Central District of California
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Canyon Country Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges, Including Facilitating Crime Tourism Group that Burgled Its Way Through U.S.Read the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Santa Clarita Valley man pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges, including facilitating a crime tourism group of South Americans and other individuals who committed burglaries and other crimes throughout the United States, causing at least $23.9 million in losses.
Juan Carlos Thola-Duran, 59, a.k.a. “Parcero,” of Canyon Country, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, to receive and transport stolen property interstate, and to commit money laundering, and one count of structuring transactions to avoid federal financial reporting requirements.
Thola-Duran, the lead defendant in this case, has been in federal custody since August 2024.
He has agreed to forfeit to the U.S. government any assets he derived from the scheme, including dozens of cars, jewelry, and luxury items such as designer handbags and clothing.
According to his plea agreement, Thola-Duran and his then-live-in girlfriend, Ana María Arriagada, 43, a.k.a. “Parcera,” controlled and operated co-defendant Driver Power Rentals (DPR), a Van Nuys-based car rental or dealership business. Arriagada was DPR’s registered owner.
He directed associates, often members of crime tourism theft groups traveling from South America, to travel to various parts of the United States to commit thefts, including shoplifting goods from stores, burglarizing residences and commercial businesses, and stealing victims’ credit cards and debit cards.
Thola-Duran, Arriagada, and DPR provided DPR vehicles for the thief co-conspirators to drive throughout the United States to commit thefts and burglaries and – to make the car rentals appear legitimate and maintain anonymity – required their co-conspirators to provide false identification when renting a vehicle for DPR’s records.
Thola-Duran and Arriagada directed the thief co-conspirators who stole credit or debit cards to immediately go to stores such as Target, Best Buy, The Home Depot, and others to max out the stolen cards by purchasing electronics, gift cards, designer purses and other high-end luxury goods before the stolen cards could be frozen or cancelled.
Thola-Duran arranged for the thieves to deliver stolen or fraudulently obtained goods to associates at DPR or to mail them to other co-conspirators. At Thola-Duran’s direction, co-conspirators picked up the parcels then delivered them to Thola-Duran and others. Thola-Duran then acted as a “fence” to buy the goods – at a fraction of their retail value – and pay the thieves a percentage of the items’ value. He then sold the stolen goods to other buyers, receiving at least $5,758,655 from various fences, including approximately $5.2 million from bank accounts of an electronics exporter in Van Nuys during the conspiracy.
The criminal conspiracy to commit wire fraud, to receive and transport stolen property interstate, and to commit money laundering harmed at least 37 victims and resulted in losses of at least $23.9 million.
Furthermore, Thola-Duran, Arriagada, and others from May 2020 to June 2021 conspired to fraudulently obtain $274,998 in COVID-19 business relief loans.
Finally, Thola-Duran and his co-conspirators used their ill-gotten gains to purchase and maintain assets, including real estate and horses, and structured cash withdrawals to avoid triggering the requirement that banks report transactions exceeding $10,000 to the United States Treasury Department.
From March 2022 to October 2022, Thola-Duran repeatedly withdrew money in amounts less than $10,000 from his bank account, totaling approximately $412,292 in withdrawals during that seven-month period. He did so to prevent financial institutions from reporting his withdrawals as required by federal law, and he did so while engaged in his criminal conspiracy.
United States District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald scheduled a November 18 sentencing hearing, at which time Thola-Duran will face a statutory maximum sentence of 55 years in federal prison.
Arriagada pleaded guilty last year to four felonies in connection with this case and is expected to be sentenced in the coming months.
An August 18 trial date is scheduled for defendants Patricia Enderton, 45, of Northridge, and Federico Jorge Triebel IV, 79, of Woodland Hills, who have pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges against them.
Federal prosecutors have secured a total of four guilty pleas so far in this case.
The FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office investigated these matters. The United States Postal Inspection Service, the United States Marshals Service, the Meriwether County (Georgia) Sheriff’s Office, the Cobb County (Georgia) Police Department, and the Scottsdale (Arizona) Police Department provided assistance.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kellye Ng of the Major Crimes Section and Jonathan S. Galatzan of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section are prosecuting this case.
29 Illegal Aliens Arrested on Panga Boat Near Channel IslandsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Twenty-nine illegal aliens from Mexico arrested over the weekend on a panga boat approximately 10 miles south of the Channel Islands archipelago have been charged in two federal criminal complaints with immigration crimes, the Justice Department announced today.
Five of the defendants are charged with being an illegal alien entering the United States following deportation or removal, which carries a possible sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison. The remaining 24 defendants are charged with improper entry by an alien, which carries a possible sentence of up to two years in federal prison.
The defendants are expected to make their initial appearances Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon in United States District Court in Los Angeles.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaints, on April 18, federal law enforcement stopped a panga boat approximately 10 miles south of San Nicolas Island, which is controlled by the Navy. The boat contained 29 people, all of whom are Mexican nationals and none had proper documentation to be in the United States legally.
