Tag: North Dakota
Ranita Lynn Freeman, Bank Fraud, North Dakota 2020
⏱ 2 min read In a brazen scheme, Ranita Lynn Freeman, a 32-year-old member of the MHA Nation, stole $51,500 from two tribal members’ Individual Indian Money (IIM) accounts in North Dakota between 2020 and 2023. Freeman, along with co-defendants Wareagle Rollingthunder Martin and Samantha Lynn Rebold, exploited the trust-based system, posing as the account…
Kyle Kahalehili Maez-Schaack, Kidnapping for Ransom, North Dakota 2024
North Dakota Man Sentenced for Kidnapping A North Dakota man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in a kidnapping for ransom that resulted in the beating of a victim, holding him at gunpoint, and transporting him across state lines to Minnesota to collect an unpaid drug debt. Kyle Kahalehili Maez-Schaack,…
Traye Mjelde, Escape, North Dakota 2026
[‘ Fargo, North Dakota man Traye Mjelde, 29, has been sentenced to federal prison for escaping from a residential reentry center in Sioux Falls. ‘, ‘ According to the United States Attorney Ron Parsons, Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, sentenced Mjelde to one year in federal prison and ordered him to pay…
School Scam
⏱ 2 min read Dickinson Public Schools in North Dakota was the target of a business email compromise scheme, resulting in the loss of $4.8 million. The scam occurred when fraudsters tricked school officials into transferring funds to a Citibank account. The FBI and US Attorney’s Office worked together to seize the funds, with the…
Joel Alejandro Quinonez, Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, North Dakota 2022
FARGO, ND – Joel Alejandro Quinonez, 34, of Puebla, Mexico, is headed to federal prison for 15 years after being convicted on multiple federal charges related to a methamphetamine trafficking operation in North Dakota. The sentencing, handed down by Chief Judge Peter D. Welte, marks a significant blow to the “Tango Blast” gang’s reach into…
Shawn Larkin, Pointing a Loaded Handgun at Police, North Dakota 2020
FARGO, ND – A Fargo man is headed to federal prison after a brazen act of violence against local law enforcement. Shawn Larkin, 40, was sentenced to 57 months followed by 3 years of supervised release after pointing a loaded handgun at Fargo Police officers during a routine traffic stop in September 2020. The incident…
Devonsha Dabney, Drug Trafficking, North Dakota 2023
FARGO, N.D. – Devonsha Dabney, 29, of Detroit, Michigan, is headed to federal prison for 15 years after being convicted of leading a drug trafficking operation that preyed on vulnerable communities in North Dakota. Dabney, also known as Kemell, was sentenced by Chief Judge Peter D. Welte in Fargo on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, following…
Cody James Belgarde, Second-Degree Murder and Arson, North Dakota 2021
FARGO, ND – Cody James Belgarde, 36, of St. Michael, North Dakota, will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars after a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder and arson, stemming from a horrific crime committed in January 2021. The victim, just two weeks past his seventeenth birthday, was shot and killed…
Daniel Saydee Cisse, Conspiracy to Tamper with a Federal Witness, North Dakota 2024
FARGO, ND – A brazen attempt to obstruct justice has landed 19-year-old Daniel Saydee Cisse of Fargo in federal prison for 11 years. Cisse was sentenced Thursday by Chief District Judge Peter Welte for conspiracy to tamper with a federal witness, a desperate move to derail a homicide investigation and protect those responsible. The plot,…
April Bergman, Firearms Trafficking, North Dakota 2023
MINOT, ND – April Bergman, a resident of Minot, North Dakota, has confessed to federal firearms trafficking and unlawful possession of firearms, a crime that could land her behind bars for up to 15 years. The guilty plea, entered today in Fargo, marks a significant development in a case investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol,…
