Cleveland, Ohio – The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) and Ashtabula Police Department (APD), with the assistance of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), are trying to solve the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Donnell White Jr. White was reported as an endangered runaway to APD on August 10th, 1991. At the time of his disappearance, White was 14 years old and living in the 900 block of W. 38th Street, Ashtabula, OH. There is conflicting information as to when he was last seen, however one of the last confirmed sightings was on a basketball court near his house several days before he was reported missing.
In 2020, detectives with APD renewed efforts to locate Donnell and enlisted the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Missing Child Unit. Since that time, investigators have followed up on leads and conducted interviews with witnesses from across the country. Donnell was primarily raised on the east side of Cleveland, in or around Warrensville Heights and North Randall, but was staying with his grandmother in Ashtabula at the time he went missing.
One of the challenges facing investigators is finding a good picture of Donnell. The photo published at the time of his disappearance was from several years earlier. Investigators are being told it’s not the best likeness of him, however no one has provided police with a more accurate photo. His picture, along with an age progressed photo created by NCMEC, were distributed in hopes of developing leads.
“Cold cases have unique challenges, but present unique opportunities. Unfortunately, endangered runaways weren’t investigated in 1991 as they are today. Records are difficult to find, potential witnesses may have moved or even passed away. On the other hand, we have people talking to investigators now who weren’t willing in 1991 and that has helped ignite life into the case” says U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott.
The U.S. Marshals are offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that helps solve the mystery of Donnell’s disappearance. Tipsters can remain anonymous and are being asked to call the below listed numbers.
U.S. Marshals Senior Inspector Bill Boldin stated, “We’ve identified the people closest to Donnell at the time he went missing. We are encouraging them to come forward and speak up. This child deserves to have his story told and we will not stop until that happens.”
Anyone with information concerning a wanted fugitive can contact the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 1-866-4WANTED (1-866-492-6833), or you can submit a web tip. Reward money is available, and tipsters may remain anonymous. Follow the U.S. Marshals on Twitter @USMSCleveland
U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications Commission and Other Federal and State Law Enforcement Agencies Announce Results of Nationwide Initiative to Curtail Illegal Telemarketing Operations
The Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced today a crackdown on telemarketing operations responsible for billions of illegal calls to U.S. consumers. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General and other law enforcement partners, including attorneys general from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, joined the announcement.
Today’s announcement caps approximately a year of enforcement actions taken by federal and state agencies to combat the scourge of illegal telemarketing, including robocalls and scam calls. In the last year, the department has pursued approximately 90 cases against illegal telemarketing operations and those who facilitate those illegal calls. This initiative, “Operation Stop Scam Calls,” targets telemarketers, including those who use telephone calls to commit fraud, as well as those who facilitate illegal telephone calls. Enforcement actions targeted lead generators who deceptively collect consumers’ telephone numbers and then provide those telephone numbers to robocallers and others (falsely representing that these consumers have consented to receive calls), as well as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers who facilitate tens of billions of illegal robocalls every year. Significant actions also were taken against individuals and entities who unjustly profited by facilitating the movement of money from scam call victims to fraudsters.
“Illegal telephone calls interrupt cherished time with family and friends and, when they are used to commit fraud, can be financially and emotionally devastating,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Arun G. Rao of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Consumer Protection Branch, who appeared at a press conference in Chicago announcing the initiative. “The department and its partners are committed to pursuing those who make and facilitate these calls.”
“Today, government agencies at all levels are united in fighting the scourge of illegal telemarketing. We are taking action against those who trick people into phony consent to receive these calls and those who make it easy and cheap to place these calls,” said Director Samuel Levine of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “The FTC and its law enforcement partners will not rest in the fight against illegal telemarketing.”
“The FCC is committed to using every tool at its disposal to crack down on illegal robocalls and protect the US communications network,” said Chief Loyaan Egal of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau. “We, alongside our partners, will not let up in tracking, prosecuting, and penalizing the bad actors in this space and protecting consumers.”
Cases brought by the department targeted both foreign and domestic telemarketing operations. These cases ranged from actions targeting fraudsters who directly contacted victims to actions targeting those who provided scam call operators with the means to perpetrate their schemes. The department’s actions contributed to the collective actions, over 180, taken by the federal and state partners participating in Operation Stop Scam Calls.
