Unveiling the Spectrum of Crimes Perpetrated by Organized Crime Syndicates

Organized crime has long been a menacing force that thrives on illegal activities, power structures, and financial gain. These criminal enterprises operate with a high level of sophistication and coordination, engaging in a wide range of illicit activities that pose a significant threat to society. This article aims to shed light on the types of crimes commonly committed by members of organized crime, revealing the depth and diversity of their illegal endeavors.

Drug Trafficking:

One of the primary revenue streams for organized crime is drug trafficking. These criminal networks play a major role in the production, transportation, and distribution of illegal drugs, such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and synthetic drugs. They exploit the global demand for narcotics, infiltrating legitimate businesses and employing complex networks to smuggle and distribute drugs across borders.

Money Laundering:

Organized crime syndicates generate enormous profits from their illicit activities, and they employ various methods to launder their ill-gotten gains. Money laundering involves disguising the illegal origins of funds through a series of transactions or activities, making it appear as legitimate income. This allows criminals to integrate their illicit funds into the legal economy, obscuring the money trail and facilitating further criminal activities.

Extortion and Protection Rackets:

Extortion is a common tactic employed by organized crime groups to generate income and maintain control. They target individuals, businesses, and even public officials, demanding protection payments in exchange for avoiding harm or securing business operations. These criminal syndicates use violence, intimidation, and the threat of harm to compel victims to comply with their demands, instilling fear and exerting control over specific territories.

Human Trafficking:

Organized crime is heavily involved in the lucrative and despicable crime of human trafficking. These criminal networks exploit vulnerable individuals, subjecting them to forced labor, sexual exploitation, or other forms of modern-day slavery. They profit from the trafficking of men, women, and children across international borders, often through deception, coercion, and violence.

Cybercrime:

As technology continues to advance, so does the involvement of organized crime in cybercrime. These criminal networks employ skilled hackers, programmers, and fraudsters to orchestrate various cyber-enabled crimes. These may include identity theft, financial fraud, ransomware attacks, hacking into corporate systems, and trafficking stolen personal and financial information on the dark web.

Counterfeiting and Intellectual Property Theft:

Organized crime syndicates engage in counterfeiting, producing counterfeit currency, luxury goods, and pharmaceuticals. They also play a significant role in intellectual property theft, pirating copyrighted material, such as movies, music, software, and designer products. This illicit trade undermines legitimate businesses, damages economies, and poses significant risks to consumer safety.

Arms Trafficking:

Organized crime groups are involved in arms trafficking, supplying weapons to various criminal networks, terrorists, and insurgent groups. They exploit global arms markets, utilizing smuggling routes to traffic firearms, explosives, and military-grade equipment. This illicit trade fuels violence, contributes to armed conflicts, and poses a threat to national security.

Conclusion:

The spectrum of crimes committed by members of organized crime is vast and far-reaching. From drug trafficking and money laundering to human trafficking and cybercrime, these criminal syndicates exploit various avenues to amass wealth and power. Understanding the types of crimes perpetrated by organized crime is crucial for law enforcement agencies, policymakers, and society at large to effectively combat these criminal enterprises. By targeting their illicit activities, disrupting their financial networks, and promoting international cooperation, we can strive towards dismantling these criminal organizations and creating safer communities for all.

Man Who Operated Sex Trafficking Ring Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison

Soloman Mustafa Used Violent Sex Acts, Duct Tape and Handcuffs, and Violence to Prevent Women from Escaping

ATLANTA—The operator of an Atlanta sex trafficking ring who committed violent sexual acts against his victims, bound them with duct tape, took their identification, and committed other atrocities in order to hold them captive was sentenced today to life in prison by United States District Judge Charles A. Pannell, Jr.

Soloman Manasseh Mustafa, 38, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, was convicted on July 18, 2012, after an eight-day jury trial of sex trafficking, kidnapping, transporting women across state lines for prostitution, document servitude, and enticement of a minor for sexual activity. His co-defendant, Kalandra Annette Wallace, 25, of Jonesboro, Georgia, pleaded guilty on October 11, 2011, and was sentenced to five years in federal prison.

United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said of the case, “This defendant brutally assaulted young women and forced them into acts of prostitution in three states. Many of the victims were beaten, raped, handcuffed, and forced to snort cocaine by the defendant and his co-conspirator. Today’s sentence demonstrates that sex traffickers will pay a heavy price for victimizing young women.”

