Tag: Sentenced

Palm Bay Woman Sentenced To 30 Years For Sexually Exploiting Children

U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced Rose Beth Litzky (33, Palm Bay) to 30 years in federal prison for conspiring to sexually exploit children, sexually exploiting children, and possessing child pornography.


U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced Rose Beth Litzky (33, Palm Bay) to 30 years in federal prison for conspiring to sexually exploit children, sexually exploiting children, and possessing child pornography. 

A federal jury had found Litzky guilty on July 29, 2019.

According to the evidence presented at trial, between 2014 and 2016, Litzky conspired with her boyfriend, Roberto Oquendo, to sexually exploit two young children in her custody and care.

Litzky, who lived in Florida, caused the children to engage in sexually explicit conduct while Oquendo watched using a video and messaging app from his residence in Virginia.

Oquendo created hundreds of screenshots of the explicit visual depictions and transported them to Brevard County, where law enforcement found them on his cell phone.  

During an interview with law enforcement officers, Litzky also admitted to producing hundreds of sexually explicit pictures of the children and texting them to Oquendo for his sexual gratification. Law enforcement searched Litzky’s phone and found a sexually explicit image of one of the children, who was two years old at the time the picture was taken.

On August 26, 2019, U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. sentenced Oquendo to 50 years in federal prison for his role in the offenses.

“Child pornography is a despicable crime so I commend the efforts of the agents and federal prosecutors who are relentless in their work to ensure children are protected from these sexual predators,” said Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Tampa Division Michael McPherson.

“I am so very proud of these agents who are devoted to protecting children by making sure the evil men and women who hurt them are brought to justice,” stated Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey. “These cases are an example of how cooperation between agencies keeps our children safe. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecuting these cases and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for all of their support in fighting the exploitation of children.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ilianys River Miranda and Karen L. Gable.

This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. 

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Justice.gov (February, 2020) Palm Bay Woman Sentenced To 30 Years for Sexually Exploiting Children

Illegal alien sentenced to 25 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin

Ubaldo Soto-Diaz, an illegal alien from Mexico, but residing in Portersville, California, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin


Ubaldo Soto-Diaz, an illegal alien from Mexico, but residing in Portersville, California, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Seattle Debra Parker and U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced.

Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Soto-Diaz to pay a $2,000 fine and serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Soto-Diaz pleaded guilty to the charge on July 18, 2019.

According to court records, Soto-Diaz admitted that between August 28, 2018, and January 28, 2019, he conspired with six other defendants to distribute methamphetamine and heroin.

Soto-Diaz was found to be the leader and organizer of an extensive criminal organization that was responsible for distributing high potency methamphetamine, manufactured in Mexico and then transported from California to Idaho. During their investigation of Soto-Diaz and his organization, DEA agents seized over thirty pounds of 100% pure methamphetamine and almost two pounds of black tar heroin.

According to court records, Soto-Diaz had previously been convicted of transporting a controlled substance in 2000 and possession of controlled substances for sale in 2009. He was deported to Mexico on May 17, 2010. He was found to be illegally present in the United States on May 26, 2010, and was convicted of illegal entry.

He again illegally returned to the United States and was convicted of possession of controlled substances for sale and unlawful possession of a firearm in 2012. At the time Soto-Diaz conspired to distribute methamphetamine and heroin to Idaho, he was illegally living in Portersville, California.

This case was a result of a joint investigation with Drug Enforcement Administration, Nampa Police Department, Canyon County Narcotics Unit, and Ada County Sheriff’s Office.

This indictment is the result of a joint investigation by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multijurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies.

The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. Program participants include HSI; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; and U.S. Marshals Service.

As the largest investigative agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), HSI investigates and enforces more than 400 federal criminal statutes – more than any other U.S. law enforcement agency. HSI special agents use this authority to investigate cross-border criminal activity – including drug trafficking – and work in close coordination with local state and federal law enforcement agencies to target transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) that are bringing dangerous substances, such as illicit fentanyl, into the community.

ICE.gov (Feb., 2020)  Illegal alien sentenced to 25 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin

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Wannabe Mass Shooters Sentenced

In 2018, they traveled to Columbine High School to visit the site of the 1999 school shooting, where they took pictures of themselves dressed like the shooters and posing with weapons.


