Oregon Man Indicted for Robbing Coeur d’Alene Bank

COEUR D’ALENE—Bradley W. Monical, 31, of Bend, Oregon, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury in Coeur d’Alene for bank robbery, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.

The indictment alleges that on or about August 27, 2010, Monical robbed a branch of Wells Fargo Bank in Coeur d’Alene.

The charge of bank robbery is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Coeur d’Alene Police Department.

An indictment is a means of charging a person with criminal activity. It is not evidence. The person is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Five Co-Defendants Sentenced Earlier

COEUR D’ALENE—Christopher McFarland, 49, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, was sentenced yesterday to 48 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to launder money, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered McFarland to serve five years of supervised release following his prison term. McFarland also forfeited his ownership interest in Chillers, a bar located on Sherman Avenue in Coeur d’Alene. He pleaded guilty to the charge on October 25, 2010.

According to court documents, McFarland and his co-defendants distributed between five and 15 kilograms of cocaine in northern Idaho between 2000 and 2010.

Also sentenced yesterday was co-defendant Lecia Donita O’Neill, 46, of Coeur d’Alene. She was ordered to serve 12 months plus one day in prison, to be followed by 10 months home confinement and eight years of supervised release. Co-defendants James Roy O’Neill, Steven Joseph McCabe, Debra Lynne Margraff, Gary Arden Votava, and Manuel Rivera have already been sentenced to federal prison with terms ranging from 180 months to five months.

“Those who bring cocaine or other illegal drugs into our communities will be brought to justice,” said Olson. “Yesterday’s sentencing marks the end of a successful investigation. It is a victory for our communities. I commend the cooperative law enforcement work that ended this long-lasting drug trafficking operation.”

The case was investigated by Idaho State Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Coeur d’Alene Police Department, the North Idaho Violent Crimes Task Force, and the Tri-Cities (Washington) Metro Drug Taskforce.

The investigation was the result of a joint investigation of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.

Lapwai Man Charged with Making Threats, Harassment, Assault

COEUR D’ALENE, ID—Carl Weatherwax, 24, of Lapwai, Idaho, appeared in United States Magistrate Court today charged with making harassing communications, burglary, and assault resulting in serious bodily injury, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Weatherwax was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 13. A jury trial is set for January 31, 2012, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Coeur d’Alene.

According to the federal indictment unsealed yesterday, between July 20 and July 23, 2011, Weatherwax allegedly made repeated harassing telephone calls to a woman residing on the Nez Perce Reservation. On or about July 21, 2011, Weatherwax allegedly entered the woman’s house with the intent of kidnapping her. Weatherwax is also alleged to have assaulted the woman, causing her to suffer a dislocated kneecap and a fracture to her femur.

The charge of making repeated harassing communications, as charged in count one of the indictment, is punishable by up to two years in prison and up to one year of supervised release. Burglary, as charged in count two, is punishable by a minimum term of one year up to ten years in prison and up to three years of supervised release. Assault resulting in serious bodily injury, as charged in count three, is punishable by up to ten years in prison and up to three years of supervised release. Each charge carries a maximum fine of $250,000.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

An indictment is a means of charging a person with criminal activity. It is not evidence. The person is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Coeur d’Alene Man Sentenced for Possessing Child Pornography

Scott Tyler Aresvik, 25, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, was sentenced yesterday to 60 months in prison followed by ten years s of supervised release for possessing sexually explicit images of minors, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Aresvik to pay $1,750 in restitution to a child identified in one of the pornographic images. Aresvik pleaded guilty to the charge on March 23. As part of his plea, he agreed to forfeit computer and electronic storage equipment.

According to court documents, on September 26, 2009, a deputy with the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office developed information that a computer at Aresvik's home contained child pornography on an Internet based file sharing network. The deputy connected to Aresvik’s computer and verified that the computer was making child pornography available for download by others.

