Beaverton Man Charged in Bank Fraud Scheme Targeting Local Credit Union Members

PORTLAND, Ore.—U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams announced today that a Beaverton, Oregon man has been charged with bank fraud in a scheme involving the impersonation of credit union employees in order to obtain members’ personal financial information.

Winston E. Gray, 30, has been charged by criminal complaint with bank fraud.

According to court documents, on March 30, 2020, a fraud investigator for Rivermark Credit Union in Portland contacted the Portland Police Bureau to report that numerous credit union members had received fraudulent text messages asking them to confirm or deny a recent transaction. When a victim member denied the transaction, they received a phone call from someone purporting to be a credit union employee asking for their debit card number and PIN in order to disable their card.

The personal financial information obtained was used to clone victims’ debit cards and make numerous purchases and ATM withdrawals throughout the Portland metro area. Using a list of fraudulent transactions provided by Rivermark, detectives from Portland Police Bureau and the Beaverton Police Department, with assistance from investigators with OnPoint Credit Union, Bank of America, Unitus Credit Union, and Fred Meyer, obtained video surveillance and photos of the unauthorized transactions from various ATMs and retail establishments.

Surveillance images of the suspect, later alleged to be Gray, were obtained from a Bank of America ATM on NW Cornell Road in Portland. On March 29, 2020, after making a balance inquiry on a victim member’s account, Gray made three consecutive withdrawals of $203 each from the ATM. Gray was later linked to a second fraudulent ATM withdrawal and two fraudulent money order purchases the same day.

As the investigation continued, detectives linked Gray to additional fraudulent transactions between March 30 and April 8, 2020 at locations throughout the Portland area. After reviewing body-worn camera footage from a previous traffic stop, detectives were able to positively identify Gray as the suspect responsible for the fraudulent bank transactions and obtain his home address.

On April 15, 2020, detectives obtained and served state search warrants on Gray’s Beaverton residence, person, and vehicle.

Detectives seized a Bluetooth card writer used to re-encode magnetic strips on credit cards; blank cards with magnetic strips; handwritten instructions on creating stolen identities and committing credit card fraud; multiple stolen credit cards, debit cards, and driver’s licenses; clothing matching those seen in the surveillance footage; more than $10,000 in cash; a 380 caliber handgun; a box of 380 caliber ammunition; and 26 grams of cocaine from Gray’s residence. Other related items were seized from his person and vehicle.

After conducting the searches, Gray was arrested without incident. Gray made his first appearance in federal court today and was ordered detained.

If convicted, Gray faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison, 5 years’ supervised release, and a $1 million fine.

A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Portland Police Bureau, Beaverton Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and is being prosecuted by Quinn P. Harrington, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice.  Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

Metro Gang Task Force Seizes Guns and Drugs

Area Gang Associate Indicted in Federal Court

PORTLAND, OR—On Monday, August 20, 2012, Lawrence Orlando Lee, 34, appeared in federal court on charges of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with the intent to distribute heroin, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and felon in possession of a firearm as an armed career criminal.

The federal case resulted from an August 10, 2012 search warrant that was executed by the Metro Gang Task Force at the defendant’s residence in Gresham, Oregon. During the execution of the warrant, officers recovered three firearms and a substantial quantity of drugs. The recovered firearms were a .40 caliber Glock semi-automatic handgun, a 9mm Luger KG-99 handgun, and a .45 caliber Firestorm semi-automatic handgun. The drugs seized included approximately 12 1/2 ounces of methamphetamine and approximately 3 1/2 ounces of heroin.

Lee is a convicted felon and allegedly a gang associate. The government has filed a notice of intent to seek enhanced penalties against the defendant based upon his prior felony drug offenses. The felon in possession of a firearm charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison; the possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison; and the possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.

The defendant was detained in federal custody pending his trial date of October 16, 2012. At his arraignment, the defendant entered not guilty pleas to the charges. He was detained as both a danger to the community and based upon the risk that he would not appear at future court proceedings.

The Metro Gang Task Force (MGTF) is a multi-agency investigative unit made up of officers and agents from the Gresham Police Department, Portland Police Bureau; Tigard Police Department; Beaverton Police Department; Milwaukie Police Department; Woodburn Police Department; Canby Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Kerin, the head of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Gang Unit, is handling the prosecution of the case.

Oregon and Southwest Washington Law Enforcement Partners Rescue Three Young Victims of Commercial Sexual Exploitation

Local Social Service Providers Work with Victims to Provide Assistance

The FBI, working with more than a dozen other local, state, and federal agencies in the Portland/Vancouver metro area, recovered three children this weekend who were being victimized through commercial sexual exploitation operations. The recoveries of the children and the associated arrests of adults happened during a series of stings throughout the region in recent days. Law enforcement and social service providers worked with each child—and when appropriate, the child’s family—to provide counseling, mental health services, medical assistance, housing, and advocacy resources to them.

“These are our kids. They belong to this community, and we are responsible for them,” said Greg Fowler, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon. “We cannot and will not stand by and allow pimps to profit off them and ‘johns’ to use and abuse them.”

In recent years, Portland/Vancouver law enforcement and social service providers have established very strong working relationships that allow a holistic approach to addressing the issue of commercial sexual exploitation of children. This includes integration of social services in law enforcement actions (such as this weekend’s sting operations), the sharing of information, and a coordination of services.

