Alabama Kidnapping Victim Rescued by FBI

CINCINNATI—Edward J. Hanko, Special Agent in Charge of the Cincinnati Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), today announced that Charles “Dean” Partin, 36 years old, was arrested this morning in Cincinnati, Ohio on a federal warrant for kidnapping. Partin is suspected of kidnapping his minor stepdaughter from the Southeast Alabama Medical Center on September 17, 2012.

The FBI Cincinnati SWAT team rescued the minor victim early this morning at a residence in the Price Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati. Julie Ann Bethke, age 36, the mother of the minor, was also arrested on a state warrant out of Alabama for interference with the custody of a minor. Charles Partin and Julie Bethke are the minor’s non-custodial parents.

The investigation was led by the FBI’s Mobile Division in Alabama. The Cincinnati Police Department assisted in the local operation.

The public is reminded that warrants contain only allegations of criminal misconduct and that defendants are presumed to be innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

Seven Alleged Members of Westwood-Area Drug Trafficking Organization Arrested

CINCINNATI—Teams of local law enforcement officers and federal agents this morning arrested seven people charged in complaints filed in U.S. District Court alleging that they conspired to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana. The crime carries a punishment of at least 10 years and up to life in prison.

Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Robert L. Corso, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, Detroit Field Division (DEA); Ed Hanko, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cincinnati (FBI); and Cincinnati Police Chief James Craig announced the arrests, which occurred simultaneously starting at 6:45 this morning in the Westwood area of Cincinnati.

The seven charged in federal complaints are:

■Masai “Lee” Williams, 25

■David “Dirty” Alexander, 25

■Quincy Showes, 25

■Darias “Jizzle” Jackson, 22

■Bruce “Donnie” Stewart, 25

■Antonio “T.O” Howard, 34

■Randy Steele, 30

The teams also executed a series of search warrants and made arrests of individuals charged locally with drug trafficking.

“This is a coordinated attempt to dismantle an entire drug trafficking organization from top to bottom,” Stewart said.

For approximately eight months, the DEA Cincinnati Resident Office, the FBI Cincinnati Office, and the Cincinnati Police Department have been investigating a large scale marijuana trafficking organization in the Cincinnati, Ohio area. The teams making the arrests, which occurred without incident, included agents and officers from the agencies named above, in addition to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), who are part of the Violent Crime Enforcement Team; and the Hamilton County Police Association SWAT team.

Court documents allege that on May 25, 2012, undercover agents picked up approximately $500,000 from Williams and Alexander, and then again on June 5, 2012, undercover agents picked up approximately $400,000 from Williams, all of which agents believe to be proceeds from illegal marijuana trafficking. As a result of the undercover money pick-ups and further investigation into Williams and Alexander, the DEA Cincinnati Resident Office began a court-authorized wire interception on Williams’ cellular telephone beginning on June 28, 2012, and ending on August 8, 2012.

During the DEA wire interceptions, agents were able to identify Showes, Jackson, Stewart, Howard, Steele, and others as co-conspirators. The indictment alleges that Williams and Alexander arranged for loads of marijuana to be sent to the Cincinnati area from a source outside Ohio. Once the shipments of marijuana reached Cincinnati, the marijuana was allegedly given to Showes as a drug stash house keeper and would distribute the marijuana to Stewart, Steele, Howard, Jackson, and others.

The defendants appeared before a federal magistrate judge for an initial appearance and were held without bond until detention hearings can be conducted next week. The case could then be presented to a federal grand jury for possible indictments. This investigation is continuing.

Stewart commended the cooperative investigation by agents and officers of the agencies named above, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Karl Kadon, who is the lead prosecutor in the case.

A complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Deputy Attorney General Speaks to Cincinnati Police Department Officers

As prepared for delivery

Thank you, Mayor Mallory and Chief Craig, for the opportunity to address the officers of the Cincinnati Police Department today.   It is always an honor to speak to men and women who serve and protect their fellow citizens.   It is a special honor to speak to officers who are investing additional time in training to further improve their skills.  

The training conducted by the Community Relations Service and community partners today is designed to provide tools to enhance your ability to build partnerships with community members and to work with your fellow citizens who share a commitment to public safety. 

The CPD sought this training because it recognized that in order to maintain its deep commitment to community policing, it must keep seeking new opportunities to build community partnerships.   As you know, the Attorney General came to Cincinnati last year to recognize this commitment and to announce that the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services had awarded the CPD over 6.8 million dollars to put more cops on the beat.   With Chief Craig’s leadership, the CPD has embraced community problem oriented policing to allow officers and the community to work together to solve problems. 

