Federal justice roundup: terrorism sentence, denaturalizations, affirmed convictions

A 210-month terrorism sentence

The Justice Department announced that Regan Darby Prater, 28, of Tullahoma, Tennessee, was sentenced to 210 months in prison — more than 17 years — for arson and attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. The court added three years of supervised release and ordered $1,289,000 in restitution. m:…3819

The restitution order of $1,289,000 accompanies the prison term. The announcement does not detail the arson target or the property damage behind that figure. m:…3819

Two citizenships revoked

The DOJ also announced that the Trump administration has denaturalized two people who gained U.S. citizenship by concealing criminal activity during naturalization. Vivian Chike Obichere fraudulently secured a U.S. passport in 1992 using the identity of 'C.C.O.', and Milagros Marileisis Acosta Torres. The department described the actions as part of an ongoing campaign to protect the integrity of U.S. citizenship. m:…5518

The timeline attached to the announcement reaches back decades: Obichere's passport fraud dates to 1992, which means the denaturalization case rests on conduct more than three decades old. The manifest's timeline entry for Obichere is truncated after a 2015 event, so later details are not available in the announcement. m:…5518

A supplements company shut down

In a third enforcement action, the Justice Department announced that Jeffrey McIndoo and his company, SARMS Pharm LLC, pleaded guilty in connection with the unauthorized sale of selective androgen receptor modulators. As part of the judgment, the company must cease all operations and forfeit $1.8 million in illicit proceeds. m:…4111

The announcement notes that SARMs are not approved by the FDA and pose potential health risks because of their steroid-like effects. m:…4111

Two appeals courts affirm

The Sixth Circuit affirmed the kidnapping conviction of Nasir Lewis, who was convicted of aiding and abetting a kidnapping under 18 U.S.C. section 1201(a)(1). The court ruled Lewis lacked Fourth Amendment standing to challenge search warrants targeting his co-defendants' social media accounts, found the evidence — including a photograph of Lewis with a rifle that the court admitted — sufficient to support the verdict, and held the jury instructions on aiding and abetting legally sufficient. m:…8254

The Eighth Circuit affirmed the conviction of Cory Marvin Baker for attempted receipt of child pornography under 18 U.S.C. sections 2252A(a)(2) and (b)(1), finding sufficient evidence of intent and a substantial step. The panel held the district court did not abuse its discretion in admitting prior convictions under Rule 404(b) or expert testimony under Rule 704(b); a dissent argued that labeling exhibits 'contraband' prejudiced the jury, but the majority found no plain error. m:…9954

The two appellate decisions arrived alongside the Justice Department's enforcement announcements, which is why the set reads as a justice-system roundup rather than a single-case story. The through-line is finality: a sentence imposed, citizenships revoked, a company shuttered, and two convictions locked in on appeal. m:…3819 m:…5518 m:…4111 m:…8254 m:…9954

My analysis: the two opinions are procedurally instructive in different ways. The Sixth Circuit case turns on standing — Lewis could not challenge search warrants targeting his co-defendants' social media accounts. The Eighth Circuit case turns on admissibility — prior convictions under Rule 404(b) and expert testimony under Rule 704(b) came in, and a dissent's 'contraband' prejudice argument failed. Both panels affirmed. m:…8254 m:…9954