Dad, son lived high-end lifestyle as ‘major' drug traffickers in Ohio, feds say
An Ohio father and son are accused of running a 'major' narcotics trafficking operation and living an 'extravagant lifestyle' together funded by the drug money, federal prosecutors say.
Stephen Wheeler, 49, and his 30-year-old son, Romello Wheeler, worked as a team and shared a 'luxury' apartment in downtown Cincinnati with a monthly rent of more than $4,000, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio said in a June 23 news release.
But their expensive tastes weren't limited to housing, according to officials.
McClatchy News reached out to attorneys listed for the men but didn't immediately receive a response.
'Throughout the eight-month investigation, the defendants drove nine different high-end vehicles, traveled extensively throughout the United States and internationally, and purchased front-row tickets with field passes for the Halftime Show for the Super Bowl in Los Angeles,' the release said.
The DEA launched an investigation into the Wheelers in July 2022, which ended in their arrests in February 2023, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court.
In court records, a DEA agent described the Wheeler's operation as a 'large scale drug trafficking organization that is a major source of illegal narcotics in Cincinnati, Ohio, including cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and marijuana.'
Stephen Wheeler was the head of the organization and his son was the primary distributor, records said.
Investigators surveilled the Wheelers visiting various stash houses, though they took measures to avoid being caught, including altering their appearance and changing clothing, documents read. They would also 'regularly conduct counter surveillance measures, such as driving evasively, systematically driving in indirect routes with frequent stops to watch traffic and identify law enforcement.'
On Feb. 7, 2023, authorities searched a storage unit the Wheelers used and discovered large amounts of meth and fentanyl, according to the complaint. The same day, agents raided the Wheelers' apartment where they found 212 pounds of marijuana and a 'large amount of bulk US currency,' the complaint read.
The men were charged and later pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute narcotics, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Stephen Wheeler was sentenced to 15 years in prison on June 20, officials said, and Romello Wheeler was sentenced to 12 and a half years in April.
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Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Guardsmen sent to LA are 130 miles east of the city doing drug busts
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Executing a federal search warrant from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Central District of California, they searched 787 acres of land and arrested 70 to 75 people, the DEA said, most being described as undocumented immigrants and at least one being an American citizen. It also appears to be the farthest east that federalized National Guard troops have operated since being deployed. The National Guardsmen involved in the operation were soldiers with the 143rd Military Police Battalion and the 670th Military Police Company, part of the California National Guard's 49th Military Police Brigade. They're serving under Task Force 51, the organization created by U.S. Northern Command for troops operating under Title 10 status. 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The operation was one of the largest to involve troops in California since the Trump administration federalized National Guard soldiers and deployed them and Marines under Title 10 on June 7. It also shows the sheer geographical scope of that deployment. As U.S. Northern Command announced on June 8, the California National Guard soldiers were 'placed under federal command and control in a Title 10 status to support the protection of federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area.' The unincorporated areas of Thermal and Mecca, near the Salton Sea, are approximately 100 miles east of the Los Angeles County line, and even farther from the City of Los Angeles and the downtown Los Angeles federal plaza where the National Guard has been most visible this month. Task & Purpose contacted Task Force 51 regarding the presence of National Guardsmen so far east of Los Angeles County. 'At the direction of the President of the United States and as ordered by the Secretary of Defense, the Department of Defense mobilized National Guard forces in a Title 10 status and active-duty Marines to protect the safety and security of federal functions, personnel, and property. The catalyst of this order was related to events occurring in Los Angeles; however, the president's order and NORTHCOM's mission is not constrained by the geography of Southern California. Recently, Title 10 forces supported a Drug Enforcement Agency operation a few hours outside of Los Angeles. Title 10 forces protect federal personnel who are performing federal law enforcement functions,' a NORTHCOM Spokesperson said in a statement to Task & Purpose on Tuesday. President Donald Trump's June 7 order federalizing National Guard troops did not specify a specific geographic location or boundary. 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This article was updated with a new statement from U.S. Northern Command regarding Task Force 51. Correction: 6/24/2025; This article initially referred National Guard soldiers as belonging to the 143rd Military Police Company. They are with the 143rd Military Police Battalion. The latest on Task & Purpose
