Latest news with #AUSAs
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Temple man gets two life sentences in federal case
Waco, Tx (FOX 44) – A Temple man has been sentenced to two consecutive life sentences in federal court in a racketeering case. Demonta Daniels, also known as 'Tado' or 'Tato' was the final defendant in the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization or RICO Act case. In addition, Daniels also received two 20-year concurrent sentences. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the 26-year-old Daniels conspired with Atorius Marquis Williams aka Lil Man, 28, and Trashawn Lamar Alexander aka Mad Max, 30, to commit four murders, multiple violent assaults, extortion, drug trafficking and armed robberies in furtherance of the criminal enterprise. Specifically, the indictment alleges four overt acts to include murder—one committed by Williams on Sept. 30, 2017, in Belton; the second, committed by Williams and Alexander on Dec. 10, 2017, in Temple; the third, committed by Williams and Daniels on Jan. 16, 2018, in Temple; and the fourth, committed by Williams, Daniels and Alexander on Jan. 31, 2018, in Temple. Additionally, prosecutors said the defendants conspired to affect commerce by robbery, committing acts of physical violence and threatening to commit acts of physical violence to steal controlled substances and proceeds from persons engaged in illegal drug distribution. Daniels, Williams and Alexander were also convicted of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, namely robbery. A federal jury found all three men guilty in a February 2024 trial. In September, Williams and Alexander were sentenced to life in federal prison for three counts and a concurrent 20 years in prison for three additional counts. 'The multiple life sentences Daniels will serve, locked away in federal prison, reflects the egregiousness of this defendant's conduct and how important it is to keep violent criminals like Daniels and his co-conspirators off the streets,' said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. 'I extend my deepest respect and gratitude to the AUSAs who prosecuted this case and our law enforcement partners at the local, state and federal levels, who committed countless hours and incredible skill to this investigation, leading to a successful trial verdict and multiple justified sentences.' Daniels is the tenth and final defendant in this case to be sentenced. Additionally, Dominic Johnson was sentenced in January 2023 to 70 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine; Desmond Wilkerson was sentenced in September 2023 to 71 months in prison for racketeering conspiracy; James Roy Whitfield Jr was sentenced on Feb. 13 to 102 months in prison for one count of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of aiding and abetting; Jason Mayse was sentenced on Feb. 13 to 40 months for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana; Jyaraciel Whitfield was sentenced in September 2023 to 144 months in prison for one count of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of aiding and abetting; Christopher Meyers was sentenced in August 2022 to 144 months in prison for racketeering conspiracy; and Reginald Williams was sentenced in September 2023 to 96 months in prison for one count of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of aiding and abetting. The FBI, Temple Police Department, Belton Police Department, Bell County Organized Crime Unit, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), Cameron Police Department, and Hearne Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the Killeen Police Department and Bell County Sheriff's Department. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNN
18-02-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Senior DOJ prosecutor quit after being told to investigate Biden climate spending, sources say
The top criminal prosecutor in the Washington, DC, US Attorney's Office, Denise Cheung, resigned Tuesday after declining a request from her Trump-appointed superiors to open a grand jury investigation that she viewed as premature, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. The direction originated from Emil Bove, the department's acting deputy attorney general, to Ed Martin, whom President Donald Trump has nominated to be the permanent DC US Attorney. Cheung, a long-time DOJ employee, had been asked to shepherd an investigation into an Environmental Protection Agency funding decision during the Biden administration. She refused the order and resigned, in part because she believed there wasn't sufficient evidence to take that step at the time, as well as seeking to protect lower-level prosecutors from the work, source said. The Trump administration has consistently criticized Biden's spending on environmental programs. EPA administrator Lee Zeldin's said he has had 'found' $20 billion worth of funding from former President Joe Biden's 2022 climate law in a Citibank account, and wanted to return the money to the US Treasury. The EPA then announced in a press release the EPA