MIL Security Engine-1

Source: US FBI

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Larry E. Denson, Jr. (31, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to wire fraud involving COVID relief fraud through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).  Denson faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison and payment of restitution to the United State government. Denson has also agreed to forfeit $18,190, the proceeds of the charged criminal offense. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, in April 2021, Denson submitted a PPP loan application to a lender authorized by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to lend funds for approved PPP loan applications. The PPP loan application falsely claimed that Denson operated his own janitorial services business with a gross income of $87,312. Throughout the loan application, Denson made false statements regarding his purported payroll and operating expenses. In support of his PPP loan application, Denson submitted a fraudulent IRS form that contained false statements about expenses and income for his purported business. Upon reliance of the false statements in his PPP loan application and supporting documentation, Denson received a PPP loan for $18,190. 

After receiving the PPP loan proceeds into his bank account, Denson began making withdrawals and spending the funds on personal expenses, including meals at restaurants, retail purchases, and cash withdrawals. In July 2022, Denson filed a PPP Loan Forgiveness Application, falsely stating that he had spent the $18,190 on payroll. Relying on his false statements, the SBA forgave the entire loan amount.

This case was investigated by Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David B. Mesrobian.

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

More Than 200 Offenders Arrested Nationwide, Including Three in the District of Columbia

Source: US FBI

WASHINGTON –  Isjalon Jermiah Armstead, 22, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to 120 months in prison in connection with a June 2023 shootout in a residential neighborhood in Southeast.

The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Washington Field Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Armstead, aka “Smaut,” was a member of the Push Dat Shit street crew. He pleaded guilty Jan. 30, 2025, to discharging a firearm during a drug trafficking offense. In addition to the 120-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Amy B. Jackson ordered Armstead to serve four years of supervised release.

According to court documents, on June 5, 2023, Armstead was in possession of a half-pound of marijuana and intended to sell it. About 3:15 p.m., Armstead — who was seated in the front passenger seat of a 2005 Nissan Altima near the intersection of Third and Atlantic Streets, SE — engaged in a gun battle with the driver of another car. During the shootout, Armstead fired a .300 caliber AR-Pistol from the passenger seat before the Altima he was riding in became disabled and crashed through a fence and stopped in a grassy area next to an apartment building on Atlantic Street.   

Armstead, who suffered bullet wounds to his wrist and chest during the shootout, and the driver of the vehicle both fled on foot through a wooded area between Atlantic Street and Valley Avenue, stopping to discard the AR-Pistol in a trash receptacle. Responding MPD officers apprehended Armstead about 3:18 p.m. at the intersection of Fourth Street and Valley Avenue, SE, retraced Armstead’s steps, and found the AR-Pistol which was later determined to have Armstead’s DNA on it.

According to court documents, PDS maintained gang territory in the 3300 – 3500 blocks of Wheeler Road, SE, and operated an open-air drug market outside a market. In August 2018, PDS allied with a neighboring street gang known as Jugg Gang. The combined gang also conspired to carry firearms – including machine guns – to protect themselves, their drugs, their cash, and their territory from rival crews with whom they had “beefs.”

This sentence is part of an ongoing joint investigation which has resulted in 26 convictions and the seizure of two vehicles, 35 firearms, four machine guns, more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition, approximately 60 pounds of marijuana, 41 grams of cocaine base, dozens of oxycodone pills, and approximately $500,000 in cash.

The case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Cross Border Task Force, the ATF’s Washington Field Division, and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James B. Nelson.

23cr379

Source: US FBI

Defendant traveled to ‘meet n play’ with an undercover officer’s purported 10-year-old boy

Source: US FBI

WASHINGTON – Larnell Hutchinson, 25, a previously convicted felon from the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to 46 months in prison in connection with possessing two pistols that he discarded as he led police on a foot chase in June 2024.

The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Hutchinson pleaded guilty on Feb. 3, 2025, to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. In addition to the 46-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich ordered Hutchinson to serve three years of supervised release.

According to court documents, on June 24, 2024, at 6:51 p.m., MPD officers from the Violent Crime Suppression Division’s Robbery Suppression Unit were driving southbound on the 3900 block of Minnesota Avenue, NE. The plain clothes officers, dressed in tactical vests that identified them as police, spotted Hutchinson standing at a bus stop. When Hutchinson noticed the police vehicles approach, he appeared startled, began walking away from the bus stop, and reached for his waistband.

