Georgia DNR Charges 7 with 113 Counts in South Ga. Poaching Investigation

Georgia Department of Natural Resources officers charged seven people with a total of 113 poaching-related counts in Dodge and Laurens counties this week.

The investigation sparked by complaints and started in March resulted in search warrants served at the Rentz home of Michael Warren and a home and cabin owned by William Stacy Jones of Eastman on May 18. Evidence seized varied from computers to animal parts, said Sgt. Keith Byers of the DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division. The counts range from hunting deer at night to possession of illegally taken wildlife, hunting out of season and taking over the bag limit. Most involved deer or turkeys.

“In my 28 years (with the division), I’ve never seen anything like this,” Byers said of the amount of evidence and scope of violations.

Those charged were William Stacy Jones, 31, of Eastman (70 charges); Mary Michelle Warren, 28, of Eastman (17 charges); Michael Warren, 30, of Rentz (nine charges); Cody Coleman, 21, of Marietta (six charges); Durwood “Trey” Graham III, 29, of Eastman (four charges); Summer Page, 28, of Rentz (four charges); and, Brandon Brisco, 31, of Eastman (three charges).

Each misdemeanor count carries a maximum penalty of up to a $1,000 fine and up to a year in jail. Other charges are possible. Most were filed in Dodge County. Michael Warren faces five counts in Laurens County.

Byers said complaints about the suspects increased in February. An investigation was opened in March. Two months later, Cpl. Johnny Ashe and Rangers 1st Class Rodney Horne and Barry Britt served search warrants at the homes of William Stacy Jones and Michael Warren, leading to the arrests and the array of charges.

Byers explained that such investigations take time. Rangers spent hours working the case, sorting evidence and making charges. “When looking at evidence you have to basically connect the dots that lead you back to a suspect,” Byers said. “In this case, there were a lot of dots to connect.”

Bonds for the suspects range from $1,500 to $15,000.

Georgians can report game and fish violations by calling the TIP hotline, 1-800-241-4113, or by e-mailing TurnInPoachers@dnr.state.ga.us. For more information, visit www.georgiawildlife.com (select the TIP logo on the bottom of the home page), contact your local Wildlife Resources Division Law Enforcement office or call (770) 918-6414.

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Four Arrested for Plot to Bomb Synagogue and Jewish Community Center and to Shoot Military Planes with Stinger Missiles

LEV L. DASSIN, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, JOSEPH M. DEMAREST, JR., the Assistant-Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), RAYMOND W. KELLY, the Police Commissioner for the City of New York, HARRY J. CORBITT, the Superintendent of the New York State Police ("NYSP"), and DANA SIMMONS, the Brigadier General of the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations ("AFOSI"), announced the arrests last night of JAMES CROMITIE, a/k/a "Abdul Rahman," a/k/a "Abdul Rehman," DAVID WILLIAMS, a/k/a "Daoud," a/k/a "DL," ONTA WILLIAMS, a/k/a "Hamza," and LAGUERRE PAYEN, a/k/a "Amin," a/k/a "Almondo," on charges arising from a plot to detonate explosives near a synagogue in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, New York, and to shoot military planes located at the New York Air National Guard Base at Stewart Airport in Newburgh, New York, with Stinger surface-to-air guided missiles. In their efforts to obtain weapons, the defendants dealt with an informant acting under law enforcement supervision, and the FBI and other agencies monitored the defendants' actions up to the time of arrest, including providing an inactive missile and inert explosives to the informant for the defendants.

The charges, which are contained in a criminal Complaint filed May 19 in White Plains federal court, include conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction in the United States and conspiracy to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles. The defendants are expected to appear in White Plains federal court today. According to the Complaint:

In June 2008, an informant working with the FBI met CROMITIE in Newburgh, New York. CROMITIE explained to the informant that his parents had lived in Afghanistan and that he was upset about the war there and that many Muslim people were being killed in Afghanistan and Pakistan by the United States Military forces. CROMITIE expressed interest in returning to Afghanistan and spoke to the CW about how if he, CROMITIE, were to die a martyr, he would go to "paradise." CROMITIE also expressed an interest in doing "something to America." The following month, CROMITIE and the informant discussed the organization Jaish-e-Mohammed, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization based in Pakistan, with which the informant claimed to be involved. CROMITIE stated to the informant that he, CROMITIE, would be interested in joining Jaish-e-Mohammed to "do jihad."

