Anonymous ID: 000000 March 29, 2021, 6:07 p.m. No.13325650   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>5680 >>5889 >>6009 >>6173 >>6197

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Eastern District of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, March 29, 2021

Convicted Juvenile Sex Trafficker from Delaware Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison

 

PHILADELPHIA – Deputy United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen announced that Dkyle Bridges, 35, of Claymont, DE, was sentenced to 35 years in prison, ten years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $53,000 in restitution to his victims by United States District Court Judge Nitza I. Alejandro-Quiñones for running a multi-state sex trafficking operation that brutally victimized vulnerable young women and girls for many years.

 

In April 2019, following a two-week jury trial, the defendant was found guilty of all charges, specifically: one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and in sex trafficking of minors; two counts of aiding and abetting sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion; and three counts of aiding and abetting sex trafficking of minors by force, fraud, and coercion.

 

The evidence presented at trial showed that for more than five years, Bridges led a sex trafficking operation for his financial gain in which he coerced young women and girls to engage in commercial sex acts in southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and elsewhere. Bridges preyed on vulnerable teenage girls and young women, many of whom were homeless, who needed financial and emotional support in their lives. Bridges lured them into his trafficking circle with false promises of that kind of support and then subjected them to violence – as well as fear of violence – by making them watch him assault other trafficking victims. Among the tactics Bridges used to abuse and control his victims, as described at trial, included pouring water over them to keep them awake, choking them, and otherwise physically assaulting them. On at least one occasion, he tased his victim in the chest.

 

In furtherance of the sex trafficking enterprise, Bridges advertised his victims for sex acts using Backpage.com – a website that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has since shut down for its role in advertising and promoting sex trafficking.

 

Codefendants Kristian and Anthony Jones, among others, assisted Bridges in various capacities in running the sex trafficking operation, including by recruiting and transporting victims, collecting money, and paying for hotel rooms. The codefendants were also convicted at trial and are scheduled to be sentenced later this year.

 

“Bridges’ crimes were devastating to his victims, who were already facing tremendous challenges in their lives, such as homelessness and a history of abuse,” said Deputy U.S. Attorney Lappen. “Today’s sentence of thirty-five years incarceration reflects the seriousness of his crimes and the irrevocable damage he caused, all in pursuit of financial gain. We will continue to work collectively to investigate and prosecute these destructive crimes committed against some of the most vulnerable members of our community.”

 

“Dkyle Bridges advertised underage girls and women for sex, profiting from their exploitation,” said Michael J. Driscoll, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “These victims were controlled by the constant use or threat of violence, battered both physically and emotionally. Today’s sentence keeps Bridges exactly where he belongs — behind bars, being held to account for his repulsive actions. Know that the FBI and our law enforcement partners are working every day to shut down sex traffickers like this and deliver justice for their victims.”

 

The case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from Tinicum Township Police Department; Newark, Delaware Police Department; Delaware State Police; Delaware River Bay Authority; and Philadelphia Police Department and was prosecuted by Department of Justice Trial Attorney Jessica Urban and Assistant United States Attorney Priya T. De Souza.

Anonymous ID: 000000 March 29, 2021, 6:08 p.m. No.13325654   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>5680 >>5889 >>6009 >>6173 >>6197

U.S. Attorney’s Office

District of Oregon

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, March 29, 2021

Convicted Child Molester Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison for Receiving and Distributing Child Pornography

 

PORTLAND, Ore.—A Portland man who previously served 12 years in California state prison for sexually abusing a child was sentenced to federal prison today for enticing an adolescent boy to produce sexually explicit videos of himself and share them via Facebook Messenger, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug.

 

Scott Andrew Lawrence, 57, was sentenced to a total of 17 years in federal prison and a life term of supervised release after pleading guilty to receiving and distributing child pornography.

 

“Scott Lawrence is a sexual predator who posed online as a woman to prey on a vulnerable teenager,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Asphaug. “Online sexual exploitation is a grave threat to children and families, even older children. We implore parents and guardians everywhere to talk frankly with their children about the risks posed by online predators, and to monitor their children’s use of social media.”

