April 13, 2021

Man Charged With Threatening Violence Against Federal Judge in Chicago

Two Southern Illinois Amtrack Stations Part of $2.25 Million Justice Department Settlement

Second Managing Partner Of Investment Advisory Firm Pleads Guilty To Defrauding Clients And Investors In Over $100 Million Ponzi-Like Fraud Scheme

Gloucester County Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Production and Distribution of Child Pornography

Connecticut Army National Guard Soldier And Rikers Correction Officer Charged With Defrauding The United States Department Of Veterans Affairs And The New York City Department Of Correction

MSC Gayane Crew Member Sentenced to 5+ Years for Conspiracy to Smuggle $1 Billion Worth of Cocaine into the United States

Former Lunenburg Woman Pleads Guilty to Stealing Social Security Benefits

Fall River Man Arrested on Child Exploitation Charges

Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty to Obstruction of Justice Relating to Attempts to Acquire Ricin

Eagle Butte Man Sentenced on Firearm Charge

Centerville Man Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Child Pornography Offenses

Justice Department Files Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Owners and Managers of Rental Properties in Pennsylvania

New York Man Convicted Of Conspiracy And Attempt To Engage In Sex Trafficking Of A Minor

https://www.justice.gov/usao/pressreleases?keys=&items_per_page=50

>>13416557

>Centerville Man Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Child Pornography Offenses

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Southern District of Iowa

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Centerville Man Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Child Pornography Offenses

DES MOINES, IA – On April 12, 2021, United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose sentenced Ryan Don Andrew Ford, age 49, of Centerville, to 324 months in prison for Production of Child Pornography and 240 months in prison for Receipt of Child Pornography announced Acting United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal. The prison sentences are to be served concurrently. Ford was ordered to serve ten years of supervised release to follow his prison term and comply with sex offender registry requirements upon release.

In 2018 and 2019, Ford sexually exploited children. In 2018, Ford secretly recorded three minors using hidden cameras Ford placed in his Centerville residence, including in the shower. Ford knowingly captured images of the minors that constituted child pornography, saved the images, and distributed some of the images to others. In addition, in 2018 and 2019, Ford downloaded images and videos of child pornography from the internet. Law enforcement executed a search warrant in June 2019 at Ford’s residence and located over 1,800 images and 27 videos of child pornography on his cell phone.

After the sentencing, FBI Omaha’s Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel said, “Identifying, investigating, and arresting those who sexually exploit children will always be a priority for the FBI. We work with our state and federal partners to hold these criminals accountable. Ryan Ford’s 27-year sentence today sends a clear message – preying on innocent children will not be tolerated.”

“The sentence imposed today is the result of law enforcement cooperation at the local, state, and federal levels,” stated Acting United States Attorney Westphal. “If you victimize children you will be pursued and brought to justice.”

This case was investigated by the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, and the Centerville Police Department. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of the United States Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Childhood” initiative, which was started in 2006 as a nationwide effort to combine law enforcement investigations and prosecutions, community action, and public awareness in order to reduce the incidence of sexual exploitation of children.

Any persons having knowledge of a child being sexually abused are encouraged to call the Iowa Sexual Abuse Hotline at 1-800-284-7821.

>>13416557

>New York Man Convicted Of Conspiracy And Attempt To Engage In Sex Trafficking Of A Minor

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Middle District of Florida

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

New York Man Convicted Of Conspiracy And Attempt To Engage In Sex Trafficking Of A Minor

Tampa, FL – A federal jury has found Michael Davis (37, Jamaica, NY) guilty of conspiring and attempting to engage in the sex trafficking of a minor. He faces a minimum mandatory of 10 years, and up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 9, 2021.

Davis had been indicted on August 13, 2019.

According to evidence presented at trial, in August 2017, Davis began using a social networking website to recruit young women to engage in commercial sex. In December 2017, Davis used the website to send a message to an individual whom he believed was a 17-year-old girl living in Denver, Colorado. Unbeknownst to Davis, however, he was communicating with an undercover agent who specialized in child sex trafficking investigations.