The department’s Consumer Protection Branch brought nine civil actions in partnership with the FTC, which collectively alleged conduct involving billions of robocalls. Four of these cases involved lawsuits against VoIP providers that transmitted illegal phone calls. Some of these calls were scams arising from foreign call centers, such as calls by fraudsters pretending to be government agencies or impersonating e-commerce companies. Defendants, as alleged in the government’s complaints, continued to transmit illegal calls even after being warned that those calls were scam pitches. These cases also included a resolution with multinational payment processing company Nexway, arising from a lawsuit that alleged that the company processed credit card payments for India-based Tech Live Connect and other foreign clients that committed telemarketing fraud via tech support scams.
Cases brought by the department also involved criminal charges against those alleged to have made illegal phone calls or facilitated such calls. Many of these cases involved foreign fraud operations that victimized older adults. The department prosecuted perpetrators of various lottery fraud schemes, in which consumers were falsely told they had won a large prize but must first pay money to receive that prize.
In three separate matters brought by the Consumer Protection Branch, three individuals were extradited from Jamaica. Two have since pleaded guilty.
The Criminal Division’s Fraud Section secured a nearly 133-month sentence in a Costa Rica-based lottery scheme.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona secured a 160-month sentence for a leader of an international fraud ring who distributed lead lists containing the personal information of thousands of victims.
Additional lottery fraud-related criminal matters include those brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the District of Connecticut, the Eastern District of California, the Eastern District of New York, the District of South Carolina, the District of Nebraska, the Northern District of Florida, and the Northern District of Ohio.
The Justice Department and its partners urge consumers to be on the lookout for illegal calls, to take steps to minimize the number of illegal calls received, and to report any scam calls to law enforcement.
Callers may pressure you to send money by trying to scare you. They may pretend to be someone you know who is in trouble, a government agency, or a major company. These are fraudsters. Hang up.
Don’t trust your caller ID. It can be faked.
If you answer the telephone and hear a recorded message instead of a live person, it’s potentially a robocall trying to sell you something. It is probably illegal and likely a scam.
Only call a telephone number you know is real.
Make sure your number is on the Do Not Call Registry and consider using your telephone’s call blocking options or getting a call blocking app or service.
For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. To review a list of common transnational elder fraud scams, many facilitated by telephone calls, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch/transnational-elder-fraud-strike-force.
To learn more about the department’s elder fraud efforts, visit www.justice.gov/elderjustice. If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, experienced professionals are standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, can provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish and other languages are available.
For more information on unwanted calls, including steps people can take to avoid robocall scams and to hear examples of illegal calls, visit www.ftc.gov/calls
, which is also available in Spanish at www.ftc.gov/llamadas
.
Some of the cases referenced in today’s announcement are charges, which are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Cincinnati man pleads guilty to illegally accessing email, social media accounts of hundreds of women to obtain sexually explicit photos
CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to accessing the email and social media accounts of hundreds of women to search for sexually explicit photos of them.
Dwayne Curry, 34, admitted he identified women through the internet, television and in person and then intentionally sought to access their email and Snapchat accounts.
Curry used cryptocurrency to purchase passwords through various dark websites that sell stolen user account information.
The defendant then accessed the women’s Snapchat accounts to view and save their private photos.
In total, Curry unlawfully accessed at least 48 women’s Snapchat accounts and more than 300 email accounts. Some of the identified victims included a woman he met in person in Cincinnati, and two women he saw on television. The women resided in Tennessee and Pennsylvania.
Curry was charged by bill of information in May 2023.
Unauthorized access of a computer is a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the guilty plea entered today before Senior U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle J. Healey is representing the United States in this case, which was investigated by FBI Knoxville and Cincinnati, the Knoxville (TN) Cyber Task Force and the University of Tennessee Police Department.
COLUMBUS – On Thursday, July 13, troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol joined our law enforcement partners across the country as part of the ongoing “Highway 20 Speed Enforcement Project.”
The “Highway 20 Speed Enforcement Project,” started by the Iowa State Patrol, has grown into a nationwide effort among state police, state highway patrol and local police agencies to promote traffic safety and reduce crashes across the 12 states that U.S. 20 runs through.
U.S. 20 spans nearly the length of the country from west to east, running from Newport, Ore. to Boston. In 1989, U.S. 20 was determined to be 3,365 miles long, making it the longest highway in the country, and as of 2020 various projects have slightly shortened its length.
