Crime Stoppers Tip Leads to Another Arrest

Mutual Cooperation Key in Fugitive Arrest

Midland, TX – Yesterday afternoon, Bradley Lee Davis, 50, was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force in Houston. Davis fled from the Midland area in August 2013 from a series of alleged theft charges and for failure to appear in those court appearances. Midland Police initiated an investigation this month after it was determined that Davis allegedly defrauded several people in Midland. The loss to the victims is estimated to exceed $600,000.

Early this month, the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force received a tip from Midland Crime Stoppers alerting officers that Davis was currently in the Houston area. Investigators determined Davis was employed by a north Houston Oil & Lube business. The Midland based fugitive task force alerted their Houston counterparts resulting in Davis’s swift arrest at his place of employment in Spring.

Robert R. Almonte, United States Marshal for the Western District of Texas states, “The Crime Stoppers program is a true testament that citizens have a stake in keeping our communities safe.”

Members of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force Midland/Odessa Area –

    Odessa Police Department Ector County Sheriff’s Office

    Ector County District Attorney’s Office

    Midland County Sheriff’s Office

    Crane County Sheriff’s Office

    Crane Police Department

    Martin County Sheriff’s Office

    Andrews County Sheriff’s Office

    Upton County Sheriff’s Office

    U.S. Marshals Service

Four Members of Jewelry Theft Ring Plead Guilty

Four men have pleaded guilty for their roles in a highly sophisticated and violent organization that targeted jewelry couriers in Georgia and Texas.   The defendants were caught as part of a national effort to find and prosecute roving groups of robbers who travel around the country targeting jewelry couriers and other business people.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman and U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates of the Northern District of Georgia made the announcement.

Honorio Sanchez-Valencia, 46, of Gwinnett, Ga., and Jose Vicente Ramirez-Rodriguez, 38, John Rodriguez, 37, and Ali Alejandro Godoy-Maximo, 25, each of Los Angeles, Ca., pleaded guilty this week in the Northern District of Georgia to Hobbs Act robbery for participating in the robbery of a jewelry courier on Jan. 31, 2013, at a QuikTrip gas station in Buford, Ga.   The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.   In addition, Rodriguez pleaded guilty to being an illegal alien in possession of a handgun, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.   Sentencing has not been scheduled.

Court records show that on Jan. 31, 2013, as part of a plan to identify and rob a jewelry courier, the courier-victim was followed by Ramirez-Rodriguez to a QuikTrip gas station.   As he was following the courier, Ramirez-Rodriguez contacted Sanchez-Valencia to help him with the robbery.   Sanchez-Valencia, in turn, contacted the other defendants, all of whom came to the gas station together.   When the courier was putting gas in his vehicle, two of the defendants approached him, with one restraining him with a knife while another smashed the vehicle window and took a briefcase containing over $125,000 in assorted jewelry.

Sanchez-Valencia also admitted his involvement in a similar robbery that occurred in Dallas on Aug. 27, 2012.   In that robbery, two jewelry couriers were at a restaurant when Sanchez-Valencia briefly came into the restaurant to conduct surveillance on them and to determine the layout of the restaurant.   Within a few minutes after Sanchez-Valencia left, three masked men with a gun came into the restaurant and robbed the jewelry couriers of two briefcases containing over $500,000 of jewelry.   Some of that jewelry was recovered during the execution of a search warrant at a storage unit rented by Sanchez-Valencia.

This case was investigated by the FBI, ICE and the Gwinnett County Police Department, with assistance from the Dallas Police Department.   This case is being prosecuted by Laura Gwinn of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Dammers of the Northern District of Georgia.

Two More Former Officers and Another Former Lieutenant at Roxbury Correctional Institution Plead Guilty for Conduct Related to the Assault of an Inmate

Edwin Stigile, formerly a Lieutenant at Roxbury Correctional Institution (RCI) in Hagerstown, Md., and two former RCI Correctional Officers, Tyson Hinckle and Reginald Martin, each pleaded guilty to an offense arising out of the assault of an inmate on Mar. 9, 2008.  Hinckle pleaded guilty to conspiring to assault an inmate, identified by the initials K.D.  Martin pleaded guilty to failing to intervene to stop the assault of K.D.  Stigile admitted that he was guilty of destroying evidence related to that assault.  Hinckle, Martin and Stigile are the ninth, 10^th and 11^th former RCI officers to enter a plea in connection with the federal investigation into a series of assaults that K.D. suffered at RCI on Mar. 8-9, 2008. 

