Child Pornography, Drug, and Weapons Offenses also resolved

A Superior Court jury convicted a 37-year-old Laurel man of Home Invasion, two counts of Assault 3rd Degree, Theft Less Than $1500, Criminal Mischief Less Than $1500, six counts of Breach of Release, two counts of Act of Intimidation, and Conspiracy 2nd Degree. In February 2017, Seaford officers were dispatched to a domestic violence situation where they witnessed Anthony Morris physically assaulting a woman in a motel parking lot. Officers learned that Morris had also damaged her vehicle and stolen cash and a debit card from her. After being released on bond with a no-contact order in place, Morris forced his way into the woman’s home and attacked her again. Morris was charged with additional offenses while his case was pending because he continued to violate his no-contact orders with the victim in an attempt to persuade her not to go forward with the charges against him. Morris was sentenced to a total of 12 years in prison followed by 1 year of work release, and 2 years of probation. Deputy Attorney General Casey L. Ewart prosecuted the case and was assisted by social worker Carla Ennals, paralegal Veronica McKain, and administrative specialist Angelique Waters.

A Wilmington man who was on probation received significant prison time for second offense child pornography charges. A New Castle County Superior Court judge sentenced 33-year-old Lyle Jervey to 15 years in prison followed by 5 years and 6 months of probation for five counts of Dealing in Child Pornography. In May 2017, a tip led Probation and Parole Officers to Jervey’s residence where they found him in possession of a smartphone with internet access in violation of his probation conditions. A forensic examination revealed that he used the phone for viewing child pornography. This was Jervey’s second conviction for child pornography in the last ten years. He was ordered to register as a Tier III sex offender. The case was investigated by Detective Paul Simonds of the Wilmington Police Department with assistance by the Delaware Child Predator Task Force.

A 40-year-old Harrington man who was charged with Drug and Weapons offenses, pled guilty to Conspiracy 2nd Degree and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. A search warrant was executed at a home in the 100 block of Woodville Drive in Magnolia where Delaware State Police found multiple suspects along with heroin, cocaine, marijuana, weapons, and drug paraphernalia. Allen Simms, one of the defendants found at the scene of the search warrant execution, was sentenced to a total of 5 years in prison by a Kent County Superior Court judge. Deputy Attorney General Greg Babowal prosecuted this case.

The Delaware Child Predator Task Force secured a prison sentence for a Smyrna man for child pornography in Kent County Superior Court. The investigation revealed Lincoln Huntoon, 35, was in possession of child pornography on multiple electronic devices. Huntoon was sentenced by a Superior Court judge to 4 years in prison followed by 3 years of probation for two counts of Dealing in Child Pornography and two counts of Possession of Child Pornography. In addition, Huntoon was ordered to register as a Tier II sex offender.

Rape of child, home invasion punished with prison terms

Also: Home improvement contractor pleads guilty to multiple fraud charges

A Wilmington teenager received a 12-year in prison sentence for several shootings tied to gang activity. Elijah Crawford, 17, was sentenced by a Superior Court judge for his September guilty plea on two counts of Assault First Degree, two counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, one count of Possession of a Handgun by a Prohibited Juvenile, and one count of Gang Participation. Crawford, a member of the Shoot to Kill (STK) gang in Wilmington, was accused of shooting 5 people, including 4 other juveniles, in a gang dispute with the Only My Brothers (OMB) Gang in the summer of 2016. Crawford was sentenced to 12 years in prison, followed by 6 months of either home confinement or work release, then 3 years of probation. The judge also imposed 55 years of back time on Crawford if he violates probation after his prison sentence. Deputy Attorney General Mark Denney prosecuted the case, with the assistance of Detective Devon Jones of the Wilmington Police Department.

Deputy Attorneys General Rebecca Anderson and Michael Tipton secured a guilty plea and prison sentence for the leader of a criminal organization operating in Kent and Sussex counties. A multi-jurisdictional effort dubbed Operation “Duck Hunt” targeted DeAngelo McGlotten, 32, of Millsboro as the man leading a group of friends engaged in large-scale heroin distribution and money laundering. In January 2016, search warrants on McGlotten’s home in Bridgeville and on a vehicle linked to him led to the seizure of 42,250 bags of heroin $7740 cash, a stolen 9 mm handgun, and a Marlin 30-30 rifle. The investigation into McGlotten and his organization continued with officials conducting a wiretap on phone lines belonging to McGlotten and several of his associates. As a result of the wiretaps, additional search warrants netted over $170,000 and more than a kilogram of heroin in May 2016. Additionally, numerous firearms, vehicles, and properties were seized in connection to the organization. McGlotten pled guilty to Racketeering, Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, and Drug Dealing Tier II Heroin. A Superior Court judge immediately sentenced McGlotten, barred from having a gun because of prior felony convictions on drug and weapons charges, to 12 years in prison and then 18 months of probation.

