Bank Robber Sentenced

Merkuri Stanback, age 28, was sentenced December 17, 2009, by the Honorable Hugh Lawson, United States District Judge for the Middle District of Georgia to a total sentence of 480 months (40 years) without parole. Stanback had been previously convicted of Armed Bank Robbery, Brandishing a Firearm During a Crime of Violence, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon on September 17, 2009 in connection with the robbery of Park Community Federal Credit Union located on Riverside Drive, Macon, Georgia.

On December 28, 2007, Stanback, along with two co-defendants entered the Park Community Federal Credit Union located on Riverside Drive, Macon, Georgia brandishing a firearm. Stanback and his co-defendants restrained employees and ransacked the teller area. Stanback and the co-defendants robbed the contents of the bank vault and stole approximately $198,439.00. While in the process of fleeing, the robbers lost approximately $49,000 which was recovered in an adjoining parking lot. Macon Police Officers arrived and processed the crime scene.

A tip to the FBI lead to the search of a residence located at 1032 Main Street where the Defendant was residing. Macon Police Officers and FBI Agents recovered a majority of the stolen money as well as the firearms and clothing used in the robbery. Warrants were issued for Stanback who was later arrested in Pensacola, Florida by the United States Marshals Service.

Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia G.F. Peterman, III stated: “The sentence handed down by the Court sends a clear message that violent gun crime will not be tolerated in the Middle District of Georgia. Anyone who commits a federal crime with a firearm will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. A sentence of 40 years' imprisonment without parole means that Stanback will not be released from federal prison well past his 65th birthday.”

The case as investigated by the Macon Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and United States Marshals Service. Questions concerning this case should be directed to Sue McKinney, Public Affairs Specialist, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2602.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

Georgia Man Convicted of Conspiracy, Armed Robbery, Carjacking, and Brandishing a Firearm During a Crime of Violence

Edmund A. Booth, Jr., United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, announced that Calvin Lee Stevenson, Jr., indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2008, was convicted February 19 following a three day jury trial in U.S. District Court in Augusta of Conspiracy to Rob a Credit Union, Armed Robbery of a Credit Union, Carjacking and two counts of Brandishing a Firearm During a Crime of Violence.

The evidence at trial showed that in December, 2007 that Stevenson conspired with other individuals to rob the Richmond Community Federal Credit Union located at EZGO on Marvin Griffin Road in Augusta and that Stevenson carried out the plan when he and two other co-defendants robbed the credit union of more than $30,000 in December, 2007. It was further proven by the evidence that immediately prior to the armed robbery that Stevenson and others carjacked a 74 year old victim and then used the carjacked vehicle during the commission of the armed robbery.

Booth stated that Stevenson now faces 5 years in prison for the conspiracy conviction, 25 years in prison for the armed robbery conviction, 15 years in prison for the carjacking conviction, and a mandatory minimum of 35 years in prison for the firearms convictions. Booth noted that a sentencing date will be scheduled following the completion of a pre-sentence investigation and report.

The investigation involved the cooperative efforts of the Richmond County Sheriff's Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation; The government is being represented by Assistant United States Attorneys Patricia Green Johnson and Stephen Inman.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

Protect Yourself from Stalkers

/PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 10 percent of women and two percent of men in the United States have been stalked with an average risk of physical violence incidence of nearly 40% - Rosenfeld, B. "Violence Risk Factors in Stalking and Obsessional Harassment."

Stalkers with a prior intimate relationship are more likely to verbally intimidate and physically harm their victims than strangers, with the potential for violence four times higher than strangers. The strongest risk factors for violence are: 1) threats and intimidation; 2) the existence of prior intimate relationships; and 3) substance abuse. The emotional damage of stalking and threats increases the prevalence of anxiety, insomnia, social dysfunction, and severe depression among victims. The incidents of stalking increase during stressful economic environments and is reflected in increases in Cyber-stalking.

