MIL Security Engine-1

Source: US FBI

The owner of a Fairbanks, Alaska, commercial flooring company, pleaded guilty on Sept. 22 for his role in a conspiracy to provide kickbacks related to contracts for commercial flooring services at a U.S. Army Facility. 

Benjamin W. McCulloch pleaded guilty to five-count felony charges filed on Aug. 25, 2022, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. According to the plea, from March 2016 to March 2021, McCulloch conspired to pay kickbacks to an employee of a prime contractor related to flooring construction contracts administered by the U.S. Army at Fort Wainwright. The charges state that McCulloch conspired to inflate the costs of four flooring construction subcontracts, and then provided the proceeds to his co-conspirator as kickbacks. During the five-year scheme, McCullough paid over $100,000 in kickbacks.

“When subcontractors and prime contractors at U.S. Army facilities collude, they undermine competition for government contracts and waste public funds intended to bolster our national defense,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The division and our law enforcement partners will bring to justice criminals who cheat on government contracts.”

“Those who engage in fraudulent kickback schemes undermine the government’s competitive contracting practices, and harm American taxpayers in the process,” said Special Agent in Charge Antony Jung of the FBI’s Anchorage Field Office. “Detecting and disrupting these schemes will always be a priority for the FBI, and together with our partners, we will hold offenders accountable.”

“Today’s plea is a fitting end for those who conspire to defraud the U.S. Army,” said Special Agent in Charge L. Scott Moreland of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Major Procurement Fraud Field Office. “The Army CID’s Major Procurement Fraud Field Office is proud to work with our federal law enforcement partners to protect the coffers of the U.S. government from those who break the law and threaten economic damage to the U.S. Army.”

“The government contracting process is supposed to be a healthy competition, not a rigged match with illegal kickbacks thrown in,” said Special Agent in Charge Bret Kressin of the IRS-Criminal Investigation, Seattle Field Office. “Mr. McCulloch’s greed not only undermined the U.S. Army, but it hurt our communities when the stolen funds went directly to line his coconspirators’ pockets.”

“Mr. McCulloch’s guilty plea is a crucial step forward in holding him, and potentially others, accountable for his illegal efforts to enrich himself and others by willfully committing a years-long fraud against the U.S. Army and American taxpayer,” said Special Agent in Charge Bryan D. Denny of the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General (DOD-OIG), Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Western Field Office. “DCIS and our partners will continually seek to identify and eliminate kickback schemes, such as those utilized by Mr. McCulloch, because they corrupt the DoD procurement system by unlawfully suppressing competition and increasing costs.”

The charges to which McCulloch pleaded guilty carry a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The fine for the anti-kickback conspiracy charge may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime, if either of those amounts is greater than the statutory maximum fine. In addition to his guilty plea, McCulloch has agreed to pay restitution. 

The Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska, the FBI’s Anchorage Field Office, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Major Procurement Fraud Field Office, the DCIS’s Western Field Office in Seattle, and the IRS’s Criminal-Investigation Seattle Office are investigating this case. 

Anyone with information in connection with this investigation is urged to contact  the Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Office at 415-934-5300, the Antitrust Division’s Citizen Complaint Center at 888-647-3258 or http://www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.html, or the FBI’s Anchorage Field Office at 907-276-4441.

In November 2019, the Department of Justice created the Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF), a joint law enforcement effort to combat antitrust crimes and related fraudulent schemes that impact government procurement, grant and program funding at all levels of government – federal, state and local. To learn more about the PCSF, or to report information on market allocation, price fixing, bid rigging and other anticompetitive conduct related to federal government contracts, go to https://www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force.

Source: US FBI

ANCHORAGE – An Anchorage man was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason to 20 years in prison followed by 20 years of supervised release for sex trafficking a minor and production and possession of child pornography. He was also ordered to pay $23,070 in restitution.

According to court documents, Jayshon Moore, aka “China,” 39 began having sexual encounters with the minor victim when she was 15 years old. In 2018, he created numerous sexually explicit videos of the minor which were saved on social media. Moore possessed two videos of child pornography in his Snapchat account. In the spring of 2019, Moore sex trafficked the minor victim – then 16 – setting prices, arranging transactions, and taking the money she earned from commercial sex acts.

Moore was previously convicted of drug trafficking and firearms offenses, and he was arrested in June 2019 after violating terms of his supervised release. Law enforcement executed a search of Moore’s residence and found additional evidence of sex trafficking. Moore was convicted by a federal jury in April 2022.

U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska and Special Agent in Charge Antony Jung of the FBI Anchorage Field Office made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and the Anchorage Police Department investigated the case. The task force marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children through sex trafficking, as well as to identify and recover victims.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Ivers and Michael Ebell prosecuted the case.

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

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For more information about the myths and facts of human trafficking and how to get help:

National Human Trafficking Hotline

1-888-373-7888 or Text 233733

https://humantraffickinghotline.org/what-human-trafficking/myths-misconceptions

Office on Trafficking in Persons

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/about/myths-facts-human-trafficking

Polaris Project

https://polarisproject.org/myths-facts-and-statistics/

Source: US FBI

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A former Madison County resident charged with international parental kidnapping was arraigned today in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Felix Rivera-Esparra.

