U.S. Attorney's Office - District of Oregon
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News Releases
Former Federal Correctional Officer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Role in Bribery and Contraband Smuggling Scheme - 03/18/24

PORTLAND, Ore.—A former federal correctional officer in Oregon was sentenced to federal prison today for his role in a conspiracy to smuggle contraband into a federal prison in exchange for money.

Nickolas Carlos Herrera, 34, of McMinnville, Oregon, was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release.

“Corruption by any public official or law enforcement officer is unacceptable. Mr. Herrera dishonored both himself and the law he swore to uphold, as well as the justice system he represents, by allowing a free flow of criminal activity in and out of the prison,” said Aubree M. Schwartz, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Portland Field Office. “Today’s sentence should send a strong message to all who abuse their positions for personal gain: we will not accept corruption in any form, or at any level.”

“By smuggling drugs, a cell phone, and other contraband into FCI Sheridan, Herrera exchanged the safety and security of the entire institution for his own selfish gain. Today’s sentencing shows that correctional officers who accept bribes and bring contraband into federal prisons will be held accountable for their crimes,” said Zachary Shroyer, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Western Region.

According to court documents, from April 2015 until he was placed on administrative leave in December 2019, Herrera was employed as a correctional officer at the Federal Correctional Institution in Sheridan, Oregon, a medium security federal prison. Herrera used his position to introduce contraband into the facility for the benefit of select inmates, including Donte Hunt, 40, of Portland, who at the time was in custody pending trial on federal drug, gun, and money laundering charges. In the spring of 2019, Herrera started bringing contraband items such as food, clothing, and cigarettes into the facility, which he gave to Hunt.

Later, Herrera brought Hunt marijuana; Suboxone, a Schedule III narcotic; Yeezy brand designer sneakers; and a cell phone. Herrera obtained the items from Elizabeth McIntosh, 34, a non-incarcerated associate of Hunt’s. On at least one occasion, Herrera allowed Hunt to use a staff phone at the prison to call McIntosh to arrange the delivery of contraband to Herrera. Herrera met McIntosh on multiple occasions to obtain items for Hunt and accepted payment from her on Hunt’s behalf.

On September 24, 2020, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment charging Herrera, Hunt, and McIntosh with conspiracy and bribing a public official. Herrera and Hunt were also charged with providing contraband in prison.

On May 19, 2022, Herrera pleaded guilty to conspiracy, providing contraband in prison, and accepting a bribe as a public official.

On December 18, 2023, Hunt pleaded guilty to conspiracy and bribing a public official. He was sentenced today to 15 months in federal prison to be served concurrently with a 300-month sentence previously imposed from his underlying criminal case.

On November 29, 2023, McIntosh pleaded guilty to a one-count criminal information charging her with misprision of felony and, on February 13, 2023, she was sentenced to one year of probation.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Portland Police Bureau, and IRS-Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Ethan Knight and Katherine Rykken, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

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Attached Media Files: PDF Release
Three Sentenced to Federal Prison for Klamath Basin Drug Trafficking - 03/15/24

MEDFORD, Ore.—In separate criminal cases, three southern Oregon drug traffickers, including the leader of a Klamath Falls, Oregon, drug trafficking organization, were sentenced to federal prison Thursday following investigations by the Basin Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team (BINET), announced the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.

Juan Jessie Martinez-Gil, 59, a former resident of Reno, Nevada, was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release;

Blake Anthony Fulleton, 35, a resident of Klamath Falls, was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release; and

Miguel Espana, 31, also of Klamath Falls, was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.

U.S. v. Martinez-Gil

According to court documents, between August 1, 2019, and September 2, 2021, Martinez-Gil and various associates conspired with one another to traffic large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl, in the form of counterfeit Oxycodone pills, purchased in Southern California to Southern Oregon. Martinez-Gil and others sold these drugs to distributors in Klamath and Lake counties for further distribution and sale.

On September 2, 2021, Martinez-Gil and several associates were arrested as part of a coordinated law enforcement operation and federal search warrants were executed on five locations and two vehicles connected to the group. Law enforcement located and seized more than seventeen pounds of methamphetamine and several hundred counterfeit Oxycodone pills.

On September 30, 2021, a federal grand jury in Medford returned an indictment charging Martinez-Gil and his associates with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl, and attempted distribution of methamphetamine.

On November 1, 2023, Martinez-Gil pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.

U.S. v. Fulleton

In September 2021, detectives from the Klamath Falls Police Department observed Fulleton, who they knew had multiple active felony warrants, depart a known drug house in Klamath Falls. After fleeing the detectives and crashing his vehicle into a power pole, Fulleton led the officers on a short foot pursuit and was arrested. At the time of his arrest, Fulleton possessed a small quantity of methamphetamine on his person. Detectives searched his vehicle and located a loaded pistol, an additional 480 grams of methamphetamine, a small quantity of heroin, and various drug packaging materials.

On February 3, 2022, a federal grand jury in Medford returned an indictment charging Fulleton with possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. On December 11, 2023, Fulleton pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a firearm.

