USAO Press Releases

April 26, 2021

Member of Violent Robbery Crew Sentenced to More Than 18 Years in Prison

Former Law Enforcement Officer Sentenced to Over 18 Years in Federal Prison for Child Exploitation Offenses

Broward County Resident Charged with Theft of U.S. Postal Service Property

Former New York Giant On Home Confinement Under CARES Act Charged With Narcotics Trafficking

Broward County Resident Charged with Theft of U.S. Postal Service Property

Madison Man Sentenced to 72 Months for Methamphetamine Trafficking

KC Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Firearms

Burlington Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug Conspiracy Charge

Married Couple Indicted For Underreporting Over $1.1 Million In Taxable Income

Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced To Nearly 20 Years For Possessing Images And Videos Depicting The Sexual Abuse Of Children

Erie Resident Placed Skimmers on ATMs and Used the Stolen Info to Steal Cash from Victims' Accounts

Atlantic County Man Sentenced to 80 Months in Prison for Drug and Firearm Offenses

Convicted Felon Sentenced To More Than 11 Years For Possessing Pictures And Movies Depicting The Sexual Abuse Of Children And For Unlawful Possession Of A Firearm

Monmouth County Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Unlawfully Possessing Machinegun

South Philadelphia Drug Trafficking Ringleader Sentenced to Nearly 20 Years in Prison

Canadian national suspected in armed encounter with officers in illegal border crossing appears in court

>>13518414

>Former Law Enforcement Officer Sentenced to Over 18 Years in Federal Prison for Child Exploitation Offenses

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Western District of Tennessee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, April 26, 2021

Former Law Enforcement Officer Sentenced to Over 18 Years in Federal Prison for Child Exploitation Offenses

Memphis, TN – Matthew Berry, 42, of Eads, Tennessee has been sentenced to 220 months in federal prison for child exploitation offenses. Acting United States Attorney, Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., announced the sentence today.

According to information presented in court, on June 25, 2019, an undercover operative with the Michigan City (Indiana) Police Department who was investigating child exploitation found a computer that was making child sexual abuse material (CSAM) available over the internet. Based on the IP address, the officer determined the computer was in the Western District of Tennessee and alerted the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force.

A search warrant was executed at the Bells, Tennessee, residence of Matthew Berry, who was at the time, a Crockett County Sheriff’s Deputy. Berry admitted to investigators that he had been obtaining and viewing child sexual abuse material for "a long time." Forensic examination of Berry’s digital devices confirmed that Berry had been seeking out CSAM since at least 2002. The investigation also revealed that Berry surreptitiously took photographs of the buttocks of females (adults and minors) in public places and had a sexual relationship with a minor during his time as a law enforcement officer. Berry previously worked as an officer in Halls, Ripley, Maury City, and Brownsville.

The FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Crockett County Sheriff’s Department and the Michigan City (Indiana) Police Department investigated this case.

On April 23, 2021, Chief U.S. District Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Berry to 220 months in federal prison to be followed by five years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra L. Ireland prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

>>13518414

>Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced To Nearly 20 Years For Possessing Images And Videos Depicting The Sexual Abuse Of Children

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Middle District of Florida

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, April 26, 2021

Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced To Nearly 20 Years For Possessing Images And Videos Depicting The Sexual Abuse Of Children

Ocala, Florida – Senior United States District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Terry George Zimmerman (73, Lady Lake) to 19 years and 7 months in federal prison for possessing materials depicting the sexual exploitation of children. Zimmerman was also sentenced to a life term of supervision, ordered to register as a sex offender, and must pay $21,000 in restitution to identified child victims.

A federal jury had found Zimmerman guilty on November 19, 2020.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, officers from the Lady Lake Police Department executed a search warrant at Zimmerman’s residence and seized several of his computers and other electronic devices. During a subsequent forensic examination of the devices, agents from Homeland Security Investigations recovered from Zimmerman’s 2 computers and 12 USB drives nearly 2,400 images and over 300 videos depicting young children being sexually abused and tortured.

Prior to this offense, in 1995, Zimmerman was convicted as a sex offender in federal court in New York for possessing child pornography.

“It is a travesty when a previously convicted federal sex offender commits the same crime,” said HSI Orlando Assistant Special Agent in Charge David Pezzutti. “But thanks to our HSI special agents, the Lady Lake Police Department, and the Ocala Police Department, he will now return to prison, making our local communities a safer place.”

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Lady Lake Police Department, and the City of Ocala Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael P. Felicetta and Tyrie K. Boyer.

This is another case 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.justice.gov/psc.

>>13518414

>Convicted Felon Sentenced To More Than 11 Years For Possessing Pictures And Movies Depicting The Sexual Abuse Of Children And For Unlawful Possession Of A Firearm

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Middle District of Florida

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, April 26, 2021

Convicted Felon Sentenced To More Than 11 Years For Possessing Pictures And Movies Depicting The Sexual Abuse Of Children And For Unlawful Possession Of A Firearm

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Michael John Jordan (39, Jacksonville) to 11 years and 3 months in federal prison for possessing child sexual abuse images and videos and for possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. The court also ordered Jordan to serve a lifetime term of supervised release and forfeit 22 electronic devices, a shotgun, and ammunition. He must also to register as a sex offender. As part of his sentence, Jordan was ordered to pay $17,000 in restitution to several child victims.

Jordan had pleaded guilty on February 19, 2020.

