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Source: US FBI

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A federal grand jury today indicted six people on fraud charges, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples, and United States Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick Davis.

A 10-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges Ionut Iamandita, 28, Milena Iamandita, 25, Elena Matei, 18, Florin Matei, 27, Larisa Iordache, 28, and Marius Iordache, 29, with conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Ionut Iamandita, Milena Iamandita, Elena Matei, Florin Matei, and Larisa Iordache were also charged with aggravated identity theft.  

According to the indictment, from February 2023 to June 2023, the defendants participated in a conspiracy that used skimming devices and covert video cameras to steal Listerhill Credit Union and Avadian Credit Union customers’ account information. Conspirators then withdrew funds from ATMs using stolen account information. 

The maximum penalty for conspiracy to commit bank fraud is 30 years in prison. Aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison.

The FBI and United States Secret Service investigated the case with assistance from the Lauderdale County’s Sherriff’s Office, Tuscaloosa County Sherriff’s Office, Hoover Police Department, and Vestavia Hills Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney John M. Hundscheid is prosecuting the case.

An indictment contains only charges.  A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: US FBI

            WASHINGTON – An Alabama man pleaded guilty on Monday, June 26, 2023, to a felony charge related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. 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 presidential election.

            Bobby Wayne Russell, 49, of Falkville, Alabama, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to one count of Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers and Aiding and Abetting, a felony offense. U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth scheduled a sentencing hearing for November 17, 2023.

            According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Russell was among rioters confronting officers at a line of bike rack barricades on the southwest side of the Capitol grounds.  Russell resisted officers’ efforts to get him to back away from the barricade.  He held a section of bike rack pressed between his upper arm and side, clinging to it despite being sprayed with OC spray.  When the barricade broke apart due to the involvement of other rioters, Russell grabbed the jacket of a Metropolitan Police Department officer, pulling the officer down with him as he fell headlong down a short flight of stairs.

            Later that day, court documents say that at approximately 4:20 pm, law enforcement officers formed a line and attempted to clear the area near the Senate wing doors. Russell refused orders to leave the area and pushed his back and buttocks into the riot shields of several officers. He then turned around to face one officer and declared, ““There’s more of us than you guys, you’re gonna lose.”

            The charge of Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers and Aiding and Abetting carries a statutory maximum sentence of eight years in prison. A federal court judge will determine the appropriate sentence after considering all factors and the U.S. Sentencing guidelines. All charges carry potential financial penalties.

            The 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 Northern District of Alabama.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Birmingham Field Office and Washington Field Office, which identified Russell as #492 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In the 29 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,000 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including nearly 350 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.

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

Source: US FBI

            WASHINGTON – An Alabama man pleaded guilty today to a felony charge for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. 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.

            Dillion Colby Herrington, 31, of Madison, Alabama, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell scheduled a sentencing hearing for Oct. 27, 2023.

            According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Herrington attended the “Stop the Steal” rally on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., and afterward marched with other rioters to the western side of the United States Capitol building. While on the west plaza of the Capitol, court documents say that Herrington engaged in aggressively antagonistic and assaultive conduct toward Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and United States Capitol Police (USCP) officers who were attempting to contain and stop the forward progress of the crowd of rioters.

            Court documents state that, on numerous occasions that afternoon, Herrington threw objects at law enforcement officers attempting to maintain a police line, including a full water bottle, an unidentified object pulled from a box marked “DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE,” and a 4 x 4 piece of lumber.

            At approximately 4:57 P.M., court documents say that MPD officers attempting to clear rioters from the terrace noticed that Herrington had a large military-style knife protruding from his rear pant pocket, removed the knife, and detained him. While detained, Herrington informed the officers that he was also carrying a “taser.” Officers recovered an object from his pocket that court documents describe as a small stun gun.

            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 Northern District of Alabama.

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington and Birmingham Field Offices, with valuable assistance from the Metropolitan Police Department and U.S. Capitol Police.

            In the 29 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,000 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including nearly 350 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.

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

Source: US FBI

MIAMI – An Alabama man pleaded guilty yesterday for his involvement with a website dedicated to the advertisement and distribution of images and videos depicting child sexual abuse.

According to court documents, William Michael Spearman, 57, of Madison, was the lead administrator of the website, which had been operating for many years. The website included a section devoted to the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, a section devoted to images and videos depicting children being subjected to pain and torture, and a section devoted to avoiding detection by law enforcement. As the lead administrator, Spearman managed numerous other “staff” members, directed them how to help run the site, recommended other users for promotion, kept records of child pornography files advertised and distributed over the site, presided over staff meetings, praised and scolded users, and counseled users and other managers about the function and expectations of the website. Spearman also advertised and distributed images over the website.

