ATF and Firearms Industry Offer Reward Up to $5,000 in War-Store, LLC Firearms Theft

RICHMOND, Va. – The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms industry, have announced a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the burglary of The War-Store, LLC, a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) in Henrico, VA.  ATF and the NSSF are each offering a reward of up to $2,500, for a total reward of $5,000.

On October 20, 2016, several unidentified suspects forcibly entered The War-Store, LLC, located at 10464 Ridgefield Parkway, Henrico, VA. The suspects stole multiple firearms before fleeing the scene. This crime is being investigated by ATF and the Henrico County Police Division.       

Anyone with information about this crime should contact ATF at 1-800-ATF-GUNS (800-283-4867), email ATFTips@atf.gov (link sends e-mail), or contact ATF through its website at www.atf.gov/contact/atf-tips.  Tips may also be submitted to ATF using the ReportIt® app, available on both Google Play and the Apple App Store, or by visiting www.reportit.com (link is external).  All calls and tips will be kept confidential.

ATF along with our law enforcement partners are committed to ensuring that our communities are safe, and that those who commit violent crimes such as this are held accountable.  The reward is part of a larger national cooperative initiative between the NSSF and ATF in which NSSF matches ATF rewards in cases involving the theft of firearms from FFL retailers.  ATF works closely with members of the firearms industry to curb the criminal acquisition and misuse of firearms.

Indiana Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Information on Explosives

Marlonn Hicks, 30, of Crown Point, Indiana, pleaded guilty to distributing information regarding the manufacture and use of explosives, with the intent that the information be used for and in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord, U.S.  Attorney David Capp of the Northern District of Indiana and Special Agent in Charge W. Jay Abbott of the FBI’s Indianapolis Field Office announced the charges.

According to the documents in this case, Hicks allegedly communicated online with multiple individuals who were cooperating with the government. During these communications, Hicks allegedly expressed a desire to travel to territory under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Within days of the Orlando, Florida terrorist attack, Hicks indicated that he would likely die in the U.S. and subsequently discussed the means by which he planned to carry out an attack within the U.S. During one of these online communications, Hicks sent a government source a document containing detailed instructions on how to make explosives. When Hicks sent the document to the government source, Hicks believed that the government source was a like-minded individual who would use the document and instructions to conduct an attack within the U.S. using explosives.  Hicks intended the attack to be carried out in the name of ISIL and in support of ISIL.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Indianapolis Division and the Indianapolis Joint Terrorism Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Indiana.

Florida Man Pleads Guilty in Hacking, Spamming Scheme That Used Stolen Email Accounts

A Boca Raton, Florida, man pleaded guilty in a New Jersey federal court for his role in a computer hacking and identity theft scheme that hijacked customer email accounts to send bulk unsolicited or “spam” emails, and generated more than $1.3 million in illegal profits. 

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division andU.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman of the District of New Jersey  made the announcement.

Timothy Livingston, 31, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini of the District of New Jersey.  Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 27, 2017.

According to admissions made in connection with his plea agreement, beginning as early as 2011, Livingston operated A Whole Lot of Nothing LLC — a business that specialized in sending unsolicited or spam emails on behalf of its clients.  Livingston admitted that his clients included legitimate businesses, such as insurance companies that wished to send bulk emails for advertising purposes, as well as illegal entities, such as online pharmacies that sold narcotics without prescriptions.

Livingston admitted that beginning in January 2012, he solicited Tomasz Chmielarz to write computer programs that would send spam in a manner that concealed the true origin of the email and bypass spam filters.   Livingston admitted that he then used these programs to transmit spam, and used proxy servers and botnets to remain anonymous, hide the true origin of the spam and evade anti-spam filters and other spam blocking techniques.

According to the plea agreement, Livingston hacked into individual email accounts and utilized corporate mail servers to further his spam campaigns, which enabled him to send out massive amounts of spam without identifying himself as the sender.

In connection with his plea agreement, Livingston consented to the entry of a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $1,346,442, as well as the forfeiture of property obtained using illegal proceeds from the scheme, including a 2009 Cadillac Escalade and a 2006 Ferrari F430 Spider.               

Chmielarz, 33, of Rutherford, New Jersey, pleaded guilty for his role in the conspiracy before Judge Martini on June 2.

The FBI’s Cyber Division investigated the case.  Senior Trial Attorney William A. Hall Jr. of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Shapiro of the District of New Jersey’s Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Section of the Economic Crimes Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter Gaeta and Sarah Devlin of the District of New Jersey’s Asset Forfeiture-Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.