United States Attorney, Stephen J. Murphy Eastern District of Michigan

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United States Attorney, Stephen J. Murphy Eastern District of Michigan FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AG TUESDAY, MAY 2, 2006 (202) 514-2008 WWW.USDOJ.GOV TDD (202) 514-1888 MICHIGAN TEAM MEETS WITH ATTORNEY GENERAL ALBERTO R. GONZALES, ENHANCES STRATEGIES TO COMBAT GANG VIOLENCE AND GUN CRIMES 18 local representatives from the Eastern District of Michigan attend conference Detroit, Michigan Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales this week brought together over 1,300 federal, state and local prosecutors, law enforcement officials,
community leaders and other members of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) teams
from across the nation to discuss efforts to reduce and prosecute gun crime. Eighteen
local representatives from Michigan participated in the fourth PSN national conference
in Denver, including members of the Detroit Police Department, Wayne County
Prosecutors Office, Northwest District Weed and Seed, Michigan Department of
Corrections as well as the U.S. Attorneys Office, sharing successful strategies for
combating gun crime and gang violence. The Bush Administration has devoted more
than $1.6 billion to PSN since 2001, including nearly $40 million that will be distributed
to local task forces this year. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a street-level partnership that helps local leaders solve local problems, said Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Through this program,
law enforcement at every level supports innovative strategies to combat gun crime and
gang violence in communities across America. The conference centers on PSNs many successes in fighting gun crime since the initiative was announced by President Bush in 2001, and on using PSNs
partnerships and successful strategies to combat the problem of gang violence. Our partners at the state and local level will be crucial to our anti-gang strategy for the Eastern District of Michigan. We will pursue a coordinated, carefully planned
strategy that will root out gang activity, particularly armed organizations involved in drug
trafficking. First we will identify them, then target our local, state and federal resources
to dismantle them and put their members in prison, said United States Attorney
Stephen J. Murphy. This program also includes a strong prevention component, in that
it includes crucial community building resources as well, such as funds to help ex-
offenders to stay out of trouble, develop skills, and find jobs. Since combating gang-violence can only be done by working in partnership with state and local law enforcement and community organizations, the Attorney General - 2 - directed each U.S. Attorney to convene a Gang Prevention Summit in his or her district
designed to explore additional opportunities in the area of gang prevention. These
summits are to be held in the next eight months and will bring together law enforcement
and community leaders to discuss best practices, identify gaps in services, and create a
prevention plan to target at-risk youth within their individual communities. The Attorney General announced that the Department of Justice released nearly $30 million in grant assistance to support state and local anti-gang efforts of PSN task
forces across the country. In the Eastern District of Michigan, $600,000 has been
allocated to the Detroit Police Department, the Wayne County Sheriffs Office, the
Michigan State Police, Wayne County Prosecutors Office, the Michigan Department of
Corrections, and several community service organizations to support enforcement and
prevention efforts to combat violent gangs under PSN. In addition, the Department will
award $10 million across the country to support PSN efforts to fight gun crime that is not
necessarily gang-related. These efforts will complement additional Department programs, such as the Attorney Generals Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative, which has allocated a total of
$15 million to fund comprehensive prevention, enforcement and re-entry efforts in six
sites: Los Angeles, Tampa, Cleveland, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Milwaukee, and the 222
Corridor, between Easton and Lancaster in Pennsylvania. PSN conference training topics range from enforcement strategies to remove violent gang members and gun criminals from the streets, to school violence prevention
programs, and building community partnerships. The strength of PSN continues to be
its strategic mix of federal, state and local agencies and community leaders focused on
law enforcement and crime prevention. Prosecutors pursue the strongest possible
punishment for those who violate firearms statutes, while community partners
aggressively educate their constituents about consequence of illegal gun violence and
gang activity through services and resources provided by PSN. For more information, please visit the PSN website at www.psn.gov. U.S. Department of Justice Stephen J. Murphy United States Attorney
Eastern District of Michigan Suite 2001
211 West Fort Street
Detroit, Michigan 48226-3277 Fax: (313) 226-3561 For Immediate Release:
Contact: Gina Balaya (313) 226-9758 April 3, 2006 EVENT: Sentencing Defendant: James Earl Sherwood MIO RESIDENT PLEADS GUILTY TO ARSON James Earl Sherwood, age 34 of Mio, Michigan, pleaded guilty in Bay City, Michigan on May 2, 2006 to three counts of arson in the Huron-Manistee National Forest. The indictment charged that on various dates in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004, Mr. Sherwood set fires in the Huron-Manistee National Forest, creating both a risk of death or serious injury to others, and causing damages and loss in violation of Title 18, United States Code, section 1855. As part of his plea, Sherwood admitted to making delayed ignition devices and using the devices to start fires in the forest. Mr. Sherwood was originally arrested on a federal warrant on June 2, 2004. He is on a $75,000 unsecured bond. The penalty for each count of conviction is up to 5 years in prison, plus fines and restitution. Sentencing for Sherwood is set for August 3, 2006 at 3:00 pm. United States Attorney Stephen J. Murphy said, Protecting our National Forests, particularly from the danger of arson, is important not only because of the need to preserve our resources, but to protect human lives. I applaud the excellent local, state and federal cooperation which lead to this successful prosecution. The case was investigated by a task force consisting of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Oscoda and Alcona County Sheriffs Departments, the Michigan State Police and the U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement Division. Anyone with information regarding forest fires may contact the U.S. Forest Service at (989) 826-3252. U.S. Department of Justice Stephen J. Murphy United States Attorney
Eastern District of Michigan Suite 2001
211 West Fort Street
Detroit, Michigan 48226-3277 Fax: (313) 226-3561 For Immediate Release:
Contact: Gina Balaya (313) 226-9758 May 8, 2006 EVENT: Complaint Defendant: Fairway Trails Limited, L.P et al YPSILANTI APARTMENT COMPLEX BEING SUED IN FEDERAL COURT The United States Attorneys Office announced that it has filed a lawsuit today against FAIRWAY TRAILS LIMITED, L.P., BENCHMARK MANAGEMENT CORP., BENCHMARK MICHIGAN PROPERTIES, INC., and NICOLE MORBACH. The lawsuit alleges unlawful retaliation under the Fair Housing Act at this Ypsilanti, Michigan apartment complex. Fairway Trails is located at 130 Hewitt Street, Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197 . Housing discrimination of this sort is fundamentally wrong. No one should be denied housing because they assert their rights under civil rights laws, said Stephen J. Murphy, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. The complaint, filed in federal district court in Detroit, Michigan, and assigned to United States District Judge John Corbett OMeara, alleges that the defendants moved to evict Harry Tyus, a resident at Fairway Trails Apartments, after he complained to the Fair Housing Center of Southeastern Michigan that the defendants would not grant his request for a reasonable accommodation. Mr. Tyus is disabled, due a number of serious health conditions. Following a bench trial on the eviction proceeding, Washtenaw County Circuit Judge John B. Collins, entered an order requiring defendants to grant Mr. Tyuss request for an accommodation. Two days later, defendants notified Mr. Tyus that they would not renew his lease. This conduct constitutes unlawful retaliation under the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C.

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