Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Defendants Sentenced to Prison for Armed Drug Trafficking Ring Operation

Two individuals associated with an 18-defendant armed drug trafficking network centered in Tifton, Georgia, were sentenced to prison for their crimes recently resulting from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation.

Juanjava Boggerty, aka “Jay,” 49, of Tifton, was sentenced to serve 235 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances on Oct. 12, 2022. Co-defendant Darrell Mack, 33, of Tifton, was sentenced to serve 78 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine on Oct. 13, 2022. U.S. District Judge Louis Sands handed down the sentences on Feb. 2.

“The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force has shut down another armed trafficking network in the Middle District of Georgia, this time in the Tifton community,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “There is more work to be done as law enforcement at every level continues to identify and stop weaponized criminal groups from causing further harm in our region.”

“We removed more methamphetamine traffickers from the streets,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “These offenders can no longer distribute this dangerous drug as they now face serious time behind bars for both their drug crimes and violent criminal conduct. This investigation was a success because of the great working relationship between DEA and its law enforcement partners.”

“There is no initiative more critical to ATF than increasing the safety of our communities. Cases which result in the arrests and prosecution of armed drug traffickers are fundamental to continuing this initiative while simultaneously showing criminals that ATF and its law enforcement partners will not falter in this mission,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka. “We will pursue violent drug traffickers such as these wherever they may operate and they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“The lengthy sentences handed down to these defendants send a clear message that drug dealing in our communities will not be tolerated. Georgians deserve to work, live and play in a safe environment. We will never stop protecting our neighborhoods from dangerous and illegal drugs,” said GBI Director Michael Register.

“Our fight against drug traffickers and this armed trafficking ring is yet another step in stemming the flow of meth into Tifton and Tift County. With the help of our community and our law enforcement allies, we will continue to make this a safer place to work and live,” said Tift County Sheriff Gene Scarbrough.

“It’s great to have these defendants, the drugs and the firearms off the streets of Tifton. We are appreciative of the coordination between agencies involved in this investigation,” said Tifton Police Department Chief Steve Hyman. “Their work in this case makes a difference in the lives of our citizens who fall victim to drugs in our community.”

The following co-defendants have pleaded guilty and been sentenced:

• Tevin Parker, aka “Tay,” 28, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine on July 26, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 262 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release on Nov. 3, 2022;
• Courtney Taylor, 39, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Oct. 4, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 235 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release to be served concurrently to a sentence imposed in Tift County, Georgia, Superior Court and any sentence which may be imposed in Ben Hill County, Georgia, Superior Court for probation violation on Jan. 25.;
• Brian Foster, aka “Joe,” aka “FOS,” 30, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Sept. 27, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 136 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release on Dec. 30, 2022;
• Bradrick Boston aka “Big Baby,” 34, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine on July 20, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 108 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release to be served concurrently to a sentence imposed in Tift County, Georgia, Superior Court for probation violation on Nov. 3, 2022;
• Clenton Davis, 33, of Ashburn, Georgia, pleaded guilty to managing drug premises on Aug. 2, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 96 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on Nov. 20, 2022;
• Keyuntran Taylor, 23, of Ashburn, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Oct. 5, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 70 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release on Jan. 26.;
• Dmya Norris, 25, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Oct. 5, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release on Jan. 26.;
• Dante Hille, 29, of Ashburn, pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine on June 14, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 51 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on Sept. 15, 2022;
• Vontesha Dixon, 32, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Oct. 4, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 36 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on Jan. 19.;
• Keilaysha Dixon, 23, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to use of a communication facility in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on Sept. 22, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 30 months in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release on Dec. 30, 2022; and
• Jala Taylor, 24, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine on Oct. 11, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 24 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on Jan. 27.

The following co-defendants have pleaded guilty in this case and are awaiting sentencing:

• Rafon Carithers, aka “Tweed,” 34, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on May 19, 2022, and faces a maximum sentence of 40 years of imprisonment to be followed by at least four years of supervised release and a $5,000,000 fine;
• Jehmeil Carmichael, 35, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment to be followed by at least three years of supervised release and a $1,000,000 fine;
• McKevor Mulkey aka “Chevy,” 32, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances on April 19, 2022, and faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment to be followed by at least five years of supervised release and a $10,000,000 fine;
• Rishaun Richardson, 26, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Aug. 23, 2022, and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment to be followed by at least three years of supervised release and a $1,000,000 fine; and
• Damarius Williams, 25, of Tifton, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Oct. 18, 2022, and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment to be followed by at least three years of supervised release and a $1,000,000 fine.