The “Highway 20 Speed Enforcement Project” is a bimonthly collaborative effort, taking place on a select day with a two-hour initiative in the morning and a two-hour initiative in the evening. During this past Thursday’s initiative, 93 officers across the country made 691 contacts with the motoring public. Of those, 389 resulted in citations, 295 warnings were given and seven motorists were assisted. “The goal of the project is simple,” said Sergeant Ryan E. Purpura, spokesperson for the Patrol. “Our troopers and law enforcement partners from across the country want to make U.S. 20 as safe as possible for those traveling on it by reducing speed-related crashes. Driving over the posted limit is a choice, a choice that could cost your life or the life of someone else.”
Specifically, in Ohio, U.S. 20 covers 259 miles, crossing through the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Findlay, Bucyrus, Cleveland and Warren districts. Over the course of the project in 2023, 117 troopers from nine posts issued 290 citations, 181 warnings and assisted 29 motorists, furthering the spirit of the overall project not only in Ohio, but across the entire length of U.S. 20.
The public is encouraged to call #677 in Ohio or 911 to report drug activity, and dangerous or impaired drivers.
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Oregon State Police – Idaho State Police – Montana Highway Patrol – Wyoming Highway Patrol
Nebraska State Patrol – Iowa State Patrol – Illinois State Police – Indiana State Police
Ohio State Highway Patrol – Pennsylvania State Police -New York State Police – Massachusetts State Police
COLUMBUS – The Ohio State Highway Patrol has entered the 10th annual “Best
Looking Cruiser” contest sponsored by the American Association of State Troopers (AAST). Voting for the best-looking cruiser began today, July 17 at 10 a.m. and will end on July 31 at 12 p.m. Visit the Patrol’s Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages and click the link in any of our contest posts or visit the SurveyMonkey website to vote the Ohio State Highway Patrol as having the best-looking cruiser.
When visiting the SurveyMonkey website, scroll to the bottom of the page and select Ohio from the drop-down menu. Agency rankings will be updated on the AAST’s websitethroughout the contest.
Last year, Ohio finished in thirteenth place. Please help vote for the Ohio State Highway Patrol as the 2023 best-looking cruiser. The top 13 photos receiving the highest number of votes will be featured in the 2024 AAST wall calendar and the photo that gets the highest number of votes will be featured on the cover.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced today that his Human Trafficking Commission has launched a directory of Ohio-based services and resources for victims of human trafficking.
“Those who are getting out of ‘the life’ are already facing considerable obstacles in their healing journeys,” Yost said. “We want to do what we can to expedite their connection with the services they need and to ensure that the service agencies are vetted. This directory both streamlines the search process for survivors and leads them to reputable help.”
The Human Trafficking Victim Services Directory is a searchable database of agencies and programs offering emergency, transitional, residential and other services to victims and survivors. It can be searched by county, or by using the categories of service as keywords:
24 Hour Response Line
Emergency Response
Case Management Victim Advocacy
Trauma Specific Therapy
Residential Programs for Adults
Residential Programs for Youth
Substance Use Treatment
Drop-In Center
Survivor Peer Support
Shelter and Short-Term Housing for Adults
Temporary Emergency Housing in Non-Shelter Setting
Agencies that appear in the database have submitted a rigorous self-assessment to the AG’s Human Trafficking Commission. The commission’s Victim Services Committee, in turn, has determined that these agencies’ programs and services meet the Ohio’s Standards of Service for Trafficked Persons, which outlines expectations in 14 unique categories, from ethics to emergency response.
“This project is the result of a collaborative statewide effort to expand the number of programs that meet Ohio’s human trafficking service standards and to increase access to quality services for human trafficking survivors,” said Michelle Hannan, anti-human trafficking director for the Salvation Army who, as co-chair of the Victim Services Subcommittee of AG Yost’s Human Trafficking Commission, helped establish the statewide standards and develop the directory.
“We are pleased to see it come to fruition, knowing the agencies listed are committed to serving through best practices.”
With time, Attorney General Yost noted, the directory will grow only richer and more valuable to survivors.
“As word spreads about the standards process involved, more and more high-quality service providers will want to be a part of it – which should give trafficking survivors and their loved ones comfort,” Yost said. “It’s a win for all involved.”
