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Quincy Man Licheng Huang Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering, Drug Trafficking

By
Olaoluwa Fabuyi
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A Quincy man pleaded guilty today to his involvement in a sophisticated international money laundering and drug trafficking organization.

Licheng Huang, 41, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for October 31, 2024.

In May 2023, Huang was among 12 individuals from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and California charged in a superseding indictment for their alleged involvement in a sophisticated international money laundering and drug trafficking organization led by Jin Hua Zhang.

The investigation revealed that, for a fee, Zhang laundered bulk cash for drug dealers and laundered profits from other illegal businesses. In less than one year, Zhang and his organization laundered at least $25 million worth of drug proceeds and funds from other illegal businesses through undercover agents.

Law enforcement became aware of Zhang and his organisation through Huang. In recorded conversations, Huang told undercover agents that his “boss,” Zhang, had large amounts of drug proceeds to launder. Huang and Zhang moved to convert the funds into cryptocurrency, which could be more easily transmitted to China or elsewhere without law enforcement detection.

On two occasions in August 2021, Huang worked with other co-conspirators to deliver over $60,000 in cash to the undercover agents. Those funds were converted to Tether, a type of cryptocurrency, and transferred to Zhang, who would take his fee.

Law enforcement eventually traced funds from the Zhang organization to Hong Kong and elsewhere in China, India, Cambodia and Brazil, among other locations, and seized cash and cryptocurrency in accounts tied to Zhang after the investigation.

Zhang pleaded guilty in September 2023 and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 4, 2024.

The money laundering conspiracy charge provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000, or twice the amount involved, whichever is greater.

Deshema Clark of Buffalo Convicted for Lying to FBI to Shield DeAndre Wilson Who Murdered Miguel Anthony Valentin-Colon, Nicole Marie Merced-Plaud, Dhamyl Roman-Audiffred

By
Fejiro Anokwuru
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0

Deshema Clark, 46, of Buffalo, NY, has been convicted of making a materially false statement and sentenced to serve 30 days in prison and two years of supervised release by Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.  

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maeve E. Huggins and Joseph M. Tripi, who handled the case, stated that on October 9, 2019, during a federal criminal investigation, the FBI executed a search warrant at Clark’s Buffalo residence.

During the search, Clark spoke with an FBI special agent, then went to Buffalo Police Department Headquarters to provide a voluntary statement to law enforcement. Clark knowingly made several false statements regarding DeAndre Wilson’s whereabouts from the evening of September 15, 2019, through the morning of September 16, 2019.

Clark falsely stated that she and Wilson returned to her residence after attending a concert on the evening of September 15, 2019, ate dinner and went to sleep. Clark further falsely stated that a few hours later, she woke up, and Wilson was still asleep.

Clark told investigators that she did not remember Wilson leaving her residence on the evening of September 15, 2019, through the morning of September 16, 2019. However, Clark knew that Wilson did not remain at her residence, eat dinner, and go to bed.

Wilson was convicted by a federal jury and sentenced to serve three consecutive life sentences plus 30 years for the murders of Miguel Anthony Valentin-Colon, Nicole Marie Merced-Plaud, and Dhamyl Roman-Audiffred on or about September 15 to 16, 2019.

Jury Finds Darren Buchanan Guilty of Aggravated Assault Causing Brain Injury to Man Who Kicked His Daughter in Northwest D.C.

By
Deborah Ojuade
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Darren Buchanan, 54, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty Tuesday by a Superior Court jury of aggravated assault while armed and assault with a dangerous weapon, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

The verdict follows a four-day trial.

Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe has scheduled sentencing for September 20, 2024.

According to the government’s evidence, on July 2, 2019, the victim was riding on a Metrobus on Georgia Ave. NW when he kicked Buchanan’s daughter. After the victim got off the bus, Buchanan’s daughter called her mother—Buchanan’s wife—to tell her about what happened. They all agreed to meet at a nearby establishment.

Buchanan and his wife got into a taxi, and while they were on their way to meet their daughter, Buchanan noticed an individual who matched the description of his daughter’s attacker. Buchanan exited the taxi, grabbed a large tree branch, and hit the victim with the tree branch multiple times. The victim —who was unarmed—began running from Buchanan and eventually entered the market of a gas station located approximately ten minutes away from the location of the initial assault.

