U.S. Attorney’s Office

Eastern District of Arkansas

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

White Supremacist President Sentenced to 35 Years in Violent Racketeering Case

Gullett Also Leader of Meth Conspiracy

LITTLE ROCK—Wesley Gullett, the president of a white supremacist organization which sold multiple kilograms of methamphetamine and committed numerous violent acts—including attempted murder—will spend the more than three decades in federal prison.

On Wednesday, United States District Court Judge Brian S. Miller sentenced Gullett, 31, of Russellville, to 35 years imprisonment, with five years of supervised release to follow, for Gullett’s leadership role in a violent drug conspiracy. There is no parole in the federal system. Gullett was president of New Aryan Empire (NAE), a white supremacist group founded by inmates in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.

Gullett was originally charged in October 2017, and a federal grand jury charged him along with 51 other defendants in a Second Superseding Indictment in September 2019. On February 3, 2021, Gullett pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering and conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute. In his plea agreement, Gullett admitted to solicitation to commit murder and attempted murder, among other violent acts.

At Wednesday’s hearing, before imposing the sentence, Judge Miller heard details of how Gullett attempted to murder Bruce Wayne Hurley, an individual who had purchased methamphetamine from NAE associates. Gullett attempted to murder Hurley because he believed Hurley was acting as an informant for law enforcement. Gullett also solicited other NAE members to murder Hurley.

In addition, the NAE, under the direction of Gullett, carried out other retaliatory acts against those who they believed had provided information to law enforcement. Members of NAE retaliated against one alleged witness by kidnapping him, having people take turns beating him, branding his face with a hot knife, and having a dog bite him. Another alleged witness was kidnapped twice, beaten, and stabbed. For violating NAE’s code, the organization physically assaulted and battered, “X’ed” them out (also referred to as taking their patch), or killed violating members.

“This defendant used his corrupt white supremacist organization to commit heinous crimes of violence,” said Jonathan D. Ross, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. “These despicable acts, which included trying to murder a witness, will now appropriately be punished with 35 years in prison, where this defendant can no longer wreak havoc and poison our community.”

In addition to the violent acts, law enforcement officials investigated the NAE’s methamphetamine trafficking organization. During the coordinated federal and state investigation, law enforcement agents made 59 controlled purchases of methamphetamine, seizing more than 25 pounds of methamphetamine, as well as 69 firearms and more than $70,000 in drug proceeds.

Three remaining defendants of the original 51 charged are awaiting trial, which is currently set for September 7, 2021. One defendant is still a fugitive, and all other defendants have pleaded guilty.

Acting U.S. Attorney Ross, together with Drug Enforcement Administration Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jarad O. Harper, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Acting Resident Agent in Charge Clayton Merrell, announced today’s sentence.

The investigation was conducted by FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the Drug Enforcement Administration, in partnership with the Pope County Sheriff’s Office, Fifth Judicial District Drug Task Force, Russellville Police Department, Arkansas State Police, Conway Police Department, and United States Postal Inspection Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys in the Eastern District of Arkansas with assistance from the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.

# # #

This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the

United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

https://www.justice.gov/edar

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edar/pr/white-supremacist-president-sentenced-35-years-violent-racketeering-case

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Eastern District of New York

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Russian Citizen Sentenced to 60 Months’ Imprisonment for Cyber Tax Fraud Scheme

Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Anton Bogdanov, a citizen of Russia, was sentenced by United States Chief District Judge Margo K. Brodie to 60 months’ imprisonment for wire fraud conspiracy and computer intrusions in connection with a scheme in which he and others hacked into private tax preparation firms, stole personal information, used that information to file federal tax returns and fraudulently attempted to obtain more than $1.5 million in tax refunds from the Department of the Treasury. The Court also ordered Bogdanov to pay $476,713 in forfeiture. Bogdanov was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand in November 2018, extradited to the United States in March 2019 and pleaded guilty in January 2020.

Mark J. Lesko, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Jonathan D. Larsen, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, New York (IRS-CI), announced the sentence.

