Internet Fraud and Scams News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Tennessee Man Arrested on Felony and Misdemeanor Charges For Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach
Defendant Accused of Joining Push Against Law Enforcement in Tunnel Entrance
WASHINGTON — A Tennessee man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges related to his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

Michael Asbury, 43, of Knoxville, Tennessee, is charged with the felony offense of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder and misdemeanor offenses of entering or remaining on restricted grounds without lawful authority to do so, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.

Asbury was arrested in Lenoir City, Tennessee, and made his initial appear..

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
Indictment Charges Alleged Members of Drug Trafficking Organization in Drug, Gun and Money Laundering Charges
Kennedy Street Crew (KDY) Operated Open-Air Drug Markets in Kennedy Street Neighborhood, Scene of Increasing Violence, in Northwest Washington D.C.

WASHINGTON – This morning, law enforcement agents from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) arrested 12 alleged members of a violent drug trafficking organization (“DTO”), known as the “Kennedy Street Crew,” or “KDY,” on charges including conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, possession of firearms by persons convicted of a crime, assault with a deadly weapon, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. In addition to th..

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Law Enforcement During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach
Defendant Pulled Police Officer Down a Flight of Stairs
WASHINGTON – An Alabama man pleaded guilty on Monday, June 26, 2023, to a felony charge related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

Bobby Wayne Russell, 49, of Falkville, Alabama, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to one count of Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers and Aiding and Abetting, a felony offense. U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth scheduled a sentencing hearing for November 17, 2023.

According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Russell was among rioters confronting officers at a line of bike rack barricades on the southwest side of the Capitol grounds. Russell r..

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
District of Columbia Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Distribution of Marijuana and Oxycodone
Defendant Admitted to Possessing Firearms as Part of Charged Conspiracy
WASHINGTON – Kiyon Boyd, 23, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison for his role in an ongoing conspiracy to distribute narcotics in Washington, D.C. and elsewhere

The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge Sarah Linden, of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Boyd, who utilized the street nickname “Workey,” pleaded guilty on April 7, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of conspiracy to marijuana and oxycodone, and two counts of possession with the intent to distribute marijuana. As part of his plea agreement, Boyd admitted that he distributed,..

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
District of Columbia Man Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison For Conspiracy to Distribute Narcotics and Use Firearms
Defendant Admitted to Committing Violence on behalf of a “Street Crew”
WASHINGTON – Trevon Fairfax, 28, of Rockville, Maryland, was sentenced today to 70 months in federal prison for his role in an ongoing conspiracy to distribute narcotics and a related conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.

The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge Sarah Linden, of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, Special Agent in Charge Craig B. Kailimai, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Washington Division, and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Fairfax is one of more than a dozen individuals arrested as part of a joint FBI/ATF investigation which resulted in the seizure of more than..

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
District of Columbia Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm
Defendant Admitted to Possessing Firearms in Connection to Drug Distribution
WASHINGTON – Jimmy Martez Ellis, 30, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on June 26, 2023, to 60 months in federal prison for the unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.

The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge Sarah Linden, of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Special Agent in Charge Craig B. Kailimai, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Washington Division.

Ellis, who utilized the street nicknames “Big Oso” and “Jim Bob” pleaded guilty on March 8, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. As part of his plea agreement, Ellis admitted that he was..

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
District of Columbia Woman Found Guilty in Scheme to Steal Money From Non-Profit She Was Entrusted to Run
WASHINGTON – Rowena Joyce Scott, 70, of the District of Columbia, was convicted today of wire fraud, credit card fraud, filing false tax returns, and failing to file tax returns, in connection with a scheme to steal and embezzle money from the non-profit corporation she was entrusted to run for the benefit of some of the District’s economically disadvantaged residents.

The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter, of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Office and Chief John Fowler of the DC Office of Tax and Revenue Criminal Investigation Division. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 18, 2023.

The offense of wire fraud carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison. The offense of filing a false income tax return carries a s..