Ricky Maxwell, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office, said, “Today’s sentencing removes a violent predator from the streets and prevents him from harming and exploiting others. The FBI’s Metro Atlanta Child Exploitation Task Force (MATCH) will continue its hard work in identifying, investigating, and bringing forward for prosecution individuals such as Mustafa who prey on others in such a violent manner.”

According to the indictment and evidence presented during trial: Mustafa and co-defendant Wallace recruited and enticed young women via advertisements on Internet sites such as Craigslist.com and Backpage.com, luring them into prostitution in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Once Mustafa and Wallace began working with the women, however, they physically assaulted many of the victims, prevented them from leaving hotels or apartments, and forced them to engage in commercial sex acts.

During trial, the government presented evidence that two victims were bound with duct tape and placed in a closet. These victims, still bound with duct tape, were ultimately taken against their will to Homewood, Alabama, for the purpose of having sex with men. Other victims were forced to have sex with men and all the money earned by the victims was required to be turned over to Mustafa and Wallace. According to the evidence, one victim had a gun pointed at her head and was ordered to remove her clothes and stand naked in a corner of the room. Other women were forced to inhale a white powdery substance that appeared to be cocaine. Two victims were handcuffed to the bed to keep them from leaving.

The evidence also showed that Mustafa communicated via text messaging with a young girl whom he believed to be 14 years old. In those text messages, he instructed the juvenile to send him photos of herself. Once Mustafa saw the photos, he told the juvenile that she could be his sex slave, and he went to the juvenile’s home to pick her up. The juvenile left her home by tying bed sheets together and climbing out the window. Fortunately, Mustafa let the young girl go in a subdivision close to her home.

Mustafa and Wallace also took the identification, telephones, and wallets of some of the victims, with the purpose of making the victims feel trapped. After one victim escaped, Mustafa and Wallace kept her identification and used it to rent hotel rooms and a house.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the FBI’s Metro Atlanta Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes the Atlanta Police Department, the Cobb County Police Department, the Fulton County Police Department, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Gwinnett County Police Department, the City of Marietta Police Department, and the Sandy Springs Police Department. Other departments that assisted in the investigation are the Holly Springs Police Department, the DeKalb County Police Department, the Clayton County Police Department, and the Homewood (Alabama) Police Department.

The United States Attorney’ Office maintains information and resources about human trafficking on its website at http://www.justice.gov/usao/gan/community/humantrafficking/index.html. If anyone has any information about any human trafficking case, they are encouraged to report that information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 404-679-9000.

Assistant United States Attorneys Yonette Buchanan, Nekia S. Hackworth, and Susan Coppedge prosecuted the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Information Office at USAGAN.Pressemails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the HomePage for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is www.justice.gov/usao/gan.

Area Man Charged Arrested and Charged with Transporting a Minor for Prostitution

ST. LOUIS—Reginald Williams was arrested by FBI and St. Louis County officers Friday afternoon on a charge of interstate transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in prostitution. He appeared today in federal court for his preliminary and detention hearings.

According to the affidavit filed with the criminal complaint, on September 12, 2012, Collinsville, Illinois police received a report regarding a missing 16-year-old girl who was being forced to work as a prostitute by one or several adult males. The person reporting the information was familiar with online postings on the website Saint Louis backpages.com in which photographs of the girl were used to offer her services for commercial sex. The telephone number associated with the advertisement was recognized to be used by “Reggie,” who was later identified as Reginald Williams. Detectives reviewed the advertisement, which contained sexually suggestive language and listed the poster’s age to be 20 years old. However, Illinois police were able to confirm that she was born in 1996.

Investigators also learned that a second minor female was believed to be in the 16-year-old’s company at a hotel in St. Louis County. Detectives from Illinois then contacted the St. Louis FBI and the St. Louis County Police Department.

On September 13, 2012, an undercover detective called the phone number listed in the online advertisement to set up a paid sex “date.” When officers arrived at the hotel, they observed a black male later identified as Reginald Williams exit the same hotel room where the two minor females were eventually found. Williams was arrested on the parking lot. When officers went to the room they found both girls, ages 16 and 17. Thereafter, officers determined that Williams transported the 16-year-old girl to the St. Louis area and Chicago with the intent she engage in prostitution.

