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FBI

Philly HS Teacher Who 'Catfished' Teen Girls Gets 30 Years In Prison: USDOJ Philly HS Teacher Who 'Catfished' Teen Girls Gets 30 Years In Prison: USDOJ
Philly HS Teacher Who 'Catfished' Teen Girls Gets 30 Years In Prison: Usdoj A Philadelphia teacher who posed as a student to get teenage girls to send him nudes has been sentenced to 30 years in prison the US Department of Justice announced on Wednesday, Sept. 11.  Jeremy Schobel, 33, of Philadelphia, was an English teacher at Harriton High School in Lower Merion Township and the High School of Creative and Performing Arts in Philadelphia when he created the Snapchat and Yubo accounts that he used to "entice young teenage girls, including one who was a student at his school," as stated in the USDOJ release.  For over three years Schobel posed as fictional…
Bucks County Man Pleads Guilty To Trafficking Fake Opioid Pills Online Bucks County Man Pleads Guilty To Trafficking Fake Opioid Pills Online
Bucks County Man Pleads Guilty To Trafficking Fake Opioid Pills Online A 38-year-old man from Bucks County pleaded guilty to trafficking counterfeit opioid pills. Robert Davis, 36, of Bensalem, pleaded guilty on Aug. 28, according to U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero. The pills were meant to be used as props in films but were instead used by drug dealers billed as oxycodone or Xanax, Romero said. The defendant was charged in a superseding indictment on May 9, 2023, with selling counterfeit opioid pills through his website, rcproppill, advertising the fake pills for use as props in films or music videos, from about 2015 through August 2019. The counterfe…
Bomb Threat On American Airlines Flight Diverts Plane From NJ To PA: Report Bomb Threat On American Airlines Flight Diverts Plane From NJ To PA: Report
Bomb Threat On American Airlines Flight Diverts Plane From NJ To PA: Report An American Airlines flight was diverted from Newark, New Jersey on its way to Dallas, Texas on Wednesday morning, Sept. 4, according to flight logs.  The flight, AA 1603, was diverted to Pittsburgh International Airport allegedly due to a bomb threat, as WPXI Channel 11 reported.  A flight attendant using the restroom supposedly spotted a "barely legible note written in pink pen on the door that said 'there’s a bomb on board,'" the outlet reported citing the FBI.  The plane left EWR at 8:06 a.m., diverting and landing at PIT at 10:15 a.m., flight logs show. The landing at …
Repeat PA Sex Offender Returned To Prison For Child Porn Charges: USDOJ Repeat PA Sex Offender Returned To Prison For Child Porn Charges: USDOJ
Repeat PA Sex Offender Returned To Prison For Child Porn Charges: Usdoj A repeat sex offender from Philadelphia has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for possessing child pornography, authorities said. Christopher Daniels, 34, also was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Juan R. Sánchez to 15 years of supervised release for repeated child pornography and related offenses, U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero said on Wednesday, Aug. 28. Daniels was charged with those violations in an August 2023 superseding indictment, and in March of this year, a federal jury convicted the defendant of all six counts against him, including receiving child pornography as a s…
Grand Jury Indicts Inmate With Shank In Schuylkill County Federal Prison Grand Jury Indicts Inmate With Shank In Schuylkill County Federal Prison
Grand Jury Indicts Inmate With Shank In Schuylkill County Federal Prison A federal prisoner from York has been indicted for possessing a shank in a Pennsylvania facility, authorities said. Anthony Gilbert-Brown, 29, a federal inmate incarcerated at FCI Schuylkill in Minersville, was indicted Wednesday, Aug. 28 by a federal grand jury on the charge of possession of a weapon, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The indictment charges Gilbert-Brown with possessing a prohibited object designed to be used as a weapon, commonly known as a “shank," according to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam. The case was investigated by the FBI and the Special Investigative Servi…
Schuylkill County Man Threatened FBI Agents On Social Media: USDOJ Schuylkill County Man Threatened FBI Agents On Social Media: USDOJ
Schuylkill County Man Threatened FBI Agents On Social Media: Usdoj A 42-year-old Schuylkill County man used social media to threaten FBI agents, authorities said. Joshua Frisch, of Frackville, was sentenced on Aug. 7, to time served (six months) and three years of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Julia K. Munley for one count of Influencing a Federal Official by Threat, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Frisch previously pleaded guilty to threatening federal law enforcement officers, namely FBI Agents, with the intent to interfere with those officers in the performance of their official duties, according to U.S. Attorney…