Igor Slobodskyi, 51, a non-U.S. Citizen, formerly of Huntsville, was extradited from Germany to the United States to answer federal charges of international parental kidnapping.  U.S. Magistrate Judge Herman N. Johnson, Jr. arraigned Slobodskyi on a one-count indictment charging him with removing two children under the age of 16 years old from the United States and retaining those children outside the United States with the intent to obstruct the lawful exercise of another’s parental rights. 

The maximum penalty for international parental kidnapping is three years in prison and a maximum fine of  $250,000.

The FBI investigated the case, along with the Huntsville Police Department.   Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Leann White is prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Germany to secure the arrest and extradition of Slobodskyi to the United States.

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

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal judge yesterday sentenced a Lauderdale County man for sexually exploiting a young child, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr.

U.S. District Judge Madeline H. Haikala sentenced Michael Tays, 36, of  Florence, to  840 months in prison followed by lifetime of supervised release for producing and possessing child pornography.  On March 21, 2022, Tays pleaded guilty to 20 counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

According to statements made in open court, Tays sexually abused an eight-year-old child repeatedly, and he recorded the brutality through photographs and videos. This conviction will require Tays to register as a sex offender in accordance with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). 

“There is no place in our communities for those who prey on vulnerable children,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “This sentence effectively ensures that Tays will spend the rest of his life in prison. Through collaborative law enforcement efforts, we continue to investigate and prosecute those responsible for these horrific crimes.” 

“Children are among the most vulnerable victims, and individuals, like Tays, who exploit them must be held accountable for their reprehensible actions,” SAC Sharp said. “Thanks to the efforts of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force  and our partners, this predator will be held accountable for his actions and be identified as a sex offender.”

FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case, along with the St. Florian Police Department and Lauderdale County Sheriff’s office.   Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Leann White 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 judge on September 1, 2022, sentenced the leader of a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking organization, who operated in the Ross Bridge neighborhood of Hoover, on gun and drug charges, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr., and Drug Enforcement Administration Assistant Special Agent in Charge Towanda Thorne-James.

U.S. District Court Judge Madeline H. Haikala sentenced Robert Alan Ozment, 49, of Hoover,  to186 months for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possessing several firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Previously sentenced for conspiring with Ozment to distribute and possess with intent to distribute  were Gary Daniel Mitchell, 34, of Empire, Alabama, to 72 months; Nikolas Lee Wilson, 43, of Cullman, Alabama, to 60 months; and Donald Thomas Kimbrough, 37, of Bessemer, Alabama, to 70 months. Rodney David Russell, 45, of Birmingham, Alabama, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and awaits sentencing on September 22, 2022.

According to court documents, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) investigation was initiated in early spring of 2020, of a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking organization operated by Ozment from his home in the  neighborhood of Ross Bridge in Hoover, Alabama.

On March 19, 2020, A search warrant was executed at 2283 Abbeyglen Circle in Hoover, Alabama, a house owned by Ozment.  Ozment is a  radiology scan technician. Police officers seized in excess of one kilogram of crystal methamphetamine, 5 firearms and $11,676.  The firearms included a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber pistol, a Double Tap Defense LLC .45 caliber pistol, a Micro Draco 7.62 caliber rifle, a Spikes Tactical .223 caliber rifle, and a Browning .308 caliber rifle.

Also seized was an oscillating fan with a hidden video camera which was recovered from Ozment’s bedroom.   A search warrant was obtained for the video and audio footage. The video captured multiple hand to hand transactions wherein Ozment was engaged in the sale of methamphetamine.  The quantities ranged from the sale of multiple ounces of methamphetamine to kilogram quantities. Also observed on the video recordings were instances wherein Ozment possessed firearms while conducting drug transactions.  In addition to drug sales captured on video was an instance in which Ozment retrieved his stash of four to six kilograms of methamphetamine. Among the individuals captured in the videos conducting drug transactions were Russell, Mitchell, and Wilson.

On July 13, 2020, agents received information that Ozment had traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to purchase more methamphetamine to sell.  Agents executed another Jefferson County search warrant on July 14, 2020, at Ozment’s home in Ross Bridge in Hoover.  Ozment was present when agents arrived at the residence. Agents found and seized approximately 142 grams of methamphetamine, a small quantity of cocaine, and four more firearms: an American Tactical Omni Hybrid .223 caliber rifle, a Ruger LCP .380 caliber pistol, a Double Tap .45 caliber pistol, and a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber pistol.

On October 4, 2021, Ozment’s home located at 2283 Abbeyglen Circle, Hoover, Alabama 35226, was forfeited to the United States. The property was valued at $274,000 and encumbered by a mortgage valued at $164,174.

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

The  FBI and DEA investigated the case along with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Cross prosecuted the case. 

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Birmingham man has been charged with devising a scheme to embezzle from his employer, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr.

A one-count information filed today in United States District Court charges Phillip Brian Topping, 42, of  Birmingham, with embezzlement by a credit union employee.