Agencies that want to appear in the directory are encouraged to read the Standards of Service booklet, then complete and submit the assessment. Organizations with additional questions may contact Yost’s Human Trafficking Initiative at HTI@OhioAGO.gov.
Sandusky — The Sandusky Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating a three vehicle crash that occurred in the westbound lanes of State Route 2, near mile post 19, in Huron Township. The crash occurred today, July 7, 2023, at approximately 12:04 p.m.
A white 2022 Chevrolet Traverse (Unit #2), driven by Virginia L. Doyle, age 74, of Huron, OH, was driving in the right-hand lane behind slow traffic.
Unit #2 was driving behind a white 2021 Ford F 350 with a trailer.
(Unit #3), driven by Jordan E. Saran, age 45, of Willowick, OH. Both vehicles were westbound in the right-hand lane and were stuck behind a slow-moving vehicle.
A blue 2020 Kenworth tractor/trailer (Unit #1 ) was being driven by Brian L. Johnson, age 51, of Hudsonville, MI. Unit #1 struck Unit #2 in the rear, pushing Unit #2 into the trailer of Unit #3.
Mrs. Doyle sustained fatal injuries as a result of the collision. Mr. Johnson and Mr. Saran were not injured and were able to drive their vehicles from the scene. The Ohio State Highway Patrol was assisted on scene by the Erie County Sheriff’s Department, Huron Township Fire & EMS, Erie County ODOT, Maags Towing, and Luckey Towing.
Alcohol and/or drug impairment do not appear to be factors of this crash. The crash remains under investigation at this time.
Governor DeWine Signs FY ’24-’25 Budget with Historic Investments in Ohio’s Workforce, Children, and Communities
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)— Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has signed Ohio’s Fiscal Year 2024-2025 operating budget bill into law.
House Bill 33 supports the priorities of the DeWine-Husted Administration by taking advantage of Ohio’s Time in history to make strategic investments in our thriving economy, communities, and families in a manner that positions Ohio for continued success in the future.
The budget focuses on providing new opportunities for jobs and economic development, helping Ohio’s children get a better start in life through education initiatives and unprecedented support for mothers and children, a historic investment in mental health services and infrastructure, and significant incentives and policies to improve the quality of nursing home care.
“I am proud to sign this budget, and while it makes historic investments in Ohioans across their lives, I believe we are doing more to support and encourage Ohio’s children to lead happy, healthy, and productive lives than ever before,” said Governor DeWine. “Whether it is helping them get the healthiest start in life by providing top-notch health care for moms; to expanding access to quality early childhood education; to ensuring their teachers have the resources and skills needed to teach students how to read in the way their brains learn to read; to providing prevention and early intervention tools for those struggling with mental and behavioral health issues; to expanding access and opportunity for all types of training, certifications, and degrees after high school graduation, and continued career development; through ensuring Ohioans have a high quality of life and the highest quality of care as they age, this budget helps make Ohio the heart of opportunity for everyone.”
“This budget is balanced, it provides tax cuts to working families, and it invests in economic and workforce development while promoting educational freedom with the expansion of the EdChoice Scholarship,” said Lt. Governor Jon Husted. “It was also great to see our efforts to require parental notification for social media included, along with much of our work to eliminate unnecessary and outdated regulations through CSI’s Innovate the Code initiative.”
Governor DeWine issued 44 line-item vetoes to House Bill 33.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)— Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted announced today that Amazon Web Services (AWS) will invest an estimated $7.8 billion by the end of 2029 to expand its data center operations in Central Ohio, creating hundreds of new jobs.
AWS’s data center project represents the second-largest single private sector company investment in Ohio’s history. The new data centers will contain computer servers, data storage drives, networking equipment, and other forms of technology infrastructure used to power cloud computing.
Numerous localities in Central Ohio are under consideration for the new data center campuses, and final site selections will be decided at a later date.
“Amazon is already one of the largest private-sector employers in Ohio, and the company’s continued growth here further cements Ohio as the heart of our nation’s technology and innovation,” said Governor DeWine. “As more of the world relies on cloud computing, this investment will build on Amazon’s current infrastructure in Ohio to help new and existing businesses grow, allow residents to securely connect to friends and family, and provide access to online educational resources and entertainment.”