Philly Man Who Sex Trafficked Child In Bucks, Delco Sentenced: USDOJ Philly Man Who Sex Trafficked Child In Bucks, Delco Sentenced: USDOJ
Kevin L. Smith Sentenced For Sex Trafficking In Bucks, Delco A 29-year-old Philadelphia man has been sentenced to 23 years in federal prison for sex trafficking multiple victims including a minor, authorities said. Kevin L. Smith was sentenced on Wednesday, July 31, according to U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero. The charges stemmed from Smith’s operation of a sex trafficking ring in Philadelphia and the surrounding region, including Bucks and Delaware counties.  In September 2019, Smith knowingly harbored, maintained, and advertised a minor, knowing the minor would be caused to engage in sex for money, Romero said.  The defendant also o…
Reading Man Sentenced For Trying To Kill FBI Agents: Prosecutors Reading Man Sentenced For Trying To Kill FBI Agents: Prosecutors
Reading Man Sentenced For Trying To Kill FBI Agents: Prosecutors A Reading man was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison for the attempted murder of three FBI agents, according to the US Attorney's Office.  Rafael Vega-Rodriguez, 42, was also given five years of supervised release, a $4,500 fine, and an $800 special assessment, prosecutors said in a release on Wednesday, July 24.  Authorities said Vega-Rodriguez was wanted for a state parole violation when the agents spotted him on West Greenwich Street on March 1, 2020. They tried to stop him but Vega-Rodriguez drew a handgun from his waistband and opened fire as he fled, authorities …
Armored Truck Robbers Wanted In Chester: Delaware County DA (UPDATED) Armored Truck Robbers Wanted In Chester: Delaware County DA (UPDATED)
Armored Truck Robbers Wanted In Chester: Delaware County DA (Updated) A Brinks armored truck was robbed at gunpoint on Tuesday afternoon, July 16, according to authorities.  Two suspects held up the truck at the Autozone near 9th Street and Avenue of the State around 12:15 p.m., the Delaware County District Attorney's Office said. The assaulted the driver and stole his weapon before making off with an unknown sum of cash, investigators believe.  Pictures show one suspect wore a blue jacket that said "public safety" across the upper back and the other wore a dark jacket with safety reflectors.  They fled in a dark Nissan Pathfinder wi…
Philadelphia 'Proud Boy' Sentenced For Jan. 6 Capitol Riot: Feds Philadelphia 'Proud Boy' Sentenced For Jan. 6 Capitol Riot: Feds
Philadelphia 'Proud Boy' Sentenced For Jan. 6 Capitol Riot: Feds A Delaware County man was sentenced to 100 days in prison for charges related to the US Capitol riots on Jan. 6, 2021, according to federal prosecutors.  Brian Healion, 33, of Upper Darby, previously pleaded guilty to one count of civil disorder in February, said the US Attorney's Office.  Court documents alleged Healion was a member of the Philadelphia "Proud Boys" chapter and "traveled to Washington, D.C., to protest Congress's certification of the Electoral College vote for the 2020 presidential election." Authorities claimed Healion marched with 100 other members of the group…
PA Police Officer's Supreme Court Case Changes Federal Obstruction Statue PA Police Officer's Supreme Court Case Changes Federal Obstruction Statue
PA Police Officer's Supreme Court Case Changes Federal Obstruction Statue A police officer in Pennsylvania who participated in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot has taken his case to the US Supreme Court — which led to a major decision on Friday, June 28, 2024.  Joseph W. Fischer, 57 of Jonestown, was an officer with the North Cornwall Township Police Department when he was arrested in connection with his role in the riot, according to federal court documents obtained by Daily Voice.  On Jan. 6, he was at “the front of the pack pushing against police” and was spotted on police body cam video yelling “Charge!” as stated in the affidavit.  Later, Fischer…
Schuylkill County Man Faces Federal Meth Trafficking Charges Schuylkill County Man Faces Federal Meth Trafficking Charges
Schuylkill County Man Faces Federal Meth Trafficking Charges Federal prosecutors have accused a Schuylkill Haven resident of selling methamphetamine.  John Kyle Smith, 40, is charged with possession with intent to distribute, said the US Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Prosecutors said the charges stem from an incident on Feb. 29.  If convicted, Smith could face up to 20 years in prison plus a period of supervised release and a fine, according to officials.  The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the state Attorney General's Bureau of Narcotics Investigations. 