Beginning in October 2008, the informant began meeting with CROMITIE at a house in Newburgh, New York that the FBI had equipped with concealed video and audio equipment. During meetings at this location, CROMITIE, DAVID WILLIAMS, ONTA WILLIAMS, and PAYEN discussed their desire to attack certain targets in New York, including a synagogue in the Bronx and military aircraft located at the Air National Guard Base. CROMITIE asked the informant to supply surface-to-air guided missiles and explosives for the planned operations. The informant responded that he could provide CROMITIE with C-4 plastic explosives.

Beginning in April 2009, CROMITIE, DAVID WILLIAMS, ONTA WILLIAMS, and PAYEN selected the synagogue and Jewish community center they intended to target, and conducted surveillance, including photographs, of military planes at the Air National Guard Base. In late April 2009, CROMITIE and DAVID WILLIAMS purchased a 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol for use during the planned terrorist operations. At around the same time, CROMITIE and DAVID WILLIAMS traveled to the location from which they could shoot at the military planes using surface-toair guided missiles. In early May 2009, CROMITIE, DAVID WILLIAMS, and PAYEN drove with the informant toward Stamford, Connecticut, to obtain what the defendants were told would be a surface-to-air guided missile system and three improvised explosive devices ("IEDs") containing C-4 plastic explosive material. The informant provided the defendants with a Stinger surface-to-air guided missile provided by the FBI that was not capable of being fired, telling the defendants that he had obtained it from Jaish-e-Mohammed. The informant also provided three IEDs that each contained over 30 pounds of inert C-4 plastic explosives, again telling the defendants that he had obtained them from Jaish-e-Mohammed. CROMITIE, DAVID WILLIAMS, and PAYEN transported these apparent weapons back to Newburgh. Two days later, CROMITIE, DAVID WILLIAMS, ONTA WILLIAMS, and PAYEN met to inspect the "missile system" and the "explosive devices" and to further discuss the logistics of the operation.

CROMITIE, DAVID WILLIAMS, ONTA WILLIAMS, and PAYEN each are charged with one count of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction within the U.S., which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, and one count of conspiracy to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison.

CROMITIE, DAVID WILLIAMS, ONTA WILLIAMS, and PAYEN currently reside in Newburgh, New York.

The charges filed yesterday were the result of the cooperative efforts of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, FBI, NYPD, NYSP, Newburgh City Police Department, Town of New Windsor Police Department, United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and New York State Office of Homeland Security. Mr. DASSIN praised the investigative work and efforts of these agencies.

"As alleged in the Complaint, the defendants wanted to engage in terrorist attacks. They selected targets and sought the weapons necessary to carry out their plans. Fortunately, the defendants sought the assistance of a witness cooperating with the Government. While the weapons provided to the defendants by the cooperating witness were fake, the defendants thought they were absolutely real," said Acting United States Attorney LEV L. DASSIN. "The defendants planned to strike military planes with surface-to-air guided missiles and to destroy a synagogue and a Jewish community center with C-4 plastic explosives. Thanks to the extraordinary, collaborative work of our law enforcement partners, the defendants' plans were thwarted and the defendants are under arrest."

Assistant United States Attorneys ERIC SNYDER and DAVID LEIBOWITZ are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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175 Alleged Gulf Cartel Members and Associates Arrested in Massive International Law Enforcement Operation

Today Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey announced that 175 individuals were arrested today and on September 16, 2008, on charges related to an international drug trafficking cartel in a coordinated enforcement action by hundreds of international, federal, state and local law enforcement officials throughout the United States and Italy. Including the operations announced today, a long-term investigation of one of Mexico’s largest drug trafficking cartels and its U.S. and international distribution networks has resulted in the arrest of more than 500 individuals in the United States, Mexico and Italy to date.

