Criminal Justice News Letter-December 9, 2022

Section1: Political Watch & White Collar Crimes

This section of CJ News will explore stories of political crimes and shenanigans, or as we call them ‘High Crimes and Misdemeanors,’ and corporate crimes.

Article 1. Maryland Man Convicted in Ponzi Scheme (featured story)

A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment scam that promises to pay extremely high rates of return with little risk to investors. The scam generates high rates of returns for earlier investors with money taken from later investors. The scam takes in new investors funds to pay the rate of return, or almost the rate of return, to earlier investors. It is a nightmare for investigators (FBI, Secret Service, or SEC). Money does not have to be hidden, just diverted well enough to be lost. Bernie Madoff is probably the best and largest Ponzi scheme to date. He diverted so much money to earlier investors, taken from others, that he could not keep track of who paid what and what he owed. One day he called the FBI and basically said, “I can’t do this anymore, I just can’t,” and turned himself in. Otherwise, he might never have been caught.

Ponzi schemes were prevalent in the early 2000’s to about 2015. Once the basic mechanics of these schemes were figured out, investigators were able to research and recognize legitimate investment strategies as opposed to the “it’s too good to be true” Ponzi scheme. However, there is alway someone attempting to make a buck.

Most recent, on September 30, 2022, a federal grand jury in Maryland convicted Arley Ray Johnson, age 63, of Bowie, Maryland, of Conspiracy to Defraud, Wire Fraud, and Securities Fraud. The scheme involved 1st Million, a purported wealth management and financial literacy company. The trial lasted 10 days, which is actually very short for a Ponzi scheme investment trial.

1st Million represented itself as a wealth management and financial literacy company. Its core business offered a 12 month guaranteed investment contract. The return rates were somewhere between 6 to 35%. The contract promised the investor would receive the return of all the principle invested. In reality, the evidence at trial revealed 1st Million did not invest victims’ funds as promised. Instead, Mr. Johnson misappropriated the funds for himself and used the funds to keep the scheme afloat. The evidence revealed Mr. Johnson used funds from new investors to repay exiting investors.

So be aware of that Ponzi schemes are still around. What is the only legal Ponzi scheme today? That’s right, Social Security Administration. Social security funds are derived from younger people paying into the system, so older/retired folks can retire. However, the trick – it is a legalized system. – Secret Service Government News – contributor

Article 2. Did Justice Alito Leak Opinion?

There is a fine line between unethical behavior and illegal activity, especially when it comes to leaking confidential information. Working in law enforcement my entire life, it became second nature not to discuss current cases or investigations. However, does this apply to the U.S. Supreme Court? U.S. Congress is asking Chief Justice John Roberts to investigate allegations that Justice Samuel Alito may have disclosed to conservataive activists the outcome of a 2014 case on contraceptive access before it was published.

In the case of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores Inc, lawmakers reported that Politico and the New York Times obtained information that leaders of the group Faith and Action undertook a campaign to get close to conservative justices by means such as donations to the Supreme Court Historical Society. Once they made their donations, they had access to exclusive social events where they could befriend the justices of the Supreme Court.

The Rev. Rob Schenck, a former leader of Faith and Action, describe the operation to the news outlets and said he sent a letter to Chief Justice Roberts alleging that a donor to Faith and Action, Gayle Wright, learned of the outcome of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores Inc., after she and her late husband dined with Justice Alito and his wife in June 2014.

In May of this year, it was Justice Alito who drafted the opinion in the landmark case overruling Roe v. Wade. A draft of Justice Alito’s opinion was sent to Politico two months before the final opinion was released.. – The Wall Street Journal – contributor.

Section II: The Local Drug Corner

This section of CJ News will explore stories concerning illegal drugs, the business behind illegal drugs, and drug addiction.

Article 1. Fentanyl Seized at JFK Airport Hotel

A multi-month DEA investigation lead to the arrest of two individuals in the vicinity of a hotel near John F. Kennedy Airport in Queens. Authorities seized approximately 32,000 fentanyl pills with an estimated street value of $1 million. The investigation was a multi-agency effort by the U.S. DEA Office, the New York Police Department, and New York State Police Department. A criminal complaint charged Roodolph Pierre-Lys and Uriel Barajas-Valencia with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First and Third Degrees. They were arraigned on November 22, 2022. Both men reside in California but it was Barajas-Valencia who arranged the shipment of the 32,000 pills.