According to court documents, GBI agents—working with a confidential informant (CI)—began investigating a Tifton methamphetamine supplier known as “Jay” in May 2019, who was later determined to be Boggerty. Under surveillance, the CI made six controlled buys of methamphetamine between May and Dec. 2019, including purchases at Foster’s residence on Poplar Street and involving other named defendants in this case. A search warrant was executed at Foster’s residence in June 2019, where agents recovered methamphetamine and other controlled substances and drug paraphernalia along with a .40 caliber pistol loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition and a sawed-off 20-gauge shotgun.

Agents made more controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Boggerty after the search, including a purchase with co-defendant Taylor. A search warrant was executed at Boggerty’s residence at 152 Branch Road in Tifton in Dec. 2019; agents found 107 grams of methamphetamine along with digital scales, baggies and other items associated with drug trafficking. In all, Boggerty’s drug trafficking operation is being held responsible for distributing between 1.5 and 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine in the Tifton community.

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Adam Fox Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison in Kidnapping Plot of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Conspiracy to Use Weapons of Mass Destruction

Adam Fox was sentenced to 16 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to kidnap the Governor of Michigan and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction against persons or property.

Fox, 39, of Wyoming, Michigan, and co-conspirator Barry Croft Jr., 47, of Bear, Delaware, were convicted by a federal jury in August 2022 during an 11-day retrial. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Fox and Croft intended to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer from her vacation cottage near Elk Rapids, Michigan, and use the destructive devices to facilitate their plot by harming and hindering the governor’s security detail and any responding law enforcement officers. They specifically explored placing a bomb under an interstate overpass near a pedestrian boardwalk. Croft was also convicted of possessing an improvised explosive device, which was a commercial firework refashioned with shrapnel to serve as a hand-grenade.

“Mr. Fox, and his confederate Mr. Croft, were convicted by a jury of masterminding a plot to kidnap the Governor of Michigan and to use weapons of mass destruction against responding law enforcement,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Today’s sentence reflects the Department of Justice’s unwavering commitment to protecting our elected officials, law enforcement officers, and dedicated public servants from criminal threats and violence — and to holding the perpetrators of such acts fully accountable under the law.”

“Today, Mr. Fox learned his fate. For his role in the plot to kidnap the Governor and trigger further violence, he will serve a long term in prison,” said Former U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge for the Western District of Michigan, appointed to oversee the trial. “Responding to domestic terrorism has been a priority for the Department of Justice since its founding. Rest assured: we will spare no effort to disrupt plots like these and hold those responsible accountable to the law.”

Fox is the third to be sentenced of four conspirators convicted in the plot. Croft is scheduled to be sentenced today.

Co-defendant Ty Garbin, 27, of Hartland, Michigan, pleaded guilty in January 2021 and initially received a sentence of 75 months, or over six years, in prison. The district court later reduced to a term of 30 months, or two and a half years in prison, after fully considering his cooperation at both trials. Kaleb Franks, 28, of Waterford, Michigan, received a term of four years in prison after pleading guilty and testifying at both trials.

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Thousands of New Top Secret Files Released on the Assassination of JFK

The Biden administration released thousands of classified documents related to President John F. Kennedy’s assassination nearly 60 years ago.

The release of 13,173 documents is the government’s largest disclosure of records about the Kennedy assassination since 2018.

The records, posted online by the National Archives and Records Administration, add to tens of thousands of others released over the years. The National Archives said more than 97% of the records in its collection are now publicly accessible.

Investigators amassed five million pages of records related to the murder. Federal authorities have concealed a portion of them for decades over concerns they contained sensitive information.

JFK Assassination Records Released

Mr. Kennedy’s assassination by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas in 1963 remains one of the most scrutinized moments in presidential history. For nearly six decades, conspiracy theorists have spun rumors that Oswald had accomplices even though federal investigators reported he had acted alone. Historians have wondered what happened in the moments leading up to the assassination— and many hoped the still-concealed documents could help unravel some of the mystery.

Congress passed a law in 1992 requiring the government to release all records related to the assassination within 25 years, unless the president determines the information would undermine intelligence, law enforcement, military operations or foreign policy.

The Biden administration said last year it wouldn’t release all remaining records as planned due to delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The White House said the agencies needed more time to determine what redacted information they could release.

Since then, they examined nearly 16,000 records that had previously been released with redactions. The Biden administration said in a memorandum Thursday that about 70% of those records could be released in their entirety.

The president blocked the release of some records until June 30, 2023, citing potential harm to national security.

A CIA spokesman said the little information that remains redacted in agency records within the collection consists of intelligence sources and methods—including some from as late as the 1990s.

Thanks to Jennifer Calfas and Suryatapa Bhattacharya

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Whitey Bulger Killed after Inmates were Leaked Details of his Prison Relocation

Inmates at a West Virginia federal prison knew well in advance that convicted Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger was being transferred there and placed bets on how long it would be before the notorious FBI informant was killed, the Justice Department’s inspector general wrote in a withering report.