Spearman pleaded guilty to engaging in a child exploitation enterprise. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 31, and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The following defendants have also been convicted in the Southern District of Florida for their involvement with the same website:

Name	Residence	Charges	Status
Selwyn David Rosenstein	Boynton Beach, Florida	Conspiracy to advertise child pornography; five counts of advertisement of child pornography; possession of child pornography	Sentenced to 28 years in prison and ordered to pay $85,000 in restitution to victims
Gregory Malcolm Good	Silver Springs, Nevada	Conspiracy to advertise child pornography; conspiracy to distribute child pornography	Scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 22
Robert Preston Boyles	Clarksville, Tennessee	Conspiracy to advertise child pornography; conspiracy to distribute child pornography	Scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 15
Matthew Branden Garrell	Raleigh, North Carolina	Conspiracy to advertise child pornography; conspiracy to distribute child pornography	Scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 1

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit, West Palm Beach Resident Agency, and Miami Field Office investigated the cases. Substantial assistance for the case was provided by FBI Field Offices and Resident Agencies in: Huntsville, Alabama; Reno, Nevada; Clarksville, Tennessee; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Madison, Wisconsin. Substantial assistance was also provided by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern District of Alabama, District of Nevada, Middle District of Tennessee, Eastern District of North Carolina, and Western District of Wisconsin.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Schiller and Trial Attorneys Kyle P. Reynolds and William G. Clayman of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) are 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 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, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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 under case number 22-cr-80173.

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Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Joran van der Sloot, 35, was arraigned today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gray Borden in Birmingham, Alabama, on one count of extortion and one count of wire fraud for soliciting money from Beth Holloway, Natalee Holloway’s mother, on promises he would reveal the location of her daughter’s remains in Aruba and the circumstances of her 2005 death. Van der Sloot was brought to the United States to stand trial on these charges pursuant to the Extradition Treaty Between the United States of America and the Republic of Peru and will be returned to Peru after this case concludes pursuant to the terms of that same treaty.

Assistant United States Attorneys Lloyd C. Peeples, III and Catherine L. Crosby are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, FBI, and Peruvian law enforcement authorities have been instrumental in securing the temporary surrender of van der Sloot.

An indictment contains only charges.  A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: US FBI

            WASHINGTON — An Ohio man was found guilty of assaulting law enforcement officers related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, which disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

            Kenneth Joseph Owen Thomas, 41, of East Liverpool, Ohio, was found guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia of four counts of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers; obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder; and engaging in physical violence on Capitol grounds. U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich scheduled a sentencing hearing for September 6, 2023.

            Thomas was on the Upper West Terrace at 3:30 p.m. standing in front of a line of police officers who were preventing the rioters from advancing further towards the Capitol.  When the crowd surged forward against the police line, Thomas twice charged the line of police officers, striking two Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers with his hands and shoving them. Thomas’ assaults against these two MPD officers were captured on police body worn cameras (BWC) and in many open-source videos from the scene.

            Then, approximately an hour later  in a different part of the Upper West Terrace, Thomas was captured on MPD BWC footage advancing toward a line of law enforcement and pushing against their shields.. At 4:26 p.m., officers began to advance to dispel the crowd of rioters from the steps. Thomas turned toward rioters and ordered them to “hold the line” against advancing officers, repeating this statement fifteen times as he locked arms with the other rioters and pushed against the officers. Then, at 4:28 p.m., again as officers attempted to clear the Upper West Terrace, Thomas rushed to the head of the line of rioters and twice threw himself into an MPD officer while yelling to the rioters “hold the fucking line.” In subsequent interviews, law enforcement officers confirmed the attack and stated Thomas “was one of the first to come in and start hitting [and] pushing officers on the line.”

            The 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 Northern District of Alabama.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, who identified Thomas as #214 on their seeking information photos, as well as the MPD, with significant assistance provided by the FBI’s Birmingham Field Office.

            In the first 28 months since Jan. 6, more than 1,000 individuals have been arrested on charges related to the Capitol breach, including more than 320 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.  

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

Source: US FBI

Georgia Woman Sentenced to 25 Years for Sex Trafficking Minors

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal judge this week sentenced a Georgia woman for sex trafficking of minors, announced United States Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples.

U.S. District Judge Madeline H. Haikala sentenced Marlette Laishell Smith aka “Lala,” 29, of Rome, Georgia, to 300 months in prison followed by 20 years of supervised release.  On March 23, 2023, Smith pleaded guilty to two counts of Sex Trafficking of a Minor and two counts of Transportation of a Minor with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity. 

According to court documents, Smith recruited two minor females (15 and 16 years of age) into prostitution for her own financial gain.  The minor victims were stranded in Memphis, Tennessee, and were trying to get back home to California.  Smith met them on a stairwell at the Motel 6 in Memphis – the minor victims were hungry, had no money, no place to stay, no mode of transportation, only the clothes on their back, and an uncharged cell phone.  Smith told them that she would help them get back home if they would go with her to Alabama and make $200 each.  Smith drove the minors to Georgia then to Alabama where she sexually trafficked them.