USA Today
9 hours ago
- USA Today
Palm Springs bombing: Washington man arrested for allegedly aiding suspect
A 32-year-old Washington man was arrested in connection with the car bombing last month outside a Palm Springs fertility clinic. Daniel Park of Kent, Washington, was arrested in Poland and taken into custody by the FBI at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City, for allegedly aiding bomber Guy Edward Bartkus. The FBI alleged Park shipped ammonium nitrate to Bartkus and visited him in January and February this year. The U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI held a press conference Wednesday morning to reveal new details about the case. The FBI alleged that Park directly sent 180 pounds of ammonium nitrate, a chemical typically used as fertilizer, to Bartkus and purchased an additional 90 pounds, which was shipped to Bartkus. Park, who is a U.S. citizen, has been arrested on suspicion of providing material support to a terrorist. He is expected to make his first appearance at the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn later today. "Our citizens deserve to live in a country where they feel safe," Bill Essayli, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, said during the press conference. "We will continue to pursue all leads. This is an ongoing, active, investigation and we will bring anyone involved to justice." The vehicle bomb, which occurred on May 17, killed Bartkus and injured four others. The FBI has called the bombing an intentional act of terrorism. It is believed Bartkus targeted the American Reproductive Centers in Palm Springs because he held "antinatalist" beliefs. Park also shared Bartkus' belief system, the FBI said on Wednesday. Like Bartkus, he posted about his beliefs online, going back as far as 2016. The two met in person for two weeks in late January and early February to conduct experiments in a detached garage on the Twentynine Palms residence where Bartkus lived, according to the FBI. Park had an explosives recipe similar to the one used to conduct the 1995 bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City that killed 168 people and injured 684, Essayli said, adding that the recipe was found after a search warrant was executed in Seattle. Park is not believed to have been in the Coachella Valley at the time of the bombing. He flew to Poland via Denmark on May 21 before being detained by Polish authorities on May 31. He was formally taken into custody by the FBI when he returned to the United States on June 2. The U.S. Attorney's Office will request that he be held without bail. Who is Daniel Park, the alleged Palm Springs bombing co-conspirator? Daniel Park of Kent, Washington, about 40 minutes south of Seattle, is accused of shipping 270 pounds of ammonium nitrate to Bartkus in the days leading up to the Palm Springs attack. The FBI said Park and Bartkus met on an internet forum, and Park spent two weeks visiting Bartkus' residence in late January/early February this year, spending time running tests for the bombing. Days after the bombing, the FBI said, Parks left the U.S. to go to Europe. When asked by a reporter whether anyone else is suspected in the bombing, the FBI said they could not answer the question as the case remains active and under investigation. When reached by USA TODAY, the Port Authority Police Department directed questions to the FBI. USA TODAY has also reached out to the NYPD. What is ammonium nitrate? Ammonium nitrate is explosive under certain conditions. Mixed with something flammable and exposed to flame, it can explode. Timothy McVeigh used two tons of ammonium nitrate mixed with fuel oil to destroy the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people in 1995. But it's not a danger that exists in many places. That's because the chemical, once a popular fertilizer, is rarely used these days, USA TODAY reported in 2013. Ammonium nitrate was the main suspected chemical in a Texas explosion that killed 14 people in April 2013. The explosion at West Fertilizer Co. also injured more than 200 and left at least 50 homes uninhabitable. According to the Department of Homeland Security, licensed businesses, like fertilizer suppliers or mining companies, can legally ship ammonium nitrate for legitimate purposes. The shipments, though, must be labeled, tracked, and reported. How Park purchased or sent the ammonium nitrate to Bartkus is unclear. New details revealed in complaint A criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court by