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Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal judge today sentenced a Tuscaloosa man for defrauding the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation  Acting Special Agent in Charge Felix A. Rivera-Esparra. 

Chief U.S. District Court Judge L. Scott Coogler sentenced Quincy T. Doss, age 41, to 60 months in prison for the underlying PPP loan fraud and an additional 24 months for having committed the offense while on supervised release for other unrelated federal crimes.   Doss will serve his terms consecutively, resulting in a total custodial sentence of 84 months followed by three years of supervised release.  Doss pleaded guilty to wire fraud in June 2022. 

According to the plea agreement, between April 2021 and November 2021, Doss submitted false and fraudulent PPP loan applications and received two separate PPP loans totaling more than $220,000.  In the loan applications, Doss falsely represented that his business was in operation and had employees for whom it paid salaries, that the funds would be used to retain workers, and that the information provided in the loan applications was true and accurate. 

“The defendant defrauded a program intended to assist small business owners and their hard-working employees who suffered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said.  “My office remains committed to investigating, prosecuting, and seeking stiff custodial sentences for those who took advantage of a national crisis to line their own pockets.” 

“Greed drove Doss to enrich himself by defrauding a government program intended to provide relief  and ease the pain of COVID-19 economic restraints on working Americans,” Acting SAC Rivera said. “The sentence handed down today should serve as a message that the FBI and our partners will not relent in holding accountable those who exploit the PPP and other federal programs for personal gain.”

FBI investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan “Jack” Harrington prosecuted the case. 

Throughout the country, federal, state, and local law enforcement are on high alert to investigate reports of individuals and businesses engaging in a wide range of fraudulent and criminal behavior related to coronavirus assistance programs.  For more information about these scams visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/combatingfraud.

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

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – United States Attorney Prim F. Escalona announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Jason Cheek 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 Cheek has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Northern District of Alabama, 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.

“Every citizen has the right 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,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said.  “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate.  It is important that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division. 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.

“The FBI is the primary investigative agency responsible for election-related crimes, like voter fraud and voter suppression,” FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Felix A. Rivera-Esparra said.  “We will not tolerate criminal activity that threatens the sanctity of your vote or undermines public confidence in the outcome of the election.”

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).  

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 Cheek will be on duty in this District while the polls are open.  He can be reached by the public at 205-244-2001.

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 205-326-6166.

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/ .

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

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Federal indictments have been unsealed charging three defendants in separate and unrelated gun and drug cases, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Mickey French, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley and FBI  Acting Special Agent in Charge Felix A. Rivera-Esparra.

Last month a federal grand jury indicted three individuals in Northwest Alabama on gun and drug charges.  These indictments are the result of continued collaborative work with our state prosecutors, and federal, state, and local law enforcement partners. 

A one-count indictment charges Mario Jerrell Prewitt, 34, of Fayette, with illegally possessing a Taurus 9mm pistol on January 21, 2020, in Fayette County.  ATF investigated the case, along with the Alabama Drug Enforcement Task Force (ADETF) Regions C and E, ALEA SWAT, Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, Berry Police Department, and the 24th Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Darius C. Greene is prosecuting the case. 

A two-count indictment charges that on December 5, 2019, in Morgan County, Terry Wayne Thomason, 47, of Falkville, possessed with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and  possessed a firearm, a Braztech 20-gauge shotgun, in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. DEA investigated the case, along with the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Stuart Burrell is prosecuting the case. 

A six-count indictment charges that in October 2021 and March 2022, in Limestone County, Eric Cordelle Bass, 34, of Athens,  possessed with the intent to distribute a substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, possessed with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and possessed firearms, that is, a Hi-Point .380 pistol, a Taurus G2C 9mm pistol and a Charter Arms .44 SPL revolver, in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Bass was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. FBI investigated the case, along with the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney John M. Hundscheid is prosecuting the case. 

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Chase Tristian Espy, 36, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography arising out of events that occurred from March 2021 to August 2021, announced United States Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Felix A. Rivera-Esparra.

U.S. District Judge Annemarie Carney Axon accepted the plea and set sentencing for January 24, 2023, at 9:00 a.m.