“Bogdanov hacked into tax preparation firms and used illegally obtained private information from innocent victims to try to steal their federal income tax refunds for his own use,” stated Acting United States Attorney Lesko. “Today’s sentence underscores the commitment of this Office to protecting the integrity of private tax return information and holding corrupt hackers like the defendant accountable for his crimes.”

“Victims in this investigation may have thought justice would be elusive when they learned Bogdanov and his cohorts were in Russia. Today's result should serve as a reminder that our reach is global, and we are laser-focused on stopping cyber criminals wherever they may try to hide,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney.

“Bogdanov utilized sophisticated means to steal two valuable commodities, peoples personally identifiable information and funds belonging to the American Taxpayer, stated IRS-CI Special Agent-in-Charge Larsen. “IRS-Criminal Investigation will continue to work side-by-side with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute international cyber criminals who infiltrate our tax system for personal gain. Justice was served in today’s sentence and should serve as a warning that cyber-criminals cannot hide anonymously beyond our borders.”

Between June 2014 and November 2016, Bogdanov, who used the online moniker “Kusok,” and his co-conspirators misappropriated personally identifiable information (“PII”), such as Social Security numbers and the dates of birth of their victims, by gaining unauthorized access to the computer systems of private tax preparation firms in the United States. Bogdanov and his co-conspirators then changed the tax return information so that the refunds were paid to prepaid debit cards that they controlled. Bogdanov and his co-conspirators also used misappropriated PII to obtain prior tax filings of victims from the IRS Transcript System website, and filed new tax returns, purportedly on behalf of the victims, so that refunds were paid to prepaid debit cards under their control. The debit cards were cashed out in the United States, and a percentage of the proceeds was wired to Bogdanov in Russia.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan E. Algor is in charge of the prosecution.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI’s Legal Attaché abroad and foreign authorities provided critical assistance in this case. The Office extends its appreciation to the Royal Thai Police, particularly the Crime Suppression Division, and the FBI’s Legal Attaché Bangkok for their assistance in apprehending the defendant. The Office also extends its appreciation to the New York County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance in this case.

The Defendant:

ANTON BOGDANOV (also known as “Kusok”)

Age: 35

Russia

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 19-CR-197 (MKB)

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/russian-citizen-sentenced-60-months-imprisonment-cyber-tax-fraud-scheme

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U.S. Attorney’s Office

Western District of Missouri

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Southwest Honkys Gang Member Sentenced to 25 Years for Meth Conspiracy

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Fair Grove, Missouri, man who is a member of the Southwest Honkys violent prison gang was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a drug-trafficking conspiracy in which investigators intercepted a shipment of nearly 9.5 kilograms of methamphetamine.

William F. Jones, 45, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 25 years in federal prison without parole.

On May 21, 2020, Jones pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Christian County, Greene County, and Polk County, Missouri, from Dec. 21, 2016, to Oct. 15, 2017.

Jones was identified as a high-level member of the Southwest Honkys prison gang who had declined a top leadership role.

Jones, under the surveillance of law enforcement, drove to the Kansas City, Missouri area on Oct. 11, 2017, and checked into an Independence, Mo., hotel. A few days later, co-defendant Justin L. Rhoads, 33, of Lebanon, Mo., met Jones in the hotel’s parking lot. They put a large duffel bag in the cab of Rhoads’s pickup truck, and he left the parking lot. Rhoads was later stopped by a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper on Missouri Highway 13, just south of Humansville, Mo. The trooper searched Rhoads’s vehicle and found 10 Ziploc-style plastic bags inside the duffel bag that contained a total of approximately 9,439 grams of methamphetamine, which was determined to be at least 93 percent pure.

Rhoads pleaded guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and was sentenced on Jan. 21, 2021, to 12 years in federal prison without parole.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Josephine L. Stockard. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Combined Ozarks Multi-Jurisdictional Enforcement Team, the Greene County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Office, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol,

Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmo/pr/southwest-honkys-gang-member-sentenced-25-years-meth-conspiracy

U.S. Attorney’s Office

District of New Mexico

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Former coach from Pecos arraigned on charges of coercing minors online

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Joshua Rico, 25, of Pecos, New Mexico, was arraigned today in federal court on a five-count indictment charging him with coercion and enticement of minors. A federal grand jury indicted Rico on May 12. Rico will remain in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for May 21.