 

“Seventeen years is a rightfully long sentence for a man who has repeatedly abused children. The victims targeted by Scott Lawrence, however, are the ones who will pay a higher price as they must live with the effects of that exploitation for a lifetime,” said Kieran L. Ramsey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon.

 

According to court documents, in April 2001, Lawrence was convicted in San Diego County Superior Court of sexually abusing a child and sentenced to a total of 14 years in prison. He was paroled in 2013 and completed his parole term three years later. In September 2018, Lawrence was convicted in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon of failing to register as a sex offender and, at the end of February 2019, was sentenced to time served plus five years of supervised release.

 

Three months into his supervised release term, Lawrence began communicating via Facebook Messenger with a 16-year-old boy from South Dakota whose family Lawrence lived with previously. During one exchange, Lawrence confirmed the boy’s age. In online conversations with the boy, Lawrence posed as an adult female named “Mary,” sent the boy several sexually explicit images, and repeatedly asked for videos of the boy masturbating in return. During at least three separate chat conversations, the boy sent Lawrence a total of six videos and one image of himself masturbating. Lawrence sent the image to at least two other people.

 

FBI agents arrested Lawrence on October 24, 2019. He admitted to chatting with the boy while posing as a woman and asking him for sexually explicit images and videos. He also admitted sending an image of the boy to two other people.

 

On November 19, 2020, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a nine-count indictment charging Lawrence with production, receipt, and distribution of child pornography, and committing a felony offense involving a minor while registered as a sex offender. On December 21, 2020, he pleaded guilty to distribution and receipt of child pornography.

 

This case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Gary Y. Sussman, Assistant U.S. Attorney and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator for the District of Oregon.

 

Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at (503) 224-4181 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

 

Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.

 

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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Anonymous ID: 000000 March 29, 2021, 6:10 p.m. No.13325669   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>6009 >>6173 >>6197

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Western District of North Carolina

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, March 29, 2021

Convicted Sex Offender In Gastonia, N.C. Is Sentenced To 12 Years For Possession Of Child Pornography

 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Acting U.S. Attorney William T. Stetzer announced that Joseph Soldano, 44, of Gastonia, N.C., was sentenced to 12 years in prison today for possession of child pornography. In addition to the prison term imposed, U.S. District Judge Frank D. Whitney ordered Soldano to serve a lifetime of supervised release, to register as a sex offender after he is released from prison, and to pay $22,000 in special assessment fees and $3,000 as restitution.

 

According to information contained in filed documents and statements made in court, in April 2019, law enforcement determined that an individual later identified as Soldano was using the Kik instant messaging application to communicate with another individual about the sexual abuse of minors, and to receive images containing visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Law enforcement visited Soldano’s residence and seized a cell phone. A forensic review of the seized device revealed that Soldano possessed multiple images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, including toddlers and infants. On August 18, 2020, Soldano pleaded guilty to possession of material containing child pornography that involved a prepubescent minor. At the time he committed the offense, Soldano was required to register as a sex offender based on his 2001 conviction of Second Degree Sexual Abuse involving an 8-year-old female victim in New York.

 

In making today’s announcement, Acting U.S. Attorney Stetzer commended the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for their investigation of the case, and thanked the Gaston County Police Department for their invaluable assistance.

 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cortney Randall and Emily Wasserman, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, prosecuted the case.

 

The 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 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, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Anonymous ID: 000000 March 29, 2021, 6:10 p.m. No.13325673   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>6009 >>6173 >>6197

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Southern District of Florida

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, March 29, 2021

Juan Antonio “Tony” Gonzalez Becomes Acting U.S. Attorney for Southern District of Florida

 

Image of Juan Antonio "Tony" Gonzalez

Miami, Florida – On March 28, 2021, Juan Antonio “Tony” Gonzalez assumed the role of Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Mr. Gonzalez served as the District’s First Assistant United States Attorney prior to entering this new position.

 

“I look forward to leading the Office’s dedicated lawyers and staff as we continue to enforce our federal laws and seek justice on behalf of all South Florida residents,” said Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Juan Antonio “Tony” Gonzalez.