Couple’s Obsession Led Them to Plan Attack

Elizabeth Lecron and Vincent Armstrong were obsessed with mass shooters

The Toledo, Ohio, couple immersed themselves in online subculture dedicated to the topic. In 2018, they traveled to Columbine High School to visit the site of the 1999 school shooting, where they took pictures of themselves dressed like the shooters and posing with weapons.

Lecron also wrote to one notorious mass shooter in prison to express her admiration for him.

But investigators say it wasn’t just a morbid fascination.

The couple, led by Lecron, wrote detailed plans making it clear they intended to become mass shooters themselves. They expressed violent, anti-government beliefs and their plans to act on them.

“Unfortunately, we address these types of threats frequently,” said Special Agent Ryan Presley, who oversaw this investigation out of the FBI’s Cleveland Field Office. “The challenge is figuring out who is just talking and who is making serious plans.”

In this case, the would-be shooters documented their violent plans.

Thankfully, a concerned citizen who became aware of their activity called the Toledo Police Department, which shared the tip with Detective Louie Espinosa and FBI Special Agent Sara Pedersen of the Bureau’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).

The JTTF learned that the couple’s plans were serious and that they had stockpiled weapons and bomb-making materials.

Lecron and Armstrong had scouted out venues for their attacks. One was a Toledo business the couple frequented. They knew the business had few entrances and exits, which they thought would make it difficult for potential victims to escape. They discussed details down to the type of shoes they would wear and how to create a diversion at the scene.

With the overwhelming evidence against them, Lecron and Armstrong both pleaded guilty. Lecron admitted to providing material support to terrorism and was sentenced in November 2019 to 15 years in prison. Armstrong pleaded guilty to a lesser conspiracy charge and was sentenced in December 2019 to six years.

Lecron’s prosecution is believed to be the first time a material support charge—a very serious charge usually brought against international terrorism suspects—has been used in a domestic terrorism case. Presley attributed this to the work of the investigative team and partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Ohio.

And without the tip from the concerned citizen, this story could have ended in a mass shooting—instead, the two would-be shooters are behind bars.

“I can’t say enough good things about the Toledo Police Department,” Presley said. “They have created an environment in which citizens feel comfortable bringing these types of things forward. This is an example of why the JTTF model works—everyone worked together to keep our community safe from a potentially dangerous threat.”

Resources

FBI.gov (Jan. 2020).  Would-Be Mass Shooters Sentenced

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Air Force Colonel Sentenced for Receiving Child Pornography

An Air Force Colonel was sentenced today to five years in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for receiving child pornography.


An Air Force Colonel was sentenced today to five years in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for receiving child pornography.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger for the Eastern District of Virginia made the announcement.

“According to admissions made in connection with his plea agreement, between November 2015 and June 2016, Mark Visconi, 48, received and attempted to receive child pornography using the Internet. Visconi used an online bulletin board dedicated to the sharing of child pornography that operated on the anonymous Tor network to download child pornography. A forensic review of his laptop showed that Visconi downloaded and viewed numerous child pornography images and videos.  Visconi previously pleaded guilty on Oct. 4, 2019.”

“Visconi also admitted to using his cell phone to create hundreds of apparently surreptitious pictures that were focused on the clothed buttocks of minor girls, including images that appear to have been taken with a camera angled upward underneath a minor’s skirt or loose shorts so as to depict or attempt to depict the minor’s underwear.”    

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. Trial Attorney Gwendelynn Bills of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Russell of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. 

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Photo: Col. Mark Visconi, shown in this 2007 photo as a Major, pleaded guilty to child pornography charges and was sentenced to five years in prison. (David Armer/Air Force)

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Huntington Man Sentenced for Illegally Accessing Veterans’ Records

A Huntington, West Virginia man was sentenced to six months in prison for illegally accessing the medical records of six veterans, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart.


A Huntington, West Virginia man was sentenced to six months in prison for illegally accessing the medical records of six veterans, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. 

Jeffrey Miller, 40, a former Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) employee, was also sentenced to one year of supervised release.

“We must protect our veterans. Miller used his position with the Veterans Benefits Administration to illegally access the medical records of veterans,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Medical records are protected information and veterans have an expectation and right of privacy. We will prosecute anyone who violates our veterans.”

Miller previously admitted that he illegally accessed the medical records of six veterans between January and May of 2018. 

Miller further admitted that he took a picture of the medical records of former West Virginia State Senator Richard Ojeda, and then sent the picture to an acquaintance.

The Department of Veterans Affairs – Officer of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted the investigation. United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing and Assistant United States Attorney Stefan Hasselblad handled the prosecution.

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