“Project Reckoning,” a multi-agency law enforcement effort led by the DEA, targeted the Mexican drug trafficking cartel known as the Gulf Cartel. Among those indicted are the three alleged leaders of the Gulf Cartel: Ezequiel Cardenas-Guillen, Heriberto Lazcano-Lazcano, and Jorge Eduardo Costilla-Sanchez. These individuals, each designated as Consolidated Priority Organization Targets (CPOTs) by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), have been indicted in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia on charges that they conspired to import drugs into the United States from Mexico. A CPOT designation is reserved for significant narcotics traffickers who are believed to be the leaders of drug trafficking organizations responsible for the importation of large quantities of narcotics into the United States.

The Gulf Cartel is responsible for the transportation of multi-ton quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana from Colombia, Guatemala, Panama, and Mexico to the United States, as well as the distribution of those narcotics within the United States. The Gulf Cartel is also believed to be responsible for laundering multiple millions of dollars in criminal proceeds. Individuals indicted in the cases are charged with a variety of crimes, including: drug trafficking charges related to cocaine and marijuana; solicitation and conspiracy to kidnap; attempted murder; conspiracy to use a firearm in a violent crime; conspiracy to kill and kidnap in a foreign country; interstate and foreign travel in aid of racketeering; money laundering; and other related crimes.

To date, Project Reckoning has resulted in the arrest of 507 individuals and the seizure of approximately $60.1 million in U.S. currency, 16,711 kilograms of cocaine, 1,039 pounds of methamphetamine, 19 pounds of heroin, 51,258 pounds of marijuana, 176 vehicles, and 167 weapons. Project Reckoning, a 15-month investigation, combined into one centrally coordinated effort several multi-district enforcement operations that all involved individuals with close ties to the Gulf Cartel. Operation Dos Equis, Operation Vertigo, Operation Stinger, and Operation The Family, as well as numerous local operations combined to form Project Reckoning.

“By spreading dangerous drugs and resorting to brutal violence, international drug cartels pose an extraordinary threat both here and abroad,” said Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey. “The scope of the threat demands a deliberate and sustained response and the success we have had, such as the takedowns announced today, is due to the combined efforts of federal, state, local, and international law enforcement. Although I am pleased with the efforts so far, we cannot and will not rest on these successes. The threat posed by international drug cartels is too great. It will take all of us working together to prevail.”

“We successfully completed a hard-hitting, coordinated, and massive assault on the powerful and extremely violent Gulf Cartel,” said DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. “We have arrested U.S. cell heads, stripped the cartel of $60 million in cash, imprisoned their brutal assassins, and significantly disrupted their U.S. infrastructure. DEA will continue our relentless attack against this cartel, aiming to dismantle them and stop the violence they inflict on Southwest Border communities.”

“Metro Atlanta unfortunately continues to be a major drug distribution center for the Southeast and beyond. The DEA and our many other law enforcement partners continue to aggressively investigate all aspects of the drug trade,” said U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia David E. Nahmias. “This major case is another example of their effective, coordinated efforts. The two cartel cells indicted in Atlanta acted like many shipping businesses, coordinating the transportation of truckloads of hidden drugs and millions of dollars in currency across the country and to and from Mexico. Through our sophisticated investigation and prosecutions, we have disrupted these organizations, seized large amounts of their poisons and proceeds, and now will work hard to lock up their members for many years to come.”

“This operation exemplifies the European vision of the international fight against drug trafficking,” said Dr. Nicola Gratteri, Italian Public Prosecutor for the Anti-mafia District Attorney's Office of Reggio Calabria, Italy.

These cases are being handled by attorneys in the Northern District of Georgia; Southern District of Texas; Northern District of Texas; Western District of Texas; District of New Jersey; Eastern District of Louisiana; District of New Mexico; Southern District of Florida; Eastern District of North Carolina; Southern District of New York; and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section and Office of International Affairs. In addition, local prosecutions in this case will occur in the states of California, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina and Missouri.

The investigative efforts in Project Reckoning were coordinated by the Justice Department’s Special Operations Division, the DEA, FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Marshals Service, and attorneys from the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section. More than 200 federal, state, local, and foreign law enforcement agencies contributed investigative and prosecutorial resources to Project Reckoning through the OCDETF. Significant assistance was also provided by a coalition of international investigative agencies spearheaded by DEA offices located in Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, and Italy, with assistance from foreign counterparts in each of those countries.

