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Source: US FBI

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Fred Damien Acunia, 27, of Laveen, a member of the Gila River Indian Community, was sentenced last week by U.S. District Judge Susan M. Brnovich to 188 months in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release.  

Between November 26, 2020, and November 25, 2021, Acunia engaged in sexual contact with the victim, who was under the age of 12 years old at the time of the offense. Acunia pleaded guilty to Abusive Sexual Contact of a Minor on August 14, 2023.       

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

CASE NUMBER:           CR-22-01692-PHX-SMB
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-038_Acunia

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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 X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

Source: US FBI

ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Eric Passalacqua, 37, of Phelps, NY, pleaded guilty to receipt and distribution of child pornography before U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci. The charges carry a minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum penalty of 40 years, and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, who is handling the case, stated that on January 20, 2023, the FBI in Rochester received information from the FBI in Anchorage Alaska, that an individual located in Phelps, NY, may have been responsible for exchanging child pornography with an individual in Alaska. Subsequent investigation determined that individual was Passalacqua. On January 24, 2023, a search warrant was executed at Passalacqua’s Phelps residence. A forensic examination of his phone recovered over 600 images of child pornography, including images that Passalacqua produced depicting a minor victim. Passalacqua also admitted to producing images of another minor victim.

The conviction is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia and the Anchorage Office of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Antony A. Jung.

Sentencing is scheduled for August 24, 2023, before Judge Geraci.

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Source: US FBI

ANCHORAGE – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment last week, charging an Oregon man and woman with conspiracy to straw purchase firearms while the man was in prison.

According to the indictment, Dominique Kyle James Swain, 25, was arrested in Oregon in January 2022 for violating his supervised release from a previous federal criminal case in the District of Alaska.  He was transported from Oregon to Alaska following his arrest. As a convicted felon, Swain was prohibited from purchasing and possessing firearms. While he was in custody in Anchorage, Swain orchestrated and directed Abigail Corinne Elaine Sturdevant, 25, who was in Oregon at the time, to purchase firearms on his behalf. Sturdevant agreed and throughout July and August 2022, she purchased several specific models of firearms at Swain’s direction, falsely claiming she was the actual buyer when they both knew the firearms were purchased for Swain.  It is alleged that Swain was on the phone with Sturdevant as they made the firearm purchases. Sturdevant then stored the purchased firearms at her residence for Swain.  

Swain and Sturdevant are each charged with one count of conspiracy to straw purchase firearms. Swain is further charged with one count of being a felon in possession of firearms. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska made the announcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and Eugene Police Department, are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney George Tran is prosecuting the case.

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.

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

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Source: US FBI

ANCHORAGE – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment charging an Anchorage man with possession of fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and multiple firearms.

According to the indictment, Paul Thomas Baldwin Jr., 32, possessed with the intent to distribute over 40 grams of fentanyl and 100 grams of heroin in September 2022.  Between March 22 and April 21, 2023, he again possessed with the intent to distribute over 40 grams of fentanyl, 100 grams or more of heroin, and more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. It is alleged that Baldwin also possessed over $25,000 in cash that was involved in the drug offenses. Baldwin, who has a prior serious drug felony conviction and is prohibited from possessing firearms, was also charged with possessing two pistols.

The defendant is scheduled for his court appearance on May 24, 2023, before United States Magistrate Judge Kyle F. Reardon of the United States District Court of Alaska.  If convicted, based on his prior conviction for a serious drug felony, he faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Anchorage Police Department (APD), and Alaska State Troopers (AST) are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney George Tran is prosecuting the case.

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

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Source: US FBI

Defendant Sentenced for Spraying Officers with Bear Spray And Throwing Metal Rod at Them

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala – A former inmate at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility (Donaldson) in Bessemer, Alabama pleaded guilty yesterday for his role leading a prison-based phone scam that targeted retailers throughout the country, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick Davis.

Ricardo Poole, Sr., aka “Raoul,” 48, of Bessemer, Alabama, entered a guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Karon O. Bowdre to one count of wire fraud conspiracy, one count of money laundering conspiracy, one count of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances, and one count of aggravated identity theft. Poole Sr. is the seventh member of the conspiracy to plead guilty.