A New Castle man faces at least 17 years in prison for his guilty plea to Murder Second Degree and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony charges. Deputy Attorneys General Brian Robertson and Dominic Carrera, 54, secured the plea from Gregory Parker. In January 2016, Parker bludgeoned 47-year-old Shawn Spence to death inside the home that Parker formerly shared with his ex-girlfriend in the 900 block of Eider Court near New Castle. When sentenced by a judge in February, Parker faces 17 years to life in prison. New Castle County Police Department Detective Steven Burse spearheaded the investigation, and DOJ victim/witness specialist Crystal Pitts and Homicide Unit paralegal Jamie Prater assisted in the prosecution.

Deputy Attorney General Jenna Milecki secured a prison sentence for a 34-year-old New Castle man for raping a child. In summer 2016, Gemiyale Adkins sexually assaulted a young child. In September 2017, Adkins pled guilty to one count of Rape Second Degree and one count of Rape Fourth Degree in Superior Court. A judge sentenced Adkins to 25 years in prison, followed by 6 months of either home confinement or work release, then 10 years of probation. Adkins must also register as a Tier 3 sex offender. DOJ social worker Claudia Melton assisted with the case.

Deputy Attorney General Phillip Casale secured a prison sentence for Kysheem Byrd, 25, of Chester, PA in connection with a home invasion. In June 2016, Byrd and another man, armed with guns, broke into a home in the 2100 block of London Way in Newark. In September 2017, Byrd pled guilty to charges of Home Invasion, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and Conspiracy Second Degree. A Superior Court judge sentenced Byrd to 9 years in prison followed by 6 months of either home confinement or work release, then one year of probation. DOJ social worker Kristen Fluharty-Emory assisted on the case.

A 50-year old Middletown man faces up to 16 years in prison after pleading guilty to 4 counts of Home Improvement Fraud and 4 counts of Theft. The felony pleas came in connection with a series of home improvement frauds involving at least 16 victims and approximately $300,000 in losses in southern New Castle County and northern Kent County. Mario W. Mareno, 50, was first arrested in May 2016 by the First State Fugitive Task Force on outstanding warrants for Home Improvement Fraud from the Delaware State Police, the New Castle County Police, and the Middletown Police Department. Following arrest and release on bail, Mareno disappeared from the state, but law enforcement located him in Forsyth, North Carolina, and he was extradited back to Delaware. An investigation found that in 2015 and 2016 Mareno solicited and corresponded with victims via Facebook, text messages, and email. Mareno would get victims to make large up-front payments, supposedly to obtain required permits and purchase materials and supplies, and then never substantially complete the work. In some cases, victims discovered that Mareno did not obtain permits or purchase materials as represented, and he manufactured evidence purporting to show that delays and problems were the fault of other people, including victims themselves. In addition to pleading guilty to Home Improvement Fraud and Theft, Mareno will be ordered to provide restitution to all victims, and will, upon his release from prison, be prohibited from working, advertising, or otherwise offering any type of construction services, including home improvement services, in the State of Delaware. Sentencing will take place on December 12. Deputy Attorneys General Christian Douglas Wright, Gillian Andrews, and Shaun Michael Kelly prosecuted the case, with assistance from CPU Chief Special Investigator Alan Rachko and paralegal Angela Williams.

Others face prison time for rape, gun, and drug charges

A 30-year-old Magnolia man was sentenced to prison in connection with a July 2015 killing in the Simon Circle neighborhood in Dover. Deputy Attorney General Stephen Welch secured the sentence for Erick Morton, after Morton pled guilty to Manslaughter. Morton was identified by surveillance video from municipal cameras that captured him shooting 35-year-old Jamal Weeks of Dover, in the 900 block of North Street. Morton was sentenced by Judge William Witham to 20 years in prison, suspended after 5 years for 6 months of Level IV work release, followed by 1 year of Level III probation and 1 year of Level II probation.