Buchanan followed the victim for several blocks. As seen on video surveillance, Buchanan peered through the window of the gas station market, saw the victim on the ground sweating and talking to himself, and entered. He then kicked the victim once in the chest and stomped on his head seven times.

As a result, the victim was rendered unconscious, was transported to the hospital, and has been receiving treatment at a rehabilitation centre since the attack for injuries related to the traumatic brain injury he suffered. After Buchanan assaulted the victim, he boasted about his assault to law enforcement personnel during a police interview. 

Drug Dealer DeCarlos Wilkins Sentenced for Possessing Smith & Wesson .45 While Distributing PCP, Crack, Marijuana

By
Samuel Nwite
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DeCarlos Wilkins, 24, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for distributing PCP, crack cocaine, and marijuana while in possession of a Smith & Wesson M&P .45 calibre handgun, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Wilkins pleaded guilty on March 13, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth to possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking offence. In addition to the five-year prison term, Judge Lamberth ordered Wilson to serve five years of supervised release.

According to court documents, on March 3, 2023, at about 6:25 p.m., MPD officers were patrolling on the 1800 block of Benning Road, NE, when they observed Wilkins kneeling down, weighing an unknown substance on a digital scale.

Officers recognised this to be consistent with a drug transaction, i.e. a drug dealer measuring the quantity of a drug immediately before a sale. When officers exited their vehicle to investigate, Wilkins fled on foot. Officers found Wilkins hiding in a residential yard in a nearby alley.

Police recovered 92 small vials of PCP from Wilkins’ jacket pocket and a Smith & Wesson M&P .45 from inside Wilkins’ pants near his kneecap, underneath a layer of compression shorts. Officers also seized 6.8 ounces of marijuana, 120 grams of cocaine base, and $149 in cash.

Watkins has three prior convictions involving the distribution of illegal drugs and three prior convictions involving the use of illegal firearms. At the time of his arrest in March 2023, he was under supervision after being released from a prior firearms offence conviction. He was also awaiting sentencing for attempted possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

‘No Rats Allowed’ Crew Member Keith Jones Jailed 74 Months for Fentanyl Trafficking

By
Fejiro Anokwuru
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Keith Jones, 27, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 74 months in prison for participating in a long-running drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed fentanyl throughout the District of Columbia, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division.

Jones pleaded guilty on March 19, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols to conspiring to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. At the time of the trafficking offences, Jones was on supervised probation for a robbery conviction out of Maryland.

Jones’ plea followed a lengthy investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Narcotics Enforcement Unit (NEU), FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Nichols ordered Jones to serve four years of supervised release.

According to court documents, the law enforcement partnership identified a crew of young men operating within on the 200 block of K Street, Southwest, with firearms, large amounts of U.S. currency, and illegal narcotics. The members of the group wore matching insignia on clothing printed with ‘NO RATS ALLOWED’ or ‘N.R.A.’ Jones, aka ‘Chief’, and other members of the N.R.A. crew used several townhouses on the block as stash locations or “trap houses” for narcotics and firearms.

Many of Jones’ N.R.A. associates have been arrested and successfully prosecuted for firearms offences and the possession and distribution of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl. 

From October 2021 to October 2023, Jones relied heavily on social media to make connections with other drug dealers to conduct sales of illegal substances to individual customers and N.R.A. crew members. On his Instagram account and cell phone, investigators found evidence showing Jones’ trafficking of crack cocaine, promethazine, and wholesale quantities of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl and marijuana.

Furthermore, the digital evidence showed that Jones was aware that at least some of the counterfeit pills he sold contained fentanyl and was warned by another drug dealer that certain pills he was selling might contain lethal amounts of fentanyl.

MPD officers arrested Jones on October 28, 2023, following a foot chase, during which he discarded a 40 calibre Smith and Wesson in the lobby of the Capitol Park Plaza Apartments in Washington, D.C. That firearm discharged as he tossed it, and the bullet struck a glass window in the lobby of the apartment building, narrowly missing two security guards who were feet away from him.

Jones was previously convicted in January 2020 of a robbery in Prince George’s County for which he was sentenced to 10 years, but the sentence was suspended to all but six days, followed by three years of supervised release.  