Over the course of several weeks, Davis conspired with another individual to attempt to recruit, entice, transport, and obtain the purported child to travel to the Tampa Bay area so that he could cause her to engage in commercial sex. In an effort to persuade the child, Davis talked about the lavish lifestyle she would have and sent photos of large amounts of cash and marijuana. Davis orchestrated the purchase of a one-way bus ticket for the child and promised to pick her up from the bus station. The day before the child was expected to arrive in Tampa, federal agents coordinated with local law enforcement officers to detain Davis, who admitted he had communicated with the child and purchased a bus ticket for her.

This case was investigated by Federal Bureau Investigation, with assistance from the Largo Police Department and the Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa M. Thelwell.

This case resulted from the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s efforts to collaborate with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to detect, investigate, and prosecute coercive human trafficking in the Tampa area. This includes trafficking of minors, forced labor, transnational sex trafficking, and sex trafficking of adults by force, fraud, or coercion. Information on the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.

>>13416557

>Gloucester County Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Production and Distribution of Child Pornography

U.S. Attorney’s Office

District of New Jersey

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Gloucester County Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Production and Distribution of Child Pornography

CAMDEN, N.J. – A Gloucester County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 300 months in prison for producing and distributing images of child sexual abuse, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.

Andrew Nicholas, 24, of Williamstown, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler to an information charging him with one count of sexually exploiting children and one count of distributing child pornography. Judge Kugler imposed the sentence by videoconference today.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On Feb. 26, 2019, an undercover officer entered a public Kik Messenger group and began communicating with Nicholas, who sent the officer images and videos of child sexual abuse involving a prepubescent minor. Nicholas admitted to producing those images and videos of child sexual abuse and sending them to the officer.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Kugler sentenced Nicholas to a lifetime term of supervised release, ordered him to pay restitution of $45,000 to the victims, and ordered him to register as a sex offender.

Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the FBI, Philadelphia Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Driscoll, and the Washington, D.C., FBI Field Office, under the direction of Assistant Director in Charge Steven D’Antuono; special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations – Cherry Hill, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina in Newark, and detectives with the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting County Prosecutor Christine Hoffman, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Martha Nye of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.

S. 1067: A bill to amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act to prohibit group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group or individual health insurance coverage from imposing cost-sharing requirements or treatment limitations with

Sponsor: Sen. Roy Blunt [R-MO]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

1 (1D)

S. 1066: A bill to free States to spend gas taxes on their transportation priorities, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Sen. Robert “Rob” Portman [R-OH]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

0

S. 1077: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permanently extend the allowance for depreciation, amortization, or depletion for purposes of determining the income limitation on the deduction for business interest.

Sponsor: Sen. Roy Blunt [R-MO]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

3 (3R)

S. 1075: A bill to withhold funding authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act from any State or unit of local government that provides relief funds or monetary payments through a program exclusively targeting illegal immigrants.

Sponsor: Sen. Tom Cotton [R-AR]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

0

S. 1071: A bill to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program to provide pension claim enhancement assistance to individuals submitting claims for pension from the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Sen. Ted Cruz [R-TX]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

0

S. 1074: A bill to amend the Sherman Act, the Clayton Act, and the Federal Trade Commission Act to promote competition in the United States, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Sen. Joshua “Josh” Hawley [R-MO]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

0

H.Res. 301: Honoring the life and legacy of Captain Michael D’Angelo Garigan for his service and devotion to his community.

Sponsor: Rep. Marjorie Greene [R-GA14]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

1 (1R)

H.R. 2448: To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from treating any Medicaid-related funds recovered from one or more pharmaceutical companies or drug distributors with respect to opioid litig

Sponsor: Rep. David McKinley [R-WV1]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

1 (1D)

H.R. 2446: To award three Congressional Gold Medals to the law enforcement officers and those who protected American cities during the Black Lives Matter (BLM) riots beginning on May 26, 2020.