Bulger, 89 and in failing health, was bludgeoned to death with a padlock less than 12 hours after arriving at the U.S. Penitentiary Hazelton in October 2018, the violent capstone to his own murderous career and to what the watchdog’s report described as a series of management failures, flawed policies and bureaucratic ineptitude.

Federal Bureau of Prisons officials moved Bulger from a facility in Florida where he had lived for years following his 2013 conviction on a sprawling racketeering indictment that included involvement in 11 murders, as well as running a criminal enterprise of drug dealing, extortion, money laundering and gun running from the 1970s to the 1990s.

Prisons officials had been pushing for months to move the wheelchair-using Bulger from a secure unit at U.S. Penitentiary Coleman II due to what they described as safety and discipline concerns.

“In our view, no BOP inmate’s transfer, whether they are a notorious gangster or a nonviolent offender, should be handled like Bulger’s transfer was handled in this instance,” DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz wrote.

At least 100 prison employees were aware of the coming transfer and some of them spoke openly about it in the presence of inmates, at least one of whom predicted in an email to his mother that the crime boss would be killed because of his notoriety as a government informant.

Three men—Fotios “Freddy” Geas, 55 years old, Paul J. DeCologero, 48, and Sean McKinnon, 36—were indicted in August, nearly four years after the killing, on charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Prosecutors alleged Geas and DeCologero struck Bulger in the head multiple times, causing his death. All three have pleaded not guilty.

The killing added to a list of troubles facing the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which in recent years has struggled with misconduct, staffing shortages and the coronavirus pandemic, among other problems. Attorney General Merrick Garland in July named Colette Peters, a former top corrections official in Oregon, to lead the beleaguered agency.

In a response Wednesday, Ms. Peters said the agency agreed with the report and had already begun implementing many of its recommendations.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons has “initiated several improvements to its medical transfer system including enhanced communication between employees involved in the process, multiple trainings for personnel, and technological advancements,” the agency said in a statement.

Mr. Horowitz’s investigation didn’t find evidence of any federal criminal violations or that employees acted “with a malicious intent or an improper purpose.” But it referred at least six employees for possible discipline.

Prisons officials had sought Bulger’s transfer from Florida after he threatened a nurse there. To hasten the move, the inspector general’s report said, staff repeatedly tried to play down his medical troubles to broaden the list of facilities where he could be placed.

The staff ultimately ignored guidance from health officials who said Bulger should remain in a facility where he could receive greater care and failed to mention Bulger’s numerous heart-health incidents when making the final transfer request, which the agency’s medical director approved.

Officials also neglected to subject Bulger to an intelligence assessment that would have determined if he should be separated from certain organized-crime figures within the prison, despite his well-documented leadership of South Boston’s Winter Hill Gang. Instead, employees at Hazelton told the inspector general they viewed Bulger as “non-gang affiliated,” and a manager volunteered to take Bulger into his unit despite the presence of at least one other former organized crime associate in that portion of the prison.

Geas, who is already serving a life sentence for the 2003 killing of the leader of the Genovese crime family, has a known disdain for Federal Bureau of Investigation informants and was sent to solitary confinement after the killing, law-enforcement officials told the Journal shortly after Bulger was killed. Officials have described him as a Mafia hit man.

Bulger’s violent demise added a new layer of intrigue to his long life of crime and complicated relationship with the federal government. Prosecutors said Bulger acted as a secret FBI informant and fled Boston in late 1994 after being tipped off about the pending indictment against him by his former FBI handler.

Bulger was on the lam for 16 years before his 2011 arrest, when he and his girlfriend were found living under fake names in a rent-controlled Santa Monica, Calif., apartment with $822,000 hidden in the walls.

Thanks to Sadie Gurman.

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Giovanni's Ring: My Life Inside the Real Sopranos #DeCavalcanteCrimeFamily #NewJersey #OperationCharlieHorse

The story of a former FBI undercover task force officer who spent years penetrating New Jersey's DeCavalcante crime family, the criminal organization known to law enforcement as “the real Sopranos”

Giovanni's Ring: My Life Inside the Real Sopranos, is the story of “Giovanni Rocco,” a New Jersey police officer, known undercover as “Giovanni Gatto,” who was the mysterious agent at the epicenter of Operation Charlie Horse, a federal undercover operation that ultimately brought down ten members and associates of New Jersey’s DeCavalcante Mafia family, the criminal organization known as “the real Sopranos.”

Giovanni spent nearly three years working his way into the DeCavalcante hierarchy. He was so convincing in his role that capo Charlie “the Hat” Stango eventually assigned him the task of killing Luigi “the Dog” Oliveri, a troublesome made member of the crime family. That lethal assignment brought the undercover operation to an end in March 2015, and the resulting string of high-profile arrests eviscerated the criminal organization.

Giovanni’s Ring is not simply a chronicle of Giovanni Rocco’s adventures in the murky and dangerous Mafia world he inhabited, but also a fascinating window into the psychological struggles that such a life inevitably entails.

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