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U.S. Attorney’s Office Ups Efforts to Combat Sexual Harassment in Housing

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee is increasing its efforts to combat sexual harassment in housing as many struggle with housing insecurity amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant is asking that Tennesseans who have witnessed or experienced sexual harassment by a landlord, property manager, maintenance worker, or anyone with control over housing to report it to the Department of Justice.

This increased effort comes as the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many to experience housing insecurity and an inability to pay rent on time. The department is working with state and local partners to identify incidents of sexual harassment in housing and will investigate such allegations, pursuing enforcement actions where necessary.

“Every person in this district deserves the right to live in a place of their choosing without fear of sexual harassment,” Dunavant said. “This is not a small town issue or a big city issue, but an issue of respect and dignity. We want women and men throughout all of West Tennessee to know that there’s someone they can turn to if you feel unsafe in your home, no matter where their home is.

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The Fair Housing Act authorizes the Department of Justice to take “swift action” against anyone who sexually harasses tenants, Eric Dreiband, assistant attorney general for civil rights said.

“Landlords, property owners, and others who prey on vulnerable tenants during the COVID-19 pandemic should be on notice. We bring the full resources of the United States Department of Justice to the fight against sexual harassment in housing. We will defend the right of tenants and their families to live peacefully and securely in their homes without the added stress, pain, fear, and turmoil of dealing with sexual predators.”

This effort is a part of the Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative, which was launched in 2017. Since then, the initiative has brought lawsuits across the country, which has led to millions of dollars in damages to victims of harassment.

The department frequently uncovers harassment that has been ongoing for years, as many individuals do not know sexual harassment by a housing provider is a violation of federal law.

Anyone who has experienced or witnessed this type of harassment can report it to the justice department’s Civil Rights Division by calling 844-360-6178 or emailing fairhousing@usdoj.gov. Individuals can also call the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee at 901-544-4231.

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Man Who Schemed City Out of $85K Pleads Guilty

The son of a former City of Memphis employee pleaded guilty Monday for scheming a city maintenance program and fraudulently making nearly $100,000 in the process.

Karl “Shun” Blackmon, 46, son of Leon Blackmon Sr., 70, who was formerly in charge of the city’s Housing and Community Development (HCD) maintenance program, pleaded guilty to mail fraud and conspiracy.

The HCD program’s purpose is to maintain vacant city-owned lots and properties. From April 2013 until November 2014, Blackmon recruited at least 13 friends and family members to form lawn care companies to participate in the HCD program, according to information presented in court.

Blackmon and Blackmon Sr. instructed the recruits to apply for business licenses, obtain federal EIN numbers, open post office boxes and business bank accounts, and finally apply to become city vendors.

A list of city-owned properties was given to the recruits and invoices for their work was sent to Blackmon Sr.. Except, at least half of the properties shown on the invoices were fraudulently billed and the work was never done.

City checks were generated and mailed to the recruits who then shared a portion of the money with Blackmon. The scheme costs the city approximately $84,665.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said the fraudulent scheme has “significant financial consequences to the public interests of the city of Memphis and created unfair business advantages for vendors in the HCD maintenance program.

“This office is committed to the protection of the integrity of public services, and schemes to defraud programs or compromise public office will not be tolerated,” Dunavant said. “This case demonstrates our commitment to protect taxpayer resources from such disturbing crimes of dishonesty, and to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse in government programs.”

Blackmon pleaded guilty Monday and now faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison followed by three years supervised release. His sentencing hearing is set for May 22, 2020, before U.S. Circuit Judge Sheryl Lipman. Charges against Blackmon Sr. and eight other alleged co-conspirators are still pending.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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Man Gets Six Life Sentences for Seven-Year Sexual Assault Spree

A Mississippi man received six life sentences Friday for his sexual crimes in Memphis spanning over seven years.

Michael Love, a 46-year-old resident of Horn Lake, Mississippi, was found guilty of the kidnapping and sexual assault of six Memphis women and the rape of another woman between 2008 and 2015.

Following a jury trial in May 2019, Love was sentenced last week to six life sentences and one 20-year term in federal prison by U.S. District Court Judge Sheryl Lipman.

“The horrific physical violence, sexual abuse, and emotional torment suffered by the victims in this case cannot be undone, but these life sentences ensure that this violent and evil sexual predator will pay for his depraved actions and will never be free again to victimize others,” said U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant. “As a result of the outstanding investigative work of the MPD and the FBI, as well as the excellent trial presentation by our federal and state prosecutors, these victims have seen their cases solved, and justice has been achieved.”

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Love would travel from Mississippi to Tennessee to find and meet women, hold them against their wills, engage in forced sexual intercourse, and abandon the victims in a deserted part of Memphis, according to the evidence presented in trial.

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Love chose some of the victims at random, while he met others through social media or chat rooms using false identities. He would take the women to unlit or uninhabited areas, where he would rape them and eventually force them out of his car, leaving the women without any personal items.

Each woman, including one minor, reported the incidents to the police and had DNA collected for evidence. Other biological evidence was also collected and preserved in sexual assault kits. Ultimately, DNA linked Love to the cases when he was arrested in 2015 and a sample of his DNA was taken.

Using the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a national database designed to help identify suspects in unsolved cases, the Memphis Police Department’s Sex Crimes Bureau and Cold Case Unit, identified Love as a suspect in the seven cases.

Love also has unresolved cases pending in Shelby County Criminal Court, where he has been charged with rape, aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, criminal attempt kidnapping, and robbery.

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Man Indicted for Transporting Several Undocumented Immigrants Through State

An undocumented Mexican national was indicted for illegally transporting undocumented immigrants through Tennessee.

Rufino Valldovinos-Ramirez, 41, was charged with illegally transporting nine undocumented immigrants by a grand jury who maintained that he “knew and disregarded the fact that his passengers were illegally present in the United States, and then transported them in furtherance of their violation of law, for the purpose of his own financial gain.”

Valldovinos-Ramirez was also charged with illegal re-entry to the country after having been deported. If convicted, he faces a maximum of five years in prison for each of the nine counts of illegal transportation and up to two years and/or a $250,000 fine for the illegal re-entry charge.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said promoting lawful immigration is a priority for his office.

“Because the Department of Justice is the only agency that can prosecute violations of our sovereign immigration laws, it is critical that our work focuses on criminal cases that deter and reduce illegality whole promoting lawfulness in our immigration system,” Dunavant said. “This is a high priority for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and we will aggressively prosecute any persons who engage in unlawful smuggling, transportation, or harboring of multiple undocumented aliens to illegally enter the United States.”

The case will be prosecuted by assistant U.S. Attorneys, Lauren Delery and Stephen Hall. It was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations.

Jere Miles, the special agent over the Homeland Security Investigations stationed in New Orleans, said illegal border crossing poses a threat to the country’s security and that the department is committed to investigating and prosecuting those that “flagrantly violate U.S. law.”

“Criminal networks who engage in illegal cross-border smuggling pose a security vulnerability to the U.S.,” Miles said. “Further, these groups routinely place profit over the well-being of their human cargo, which often has tragic results for those taking this dangerous illegal path.”