The plea agreement filed states the investigation was initiated when Espy engaged in online chats with undercover law enforcement whom Espy believed was a 15-year-old girl.  Upon being arrested, Espy’s cell phone was seized, and a search warrant was obtained.  From this search, approximately 69 videos and four images of child sexual abuse material were found.

“The hard work of the agents involved in this case reflect how local, state, and federal law enforcement are committed to protecting children from predators,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said.  “Possessing child pornography is not a ‘victimless’ crime. Each time images of the innocent are shared or viewed, the child is re-victimized.”

“The FBI is committed to protecting our children from sexual abuse and exploitation, and we will continue to work with our partners to bring to justice those who would prey on our most vulnerable,” Acting Special Agent in Charge Rivera said. “I want to thank the members of the FBI Birmingham Child Exploitation & Human Trafficking Task Force and our partners for their outstanding work in this case.”

Possession of Child Pornography carries a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will seek imprisonment of Espy consistent with the high end of the advisory United States Sentencing Guideline range as calculated by the Court at the time of sentencing.

The FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force (CEHTTF), the Homewood Police Department, and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) participated in this investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys R. Leann White and Jonathan Cross are prosecuting the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.   

Source: US FBI

 BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal jury today convicted a Birmingham man for kidnapping and conspiracy to kidnap a minor victim, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Felix A. Rivera-Esparra.

The jury returned its guilty verdict against Patrick Devone Stallworth, 42, after three days of testimony before Chief U.S. District Court Judge L. Scott Coogler.  Stallworth was convicted of one count of kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to kidnap a minor victim arising out of events which occurred in October 2019. The jury further found that the minor victim’s death resulted from the kidnapping. Stallworth faces life in prison.

According to evidence presented at trial, on October 12, 2019, Stallworth traveled in a Toyota Sequoia with a co-conspirator to the Tom Brown Village Housing Development located in Birmingham, Alabama and kidnapped 3-year-old Kamille “Cupcake” McKinney.  Her body was found 10 days later. 

“Today, the jury held the defendant accountable for his actions in victimizing one of the most vulnerable victims in our community, a 3-year-old child. This office remains dedicated to prosecuting those criminals who prey on children,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “Just as the search for the victim involved many of our local, state, and federal partners, the trial this week also would not have been successful without these agencies.  I am grateful for their hard work and dedication.”

“While today’s verdict does not take away the pain for Kamille’s family, or the void in their life that they can never fill, they at least know we are one step closer to justice being served on those responsible,” Acting SAC Rivera said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Birmingham Police Department investigated the case, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service.  Chief of the Criminal Division Lloyd C. Peeples and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Blake Milner and Brittany Byrd prosecuted the case. 

Source: US FBI

LOS ANGELES – A Bel Air man was arrested today on a federal grand jury indictment charging him and two Iranian nationals with violating United States sanctions against Iran by illegally sending to that nation digital and physical gift cards loaded with approximately $2.4 million.

Kambiz Eghbali, 50, a.k.a. “Cameron Eghbali,” a dual citizen of the United States and Iran, is charged with violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. His arraignment is scheduled for this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

Hamid Hajipour and Babak Bahizad, both Iranian nationals charged in the indictment, remain at large.

“Restrictions on exports and transactions with countries that are hostile to the United States, such as Iran, are critical to protecting our nation,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Nothing is more important than protecting our country from foreign threats and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute those who undermine our national security.” 

According to the indictment unsealed today, from March 2014 through September 2019, Eghbali and others conspired to unlawfully send digital and physical gift cards loaded with U.S. dollars to Iran. Eghbali would list his company, a North Hills-based purported videogame wholesaler and distributor, as the seller of the gift cards, and would provide cards to Bahizad for the benefit of his Iran-based gaming company, and to Hajipour for the benefit of his mobile software application service company.

Bahizad and Hajipour would then pay Eghbali for the cards by transferring money from Iran to Eghabli’s U.S.-based bank accounts using third parties in other countries to conceal the transfer from U.S. regulators.