U.S. v. Espana

In 2019, Klamath Falls area law enforcement began investigating Espana for drug trafficking and obtained information that he possessed approximately two pounds of methamphetamine in his vehicle. On October 22, 2019, investigators located Espana sitting in the passenger seat of his vehicle parked near a Klamath Falls motel and later stopped his vehicle when it departed the lot. Investigators searched the vehicle and located approximately 717 grams of methamphetamine, a digital scale, drug ledger, and $758 in cash.

On February 3, 2021, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Espana with one count of possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine and, on October 16, 2023, he pleaded guilty to the single charge.

All three cases were investigated by BINET. On Martinez-Gil and Espana, BINET investigators were assisted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). On Fulleton, they were assisted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Martinez-Gil and Espana were prosecuted by Marco A. Boccato, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. Fulleton was prosecuted Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Brassell, also of the District of Oregon.

BINET is a Klamath Falls area narcotics task force comprised of Oregon State Police, the Klamath Falls Police Department, and Oregon National Guard.

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Attached Media Files: PDF Release
Portland Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Murder Committed Amid Violent Robbery Spree - 03/12/24

PORTLAND, Ore.—A Portland man was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison today for murdering a Milwaukie, Oregon man in his home amid a violent robbery spree that spanned several months and targeted at least six local businesses.

Keandre Dshawn LaMarcus Brown, 27, was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $29,991 in restitution to multiple victims.

“Gun violence continues to be one of the greatest public safety threats in our community,” said Steven T. Mygrant, Chief of the Narcotics and Criminal Enterprises Unit of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon. “Keandre Brown and his accomplices’ string of armed robberies across the Portland area placed many innocent community members at significant risk.”

“Within months of completing a five-year prison sentence for attempted robbery, Keandre Brown went on a three-month crime spree, affecting over 20 victims, and brutally killing one. He used weapons, drugs, and fear to wreak havoc on our streets,” said Aubree M. Schwartz, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Portland Field Office. “Today’s significant sentence removes this dangerous individual from our community and highlights the tenacity of the FBI and our law enforcement partners to identify and apprehend criminals like him who threaten public safety.”

“I was among the group of first responders who arrived on the scene of Keandre Brown’s home invasion robbery after his victim called 911 screaming and begging for his life. After gunshots rang out on the line with our dispatchers, we saw firsthand the tragic result of this brutal murder,” said Luke Strait, Chief of the Milwaukie Police Department. “In the years that have followed, investigators from Milwaukie Police, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office have worked tirelessly on what would become one of the most exhaustive investigations and prosecutions our region has seen in the last decade. Our criminal justice system has worked diligently and effectively to bring justice for this victim, his family, and the entire Milwaukie community.”

According to court documents, in the summer of 2016, Brown teamed up with an accomplice, Keith Bryon Woody Jr., 31, also of Portland, to engage in a series of armed robberies targeting multiple businesses in and around Portland. On August 2, 2016, the pair entered and robbed Paulsen’s Pharmacy on NE Sandy Boulevard in Portland. Both brandished firearms during the robbery, threatened numerous employees and customers, including by pointing a gun at the pharmacy manager’s head, and made off with controlled substances, cash, and several personal property items including wallets, credit cards, and phones.

Two weeks later, on August 13, 2016, Brown and Woody entered and robbed Fairley’s Pharmacy on NE Sandy Boulevard in Portland. The pair again brandished firearms, ordered employees and customers to the floor at gunpoint and zip-tied them, and proceeded to steal eight pill bottles that together contained approximately 1,600 Oxycodone pills.

Brown’s spree continued on August 31, 2016, when he and two accomplices entered and robbed the Lighthouse Deli on SE César Chávez Boulevard in Portland. Brown and his accomplices brandished firearms, zip-tied an employee, and stole cash as well as several wallets, credit cards, and phones from nearby employees and customers.

On September 5, 2016, after several days of planning, Brown, Woody, and multiple accomplices carried out a home invasion robbery targeting a Milwaukie man they believed possessed large quantities of cocaine and cash. The group forcibly entered the residence through a rear door and confronted the homeowner, who quickly retreated into a bathroom and called 911. Brown and Woody, each armed with semi-automatic firearms, positioned themselves outside the bathroom door where the homeowner had barricaded himself, while their accomplices searched the residence. Brown and Woody then fired their respective handguns multiple times at the bathroom door, penetrating the door and killing the homeowner.

Following the home invasion robbery and murder, Brown, with the assistance of others, carried out two additional armed robberies on a single day. On October 18, 2016, Brown and an accomplice entered and robbed a Plaid Pantry convenience store on NE Sandy Boulevard in Portland. The pair made off with cash, tobacco products, and various personal property items. Later the same day, Brown and an accomplice entered and robbed a Red Roof Inn on NE 82nd Avenue in Portland. The pair zip-tied an employee and threatened her to turn over cash but left empty handed after finding an empty cash register.

Investigators later connected Brown and Woody to an additional armed robbery of a pharmacy in Vancouver, Washington, on August 22, 2016, during which they threatened employees at gunpoint and made off with Oxycodone pills.