Fentanyl is the most powerful opioid to date sold by street dealers. Just a little amount of fentanyl yields a large profit for the illegal narcotics industry. However, just a little amount of fentanyl used without proper medical oversight is almost sure to result in death. Used to relieve pain after major surgery or accidents, fentanyl lowers a patient’s heart rate. Too much fentanyl can cause even a heavy narcotic’s user to not wake up. There is no tolerance for the drug in the human body, just death. – from DEA Press Releases.

Article 2. New Tool Enlisted to Fight Opioid Overdoses

Vending machines, yes vending machines, stocked with overdose-reversing nasal spray are part of the latest attempt to diminish a record tide of drug deaths. The FDA eased restrictions on drugs, including Narcan, that can be sprayed in the nose to reverse an opioid overdose. Narcan is the brand name for nasal spray naloxone. overdose deaths topped 108,000 in 2021. The increase in drug deaths is directly correlated with the increase in the use of the illicit opioid fentanyl.

The primary purpose of the vending machines is to make it easier for drug addicts to obtain overdose antidotes on their own. The Central Washington Recovery Coalition, a non profit that helps drug users, installed a machine in each of three rural counties last year. This came on the heels of a 500% rise in over-dose deaths within a year. The machines have dispensed 50 Narcan kits a month, per machine. The group and its partners pay about $12,500 for 250 doses of Narcan.

Caracole, an HIV-services nonprofit works with drug addicts in the Cincinnati area. The service installed a Narcan vending machine outside its offices last year. The reason for installing the machine was based upon fewer people coming into the clinics to pick up the medication. It is believed that Narcan dispensed from these machines have reversed 596 overdoses. In order to use the machine, people receive a code from the nonprofit, punch the code into the machine, and retrieve the Narcan. The machine will dispense eight doses of Narcan per week, per person. Caracole machines also have a fentanyl test strip to determine if the potent drug is present. – The Wall Street Journal – contributor

Section III: The Firearms Table

This section of CJ News will explore the illegal business of firearms and crimes that are committed by the use of firearms.

Article 1. The Club Q Nightmare

On November 22, 2022, midnight, a lone gunman entered Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado and opened fire on the patrons. The result of this attack: five dead and 26 injured. Once he began to discharge his weapon, two customers confronted the suspect, subdued him, and ended the bloodbath. After the gunfire was over, the suspect was identified as Anderson Lee Aldrich. Mr. Aldrich was taken to a local hospital to receive treatment for injuries he sustained in the attack.

This probably would have been like any other mass shooting in America. People shake their heads and ask, “why?” Place the blame for the violence on the gun(s) used. In this case, Mr. Aldrich used an AR-15 style assault rifle. And of course the White House must say something. In this case, President Biden did make a statement, “We must address the public health epidemic of gun violence in all of its forms.”

However, what makes this case unique is that Club Q is a nightclub specifically catering to the LGBTQ population. The mere fact that Mr. Aldrich targeted this club enhances his crime to that of a “hate crime.” This means he could potentially face increase penalties as well as a trip to federal court, since the U.S. Congress has made it against he law to target the LGBTQ community. – The Wall Street Journal – contributor.

Section IV: Mental Health and Criminal Profiles

This section of CJ News will investigate the motive of criminals and look at why mental health is becoming synonymous with the criminal justice system.

Article 1. The Club Q Assailant

An individual goes into a club armed with an assault rifle and opens fire. (S)he kills five and wounds countless others. Further evidence revealed the club was a nightclub that caters specifically to the LGBTQ community. After the residual affects of the attack, many are horrified, once again, that society has broken down. Who could do such a thing? Why would somebody do this?

Information on the suspect revealed he had a previous encounter with the law regarding his mother and a makeshift bomb. Yes, Mr. Aldrich in 2021 threatened to blow up his mother. Law enforcement managed to end the conflict peacefully but not after they found a number of firearms that Mr. Aldrich had legally purchased. The public is now self assured, “oh, he was crazy.” But little is known about the case involving his Mr. Aldrich’s mother because the charges were not pursued and the case file sealed. The President labels it an “epidemic of gun violence,” thus adding a health care component to the incident.

But what is missed? The fact that Mr. Aldrich did not go into just any nightclub, but into a LGBTQ club. It would be the same if he went into a Jewish Synagogue or a Catholic Church and opened fire. His motivation was not to fire the AR-15 and see how it worked. His motivation was driven by pure hatred of the LGBTQ community. In cases based upon pure hatred, we should not attempt to look beyond the hostility. We should not attempt to sterilize the actions and call it an epidemic for the sake of believing there is a cure. There is no cure for hatred. It is a learned behavior