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Source: US FBI

ANCHORAGE – An Anchorage woman was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Joshua M. Kindred to 20 years in prison for kidnapping an 18-year-old victim.

According to court documents, Nellie Sherry Serradell, 28, attempted to stop multiple vehicles as she walked in and out of traffic on Dimond Boulevard in the early morning hours of November 17, 2019. The 18-year-old-victim was driving to work at 5:48 a.m. when Serradell ran in front of her vehicle at Dimond and C Street. The victim agreed to give Serradell a ride to her workplace. When they arrived in the parking lot, Serradell grabbed the victim and told her she had a gun and that she needed to keep driving. After punching the victim in the face several times, Serradell directed her to drive to a trailer park on Muldoon Road where she sexually assaulted the victim. In an effort to get Serradell to stop, the victim offered to give her money and Serradell agreed they could drive to an ATM machine. As they drove, Serradell fell asleep and the victim pulled into a gas station on 15^th Ave., quietly got out of the car, went inside and called 911. Serradell woke up, saw the victim in the gas station, and drove off in the victim’s car. Serradell was arrested the next day in a nearby motel, wearing the victim’s brown Bearpaw boots. Investigators recovered the victim’s car abandoned on Boniface Parkway and found Serradell’s DNA in two places inside the passenger compartment. She pleaded guilty to the federal kidnapping charge on July 25, 2022.

“The victim was trying to be a good Samaritan, helping someone who was flagging down cars in the street,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “The defendant took advantage of the victim’s kind nature by kidnapping and assaulting her. When individuals such as the defendant threaten the safety our community, they will be met with certain justice.”

The FBI and the Anchorage Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Schroeder prosecuted 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.

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Source: US FBI

FAIRBANKS – Jared Wilkes Post, 26, of Fairbanks was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Beistline to 78 months of imprisonment and ordered to pay at least $100,000 in restitution for defrauding banks and other victims of over $100,000 through a sophisticated check kiting and identity theft scheme.

According to court documents, between 2017 and 2021, Post and his co-conspirator committed bank fraud and aggravated identity theft and defrauded multiple banks and individuals of at least $100,000. Post contacted individuals he called “Plays” via social media and convinced them to share their bank account information under the false pretense that Post needed to deposit a legitimate check into the “Play’s” account. Post then offered the “Play” a portion of the deposited check in return for use of their bank account. Once the check posted in the account, Post would withdraw or transfer the funds electronically or direct the “Play” to transfer the funds to him via a cash app or Western Union.

In reality, the checks Post and his co-conspirator deposited were stolen and fraudulently altered, and they withdrew the funds prior to the banks’ flagging the checks as fraudulent. Post and his co-conspirator discussed stealing the checks from the elderly and other victims they viewed as susceptible to “scams.” Once Post withdrew the cash the banks, the “Plays,” and the initial victim whose checks were stolen were left paying losses and overdraft fees.

“Elder abuse and financial fraud targeted at seniors is a serious crime against some of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker, District of Alaska. “Today’s sentence sends a strong message that fraudulent conduct on this scale will be met with serious consequences. Predators who target older citizens for fraud and financial scams are especially abhorrent and my office will continue to take aggressive action, pursuing all legal means to bring these criminals to justice.”

“Motivated by greed, the defendant and his co-conspirator operated a sophisticated check fraud scheme, targeting victims they perceived as vulnerable,” said Special Agent in Charge Antony Jung of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “This scheme led to prison time and should serve as a message to anyone who would engage in this conduct to reconsider. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to hold accountable those who commit such offenses.”

The FBI Anchorage Field Office, Alaska State Troopers, Fairbanks Police Department, Anchorage Police Department and the Vancouver, Washington, Police Department are investigating the case. The FBI’s Phoenix Field Office also assisted in the investigation.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan D. Tansey.

Anyone who believes they may be a victim of this scheme and entitled to restitution may contact the FBI Anchorage Field Office at 907-276-4441. The District Court will hold a restitution hearing in 90-days to enter a final restitution order.

The Justice Department has established a National Elder Fraud Hotline to provide services to seniors who may be victims of financial fraud. The Hotline is staffed by experienced case managers who can provide personalized support to callers. Case managers assist callers with reporting the suspected fraud to relevant agencies and by providing resources and referrals to other appropriate services as needed. When applicable, case managers will complete a complaint form with the Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) for Internet-facilitated crimes and submit a consumer complaint to the Federal Trade Commission on behalf of the caller. The Hotline’s toll-free number is 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311).

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Source: US FBI

Second defendant sentenced in case involving nearly half a million dollars in bribes for confidential bidding information about U.S. Department of Defense contracts

Source: US FBI

ANCHORAGE – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment charging a Wasilla man with kidnapping and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.  

Anderson was arrested on November 3 by Alaska State Troopers and remains in custody at Anchorage Correctional Complex. He is a registered sex offender based on a 2001 conviction for sexual assault in the first degree in Kenai.  

Anderson also faces State of Alaska charges of attempted murder, kidnapping, sexual assault, sexual abuse of a minor, robbery, assault, misconduct involving a controlled substance and tampering with evidence.

If the public has any further information regarding Anderson’s activities, please contact the FBI Anchorage Field Office at 907-276-4441.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life 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 Alaska State Troopers and FBI are investigating the case, with assistance from the FBI’s Joint Child Abduction Rapid Deployment (J-CARD) Team. The FBI’s J-CARD Team consists of specially trained investigators and intel personnel from the FBI, Alaska State Troopers and Anchorage Police Department who are experienced in child abduction cases and can rapidly deploy anywhere in the state. The team is designed to provide investigative, technical, and resource assistance to state and local law enforcement during the most critical time period following a child abduction.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chris Schroeder and Adam Alexander are prosecuting 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.