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Press ReleaseFederal Jury Convicts Three Defendants of Interstate Stalking of Chinese Nationals in the United States and Two Defendants of Acting or Conspiring to Act on Behalf of the People’s Republic of ChinaEarlier today, a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, convicted three defendants on multiple counts of a superseding indictment charging them with acting and conspiring to act in the United…

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Merger Enforcement Sixty Years After Philadelphia National Bank

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Thank you, Aaron, for that kind introduction. And thank you to Brookings for hosting this event. Sixty years ago this week, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in United States v. Philadelphia National Bank.[1] Today, I would like to discuss the enduring impact of this landmark case.

Philadelphia National Bank is well known in banking circles for recognizing the essential role that the antitrust laws have in protecting competition in the banking sector. But the legacy of Philadelphia National Bank is much broader: it is a foundational decision that has paved the way for antitrust merger enforcement across all industries. As we revise our general Merger Guidelines, Philadelphia National Bank looms large, and its impact on antitrust merger law is enduring and undeniable for enforcement agencies and for courts.

As we reflect on the legacy of Philadelphia National Bank, I hope we can..

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
Gerard R. Vetter Appointed Acting U.S. Trustee for Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia
Gerard R. Vetter has been appointed by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland as the Acting U.S. Trustee for Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia and for the District of Columbia (Region 4) effective July 1, the Executive Office for U.S. Trustees announced today. Vetter replaces John P. Fitzgerald III, who is retiring after 43 years of dedicated service to the department, including the last four years as the Acting U.S. Trustee in Region 4. Under 28 U.S.C. § 585(a), the Attorney General may fill U.S. Trustee vacancies by appointing an Acting U.S. Trustee.

Vetter joined the U.S. Trustee Program (USTP) in 2010 as the Assistant U.S. Trustee in charge of the Greenbelt, Maryland, office of Region 4, where he served for four years before transferring to become the Assistant U.S. Trustee in the Balti..

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
Federal Jury Convicts Three Defendants of Interstate Stalking of Chinese Nationals in the United States and Two Defendants of Acting or Conspiring to Act on Behalf of the People’s Republic of China
Retired NYPD Sergeant and Co-Conspirators are First Defendants Convicted After a U.S. Trial in Connection with PRC’s Repatriation Program “Operation Fox Hunt”
Earlier today, a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, convicted three defendants on multiple counts of a superseding indictment charging them with acting and conspiring to act in the United States as illegal agents of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), without prior notification to the Attorney General.

Michael McMahon, 55, of Mahwah, New Jersey, was convicted of acting as an illegal agent of the PRC, conspiracy to commit interstate stalking and interstate stalking; Congying Zheng, 27, of Brooklyn, was convicted of conspiracy to commit interstate stalking and interstate stalking; an..

I’ve been in this job a little over a year and a half. Every day I sit with the Attorney General and FBI Director for the morning threat briefing and each day I read the Presidential Daily Brief. Day-after-day, week-after-week, the intelligence reporting details the astonishing pace, scale and sophistication of cyber threats to the United States.

Hostile nations are accelerating their use of cyber-enabled means to carry out a range of threatening activity. These countries are stealing sensitive technologies, trade secrets, intellectual property and personally identifying information; exerting malign influence and exporting repression; and holding our critical infrastructure at risk to destructive or disruptive attacks.

You don’t need access to classified intelligence to understand what we are up against from countries like China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.

Take just a few snippets from the Intelligence Community (IC)’s public Annual Threat Assessment for this year.

China has com..

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
Owner of Car Parts Remanufacturing Company Pleads Guilty to Employment Tax Crime
Did not pay more than $1.2M in payroll taxes
A Minnesota man who owned an automobile transmission business pleaded guilty today to willfully failing to account for and pay over employment taxes.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Timothy J. Lundquist owned and operated Dynotec Industries, Inc., an automobile transmission remanufacturing company based in Jordan, Minnesota. Lundquist was responsible for filing quarterly employment tax returns and collecting and paying over to the IRS payroll taxes withheld from employees’ wages. For at least the last quarter of 2013 through 2018, Lundquist did not, however, or pay withholdings to the IRS or file required employment tax returns. In total, he caused a tax loss to the IRS of over $1.2 million.

Lundquist faces a statutory maximum of five years in prison. He also faces a period of supervi..