The IEEPA and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR) impose controls and restrictions on transactions involving Iran based on the threats posed by Iran to the national security of the United States including, among others, its pursuit of nuclear weapons and sponsorship of terrorism.

The IEEPA and ITSR, among other things, prohibit the export, reexport, sale, or supply, directly or indirectly, from the United States or by a United States person, wherever located, of any goods, technology, or services, including financial services, to Iran or the Government of Iran without first obtaining authorization from the United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

If convicted, the defendants face the following maximum penalties: 20 years in prison for violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, 30 years in prison for bank fraud violations, and 20 years in prison for money laundering violations. The indictment also notifies defendants that the United States intends to forfeit all property alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.

The FBI is investigating this matter with support from Homeland Security Investigations.

Assistant United States Attorneys Anna Boylan and Mark Takla of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section are prosecuting this case with Trial Attorneys David J. Ryan and Leslie Esbrook from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

Source: US FBI

LOS ANGELES—A Ventura County man was charged in a four-count federal grand jury indictment for possessing methamphetamine he intended to sell and illegally possessing firearms, the FBI announced today.

Rodolfo Hernandez, also known as “Creature,” of Oxnard, California, has been in federal custody since September 23, 2024.

Hernandez was charged in an indictment returned on October 2nd by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of firearms and machinegun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of a machinegun, and being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.

The indictment alleges that Hernandez, who was a convicted felon, possessed with intent to distribute approximately 98.6 grams of methamphetamine and possessed several firearms, including a .380 ACP caliber pistol machinegun, and 38 rounds of ammunition in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Hernandez made his initial appearance on October 2, 2024, in the United States District Court, where he was remanded to federal custody. His arraignment has been scheduled for October 11, 2024. If convicted, Hernandez would face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.

The investigation into Hernandez is being conducted by the Ventura County Violent Crime Task Force, which includes the FBI, the Oxnard Police Department, and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Magana is prosecuting this case.

Source: US FBI

LOS ANGELES – A Long Beach man pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges for traveling with a 14-year-old runaway from Arizona – whom he met in a Reddit internet forum – across state lines to his apartment, where he engaged in criminal sexual activity with her.

Trevon Nathaniel Langstaff, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

“Every day, sexual predators use the internet’s relative anonymity to prey on vulnerable youth,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Would-be predators should be aware that my office will use all of its tools to bring them to justice, and, as today’s sentence shows, the consequences will be severe.” 

According to his plea agreement, in late March 2024, Langstaff drove from his Long Beach home to Peoria, Arizona, to pick up the victim, a 14-year-old girl. Langstaff knew the victim was 14 and instructed her to pretend to be 18 years old. 

Intending to have sexual intercourse with the victim, Langstaff transported her from Arizona to his home in Long Beach, where he engaged in sexual intercourse with her.

On Langstaff’s cellphone, which was seized on March 26, law enforcement found an image that appeared to portray two children engaged in sexually explicit activity.

United States District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha scheduled a March 7, 2025, sentencing hearing, at which time Langstaff will face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison. Langstaff has been in federal custody since March 27.

The FBI and the Long Beach Police Department investigated this matter.

Assistant United States Attorney Kathrynne N. Seiden of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.

Source: US FBI

LOS ANGELES – A former deputy mayor and long-time Los Angeles city official was sentenced today to 144 months in federal prison for soliciting and accepting more than $750,000 in bribe money for himself and facilitating over $1 million in bribes from property developers to then-Los Angeles City Councilmember José Huizar as part of a long-running pay-to-play racketeering conspiracy at the highest levels of government in Los Angeles.

Raymond She Wah Chan, 68, of Monterey Park, was sentenced by United States District Judge John F. Walter, who also ordered him to pay $752,457 in restitution to the City of Los Angeles. 

At the conclusion of a 12-day trial, a jury on March 27 found Chan guilty of all 12 felony counts for which he was charged: one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, seven counts of honest services wire fraud, three counts of federal program bribery, and one count of making false statements to a federal government agency.