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

            WASHINGTON – An Alabama man was found guilty today by a jury in the District of Columbia of 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.

            Russell Dean Alford, 62, of Hokes Bluff, Alabama, was found guilty of four charges.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 6, 2021, Alford attended a “Stop the Steal” rally near the Ellipse and then walked towards the U.S. Capitol, where he entered the upper House door on the southeast side of the building, at approximately 2:43 p.m. He went into the building through doors that had been broken by others. He remained inside for approximately 15 minutes. He later posted videos and photographs on social media, including to his YouTube page.

            On Jan. 20, 2021, Alford was interviewed by the FBI at his business in Alabama. Upon seeing the agents walk towards him in the parking area of his business, he stated, “I wondered when ya’ll were going to show up. Guess you’ve seen the videos on my Facebook page.”

            Alford was arrested on March 29, 2021, in Birmingham, Alabama.

            Alford was found guilty of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

            He is to be sentenced on Jan. 23, 2023. The four offenses carry a combined statutory maximum of three years of incarceration and potential financial penalties. The Court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Birmingham and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In the 20 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 870 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 265 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

Tuscaloosa, Ala. – A federal grand jury last week indicted a Gadsden man for conspiring to pay and receive kickbacks and commit health care fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, Federal Bureau of Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Felix A. Rivera-Esparra, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Special Agent in Charge Tamala E. Miles. 

A six-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges James Ewing Ray, 51, of Gadsden, Alabama, with one count of kickback conspiracy, four substantive kickback counts, and one count of health care fraud conspiracy. 

Ray owned Integrity Medical, LLC, a company through which he marketed health care items and services to medical providers.  According to the indictment, between about 2012 and 2018, Ray conspired with others to pay and receive kickbacks to induce medical providers to issue medically unnecessary prescriptions and order medically unnecessary goods and services, which were then billed to Medicare and other health insurers.

One of those services was electro-diagnostic testing by QBR, a Huntsville-based testing company whose owner, John Hornbuckle, is under indictment in a related case.  The indictment against Ray alleges that QBR billed insurers millions of dollars for electro-diagnostic testing that its technicians performed, regardless of whether there was a medical need for them.  QBR is alleged to have paid Ray a fee for every patient his doctors referred, and to have paid those doctors a per-patient fee for their referrals.  Federal insurers were billed millions of dollars for these tests, the indictment alleges.

The maximum penalty for kickback conspiracy is five years in prison.  The maximum penalty for health care fraud conspiracy  is ten years in prison.  Each of the four substantive kickback counts carries a maximum of ten years in prison.

The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys J.B. Ward and Don Long are prosecuting the case. 

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

Source: US FBI

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Last week, a federal judge sentenced a Birmingham teacher for transferring obscene material to a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Felix A. Rivera-Esparra.

U.S. District Court Judge Madeline H. Haikala sentenced Richard Pope, 57, of Birmingham, to 54 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. As a condition of his supervised release, Pope must register as a sex offender in accordance with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Pope previously pleaded guilty to three counts of transmission of obscene material to a minor. 

According to the plea agreement, Richard Pope was a graphics art teacher and baseball coach at G.W. Carver High School in Birmingham. In March 2020, Pope messaged a minor on Facebook. During the chats, Pope engaged the minor in sexually explicit conversations and sent the minor obscene images.

“This sentence sends a strong message that those who abuse their positions of trust with our children will be prosecuted and punished,” U.S Attorney Escalona said. “My office, along with our law enforcement partners, will work to ensure that our schools are always safe for our children.”

“Pope betrayed the trust granted to him in his position as a teacher and now will pay the consequences for his actions,” SAC Rivera said. “The public can rest assured that the FBI will always be vigilant in pursuing those who choose to prey on our most vulnerable, especially our children. I am proud of the work done by the FBI Birmingham Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force and our partners at ALEA for bringing Pope to justice.”

FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case along with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John M. Hundscheid and 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 Monday sentenced an Alabama man for devising a scheme to defraud Jefferson County’s retirement plan, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Felix A. Rivera-Esparra.

U.S. District Court Judge Anna M. Manasco sentenced Gary Dean Gibbs, Jr., 52, to one year and one day for wire fraud. Gibbs was also ordered to pay $132,646.12 restitution to the General Retirement System for Employees of Jefferson County.  Gibb’s pleaded guilty to the charges in May.

According to the plea agreement, Gibbs’ father was a former employee of Jefferson County, Alabama, who was receiving benefits from The General Retirement System for Employees of Jefferson County (“GRS”). GRS is a retirement plan that provides benefits to retired and disabled employees of Jefferson County, Alabama. Beginning in September 2017 and continuing until February 2022, Gibbs concealed his father’s death from GRS and collected money from GRS to which he was not entitled. Gibbs used his father’s personal identifiers and forged his father’s signature on documents submitted to GRS to further his scheme. Additionally, Gibbs assumed his father’s identity during telephone calls with GRS employees. Gibbs collected approximately $132,646.12 to which he was not entitled.

“The defendant’s theft of money from the GRS was detrimental to the hard-working employees and retirees of Jefferson County, who contributed for years to the retirement plan, and was appropriately punished by time in federal prison.” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “The United States Attorney’s Office appreciates the work of the FBI and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and the cooperation of the GRS during the investigation and prosecution of this matter.”

“Gibbs’ fraudulent scheme took money away from the Jefferson County retirement system intended for those who have saved for their later years,”. Acting SAC Rivera said. The sentence handed down today holds him accountable for his actions and allows for restitution to the victims. I want to express my thanks to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for their partnership and assistance in this investigation.”

The FBI investigated the case along with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney George Martin  prosecuted the case.