 

According to court documents filed in connection with his guilty plea, Hinckle admitted that, during the 7 a.m.-3 p.m. shift on Mar. 9, 2008, that he, Dustin Norris and three other RCI officers assaulted K.D. in order to punish him for striking an officer during a prior shift.  Hinckle also admitted that this assault in 2008 was consistent with prior incidents at RCI, where officers from three consecutive shifts would beat an inmate who had previously assaulted an officer.  Finally, Hinckle admitted that he and other officers tried to cover up their involvement in, or knowledge of, the assault of K.D.

 

Martin admitted that, during the 7 a.m.-3 p.m. shift on Mar. 9, 2008, he watched RCI officers assault K.D.  Instead of stopping the assault, however, Martin walked out of K.D.’s cell and waited.  After some time, Martin heard a supervisor say, “He’s had enough.”  The officers then filed out of K.D.’s cell.  Later, when investigators began to ask to about K.D.’s injuries, Martin met with officers who had been involved in the beating and agreed to falsely deny any knowledge of an assault of K.D.

 

Stigile, a former lieutenant, admitted that he used a magnetic device to alter and destroy surveillance videotapes related to RCI officers’ assaults of inmates, including the beating of K.D.  Stigile also admitted that, when questioned about K.D. in 2012, he provided false and misleading statements to federal investigators and to a federal grand jury.

 

“Mr. Hinckle and Mr. Martin have admitted their involvement in an unlawful assault of an inmate, and Mr. Stigile has acknowledged that, as a supervisor, he destroyed evidence related to that assault,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels for the Civil Rights Division.  “The Justice Department will continue to vigorously prosecute officers who use their official position to commit and to cover up violations of federal criminal law.”

 

Stigile faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.  Hinckle and Martin each could receive a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years of incarceration.  All will be sentenced before U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar, and their sentencing dates are as follows: Stigile will be sentenced Jun. 17, 2014, Hinckle will be sentenced Apr. 7, 2014 and Martin will be sentenced May 15, 2014.

 

In related cases before Judge Bredar, former RCI Correctional Officers Ryan Lohr, Dustin Norris, Philip Mayo, Jeremy McCusker, Walter Steele, Lanny Harris, Keith Morris and former RCI Lieutenant Robert Harvey each has entered a guilty plea.  Four current or former RCI officers still face federal charges in connection with the alleged assault of K.D.  Two former RCI officers previously entered guilty pleas in state court.   

 

The investigation by the Frederick Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is ongoing.  The case is being prosecuted by Special Litigation Counsel Forrest Christian and Trial Attorney Sanjay Patel of the Civil Rights Division, with the assistance of Michael Cunningham of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.

Iraq and Vietnam-Era Veterans Call for Curbs on For-Profit Colleges’ Predatory Marketing Tactics

Boston, MA, January 7, 2014 – Iraq veteran Bryan Babcock joined other veterans in Boston today calling for tougher regulations to curb unscrupulous marketing practices used by for-profit education companies to entice students – particularly veterans – into enrolling in their expensive and, often, substandard programs. The veterans appeared at a public hearing convened by Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley.

Testimony was also submitted on behalf of numerous veterans’ organizations, including the Air Force Women Officers Association, Association of the United States Navy, Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America, Military Officers Association of America, National Guard Association of the United States, Student Veterans of America, Veterans Education Success, Veterans for Common Sense, Veterans Student Loan Relief Fund, VetsFirst - a Program of United Spinal Association, Vietnam Veterans of America, University of San Diego School of Law Initiative to Protect Student Veterans, U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officers Association, and U.S. Coast Guard Enlisted Association.

Coakley’s proposed regulations would require all for-profit and occupational schools in Massachusetts to provide accurate information to the public, prohibit misleading advertising practices, and address unfair lending practices.