Hutchinson ran toward the intersection of Minnesota Avenue and Dix Street, NE. Officers saw Hutchinson pull two firearms from his waistband and throw one of them into the intersection. Police apprehended Hutchinson on Dix Street. Following his arrest, police recovered a Taurus semi-automatic pistol, previously reported stolen, and loaded with 19 rounds of ammunition. Police also recovered a Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol, loaded with 12 rounds, that Hutchinson had dropped on the road.

Hutchinson has previous convictions for robbery while armed, attempt to commit robbery, and robbery.

This case was investigated by the MPD’s Violent Crime Suppression Division’s Robbery Suppression Unit with assistance from the FBI Washington Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole.

24cr314

Source: US FBI

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Springfield man was sentenced yesterday to 30 years and four months in prison for his efforts to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, from at least October 2019 through October of 2022, Mohammed Azharuddin Chhipa, 35, collected and sent money to female ISIS members in Syria to benefit ISIS in various ways, including by financing the escape of female ISIS members from prison camps and supporting ISIS fighters. Chhipa would raise funds online on various social media accounts. He would receive electronic transfers of funds and travel hundreds of miles to collect funds by hand. He would then convert the money to cryptocurrency and send it to Turkey, where it was smuggled to ISIS members in Syria.

“This defendant directly financed ISIS in its efforts to commit vile terrorist atrocities against innocent citizens in America and abroad,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This severe sentence illustrates that if you fund terrorism, we will prosecute you and put you behind bars for decades.”

“Those who fund and facilitate terror bear the same responsibility as those who carry out attacks,” said Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Mohammed Chhipa knowingly and persistently collected and provided a considerable amount of money to fund the violence of an organization bent on forcing their extremist ideology on others. That he did so from a nation that holds individual freedom sacrosanct is unconscionable.”

“With this sentencing, this defendant will pay the price for helping finance ISIS, a brutal terrorist organization,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This is more proof that the FBI will investigate and work with our DOJ partners to hold accountable anyone who assists ISIS or other terrorist groups. Whether you are a fighter or send money, these activities are illegal and against the national security interests of the United States.”

“Mr. Chhipa transferred more than $185,000 to members of a designated terrorist organization,” said Steven J. Jensen, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. “Such funds could have been used to enable terrorist operations and attacks targeting innocent U.S. citizens at home and abroad. Today’s sentencing underscores the FBI’s commitment to severing these streams of funding and keeping the American people safe.”

His primary co-conspirator was an ISIS member residing in Syria who was involved in raising funds for prison escapes, terrorist attacks, and ISIS fighters.

Over the course of the conspiracy, Chhipa sent over $185,000 in cryptocurrency.

In December 2024, a federal jury convicted Chhipa of one count of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization and four counts of providing and attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony T. Aminoff and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda St. Cyr for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Andrew John Dixon and former Trial Attorney Andrea Broach for the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-97.

Source: US FBI

JAHAZ LANGSTON, also known as “Haz,” 25, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 188 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his participation in a violent Bridgeport street gang.

Today’s announcement was made by Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Joseph T. Corradino, State’s Attorney for the Fairfield Judicial District; Bridgeport Police Chief Roderick Porter; Anish Shukla, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, and Acting U.S. Marshal Lawrence Bobnick.

According to court documents and statements made in court, the FBI, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Connecticut State Police and Bridgeport Police have been investigating multiple Bridgeport-based gangs whose members are involved in narcotics trafficking, murder, and other acts of violence.  Langston was a member of the Original North End (“O.N.E.”), a gang based in the Trumbull Gardens area of Bridgeport that committed acts of violence against rival gangs, including the East End gang, the East Side gang, and the PT Barnum gang.  O.N.E. members also robbed drug dealers, customers, and others, sold narcotics, and stole cars from inside and outside Connecticut, often using the cars to commit crimes.  They frequently used social media to promote and coordinate their criminal activities.

Text messages and social media posts reviewed during the investigation confirmed that Langston possessed and sold narcotics and firearms, stole vehicles, and was involved in related violent criminal activity alongside other O.N.E. members and associates.