On December 15, 2009, federal agents, Coeur d'Alene Police Department officers, and Shoshone County Sheriff's deputies served a federal search warrant at Aresvik’s residence in Coeur d'Alene. During the search agents seized a laptop computer, which was later found to contain ninety-one video files and nine still images containing images of real children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including videos of children being sexually abused by adult males.

Aresvik was present during the search. He admitted to FBI agents that he had been downloading child pornography for approximately one year.

“Individuals who use the Internet to access, view and share child pornography mistakenly believe their anonymity will protect them,” said Olson. “Federal, state and local law enforcement are committed to working together with prosecutors to identify and prosecute these individuals. We will continue to use every available tool to apprehend and convict them.”

The case was investigated by the North Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The task force is comprised of local and federal law enforcement agents from the Coeur d'Alene Police Department, the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office, the Post Falls Police Department, the Moscow Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Service, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Divisions 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 projectsafechildhood.gov.

Worley Man Indicted for Assaulting Two People on Coeur d'Alene Reservation

Timothy R. Allen, Jr., 19, of Worley, Idaho, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury in Coeur d'Alene for assault with a deadly weapon, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. An arraignment date has not been set. Allen is in state custody.

The two-count indictment alleges that on or about March 12, 2011, on the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation, defendant Allen intentionally assaulted Daniel J. Hutchins with a firearm by forcefully pushing the weapon into Hutchins' body and verbally threatening him. Count two charges Allen with intentionally assaulting Sharleen Archer by pointing the firearm at her and verbally threatening her.

The charge of assault with a deadly weapon is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release on each count.

The case was investigated by Coeur d'Alene Tribal Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

An indictment is a means of charging a person with criminal activity. It is not evidence. The person is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Coeur D'Alene Man Sentenced for Possessing Child Pornography

Cyle Anthony Wyckoff, 35, of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, was sentenced in federal court today to 84 months in prison for possession of sexually explicit images of minors, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge ordered Wyckoff to serve 10 years of supervised release following his prison term and pay $3,000 in restitution to one of the victims. Wyckoff pleaded guilty to the charge in December 2010.

According to the plea agreement, in November 2008, a detective with the Coeur d'Alene Police Department developed information that a computer registered to Wyckoff contained child pornography on an Internet-based file-sharing network. The detective connected to the file-sharing network and observed that Wyckoff's computer was making child pornography files available to others. The detective obtained a copy of the files and confirmed the images were child pornography.

On July 1, 2009, members of the North Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force served a search warrant at Wyckoff's Coeur d'Alene residence. Agents seized computer equipment, CDs, and DVDs. Wyckoff, who was present during the search, admitted when questioned by agents that he downloaded child pornography. He told agents that he deleted much of the child pornography he had downloaded, but admitted that some would be found on his computer. The computer, CDs, and DVDs were examined by a forensic examiner with the Intermountain West Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory. The examiner found 49 still images and 65 video files depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. This included several videos of minors who were being sexually abused by adult men.

The images and videos recovered from Wyckoff's computer and discs were sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to be analyzed by the Child Victim Identification Program (CVIP). The CVIP database contains thousands of digital images of known victims of sexual exploitation that have been seized from criminal defendants and collected from the Internet. The CVIP database confirmed that images contained on Wyckoff's computer and discs were identified minors, including children from Connecticut, Utah, Washington state, Kentucky, Belgium, Germany, England, and Russia.

"Crimes against children taint our communities and do harm that reverberates, at times, for generations," said Olson. "In Idaho, federal, state, and local law enforcement officers work together in cases such as this one to ensure that those who traffic in these images are caught and punished."

The case was investigated by the North Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The task force is comprised of local and federal law enforcement agents from the Coeur d'Alene Police Department, the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office, the Post Falls Police Department, the Moscow Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Service, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

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 U.S. 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 projectsafechildhood.gov.

Steele Convicted on All Counts in Murder-for-Hire Scheme

Edgar J. Steele, 65, of Sagle, Idaho, was convicted today by a federal jury in Boise on all counts, including using interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire, use of explosive material to commit a federal felony, possession of a destructive device in relation to a crime of violence, and tampering with a victim, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.