“Chan abused his public office and sought to deepen the corruption of city politics for the benefit of his own business interests,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Today’s sentence sends a message to the public and City Hall alike that our government should not be for sale and those that undermine our democracy through pay-to-play schemes will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Today’s sentence serves as a reminder that there are consequences for robbing communities of the honest government services they deserve” said Akil Davis, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. “The harm of public corruption manifests itself not only in financial loss, but also the loss of faith in government and public officials. The FBI will remain laser focused on those who seek to use their personal wealth and influence to facilitate relationships between those willing to pay or accept bribes.”

Chan served for years as the General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) and, later, as the Deputy Mayor of Economic Development from 2016 to 2017. Chan abused both of these high offices and the influence they carried to enrich himself, Huizar, and other public officials within the city.

Huizar, 56, of Boyle Heights, represented Council District 14 (CD-14) on the Los Angeles City Council from 2005 until his resignation in October 2020. CD-14 encompassed downtown Los Angeles and some of its surrounding areas. When downtown Los Angeles was experiencing a huge real estate development boom, Huizar chaired the Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee, which oversaw all major commercial and residential development projects in the city.

Along with Huizar, Chan helped conceive, lead, and operate the “CD-14 Enterprise,” a criminal racketeering enterprise that exploited the city approval process for large real estate development projects to exact bribes from developers. Chan played a critical role in guiding and ensuring the CD-14 Enterprise’s success, managing the conspiracy through both the powerful public offices he occupied and the private relationships he held with wealthy foreign developers seeking to build in the city.  Capitalizing on this unique position, Chan steered nearly $2 million in financial benefits to himself, Huizar, and other public officials as part of the pay-to-play bribery scheme.

In furtherance of the conspiracy, while he was General Manager of LADBS and then Deputy Mayor, Chan established and directed a secret business partnership with real estate development consultant George Chiang, securing a lucrative real estate consulting agreement with Chinese real estate developer Shenzhen Hazens. As part of that agreement, Chan solicited and accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to advise and pressure other city officials, including Huizar, in favor of Hazens’ Luxe Hotel redevelopment project in downtown Los Angeles. When he left city employment, Chan used the consulting business that he had secretly built to direct bribes to other public officials for the benefit of his private consulting clients. 

To help prolong the pay-to-play bribery scheme, Chan also facilitated a $100,000 campaign contribution commitment from Hazens for Huizar’s wife’s candidacy to succeed Huizar as CD-14 Councilmember in exchange for Huizar’s votes to approve the Luxe Hotel project. Chan also helped facilitate numerous other bribes from Hazens to Huizar, including tens of thousands of dollars in sham real estate consulting fees, concert tickets, China travel expenses, and contributions to Huizar’s 2015 campaign debt and alma mater high school. 

Chan also facilitated payment of nearly $1 million in bribes to Huizar from billionaire developer Wei Huang, 58, of Shenzhen, China, including $600,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit, nearly $200,000 in casino chips, and luxury-laden gambling trips to Las Vegas. Chan similarly facilitated bribes from Huang to George Esparza, Huizar’s special assistant and key associate in the pay-to-play bribery scheme, through casino chips and lavish Las Vegas trips. When Huang provided these bribes, his company, Shen Zhen New World I LLC, was planning to redevelop the downtown L.A. Grand Hotel into the tallest tower west of the Mississippi, which would require city approvals and Huizar’s official assistance.

Chan played a crucial role in facilitating Huang’s payment of $600,000 for Huizar to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former CD-14 staffer, which threatened Huizar’s 2015 re-election campaign and the continued operation of the CD-14 Enterprise. Chan conceived of and helped carry out an elaborate plan involving a foreign shell company, intermediaries, and fraudulent corporate documents to arrange a sham private loan that shielded the fact of Huang’s involvement in the payment. Chan later lied to FBI agents that he was not involved in the settlement, that Huang had no projects in Huizar’s district needing Huizar’s support, and that Huang had never asked Huizar for help with anything – all of which Chan knew to be false.

Huizar was sentenced on January 26 to 13 years in federal prison and also was ordered to pay $443,905 in restitution to the City of Los Angeles and $38,792 in restitution to the IRS. He pleaded guilty in January 2023 to one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of tax evasion. Huizar has been ordered to begin serving his prison sentence no later than October 7.