The investigation also determined that Langston and fellow O.N.E. member Amire Newsome conspired to murder rival gang members and, on March 7, 2021, shot and severely injured the mother of two rival gang members as she drove her vehicle on I-95.

O.N.E. members committed other violent crimes, including murder.

Langston has been detained since his arrest on July 20, 2021.  On September 13, 2023, he pleaded guilty to conspiring to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity.

Approximately 47 members and associates of multiple Bridgeport-based gangs have been convicted of federal offenses stemming from this investigation, which has solved eight murders and approximately 20 attempted murders.

Newsome pleaded guilty on August 16, 2023, and awaits sentencing.

This investigation has been conducted by the FBI’s Safe Streets and Violent Crimes Task Forces, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Bridgeport Police Department, Connecticut State Police, and the Bridgeport State’s Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory, Waterbury Police Department, and Naugatuck Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen L. Peck, Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis, Stephanie T. Levick, and Rahul Kale.

This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), Project Longevity and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.

PSN is 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. 

Project Longevity is a comprehensive initiative to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities.  Through Project Longevity, community members and law enforcement directly engage with members of groups that are prone to commit violence and deliver a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence and an offer of help for those who want it.  If a group member elects to engage in gun violence, the focused attention of federal, state and local law enforcement will be directed at that entire group.

OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Source: US FBI

LUIS GARCIA, also known as “Ebk Lou,” 27, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 240 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his participation in a violent Bridgeport street gang.

Today’s announcement was made by Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Joseph T. Corradino, State’s Attorney for the Fairfield Judicial District; Bridgeport Police Chief Roderick Porter; Anish Shukla, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, and Acting U.S. Marshal Lawrence Bobnick.

According to court documents and statements made in court, the FBI, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Connecticut State Police and Bridgeport Police have been investigating multiple Bridgeport-based gangs whose members are involved in narcotics trafficking, murder, and other acts of violence.  Garcia was a member of the Original North End (“O.N.E.”), a gang based in the Trumbull Gardens area of Bridgeport that committed acts of violence against rival gangs, including the East End gang, the East Side gang, and the PT Barnum gang.  O.N.E. members also robbed drug dealers, customers, and others, sold narcotics, and stole cars from inside and outside Connecticut, often using the cars to commit crimes.  They frequently used social media to promote and coordinate their criminal activities.

Text messages and social media posts reviewed during the investigation confirmed that Garcia possessed and sold narcotics and firearms, stole vehicles, and was involved in related violent criminal activity alongside other O.N.E. members and associates.

On August 9, 2018, O.N.E. members stole a Jeep Grand Cherokee in Newburgh, New York, and drove it back to Bridgeport.  In the following days, O.N.E. members conspired to use the car to kill East End gang members and their allies who they had learned through social media were at a deli on Stratford Avenue in Bridgeport.  Although that plan fell through, in the early morning hours of August 13, 2018, Garcia, Ta’Ron Pharr, and Lorenzo Carter drove the stolen Jeep to Stratford and Union Avenues in Bridgeport where they shot and killed Len Smith, 25, who they mistook for a rival East End group member, and shot and seriously wounded Smith’s female companion, both of whom were seated in a parked car.  After the shooting, O.N.E. members transported the Jeep to Indian Wells State Park in Shelton where they burned the vehicle in an effort to destroy evidence of the murder.

O.N.E. members committed other violent crimes, including murder.

Garcia has been detained since his arrest on September 8, 2021.  On September 6, 2023, he pleaded guilty to conspiring to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity.

Approximately 47 members and associates of multiple Bridgeport-based gangs have been convicted of federal offenses stemming from this investigation, which has solved eight murders and approximately 20 attempted murders.

Pharr pleaded guilty and, on August 30, 2022, was sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment.  On November 21, 2023, a jury found Carter guilty of racketeering conspiracy.  He awaits sentencing.

This investigation has been conducted by the FBI’s Safe Streets and Violent Crimes Task Forces, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Bridgeport Police Department, Connecticut State Police, and the Bridgeport State’s Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory, Waterbury Police Department, and Naugatuck Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen L. Peck, Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis, Stephanie T. Levick, and Rahul Kale.

This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), Project Longevity and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.

PSN is 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. 