For-profit education companies specifically target veterans, since each one is eligible for tens of thousands of dollars in federal education benefits and student loans, and because military benefits are not counted towards a cap on federal funds that for-profit colleges otherwise face.

Babcock, from Bellevue, WA, flew across the country to testify, and told his personal story of how he was misled. He served two tours of duty in Iraq, including as Marine infantry during the second battle of Fallujah. Planning to become a policeman, Babcock testified that he enrolled in ITT’s $70,000-dollar bachelor’s degree program in criminal justice. But not one of the nearly two dozen police departments he applied to recognized an ITT degree. He was left heavily in debt and unable to pursue a career in law enforcement. He felt he had no choice but to reenlist and return to Iraq – this time as a National Guardsman.

“I wasted three years and more than $50,000 for a piece of paper no one would accept,” Babcock said. “It sickens me that ITT Tech is allowed to get away with this. And, I am not alone. Beyond misrepresenting themselves, ITT Tech, and other companies like it, are offering degrees and certificates that do not allow graduates to obtain licenses, certificates, or other pre-requisites necessary for employment in fields that have such requirements.”

Babcock sought and received financial assistance from the Veterans’ Student Loan Relief Fund, a non-profit organization established by World War II veteran and Wall Street businessman Jerome Kohlberg to help veterans who believe they have been deceived by for-profit education companies. He is one of 21 student veterans who have received grants from the fund.

Carrie Wofford, current President of Veterans for Education Success, also testified on behalf of a dozen veterans organizations that tough regulations are needed to protect veterans from aggressive and deceptive recruiting by predatory education companies.

“Predatory for-profit colleges dishonor our nation’s veterans, actively deceiving them to get access to their lucrative GI Bill benefits.  We should honor the men and women who have sacrificed for our country, not rip them off.  We applaud the Attorney General’s common sense rules to stop deceptive marketing and recruiting by for-profit colleges,” Wofford said. 

Wofford is the former Senior Committee Counsel of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), which conducted a two-year investigation into the for-profit higher education industry, culminating in a highly critical report of the industry in 2012.  The Senate investigation also unveiled corporate documents, including ITT’s infamous “pain funnel” (attached).

For more information about the hearings, visit these websites:

•             Veterans Student Loan Relief Fund: http://iava.org/loan-relief

•             Mass AG Press Release: http://www.mass.gov/ago/news-and-updates/press-releases/2013/2013-11-21-aci-complaint-regs.html

•             U.S. Senate Committee Report, “For Profit Higher Education: The Failure to Safeguard the Federal Investment and Ensure Student Success,” available at http://www.harkin.senate.gov/help/forprofitcolleges.cfm

Texas Man Charged with Federal Hate Crime for Punching and Breaking Jaw of 79-year-old African American Man

Conrad Alvin Barrett, 27, has been charged with a federal hate crime related to a racially-motivated assault of a 79-year-old African American man, announced   Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels of the Civil Rights Division along with U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson of the Southern District of Texas and Special Agent in Charge Stephen L. Morris of the FBI.

“Hate crimes tear at the fabric of entire communities,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Samuels.   “As always, the Civil Rights Division will work with our federal and state law enforcement partners to ensure that hate crimes are identified and prosecuted, and that justice is done.”

The criminal complaint was filed under seal Dec. 24, 2013, and unsealed today upon Barrett's arrest.   He is expected to make an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Frances Stacy at 10:00 a.m. CST.

The complaint charges Barrett, of Katy, Texas, with one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.   According to the complaint, on Nov. 24, 2013, Barrett attacked the elderly man because of the man’s race and color in what Barrett called a “knockout.”

“Suspected crimes of this nature will simply not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Magidson.   “Evidence of hate crimes will be vigorously investigated and prosecuted with the assistance of all our partners to the fullest extent of the law.”

Barrett allegedly recorded himself on his cell phone attacking the man and showed the video to others.   The complaint alleges Barrett made several videos, one in which he identifies himself and another in which he makes a racial slur.   In addition, Barrett had allegedly been working up the “courage” to play the “knockout game” for approximately a week.