Williams, 27, from the St. Louis, Missouri area, was charged in a criminal complaint with one violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2423(a), the interstate transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in prostitution.

This charge carries a penalty range of 10 years to life in prison. In determining the actual sentence, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

As is always the case, charges set forth in a criminal complaint are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Three Defendants Arrested for Allegedly Transporting Minor Girls from Iowa to Chicago to Engage in Prostitution

CHICAGO—Three defendants have been arrested in Iowa and Ohio on federal charges filed in Chicago for allegedly engaging in sex trafficking of three minor girls they transported earlier this year from Iowa City to Chicago for prostitution, federal law enforcement officials announced today. The defendants were each charged with one count of conspiracy to transport minors across state lines to engage in prostitution in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The charges allege that the defendants knew that coercion, force, and the threat of force would be used to cause the victims to engage in commercial sex acts.

Defendant Malik McKee, 19, and his sister, Shuntina McKee, 23, both of Iowa City and formerly of suburban Country Club Hills, Illinois, were arrested yesterday in Iowa City. The third defendant, Willie Woods, 41, of Toledo, Ohio, and formerly of Iowa City, was arrested Friday in Toledo. The government is seeking to have all three defendants transferred to Chicago in custody to face the charges here.

The arrests and charges were announced by Gary S. Shapiro, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; William C. Monroe, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Garry F. McCarthy, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. The FBI and CPD conducted the investigation, in coordination with the Cook County Human Trafficking Task Force. Federal prosecutors and law enforcement authorities in the Southern District of Iowa and the Northern District of Ohio also provided assistance.

According to the complaint, the investigation began on April 25, 2012, when one of the victims—Minor A, who was 14 at the time—snuck out of a room at a hotel in the 9100 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue in Chicago after others were asleep and called her mother in Iowa. The girl’s mother called the Chicago Police and officers responded to the hotel and contacted federal authorities.

The complaint states that online advertisements posted on various Internet sites in Chicago and elsewhere, hotel records, bus records, and other evidence show that the defendants acted as pimps and posted online ads promoting prostitution of the three victims—Minors A, B, and C, all from Iowa and ages 14, 16 and 16, respectively, at the time. In April this year, Malik McKee and Woods allegedly purchased bus tickets for the victims and transported them from Iowa City to Chicago to engage in prostitution. All three defendants allegedly benefitted financially from the charged conspiracy.

The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan Church and Bethany Biesenthal.

Sex trafficking of minors carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted, the court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.

The public is reminded that a complaint contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Springfield Gang Associate Sentenced to 120 Months for Role in Sex Trafficking High School Girls

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Christopher Sylvia, 23, of Springfield, Virginia, was sentenced today to 120 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for his role as a bodyguard and driver for a gang-led prostitution business that recruited and trafficked high school girls.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Kenneth T. Cuccinelli, II, Attorney General of Virginia; Colonel David Rohrer, Fairfax County Chief of Police; and James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee.

“Predators involved in the sex trafficking of juveniles should receive severe sentences,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “Sylvia worked with others to steal the adolescent years of these high school girls and now he will pay the price.”

“Christopher Sylvia and others profited from the exploitation and intimidation of vulnerable juveniles,” said Assistant Director in Charge McJunkin. “Today’s sentence is yet another example that those who commit such appalling crimes will be pursued and punished to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Human traffickers are some of the most dangerous criminals we deal with,” said Attorney General Cuccinelli. “It is our hope that today’s sentencing will send a clear message that participating in human trafficking at any level will not be tolerated in Virginia.”

On April 12, 2012, Sylvia pled guilty to sex trafficking of a juvenile. According to court records, Sylvia was an associate of the Underground Gangster Crips (UGC), a Crips “set” based in Fairfax County, Virginiaa. As part of his involvement with UGC, Sylvia served as a bodyguard and driver in the UGC prostitution enterprise and walked with prostitutes for protection on multiple occasions. In late 2011 and early 2012, Sylvia transported three 17-year-old girls to engage in commercial sex acts.