Project Longevity is a comprehensive initiative to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities.  Through Project Longevity, community members and law enforcement directly engage with members of groups that are prone to commit violence and deliver a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence and an offer of help for those who want it.  If a group member elects to engage in gun violence, the focused attention of federal, state and local law enforcement will be directed at that entire group.

OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Source: US FBI

Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MARIA DEL CARMEN SANCHEZ POTRERO, also known as Maria Carmela Sanchez, 71, a citizen of Mexico last residing in Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 51 months of imprisonment for her involvement in a scheme to smuggle aliens into the U.S., harbor them at Hartford area residences, force them to work, and threaten to harm them in various ways if they failed to pay exorbitant fees, interest, and other living expenses.

According to court documents and statements made in court, beginning in September 2022, the FBI and Hartford Police interviewed several Mexican nationals who disclosed that they were smuggled from Mexico into the U.S. and transported to Hartford.  The investigation revealed that victims typically arranged with Sanchez and others in Connecticut and Mexico to cross the border into the U.S. in exchange for a fee of between $15,000 and $20,000 that each would need to pay once they were in the U.S.  In most cases, the victims were required to turn over a property deed as collateral before leaving Mexico.  They were then smuggled across the border and transported to Hartford area residences, including Sanchez’s residence on Madison Street in Hartford, often at a substantial risk of bodily injury or death.

After the victims arrived in Connecticut, they were told that they would have to pay approximately $30,000, with interest, and that they would have to pay Sanchez and her co-coconspirators for rent, food, gas and utilities.  Sanchez and her co-conspirators created false documents for the victims, including Permanent Residence cards and Social Security cards, and helped the victims find employment in the Hartford area.  In addition to their own jobs, some victims were required to perform housework and yardwork without compensation and without having their debt reduced.

Victims were rarely provided with an accounting of their debt.  If victims failed to make regular payments, or in amounts that Sanchez and her co-conspirators expected, they were sometimes threatened, including with threats to harm family members in Mexico, to take property in Mexico that had been secured as collateral, to reveal victims’ immigration status to U.S. authorities, and to raise their interest payments.

To date, investigators have identified 19 victims of this scheme. Multiple victims were minors, and at least two were smuggled into the U.S. unaccompanied by a relative or legal guardian.

Sanchez has been detained since her arrest on March 1, 2023.  On October 24, 2024, she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to encourage and induce, bring in, transport, and harbor aliens.

Judge Dooley ordered Sanchez to pay restitution of $574,608.

Sanchez faces immigration when she completes her prison term.

This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Hartford Police Department, U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angel Krull and Shan Patel.

Source: US FBI

JUSTIN CABRERA, also known as “J.U.,” 26, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 204 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for offenses stemming from his participation in the 960 gang, a violent Waterbury street gang.

Today’s announcement was made by Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Maureen T. Platt, State’s Attorney for the Waterbury Judicial District; Anish Shukla, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; and Waterbury Police Chief Fernando C. Spagnolo.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address drug trafficking and related violence in Waterbury, the FBI, ATF, and Waterbury Police have been investigating multiple Waterbury-based groups, including the 960 gang.  On September 14, 2021, a federal grand jury in Hartford returned a 36-count indictment charging Cabrera and 15 other alleged 960 gang members with racketeering, narcotics trafficking, firearm possession, murder, attempted murder and assault, and obstruction of justice offenses.

On October 31, 2017, four 960 members used a stolen car to carry out a drive-by shooting of members of ATM, a rival gang, at the corner of Bank Street and Porter Street in Waterbury.  An ATM member was shot and wounded in the attack.  Cabrera drove a second vehicle, or “trail car,” used in the shooting, conducted surveillance of ATM members prior to the shooting, and picked up the shooters after the event.

Cabrera has been detained since September 16, 2021.  On September 16, 2024, he pleaded guilty to one count of attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and one count of carrying and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

This investigation has been conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, Waterbury Police Department, ATF, and U.S. Marshals Service, with the assistance of the Southington Police Department, Watertown Police Department, New Milford Police Department, Connecticut State Police, Connecticut Department of Correction, Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory, and the DEA Laboratory.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Geoffrey M. Stone, John T. Pierpont, Jr. and Natasha M. Freismuth, and Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Don E. Therkildesen, Jr. and Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney Alexandra Arroyo, who were cross-designated as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys in this matter.

This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.

PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.

OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.