According to the information,  between August 2016 and August 2021, while employed at New Pilgrim Federal Credit Union as a Manager, Topping embezzled approximately $268,000 from an on-site ATM and from a teller cash drawer at New Pilgrim Federal Credit Union.  Topping used the unauthorized funds for personal expenses.

The maximum penalty for embezzlement by a credit union employee is 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.

The FBI investigated the case and received assistance from the National Credit Union Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan S. Rummage is prosecuting the case.

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

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Shelby County woman was sentenced yesterday for embezzling from her employer and the homeowners’ associations they managed, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp Jr.

United States District Judge Karon O. Bowdre sentenced Aimee Louise Statham, 47, of Chelsea, to 40 months in prison for wire fraud.  Statham pleaded guilty to the charge in April.

According to the plea agreement and evidence presented in advance of sentencing, between January 2018 and August 2021, Statham embezzled from her employer, Rouland Management Services (RMS), and the homeowners’ associations that RMS managed. Statham issued hundreds of unauthorized checks made payable to herself from the bank accounts of various HOAs, and she made unauthorized interbank electronic money transfers of funds between HOA bank accounts and RMS’ bank account, which she would then transfer to herself. To perpetuate and conceal her scheme, Statham altered the HOAs’ monthly bank statements by removing the unauthorized transactions. Statham used the stolen funds to feed her gambling addiction. The total loss exceeded $1.4 million.

“This defendant stole money from thousands of innocent homeowners for more than three years,” said U.S. Attorney Escalona. “I am hopeful that this sentence sends a message to our community that this office will not tolerate those who steal from innocent victims for personal gain.”

“For over three years Statham chose to steal money intended for the upkeep of neighborhoods to feed her gambling addiction,” SAC Sharp said. “She will now have over three years behind bars to think about the gamble she took. My advice: don’t bet against the FBI to bring you to justice.”

FBI investigated the case, with assistance from the Pelham Police Department and the United States Secret Service Cyber Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Rummage  prosecuted the case.

Source: US FBI

            WASHINGTON — An Alabama man was arrested today on felony and misdemeanor charges 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 presidential election.

            Bobby Wayne Russell, 48, of Falkville, Alabama, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers and interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder, both felony charges. He also is charged with four related misdemeanor offenses. Russell was arrested in Falkville and is making his initial appearance today in the Northern District of Alabama.

            According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Russell was among rioters confronting officers at a line of bicycle barricades on the southwest side of the Capitol grounds. Russell resisted police orders to move away. After he was sprayed by a police officer with a chemical irritant, Russell grabbed onto a bike rack. The barricade broke apart, and Russell pulled the jacket of a Metropolitan Police Department Officer, causing both to fall at least four steps to the ground.

            Later that day, 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, “I’m not scared of you and I’m not weak.”

            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.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Birmingham Field Office and the FBI’s 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 19 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 860 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 260 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.

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

Source: US FBI

            WASHINGTON — An Alabama man was arrested today on felony and misdemeanor charges 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 presidential election.

            Kaleb Dillard, 26, of Columbiana, Alabama, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with the felony offenses of assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers and interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder. He also is charged with six related misdemeanor offenses. Dillard was arrested today in Columbiana. He is to make his initial appearance today in the Northern District of Alabama.

            According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Dillard illegally entered the Capitol Building through the East Rotunda doors at approximately 2:26 p.m. Once inside, he made physical contact with two officers from the U.S. Capitol Police.

            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.

          The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Birmingham Field Office and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which identified Dillard as #166 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance provided by the FBI’s Mobile Field Office and the Charleston Resident Agency of the FBI’s Columbia Field Office, as well as the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In the 19 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 860 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 260 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.

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

Source: US FBI

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A federal judge today sentenced a Huntsville man with committing a string of armed robberies, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr.   

U.S. District Court Judge Abdul K. Kallon sentenced Christopher Maxwell Jacobie Owens, 28, of Huntsville, to 228 months in prison for Hobbs Act Robbery and brandishing a firearm.  Owens pleaded guilty to the charges in June. 

According to the plea agreement, in a span of six days in November 2020, Owens committed six armed robberies at businesses in Huntsville.  Owens robbed two Family Dollar locations, Dollar General, two MetroPCS locations, and Walgreens. 

“The safety of our citizens and the businesses operating within our district is of utmost importance,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “This defendant put the lives of several victims at risk during the commission of these robberies. Thanks to the work of our law enforcement partners, he will serve significant time in the federal prison system as a result of his actions.  We continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to reduce violent crime in the Northern District of Alabama.  Let this be a deterrent to others who might consider similar conduct.” 

“The FBI’s most fundamental duty is to safeguard people’s right to live without fear of violence,” SAC Sharp said. “Owens’s string of armed robberies put the lives of innocent citizens at risk while they were simply going about their daily business, and today’s sentence will give him plenty of time to reflect on his actions. The citizens of north Alabama should know that the FBI and our partners will not stop in our pursuit of violent offenders and our work to keep them safe.”

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Pillsbury is prosecuted the case.