Sylvia is the third of five UGC members or associates who have been convicted of sex trafficking of juveniles in connection with this case. Michael Tavon Jefferies, aka “Loc,” was sentenced on July 6, 2012, to 120 months in prison for his role in the enterprise. Donyel Dove, aka “Bleek,” was sentenced on August 10, 2012, to 276 months in prison for his role in the prostitution enterprise and on other charges. The two remaining defendants (Henock Ghile and Justin Strom) are scheduled for sentencing on September 7, and September 14, 2012, respectively.

This case was investigated by the Fairfax County Police Department and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with assistance from the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force. Virginia Assistant Attorney General and Special Assistant United States Attorney Marc J. Birnbaum and Assistant United States Attorney Inayat Delawala are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Founded in 2004, the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force is a collaboration of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies—along with non-governmental organizations—dedicated to combating human trafficking and related crimes.

Barren County Man Convicted of Transporting Minor Across State Lines for Illegal Sexual Activity and Brandishing a Firearm During a Crime of Violence

Jury Deliberated Just Over One Hour Before Returning a Unanimous Verdict

BOWLING GREEN, KY—A Barren County/Sidney, Ohio man was convicted by a federal jury in Bowling Green, Kentucky, of transporting a minor across state lines to engage in illegal sexual activity and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, announced David J. Hale, United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky.

The jury deliberated just over one hour before finding Tony Glenn Harvey, age 57, guilty on both charges, on Friday, August 10, 2012. Harvey was charged in a two-count federal indictment on September 22, 2011.

According to evidence presented at trial, Harvey transported the child from Sidney, Ohio, to Smiths Grove, Kentucky, in Barren County. In late July 2011, Harvey took the child to a trailer in Smiths Grove, where he forced the child to engage in sexual intercourse and oral sex with him. He also forced her to engage in sexual intercourse and oral sex with another adult male.

On or about August 22, 2011, Harvey again transported the child from Ohio to Barren County, Kentucky. On August 24, 2011, while in Barren County, Kentucky, Harvey encouraged the child to have sex with him, and when the child told him no, he brandished a .22 caliber pistol and told her she deserved to die. Harvey also threatened to hurt himself and other family members.

Harvey faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 17 years in prison. He faces maximum potential penalties of life imprisonment, a $500,000 fine, and supervised release of at least five years, but it could be any term of years, including life.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jo E. Lawless. The Barren County Sheriff’s Office, in close association with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, conducted the investigation.

This case was 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.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”

Border Patrol Agents Apprehend 39 Illegal Immigrants at Checkpoint

Laredo, Texas – Border Patrol Agents assigned to the north station in Laredo, Texas apprehended 39 illegal immigrants Wednesday night.

Agents working at the immigration checkpoint located on Interstate Highway 35 north of Laredo discovered the group in the trailer of an 18-wheeler after a Border Patrol canine alerted toward the vehicle.

All the subjects seemed to be sweating profusely from the lack of ventilation in the trailer. All subjects were rescued in time and refused additional medical attention. Agents determined that all of them were citizens of Mexico without proper documentation for entry into the U.S.

The case has been turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

To report suspicious activity such as drug and/or alien smuggling, call (800) 343-1994.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control, and protection of our Nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Former Truck Driver Convicted of Transporting Minors Across State Lines and Sexually Abusing Them

BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Kevin L. Donaldson, 47, of Salamanca, New York, was convicted after a two-week jury trial of transporting minors across state lines for the purpose of sexually abusing them and witness tampering. The defendant faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison with a maximum of life, a $250,000 fine, or both, when sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Acara, who presided over the trial.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron J. Mango and Michael DiGiacomo handled the prosecution of the case. As shown by the evidence at trial, on multiple occasions between April 2004 and July 2007, the defendant, an over-the-road truck driver, transported three of his minor relatives across state lines and repeatedly raped them. One of the victims was 13 years old when Donaldson began raping the victim, with this conduct continuing over the next three years. Testimony at trial indicated the defendant ignored repeated pleas from his victims to stop.

While incarcerated at the Niagara County Jail awaiting trial on the federal charges, Donaldson wrote multiple letters to one of the victims as well as the mother of the victim in an attempt to influence the testimony of the victim. Among other things, the defendant told the victim to testify that “nothing happened.”

Prior to today’s conviction, Donaldson was convicted of state rape charges in Cattaraugus County and sentenced to four years in prison.