would 'work with the US Department of Justice' on the matter. CNN has asked EPA for comment. The Justice Department declined to comment. Cheung didn't respond to a request for comment from CNN Tuesday morning. Zeldin has suggested the funding was rushed to eight non-profits to distribute at the end of the Biden administration through the Inflation Reduction Act, but a former EPA official responsible for implementing the funding told CNN last week it wasn't rushed or set up nefariously. Cheung sent a farewell message office-wide on Tuesday morning. She didn't publicly indicate her reason for leaving. Cheung's departure also comes at a time of roiling change across the DOJ, with prosecutors deemed to be untrustworthy being fired, and ethical clashes erupting between Trump's hand-picked political appointees and long-time federal prosecutors. Bove last week presided over a public row with prosecutors in New York and Washington over his order to dismiss charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Martin, taking the helm of the DC US Attorney's Office, has supported unwinding all January 6 criminal cases that the office brought. He had enlisted Cheung and another career prosecutor in the office to look at how prosecutors charged January 6 rioters with a felony obstruction charge that the Supreme Court later overturned. 'When I started as an AUSA, I took an oath of office to support and defend the Constitution, and I have executed this duty faithfully during my tenure, which has spanned through numerous Administrations,' Cheung wrote in her sign-off email to her colleagues. 'I know that all of the AUSAs in the office continue to honor their oaths on a daily basis, just as I know that you have always conducted yourself with the utmost integrity.' This story is breaking and will be updated.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Head of Justice Department's Washington, DC, criminal division quits
The head of the criminal division within the DC US Attorney's Office has left her post, according to four sources. The sudden departure of Justice Department veteran Denise Cheung comes a day after President Donald Trump announced his nominee to lead the prosecutor's office, Ed Martin, who has supported unwinding all January 6 criminal cases that the office brought. Martin had been in the position on an interim basis, and had enlisted Cheung and another career prosecutor in the office to look at how prosecutors charged January 6 rioters with a felony obstruction charge that the Supreme Court later overturned. Cheung sent a farewell message office-wide on Tuesday morning. She didn't indicate her reason for leaving. Cheung's departure also comes at a time of roiling change across the DOJ, with prosecutors deemed to be untrustworthy being fired, and ethical clashes erupting between Trump's hand-picked political appointees and long-time federal prosecutors. 'When I started as an AUSA, I took an oath of office to support and defend the Constitution, and I have executed this duty faithfully during my tenure, which has spanned through numerous Administrations,' Cheung wrote in her sign-off email to her colleagues. 'I know that all of the AUSAs in the office continue to honor their oaths on a daily basis, just as I know that you have always conducted yourself with the utmost integrity.' Cheung didn't respond to a request for comment from CNN Tuesday morning, nor did spokespeople for the US Attorney's Office.
CNN
18-02-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Head of Justice Department's Washington, DC, criminal division quits
The head of the criminal division within the DC US Attorney's Office has left her post, according to four sources. The sudden departure of Justice Department veteran Denise Cheung comes a day after President Donald Trump announced his nominee to lead the prosecutor's office, Ed Martin, who has supported unwinding all January 6 criminal cases that the office brought. Martin had been in the position on an interim basis, and had enlisted Cheung and another career prosecutor in the office to look at how prosecutors charged January 6 rioters with a felony obstruction charge that the Supreme Court later overturned. Cheung sent a farewell message office-wide on Tuesday morning. She didn't indicate her reason for leaving. Cheung's departure also comes at a time of roiling change across the DOJ, with prosecutors deemed to be untrustworthy being fired, and ethical clashes erupting between Trump's hand-picked political appointees and long-time federal prosecutors. 'When I started as an AUSA, I took an oath of office to support and defend the Constitution, and I have executed this duty faithfully during my tenure, which has spanned through numerous Administrations,' Cheung wrote in her sign-off email to her colleagues. 'I know that all of the AUSAs in the office continue to honor their oaths on a daily basis, just as I know that you have always conducted yourself with the utmost integrity.' Cheung didn't respond to a request for comment from CNN Tuesday morning, nor did spokespeople for the US Attorney's Office.
