Lisbon man sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for having child pornography and soliciting people to rape and sexually assault children

A Lisbon man was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for having child pornography and soliciting people to rape and sexually assault children.

David Grunden, 34, previously pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of advertising child pornography.

Grunden solicited adults to be recorded having sex with children. Grunden posted at least 13 solicitations on adult bulletin boards between January and June 2018, including messages such as: “I love beating the life out of children. Gives me such a sexual rush. Even better when their parents are watching in horror,” according to court documents.

Grunden also received numerous images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct between 2014 and 2017. A search warrant was executed at Grunden’s residence on October 26, 2018. Investigators located more than 7,500 images of child pornography during the search, including images of children under the age of five years old being raped, according to court documents.

“Young children were raped to in order to produce the images this defendant downloaded and consumed,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said. “Real children had their lives destroyed, and this defendant was actively soliciting people to subject more children to torture. The community is safer with this man behind bars.”

“Possessing, producing and sharing child pornography is despicable,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Eric B. Smith. “To add in the desire to sexually torture children goes beyond comprehension.  For his heinous acts, David Grunden will now spend a significant amount of time behind bars where he will no longer be a threat to kids."

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Deckert following an investigation by the FBI, the Mahoning Valley Violent Crimes Task Force and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Princess Anne Man Sentenced to Over 11 Years in Federal Prison for Brandishing a Firearm During and in Furtherance of the Armed Robbery of an Armored Vehicle in Salisbury, Maryland

Co-Defendants Previously Sentenced to 9 Years and 20 Years in Federal Prison

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett today sentenced Ryan Shevin Smith, age 39, of Princess Anne, Maryland, to 141 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiring to commit the robbery of an armored vehicle in Salisbury, Maryland on January 22, 2018, for participating in the robbery and for brandishing a firearm during and in furtherance of a crime of violence.  Smith pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit the robbery and to participating in the robbery, and a federal jury convicted him of brandishing the firearm.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Salisbury Police Chief Barbara Duncan.

According to the evidence presented at his two-day trial and court documents, at approximately 7:15 a.m. on January 22, 2018, Smith and his co-defendants, Michael Watts and Orneth South, approached the driver of the armored vehicle as he was removing cash cassettes from an ATM machine at a credit union on Mt. Hermon Road in Salisbury, Maryland.  Co-defendant Michael Watts placed a .40-caliber handgun to the driver’s head and disarmed him of his service weapon.  Watts testified that he got the .40-caliber handgun from Smith, which was named “Big Nasty,” and that Smith took the gun back after the robbery.  Watts then grabbed the driver by the hair and order him to open the door of the armored vehicle.  After the driver opened the door, Smith and South removed several bags of money from the vehicle, as well as ATM cassettes filled with cash.  Watts then forced the driver into the vehicle, where he used zip ties to secure the driver’s hands.  The robbers then fled with the money, stealing a total of $1,324,288.  The robbers went to Smith’s residence in nearby Princess Anne and divided the stolen money.  South and Watts then left and headed south, toward North Carolina.

On April 20, 2018, Orneth South, age 49, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was arrested on a warrant issued as a result of the robbery, and pleaded guilty to his role in the armored car robbery in Maryland, as well as a robbery in North Carolina.  On January 31, 2019, co-defendant Michael Watts, a/k/a “Turtle,” age 42, of Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty to his role in the robbery.  Watts was arrested on May 18, 2018, in Queens, New York, and at the time of his arrest, was wearing approximately $70,000 in jewelry, including a custom turtle pendant, which was purchased with the proceeds of the armored vehicle robbery.  Watts also admitted using his portion of the stolen money to purchase a Mercedes S430 automobile, clothes, two tombstones, and to pay off bills and rent.

Judge Bennett ordered all three defendants to pay restitution in the full amount of the victim’s loss, $1,324,288.

Judge Bennett previously sentenced Watts to nine years in federal prison, and sentenced South to 20 years in federal prison.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI and the Salisbury Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys P. Michael Cunningham and Paul A. Riley, who prosecuted the case.

Rochester Man Pleads Guilty To Two Armed Robberies

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Malik Lott, 25, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to two counts of Hobbs Act Robbery. The charges each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean C. Eldridge, who is handling the case, stated that in the early morning hours of December 28, 2018, Lott went to the McDonald’s restaurant on East Avenue in Rochester with co-defendants Lavon Wims and Juwan Baldwin. Lott and Wims entered the restaurant, and Wims held a knife to the throat of an employee. Wims then dragged the employee to the cash register—and then to the safe—and demanded money.  At the same time, Lott displayed what appeared to be a handgun to another McDonald’s employee. Wims and Lott then fled the McDonald’s with the stolen cash.

On January 23, 2019, Lott went to Jordy’s Spirits on Dewey Avenue in Rochester with co-defendants Lavon Wims and Kayla Dade. Lott and Wims entered the store, and Wims pointed what appeared to be a gun at the store employee, and demanded money.  Lott waited by the front door of the store, and after Wims told the employee to give them money, Lott then assisted Wims in removing cash from the register drawer. Wims and Lott then fled the store with the stolen cash.

Charges remain pending against co-defendants Baldwin, Wims, and Dade. The fact that defendants have been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Violent Crimes Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert; the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Eric Laughton; and the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief La’Ron Singletary.

Sentencing is scheduled for October 28, 2019, at 3:30 p.m. before Judge Wolford.