the government reveals some previously unreported details on the bombing. The document, meant to establish probable cause for the arrest of Park, shows evidence that links Park and Bartkus to the explosion in Palm Springs. More: Read the federal complaint against the Washington man linked to Palm Springs bombing One of the new details involves the timing of the bombing. Bartkus asked to borrow the car of one of his family members, giving the excuse that he wanted to attend a protest, according to the complaint. Bartkus initially wanted to borrow the car on Friday, May 16, but had to delay the trip by a day because a family member needed the car for work. In addition, the complaint describes Bartkus as questioning artificial intelligence about the best methods for constructing a bomb. When asked about specific types of fuels that could be mixed with ammonium nitrate, the AI chatbot, which was not identified in the complaint, encouraged Bartkus to continue his line of experimentation. What we know about the Palm Springs fertility clinic bombing At around 10:52 a.m., Saturday, May 17, a powerful explosion occurred in Palm Springs in a parking lot behind American Reproductive Centers, a fertility clinic that provided in vitro fertilization treatment to local women. The explosion caused the partial collapse of the building and damaged others within several blocks. The city estimates that between $6 million and $12 million in damage occurred because of the blast. Four people were injured. Eyewitnesses report the injuries in the Denny's restaurant, across the street from the parking lot. Who was Guy Edward Bartkus, the suspected bomber? The FBI has identified Twentynine Palms resident Guy Edward Bartkus as the suspected bomber. His home, which he shared with his mother, has been extensively searched by federal agents. In recordings and writings posted online that have been linked to Bartkus, although not officially confirmed by the FBI, the suspect discussed his motivations for the bombing. He held an "antinatalist" view of the world, stating that new human life should not be created because life inherently involves suffering. He also pointed to the recent suicide of one of his best friends as a motivating factor. Bartkus' father described his son as a computer whiz with a good heart. He said Bartkus built his own computers from the age of 9 and was an avid gamer. When Bartkus was about 8 years old, his father said the boy burned down their house in a community north of Yucca Valley by playing with matches. Investigators zero in on potential accomplices Since the bombing, investigators have searched for individuals who may have known about the attack before it occurred. Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills has said Bartkus discussed explosives online as far back as 2022. "I don't know that he had any help. I do know that he was discussing this in chat rooms and on YouTube channels, he was experimenting with different explosives," Mills told The Desert Sun on May 20. "There was a conversation in the dark web, if you will, over this kind of thing." Timeline: How the Palm Springs Bombing unfolded Here are the key events leading up to and following the deadly explosion: What was the Palm Springs bombing suspect's beliefs? Authorities have said Bartkus was motivated by 'extreme 'nihilistic and anti-life beliefs.'' 'Authorities are examining an online manifesto and audio recordings linked to Bartkus, in which he expressed hostility towards human reproduction and cited his existential anger and despair following the recent death of a close friend,' according to a Palm Springs FAQ on the bombing. 'He specifically threatened violence against an in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinic.' More: What we know about Guy Bartkus, suspect in Palm Springs fertility clinic bombing Interpretations of nihilism can vary, and while it can be associated to concepts such as pessimism and cynicism, some thinkers argue differently. Merriam-Webster defines nihilism as 'a viewpoint that traditional values and beliefs are unfounded and that existence is senseless and useless.' Britannica describes 20th-century nihilism as encompassing a variety of stances that 'in one sense or another, denied the existence of genuine moral truths or values, rejected the possibility of knowledge or communication, and asserted the ultimate meaningless or purposelessness of life or of the universe.' The Desert Sun has previously reported that online postings suggest Bartkus was motivated by both "pro-mortalist" views, which argue that life should be ended as soon as possible because it only results in death, and "anti-natalism," the belief that having children is unethical because it only exposes more people to future suffering and death. Desert Sun reporters and USA TODAY contributed to this story.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
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‘Saw our friendly neighborhood bear;' Homeowners react as black bear sightings grow in Miami Valley
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