US Attorney's Office News
June 23, 2009
ROSE HILL MAN SENTENCED TO 235 MONTHS ON CHILD PORN CHARGES
Robert Franklin Doyle Jr. Received, Possessed and Distributed Images
United States Attorney Julia C. Dudley and Attorney General Bill Mims announced today that Robert Franklin Doyle, Jr., age 46, of Rose Hill, Virginia, was sentenced yesterday in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon to serve 235 months on charges he received, possessed and distributed images of child pornography.
Doyle was found guilty by a Federal Jury sitting in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Big Stone Gap on December 9, 2008. The jury determined that Doyle was guilty of one count of receiving child pornography, one count of possessing child pornography and three counts of distributing child pornography.
“Parents need to know that their children are protected when they log onto the internet, and while some of those protections do start at home, we as a law enforcement community have an obligation to do everything in our power to investigate and prosecute child pornographers,” United States Attorney Julia C. Dudley said today. “Thanks to the hard work of the men and women who investigated and prosecuted this crime, there is one less predator lurking on the internet today.”
“It is imperative that we work to bring to justice those who continue to exploit children through the possession and distribution of child pornography. Our office has worked closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Secret Service to resolve this case in a just manner. I commend the prosecutors and law enforcement officers who worked diligently to see this case through,” said Attorney General Bill Mims.
According to evidence presented at trial by Special Assistant United States Attorney Gene Fishel and Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Bockhorst, between August 2003 and January 2004, Doyle knowingly received, via e-mail, images he knew contained child pornography. During this time he also transmitted images he knew contained child pornography.
Evidence presented at yesterday’s sentencing hearing again established that Doyle had exhibited a pattern of abusing young boys from the Rose Hill, Virginia area. The court accepted evidence from two young men who testified they had been sexually abused by Doyle in 2003.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Virginia State Police, and the United States Secret Service. The case was prosecuted for the United States by Gene Fishel, Special Assistant United States Attorney and Senior Assistant Attorney General, and Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Bockhorst.
June 19, 2009
Maryland Man Indicted, Charged With Murder For Hire, Other Charges
James Richard Hackley, IV Faces Between 10 to 120 Years in Prison
United States Attorney Julia C. Dudley and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Edgar A. Domenech announced today that James Richard Hackley, IV, a.ka. “J.R.”, a.k.a. “Baby J”, age 37, of Fort Washington, Maryland, was indicted yesterday by a federal Grand Jury sitting in Harrisonburg on drug, obstruction of justice and murder for hire charges.
The grand jury charged Hackley in a superseding indictment with one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, six counts of distributing cocaine, one count of murder for hire, one count of solicitation to commit murder for hire, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. If convicted on all counts, the maximum penalty faced by the defendant is 120 years imprisonment.
The charges stem from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Northwest Virginia Regional Drug Task Force that alleges Hackley conspired with others to distribute, and on several occasions did distribute, more than five grams of crack cocaine and was a convicted felon in possession of a weapon.
In addition to the drug charges, the grand jury charged Hackley with one count of murder for hire, one count of solicitation to commit murder for hire and one count of obstruction of justice.
The indictment alleges that between March 2009 and April 21, 2009, the defendant used the mail and other forms of interstate commerce to facilitate the murder of “Witness A” by another individual or individuals. The purpose of these mailings, according to the indictment, was to verify information concerning the potential victim’s location as well as to coordinate payment for committing the murder. The indictment alleges that Hackley agreed to give the alleged hit-man a motorcycle in exchange for him murdering “Witness A”.
The indictment further claims Hackley took these actions to prevent “Witness A” from testifying against him on the indicted drug charges.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Northwest Virginia Regional Drug Task Force, with assistance from the Warren County Sheriff’s Office and the Front Royal Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Ronald Huber is prosecuting the case for the United States.
A Grand Jury indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
June 11, 2009
FORMER NURSE ANESTHETIST PLEADS GUILTY TO DIVERTING PAIN MEDS
Alvin Parkes Worked at Pulaski Community Hospital and Carilion New River Valley Hospital
United States Attorney Julia C. Dudley announced today that Alvin Earl Parkes, age 62, of Draper, Virginia, entered a guilty plea in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Roanoke today to a two-count information charging him with obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation.
By pleading to the information, Parkes waived his right to indictment. That information charged the defendant with two counts of obtaining a controlled substance, specifically fentanyl, by means of misrepresentation, fraud, forgery deception of subterfuge. Parkes faces a maximum possible sentence of eight years incarceration and/or a fine of up to $500,000.
“We put a tremendous amount of trust in our healthcare providers. We rely on them to diagnose use, care for ourselves and our family and in the worst of times, make us pain free when there is little left that can be done,” United States Attorney Julia C. Dudley said today. “Mr. Parkes took advantage of that trust and denied ailing patients the pain medication they needed to rest comfortably. This type of behavior is beyond distrustful, it is criminal.”
According to the information, Parkes was a certified nurse anesthetist. He was previously employed at Pulaski Community Hospital and Carilion New River Valley Medical Center.
Like all nurse anesthetists, Parkes had a drug cart used to transport their schedule II and IV drugs. This cart was replenished, with the nurse’s signature, at the hospital’s pharmacy.
In order to obtain fentanyl, Parkes would report to the pharmacy that his cart needed to be replenished because he dropped and damaged boxes of the drugs. Each box contained ten, 100 mcq ampules of fentanyl. The defendant made this claim at least four times in a three-month time frame.
Parkes also diverted fentanyl directly from patients. When pregnant women requested an epidural the defendant would request 200 mcq of fentanyl for the patient, but would only administer 100 mcq of the drug to the patient in the epidural pump. He would divert 100 mcq of fentanyl for his personal use.
On other occasions Parkes would administer 50, 60 or 75 mcq of fentanyl to surgical patients that had a recommended dosage of 100 mcq of the drug. He would obtain the remainder of the drug for his personal use.
Parkes admitted today that he would empty syringes of fentanyl and refill them with sterile water. That sterile water, instead of pain medication, was then administered to endoscopic procedure patients that underwent such procedures as a colonoscopy.
After obtaining the drugs, Parkes would self administer fentanyl into his forearm through a syringe while sitting in a hospital bathroom. The defendant began self administering 1cc of fentanyl a day but eventually took as many as 8 ccs of the drug each day. On October 17, 2009 Parkes surrendered his nursing license.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Charlene R. Day is prosecuting the case for the United States.
