Latest news with #U.S.ProbationOffice
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Carthage man pleads guilty to recording juvenile
A Carthage man pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to charges related to the sexual exploitation of a child. Uriah Behl, 40, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to one count of sexual exploitation of children. By pleading guilty, Behl admitted to secretly recording a naked juvenile in the shower. The investigation began in February 2024 when the Jasper County sheriff's office received a call reporting that a cellphone camera had been found in a community shower room on the grounds of the Tarzan Zerbini Circus, south of Carthage. Investigators said there were recordings on the camera of seven women and a juvenile while they were taking showers. The phone was found in the cabinet under the bathroom sink. It was recording through a crack in the open cabinet door. Authorities said Behl admitted to investigators that he had set the phone up to record the whole room, including the shower, when motion was detected. Behl claimed that he did not intend to record the juvenile victim. Behl gave officers consent to search the phone he was using to record and the cellphone he used for calls and texting. A forensic search of the phones found over an hour of videos from the shower room, several clips from videos containing the naked juvenile victim, multiple searches for child pornography, as well as 161 images depicting child pornography downloaded from the internet. Under federal statutes, Behl is subject to a sentence of at least 15 and up to 30 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors, according to the U.S. attorney's office. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of an investigation by the U.S. Probation Office. Behl will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life. The 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, according to federal officials.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
Texarkana man found guilty of federal drug trafficking
BOWIE COUNTY, Texas (KETK) – A Texarkana man was found guilty last week of federal drug trafficking after 3600 illegal pills were discovered inside his home. According to officials, Deablo Deshown Lewis, was arrested in Texarkana, Ark. on April 1, 2021 after he was caught agreeing to sell 150 counterfeit OxyContin 'M-30' pills to another person. Following his arrest, Lewis admitted to having marijuana inside his home, which led to a search warrant being issued. Tyler police investigate death of 28-year-old woman During the search of Lewis's home, officers were able to locate over 2,800 counterfeit 'M-30' pills containing fentanyl, over 700 'ecstasy' pills containing methamphetamine along with over 180 counterfeit Xanax pills, according to officials. Two loaded firearms were also recovered from Lewis' home during the investigation. After posting bond, Lewis was arrested once again in February 2022, after officers stopped a vehicle that they suspected was doing a drug deal, a press release said. The driver then admitted he had purchased counterfeit 'M-30' pills from Lewis. Following a three-day trial, Lewis was found guilty by a jury of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, marijuana and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. A sentence hearing will be scheduled following the completion of a pre-sentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office. Lewis could potentially spend the next 40 years in federal prison, according to a press release. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
Rhode Island man pleads guilty to cockfighting charges
A Providence man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to cockfighting charges, the U.S. Attorney said. Onill Vazquez Lozada pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing, sponsoring, and exhibiting birds in an animal fighting venture in violation of the Animal Welfare Act, U.S. Attorney Sara Bloom said in a statement. As part of his plea, Lozada admitted that on April 27, 2021, he possessed roosters for the purpose of having them fight, Bloom said. Lozada also admitted that on March 6, 2022, he sponsored and exhibited, and aided and abetted sponsoring and exhibiting, at least one rooster in a fight against another rooster, Bloom said. Cockfighting is a contest in which a person attaches a knife, gaff or other sharp instrument to the leg of a 'gamecock' or rooster and then places the bird a few inches away from a similarly armed rooster. This results in a fight during which the roosters flap their wings and jump while stabbing each other with the weapons that are fastened to their legs, authorities said. A cockfight ends when one rooster is dead or refuses to continue to fight. Commonly, one or both roosters die after a fight. Lozada faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each charge to which he pleaded guilty. U.S. District Court Judge Melissa DuBose will sentence Lozada after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office. The Department of Agriculture's Office of Inspector General, the Postal Inspection Service, and the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Assisting the investigation were the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Office of Law Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Rhode Island State Police, Massachusetts State Police, Animal Rescue League of Boston's Law Enforcement Division, Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and police departments in Providence, Woonsocket, and Attleboro, Massachusetts. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Yahoo
