenced to 60 months for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime (22-cr-60083);

Makinson Moise,35, was sentenced to 248 months for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine base (23-cr-60004);

Arnicious Odom,48, was sentenced to 30 months for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine (23-cr-60205);

Wendy Previl,33, was sentenced to 120 months for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl (23-cr-60089); 

Joshua Robinson,38, was sentenced to 51 months imprisonment for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine (24-cr-60132);

Robert Roseme,28, was sentenced to 42 months for possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl (23-cr-60089); 

Nolan Setoute,43, was sentenced to 12 months for possession of a firearm as a convicted felon (22-cr-60124);

Terrance Stanley,40, was sentenced to 60 months for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime (22-cr-60120);

Dorshawn Tate,20, was sentenced to 8 months for possession with intent to distribute alprazolam (23-cr-60051);

British Wilkerson,42, was sentenced to 60 months for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime (22-cr-60125);

Byron Felecio Williams, Jr.,40, was sentenced to 60 months for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime (22-cr-80136); and

Kevin Williams,31, was sentenced to 18 months for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine (24-cr-60132).

U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida; acting Special Agent in Charge Gordon Mallory of the ATF Miami Field Division, and Sheriff Gregory Tony of the Broward Sheriff’s Office announced the results of the operation.

This case was investigated by ATF Miami and Broward Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from DEA Miami, HSI Miami, and FBI Miami.

Southern District of Florida Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Brown and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason McCormack prosecuted these cases.

Several of the defendants, are associated with Zoe Mafia Family (ZMF), a South Florida Haitian street gang.

Earlier this month, the U.S. State Department designated two Haitian gangs (Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif) as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf.

You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

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Source: US FBI

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was convicted in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire.

Thomas D. Clegg, 42, was found guilty by a jury of participating in a conspiracy to commit murder for hire.

Clegg and others conspired from Aug. 19, 2021, to June 13, 2022, to murder a victim identified as “J.C.” and his family members for payment in cash and marijuana.

The conspiracy included two occasions when Clegg shot J.C. On Aug. 19, 2021, Clegg shot J.C. in the leg and back in the parking lot of Ugly Joe’s bar in Kansas City, Mo.  On May 25, 2022, Clegg shot J.C. in the back in the parking lot of a strip mall located at 4010 Sterling Avenue, Kansas City, Mo.  The businesses in and near the strip mall included an accounting firm, daycare, and fitness center.  One witness had just picked two of her children up from the daycare when her vehicle was struck by the gunfire.  One of her windows was shot out, but no one in her vehicle was injured.

Investigators seized Clegg’s cell phone when he was arrested. Investigators also obtained search warrants for Clegg’s cell phone.  Text messages between Clegg and co-conspirators indicated that Clegg was hired to murder J.C.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for approximately two and a half hours before returning guilty verdicts to U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips, ending a trial that began Monday, May 12.

Clegg pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm utilized in the May 2022 shooting on Tuesday, May 6.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition.  Clegg has two prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance, as well as prior felony convictions for unlawful use of a weapon, trafficking in drugs, voluntary manslaughter, discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle, assault, armed criminal action, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Under federal statutes, Clegg is subject to a sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashleigh A. Ragner and Heather Siegele.  It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo. Police Department, the Independence, Mo. Police Department, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Source: US FBI

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raleigh man was sentenced to 96 months in prison after fleeing from the police and discarding a “ghost gun”.  On May 22, 2024, Treyvion Maleke Sutton pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, on December 8, 2023, Sutton, 20, fled from Raleigh police officers on foot after officers attempted a traffic stop of a vehicle in which he was a passenger. While running from officers, Sutton discarded a loaded, unserialized “ghost gun” with an extended magazine. Sutton, who has prior felony convictions for common law robbery, assault by strangulation, discharge of a weapon into occupied property, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and battery of an unborn child, was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

A privately made firearm is often called a “ghost gun” because it is not marked with a serial number and therefore is far more difficult for law enforcement to trace if they are used to commit crimes. These firearms can be made from scratch, or they can be assembled from weapon parts kits, including “buy-build-shoot” kits, which are weapon part kits with pre-manufactured, dissembled, complete firearms (a firearm in a box).

The conviction is a result of the ongoing Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP) initiative which is a collaborative effort with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, working with the community, to identify and address the most significant drivers of violent crime. VCAP involves focused and strategic enforcement, and interagency coordination and intelligence-led policing.

Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Raleigh Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Nokes  prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-CR-24-D-RN.

Source: US FBI

Special Agent in Charge (SAC) W. Mike Herrington of the Seattle Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced today that Miguel Angel Urbano-Vazquez was extradited to the United States. He had been arrested without incident in Chimalhuacan, Estado de Mexico, Mexico, on Tuesday, March 14, 2023.

Urbano-Vazquez was wanted for his alleged involvement in the homicide and rape of Sharon Van Gilder in Pierce County, Washington, in 2002. Additionally, he has been charged for the rapes of three other individuals in 2002. Between 2002 and 2012, the rape cases and the murder case were unsolved, but in 2012 the cases were linked by DNA evidence to Urbano-Vazquez, who was identified as the suspect in all four. 

Urbano-Vazquez was charged with murder and three separate rapes in the Superior Court of Washington for Pierce County, Washington, and a local arrest warrant was issued for him in October 2012.

In 2018, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the FBI in locating and apprehending Urbano-Vazquez, as the investigation determined he had been deported to Mexico. 

“This extradition should send a message to those who commit violence in our communities: you can run, but you can’t hide. Thanks to strong international partnerships, Mr. Urbano-Vazquez has learned that lesson first-hand and now will face justice here in the State of Washington for his horrific actions threatening our community,” said SAC Herrington.

The FBI Seattle Field Office credits the FBI’s Legal Attaché office in Mexico City, Mexico, Unidad Especializada de Combate al Secuestro (UECS), Fiscalia General de Justicia del Estado de México, Agencia de Investigación Criminal (AIC) Fiscalía General de la República, and the Western District of Washington’s U.S. Attorney’s Office in coordinating the arrest of Urbano-Vazquez, who was deported to the U.S. where he will be tried in the Pierce County, Washington, Superior Court.

The public is reminded that indictments contain only allegations of criminal misconduct and that defendants are presumed to be innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

FBI Seattle is one of the 55 FBI field offices located in the United States. The mission of the FBI is to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States. For more information, visit www.fbi.gov or www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/seattle.

Source: US FBI

ST. LOUIS – A man accused of involvement in methamphetamine and fentanyl dealing was arrested by the FBI in Richmond Heights, Missouri Friday.

Albert James, 47, was indicted Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on one count of conspiracy with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He pleaded not guilty Friday.

The indictment accuses James of agreeing with others in 2021 to possess with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of meth and 400 grams of fentanyl. The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of $18,920 in cash.

In court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards said the charges related to a traffic stop in Oklahoma, when James was caught with pounds of meth and fentanyl.

“This is part of a larger on-going investigation,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “Perpetrators should not underestimate the FBI’s expertise, resources, and tenacity to dismantle criminal networks.”

Each charge carries a potential prison sentence of at least 10 years, with a maximum term of life.

Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The FBI and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards is prosecuting the case.

Source: US FBI

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri on Thursday admitted soliciting nude images of children that he’d approached online, and receiving images of one 12-year-old victim.

Alsaphone Hunt, 44, pleaded guilty to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor and one count of distribution of child pornography.

Hunt initiated communications with an 8-year-old girl in Maryland via Facebook Messenger in February of 2021. After an initial exchange of messages, the girl’s mother took over the phone. Hunt asked if the girl wanted to “see something that you like to see on a boy.” He asked to see her genitals, and then sent a photo of his. The mother stopped responding and contacted local police after Hunt sent images containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Police officers identified Hunt and forwarded their findings to the St. Louis County Police Department.

On March 1, 2021, a St. Louis County Police Department detective pretending to be a 10-year-old girl “friended” Hunt on Facebook. Hunt then contacted the detective via Facebook Messenger. Hunt became increasingly sexually explicit and sent CSAM and photos of male genitals. On March 5, 2021, police arrested Hunt at the fast-food restaurant where he worked. He admitted sending CSAM and a picture of his genitals and allowed investigators to search the phone he’d been using to communicate with the 8-year-old and the detective.

A search of the phone revealed the presence of 65 video files and 165 image files containing CSAM as well as 55 image files containing child erotica. Investigators also learned that Hunt had coerced or enticed a 12-year-old into sending him CSAM that she produced.

Hunt is scheduled to be sentenced on August 21. Both the U.S. Attorney’s office and Hunt’s lawyers have agreed to recommend 15 years in prison.

The St. Louis County Police Department, the Montgomery County (Maryland) Department of Police, the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals 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.