“The commercial sexual exploitation of our children is an affront to our community, and it must be stopped. To this end, my office is working with federal, state, and local officials, along with community and service organizations to find ways to meet the needs of these children for housing, security, and treatment while we hold pimps and johns accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall. “We have also expanded the resources and focus of our Anti-Gang prosecution unit to target the commercial sexual exploitation of children. With these combined efforts in place, we will be able to hold more traffickers accountable while helping more victims become survivors.”

During the course of this weekend’s enforcement action, local police charged six people as pimps with related crimes. In addition, local police cited three adults with prostitution.

The FBI coordinated these stings as part of Operation Cross Country VI—the sixth such national law enforcement action under the FBI’s Innocence Lost National Initiative. Nationwide, this operation recovered 79 children, and it included enforcement actions involving more than 8,500 local, state, and federal officers representing 414 separate agencies in 57 cities across the United States. Locally, the FBI would like to thank the following agencies and departments for taking part in the law enforcement portion of the sting:

■Portland Police Bureau

■Gresham Police Department

■Vancouver Police Department

■Beaverton Police Department

■Tigard Police Department

■Hillsboro Police Department

■Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office

■Clark County Sheriff’s Office

■Washington Department of Corrections

■Clark County Juvenile Detention

■Oregon Department of Justice

■U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

■United States Attorney’s Office

■Metro Gang Task Force

■Innocence Lost Task Force

Task force operations such as this one usually begin as local actions, targeting such places as truck stops, casinos, street “tracks,” and Internet websites, based on intelligence gathered by officers working in their respective jurisdictions. (We will not release the specific locations or methods utilized in this local operation due to ongoing investigative interests.) As is the case in the Portland/Vancouver area, initial arrests are often violations of local and state laws related to prostitution or solicitation. Information gleaned from those arrested often uncovers organized efforts to prostitute women and children across many states. As the FBI is able to develop this information into a broader criminal investigation, it works with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to file federal charges where appropriate at a later time.

Social service and non-profit agencies who provided assistance during Operation Cross Country VI locally include:

■FBI Victim Assistance Program

■Clark County Juvenile Probation

■LifeWorks Northwest

■Multnomah County Department of Human Services

■Multnomah County Department of Community Justice

■Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office

■Portland Police Bureau Victim Services

■Sexual Assault Resource Center

■Washington County Department of Human Services

■Clackamas County Department of Human Services

■YWCA-Clark County

■Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Child Protective Services

■United States Attorney’s Office Victim Assistance

The FBI would like to thank all law enforcement and social service provider agencies for taking part in Operation Cross Country VI and for their ongoing work under the Innocence Lost National Initiative.

The charges filed in this operation are merely accusations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.

If you suspect that a child is being sexually exploited, please call your nearest FBI office or local law enforcement agency immediately.

For more information on the law enforcement and social service provider partnerships providing assistance to these victims, please visit www.fbi.gov/portland.

Federal Grand Jury Indicts David William Chilton for Armed Bank Robbery, Carjacking, and Violation of the Armed Career Criminal Act

PORTLAND, OR—On June 19, 2012, a federal grand jury returned a five-count indictment charging David William Chilton, 54, of Portland, with armed bank robbery, carjacking, and associated firearms offenses, including violation of the Armed Career Criminal Act. Chilton is currently in U.S. Marshals custody on a federal supervised release violation arising from a 2008 conviction for armed bank robbery. He will be arraigned today on the new indictment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Janice M. Stewart at 1:30 p.m. in the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse.

Count one of the indictment charges Chilton with the June 11, 2012 robbery of Key Bank of Oregon at Gateway Branch, 1205 NE 102nd Avenue in Portland. The charge alleges he used a handgun and took $9,406 in U.S. currency and $690 in Canadian funds. Armed bank robbery carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.

Count one charges Chilton with using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during the bank robbery. This charge carries a minimum, consecutive sentence of seven years up to life in prison.

Count three charges Chilton with taking a 1997 Toyota 4-Runner from its driver by force, violence, and intimidation in Portland on June 11, 2012, with the intent to cause death and serious bodily harm. Carjacking carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

Count four charges Chilton with using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during the carjacking. Because this alleged crime followed the use of the firearm in the bank robbery, the potential sentence for count four is a minimum, consecutive term of 25 years up to life in prison.

Count five charges Chilton with felon in possession of a firearm, namely, a .38 caliber Smith and Wesson revolver, in Portland on both June 11 and 12, 2012. Because the indictment alleges prior federal convictions of armed bank robbery (2008), distribution of heroin (1990), and bank robbery (1978), and a prior state conviction in Multnomah County for first-degree robbery (1985), conviction of count five would subject Chilton to a mandatory, consecutive sentence of at least 15 years and up to life in prison.

Chilton was arrested in the evening of June 12, 2012, by the Portland Police Bureau inside the Fred Meyer store at North Interstate and Lombard Avenue.

An indictment is only an allegation and not evidence of guilt. Chilton is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

The case is being investigation by the Portland Police Bureau, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Portland State University Campus Security Office, and the Forest Grove Police Department. The federal prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Stephen F. Peifer.