Floyd Neal, Man Behind Spree of Gunpoint Pharmacy Robberies in Virginia, Maryland Earns 157-month Prison Sentence

By
Shulammite Bello
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Floyd Neal, 31, of Washington D.C., was sentenced Wednesday to more than 13 years in prison for his role in a rash of 2021 gunpoint robberies of pharmacies in Maryland and Virginia, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division.

Neal pleaded guilty on March 18, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson to three counts of interference with commerce by robbery and aiding and abetting (also known as Hobbs Act robbery). He also pleaded guilty to using, carrying, and possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking offence.

In addition to the 157-month prison term, Judge Berman Jackson ordered Neal to serve five years of supervised release.

According to court documents, on February 14, 2021, Neal and two co-conspirators travelled from the District to a pharmacy in Henrico, Virginia. Neal approached the pharmacy counter, brandished a firearm, and ordered the pharmacist to hand over codeine, hydrocodone, and oxycodone.

Neal held one employee at gunpoint while a co-conspirator demanded the pharmacist open the prescription safe. After grabbing prescription narcotics and amphetamines, they fled in a red SUV driven by another co-conspirator.

On March 25, 2021, Neal and a co-conspirator travelled from the District to a pharmacy in Alexandria, Virginia. They entered the store wearing yellow construction vests and posed as customers by grabbing beer.

Then the co-conspirator shouted, “Give me all the money,” and indicated that he had a firearm. The men then ordered two employees into the store’s office before taking between $7,000 to $10,000 from the safe. The men fled in a 2005 silver sedan.

On March 31, 2021, Neal and two co-conspirators drove to a pharmacy in Beltsville, Maryland. A co-conspirator went behind the counter, grabbed a store employee, and demanded the code to the store’s safe. While the robbery was in progress, the store’s manager entered. Neal’s co-conspirator forced the store’s manager into the back office, where Neal was watching the other employee.

The co-conspirator forced the manager to open the safe and stole the contents. Neal remained at the front of the store to empty the contents of the cash registers. The trio then fled in a dark sedan with silver trim.

On April 1, 2021, Neal and a co-conspirator travelled to a pharmacy in Manassas, Virginia. One employee locked herself in the back office. Another employee ran to the front, where the co-conspirator grabbed them by the neck. Threatening the employees, Neal ordered them to give him “percocets and oxys”, or else he would hurt them. Neal also ordered an employee to open the cash registers.

Police arrested Neal and the co-conspirator after they fled the pharmacy. A search revealed a loaded 9mm Hipoint C9 firearm in the vicinity of the pharmacy.

Each of the pharmacies robbed by Neal is part of a national chain of retailers, and the robberies impact interstate commerce.

Brothers from Oregon Jonathanpeter Allen Klein, Matthew Leland Klein Plead Guilty to Felony in January 6 Capitol Breach

By
Deborah Ojuade
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Brothers from Oregon pleaded guilty today to felony and misdemeanour charges stemming from their conduct during the January 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. Their actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

Jonathanpeter Allen Klein, 24, of Pendleton, Oregon, pleaded guilty to one count of civil disorder and one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers before U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss.

Matthew Leland Klein, 27, of Pendleton, Oregon, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of civil disorder and a misdemeanour charge of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds before Judge Moss.

The two men will be sentenced on November 15, 2024.

According to court documents, the brothers travelled from Portland, Oregon, to Washington, D.C., to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally on January 6, 2021. After attending the rally, the brothers made their way toward the Capitol building and entered into the restricted perimeter before separating.

At about 2:00 p.m., a group of Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers arrived at the Northwest edge of the grounds to assist and reinforce the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP), who were outnumbered by the amassing crowd on the West Plaza of the Capitol. The MPD officers had organized themselves into a two-line formation and then attempted to make their way through the crowd to reach other law enforcement on the West Plaza police line.

As the MPD officers were attempting to move through the crowd of rioters, Jonathanpeter Klein threw a piece of audio-visual equipment at the officers. The object directly hit an MPD officer in the helmet, causing the officer to stumble.

