Latest News from Evergreen Reporter

Press conference to address Albemarle Region Violent Crime Action Plan updates

By Evergreen Reporter | Aug 19, 2024

EDENTON, N.C. – United States Attorney Michael Easley, along with representatives from local, state, and federal law enforcement, will hold a press conference on Tuesday to provide an update on the Albemarle Region Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP). The update will include information on recent arrests and seizures.

Rota resident sentenced to ten years for possession of child sexual abuse material

By Evergreen Reporter | Aug 19, 2024

Vincent Masga Songsong, age 40, from the island of Rota in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), has been sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The sentencing was announced by Shawn N. Anderson, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. In addition to imprisonment, Songsong will undergo five years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender wherever he resides, works, or studies. A restitution hearing is scheduled for September 27, 2024.

Two Cedar Rapids men sentenced for distributing fentanyl

By Evergreen Reporter | Aug 16, 2024

Two Cedar Rapids men who distributed hundreds of pills containing fentanyl were recently sentenced to federal prison.

Louisiana man pleads guilty in connection with January 6 Capitol breach

By Evergreen Reporter | Aug 16, 2024

A Louisiana man pleaded guilty on Aug. 15, 2024, to assaulting law enforcement with a dangerous weapon during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His actions and those of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

Dubuque woman sentenced for role in fatal cocaine trafficking

By Evergreen Reporter | Aug 16, 2024

A woman involved in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, which resulted in the death of a young woman, was sentenced on August 15, 2024, to more than nine years in federal prison.

Mother sentenced for false statements after daughter's overdose death

By Evergreen Reporter | Aug 16, 2024

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On August 15, 2024, Melanie Cruz Clivilles was sentenced by United States District Court Judge María Antongiorgi-Jordan to 48 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for making false statements to a task force officer of the United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in relation to a criminal investigation.

Ocala gang member sentenced to federal prison for firearm possession

By Evergreen Reporter | Aug 16, 2024

Ocala, Florida – Senior United States District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Clinton Darnelle Kaham, 24, of Ocala, to 20 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Kaham pleaded guilty in February 2024.

Orlando man sentenced to 50 years for producing child sexual abuse videos

By Evergreen Reporter | Aug 16, 2024

U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Brian Hamilton, 43, of Orlando, to 50 years in federal prison for the production and receipt of child sexual abuse material. Hamilton pleaded guilty on March 27, 2024.

Northern District extends bar date for sexual abuse claims against Franciscan Friars

By Evergreen Reporter | Aug 16, 2024

On July 11, 2014, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California, Oakland Division, entered an order extending the General Bar Date in Case No. 23-41723 WJL. The new deadline is set for August 30, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time). The court mandated that the debtor serve the U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota with a copy of the Notice Package. Additionally, Debtor’s counsel requested that the provided Sexual Abuse Claim Notice Package be posted.

North Carolina man faces charges over actions during Jan. 6 Capitol breach

By Evergreen Reporter | Aug 16, 2024

A North Carolina man was arrested on August 15, 2024, on felony and misdemeanor charges related to his alleged conduct during the January 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His alleged actions and those of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

Violent crime decreases significantly in Washington D.C., driven by coordinated efforts

By Evergreen Reporter | Aug 15, 2024

Media outlets have recently reported a significant decrease in violent crime in the District of Columbia. Overall, violent crime has decreased by 35% and is on track to reach its lowest level since the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) began reporting these figures approximately 20 years ago. Carjackings involving firearms have dropped by 55%.

Federal grand jury indicts two men on sex abuse charges on Yakama Nation

By Evergreen Reporter | Aug 15, 2024

Yakima, Washington - Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that a Federal Grand Jury has returned indictments on two separate individuals.

Sanford man sentenced to over seven years for drugs and guns possession

By Evergreen Reporter | Aug 15, 2024

U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger has sentenced Jose’Luis Gabriel Villanueva, 32, of Sanford, to seven years and eight months in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The court also ordered Villanueva to forfeit firearms and ammunition used in the commission of the offense. Villanueva entered a guilty plea on May 31, 2024.

California man charged with procuring aircraft parts for Iran

By Evergreen Reporter | Aug 14, 2024

Jeffrey Chance Nader, a 66-year-old U.S.-Iranian national from Arcadia, California, has been arrested on charges related to the procurement of U.S.-manufactured aircraft components in violation of U.S. economic sanctions and other federal laws. The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, FBI Assistant Director David Sundberg of the Washington Field Office, and Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod.

Federal jury convicts leader in Craven County drug trafficking operation

By Evergreen Reporter | Aug 13, 2024

A federal jury has convicted Lucio Camargo Garcia, a New Bern drug trafficker and leader in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing kilogram quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Craven County area. Garcia, 45, was found guilty on one count of conspiracy, six counts of drug distribution and possession with intent to distribute, and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He faces between 15 years and life imprisonment at his sentencing later this year.

Tulsa man convicted for robbing Dominican nationals at gunpoint

By Evergreen Reporter | Aug 13, 2024

A federal jury in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has convicted Bobbe Gene Taylor, 25, of obstructing, delaying, and affecting commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act Robbery) and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. The verdict was delivered yesterday afternoon.

SCDC inmate receives over 26-year sentence for trafficking meth with contraband phones

By Evergreen Reporter | Aug 13, 2024

Benjamin Johnathan Newman, 38, an inmate in the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC), was sentenced to more than 26 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin.