United States Attorney David R. Dugas announced that TIMOTHY M. STRAIN, age  47, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was arrested today pursuant to a criminal complaint signed by U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Christine M. Noland charging STRAIN with mail fraud and bank fraud. The affidavit filed in support of the complaint alleges that STRAIN used fraudulent money orders to pay the balance due on two vehicle loans.

The mail fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The bank fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.

The charges in the complaint are the result of an ongoing investigation by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana.

NOTE: A complaint is an accusation by a law enforcement agent that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by the defendant. The defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until and unless he is proven guilty at trial.

Troopers arrested two individuals Sunday morning, March 7, on two separate traffic stops for Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana. The first traffic stop, shortly before 7:30 a.m. on Interstate 12 eastbound at LA 441, produced nearly 200 pounds of marijuana. Troopers stopped Aaron G. Major (W/M, age 38) of Concrete, WA driving a 2010 Cadillac DTS for a traffic violation. During the traffic stop, three large duffle bags were found in the trunk containing nearly 200 pounds of packaged marijuana. Troopers arrested Major and seized his vehicle.

Later in the morning, shortly after 10:30 am, Troopers arrested Stacey Hopper (W/M, age 22) of Grover, NC after stopping him for a traffic violation. Hopper was driving a U-Haul truck east on Interstate 12 near LA 441 when he was stopped by Troopers for a traffic violation. During the traffic stop, Troopers became suspicious and subsequently recovered 583 pounds of marijuana in 20 large bundles hidden in various pieces of furniture in the truck.

Troopers booked both men on charges of Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana and related traffic charges into the Livingston Parish Jail. According to Louisiana State Law, persons accused of Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute, upon conviction, shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment at hard labor for not less than five nor more than thirty years, and pay a fine of not more than fifty thousand dollars.

United States Attorney David R. Dugas announced today that MICHAEL LEE, age 46, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, appeared before U.S. District Court Judge James Brady and pleaded guilty to charges contained in a corruption-related indictment (“corruption indictment”) and a firearm-related indictment (“firearm indictment”).

With regard to the corruption indictment, LEE pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), violating the RICO Act, using an interstate facility in aid of racketeering, and making false statements to the FBI. With regard to the firearm indictment, LEE pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in violation of a protective order. LEE faces up to 60 years in prison and a $1,250,000 fine.

During today’s hearing, LEE admitted to, among other things, facilitating cash payments to Edward James in exchange for James causing the corrupt dismissal, reduction, or otherwise “fixing” of numerous charges against LEE and others, including battery, domestic violence, and drug charges. LEE also admitted that he lied to FBI agents and that he advised “John Doe” to bribe the victim in a battery case so that the victim would not complain about the battery case being corruptly dismissed.

LEE is the ninth individual convicted as a result of Operation “Illegal Motion.”

The charges against LEE result from Operation “Illegal Motion,” an ongoing investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Attorney’s Office with the cooperation of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Louisiana Office of Inspector General; the Louisiana State Police; the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigative Division; the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General; and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Criminal Investigations Division. The cases are being prosecuted by Deputy Criminal Chief Corey R. Amundson and Assistant United States Attorney M. Patricia Jones.

The number of major crimes reported by the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office for 2009 increased by 188 incidents (2.12 %) when compared to 2008, according to the crime figures submitted to the FBI Uniform Reporting (UCR) program. (Major Crimes reported to UCR in 2008 were a 10.46% decrease when compared to 2007). Violent Crimes Against Persons (murder, rape, robbery, and assault) decreased -10.97%, while Crimes Against Property (burglary, larceny, arson and motor vehicle theft) increased by 3.36%.

UCR Year to Date

Three individuals were indicted by a federal grand jury for selling non-authentic paintings falsely attributed to Clementine Hunter, Acting United States Attorney William J. Flanagan announced today.

WILLIAM TOYE, age 78, of Baton Rouge; BERYL ANN TOYE, age 68, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and ROBERT E. LUCKY, JR., age 62, of New Orleans, Louisiana, were named in a four-count indictment which charges all three defendants with mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud.

Clementine Hunter was an African-American folk artist who lived in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. Ms. Hunter began painting in the late 1930’s and continued to paint until a few days before her death on January 1, 1988. The value of Ms. Hunter’s paintings vary and are actively sold on the open art market.

The indictment alleges that beginning sometime in 2000 and continuing until September 30, 2009, the defendants conspired to defraud several collectors of Ms. Hunter’s paintings by misrepresenting the authenticity and origin of the paintings that LUCKY sold on behalf of the TOYES. The indictment also alleges that the defendants committed three counts of mail fraud in furtherance of the conspiracy.

If convicted of conspiracy, the defendants face a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. Mail fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years, a $250,000 fine or both.

All defendants have been ordered to appear for arraignment on March 17, 2010 at 10:00 a.m., before United States Magistrate Judge James D. Kirk.

An indictment is merely an accusation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Alexandria Resident Agency, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander C. Van Hook and Cytheria D. Jernigan.

On February 25, 2010, Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Detectives obtained a warrant for the arrest of the man responsible for the 1993 murder of a 31 year old woman south of Denham Springs.  The body of Janet Parker Benoit was discovered August 31st 1993 in a church parking lot on Riverton Ave.  An autopsy indicated that she had been shot thee times with a .38 caliber weapon.  The first solid lead in the case surfaced in November 2007 when, analysts at the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab, made a DNA match linking the victim to her killer.  Armed with this new evidence, Detectives traveled to Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, where the suspect was serving time for an unrelated murder, to interview him.  However, the suspect denied knowing or having ever scene the victim.

Another crucial break in the case came in February 2010, when Detectives discovered, what they believed, was the 38 Caliber Colt revolver used to commit the murder.  They were able to connect this blue steel 2” revolver to the suspect.  Analysts at the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab determined that the weapon was the same gun used to kill the victim.

On February 25, 2010, Detectives again traveled to Angola State Penitentiary to interview the suspect.  This time he gave a full confession to the murder of Ms. Benoit.

42 year old Mark Lewis, who is currently serving a life sentence prison for the 2007 murder of 13 year old Kaitlin  Aydell, has been charged as follows:

• 1 Count Second Degree Murder

SHANDA MOORE, age 26, a resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, pled guilty in federal court today before U.S. District Judge Martin L.C. Feldman to one count of mail fraud relating to fraudulent applications for financial assistance that she submitted to the American Red Cross between September and October 2005, announced U.S. Attorney Jim Letten.

According to court documents, the Red Cross made disaster assistance money of up to $1565 available to those affected by the hurricanes of 2005 on a one-time only basis. MOORE repeatedly applied for and received disaster assistance funds from the American Red Cross on approximately eight (8) occasions throughout the fall of 2005, each time indicating that she hah not yet received any money. In all, MOORE fraudulently obtained approximately $8,490 from the American Red Cross.

MOORE faces a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty (20) years, a $250,0000 fine, restitution to the American Red Cross, and three (3) years of supervised release. Sentencing has been scheduled for June 23, 2010.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter M. Thomson.

United States Attorney David R. Dugas announced that a federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging TAMMY L. COPELAND, age 34, of Denham Springs, Louisiana, with the use of interstate facilities in the commission of a murder-for-hire.

A Criminal Complaint was filed on February 17, 2010, alleging that COPELAND attempted to hire someone to kill her ex-husband who lives in Canada. The indictment alleges that COPELAND used a federally insured credit union and a telephone, and caused another to use a telephone, facilities of interstate commerce, with the intent that the murder be committed in violation of Louisiana law (Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:30.1—second degree murder; 14:28.1—solicitation for murder; and 14:27 and 14:30:2—attempted second degree murder) as consideration for the receipt of $5,000 in United States currency.

If convicted, COPELAND could receive a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Piedrahita.

Beginning Saturday, February 27 at 12:01 a.m., workers plan to temporarily close Highland Road at the Kansas City Southern Railroad Crossing for the weekend as part of a Green Light Plan project to widen the roadway.

The roadway at the railroad crossing east of Interstate 10 will remain temporarily closed over the weekend (February 27 and 28) and will re-open to the traveling public by 5 a.m. on Monday, March 1, weather permitting.  The closure is necessary to install new railroad crossing panels in this area of the project.

Motorists should prepare to use Airline Highway and Perkins Road East as primary roadways for detours.  These detour routes, along with alternate travel directions, are depicted in the detour route reference map attached to this advisory.

Message signs warning of the closure will be posted near the crossing on Highland Road to alert motorists of the roadway closure, and motorists are strongly encouraged to remain alert, focused and exercise caution when traveling in the vicinity.  Travel times may be affected, and motorists are encouraged to factor in potential delays when traveling in the area during the weekend closure.

Work began last January to widen Highland Road from Perkins Road to Airline Highway as part of the Green Light Plan to relieve congestion on major traffic arteries in East Baton Rouge Parish.  The Highland Road project will replace a two-lane undivided roadway with a four-lane boulevard and a raised median from Perkins Road to Airline Highway.  The project will also include new bridge crossings at Ward’s Creek and Old Ward’s Creek and a new railway crossing at the Kansas City Southern Railroad.

Highland Construction Detour

U.S. Attorney David R. Dugas announced today that Chief U.S. District Judge Ralph E. Tyson sentenced Robert Thompson, also known as John Lawson, age 43, of Zachary, La., to a term of 309 years in prison. Thompson, the leader of a massive identity theft and bribery scheme, was sentenced based on charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, computer fraud, access device fraud, aggravated identity theft, money laundering, and obstruction of justice. This is the longest sentence of any white collar offender in the history of the Middle District of Louisiana.