Reality Bites NJ ‘Real Housewives’ Ex Convicted Of Hiring Mobster To Beat Wife’s New Man Reality Bites NJ ‘Real Housewives’ Ex Convicted Of Hiring Mobster To Beat Wife’s New Man
Reality Bites NJ ‘Real Housewives’ Ex Convicted Of Hiring Mobster To Beat Wife’s New Man 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: Reality bit the ex-husband of “Real Housewives of New Jersey” cast member Dina Manzo when he was convicted Tuesday of getting a mob soldier to throw her new beau a beating. Restaurateur Thomas Manzo, 59, who lives in the affluent Bergen County suburb of Franklin Lakes, rejected a plea deal from federal prosecutors and took his chances with a jury. That didn’t go so good. Jurors in U.S. District Court in Newark convicted Manzo on June 4 of committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering, along with conspiracy and falsifying documents during a grand jury investigation. Althou…
Confessed NJ/Philly Sex Trafficker Who Beat, Threatened Victims Gets 10 Years, No Early Release Confessed NJ/Philly Sex Trafficker Who Beat, Threatened Victims Gets 10 Years, No Early Release
Confessed NJ/Philly Sex Trafficker Who Beat, Threatened Victims Gets 10 Years, No Early Release UPDATE: A confessed sex trafficker from Philadelphia was sentenced in federal court in New Jersey to 10 years in prison. Mallie M. Evans, 37, must spend at least 8½ years behind bars before he’ll be eligible for release because there’s no parole in the federal prison system. Evans “recruited and coerced multiple victims” as prostitutes, shuttling them between Philly and Central and South Jersey, U.S. Attorney For New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. “Evans used fraud, emotional manipulation, physical violence, and threats of death and bodily injury to coerce the victims into engaging in co…
23-Year-Old Taiwanese Operator Of $100 Million Dark Web Drug Market Seized By Feds At JFK 23-Year-Old Taiwanese Operator Of $100 Million Dark Web Drug Market Seized By Feds At JFK
23-Year-Old Taiwanese Operator Of $100 Million Dark Web Drug Market Seized By Feds At JFK Federal agents at JFK Airport seized a 23-year-old Taiwanese national who the Justice Department said owned and operated a dark web drug bazaar that produced well over $100 million in sales. The “Incognito Market” created by Rui-Siang Lin enabled its users to anonymously buy and sell drugs around the globe for nearly 3½ years, US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and other federal officials announced on Monday, May 20. Lin -- also known as Ruisiang Lin, 林睿庠, Pharoah, and faro – mastermineded a clandestine e-commerce network where buyers could browse thousands of listings for heroin, LSD, …
Member Of Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners On 'Hit List' In NJ, NY, PA, Sentenced Member Of Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners On 'Hit List' In NJ, NY, PA, Sentenced
Member Of Burglary Crew That Targeted Asian Homeowners On 'Hit List' In NJ, NY, PA, Sentenced 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A confessed member of a burglary ring that targeted Asian-American small business owners in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison. Kevin Jackson, 57, of Rahway, NJ, must serve a little over two years before he'll be eligible for release because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Jackson was part of a second-story crew that the FBI said worked from a hit list of dozens of homes in the four states based on “stereotype and opportunity" from Dec. 2, 2016, to March 20, 2019. One of Jackson's associates told detectives t…
Trafficker Who Mailed Hundreds Of Pounds Of Coke From PR To South Jersey, Philly Gets 10 Years Trafficker Who Mailed Hundreds Of Pounds Of Coke From PR To South Jersey, Philly Gets 10 Years
