SCRANTON, PA – Robert J. Powell, a 65-year-old resident of Palm Beach, Florida, has pleaded guilty to tax evasion for the 2016 tax year. This charge relates to the management of substantial legal fees earned through the Powell Law Group, PC, based in Luzerne County. Powell appeared in Federal District Court today and was subsequently released on unsecured bail pending sentencing.

Court documents show Powell evaded taxes by using nominee bank accounts, instructing an accountant to file a false extension request that failed to report estimated tax liability for 2016, and making misleading statements during an IRS audit in 2019. Powell was disbarred in 2015 and had given up ownership of Powell Law Group in 2009, but retained the right to collect 90% of future fees from the firm after expenses.

Powell Law Group was involved in a mass tort lawsuit in 2015 that settled for approximately $5.15 billion. It expected to receive approximately $120 million in attorneys’ fees. Before the fees were paid, over $125 million in loans were secured with these expected fees as collateral. Contrary to standard practice, Powell diverted these funds to his controlled nominee accounts for personal use.

Most of the attorney fees were paid out and the loans repaid by June 2016. Despite this, Powell did not file an income tax return and did not pay taxes on this income. From the first payout in 2016 through October 2019, another $12 million in fees were collected, with Powell personally receiving another $3.6 million that was also not reported to the IRS. The case highlights a significant abuse of legal and financial privilege and draws attention to broader issues of compliance and ethics within the legal profession.

HARRISONBURG, VA – William O’Neil Murray III, 36, pleaded guilty in federal court to sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion. His conviction stems from exploiting the drug addictions of at least three women to coerce them into commercial sex work.

According to court documents, Murray’s operation ran from December 2021 to July 2022 in several states, including Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, West Virginia, New York, New Jersey and Florida. He meticulously managed victims’ access to narcotics, maintained control by being the sole provider of the drugs and exploited their addiction to force compliance with his demands.

Victims were forced into commercial sex acts arranged through websites such as Skipthegames.com. Murray set the dates, prices and locations and kept all the proceeds. He imposed strict rules on them, required constant communication during dates and severely restricted their freedom of movement.

U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh, along with Stanley M. Meador of the FBI’s Richmond office and Colonel Gary T. Settle of the Virginia State Police, announced the guilty plea and emphasized coordinated efforts to combat this serious exploitation.

WASHINGTON – Uliyahu Haya, 48, of Silver Spring, Maryland, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault on police officers during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. The hearing was held before U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols, who scheduled sentencing for January 17, 2025.

According to court documents, Haya traveled to Washington, D.C. that day and entered the Capitol through the Senate Wing entrance at approximately 2:14 p.m. He passed through several key areas, including the Crypt, Statuary Hall and the Speaker of the House Lobby.

The altercation occurred at approximately 2:55 p.m. as officers from the Metropolitan Police Department attempted to disperse rioters through the doors of the House of Lords. Haya joined the brawl by physically confronting an officer and pushing him back several feet.

Haya was arrested on August 26, 2021, in Fairfax, Virginia. His case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, with assistance from several other federal and local agencies.

Since the events of January 6, more than 1,488 people nationwide have been charged in connection with the Capitol breach, with nearly 550 charged with assault or obstruction of law enforcement. Investigations into the day’s events are ongoing.