Employers can, and have been, held responsible for protecting employees against stalkers and domestic violence, which can be costly in terms of liability and loss of productivity. Companies should establish policies for educating employees and procedures anonymous reporting to protect privacy and safety of victims or potential victims. If someone believes they are being stalked, they should take action, including

-- Obtain a private Post Office (P.O. Box) for all mail, including
magazine subscriptions and the use the P.O. Box on your driver's
license. Do not file a change of address with the U.S. Postal Service,
notify friends, utilities and others directly.
-- Set-up Google or other search engines alerts for your name to monitor
online traffic and remove your personal information availability
online such as telephone number, address, etc.
-- Sign up for your state's address confidentiality program and obtain an
unpublished and unlisted phone number and avoid calling toll-free 800,
866, 888, 877 and 900 number services.
-- Don't list your name in an apartment building directory, use a
variation for visitors
-- Be very protective of your Social Security number and alert the three
credit bureaus - Experian, Equifax and Trans Union. Put a fraud alert
on your credit reports to avoid fraudulent access.
-- Make a police report and keep a log of every stalking incident. Save
all communications for evidence. Do not edit or alter them in any way.
-- Consider getting professional counseling and/or seeking help from a
victims support group.
-- If you are a victim of Cyber-stalking, act promptly and firmly to
defuse the situation. Take potential threats seriously.
-- If you are receiving unwanted contact, make clear to that person that
you would like him or her not to contact you again.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

Senior "Black Mafia Family" Member Sentenced in Cocaine Distribution Case

A federal judge on December 17 sentenced FLEMING "ILL" DANIELS, 35, of Roswell, to 20 years in federal prison for his conviction for conspiring to distribute cocaine with other members of the "Black Mafia Family" ("BMF"), a violent drug gang that has been the focus of federal prosecution in Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, Louisville, Orlando, and elsewhere around the United States. DANIELS was also ordered to serve 5 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a fine of $10,000.

United States Attorney David E. Nahmias said, "This defendant--someone with multiple prior drug and firearms convictions -- typifies what was so alarming about the Black Mafia Family, a criminal organization that combined drug dealing with gun violence. This sentence will prevent Daniels from returning for many years to the wayward and dangerous lifestyle that the BMF celebrated."

DEA Special Agent In Charge Rodney G. Benson said of the sentencing, "The distribution of dangerous drugs and associated gun violence are a recipe for disaster. This lifestyle will land you serious prison time or it may cost you your life. The sentence imposed upon this defendant is appropriate for the crimes that he committed."

According to Nahmias and other information presented in court: DANIELS and his co-conspirators were members or associates of the Black Mafia Family, a nationwide gang that distributed thousands of kilograms of cocaine during 2002-2005. Federal authorities first moved against the BMF in October 2005 with multi-defendant cocaine conspiracy indictments in Detroit, Louisville, and Orlando. Dozens of other defendants were subsequently charged as a result of related BMF investigations in Los Angeles, St. Louis, and Greenville, South Carolina. In the Atlanta case, 16 defendants were indicted in July 2007. DANIELS was the only Atlanta defendant to go to trial to date; 11 of his co-defendants have entered guilty pleas. The jury that convicted DANIELS found that he was personally responsible for distributing over 50 kilograms of cocaine, drugs with a street value in excess of $1,000,000. One defendant in the case, VERNON M. COLEMAN, a/k/a "Wu," 32, of Atlanta, remains a fugitive. The other three co-defendants are in custody but have not yet resolved their cases.

The evidence showed that at its peak during 2003-2004, the BMF was moving hundreds of kilograms of cocaine into Atlanta, Detroit, and other distribution hubs every month. The drugs would arrive in vehicles - often limousines - with secret compartments or "traps." These same trap vehicles would then be filled with cash (the proceeds from drug sales) to be sent back to the Mexican sources of supply.

Along with these massive amounts of cocaine, the BMF brought violence to the streets of Atlanta. In one incident, Rashannibal Drummond, 23, was beaten, shot and killed in the parking lot of the Midtown club Velvet Room during the early morning hours of July 25, 2004. The murder was the culmination of a one-sided brawl that was alleged to have been precipitated when the unarmed Drummond slapped one of the BMF's prized luxury vehicles to alert its driver not to back over him. FLEMING DANIELS has been indicted in Fulton County for that murder and is awaiting trial.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at www.justthinktwice.com.

This case was investigated by Special Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, assisted by the United States Marshals Service; the Internal Revenue Service; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Atlanta High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force; the Tennessee Department of Safety; the Atlanta Police Department; the DeKalb County Police Department; and the Henry County Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorneys Cassandra Schansman and Robert McBurney prosecuted the case.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page