Trafficker Who Mailed Hundreds Of Pounds Of Coke From PR To South Jersey, Philly Gets 10 Years 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A manager of a crew that purchased hundreds of pounds of cocaine in Puerto Rico that they shipped to South Jersey and Philadelphia via overnight mail was sentenced to a plea-bargained 10 years in federal prison. Philly resident Jose Gonzalez, 51, and his co-conspirators flew to San Juan on dozens of commercial flights from Philadelphia International Airport, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Phillip Sellinger said. They paid cash there for multi-kilo quantities of coke, then used overnight delivery from U.S. Post Office branches in San Juan to ship it to various addresses in Philade…
Lebanon Sextortionist Sentenced After Swindling $150K From Victim: USDOJ Lebanon Sextortionist Sentenced After Swindling $150K From Victim: USDOJ
Lebanon Sextortionist Sentenced After Swindling $150K From Victim: Usdoj A Lebanon man has admitted to sextorting someone out of $150,000, according to a release by the US Department of Justice on Tuesday, April 30. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that 35-year-old John Anthony Zayas was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Court Judge Sylvia H. Rambo on Wednesday, April 24.  Zayas previously pleaded guilty to "extortion by interstate communication" as stated in the release. In the fall of 2022, he had threatened to "publicize intimate photos and images of the victim" if they did not…
PA Man Convicted For Torturing Estonian In Iraq: FBI PA Man Convicted For Torturing Estonian In Iraq: FBI
PA Man Convicted For Torturing Estonian In Iraq: FBI A US Army veteran from Stroudsburg will spend the next 70 years in prison for torturing an employee at his illegal weapons facility in Iraq, according to the FBI.  Federal investigators said Ross Roggio directed Kurdish soldiers to kidnap the victim, his own employee, and hold him hostage at a military installation for 39 days.  The employee, an Estonian national, planned to blow the whistle on the illegal activities going on at Roggio's facility in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, according to authorities.  While in captivity, federal investigators said the employee was "…
Fourth Body Recovered From Baltimore Bridge Collapse Fourth Body Recovered From Baltimore Bridge Collapse
Fourth Body Recovered From Baltimore Bridge Collapse A fourth body has been recovered from the scene of the Baltimore's Key Bridge collapse, responders announced. Unified Command said only that the body was that of a construction worker presumed dead in the collapse on Tuesday, March 26. The body was recovered Sunday, April 14. The victim will not be identified at the family's request but was positively identified on Monday, April 15 by the medical examiner. On Friday, April 5, divers located the body of Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, 38, from the Patapsco River, Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott said. The bodies of 35-year-old Alejan…
FBI Takes Down Philadelphia Drug Trafficking Ring: 17 Arrested, 43 Pounds Of Drugs Seized: AG FBI Takes Down Philadelphia Drug Trafficking Ring: 17 Arrested, 43 Pounds Of Drugs Seized: AG
FBI Takes Down Philadelphia Drug Trafficking Ring: 17 Arrested, 43 Pounds Of Drugs Seized: AG A months-long investigation involving the FBI led to the arrest of 17 drug traffickers in the Philadelphia area and the seizure of illegal guns, drugs, and cash. Vincent Lofton, 60, one of the alleged heads of the trafficking network, was arrested, along with 16 other people at various locations after search warrants were executed Tuesday, April 9, Attorney General Michelle Henry, said. He was arraigned Wednesday and bail was set at $1 million. Investigators served more than a dozen search warrants at homes and on vehicles vehicles, and a financial institution. Others arrested include…
2 Rescued, More Missing In Baltimore's Key Bridge Collapse (UPDATES) 2 Rescued, More Missing In Baltimore's Key Bridge Collapse (UPDATES)
