CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA — Darnell Khan, 39, was sentenced to seven years in federal jail after pleading responsible to his position in a scheme to extort and defraud navy members that was operated from the South Carolina Division of Correction (SCDC).
Proof offered to the Court docket confirmed that whereas serving a 25-year sentence in SCDC for voluntary manslaughter and tried armed theft, Khan smuggled smartphones into SCDC and used the web to affix web courting web sites. As soon as on the web courting web sites, Khan would pose as a younger lady, goal younger males who had been within the navy, and solicit nude pictures. As soon as the pictures had been acquired, Khan and others posed as the daddy of the younger lady, claimed that the younger lady was underage, and accused the navy member of being in possession of kid pornography. Khan and others then threatened to have the navy members arrested or dishonorably discharged except they paid cash.
From January 2017 to July 2017, because of this extortion, service members transferred funds to Khan totaling $62,500.71, which investigators traced to a minimum of 40 victims.
“Mr. Khan knowingly used deceit to prey on those that serve our nation. That is inexcusable,” mentioned U.S. Lawyer Adair F. Boroughs. “This case additionally exhibits that nothing good comes from smartphones in jail. Inmates use them to proceed prison exercise behind bars, and we hope this prosecution helps state officers of their efforts to remove and disable contraband telephones in jail.”
“The Protection Prison Investigative Service won’t tolerate these organized criminals concentrating on our service members,” mentioned Particular Agent in Cost Christopher Dillard, Division of Protection, Workplace of Inspector Basic, Protection Prison Investigative Service (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic Subject Workplace. “We are going to proceed to work with our regulation enforcement companions to guard our Warfighters from sextortion crimes and maintain these criminals accountable.”
“Mr. Khan deserves to be held totally accountable for his main position on this reprehensible and prison community concentrating on navy service members,” mentioned Particular Agent in Cost Erin Carmichael of the Naval Prison Investigative Service (NCIS) Carolinas Subject Workplace. “NCIS won’t tolerate the existence of sextortion rings like this that degrade the readiness of our navy pressure. NCIS thanks the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace and our regulation enforcement companions for his or her substantial efforts to maintain our service members and their households secure from hurt.”
“That is one other in a protracted line of instances that will be stopped if we had the power to jam cellphone indicators in state prisons,” mentioned Bryan Stirling, Director of SCDC. “I’m calling on Congress to assist a listening to on the Cellphone Jamming Reform Act and permit states to make use of expertise to cease inmates from utilizing these unlawful telephones to prey on harmless victims.”
United States District Choose Richard M. Gergel sentenced Khan to 84 months in federal jail, to be adopted by a three-year time period of court-ordered supervision. This sentence can be served after Khan completes his 25-year state jail sentence. There is no such thing as a parole within the federal system.
This case was investigated by DCIS, NCIS, and SCDC. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Orville and Amy Bower prosecuted the case.
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