Law enforcement towed the boat to Newport Beach and the defendants were processed at the San Clemente Border Patrol Station.
Ismael Angeles-Guerrero, 21, is one of the five defendants charged with being an illegal alien entering the United States following deportation or removal. His criminal history includes a prior arrest in Marion County, Indiana, in December 2025 for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, resisting law enforcement, operating a motor vehicle without ever receiving a license, and possession of marijuana. He was removed to Mexico on February 20, 2026.
Faustino Arguello, 38, is one of the 24 defendants charged with improper entry by an alien. In September 2016, Arguello was encountered by Border Patrol twice near the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona and once near the international border in Texas. Each time he was processed for removal to Mexico. In March 2026, federal law enforcement arrested Arguello at San Ysidro Port of Entry for presenting an entry document that did not belong to him. He was not convicted and subsequently was removed from the United States.
A complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are investigating this matter with assistance from the United States Coast Guard.
Assistant United States Attorney Monika L. Hara of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
British National Pleads Guilty to Hacking into Companies and Stealing at Least $8 Million in Virtual CurrencyRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A United Kingdom man pleaded guilty today to conspiring with others to hack into the computer systems of at least a dozen companies via text message phishing attacks and to steal at least $8 million in virtual currency from individual victims throughout the United States.
Tyler Robert Buchanan, 24, of Dundee, Scotland, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Buchanan has been in federal custody since April 2025.
According to his plea agreement, from September 2021 to April 2023, Buchanan and other individuals conspired to conduct cyber intrusions and virtual currency thefts. The victims and intended victims included interactive entertainment companies, telecommunications companies, technology companies, business process outsourcing (BPO) and information technology (IT) suppliers, cloud communications providers, virtual currency companies, and individuals.
Buchanan and his co-conspirators defrauded at least a dozen companies and their employees as well as individual victims throughout the U.S.
As part of the scheme, Buchanan and his co-conspirators conducted Short Message Service (SMS) phishing attacks by sending hundreds of SMS phishing messages to the mobile telephones of a victim company’s employees. The messages purported to be from the victim company or a contracted IT or BPO supplier for the victim company.
The SMS phishing messages contained links to phishing websites designed to look like legitimate websites of a victim company or a contracted IT or BPO supplier. The websites then lured the recipient into providing confidential information, including personal identifying information (PII), and account usernames and passwords.
Buchanan and his co-conspirators then used the stolen credentials to access the accounts of a victim company’s employees and the victim company’s computer systems to steal confidential company information. For some victim companies, this stolen information included confidential work product, intellectual property, and PII such as account access credentials, names, email addresses, and telephone numbers.
The conspirators created a phishing kit that captured login credentials entered into the fraudulent phishing websites by a victim company’s employees. The stolen credentials were then transmitted to an online Telegram channel administered by Buchanan and another co-conspirator.
Buchanan admitted in his plea agreement that in April 2023 at his residence in Scotland, he possessed files related to numerous victim companies.
Buchanan further admitted that he and several co-conspirators used the information stolen from company intrusions to identify and gain access to virtual currency accounts and wallets belonging to individual victims to steal millions of dollars’ worth of virtual currency.
To gain access to individual victims’ virtual currency wallets and accounts, and bypass two-factor authentication security features, Buchanan and others gained unauthorized access to victims’ online accounts and conducted Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) swaps of victims’ mobile telephone numbers to devices that the conspirators controlled.
“SIM swapping” is a technique in which a criminal fraudulently induces a mobile carrier to reassign a cell phone number from the legitimate subscriber’s SIM card to a SIM card controlled by another without the legitimate subscriber’s authorization or knowledge. This process allows a criminal to intercept two-factor authentication codes sent to the victim via phone call or SMS, and to gain access to the victim’s various accounts.
In April 2023, on a digital device found at Buchanan’s Scotland residence, he possessed the names and addresses of numerous individual victims, including a text file that contained cryptocurrency seed phrases and login information for one victim’s account.
Buchanan admitted in his plea agreement that the scheme involved the theft of at least $8 million worth of virtual currency assets from individual victims located throughout the United States.
United States District Judge John W. Holcomb scheduled an August 21 sentencing hearing, at which time Buchanan will face a statutory maximum sentence of 22 years in federal prison.
A co-conspirator, Noah Michael Urban, 21, a.k.a. “Sosa” and “Elijah,” of Palm Coast, Florida, is serving a 10-year federal prison sentence and was ordered to pay $13 million in restitution. Urban pleaded guilty in April 2025 to three fraud-related counts.
The other three defendants charged with Buchanan – Ahmed Hossam Eldin Elbadawy, 24, a.k.a. “AD,” of College Station, Texas; Evans Onyeaka Osiebo, 21, of Dallas, Texas; and Joel Martin Evans, 26, a.k.a. “joeleoli,” of Jacksonville, North Carolina – still face criminal charges in this case.
