Pennsylvania Man Sentenced for Armed Robbery of Janesville Bank

MADISON, WI—John W. Vaudreuil, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Michael Funk, 27, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on Friday, August 10, by U.S. District Judge William Conley to 10 years in prison for using a firearm to rob the Mid America Bank in Janesville. Funk pleaded guilty to this charge on June 14, 2012.

On August 6, 2011, the Mid America Bank was robbed by a white male carrying a large, black semi-automatic handgun. He pointed the gun at a teller and told her to give him all her money. He gave her a drawstring type bag, and she put all the money from her drawer into the bag.

Funk was identified as the robber in part based on information obtained during an investigation of an armed robbery committed the day before at a convenience store in Belvidere, Illinois.

Funk was later arrested in the state of Washington with a gun that looked similar to the one seen in the bank surveillance video and $5,000, which included bait money from the Mid America Bank.

The charges against Funk were the result of an investigation conducted by the Janesville Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Belvidere (Illinois) Police Department, and King County (Washington) Sheriff’s Department. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Altman.

Law Enforcement Targets Gun Crime With Federal Penalties

Community Safety Program in Seattle Expanded to Stem Gun Crimes

SEATTLE – Law enforcement leaders at the federal, state and local levels announced the expansion of an anti-violence program designed to get armed criminals off the streets and improve community safety. Under this operation those caught with illegal firearms in Seattle will face a greatly increased likelihood of federal prosecution and significant prison time. This operation marks an expansion of the existing partnership between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the King County Prosecutor’s Office in conjunction with the increased emphasis on anti-violence efforts by the Seattle Police Department and other law enforcement agencies working in Seattle.

“We are here today to send a clear message: if you use a gun in a crime, you will do more time. You will do federal time,” said U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. “We will continue to work with organizations, the community and local law enforcement to address ways to prevent these crimes. We cannot prosecute our way out of this problem. But we will prosecute those who are the problem.”

“This partnership with the King County Prosecutor’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will help protect public safety by getting more guns off the street and providing better supervision of offenders,” said Mayor Mike McGinn.

“While we cannot predict or prevent the next senseless act of gun violence, we can do more to keep guns out of the wrong hands,” said King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg. “Felons and minors should not walk armed through our streets, and when they are found in illegal possession of a firearm, the law should act swiftly and impose a penalty equal to the danger posed to community safety.”

“The Seattle Police Department remains committed to reducing gun violence in our community. Criminals should take note. If you commit a gun crime in Seattle, we will arrest you. We will work with our partners at the Prosecutor’s Office and U.S. Attorney’s Office to ensure that you get the maximum time,” said Seattle Police Deputy Chief Nick Metz.

“And make no mistake, we will not tolerate illegal gun possession or gun violence in our streets,” said Kelvin Crenshaw, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Seattle Field Division. “Gun violence is unacceptable and the safety and security of our communities is not negotiable. Along with our federal, state and local partners ATF remains resolute in the fight against violent crime. And to those who choose to ignore this message know this – you will be arrested, you will go to prison and your time behind iron bars will not be brief.”

Currently, under the Project Safe Neighborhood program, a Senior Deputy King County Prosecutor serves as a Special Assistant United States Attorney. He reviews all gun cases for possible federal prosecution and focuses on the “worst of the worse.” The expansion of this partnership between the county and federal prosecutors’ offices means that there will be a zero tolerance policy for weapons cases originating in Seattle and more cases will be prosecuted federally. The federal penalties include up to ten years for being a felon with a gun, a five year mandatory minimum for carrying a gun to a drug deal, and, at a 15 year mandatory minimum federal prison sentence for defendants with three prior violent felonies or drug crimes. In addition to significant prison time, federal prosecution results in more rigorous supervision by federal probation officers when felons are released into the community. Violation of the terms of supervision can result in a return to federal prison for up to five years after the felon is released.

The Seattle Police Department is directing Violence Prevention Emphasis Patrols (VPEP) to address hot spots and other areas of concern. By providing a dedicated group of officers in targeted areas, SPD and its partners are working to prevent gun violence and other crimes as well as respond to calls for service within each precinct. Assigned officers are deployed to the various areas of interest by the Incident Commander and are engaged in visible patrols and social contacts. Other long-term, multi-agency operations are continuing. For more information on guns recovered in Washington State visit: http://www.atf.gov/statistics/trace-data/

The public can aid in efforts to combat gun violence by safely storing their guns in locked gun cases. Many of the weapons used in crimes are weapons that have been stolen in burglaries. Additionally, if you are aware of someone who should not possess weapons for mental health reasons call police at 9-1-1 or the mental health crisis line at 206-461-3222.