Deputy Attorney General Periann Doko secured a prison sentence for Charles Johnson, 34, of Wilmington. In February 2014, Johnson was arrested after being involved in a heroin deal. Johnson fled from police as they tried to stop his car, throwing money out of the window as he drove. Johnson pled guilty in May 2016 to Drug Dealing (Tier 2 quantity of heroin) and Disregarding a Police Signal. He was sentenced as a habitual offender due to previous violent drug and assault convictions to five years in prison, followed by probation.

Deputy Attorneys General Caterina Gatto and Christina Kontis secured a five-year prison sentence for Malik Moss, 31, of Bear after convicting him at trial in February for Drug Dealing (Tier 4 quantity of heroin), Aggravated Possession of Heroin, Disregarding a Police Officer’s Signal, Possession of Marijuana and Reckless Driving. In April 2014, Moss fled from police during a traffic stop. The car was found abandoned on the front lawn of a nearby residence. A large amount of heroin, some marijuana, and a cell phone were left behind. The vehicle and drugs were linked back to Moss through fingerprint and cellphone analysis.

Deputy Attorney General Sonia Augusthy secured an eight-year prison sentence for 19-year-old Al-Ghaniyy Price of Wilmington. Price pled guilty in April to Maintaining a Drug Property, Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, Possession of Ammunition by a Person Prohibited, and Drug Dealing (Tier 4 quantity of heroin). Price was arrested in May 2015 as part of an investigation into drug activity in the Sparrow Run neighborhood. When police entered his bedroom in his mother’s home, they found more than 150 grams of heroin, a 9-mm handgun, and ammunition. Price was sentenced by Judge John A. Parkins, Jr. to a total of eight years in prison, followed by six months at Level IV, then two years of Level III probation. DAG Augusthy also secured a prison sentence Mik’trell Spriggs, 22, of Sparrow Run, as a result of his conviction in the same drug investigation. Spriggs was charged with selling crack cocaine while on probation for a previous drug dealing conviction. Spriggs was sentenced to a total of eight-and-a-half years at Level V for three counts of Drug Dealing, as well as his Violation of Probation. His prison term will be followed by 6 months at Level IV, and 18 months of Level III probation.

Deputy Attorney General Jan van Amerongen secured a prison sentence for Paul Brunhammer, 34, of Salem, New Jersey. Brunhammer pled guilty in May to Rape Third Degree in a case from 2010. Brunhammer raped the daughter of his ex-girlfriend while he was visiting the mother’s home in Newark. When the victim reported the assault, Brunhammer was incarcerated in New Jersey for an unrelated sexual assault. Brunhammer was returned to Delaware earlier this year to face the new charge after completing his New Jersey sentence for Aggravated Sexual Assault. Judge William C. Carpenter, Jr. sentenced Brunhammer to 25 years in prison, suspended after 10 years for two years of Level III probation, and ordered him to register as a Tier III sex offender.

Combination Would Significantly Reduce Competition In Delaware Medicare Advantage Market

Delaware’s Attorney General will join the U.S. Department of Justice and eight other attorneys general in opposing the merger of health insurance companies Aetna and Humana – the third and fifth largest health insurance companies in the country – arguing that the combination would reduce competition in Delaware and drive up prices.

Both Aetna and Humana sell Medicare Advantage plans in New Castle and Kent counties, which are offered as an alternative to traditional Medicare and a merger would result in high market share by the combined entity in those two counties.

“This proposed merger would very significantly reduce competition for health insurance through Medicare Advantage plans in the counties that contain three-quarters of our state’s population,” Attorney General Matt Denn said. “At a time when health care costs are already a concern, this would move Delaware in the wrong direction.”

The complaint by the USDOJ and the attorneys general of eight states and the District of Columbia filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia explains, “Today, Aetna and Humana compete across the country to sell Medicare Advantage plans, a market-based alternative to traditional Medicare. This competition benefits Americans who can least afford health insurance. It benefits seniors, who visit doctors and hospitals more than twice as much as the average person and have less income than the average American household.”

The challenge to the Aetna-Humana merger also is based on reduced competition between Aetna and Humana nationally in offering health coverage on state health care exchanges, but Humana does not currently participate in the exchange in Delaware. USDOJ and a number of states also filed a challenge to the proposed merger of health insurance companies Anthem and Cigna. Anthem does not operate in Delaware.

A release from USDOJ announcing the federal-state action, including a link to the filed complaint, can be found HERE.