During the seven-day trial, the jury heard audio tapes of Steele making statements to Larry Fairfax, the individual he tried to hire, confirming his participation in the murder-for-hire plot. Mr. Fairfax pled guilty on related charges and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 11 in Coeur d'Alene.

Steele's conviction for using interstate commerce facilities in the commission for murder-for-hire and use of explosive material to commit a federal felony each carry a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. Steele's conviction for possession of a destructive device in relation to a crime of violence (murder-for-hire) carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years and maximum of life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to five years of supervised release. The mandatory minimum 30-year sentence must be served consecutively to the murder-for-hire sentence. For tampering with a victim, Steele faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.

Sentencing is scheduled for August 22, 2011, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Coeur d'Alene.

“We are pleased with the verdict,” said Olson. “This trial involved some detailed and difficult evidence that the jury clearly closely evaluated before reaching its decision. The defendant tried to portray this case as a government conspiracy based on manufactured evidence.

The jury's verdict confirms what we knew—there was no conspiracy, only Edgar Steele's own words and actions proving that he tried to hire Larry Fairfax to murder his wife. Our sympathy goes out to Mrs. Steele and her children. This case is truly a tragedy for that family.”

Olson commended Assistants United States Attorney Marc Haws and Traci Whelan, and members of the North Idaho Violent Crime Task Force (NIVCTF) and Federal Bureau of Investigation who investigated the case.

The NIVCTF consists of investigators representing the FBI, Idaho State Police, Kootenai County Sheriff's Department, Shoshone County Sheriff's Office, Bonner County Sheriff's Office, Coeur d'Alene Police Department, Post Falls Police Department, and the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Police Department, and is tasked with investigating a myriad of violent crimes to include armed robbery, kidnapping, felonious assault, and drug trafficking.

Man Sentenced for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

Christopher Clay Gober, 32, of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Coeur d'Alene to 84 months in federal prison for unlawful possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Gober to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term and 100 hours of community service. Gober pleaded guilty to the charge in September 2010.

According to the plea agreement, on April 18, 2010, a probation search was conducted on a room Gober was renting at a hotel in Coeur d'Alene. Based upon items found in the room, which included used syringes, two methamphetamine pipes, a box of .38 ammunition and other items, the probation officer decided to search the defendant's vehicle, a Dodge Charger. A lock box was found inside the car and a search warrant was obtained to search the lock box. Officers discovered a loaded .38 caliber handgun and six loose rounds of ammunition in the lock box. Gober admitted there was a .38 pistol inside the lock box. A convicted felon, Gober is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition due to prior felony convictions for aggravated assault, intimidating a witness, manslaughter, and escape.

The case was investigated by the North Idaho Violent Crime Task Force, which is a Federal Bureau of Investigation-sponsored Safe Streets Task Force, comprised of law enforcement from the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department, Coeur d’Alene City Police Department, Post Falls Police Department, Idaho State Police, Bonner County Sheriff's Department, Shoshone County Sheriff's Department, and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. The task force also participates with the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshal Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and coordinates as needed with the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), U.S. Border Patrol, and U.S. Forest Service.

Worley Man Pleads Guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter

Joseph Michael Matt, Jr., 25, of Worley, Idaho, pled guilty yesterday in Coeur d’Alene to involuntary manslaughter, the United States Attorney’s Office announced.

According to the indictment, on August 18, 2009, Matt and his passenger, William Davison, were driving on

Lovell Valley Road

on the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation. Matt was under the influence of alcohol and methamphetamine and was speeding when he lost control of his vehicle. The ensuing crash killed Davison.

The charge carries a maximum punishment of up to eight years in prison, a fine up to $250,000, and up to three years’ supervised release.

Sentencing is scheduled for February 23, 2011, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge in Coeur d’Alene.

The case was investigated by the Coeur d'Alene Tribal Police, Idaho State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.