Cincinnati depends on you to keep the city safe.   But you can’t do it alone.   There are a thousand of you.   But there are nearly 300,000 people who live in the city of Cincinnati.   The vast majority of them have the same goal as you.    They want their city to be safe.   They want the law to be followed and enforced.   Unlike you, they haven’t made a career out of this, and they probably don’t think of themselves as being part of law enforcement.

But they are.   As you all know, the community isn’t just a collection of people who might one day commit a crime or become a victim of a crime.   Instead, it’s a set of partners who we can work with to stop crimes before they happen.   And when crimes occur, it’s a roster of teammates who can help us apprehend the perpetrators and help victims heal. 

The police and the community share responsibility and accountability for public safety.  Within every community there are business and professional groups, social service agencies, religious and civic organizations—all potential resources for dealing with many of the problems that confront the police.  Many of these organizations are eager to donate time and effort and to give you the benefit of their experience and their insights. 

There are parts of the world where everyone shares the same culture, the same religion, and the same language.   But that’s not America.   And it’s not Cincinnati.   According to the Census Bureau, there are over 13,000 people in this city who were born outside of the United States.   There are around 20,000 whose primary language isn’t English.   And there are still more who follow customs and traditions that our own upbringing didn’t expose us to. 

You are receiving training in two classes.   One is Cultural Professionalism, which will teach you how to identify the perspectives of various cultures and communities, the impact of police culture on communities, and how communication can bridge cultural divides.   The other class, today’s class, is Arab/Muslim/Sikh Cultural Awareness Training.   This class is designed to foster mutual understanding and enhance law enforcement outreach capabilities to Arab, Muslim, and Sikh communities by addressing cultural behaviors and sensitivities, stereotypes, and expectations.

Unfortunately, one of the many tragic legacies of the attacks of September 11, 2001 has been an increase in prejudice, discrimination and hatred directed against persons of the Muslim and Sikh faiths and those who are, or who are mistakenly perceived to be, of Arab or South Asian descent.   Soon after 9/11, President Bush made clear to the nation that these terrorist acts were committed by individuals who distort the peaceful religion of Islam, and that Arab-Americans and Muslim Americans suffered with all Americans when our nation was attacked.  Most Americans recognize this.   Yet some have wrongly sought to blame the horror of 9/11 on Arab-American, Muslim American, Sikh-American and South Asian American communities.    This has led to attacks against places of worship and other hate crimes, to job discrimination, and to the tragic harassment of children in our schools.   

And this has added an extra layer of complexity to law enforcement efforts to partner with these communities.   The Department of Justice has therefore developed this training to help give you the tools to build mutual trust and respect with these communities.

Of course, at the end of the day, the basic principles of community policing apply without regard to race, religion, or national origin.   Simply put, we can succeed at protecting our community only if we understand our community and only if our community understands us.   When that happens, important information is more likely to be volunteered to authorities.  Suspicious and unusual activity will be reported, and investigations can proceed.  If you talk to the community, the community is more likely to talk to you.   And if you listen to community, the community is more likely to listen to you. 

By learning more about the diversity of the community that you serve, you gain an understanding that allows you to work more effectively.    But this training also recognizes that in order to be effective partners, community members must learn more about you and the challenges that you confront every day. 

We live in a time when there’s a lot of mistrust of government.   And that makes our jobs harder.   We live in a world where police officers themselves can be subject to stereotypes.  People who have come to Cincinnati from countries or cities where they or their family members have had negative experiences with law enforcement are more likely to be wary of police officers and to assume the worst.   So it’s not enough for us to know in our hearts that we enforce the law evenhandedly and fairly.   We have to convince people that we do.   We have to win their trust. 

Trust is a key law enforcement tool.   Gaining people’s trust helps compensate for misunderstandings.    Nobody’s perfect.   Officers sometimes have no choice but to make decisions and judgments without knowing all the relevant facts.   Mistakes will happen.   But when you are trusted, you will receive the benefit of the doubt.   Your mistakes will be put into context rather than being seen as manifestations of disrespect.   A door that opened once will open again.