“This positions Ohio as a critical location for the most discussed technology in the world, artificial intelligence,” said Lt. Governor Jon Husted. “This enormous capital investment further solidifies Ohio as the tech center of the Midwest and positions us for a bright future as cloud computing and artificial intelligence are more integrated into the economy and our everyday lives.”
AWS launched its first data centers in the Midwest in 2016 and currently operates data center campuses in Franklin and Licking counties. To date, AWS’s investments and operations have generated over $2 billion in economic benefit for Ohio, and supported more than 3,000 local secondary jobs on an average annual basis. In 2022, AWS directly employed nearly 1,000 Ohioans across the state.
“Today, we are proud to reinforce our long-term commitment to the State of Ohio with plans to expand and invest an estimated $7.8 billion by 2030,” said Roger Wehner, Director of Economic Development, AWS. “Since 2015, AWS has invested more than $6 billion in Ohio while supporting thousands of local jobs. This additional investment will bring new, well-paying jobs and will continue to boost the state’s Gross Domestic Product each year. We are excited to continue our partnership with the state of Ohio, and deliver new workforce development and educational programs that support the next generation of talent by emphasizing collaborative, long-term public and private partnerships across the state.”
“Ohio has a strong future in the technology sector and the more we’re able to help companies that are already here expand their investments only strengthens the state’s position,” said Lydia Mihalik, Director of the Ohio Department of Development. “AWS’s expanding presence in Ohio is a big win for workers looking for in-demand jobs, the construction industry, businesses who need the computer infrastructure to grow their operations, and consumers who rely on the Internet for so many things in their day-to-day lives.”
JobsOhio, One Columbus, and multiple county and local economic development teams are collaborating with AWS to support the expansion.
“AWS was the first-mover in Ohio among the major technology companies and their success has helped pave the way for the explosive growth we’re seeing now,” said JP Nauseef, President and CEO of JobsOhio. “Their newest investment creates 230 direct new jobs and an estimated 1,000 support jobs, and we look forward to building our partnership with AWS as Ohio continues to make its mark in this important sector.”
Two arrested in connection to May 13 Marion County hit-skip fatal crash
MARION – Since May 13, troopers from the Marion Post and the Bucyrus District Office of Investigative Services continued to investigate and follow up on leads to locate the vehicle and driver from the hit-skip fatal crash that occurred on state Route 95 in Marion County. To further the investigation, the Ohio State Highway Patrol sought the public’s assistance on June 2 for any information regarding the crash. As a result, numerous tips were received and those tips were followed up on by investigators.
Yesterday, troopers from the Bucyrus District Office of Investigative Services executed a search warrant at a residence in LaRue, where the BMW X5 was located in the garage and it was determined to be the hit-skip vehicle involved in the fatal crash. A short time later, the driver, Evan Trigg, 43, was arrested by troopers from the Patrol’s Special Response Team. Later in the evening, Trigg’s wife, Carrie Jervis, 36, turned herself in to troopers at the Marion Post, where she was arrested.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol wants to thank the public for their assistance, which moved the investigation forward and ultimately led to the arrest of Trigg and Jervis. Both were charged with tampering with evidence, a felony, and incarcerated at the Multi-County Correctional Center in Marion, and both could face additional charges.
Editor’s note: Below is the media release that was released by the Patrol on June 2.
*UPDATE* Marion Troopers Investigating a Serious Injury Crash
Troopers from the Marion Post and the Bucyrus District Office of Investigative Services are seeking the public’s assistance in locating the vehicle and driver from the hit-skip crash that occurred on state Route 95 in Marion County on May 13. As a result of the crash, John Arthur II succumbed to his injuries on May 19. The BMW, possibly a 2006-2013 X5 did not stop after the crash. The hit-skip driver is a white male, believed to be in his late 30’s or early 40’s with a reddish beard. Anyone with information regarding this crash, the location of the hit-skip vehicle, or the identity of the driver is asked to call the Marion Post at (740) 383-2181.
Joe Lyons •
July 20, 2023
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced today that his Human Trafficking Commission has launched a directory of Ohio-based services and resources for victims of human trafficking.
Sandusky — The Sandusky Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating a three vehicle crash that occurred in the westbound lanes of State Route 2, near mile post 19, in Huron Township. The crash occurred today, July 7, 2023, at approximately 12:04 p.m.
Governor DeWine Signs FY ’24-’25 Budget with Historic Investments in Ohio’s Workforce, Children, and Communities