The “knockout game” is an assault in which an assailant aims to knock out an unsuspecting victim with one punch.   According to the complaint, the conduct has been called by other names and there have been similar incidents dating as far back as 1992.

According to the complaint, Barrett comments in a video that “the plan is to see if I were to hit a black person, would this be nationally televised?”   The complaint further alleges Barrett claims he would not hit “defenseless people” just moments before punching the elderly man in the face.   Barrett allegedly hit the man with such force that the man immediately fell to the ground.   Barrett then laughed and said “knockout,” as he ran to his vehicle and fled, according to allegations.   The complaint indicates the victim suffered two jaw fractures and was hospitalized for several days as a result of the attack.

“It is unimaginable in this day and age that one could be drawn to violently attack another based on the color of their skin,” said Special Agent in Charge Morris.   “We remind all citizens that we are protected under the law from such racially motivated attacks, and encourage everyone to report such crimes to the FBI.”

If convicted, Barrett faces a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI in cooperation with the Fulshear and Katy, Texas, Police Departments as well as the Drug Enforcement Administration.   The case is being prosecuted by Civil Rights Division Trial Attorneys Saeed Mody and Olimpia Michel and Assistant United States Attorneys Ruben R. Perez and Joe Magliolo in cooperation with Ft. Bend County District Attorney John Healey.

A criminal complaint is merely an accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.   A defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty through due process of law.

U.S. Marshals and Sheriff’s Office Sweep Pensacola Streets;

Over 79 Arrested; Guns, Drugs, Counterfeit Money Seized

Pensacola, FL – In a joint effort, the U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office hit the streets of Escambia County the past week in the second phase of an earlier round-up initiated two weeks ago, capturing some of Escambia’s more elusive and violent fugitives. Deputy Marshals from Tallahassee, Panama City, Tampa and Pensacola worked with Sheriff’s deputies from the ECSO Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Team and arrested 92 wanted felons in a street-level sweep dubbed as Operation Reindeer Games. The Task Force identified approximately 120 of Escambia’s more dangerous fugitives who were wanted on various charges including murder, attempted murder, sexual battery, assault, armed robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, strangulation, possession of firearms and other weapon offenses as well as numerous narcotics violations. At the end of the week, the population of Escambia County Jail swelled as a result of the multi-agency fugitive round-up and others found themselves in local jails in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa Counties; as well as other parts of Florida and Alabama. Of the 92 criminals who went to jail, 12 fugitives surrendered to jails after learning they were being sought on warrants. Although the operation’s aim was to find fugitives, others were arrested on probable cause arrests of which several included harboring a fugitive or obstruction of justice when trying to conceal the fugitives’ locations. In just four days over 115 warrants were served, three firearms seized, over 1000 grams of various drugs and $240 in counterfeit bills were confiscated, a stolen car was recovered and three active meth labs were shutdown.

This sweep is the latest but not the last one as a part of Sheriff David Morgan’s objective to crackdown on violent offenders with the help of the Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force. The shared goal is to try and help make the people in the community feel safer. The sweep was by in large successful because of the assistance of Special Deputy Marshal Task Force Officers from Escambia, Bay, Leon, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton County Sheriff’s Offices, Panama City and Tallahassee Police Departments, Florida Department of Corrections and Special Agents from the ATF and FBI.

Some Highlighted cases from Operation Reindeer Games:

    Eddie McGee – Charged with 1st Degree Homicide. McGee was wanted out of Atlanta, GA and was believed to be hiding out in Pensacola. The US Marshals in Atlanta identified possible locations and asked the Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force for assistance. McGee was wanted in association with a homicide that took place June 14th, 2013, that occurred at Hidden Cove Circle, Gwinnett County, Norcross, Georgia. On that day, officers arrived on a scene of a reported shots fired call. Gwinnett Officers found the victim dead of a gunshot wound to the back of the head. Gwinnett Homicide investigators determined during their investigation that McGee was a suspect along with Norman Griffith who is also in custody relating to the murder. According to police reports they had arranged to purchase cocaine from the victim.