This summer Cincinnati will be hosting the World Choir Games.   I am told that this is the largest meeting in the history of Cincinnati, with 48 countries sending competitors, 200,000 anticipated spectators and an economic impact on the region of 73 million dollars.   As far as visitors go, I would imagine that people who sing in choirs, and those who buy tickets to watch them, rank rather low on the threat spectrum.   But adding 200,000 spectators to a city of 300,000 means that some people might bump elbows.   And this is an opportunity for the CPD to display its professionalism and skills before an international audience.   For many visitors, this will be their first time in America.   Some may be coming from places where the police command fear rather than respect.   And some may live in communities where those who look or act differently do not get a fair shake from law enforcement. 

These visitors will take back stories of their time in Cincinnati and in America.   You have a chance to be ambassadors for the United States, and to provide a model for others of how a police force can interact professionally with diverse populations.   And maybe you will plant a seed in the minds of some visitors that will lead them to go home and work to improve their own law enforcement systems based upon what they saw in Cincinnati.

The World Choir Games will come and go, but it is my hope that the training you receive today will serve you well throughout your career in law enforcement.   On behalf of the entire Department of Justice, I thank you for coming here today, and I thank you for your service to your community.  

Five Cincinnati Men Indicted on Multiple Drug and Gun Charges

CINCINNATI—Edward J. Hanko, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Cincinnati Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Carter M. Stewart, U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Ohio; and James E. Craig, Cincinnati Chief of Police, announced today that Phillip Shaw, Antonio Woods, Ryan Neel, Yahmale Brown, and Quenton Thomas have all been indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple charges related to drug trafficking, robbery, and weapons violations.

The indictment alleges that Shaw, Woods, Neel, Brown, and Thomas planned to rob an individual of approximately one half kilogram of heroin, approximately one quarter kilogram of cocaine, and approximately $80,000 in currency on or around March 9 to March 10, 2012.

Shaw, Woods, Neel, Brown, and Thomas have all been charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin and a measurable amount of cocaine (maximum of 40 years in prison and/or fines up to $5 million); conspiring to take and obtain personal property consisting of heroin, cocaine, and U.S. currency (maximum of 20 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000); attempt to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin (maximum of 40 years in prison and/or fines up to $5 million); possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense (mandatory minimum penalty of five years to life in prison and a fine of up to $250,000); and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence (mandatory minimum penalty of 25 years to life in prison and a fine of up to $250,000).

Phillip Shaw was additionally indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm (maximum of 10 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000).

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cincinnati Police Department. All suspects are currently in federal custody.

The public is reminded that indictments contain only allegations of criminal misconduct and that defendants are presumed to be innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

Cincinnati Man Sentenced to 51 Years for Producing Child Pornography

CINCINNATI—Kenneth Rose, 39, of Cincinnati was sentenced in United States District Court to 612 months in prison for producing child pornography involving at least five children, including two who were 10 years old. Rose was also sentenced to serve the rest of his life under court supervision after he completes his prison time. Federal law will also require him to register as a sex offender.

Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Edward J. Hanko, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation Cincinnati (FBI), and Cincinnati Police Chief James Craig announced the sentence handed down today by U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett.

Cincinnati Police arrested Rose in November 2008 and charged him with raping multiple boys. They searched Rose’s house and seized a computer belonging to Rose. A forensic examination of the computer equipment conducted by the Regional Electronic Crimes Investigations Unit (“RECI”) revealed numerous digital images of child pornography. The images depicted at least five known victims and two who remain unknown, then under the age of 16, engaged in sexually explicit conduct as well as lascivious display of their genitalia. Detectives with the Cincinnati Police Department Personal Crimes Unit investigated and identified several of the children involved in the images as being associated with the defendant.

Rose was convicted on the state rape charges and is serving a 30-year sentence. He also pleaded guilty on December 14, 2010 to three federal charges of producing child pornography involving three different children. He was sentenced to 204 months on each of the three counts with the sentences to run consecutively. He was ordered to serve the federal sentence concurrently with the 30-year state sentence, completing his federal sentence after he serves his time on the state charges.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Muncy told the court that Rose “masqueraded in his community as a person worthy of trust. Parents left their children in his care because he presented himself as a role model. In reality, he preyed upon the innocence of their children’s youth. He paid young boys to engage in sex acts with him. He lured them into his home. In exchange for sex, he paid them with gift cards and baseball caps. He stole their childhood…. His victims’ sentences will be life-long. The defendant’s sentence should be no less.”

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 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, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Stewart commended the cooperative investigation by Cincinnati Police detectives, RECI investigators and FBI agents, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Muncy.