According to court documents, the investigation began in September 2018 through CyberTip reports sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children involving the upload of illegal content received from several electronic service providers. Further investigation revealed that Jordan was the source of the uploads referenced in the CyberTip reports, and that he had used multiple different platforms to share material depicting the abuse of children. On February 20, 2019, agents from Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, executed a search warrant at Jordan’s home and seized several dozen electronic devices. Forensic analysis of these devices revealed more than 1,000 images and videos of child pornography, some of which depicted the sexual assault of infants and toddlers. Jordan had used sophisticated encryption techniques to conceal his internet trafficking of child sexual abuse material, including layered security measures and elaborate password protection.

During the search of Jordan’s residence, agents recovered a loaded 12-gauge pistol-grip firearm. In 2014, Jordan was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and is therefore prohibited from possessing firearms.

“This convicted felon obviously did not learn his lesson the first time,” said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips. “thanks to HSI special agents, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, he will be returning to prison for a second time, this time for possession of child pornography and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.”

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Karase.

This is another case 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.justice.gov/psc.

>>13518414

>South Philadelphia Drug Trafficking Ringleader Sentenced to Nearly 20 Years in Prison

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Eastern District of Pennsylvania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, April 26, 2021

South Philadelphia Drug Trafficking Ringleader Sentenced to Nearly 20 Years in Prison

For Nearly Two Years His 10-Member Drug Gang Sold Massive Amounts of Narcotics in South Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA – Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Basil Bey, 31, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced to 19.5 years in prison, and six years of supervised release by United States District Judge Gerald A. McHugh for conspiring to distribute heroin and crack cocaine, and distributing heroin and crack cocaine, including near a playground.

Bey’s sentence comes after a jury returned guilty verdicts in December 2017 against Bey and three of his co-conspirators, all from Philadelphia, who have already been sentenced for their roles in the conspiracy: Reginald White, 34, was sentenced to 17.5 years, Tyrik Upchurch, 33, was sentenced to 18 years and seven months; and Amin Wadley, 29, was sentenced to 15.5 years. Six other defendants, also all from Philadelphia, previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced by Judge McHugh for their roles in the conspiracy: Sidney Cornish, 31; Dassan Cornish, 29; Jerome Lyles, 36; Rhasul Lucas, 32; Jihad Thorne, 24; and Quaadir Crawford, 32.

As presented at trial, from at least April 2015 through December 2016, Bey was the leader of a narcotics trafficking organization that sold heroin (including fentanyl-laced heroin) and crack cocaine nearly 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to buyers in South Philadelphia. The group, which included White, Upchurch, Wadley, Sidney and Dassan Cornish, Lyles, Lucas, Thorne, and Crawford as members, sold and delivered narcotics in shifts in order to serve customers day and night. Bey, Upchurch, and Wadley also maintained residences around Philadelphia in order to store and package the narcotics for distribution. Due to the dedicated efforts of law enforcement in this case, approximately thirty-five controlled purchases of heroin and/or crack were made from this drug group—all captured on video. Law enforcement also lawfully obtained a wiretap that captured some of the group’s cell phone activity.

“Drug trafficking is an insidious activity that destroys and demoralizes neighborhoods,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Williams. “Basil Bey was an expert at it, a career criminal committed to living a life of crime, and now he will pay the price by spending decades in prison. This is the just punishment that awaits drug dealers facing federal charges.”

“The FBI is committed to keeping communities safe from predators like Basil Bey and the members of his drug trafficking organization,” said Michael J. Driscoll, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Bey’s actions and that of his co-conspirators are particularly heinous given that they trafficked in dangerous narcotics made even more lethal as they were laced with fentanyl. Today’s sentence sends the message to drug organizations and gang members that if you traffick in illegal drugs, we, along with our law enforcement partners, will hunt you down and bring you to justice.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Philadelphia Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jason Bologna and Kevin Jayne.

>>13518414

>Member of Violent Robbery Crew Sentenced to More Than 18 Years in Prison

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Northern District of Illinois

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, April 26, 2021

Member of Violent Robbery Crew Sentenced to More Than 18 Years in Prison

CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to more than 18 years in federal prison for participating in a violent robbery crew that targeted cell phone stores in the Chicago area and downstate.

ANTONIO EDWARDS and two co-defendants engaged in a conspiracy to rob a series of cell phone stores in 2017. The crew conducted takeover-style robberies in which two or three robbers would enter a store and order employees to the back of the store at gunpoint. The robbers then loaded phones into bags and fled the store. Edwards personally participated in three of the heists – in Chicago, Waukegan, and Bradley – and he brandished a gun during the Waukegan and Bradley robberies.

Edwards, 26, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and robbery charges, and a jury convicted him after a trial on charges of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. U.S. District Judge Elaine E. Bucklo on Friday imposed a prison sentence of 18 years and eight months.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. Valuable assistance was provided by police departments in Chicago, Waukegan, Bradley, Mount Prospect, North Aurora, Skokie, and Homewood. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron R. Bond and Kristen Totten.

Two other members of the robbery crew – ANDREW MCHANEY, 29, of Chicago, and JAMES BATES, 60, of Chicago – previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced to federal prison terms of more than 14 years and more than eight years, respectively.

>>13518426

https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtn/pr/former-law-enforcement-officer-sentenced-over-18-years-federal-prison-child

>>13518450

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/south-philadelphia-drug-trafficking-ringleader-sentenced-nearly-20-years-prison