2 Rescued, More Missing In Baltimore's Key Bridge Collapse (Updates) A large-scale search and rescue effort was under way Tuesday morning, March 26 in Baltimore following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Multiple cars were sent into the water below, bringing the Coast Guard and emergency response teams to the scene along Interstate 695 at approximately 1:30 a.m., when a cargo ship struck a portion of the bridge. Two people had been rescued as of 10:20 a.m., according to the Washington Post. At least six other construction workers remain unaccounted for, and another hospitalized, the news agency said. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott decl…
Four Caught, One Sought In Brutal Stabbing Death Outside Garfield Bar Four Caught, One Sought In Brutal Stabbing Death Outside Garfield Bar
Four Caught, One Sought In Brutal Stabbing Death Outside Garfield Bar Authorities who’ve charged four men with the brutal murder of a man outside a Garfield bar last month turned to the public for help finding a fugitive gang member from Pennsylvania who sources said repeatedly stabbed the victim in the chest. Ricky “Angel” Vargas, 35, of East Stroudsburg, PA, and his four companions confronted Richard Franceschi, 31, of Hawthorne outside JoJo's Bar & Grill on Monroe Street before dawn this past Feb. 4, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Vargas had a knife and co-defendant Jayson William Rivera, 23, also of East Stroudsburg, had a handgun, the pr…
PA Drug Dealer Federally Indicted For Methamphetamine Sales: USDOJ PA Drug Dealer Federally Indicted For Methamphetamine Sales: USDOJ
PA Drug Dealer Federally Indicted For Methamphetamine Sales: Usdoj A federal grand jury indicted a Luzerne County man on drug trafficking charges this week, according to the US Attorney's Office.  Benjamin Woytas, 34, of Wilkes-Barre Township, is accused of distributing methamphetamine in Luzerne County in August 2023, said USA Gerard Karam in a release.  The maximum penalty for the charges is a 40-year prison term followed by supervised release and a fine, prosecutors said.  In addition to the FBI, the county Drug Task Force investigated the case.  Woytas was charged with drug possession in Hudson County, New Jersey, in 2020.&nb…
'Fitness Guru' With 'Sex Slave Training Program' May Have More Victims In Philly Area: FBI 'Fitness Guru' With 'Sex Slave Training Program' May Have More Victims In Philly Area: FBI
'Fitness Guru' With 'Sex Slave Training Program' May Have More Victims In Philly Area: FBI A California man is facing federal charges out of the FBI's Philadelphia Field Office for a child exploitation scheme, and authorities believe he may have more victims in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. According to the FBI, John Douglas Burch, of Santa Monica, began praying on girls as early as 2014, and has been charged in an indictment with traveling to engage in illicit sexual conduct and enticement of a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct and prostitution, United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero and FBI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs said. …
Foreign Citizen Who Threatened To Assassinate Joe Biden, Donald Trump Goes To Prison In PA Foreign Citizen Who Threatened To Assassinate Joe Biden, Donald Trump Goes To Prison In PA
Foreign Citizen Who Threatened To Assassinate Joe Biden, Donald Trump Goes To Prison In PA A Somalian man living in Pennsylvania threatened to assassinate President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, and now he's in a Pennsylvania Prison, according to a release by the US Department of Justice on March 15, 2024. Mohamed Farah, 34, who was living in Cumberland County, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson to three years’ imprisonment on Wednesday, March 13.  Following his release, the Court has also imposed a three-year term of probation.  "The indictment alleges that in January 2022, Farah, who is a citizen of Somalia, threatened to ass…
