Beltsville Man Sentenced to Over 18 Years in Prison for Seven Bank Robberies

GREENBELT, MD—Chief U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Samuel Lewis, age 44, of Beltsville, Maryland, today to 219 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for bank robbery, being a felon in possession of a gun, and using a gun during a bank robbery. Chief Judge Chasanow also ordered Lewis to forfeit $58,270 and to pay restitution in the full amount stolen from the banks.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

According to his plea agreement, on seven occasions from October 14, 2010 to September 2, 2011, Lewis walked into a bank located in Silver Spring, Potomac, or Gaithersburg Maryland, pointed a handgun at a bank teller, and demanded money. Lewis struck the bank teller in the face during his first robbery and threatened to shoot the bank tellers in the remaining six robberies. Lewis stole a total of $108,706 from the banks.

On September 16, 2011, Montgomery County Police detectives executed a search warrant for a room that Lewis was renting and seized $58,270 and a .44 caliber revolver. Lewis had previously been convicted of a felony and was prohibited from possessing a gun.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, Montgomery County Police Department, and Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney Cheryl L. Crumpton and Special Assistant United States Attorney Ann O’Brien, who prosecuted the case.

Another Assault Linked to Potomac River Rapist

On the night of July 20, 1996, a woman was sexually assaulted as she was walking in the Palisades neighborhood of Northwest Washington, D.C. A composite sketch of the suspect was produced and leads were followed, but the case eventually grew cold.

Now, nearly 16 years later, forensic evidence from that incident has been linked to a single suspect believed to be responsible for nine other sexual assaults in the area between 1991 and 1998. One of those attacks resulted in the murder of the victim.

Known as the Potomac River Rapist, this violent and brutal assailant is still on the loose. In partnership with the Montgomery County Police Department in Maryland and the Metropolitan Police Department and U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., we launched a web campaign in December 2011 to help bring renewed attention to the case. And in light of this most recently linked piece of the puzzle, we have updated our map to reflect the location of the 1996 assault and have added the related composite sketch to our photo gallery as well.

A reward of up to $25,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the Potomac River Rapist case. Although it’s been several years since his last attack, our efforts to find him have not diminished. Please review all of this information and see if you can help.

Armed Bank Robber Sentenced to Over 11 Years in Prison

Brandished a Gun in the Robbery of a Bank in Damascus

BALTIMORE—U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus sentenced Lamar Pannell, age 38, of Washington, D.C., today to 141 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Judge Titus also ordered Pannell to forfeit $13,560, the amount stolen from the bank, and the firearm used in the robbery.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Chief Mark A. Magaw of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

According to his plea agreement, on June 29, 2010, Lamar Pannell and co-defendant Arnell Johnson robbed the M&T Bank on Main Street in Damascus, Maryland. Johnson pointed an M9 rifle and Pannell brandished a .357 Magnum revolver. In an effort to disguise their identities, Pannell wore a baseball cap and sunglasses, and Johnson wore a wig with shoulder-length braids, dark glasses, and a floppy hat. After entering the bank, Pannell placed the revolver on a counter with the end of the barrel pointed at a bank teller. Pannell and Johnson demanded money and ordered the tellers and customers to the back of the bank. After stealing $13,560 from the bank, Pannell and Johnson fled the scene in a getaway vehicle driven by Barksdale.

Later that day, the vehicle was stopped by a Prince George’s County Police officer for a traffic violation, and Pannell and Johnson attempted to run away. Barksdale was apprehended on the scene and Pannell was apprehended after a short pursuit. Johnson was arrested several months later. Among the items recovered inside the vehicle were the revolver and rifle used in the robbery, approximately $13,560 that was taken from the bank and the disguises worn by Pannell and Johnson.

Arnell Johnson, age 29, of Washington, D.C., was previously sentenced to 334 months in prison followed for bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence; and Vaughn Barksdale, age 47, of Rockville, Maryland, was sentenced to 250 months in prison for bank robbery. Judge Titus enhanced their sentences upon determining that they were career offenders based on prior drug and/or violent crime convictions. Judge Titus also ordered Johnson and Barksdale to forfeit $13,560, the amount stolen from the bank, and the firearms used in the robbery.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, Montgomery County Police Department and Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein expressed special appreciation to the Prince George’s County Police Laboratory staff for their extraordinary work in this case. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Arun G. Rao and Robert K. Hur, who prosecuted the case.

18th Street Gang Members Sentenced to Life in Prison for Participating in a Racketeering Conspiracy Related to Gang Activities

Participated in 2009 Abduction and Murder of a 15–Year Old Boy and Shooting Death of a 24–Year Old Young Man

Greenbelt, Maryland — U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus sentenced Joel Ventura Quintanilla, aka “Clon,” age 25, of Germantown, Maryland today to life in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise in connection with his membership in the 18th Street gang.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Acting Special Agent in Charge Marino F. Vidoli of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – Baltimore Field Division; Chief Mark P. Sroka of the Gaithersburg Police Department; Chief Mark A. Magaw of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Cathy Lanier of the Metropolitan Police Department; Chief Larry Brownlee of the Maryland National Capital Park Police – Prince George’s County Division; Montgomery County Sheriff Darren Popkin; Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy; and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela D. Alsobrooks.