According to the indictment and other court records, beginning as early as January 2018, Rico allegedly used multiple profiles on the social media platform Snapchat to coerce minor girls into sending him sexually explicit photos and videos and engage in sexual acts. Using his position as a high school basketball coach to target girls he knew, Rico allegedly used fictitious profiles under the names “Chris Lujan” and “Erik Romero” as well as a profile in his own name to threaten, coerce and manipulate at least four minor victims. Rico allegedly sent photos of his own genitalia, requested explicit photos and videos from the victims, and threatened to expose compromising photos and videos to extort sexual acts for his own gratification.

The New Mexico State Police, the FBI, and the Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory investigated this case as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC) and the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. PSC is an initiative designed to help law enforcement and community leaders develop a coordinated strategy to prevent, investigate, and prosecute sexual predators, abusers, and pornographers who target children through the internet. The ICAC program is a nation-wide network of task forces consisting of federal, state and local law enforcement dedicated to this issue and are key partners in Project Safe Childhood.

“Cases like this remind of us the importance of vigilance,” said Fred J. Federici, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico. “We must stress, especially to minors, the risks of electronically sharing material of a sensitive or compromising nature. But law enforcement must also be vigilant in our duty to investigate and prosecute those who exploit new and emerging technologies to target unsuspecting victims. It is the perpetrators, not the victims, who are responsible for their crimes and manipulation.”

“Protecting our children, and ensuring they are safe is one of the most important things we do in law enforcement” said Robert Thornton, Chief of the New Mexico State Police. “As access to technology increases, so does the means for those who would do harm to our kids. The New Mexico State Police is proud of our working relationship with the FBI and Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory that allows us to investigate these offenses.”

“Online predators seeking to exploit children unfortunately are becoming more common,” said Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office. “The FBI hopes these charges send a warning to perpetrators there is nowhere in cyberspace they can escape justice. We also want to urge young people to be careful with their online communications and to be thoughtful about the content they share.”

An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Rico faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Mease and Jaymie L. Roybal are prosecuting the case.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/former-coach-pecos-arraigned-charges-coercing-minors-online

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Eastern District of Missouri

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Judges sentences St. Louis County man for sex trafficking

ST. LOUIS – United States District Judge Henry E. Autrey sentenced Carron Primus to 38 months in prison today and ordered Primus to pay more than $87,000 in restitution. The 41-year-old Maryland Heights, Missouri resident pleaded guilty to one count of sex trafficking.

On November 25, 2018, Primus met his victim through an online application installed on his and her phones. At the time of meeting Primus, the victim was physically located at a Panera Bread Company restaurant in St. Louis County.

Primus planned, through communications on the app, to meet his victim at the Panera Bread and for her to travel with him to Farmington, Missouri where Primus had to complete a drug test for his federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) supervision requirements. During the drive to Farmington, Missouri, Primus and his victim talked about the victim engaging in prostitution. Specifically, they discussed the victim would need a phone number, advertisements, and a location.

Upon return from Farmington, Missouri, Primus stopped at his mother’s house to get a cell phone. Primus then took his victim to a local AT&T store to activate the cell phone. Primus informed his victim the cell phone would be used to talk to her clients. An advertisement for sexual services to be performed, by the victim, was posted online. Primus learned his victim was currently on her menstrual cycle and discussed with his victim oral sex with clients. Primus then drove his victim to Walmart to purchase tampons.

After Walmart, Primus drove his victim to hotels around the Saint Louis Lambert International Airport to check nightly prices. Primus selected the St. Louis Airport Inn located in St. Louis County. Primus put the hotel room in his name, but informed his victim he had no intention of staying in the room because he was on federal BOP location monitoring.

Primus left his victim alone in the hotel room where she was going to provide sexual services to clients. In Primus’ absence, the victim ultimately left. The St. Louis County Human Trafficking Task Force was later alerted to this matter and responded.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and St. Louis County Human Trafficking Task Force investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Dianna Collins is handling the case.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmo/pr/judges-sentences-st-louis-county-man-sex-trafficking-0