 

Mr. Gonzalez has been an Assistant United States Attorney in South Florida since 1998. He is a career prosecutor who has held various supervisory positions with the office. From 2002 to 2009, Mr. Gonzalez served as Deputy Chief of Narcotics in charge of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA). In 2009, Mr. Gonzalez assumed the position of HIDTA Operations Coordinator for both the Miami-Dade and Broward County HIDTA Units and, in 2011, he took the dual roles of HIDTA Operations Coordinator and Deputy Chief of Narcotics in charge of HIDTA. He continued in those roles until 2019, when he was selected to serve as First Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

 

Throughout his federal career, Mr. Gonzalez has investigated and tried an array of complex, high-profile cases. In United States v. Battle, et al. for example, following a six-month trial, Mr. Gonzalez secured RICO conspiracy convictions and a $1.4 billion forfeiture verdict against members of a criminal enterprise charged with various murders, arsons, acts of illegal gambling, money laundering, and narcotics trafficking.

 

Other notable cases prosecuted by Mr. Gonzalez include securing a money laundering conviction and significant sentence against Spanish drug lord Alvaro Lopez Tardon, and United States v. Solorzano et al., where he prosecuted a complex international money laundering investigation involving the Venezuelan parallel market. Mr. Gonzalez also participated in the investigation and ultimate guilty plea of Luis Gustavo Moreno Rivera, the Colombian Attorney General’s Director of Anticorruption; was part of the prosecution team obtaining convictions in the billion-dollar NTR/Elemetals gold money laundering prosecutions; and was the lead prosecutor securing the conviction of French national Gal Vallerius a.k.a. Oxymonster, the senior moderator of the Dark Web drug marketplace Dream Market.

 

Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Gonzalez began his career as a prosecutor at the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office. Mr. Gonzalez spent most of his seven years in the State Attorney’s Office in the Racketeering/Organized Crime and Public Corruption Unit where he specialized in long-term, wiretap investigations of corrupt police officers and organized crime figures. In that unit, Mr. Gonzalez spent four years as a cross-designated Special Assistant US Attorney (SAUSA) for the Southern District of Florida. As a SAUSA, Mr. Gonzalez successfully tried several organized crime cases in federal court.

 

Mr. Gonzalez is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist and frequently lectures domestically and abroad in the areas of international money laundering, narcotics trafficking and trans-national organized crime.

 

Mr. Gonzalez received his law degree from the University of Miami School of Law in 1991, and his undergraduate degree (Bachelor of Arts in Psychology) from the University of Miami in 1988.

 

Under the Vacancies Reform Act, Mr. Gonzalez now serves as the Acting United States Attorney until a successor is nominated by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate.

Anonymous ID: 000000 March 29, 2021, 6:24 p.m. No.13325793   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>6009 >>6173 >>6197

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Northern District of Illinois

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Former Illinois State Senator Pleads Guilty to Federal Tax Charge

 

CHICAGO — Former Illinois State Sen. TERRANCE P. LINK pleaded guilty today to a federal tax charge and admitted willfully underreporting his income for several years.

 

Link admitted in a plea agreement that he willfully underreported his income on his tax returns for the calendar years 2012 through 2016. The conduct caused total losses to the IRS of at least $71,133, and to the Illinois Department of Revenue of at least $11,527, the plea agreement states. For the calendar year 2016, Link admitted that he underreported approximately $93,859, approximately $73,159 of which was money from a campaign fund – Friends of Terry Link – that Link spent on personal expenses, the plea agreement states.

 

Link, 73, pleaded guilty to one count of filing a false tax return, which is punishable by up to three years in federal prison. He agreed to pay restitution of $71,133 to the IRS, and $11,527 to the Illinois Department of Revenue.

 

U.S. District Judge Robert M. Dow, Jr., did not immediately set a sentencing date. A status hearing was set for March 30, 2021, at 9:00 a.m.

 

The guilty plea was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Stetler and James P. Durkin.

Anonymous ID: 000000 March 29, 2021, 6:44 p.m. No.13325982   🗄️.is đź”—kun

Permanent change only comes with a changing of the financial system. The first commonly tangible effect will show up in coin and currency worldwide. 1oz AguA silver, gold, or water is common between borders/country…