At approximately 2:18 p.m., Matthew Klein and Jonathanpeter Klein entered the Capitol building via the Senate Wing Door and separated. Matthew Klein was carrying a Gadsden flag and left the building approximately ten minutes later through a broken window next to the Senate Wing Door.

Jonathanpeter Klein traversed most of the building through the crypt, Rotunda, and House side of the Capitol. Jonathanpeter then left the building and reunited with his brother.

After exiting the building, the two men joined with a group of other rioters struggling against police to open the North Door of the Capitol. Through these combined efforts, the rioters, including Matthew and Jonathanpeter, were able to force the door open.

Immediately after breaching the North Door, Matthew positioned himself in front of the North Door to obstruct police officers who were emerging from the building to disperse the rioters. Matthew also used his flag to interfere with the officers attempting to resecure the door.

Convicted Senator Robert Menendez, New Jersey Businessmen Wael Hana, Fred Daibes Reached Shocking Levels of Corruption: U.S. Government

By
Samuel Nwite
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Robert Menendez, 70, of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, Wael Hana, 40, of Edgewater, New Jersey, and originally of Egypt and Fred Daibes, 66, of Edgewater, New Jersey, were convicted of several charges. 

The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by Judge Stein. 

Sentencing for Menendez, Hana, and Daibes has been scheduled for October 29, 2024.  

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said, “Moments ago, a jury convicted Senator Robert Menendez of corruption offences. This case has always been about shocking levels of corruption. Hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes, including gold, cash, and a Mercedes-Benz. 

“This wasn’t politics as usual. This was politics for profit. Because Senator Menendez has now been found guilty, his years of selling his office to the highest bidder have finally come to an end. Corruption isn’t costless: it erodes public trust, and it undermines the rule of law.” 

Williams added, “That’s why we’re so committed to fighting it, regardless of political party. I want to thank the career prosecutors and law enforcement agents who meticulously investigated and prosecuted this case. Their work brought this egregious corruption to light. They are the best of the best, and I am enormously proud to serve with them.” 

Fifteen-year Sentence for Maryland Resident Mercedes Edmonds for 2019 Shooting in Northeast DC

By
Olaoluwa Fabuyi
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Mercedes Edmonds, aka Marcedes Edmunds, 38, of Baltimore, Maryland, was sentenced Tuesday after being found guilty by a jury of aggravated assault while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and additional firearms charges arising from a 2019 shooting in the 4000 block of Hayes Street NE, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

On May 14, 2024, Edmonds was also found guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a shotgun, and related firearms offences.

On Tuesday, Superior Court Judge Andrea Hertzfeld sentenced Edmonds to 15 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. 

According to the government’s trial evidence, on May 1, 2019, Edmonds was standing with a group in the 4000 block of Hayes Street NE, and the victim was dropping items off at a nearby apartment. Apparently perceiving disrespect by the victim toward a member of the group, Edmonds retrieved a shotgun from his car and ordered the victim to leave the area. As he tried to leave, the defendant shot the victim twice, striking him in the leg. 

The victim suffered substantial blood loss and had to undergo emergency surgery to save his leg. In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of the officers of the Metropolitan Police Department who investigated this case.

Recidivist Offender Jeremy Isaac Lopez Convicted in Santa Fe Drug Trafficking, Faces 40-year Imprisonment

By
Deborah Ojuade
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0

A repeat offender from Espanola pleaded guilty in federal court to federal drug trafficking charges.

According to publicly available court documents, on February 23, 2022, while on probation, Jeremy Isaac Lopez, 29, committed an armed robbery in Santa Fe County, New Mexico. He was subsequently charged and placed on house arrest with GPS monitoring as part of his pretrial release conditions.

On March 30, 2023, a bench warrant was issued for Lopez after he intentionally removed his GPS ankle monitor.

On April 19, 2023, Lopez was located and apprehended at the Cities of Gold Casino in Santa Fe, New Mexico, by the Pueblo of Pojoaque Tribal Police Department. During the arrest, officers discovered Lopez had multiple controlled substances, including heroin, more than five grams of methamphetamine and over 40 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl.

According to public records, Lopez was subsequently convicted by the State of New Mexico for the armed robbery. Lopez will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.

At sentencing, Lopez faces up to no less than five years and up to 40 years in prison, followed by no less than four years and up to a lifetime of supervised release.

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