“Anyone who wonders about the impact of pernicious gangs that spawn senseless violence need look no further than this case,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. Joel Ventura Quintanilla, a member of the 18th Street gang, kidnapped and murdered an innocent 15 year old boy and shot to death a 24 year old man whose only offense was that the killers mistakenly thought they belonged to rival gangs.

According to his plea agreement, from 2007 to 2009 Ventura Quintanilla, a native of El Salvador, was a member of the 18th Street gang. The gang originated in the Los Angeles, California area and operates in Central America and across the United States, including Maryland. The gang is divided into subsets called cliques, and operates according to rules which the gang enforces by punishment for their violation, including beating the violating gang member. For serious transgressions, the gang will “green light” or order the murder of a gang member.

On January 18, 2009, Ventura Quintanilla and another gang member forced 15 year old Dennys Alfredo Guzman–Saenz, who was thought to be a rival gang member, into a car in Langley Park, Maryland and drove Guzman–Saenz to Gaithersburg, Maryland. Ventura Quintanilla and other gang members took the victim to a park in Gaithersburg where Ventura Quintanilla and several gang members stabbed and beat Guzman–Saenz to death. Guzman–Saenz’s body was found in a creek in the park the next morning.

On February 8, 2009, Ventura Quintanilla and other gang members were at a residence in Gaithersburg discussing the killing of rival gang members. Ventura Quintanilla and other gang members rode into the District of Columbia in search of rival gang members. Ventura Quintanilla and another gang member exited the car near a restaurant located in the 3900 block of 14th Street NW, Washington, DC. Ventura Quintanilla and the other gang member, both armed with guns, approached two men who were standing in front of the restaurant. Ventura Quintanilla shot at the two men striking both of them. One of the victims, Manuel Garcia–Fuentes, age 25, died from his wounds.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the members of ATF–led Regional Area Gang Enforcement (RAGE) Task Force, including the Gaithersburg Police Department, the Prince George’s County Police Department, Montgomery County Police Department, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and the Maryland National Capital Park Police – Prince George’s County Division, as well as the Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI and the Montgomery County and Prince George’s County State’s Attorneys’ offices for their work in this investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorneys William Moomau and Jonathan Lenzner, who prosecuted the case.

Alleged New York Pimp Indicted in Maryland for Sex Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Gun Crimes

Victims were Abused, Threatened, and Forced to Work as Prostitutes in Maryland, New York, and Other States

GREENBELT, MD—A federal grand jury today indicted Jeremy Naughton, a/k/a “Jerms Black,” age 31, of Brooklyn, New York, on charges related to sex trafficking, including transporting individuals to engage in prostitution, kidnapping, and use of a gun in furtherance of a crime of violence.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department.

“Prostitution is sometimes glamorized, but for most girls, it brings violence and despair,” said Rod J. Rosenstein. “The indictment alleges that Jeremy Naughton kidnapped young women, held them against their will, and used violence and threats to compel them to work for him as prostitutes.”

According to the 11-count indictment, beginning in the fall of 2008, Jeremy Naughton contacted females who posted advertisements for prostitution services on various websites and arranged to meet these women in hotel rooms. The indictment alleges that Naughton then assaulted and threatened the prostitutes with a handgun and/or physical violence to force them to work for him, often detaining them until they agreed. Naughton allegedly stole the women’s personal belongings, such as cell phones and personal computers, to prevent them from communicating with others and maintained control over the prostitutes through physical assault, confinement, and threats. The indictment alleges that Naughton transported the women between Maryland, New York, and other states in order for them to engage in prostitution.

Specifically, the indictment alleges that in the fall of 2008, Naughton entered the hotel room of one woman, stole her laptop and cell phone, hit her in the face, and forced her to leave the hotel with him. In addition, the indictment charges that on February 8, 2010, Naughton kidnapped a prostitute from her hotel room in Silver Spring, Maryland, threatened her with a gun, and forced her to travel with him to his apartment in Brooklyn, New York, where he detained her. Further, the indictment alleges that in June 2010, Naughton snapped the neck of another prostitute’s pet dog with his hands in order to intimidate her. The indictment also alleges that in September 2010, Naughton entered another victim’s hotel room, demanded that she work for him, stole her cell phone and money, and transported her to his apartment, where he forced her to perform oral sex.

Naughton faces a maximum sentence of life in prison for kidnapping; a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of life in prison for each of four counts of sex trafficking; a maximum of 10 years in prison on each of four counts of transporting an individual to engage in prostitution; seven years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence; and a maximum of 10 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Naughton is scheduled to have a detention hearing today at 4:00 p.m. in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jillyn K. Schulze.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

The case was investigated by the Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force, with assistance from the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, which was formed in 2007 to discover and rescue victims of human trafficking while identifying and prosecuting offenders. Members of both task forces include federal, state, and local law enforcement. The Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force also includes victim service providers and local community members. For more information about the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, please visit www.justice.gov/usao/md/Human-Trafficking/index.html.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI’s Baltimore and New York Offices and the Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security, and the New York Police Department for their assistance. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan F. Lenzner and Mark W. Crooks, who are prosecuting the case.