Baltimore man pleads guilty to distributing 80 kilograms of cocaine

BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore man pleaded guilty Monday to distributing 80 kilograms of cocaine following a wiretap investigation, federal authorities announced. Travis Sentell Howell, 46, of Baltimore, admitted to his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy that was investigated by the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) beginning in fall 2022. According to his guilty plea, investigators obtained court-authorized wiretaps on […]

Maryland man pleads guilty to illegally operating drone over NFL Wild Card game

BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore man pleaded guilty Wednesday to illegally operating a drone over M&T Bank Stadium during an NFL Wild Card game in January, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced. Alexis Perez Suarez, 43, of Baltimore, admitted to knowingly and willfully violating national defense airspace. Magistrate Judge Charles D. Austin sentenced Suarez to one year of […]

Baltimore man pleads guilty in 2016 mistaken identity murder-for-hire plot

BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore man pleaded guilty Monday to a charge stemming from a 2016 murder-for-hire plot that resulted in the death of a woman mistaken for her neighbor, a federal witness. Matthew Hightower, 43, faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Hightower admitted to using a firearm during and in relation to a violent crime that resulted in […]

USAID official, three corporate executives plead guilty to decade-long bribery scheme involving more than $550 million in contracts

GREENBELT, MD—A U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) contracting officer and three corporate executives have pleaded guilty in a decadelong bribery scheme involving more than $550 million in federal contracts, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced this week. Two companies involved in the scheme also admitted criminal liability and entered into deferred prosecution agreements. Roderick Watson, […]

Baltimore County man indicted in bribery scheme involving city finance official

BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore County man has been indicted on federal bribery charges, accused of paying more than $10,000 to a former Baltimore City finance official to extinguish his financial obligations to the city, including unpaid water bills. James Carroll Erny Jr., 54, of Glen Arm, Maryland, was charged with one count of bribery, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland […]

Rosedale woman pleads guilty to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, money laundering

BALTIMORE, MD—A Rosedale woman has pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and money laundering, admitting to trafficking thousands of oxycodone pills, and laundering millions of dollars, federal authorities announced Wednesday. Terry Allen, 57, entered her plea in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. According to her plea agreement, Allen led a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed […]

Former Maryland resident charged with multi-million-dollar Medicare fraud, Ponzi schemes

BALTIMORE, MD—A South Carolina man faces federal charges in Maryland for allegedly orchestrating multi-million-dollar Medicare fraud and Ponzi schemes, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday. Two indictments unsealed in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore accuse Charleston resident Michael Britton-Harr, 45, of defrauding Medicare and customers of his private charter jet company, according Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of […]

Perry Hall fentanyl kingpin pleads guilty to possession with intent to distribute

PERRY HALL, MD—A Perry Hall man has pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, after a lengthy investigation revealed his role in a drug trafficking organization. Terrell Ridgley, 34, faces up to 20 years in prison for his involvement. Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney, announced the plea, joined by Ibrar A. Mian, Special Agent in Charge of the […]