    Douglas White – Charged with Child Cruelty and Abuse. When Marshals and officers attempted to arrest White inside of a trailer, White then took a two-year old whom White stuffed in a plastic tub and covered with clothing and blankets to hide the child to keep it quiet. White then secreted himself in a larger plastic tub beside the child and covered himself under a blanket. White and the child were located and White was subsequently tased by FRFTF members as he attempted to avoid arrest. The child is also the victim of the original crime in which the child was admitted to an Emergency Room for stitches due to injuries reportedly inflicted by White. White also had an active child abuse case with Department of Children and Family services for an assault on a 5 year old child. White was charged additionally with Child Cruelty and Resisting Arrest.

    Jermaine Beasley – Charged with Attempted Homicide, Armed Robbery. Beasley is a suspect in a random street robbery and shooting that occurred at Gadsden and “Y” Streets in Pensacola on November 19 of this year.

    Latasha Griggs - Charged with Possession of Cocaine and Marijuana. Griggs arrest resulted in the seizure of 126 grams of cocaine and marijuana which also led to the arrest of Tequilla Stallworth who was arrested and charged with Grand Theft Auto, Possession of Counterfeit US Currency.

    Casey Blackmon – Charged with Aggravated Assault with Deadly Weapon and Felony Battery by Strangulation. Escambia County Sheriff’s reports state that Blackmon was involved in an argument with his reported girlfriend that resulted in him allegedly choking her, punching and smacking her in the face, then held her down kneeing her in the stomach (police report reflects that she stated she is pregnant and Blackmon was aware of that) and then attempted to tase her with some type of taser device.

    Keith Rogers – Charged with Armed Robbery with a Firearm and Aggravated Battery with a Firearm. Rogers was wanted in connection with a home invasion robber that took place on October 10th of this year at the Oakwood Terrace Apartment complex. According to victim and witness statements, Rogers and another man approached the victim and Rogers pistol whipped the man and then the two suspects dragged him into his apartment and robbed him before fleeing. Rogers has 6 prior firearm related arrests.

In Fiscal year 2013, US Deputy Marshals and their task forces arrested over 74,000 State and local fugitives combined, clearing almost 95,000 warrants from state and local jurisdictions. Of those violent fugitives arrested, over 4,000 were for homicide and over 5,000 of them were gang members.

Crime Stoppers Tip Leads To Another Arrest

Sex Offender Finally Back Behind Bars

Dallas, TX – Bruno Keith Carmona, 32, was arrested this morning by the United States Marshals Service North Texas Fugitive Task Force (NTFTF) in Dallas, TX. An arrest warrant was issued pursuant to an investigation by the Bexar County Adult Probation Office, where it is alleged that Carmona failed to report and absconded from supervision and an additional arrest warrant was issued pursuant to an investigation by the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), where it is alleged that Carmona failed to comply with sex offender registration.

On December 11, 2013, the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force (LSFTF) initiated an investigation in the search for Carmona. Subsequent to the investigation, task force officers discovered that Carmona had previously fled from San Antonio, TX to Dallas, TX. The LSFTF then contacted the NTFTF in Dallas, TX for assistance in locating and apprehending Carmona. On December 17, 2013, task force officers received a Crime Stoppers tip that Carmona was hiding out with his girlfriend at a residence in the 600 block of Rayenell Avenue in Dallas, TX. This morning, task force officers conducted a brief surveillance, entered the residence, identified themselves, made contact with Carmona, and took him into custody without incident.

In 2011, Carmona was convicted and sentenced to 3 months in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) Intermediate Sanction Facility for committing indecency with a child by sexual contact. He was also ordered to serve an additional 10 years of probation upon his release. In July 2012, Carmona allegedly violated the conditions of his probation by failing to report and absconding from supervision. A warrant was issued for Carmona’s arrest soon after. In May of this year, an additional warrant was issued for Carmona’s arrest on allegations involving failure to comply with sex offender registration. Just 2 days ago, the Texas Department of Public Safety added Carmona to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offender list and a $3,000 cash reward was offered for information leading to his capture. Carmona was arrested this morning after a tip was provided through Crime Stoppers.

Carmona is currently being held in custody at the Dallas County Jail awaiting extradition to Bexar County.

Robert R. Almonte, United States Marshal for the Western District of Texas, stated, “Another job well done, another sexual predator behind bars, and another Crime Stoppers tip that led to the arrest.”