Hazens’ U.S. subsidiary, Jia Yuan USA Co. Inc., which was seeking to redevelop the Luxe Hotel, has paid $1.05 million to resolve the government’s investigation into its conduct related to this case, which included bribery and illegal campaign contributions.

Huang, who is charged with several felonies for his bribes to Huizar with Chan’s assistance, fled the United States shortly after the execution of numerous federal search warrants in this case and is considered a fugitive from justice. Huang’s downtown Los Angeles-based company Shen Zhen New World I LLC was convicted in 2022 of eight felonies for – through Huang’s actions as its owner – paying more than $1 million in bribes to Huizar for his critical support for the L.A. Grand Hotel redevelopment project. The company was sentenced to five years of probation, fined $4 million, and ordered to pay the costs of prosecution.

Relatedly, real estate developer Dae Yong Lee, a.k.a. “David Lee,” 60, of Bel Air, and one of his companies, 940 Hill LLC, were convicted in 2022 of providing $500,000 in cash to Huizar and Esparza in exchange for their help in resolving a labor organization’s appeal of a downtown Los Angeles development project. Lee is serving a six-year federal prison sentence and was fined $750,000. 940 Hill LLC was sentenced to five years’ probation, fined over $1 million, and ordered to pay the costs of prosecution.

Prosecutors also have secured guilty pleas from Chiang; Esparza; lobbyist Morrie Goldman; and political fundraiser Justin Jangwoo Kim. Each of these defendants cooperated with the government and testified during at least one trial in this case and will be sentenced at upcoming hearings in November.

The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter.

Assistant United States Attorney Mack E. Jenkins, Chief of the Criminal Division, and Assistant United States Attorneys Cassie D. Palmer, Susan S. Har, and Brian R. Faerstein of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section prosecuted this case.

Any member of the public who has information related to this or any other public corruption matter in the City of Los Angeles is encouraged to send information to the FBI’s email tip line at https://tips.fbi.gov or to contact the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office at (310) 477-6565.

Source: US FBI

LOS ANGELES – An Ohio man has agreed to plead guilty to a federal criminal charge for trafficking a stolen Andy Warhol print worth at least $175,000. 

                      

Image Source: Federal Plea Agreement

Brian Alec Light, 58, of Hudson, Ohio (formerly a resident of downtown Los Angeles), is expected to plead guilty in the coming weeks to one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods. His initial appearance in federal court is scheduled for October 28.

According to his plea agreement, a thief stole the Warhol print – a trial proof depicting former Soviet Union leader Vladimir Lenin and was print number 44 of 46 total Warhol made – from the victim’s home in Los Angeles County in early 2021. The victim informed law enforcement of its theft soon after, as well as the original gallery in West Hollywood that sold him the artwork. Days after the theft, the thief brought the artwork to a pawnshop, which purchased it. The pawnshop’s owner contacted Light for help selling the artwork, which Light knew was stolen. Light contacted an auction house to sell the print within weeks of its theft. Light told the pawnshop owner to drop off the Warhol at the auction house in Beverly Hills so that it could be transported to Dallas for inspection and sale, which the pawnshop owner did.

The auction house shipped the Warhol artwork to Dallas where it was to be inspected and included in an upcoming auction in the spring of 2021. An employee of the auction house in Dallas reached out to the gallery in West Hollywood for its opinion of the piece. The gallery immediately recognized the piece as the stolen piece of art. As a result, the gallery notified the auction house of its stolen nature and notified the FBI. When the FBI questioned Light about it, he lied and created a fake receipt purporting to show that he bought the print before it was stolen. 

Upon pleading guilty, Light will face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. 

As part of his plea agreement, Light will forfeit the stolen artwork retrieved by law enforcement.

The FBI’s Art Crime Team is investigating this matter.

Assistant United States Attorney Erik Silber, Senior Counsel in the Criminal Division and Assistant United States Attorneys Dominique Caamano and Matthew O’Brien, of the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section, are prosecuting this case.