Sex offender from Newtown accused of using social media accounts to entice minors
A Connecticut sex offender has been indicted for allegedly using about a dozen social media accounts to communicate with minors and reportedly enticing a juvenile to send him explicit photos. Officials with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced Monday that a federal grand jury in Hartford has returned a four-count indictment against Donald S. Hammalian, Jr., 50, whose last known residence was in Newtown. The indictment, which was returned on April 10, charges Hammalian with receipt of child pornography, coercion and enticement of a minor, transfer of obscene material to a minor and commission of a felony offense involving a minor by a registered sex offending, federal officials said. Based on his prior criminal history, officials said Hammalian could face a minimum of 35 years in prison or a life term if he were convicted on all the charges. Hammalian appeared Monday in federal court in Hartford where he pleaded not guilty. He has been detained on a violation of supervised release since Nov. 16, 2023, officials said. Federal authorities said Hammalian was sentenced in the Middle District of Florida in January 2010 to four years in prison and 20 years of supervised release for possession of child pornography. In 2015, his supervision was transferred to the District of Vermont where he moved after his release from prison. In June 2018, Hammalian pleaded guilty to violating his supervised release by again possessing child pornography and was sentenced to six years in prison and 20 years of supervised release, officials said. In May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a federal judge in Vermont reduced Hammalian's sentence to time served and Hammalian was released from prison. According to authorities, on Nov. 13, 2023, the U.S. Probation Office searched Hammalian's residence and found five unapproved devices capable of connecting to the Internet, including three smartphones and two tablets, two of which contained child sex abuse material. The investigation found that Himalayan was managing about a dozen social media accounts and had more than 100,000 followers. Authorities have accused him of using the accounts to communicate with minors and sometimes posing as a 16-year-old boy. Federal officials allege Hammalian received child pornography between July 2022 and November 2023. They also believe that, between July 2022 and February 2023, Hammalian enticed a minor to send him explicit photos and that he transferred 'obscene material' to a minor, all while he was registered as a sex offender.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Yahoo
Registered sex offender from Newtown indicted on child exploitation offenses
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — A Newtown man indicted on multiple charges of child exploitation offenses pleaded not guilty in court Monday, according to the acting United States attorney for the District of Connecticut and Homeland Security Investigations. Donald S. Hammalian, Jr., 50, last resided in Newtown. In front of a judge in Hartford, he pleaded not guilty to four counts, including receipt of child pornography, coercion and enticement of a minor, commission of a felony offense involving a minor by a registered sex offender, and transfer of obscene material to a minor. Newtown man pleads guilty to stealing nearly $3M Hammalian has a history of child exploitation crimes, according to documents and statements made in court. In January of 2010, Hammalian was sentenced in Florida to 48 months of imprisonment and 20 years of supervised release for possession of child pornography. Five years later, his supervision was transferred to Vermont, where he moved after release from prison. In June of 2018, he pleaded guilty to violating his supervised release by possessing child pornography. He was sentenced to 72 months of imprisonment and 20 years of supervised release. In May of 2020, a federal judge in Vermont reduced Hammalian's sentence to time served and Hammalian was released. Three years later, the U.S. Probation Office searched Hammalian's residence and allegedly found five unapproved internet capable devices, including three smartphones and two tablets, two of which contained child sex abuse material. Hamden Church reopens its doors for Easter Sunday An investigation showed Hammalian was managing about a dozen social media accounts- with more than 100,000 followers- and used them to communicate with minors, sometimes while posing as a 16-year-old boy. The latest indictment claims that between July 2022 and November 2023, Hammalian received child pornography and between July 2022 and February 2023, he enticed a minor to send him child pornography and transferred obscene material to a minor. During this time, Hammalian was registered as a sex offender. Based on his criminal history, Hammalian is facing up to life in prison for the new charges. Hammalian has been detained on violation of supervised release since Nov. 15, 2023. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