An indictment is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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DHR Supports New Law Requiring All DUI Offenders to be Assessed for Treatment

Effective July 1, the Multiple Offender Program of the Addictive Disease Section of the Department of Human Resources has been renamed the DUI Intervention Program. This change reflects HB 336 recently signed into law by Governor Sonny Perdue. Under the new DUI law, all DUI offenders are required to have a clinical evaluation and, if recommended, complete treatment. Previously, only multiple offenders had to have clinical evaluations.

"We see this as an opportunity to do earlier intervention with Georgia drivers who have significant alcohol problems," states Gwen Skinner, Director for the Georgia Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Addictive Diseases. "As with all chronic diseases, the earlier the diagnosis and treatment, the better."

There are over 200,000 DUI arrests in Georgia each year. Research has estimated that the average driver arrested for a DUI has driven drunk between 400 and 700 times before. Additionally, 50% of first-time DUI offenders have alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence. Therefore, doing clinical evaluations after a first DUI will detect alcohol abuse and dependence for thousands of Georgians years earlier.

Major Mortgage Fraud Scam Busted

DOSSEY RICHARDS, 36, of Atlanta, Georgia; LOVIE HOBBS, a/k/a “Lovie Hobbs Hagwood,” 47, of Lithonia, Georgia; MONTRA McKENZIE, 29, of Atlanta, Georgia; CYRUS DAVIS, 42, of Atlanta, Georgia; MARCUS VICKERS, 35, of Ellenwood, Georgia; RAYSHUAN HARMON, 27, of East Point, Georgia; and MICHELLE DAVILA, 35, of Atlanta, Georgia, have been arrested on a federal criminal complaint related to a mortgage fraud scheme.

United States Attorney David E. Nahmias said, “This is unfortunately another in a long series of major mortgage fraud cases in metro Atlanta. In this case, an entire condominium complex was gutted by fraud and greed. And as we have seen too many times before, one of the defendants charged is a closing attorney, someone the victim lenders retained and trusted to protect them against such fraud, but who instead became a participant in it. Mortgage fraud will remain a high priority for federal law enforcement in North Georgia.”

FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Greg Jones said, “Today's (June 18, 2008) arrests illustrate clearly that the crime of mortgage fraud involves people from all walks of life who unwisely choose to collectively use their various positions and skills to rip off banks or other lending institutions. Mortgage fraud is a complex and prevalent crime problem that the FBI is well suited to address and intends to do just that.”

According to Nahmias and the information presented in court: The complaint alleges one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud based on a mortgage fraud scheme.

Participants in the alleged fraud included DOSSEY RICHARDS, the owner of “Red Hair Investment Group, LLC;” MARCUS VICKERS, d/b/a “Title Depot of America,” a closing attorney in the Atlanta area; MONTRA McKENZIE and CYRUS DAVIS, both mortgage
brokers in the Atlanta area; MICHELLE DAVILA, an employee of Wachovia Bank; and
RASHUAN HARMON, who provided fraudulent appraisals as a part of the scheme. In
addition, LOVIE HOBBS, accused of being a “straw buyer,” is an employee with the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS)in Atlanta.

The properties that are the subject of the charges are units in the “Blue Sky” condominium complex located at 3106 Memorial Drive in Atlanta. It is alleged that the persons named in the criminal complaint conspired to defraud certain lenders by inflating the value of units at Blue Sky.

The fraudulent transactions outlined in the complaint occurred between March and May of 2008. The complaint alleges that the current (as of today) listings of 25 units in the complex range in price of between $2,000 and $28,750; however, the inflated sales prices used to fraudulently obtain inflated loans were between $135, 000 and $155,000. The participants charged include the property owner/seller DOSSEY RICHARDS as well as the straw buyer/borrower LOVIE HOBBS. As in most mortgage fraud cases, prior inflated loans obtained for units in Blue Sky have gone into foreclosure, causing losses to the victim lenders.

The defendants each face a possible maximum term of 30 years in federal prison. In determining the actual sentence, the Court will consider the United States Sentencing
Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most
offenders.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment contains only allegations. A
defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government's burden to
prove a defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by Special Agents of the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Barbara Nelan is prosecuting the case.