Tag: Cleveland
Sherman Thomas, Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances, Ohio 2025
⏱ 2 min read Sherman Thomas, a 43-year-old Cleveland man, was at the center of a massive methamphetamine trafficking operation that brought drugs from the U.S.-Mexico border to Ohio. From July 2022 to April 2023, Thomas and his co-conspirators, including Melvin Hodge and a U.S. postal carrier, conspired to distribute methamphetamine throughout the Northern District…
Adam Hall, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Ohio 2025
⏱ 2 min read On October 3, 2025, Cleveland Police responded to a 911 call about a suspicious man lurking outside a home. The caller reported that the man, later identified as 46-year-old Adam Hall, was repeatedly ringing the doorbell and knocking on windows, refusing to leave the property. Hall, dressed in all black and…
Molly Elisabeth Duncan, Child Exploitation, Ohio 2024
⏱ 2 min read A 26-year-old Ohio babysitter, Molly Elisabeth Duncan, has been sentenced to 70 years in prison for sexually abusing two toddlers in her care. The abuse occurred in Portage County and Geauga County, both in Northeast Ohio, between November 2023 and July 2024. Duncan worked as a nanny for the victims’ families…
Junera Holt Sr., Tax and Wire Fraud, Ohio 2021
⏱ 2 min read A mother and her two sons from Lorain County, Ohio, have been charged with conspiring to defraud the IRS and pandemic-era programs of more than $5 million. Junera Holt Sr., 55, and her sons, Divante Holt, 32, and Richard Henry, 35, allegedly orchestrated two conspiracies to submit fraudulent applications and claims…
Michael Strimbu, Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography, Ohio 2026
⏱ 2 min read A 35-year-old Cleveland man has admitted to sending and receiving child sex abuse materials and coercing a 14-year-old girl to meet him for sex. Michael Strimbu pleaded guilty to the charges in federal court on June 25. He communicated with the girl through social media in January, expressing interest in meeting…
Jamal Abubakari, Wire Fraud and Money Laundering, Ohio 2026
⏱ 3 min read Two Ghanaian brothers and a US woman bilked elderly Americans out of thousands in a brazen romance scam. Jamal Abubakari, 22, and his brother Kamal Abubakari, 22, allegedly created fake profiles on dating apps and social media to woo their prey. Amanda Joy Opoku-Boachie, 53, helped facilitate the scheme. The scam…
Russell D. Kircher, Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Missouri 2026
⏱ 2 min read Russell D. Kircher, 41, of Cleveland, Missouri, has been charged with possessing a massive stash of methamphetamine after investigators seized 84 pounds of the illicit substance. The bust went down on May 4 and 5, 2026, when investigators from the Missouri Western Interdiction and Narcotics Task Force (MOWIN) and the DEA…
Lawrence Sturdivant, Armed Robbery, Ohio 2021
⏱ 2 min read Lawrence Sturdivant, a 36-year-old Cuyahoga County man, committed a string of armed robberies in the Cleveland area while out on parole. Between December 5 and 11, 2021, Sturdivant terrorized employees and patrons at 10 local stores, including Walgreens Pharmacy and Family Dollar. He would enter the stores, wander around the aisles,…
Ohio Prosecutors, Embezzlement, Ohio 2025
⏱ 2 min read CLEVELAND – A group of Northern Ohio prosecutors and staff members are being hailed as heroes after a year of tireless work in the pursuit of justice. In 2025, the US Attorney’s Office in Cleveland saw a series of high-profile cases, from financial fraud to white-collar crimes. The office’s annual awards…
Mohammed Ali Kanawati, Controlled Substances Act Violations, Ohio 2026
⏱ 2 min read Cleveland authorities have raked in a whopping $4.3M in the first quarter of 2026, largely due to a dentist’s hefty fine and a lab’s settlement over Medicare scams. Dr. Mohammed Ali Kanawati, a Pepper Pike dentist, coughed up $450,000 to settle charges of mishandling controlled substances. The fine comes on top…
