U.S. Attorney’s Office

District of Idaho

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Former FBI Employee Sentenced for Receiving Bribes and Tax Fraud

James Heslep Received $128,128 for Influencing FBI Contracts; Sentenced to 39 Months in Prison

POCATELLO - Former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) official James Heslep, 52, of Gainesville, Virginia, was sentenced to 39 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for receiving a bribe by a public official, Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr. announced today. Heslep was also sentenced to 36 months in federal prison followed by one year of supervised release for making and subscribing a false federal income tax return. The sentences will run concurrently. U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Heslep to forfeit $128,128 and pay $15,353 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. In the related case, Robert Bailey, 63, of Centreville, Virginia, pleaded guilty to paying a bribe to a public official. Bailey’s sentencing is set for May 5, 2021.

“A 39-month sentence is significant and sends the appropriate message to Mr. Heslep and other public officials entrusted with influence over government contracts,” said Gonzalez. “Public service is a public trust. The people of Idaho must be confident that when that trust is breeched, there will be severe consequences no matter who you are or where you work. This investigation, this prosecution, and this sentence delivers that message clearly and forcefully.”

According to court records, Heslep was a Management and Program Analyst with the FBI. In that position, Heslep was responsible for managing construction and services contracts for FBI buildings across the country.

According to court records, in 2001, Bailey, purchased L-1, a construction management and operations company located in Chantilly, Virginia. In 2008, Heslep and Bailey became business acquaintances when they worked together on an FBI construction project.

According to court records, in 2017, the FBI broke ground on the construction of a data center in Pocatello, Idaho (the Pocatello Data Center project). The Pocatello Data Center project involved construction of a two-building, 140,000 square-foot complex that would accommodate data halls containing computer equipment and office space. The purpose was to consolidate multiple FBI data centers from across the country and improve efficiency and cyber-security. In 2017, Heslep became the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) for the Pocatello Data Center project. In that position, Heslep had management and oversight responsibilities over the construction of the Pocatello Data Center.

According to court records, from 2016 through 2018, Bailey and L-1 made illegal payments, and gave items of value, to Heslep. These payments included 18 deposits totaling $120,000 into a bank account controlled by Heslep. From this account, Heslep made payments on a personal loan, home mortgage, car, credit card, and vacation travel payments, among other personal expenditures at retail stores, such as a pair of diamond earrings that cost $5,300. In addition, Bailey and L-1 provided the following items of value to Heslep: a fiftieth birthday party in Dallas, Texas, including first-class airfare, hotel accommodations, and tickets to a Dallas Cowboys football game; a beach house rental in Nags Head, North Carolina; first-class Amtrak train tickets; invitations to a L-1 company holiday party; and tickets to a Washington Nationals baseball game, among other gratuities. The total value of the unlawful payments and gratuities was $128,128.

“Heslep abused his position as a government contracting officer. He accepted bribes of cash, sports tickets, and other items of value in exchange for granting favorable contracting terms. This sentencing shows that this kind of fraud will not be tolerated,” said Douglas B. Bruce, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Denver Field Office.

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Southern District of Texas

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Houston man pleads guilty to smuggling 119 aliens in trailer

LAREDO, Texas – A 32-year-old man has entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

On Jan. 12, Brodrick Keith Rhodes arrived at the Freer Border Patrol checkpoint driving a semi-truck and refrigerated trailer. He claimed he was hauling lettuce, but authorities noticed discrepancies with his bill of lading. They also noted he appeared nervous and that the trailer was set to 30 degrees but with an internal temperature of 68.

At secondary inspection, law enforcement ultimately found 119 aliens in the trailer’s cargo area.

Rhodes claimed he worked for a business in La Porte, but the bill of lading indicated he was transporting lettuce from a Laredo produce company to a location in Sugar Land. The business indicated Rhodes had never been employed with them nor do they even transport outside the Houston area. The other two companies confirmed they had no record of the shipment.

The aliens told authorities they had been taken to a truck and told to get in the trailer. It soon departed and did not stop until it reached the checkpoint.

U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo will impose sentencing July 27. At that time, Rhodes faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a potential fine of up to $250,000. He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Harrison is prosecuting the case.

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Middle District of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Lock Haven Man Sentenced To 30 Years’ Imprisonment For Producing Child Pornography

WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Michael Grenninger, age 38, of Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on April 6, 2021, to 360 months' imprisonment to be followed by a 10-year term of supervised release by U.S. District Court Judge Matthew W. Brann, for producing child pornography.

According to Acting U.S. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Genninger sexually abused an eight-year-old child and photographed the abuse. Genninger also produced videos of minors ranging from age eight through their early teens engaged in secually explicit conduct. Additionally, Genninger attempted to arrange meetings with 11-year-old girls in Virginia and New York City for sex, and sent a pornographc image of himself over the internet.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Clinton County District Attorney’s Office, and the Christiansburg (Virginia) Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Geoffrey W. MacArthur 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 the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab.

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https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/houston-man-pleads-guilty-smuggling-119-aliens-trailer >>13379446

https://www.justice.gov/usao-id/pr/former-fbi-employee-sentenced-receiving-bribes-and-tax-fraud

artment of Justice

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Eastern District of Tennessee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

North Carolina Man Sentenced To 40 Years Imprisonment For Exploitation Of Nine-Month-Old And Transportation Of Child Pornography

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.– On April 7, 2021, Anthony Brett Banks, 30, formerly of Kannapolis, North Carolina, was sentenced by the Honorable Curtis L. Collier, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Banks agreed to plead guilty to a superseding indictment charging him with one count of transportation of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252A(a)(1) and (b)(l); and one count of causing another person to transport and ship child pornography in interstate commerce, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252A(a)(1) and (b)(1) and Title U.S.C. §§ 2(b).

Banks was sentenced to 480 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release. Banks will be required to register with state sex offender registries and comply with special sex offender conditions during his supervised release.

The defendant sexually abused his 9-month-old biological daughter, created digital videos of the abuse, and traded several of the images with someone he met in an online room dedicated to sexually abusing animals. The person with whom the defendant swapped images was located here in the Eastern District of Tennessee.

“The US Attorney’s Office, along with its law enforcement partners, is committed to apprehending child sex predators wherever they operate. Today’s sentence sends a strong message to sexual predators and demonstrates our commitment to protecting the community’s most vulnerable victims,” said Acting United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III.

“Each year, millions of children fall prey to sexual predators,” said Homeland Security Investigation (“HSI”) Nashville Special Agent in Charge Jerry C. Templet, Jr. “HSI agents make it a top priority to protect vulnerable children from victimization by working with their law enforcement partners to investigate predators involved with the production, distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material and ensure they are held accountable for their heinous actions. I commend our agents for their tireless efforts in this case, which resulted in a guilty plea and a lengthy federal prison sentence for the offender.”

The criminal indictment was the result of an investigation by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office (“HCSO”), HSI, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (“NC SBI”). This investigation was led by Task Force Officer Ed Merritt and Special Agent Dave Nalley of HSI and Special Agent Chris Munden of the NC SBI.

Assistant United States Attorney James T. Brooks represented the United States.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), 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 the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc/resources.html and click on the tab "resources.”

>https://www.justice.gov/usao-edtn/pr/north-carolina-man-sentenced-40-years-imprisonment-exploitation-nine-month-old-and