Members of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force:

    New Braunfels Police Department

    San Antonio Police Department

    San Antonio Independent School District Police Department

    Bexar County Sheriff’s Office

    Comal County Sheriff’s Office

    Bexar County Fire Marshal’s Office

    Bexar County District Attorney’s Office

    Texas Office of The Attorney General

    Texas Department of Public Safety

    Texas Department of Criminal Justice – Office of the Inspector General

    Immigration & Customs Enforcement – Office of Detention & Removal

    U.S. Marshals Service

Trinidad and Tobago Woman Sentenced for Her Role in Kidnapping Scheme

A woman from Trinidad and Tobago was sentenced today to serve 20 years in prison for her role in the 2005 kidnapping of naturalized U.S. citizen Balram “Balo” Maharaj, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Steinbach of the FBI’s Miami Field Office.

Doreen Alexander, 47, of Arima, Trinidad and Tobago, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan in the District of Columbia.   Alexander pleaded guilty on Oct. 3, 2013, to conspiracy to commit hostage taking, a lesser included offense under count one of the indictment, which charged conspiracy to commit hostage taking that resulted in death.   Judge Sullivan also sentenced Alexander to serve five years of supervised release to follow her prison term.

Alexander was the last charged co-conspirator involved in the kidnapping of Maharaj, Alexander’s former boyfriend and the father of one of her sons.  The other 12 co-conspirators were previously extradited and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

According to court documents, Alexander initiated the April 2005 kidnapping of Maharaj and provided information that allowed the kidnappers to identify, locate and track Maharaj.  Alexander alerted the kidnappers to Maharaj’s visits to Trinidad and Tobago; gave them information on his wealth, which was used to calculate the ransom; and reassured the kidnappers that they had the right man after the ransom negotiations went awry.   Maharaj died as a result of the kidnapping.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Miami Division Extraterritorial Squad with the assistance of the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs and the FBI’s Legal Attache’s Office in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.  Special assistance was further provided by the Trinidad & Tobago Police Service Anti-Kidnapping Squad and Homicide Bureau.

The case is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorneys Matthew C. Singer and Teresa A. Wallbaum of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section. 

Sovereign Skies Program: Nighttime flight operations

12/6/2013 - A Dominican Republic air force A-29 pilot inspects his aircraft for a nighttime flight as part of an exercise to detect and track illegal drug traffic Dec. 4, 2013. The exercise is part of the Sovereign Skies Program, an initiative between the U.S., Colombian, and Dominican Republic air forces to share best-practices on procedures to detect, track and intercept illegal drugs moving north from South America. Since the program’s inception, the number of aircraft and sea vessels suspected to traffic drugs through the Dominican Republic dropped from more than 100 annually to nearly zero. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Justin Brockhoff/Released)

Former Medical Doctor Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Engaging in Illicit Sexual Conduct with Minors in Kenya

A former medical doctor was sentenced today to serve 20 years in prison for engaging in illicit sexual conduct with minors in Kenya.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ronald C. Machen Jr., and Assistant Director in Charge Valerie Parlave of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement.

John D. Ott, 68, pleaded guilty in May 2013 before the Honorable Reggie B. Walton in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place.   Upon completion of his prison term, Ott will be placed on supervised release for the rest of his life.   In addition, he will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

According to court documents and proceedings, Ott was a former medical doctor who worked for non-governmental organizations and hospitals in Kenya.  Court records show that Ott also started an orphanage in Kenya.  Ott admitted that between approximately January 2004 and September 2012, he engaged in illicit sexual conduct in Muhuru Bay, Sori and Kendu Bay, Kenya, with at least 14 minors, who ranged in age from approximately nine to 17 years old when the illicit sexual conduct began.  Ott admitted that he frequently paid for schooling and provided other financial support, including housing, for minors with whom he engaged in illicit conduct.

Ott has been in federal custody since he was arrested in December 2012, following his deportation from Tanzania.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office.  Significant assistance was provided by the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs as well as by personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection National Targeting Center.

The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Keith A. Becker of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari Redbord of the District of Columbia.

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. Attorney’s Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.