“Today’s conviction brings to a close a tragic chapter in the lives of three young victims,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “What makes this case particularly troubling is that the defendant, already a convicted rapist, preyed upon members of his own family. Thanks to today’s verdicts, the defendant will never again have the opportunity to repeat this truly perverse conduct.”

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The indictment was the culmination of an investigation on the part of special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher M. Piehota, and the Salamanca Police Department, under the direction of Chief Gary Wind.

Sentencing is scheduled for November 16, 2012, at 1:00 p.m. before Judge Arcara.

Jury Convicts Man Who Operated a Sex Trafficking Ring

ATLANTA—After an eight-day jury trial, a federal jury convicted Soloman Manasseh Mustafa, 38, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, for operating a sex trafficking ring in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Mustafa was known for committing violent sexual acts against his victims; binding them with duct tape; taking their identification; and committing other atrocities in order to hold them captive. The jury found Mustafa guilty of sex trafficking, kidnapping, transporting women across state lines for prostitution, document servitude, and enticement of a minor for sexual activity. Mustafa and his co-defendant Kalandra Annette Wallace, 25, of Jonesboro, Georgia, were indicted by a federal grand jury on May 10, 2011. Wallace pleaded guilty on October 11, 2011, and testified against Mustafa.

United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said of the case, “This defendant brutally assaulted young women to force them into acts of prostitution in three states. While all of the victims managed to escape from the defendant, many were beaten, raped, handcuffed, and forced to snort cocaine by the defendant and his co-conspirator. Now, he faces a lengthy sentence in federal prison.”

Brian D. Lamkin, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta, said, “Combating human trafficking begins with an aggressive investigation and culminates with a relentless prosecution. Today’s guilty verdict in one of the most heinous human trafficking matters to be addressed in this region is most heartfelt by those directly involved. The FBI is proud of the role that it played in removing an individual such as Mr. Mustafa from the streets where he preyed on and exploited these vulnerable women, to include juveniles.”

According to the indictment and evidence presented during trial: Mustafa and co-defendant Wallace recruited and enticed young women via advertisements on Internet sites such as Craigslist and Backpage, luring them into prostitution in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Mustafa and Wallace physically assaulted many of the victims, preventing them from leaving hotels or apartments and forcing them to engage in commercial sex acts.

During trial, the government presented evidence that two victims were bound with duct tape and placed in a closet. These victims, still bound with duct tape, were ultimately taken against their will to Homewood, Alabama, for the purpose of having sex with men. Other victims were forced to have sex with men, and all the money earned by the victims was required to be turned over to Mustafa and Wallace. According to the evidence, one victim had a gun pointed at her head and was ordered to remove her clothes and stand naked in a corner of the room. Other women were forced to inhale a white powdery substance that appeared to be cocaine. Two victims were handcuffed to the bed to keep them from leaving.

The evidence also showed that Mustafa communicated via text messaging with a young girl whom he believed to be 14 years old. In those text message,s he instructed the juvenile to send him photos of herself. Once Mustafa saw the photos, he told the juvenile that she could be his sex slave, and he went to the juvenile’s home to pick her up. The juvenile left her home by tying bed sheets together and climbing out the window. Fortunately, Mustafa let the young girl go in a subdivision close to her home.

Mustafa and Wallace also took the identification, telephones, and wallets of some of the victims, with the purpose of making the victims feel trapped. After one victim escaped, Mustafa and Wallace kept her identification and used it to rent hotel rooms and a house.

The sex trafficking, kidnapping, and enticement of a minor charges each carry a maximum sentence of life in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. In determining the actual sentence, the court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.

Sentencing has been set for September 19, 2012, at 10 a.m. before United States District Judge Charles A. Pannell, Jr.

If anyone has any information about any human trafficking case, they are encouraged to report that information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 404-679-9000.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the FBI’s Metro Atlanta Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes the Atlanta Police Department, the Cobb County Police Department, the Fulton County Police Department, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Gwinnett County Police Department, the City of Marietta Police Department, and the Sandy Springs Police Department. Other departments that assisted in the investigation are the Holly Springs Police Department; the DeKalb County Police Department; the Clayton County Police Department; and the Homewood, Alabama Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorneys Yonette Buchanan and Nekia S. Hackworth are prosecuting the case.