Sponsor: Rep. Marjorie Greene [R-GA14]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

0

H.R. 2445: To prohibit assistance to the West Bank and Gaza that directly benefits the Palestinian Authority, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Rep. Marjorie Greene [R-GA14]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

3 (3R)

H.R. 2444: To establish Fort San Gerónimo del Boquerón in Puerto Rico as an affiliated area of the National Park System, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Commish. Jenniffer González-Colón [R-PR0]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

0

S. 1070: A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to modify provisions relating to asylum eligibility.

Sponsor: Sen. Tom Cotton [R-AR]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

0

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/browse?status=1,3&sort=-current_status_date#current_status[]=1,3

>>13416659

S. 1068: A bill to direct the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue an occupational safety and health standard to protect workers from heat-related injuries and illnesses.

Sponsor: Sen. Sherrod Brown [D-OH]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

5 (5D)

S. 1076: A bill to amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to require the Secretary of the Interior to establish a program to plug, remediate, and reclaim orphaned oil and gas wells and surrounding land, to provide funds to State and Tribal government to plu

Sponsor: Sen. Ben Luján [D-NM]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

1 (1R)

S. 1072: A bill to provide incentives for agricultural producers to carry out climate stewardship practices, to provide for increased reforestation across the United States, to establish the Coastal and Estuary Resilience Grant Program, and for other pur

Sponsor: Sen. Cory Booker [D-NJ]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

1 (1D)

S. 1073: A bill to rescind each Medal of Honor awarded for acts at Wounded Knee Creek on December 29, 1890, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Sen. Elizabeth Warren [D-MA]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

6 (5D,1I)

S.Res. 148: A resolution recognizing the importance of paying tribute to those individuals who have faithfully served and retired from the Armed Forces of the United States, designating April 18, 2021, as “Military Retiree Appreciation Day”, and encourag

Sponsor: Sen. Elizabeth Warren [D-MA]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

5 (3D,2R)

H.R. 2453: To provide grants to States that do not suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew a driver’s license of a person or refuse to renew a registration of a motor vehicle for failure to pay a civil or criminal fine or fee, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Rep. Mary Scanlon [D-PA5]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

3 (2R,1D)

H.R. 2455: To amend the IMPACT Act of 2014 to reset data collection and the development of a payment system technical prototype for post-acute care providers under the Medicare program to take into account the effects of COVID-19.

Sponsor: Rep. Terri Sewell [D-AL7]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

1 (1R)

H.R. 2451: To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to establish a carbon fee to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Rep. Marie Newman [D-IL3]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

4 (4D)

H.R. 2454: To amend title XVIII to strengthen ambulance services furnished under part B of the Medicare program.

Sponsor: Rep. Terri Sewell [D-AL7]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

3 (2R,1D)

H.R. 2452: To amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act to treat the District of Columbia the same as a State for purposes of such Acts, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Rep. Eleanor Norton [D-DC0]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

0

H.R. 2456: To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to provide for the establishment of climate change mitigation bundles, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Rep. Lauren Underwood [D-IL14]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

1 (1R)

H.R. 2450: To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to except certain individuals from the 80 percent taxable income limitation on net operating loss carryovers.

Sponsor: Rep. Marie Newman [D-IL3]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

0

H.R. 2441: To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to expand the Rural Access Network for Growth Enhancement Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study to assess certai

Sponsor: Rep. Cynthia Axne [D-IA3]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

5 (3R,2D)

H.R. 2443: To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to transfer title of the Orland Project located in Glenn, Tehama, and Colusa, counties in the State of California to a local public agency, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Rep. John Garamendi [D-CA3]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

1 (1R)

H.R. 2447: To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for an exclusion for assistance provided to participants in certain veterinary student loan repayment or forgiveness programs.

Sponsor: Rep. Ron Kind [D-WI3]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

3 (2R,1D)

H.R. 2442: To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out a grant program for projects and activities to address climate justice concerns of environmental justice communities, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Rep. Nanette Barragán [D-CA44]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

0

S. 1069: A bill to establish the National Institute of Manufacturing, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Sen. Gary Peters [D-MI]

Introduced

Apr 12, 2021 Cosponsors

0