“The commercial sexual exploitation of children causes long-lasting harms to child victims and the entire community,” said U.S. Attorney Escalona. “The fight to prevent and disrupt exploitation would be impossible without the support of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners. We are especially grateful for the work of FBI Birmingham in apprehending the defendant in this case.”

“This sentence sends a strong message to those who prey on minors and abuse their trust. The victims, who found themselves in a vulnerable state entrusted this person for assistance in returning home. The FBI is dedicated to ensuring the safety and security of the victims and reuniting them with their families,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples. “I am proud of the diligent work of FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force, the Homewood Police Department, and other law enforcement partners who assisted in bringing this individual to justice.”

The FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force (CEHTTF) investigated the case along with the Homewood Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys R. Leann White and Darius Greene prosecuted 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 grand jury yesterday indicted a convicted felon on an armed bank robbery charge, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples. 

A two-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges Edward Aliji Muhammed Brown, 41, of Gadsden, with armed bank robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to the indictment, Brown used a firearm during the robbery of Exchange Bank in Gadsden in March 2023. Brown is prohibited from possessing a firearm because of a prior felony conviction. Brown was convicted on August 24, 1999, in the Circuit Court of Etowah County, Alabama, of the offense of Robbery, First Degree.

The maximum penalty for armed bank robbery is 25 years in prison. The maximum penalty for being a felon in possession of a firearm is 15 years in prison.

The FBI investigated the case along with the Gadsden Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Royster is prosecuting the case.

An indictment contains only charges.  A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: US FBI

Defendant Posted a Video to YouTube Admitting He Carried a Knife

            WASHINGTON – An Alabama man was sentenced today on felony and misdemeanor charges for his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach. 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 presidential election.

            Joshua Matthew Black, 46, of Leeds, Alabama, was sentenced to 22 months in prison for three felony charges and two misdemeanors. Black was found guilty on January 13, 2020, following a trial in the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon on Capitol grounds or buildings; entering and remaining on the floor of Congress; and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Amy B. Jackson ordered 24 months of supervised release and  restitution of $2,000.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 6, 2021, Black was among a mob of rioters illegally on the Capitol grounds. He entered the Capitol Building and was captured in photographs and on video, posted to social media sites, standing on the floor of the Senate chamber. Black later posted a video to YouTube in which he discussed entering the Capitol and the floor of the Senate chamber on Jan. 6, 2021.  He explained that “once we found out Pence turned on us and that they had stolen the election, like officially, the . . . crowd went crazy. I mean, . . .  it became a mob.  We crossed the gate, we got up.”  He also admitted carrying a knife to the Capitol because “you’re not allowed to carry guns in DC and I don’t like being defenseless.” 

            During a search of his residence on Jan. 14, 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation recovered the knife Black admitted he carried at the Capitol.  The FBI arrested him later that day at a police station in Moody, Alabama. 

            The case was investigated by the FBI’s Birmingham and Washington Field Offices, which listed Black as #6 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

            The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama.

            In the 28 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,000 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 320 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing. 

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

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal judge today sentenced a Shelby County woman for stealing more than a million dollars from the surgical practice where she had worked for fifteen years, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples. 

U.S. District Court Judge Karon O. Bowdre sentenced Betty Jo “BJ” Latsis, 58, of Birmingham to 26 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. As a condition of the plea agreement she signed last year, Latsis was required to pay $400,000 back to her victims by the time of sentencing, which she did. At sentencing she was ordered to pay an additional $600,000 in restitution. Latsis pleaded guilty in January to an information charging one count of wire fraud.

According to the plea agreement, from 2005 until 2020, Latsis, a registered nurse, worked as office manager and administrator at Colon & Rectal Surgical Associates of Birmingham. Latsis handled bookkeeping and accounting functions for the practice, and she used that position of trust to steal money in a variety of ways. According to court documents, between 2013 and 2020 Latsis transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars from practice accounts to a PayPal account she controlled. She paid herself hundreds of thousands of dollars more than she was authorized to receive. She used practice funds to pay off her personal credit card bills and those of her spouse. She used credit card accounts in doctors’ names to pay personal expenses, including a “7 Night Northern European CityScapes” Royal Caribbean cruise for her and her spouse. And she used practice funds to pay her and her spouse’s personal expenses directly—car lease payments, life insurance premiums, and even an $8,000 home entertainment system from Best Buy. In all, Latsis admitting to stealing more than $1.1 million from the practice during her tenure there.

The FBI investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney J.B. Ward prosecuted the case.