Tag Archives: DOJ

From the Justice Department: The Honorable Deborah L. Boardman sentenced Rudolph Brooks, age 48, of Cheltenham, Maryland, to 18 months in federal prison followed by 2 years of supervised release for fraudulently obtaining over $3.5 million in COVID-19 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loans. The Court also ordered Brooks to forfeit all property …

From the Justice Department: A Kentucky man was sentenced to prison today after he was previously convicted of multiple felony and misdemeanor offenses related to his conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes …

The Daily Mail reports: Pawel ‘Paul’ Bielecki, 48, of New York City, was charged with wire and mail fraud by the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York for allegedly ‘defrauding victims by falsely representing that he was a medical doctor who runs medical clinics in Beirut, Lebanon,’ the complaint read. He allegedly transferred more than $600,000 …

Washington DC’s CBS affiliate reports: A Marine Corps veteran who self-published a book about the Capitol riot was arrested Thursday for allegedly joining the mob effort to knock down police barricades on Jan. 6. Nathan A. Thornsberry, of North Branch, Michigan, is charged with two felony counts of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting or impeding police and the four standard …

NBC News reports: A live-streamer who was a frequent presence at the “Freedom Corner” protests in support of Jan. 6 defendants has been arrested on Capitol attack charges, nearly two years after he was publicly identified by online “sedition hunters” who have aided in hundreds of Jan. 6 arrests. David Valentine, known to online sleuths as #YellowSizzler, was arrested in …

CNBC reports: The Department of Justice and eight states on Friday accused software company RealPage of unlawfully scheming to undermine competition among landlords and create a monopoly that harms millions of renters. RealPage “allows landlords to manipulate, distort, and subvert market forces,” the Justice Department said in a civil complaint in U.S. District Court in North Carolina. “At bottom, RealPage …

Law & Crime reports: Just weeks after he agreed to a bench trial before a federal judge in Washington, D.C., accused Jan. 6 rioter Trevor Brown of Novi, Michigan, has said he might invoke an insanity defense. Prosecutors say that on Jan. 6, 2021, Brown was at the front of a crowd of rioters trying to force their way inside …

From the Justice Department: Today, Kenneth Pinkney, 47, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. was sentenced to 37 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, by U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman, after having previously pled guilty for his assault on a federal employee, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 111(a) and (b) which included a hate …

Washington DC’s ABC affiliate reports: A federal judge sentenced a California man who launched one of the most vicious, prolonged assaults on police on Jan. 6 to 20 years in prison Friday — handing down the second-longest Capitol riot sentence to date. In a sentencing memo filed last week, prosecutors said David Nicholas Dempsey, a former construction worker from Van …

NBC News reports: Federal prosecutors will try to persuade a federal judge Friday to sentence a Donald Trump supporter who stood in front of a gallows and spoke of his desire to hang Democratic politicians before he assaulted numerous police officers during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol to more than 21 years in federal prison. David Dempsey, …

From the Justice Department: Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, a complaint was unsealed charging Asif Merchant, also known as “Asif Raza Merchant,” 46, with murder-for-hire as part of a scheme to assassinate a politician or U.S. government officials on U.S. soil. Law enforcement foiled the charged plot before any attack could be carried out. Merchant is in federal …

Law & Crime reports: A Winchester, Virginia, man who vowed to light Vice President Kamala Harris on fire and “personally pluck out her eyes” reacted with surprise when investigators showed up at his door “over a comment,” a federal complaint alleges. The defendant, identified as Frank Lucio Carillo, allegedly used his GETTR account to make “threatening statements” about Harris and …

Reuters reports: The U.S. Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit Friday against TikTok and parent company ByteDance for failing to protect children’s privacy on the social media app. The government said TikTok violated a law that prohibits collecting, using, or disclosing personal information from children under 13 without parental consent. The DOJ said TikTok knowingly permitted children …

From the Justice Department: A United States District Court Judge sentenced a Utah County man Monday, who posed as a fake doctor, to three years’ imprisonment and one year of supervised release after he scammed consumers looking to heal a variety of ailments, including Coronavirus. In March, on the second day of trial, Gordon Hunter Pedersen, 64, of Cedar Hills, …

From the Justice Department: Sean Patrick Cirillo has pleaded guilty to transmitting interstate threats to injure U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. “Threatening to kill a public official is reprehensible,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Our office will not tolerate any form of violence, threats or intimidation against public officials. The prosecution of individuals who threaten the lives and welfare …

From the Justice Department: An Alabama man pleaded guilty today to sending threatening messages to election workers with Maricopa County Elections in Phoenix. “The functioning of our democracy requires that our country’s public servants be able to do their jobs without fearing for their lives,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Brian Ogstad repeatedly threatened to kill Maricopa County election …

ABC News reports: A Nevada man has been arrested after he threatened several government officials, including the New York judge who oversaw former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial and the prosecutor who brought the case, according to an indictment unsealed in Las Vegas. Spencer Christjencody Gear, 32, allegedly made phone calls and sent emails to eight federal officials …

Law & Crime reports: A civilian U.S. Army employee dubbed the “Gucci Goddess” who stole over $108 million from a grant program for military families and lived lavishly buying fancy homes, scores of vehicles and boxes of jewelry will spend 15 years in prison. Janet Yamanaka Mello, 57, was sentenced on Tuesday to 180 months after she pleaded guilty in …

From the Justice Department: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that BEVELYN BEATTY WILLIAMS was sentenced to 41 months in prison for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (the “FACE Act”) in June 2020 in connection with her interference, including by threats and force, with individuals seeking to …

From the Justice Department: Andrezj Boryga, 67, pleaded guilty and was sentenced today to 24 months in prison and two years of supervised release for willfully transmitting in interstate commerce threats to injure other people and for choosing his victims because of their religion. According to the records filed in the case, between July 9 and Dec. 14, 2022, Boryga …