In addition to the Seattle Police Department and ATF, the law enforcement partners include the FBI, DEA, ICE, King County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington State Department of Corrections, the Washington State Department of Licensing and the Washington State Patrol.

For additional information please contact Emily Langlie, Public Affairs Officer for the United States Attorney’s Office, at (206) 553-4110 or Emily.Langlie@USDOJ.Gov.

Suspect in 1986 Homicide Arrested by Deputy U.S. Marshals

SEATTLE – United States Marshal Mark Ericks announces the arrest of Carlos Vidal Guiterrez for homicide.  Deputy United States Marshals from the Pacific Northwest Fugitive Apprehension Task Force (PNWFAT) from the Western District of Washington, along with US Marshals Service task force personnel from the Eastern District of California and the Northern District of California arrested Guiterrez this afternoon near the city of Hollister, Calif.  He was taken into custody without incident and booked into jail.  Guiterrez is believed responsible for the shooting which resulted in the death of a person outside of a business in Centralia, Washington, in 1986.

U.S. Marshals task force personnel from Vancouver, Washington, initiated an investigation of this cold case in June of last year after developing information on Guiterrez.  This information led Deputies to the Hollister, California area.  Guiterrez was located and taken into custody without incident by Deputy US Marshals as he was working in Aromas, California.  He was transported to the San Benito County Jail in Hollister to await extradition back to the state of Washington.

The Pacific Northwest Fugitive Apprehension Task Force is a U.S. Marshals-sponsored partnership comprised of investigators from the King County Sheriff’s Office, Seattle Police Department, Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Vancouver Police Department, Washington State Department of Corrections, the U.S. Social Security Administration-OIG, and the U.S. Marshals Service. The Task Force concentrates apprehension efforts to remove federal, state and local fugitives from the streets. The Task Force objective is to disrupt illegal gang, gun and drug activity in the Pacific Northwest and to reduce the amount of violence in the region.

Seattle Man Sentenced to Long Prison Term for Running Drug Distribution Conspiracy While Incarcerated

Leader of Drug Ring Issued Orders to Others While Jailed in the King County Jail

TARIQ MUSAWWIR, aka “TURK,” 26, of Seattle, Washington, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 115 months in prison and five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute cocaine, marijuana, and oxycontin. MUSAWWIR pleaded guilty on June 15, 2010. MUSAWWIR was arrested on February 25, 2010, following a traffic stop and foot chase. Throughout the month of March 2010, while in the King County Jail, MUSAWWIR continued to run his drug distribution enterprise, directing co-conspirators to deliver and sell narcotics. The instructions were recorded on the King County Jail telephone call recording system. U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour imposed the sentence.

According to records filed in the case, on February 25, 2010, a King County Sheriff’s deputy attempted to pull MUSAWWIR over while he was driving with his sister and her two young children in the car. MUSAWWIR jumped from the car while it was still moving, leaving the car to crash into parked cars. MUSAWWIR was arrested after a foot chase with police. A loaded firearm was found in the trunk of MUSAWWIR’s car. He was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of previous felony convictions. While incarcerated for probation violations, MUSAWWIR was recorded instructing co-conspirators about drug deliveries. In early March 2010, MUSAWWIR coordinated the delivery of four pounds of marijuana, 100 pills of oxycontin and 1,000 pills of ecstasy. On two different occasions MUSAWWIR instructed a co-conspirator to pick up a load of cocaine and deliver it to a location in Montana. On April 2, 2010, investigators searched locations in Montana and seized cocaine, marijuana, oxycontin and a firearm.

MUSAWWIR’s co-defendant, AARON ROBERTS, of Seattle, was also sentenced today. ROBERTS followed MUSAWWIR’s instructions, delivering cocaine and mailing oxycontin to conspirators in Montana. ROBERTS was sentenced today to seven years in prison and four years of supervised release.

In his memo to the court, Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Brown said MUSAWWIR is a danger to the community. MUSAWWIR “has been in and out of the corrections system for the past sixteen years. His criminal offenses as an adult include convictions for assault, firearms possession, and multiple drug related offenses. Perhaps most troubling about this current conviction is that the Defendant made absolutely no attempt at lawful behavior following his arrest and probation violations in February. Rather than being dissuaded from committing more crimes, the Defendant continued to execute a drug conspiracy while locked up behind bars.”

The case was investigated by the ATF Violent Gang Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Brown.

For additional information please contact Emily Langlie, Public Affairs Officer for the United States Attorney’s Office, at (206) 553-4110 or Emily.Langlie@USDOJ.Gov.