Pennsylvania Man Who Purchased Human Body Parts On Facebook Sentenced Pennsylvania Man Who Purchased Human Body Parts On Facebook Sentenced
Pennsylvania Man Who Purchased Human Body Parts On Facebook Sentenced A 41-year-old man who purchased human body parts from a woman in Arkansas through Facebook has been sentenced in a Pennsylvania court on Tuesday, March 5.  Jeremy Pauley, originally of Enola, Cumberland County but most recently of Thompson, Susquehanna County, has been sentenced to two years of probation for his role in a national illegal human body parts selling scheme involving a funeral home and the Harvard morgue, as Daily Voice previously reported.  He has been under investigation by local police and the FBI since authorities received a call about "suspicious activi…
FBI Captures Bucks County Carjackers From Philadelphia: Police FBI Captures Bucks County Carjackers From Philadelphia: Police
FBI Captures Bucks County Carjackers From Philadelphia: Police Two Philadelphia men have been arrested in a November 2021 carjacking in Bucks County, authorities said. Jonathan Akubu, 30, and Dean Fosque, 26, both of Philadelphia, approached the victim in his Feasterville driveway around 3:15 a.m. on Nov. 11, 2021, Lower Southampton Township police said Friday, March 1. The men pulled out handguns and physically stole the keys to his 2021 Toyota Venza. One man drove off in the Toyota and the other in a Kia. The FBI charged Akubu and Fosque.
Drug Dealer Ran 'Large-Scale Trafficking Org' Near Philly School: Feds Drug Dealer Ran 'Large-Scale Trafficking Org' Near Philly School: Feds
Drug Dealer Ran 'Large-Scale Trafficking Org' Near Philly School: Feds A city man was dealing drugs wholesale "in the immediate vicinity" of a Philadelphia middle school, a federal court found last week.  Phillip Gillard, 46, was convicted at trial on multiple drug trafficking and firearm offenses, said the US Attorney's Office.  A two-year investigation found the "Gillard drug trafficking organization" was supplying area dealers with wholesale quantities of methamphetamine, PCP, fentanyl, and other narcotics, according to the FBI.  Authorities believe Gillard and others maintained three properties in the city's Port Richmond section for d…
Anti-Jewish AND Muslim Hate Lands Philly Man Federal Charges: USDOJ Anti-Jewish AND Muslim Hate Lands Philly Man Federal Charges: USDOJ
Anti-Jewish AND Muslim Hate Lands Philly Man Federal Charges: Usdoj A Philadelphia man is charged with communicating threats across state lines, according to federal prosecutors.  Yaniv Gola, 50, is accused of threatening to "injure, rape and kill" eight different people over the phone, said the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.  Investigators claim Gola used a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service to hide his real phone number from the victims. Investigators believe the calls took place between August 2022 and November 2023.  "You (expletive) Jew, now I know where you are," he allegedly said in one call. "…
Bucks County Man Sentenced For Trafficking Meth In York County: USDOJ Bucks County Man Sentenced For Trafficking Meth In York County: USDOJ
Matthew Moss Sentenced For Meth Trafficking In York: Feds A Warminster man was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison for selling methamphetamine in York County, according to the US Attorney's Office.  Matthew Moss, 37, previously pleaded guilty to possessing more than 270 grams of meth for distribution, said prosecutors in a release.  Investigators said they went undercover and purchased 140 grams from Moss in York County in November 2021. He fled when they tried to arrest him and led authorities on a vehicle and foot chase, officials said.  When captured, Moss had an additional 133 grams of 96-percent-pure meth in his …