According to the plea agreement, between September 2020 and May 2022, Poole Sr. and others tricked retailers into activating gift cards under fraudulent pretenses and then used those fraudulently obtained gift cards to purchase merchandise and make other expenditures.

The plea agreement describes Poole Sr. as a high-ranking member of the Gangster Disciples at Donaldson, and the Gangster Disciples as a violent national criminal gang, founded in Chicago, and active across the U.S., including Alabama. According to court documents, Poole Sr.’s co-defendant, Terry Ray Bradshaw, was a “skit runner” who was housed at Donaldson for most of the period charged in the indictment. While at Donaldson, Bradshaw called retailers and used spoofing technology and social engineering techniques to pose as store executives so that he could trick employees into activating gift cards. During the relevant period, Bradshaw worked as a “skit runner” for Poole Sr. and other members of the Gangster Disciples at Donaldson. In exchange for his work as a “skit runner,” Poole Sr. provided Bradshaw with luxury items like Cartier glasses, protection from the Gangster Disciples, and controlled substances like methamphetamine.

The maximum punishment for the wire fraud conspiracy charge is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty for the money laundering conspiracy charge is 20 years in prison and a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount laundered. The maximum penalty for the conspiracy to distribute a controlled substances charge is 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. The penalty for aggravated identity theft is an additional two years in prison.

The U.S. Secret Service Cyber Fraud Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward J. Canter and John M. Hundscheid are prosecuting the case. The Alabama Department of Corrections Law Enforcement Services Division, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have assisted in the investigation. 

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal judge today sentenced a Mississippi resident for a carjacking that occurred in Moody, Alabama, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson.

U.S. District Court Judge Corey L. Maze sentenced Eric Lamar White, 25, of Jackson, Mississippi, to 144 months in prison.  White was convicted by a federal jury in December 2022 of carjacking and carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a violent crime.

According to evidence presented at trial, on January 7, 2021, White and his codefendant, Kendarian Toran, were traveling from Jackson, Mississippi, to Atlanta, Georgia, in a stolen vehicle with a switched tag. The stolen vehicle began to overheat so White and Toran decided to carjack the victim in this case while carrying a firearm. At the time of the carjacking, the victim was in her 2008 Acura TL, pumping gas with her two small children in the vehicle. White and Toran waited for the perfect opportunity to take her car. White repositioned the overheating stolen car so that Toran could easily jump out and get into the driver’s seat of the Acura with ease. Once Toran got into the driver’s seat of the victim’s vehicle, the victim attempted to stop him from taking her car by jumping into the driver’s seat on top of Toran. She did not want him to take her children and fought for them. Toran put the firearm to the victim’s pregnant belly, told her to get her kids out of the car, and quickly drove off with her 2008 Acura TL, just as the last child got out.  White and Toran met at a nearby business parking lot where White abandoned the original stolen vehicle and got into the 2008 Acura TL with Toran. Hours later, White was driving the Acura back to Jackson, Mississippi, with Toran, when Mississippi law enforcement spotted them. A vehicle pursuit ensued for 29 miles on I-20 at speeds over 120 mph with multiple law enforcement officers. Officers had to spike and force the vehicle into the median on I-20. When White was arrested, he had his Glock .45 caliber pistol and an Alabama driver’s license belonging to a person matching the description of the victim. The evidence showed that the Glock .45 caliber pistol was purchased by White in October 2020.

On August 25, 2022, U.S. District Court Judge Corey L. Maze sentenced Kendarian Lamonte Toran, 18, of Ridgeland, Mississippi, to 90 months in prison for carjacking and carrying and brandishing a firearm during and relation to a violent crime.  Toran pleaded guilty to the charges in March. 

The ATF investigated the case along with assistance from the FBI Birmingham Division, Moody Police Department, and multiple Mississippi law enforcement agencies, to include Rankin County Sherriff’s Office, Scott County Sheriff’s Office, and Madison Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittney Plyler and Kristy Peoples are prosecuting the case.