News

Baltimore, Maryland – An illegal alien, who is a citizen of Romania and Ireland, received a federal prison term today for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin sentenced Fabritio Sardaru, 22, to two years in prison for his role in a Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits fraud conspiracy. 

Baltimore, Maryland – A Baltimore County man pled guilty in federal court today to bribing a Baltimore City official.James Carroll Erny, Jr., 55, of Glen Arm, Maryland, who is charged with bribery, admitted to paying at least $25,000 in bribes to Joseph Gillespie, a former Baltimore City Department of Finance employee. 

Baltimore, Maryland – A Baltimore man received his sentence today for his role in a drug-trafficking conspiracy. U.S. District Court Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Rivers Stewart, 55, to eight years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Baltimore, Maryland – A Baltimore man is headed to federal prison for more than a decade for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. U.S. Chief District Judge George L. Russell sentenced David Funderburk, 47, to 125 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. 

Baltimore, Maryland – A Maryland man and his California co-conspirator pled guilty in federal court in connection with drug trafficking crimes. Norville Clarke, 56, of Clarksburg, Maryland, and Daniel Cruz, 39, of Los Angeles, California, are both charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. 

Greenbelt, Maryland – A Russian national pled guilty in federal court today to a charge connected to a ransomware conspiracy. Evgenii Ptitsyn, 43, administered the sale, distribution, and operation of Phobos ransomware. Phobos ransomware, through its affiliates, victimized more than 1,000 public and private entities in the United States and around the world, and extorted ransom payments worth more than $39 million. 

Baltimore, Maryland – A Gwynn Oak, Maryland, man received a federal-prison term today after pleading guilty to committing identity theft crimes. U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson sentenced Beautiful Life Allah aka “Tezelle Miller,” aka “Tezell Miller,” 66, of Gwynn Oak, Maryland, to three years in prison, followed by one year of supervised release.

Baltimore, Maryland – A former office manager learned her fate in federal court in connection with an embezzlement scheme.U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox sentenced Tammy Barcus, 57, of Berlin, Maryland, to 48 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and tax evasion. 

Baltimore, Maryland – A former Harford County Sheriff’s Office detective learned his fate in federal court today, in connection with child sex exploitation crimes. U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson sentenced Ryan Christopher Hall, 51, of Woodstock, Maryland, to 36 years in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for the sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child sexual abuse material. 

Baltimore, Maryland – Today, a recidivist sex offender pled guilty in federal court to more child sex abuse crimes. Patrick Daniel McKernan, 45, of Pasadena, Maryland, is charged with the sexual exploitation of a child as he persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced a minor victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct.

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes announced the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland’s recent prosecutions in connection with the Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America, including sentencing for an illegal alien who resisted arrest. 

Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal jury convicted a prominent appellate attorney who argued more than 40 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, and co-founded the widely read legal website SCOTUSblog, of tax and mortgage fraud.