The matter involved Thompson engaging in multiple conspiracies with numerous co-conspirators to obtain and use the personal and financial information of more than 61 individuals, churches, financial institutions and businesses, without their knowledge or authorization, to steal from their bank accounts, and use their credit to obtain things of value, including attempting to steal $20,000,000 from one victim’s bank accounts. To facilitate the scheme, among other things, Thompson bribed a corrections officer at Elyan Hunt Correctional Center $10,000 to provide Thompson with cell phones while an inmate at the facility.

The other charged defendants include:

• Ecknozzio C. Jackson, age 39, of Baton Rouge, La., has pleaded guilty to mail fraud and bank fraud in connection with his agreeing to a $10,000 bribe from Thompson.
• Charlene B. Jackson, age 41, of New Iberia, La., has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering.
• Sedric L. Jackson, age 36, of Baton Rouge, La., has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and obstruct justice.
• Dacobia L. Hamilton, age 32, of Baton Rouge, La., has pleaded guilty to wire fraud.
• Zelbony O. Taylor, age 33, of Baton Rouge, La., has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and obstruct justice.
• Murkel L. Parker, age 34, of Baton Rouge, La., has pleaded guilty to unauthorized use of an access device.
• Barbara Thomas, age 47, of Tallulah, La., has pleaded guilty to wire fraud.
• Kelvin Archie, age 41, of Texas, is charged in a bill of information with one count of use of an unauthorized access device.

This ongoing investigation is being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the security and investigations staff of the Elyan Hunt Correctional Center. Many other agencies have assisted in the investigation, including the Madison Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office, East Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Hardeman County, Tennessee, Sheriff’s Office, the Bolivar, Tennessee Police Department, the Baton Rouge Police Department, and the Louisiana Department of Corrections.

U.S. Attorney David R. Dugas stated, “Investigating and prosecuting individuals engaged in identity theft and corruption is a high priority for the U.S. Department of Justice. This matter illustrates how great results come from collaborative efforts by federal, state, and local agencies. I would especially like to highlight the dedication of the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office throughout the investigation and prosecution of this matter.”

This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey R. Amundson, who serves as a Deputy Criminal Chief, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan A. Stevens.

Detectives have charged MIGUEL GARCIA, 38, 116 ATLAS ROAD, YOUNGSVILLE, LA, with Access Device Fraud, Forgery, Identity Theft and Felony Theft.  Garcia is believed to have used Visa and Mastercard gift cards that had been encoded with the stolen credit card information of several victims to purchase over $8000 worth of goods from various local merchants.

In the early morning hours of Sunday February 14, 2010 a home owner, on Eagle Crest Drive north of Denham Springs, was awakened by a car alarm and saw a man breaking into vehicles parked in his driveway.  The witness was able to get a license plate number and description of the suspect’s vehicle, which he then relayed to authorities.  This led Uniform Patrol Deputies to the address of 10498 White Road, Denham Springs, La., where they located a man exiting the vehicle matching the description given by the witness.  This man was immediately handcuffed and placed into the rear of the patrol car.

Deputies searched the man’s late model Honda sedan and found several dozen stolen items including GPS units, cell phones, book sacks, gasoline cans, cologne bottles, and various other valuables.  Deputies also located 9 dosage units of Klonopin in a small vile.  The man told Deputies that he had been given the drug by another family member with instructions to sell it.  A search of the man’s home revealed even more stolen goods as well as a small amount of marijuana.

As Deputies were recovering the stolen property, the man slipped the hand cuffs off his wrists and escaped from the rear seat of the patrol car.  K-9 units from both the Walker Police Department and the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to scene.  The man was located a short time later hiding in a building across the street.  After several verbal commands the man refused to surrender and a K-9 had to be sent in to make the apprehension.

After receiving medical attention, 18 year old Christopher Blake Turner, a white male who listed his address as 10498 White Road Denham Springs, La., was booked into the Livingston Parish Detention Center on the following charges:
• 1 Count Possession With Intent to Distribute Schedule IV CDS
• 1 Count Possession Schedule I CDS
• 1 Count Aggravated Escape
• 21 Counts of Simple Burglary

As of February 15, 2010 @ 12:00 he remains in jail with his bond was set at $400,000.00.

Most of the items were taken from unlocked vehicles located within a 2 square mile area surrounding the suspect’s home.  Detectives are still processing the stolen merchandise and attempting to connect it to the various victims in the case.  Therefore more charges on Turner are likely.  It is also likely that more people will be arrested in connection with these burglaries as evidence gathered by authorities suggests that Turner did not act alone.