On October 20, 2016, U.S. Marshals arrested Brown and Woody traveling together in a vehicle. Both possessed firearms at the time of their arrest. Soon after, Brown was transferred to Clark County, Washington to face trial on charges of first-degree robbery, second-degree assault, and unlawful possession of a firearm. Brown was convicted on September 11, 2017, and later sentenced to 360 months in Washington State prison.

On November 4, 2020, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a multi-count indictment charging Brown, Woody, and several other accomplices for conspiring with one another to interfere with commerce by threats or violence, possessing firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence, and causing death through the use of a firearm.

Later, on July 11, 2023, in a separate criminal case, Brown was charged by criminal information with intentionally killing while engaged in drug trafficking. The same day, Brown pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiring with others to interfere with commerce by threats or violence and intentionally killing while engaged in drug trafficking, resolving both of his federal cases.

This case was investigated by the FBI and Milwaukie Police Department with assistance from the Portland Police Bureau, Oregon State Police Crime Lab, Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office, and Vancouver Police Department. It was prosecuted by Lewis S. Burkhart and Thomas H. Edmonds, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This prosecution is the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the U.S. by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

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Attached Media Files: PDF Release
Oregon Man Charged with Federal Hate Crime for Defacing Synagogue - 03/07/24

EUGENE, Ore.—An Oregon man has been charged with a federal hate crime for intentionally defacing a Eugene synagogue several times over a five-month period.

Adam Edward Braun, 34, a resident of Eugene, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with intentionally defacing a synagogue because it was a place of religious worship for Jewish people.

According to court documents, on four separate occasions between August 2023 and January 2024, Braun is alleged to have intentionally defaced Temple Beth Israel, a Jewish synagogue in Eugene, by repeatedly targeting the synagogue with graffiti, some of which used antisemitic symbols and phrases. Braun’s pattern of behavior culminated in the early morning hours of January 14, 2024, when he traveled to Temple Beth Israel with a hammer and prepared to swing at the glass doors of the synagogue. Braun stopped when he saw he was being recorded by a surveillance camera, and then moved to a different area of the property and used spray paint to write “White Power” in large letters on the building’s exterior.

On January 31, 2024, officers from the Eugene Police Department, with assistance from the FBI, executed a state search warrant on Braun’s Eugene residence and located multiple pieces of evidence connecting Braun to the attacks on Temple Beth Israel. Investigators also found several items and writings belonging to Braun that were consistent with antisemitic beliefs and biases.

Braun was arrested today without incident by the FBI and made his first appearance in federal court before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. He was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.

This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Eugene Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Gavin W. Bruce, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, and Cameron A. Bell, Trial Attorney for the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.

A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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Attached Media Files: PDF Release
Former Portland Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Abusing Multiple Children - 02/20/24

PORTLAND, Ore.—A former Portland resident was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison today for sexually abusing multiple children, videorecording and photographing the abuse, and posting the illicit videos and photos on a private Snapchat page he maintained and used to entice other children to produce and share sexually explicit images of themselves.

Rolando Daniel Benitez, 30, was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison and 10 years’ supervised release.

According to court documents, in July and August 2019, Benitez, pretending to be a 15-year-old boy named “Marcos,” sexually abused two children, then ages 14 and 17, used his cell phone to videorecord and photograph the abuse, and posted the child sexual abuse material to a private Snapchat story page he maintained. In at least one of the images posted to Snapchat, Benitez’s online alias “Marcos” was written with black ink on one of the children’s bodies. On at least one occasion, Benitez sexually abused both minor victims together.

Investigators later discovered that Benitez, who moved to Washington state while the investigation was pending, used his Snapchat story page to entice other children to produce and send him sexually explicit images of themselves. Benitez only allowed girls to join and view his private Snapchat stories, and only after the girls complied with his “rules” by sending him photos of their exposed bodies. He further required some of the girls to write and photograph his online alias on their bodies.

A local investigation of Benitez’s crimes was opened after one of his child victims submitted a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline. The victim included Benitez’s full name and phone number in the report and pleaded with authorities to “please stop this man.” Less than a month later, Benitez was arrested in Auburn, Washington, for sexually abusing a 12-year-old child he met on SnapChat.

On January 26, 2021, Benitez was charged by federal criminal complaint in the District of Oregon with producing, advertising, receiving, and possessing child pornography. On October 5, 2023, he pleaded guilty to a three-count criminal information charging him with two counts of sexually exploiting children, and one count of possessing child pornography. 

Benitez’s federal plea agreement is part of a global resolution between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon and the King County, Washington, Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. On July 7, 2023, Benitez was sentenced in King County Superior Court to 136 months in state prison and a life-term of community custody (supervised release) for his abuse of the 12-year-old child in Auburn. Benitez’s federal and state sentences will run concurrently.

This case was investigated by the Portland Police Bureau and FBI Portland’s Child Exploitation Task Force (CETF) with assistance from the Auburn, Washington, Police Department. It was prosecuted by Gary Y. Sussman, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, they re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.

FBI Portland’s CETF conducts sexual exploitation investigations, many of them undercover, in coordination with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. CETF is committed to locating and arresting those who prey on children as well as recovering and assisting victims of sex trafficking and child exploitation.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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Attached Media Files: PDF Release