The FBI is investigating this matter. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina; the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs; Police Scotland; Cuerpo Nacional de Policía (Spain); and the FBI field offices in Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, and Portland provided assistance during this investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Restrepo of the National Security Division is prosecuting this case.
Two Cousins Plead Guilty to Federal Crimes in Connection with Nationwide Online Short-Term Rental Booking ScamRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Two cousins – one from Southern California, the other from Colorado – pleaded guilty today to federal crimes related to a double-booking, bait-and-switch scam run nationwide through online short-term property rental platforms.
Shray Goel, 37, of Calabasas, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Shaunik Raheja, 36, of Denver, pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of justice.
According to their plea agreements, in 2013, Goel and Raheja started an online business, listing properties for short-term rental through online platforms. They operated the business under various legal entities and business names, including Abbot Pacific LLC and Jet Set Work LLC.
The defendants rented properties nationwide, including in Marina del Rey, the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles, and Malibu as well as San Diego; Chicago; Cleveland; Dallas; Denver; Milwaukee; Bloomington, Indiana; South Bend, Indiana; Savannah, Georgia; Nashville, Tennessee; and Austin, Texas.
From October 2017 to November 2019, Goel and Raheja used fake host names and, in certain instances, other people’s identities to list properties. They used these fake host accounts to conceal their own identities, to double-book properties, and to post fabricated positive reviews of their properties. They also used the fake host accounts to continue to list properties after one online platform banned them in 2015 because of repeated host cancellations and guest complaints.
In some cases, Goel and Raheja listed fake addresses, addresses that did not have any rental housing, were unaffiliated with the schemers, or did not exist at all – using these fake addresses to create duplicate listings for a single purported property. The fake addresses also allowed them to evade local rules and regulations governing short-term rentals, and to control who had access to properties.
The crux of the scheme was a double-booking-bait-and-switch practice. To carry out the scheme, Goel and Raheja posted multiple listings of the same property, listing the same property multiple times on a single platform and cross listing the property on multiple platforms. This was done, in part, to maximize the price they could charge for their rentals – by listing different daily rates for the same property and renting to the guest that booked at the highest price. The defendants also did not block calendars of competing listings after a property had been booked and continued to list the booked property as being available for rental on the booked dates.
After a listing had been booked the defendants chose which – if any – guest to host. For an overbooked guest – or a guest they did not want to host – the defendants lied to the guest about why a booked property was unavailable. These false excuses included that the property had a plumbing problem or some other unforeseen issue. The defendants then cancelled the reservation, convinced the guest to cancel, or switched the guest to a different property.
To further their fraud, Goel and Raheja took steps to discredit negative reviews, and they otherwise tried to hide negative reviews from prospective future guests. They posted bogus negative reviews about the guests who panned their listings or called out the fraudulent and deceptive listing practices, and they removed negatively reviewed listings and then re-listed the properties using new listing identifiers, thereby removing the bad reviews.
Goel and Raheja used these and other lies and misrepresentations to trick guests into booking properties they would not have otherwise booked and to profit at the expense of guests and the rental platforms. The last-minute nature of the cancellations also caused guests and the rental platforms to suffer losses when guests were forced to find alternative lodging at the last minute.
Raheja admitted in his plea agreement to lying in April 2023 to federal law enforcement officials investigating the scheme. Raheja falsely stated that he never intentionally overbooked properties and that he was not aware of any intentional overbooking.
United States District Judge Wesley L. Hsu scheduled an August 14 sentencing hearing for Goel, who will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. Judge Hsu scheduled a September 11 sentencing hearing for Raheja, who will face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
The FBI and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General investigated this matter with assistance from the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kerry L. Quinn and David Y. Pi of the Major Frauds Section are prosecuting this case.
4 Sinaloa Cartel-Linked Defendants Arrested on Federal Indictment Alleging They Operated Family-Run Drug and Gun Trafficking RingRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Law enforcement today arrested four Sinaloa Cartel-linked defendants – all members of the same family, three of them illegal aliens from Mexico – who are charged in a 29-count federal grand jury indictment alleging they trafficked fentanyl, pound quantities of methamphetamine, and firearms, including so-called “ghost guns” lacking serial numbers.
The following defendants were arrested today and are expected to make their initial appearances and be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles:
- José Luis Salazar-Cruz, 44, a.k.a. “Oso,” of Lancaster, an illegal alien from Mexico;
- Alfonso Salazar, 46, a.k.a. “Pirate,” of Lancaster, an illegal alien from Mexico;
- José Manuel Salazar, 22, a.k.a. “Lil Oso,” of Lancaster; and
- Jorge Humberto Salazar, 43, a.k.a. “Sharky,” of Hesperia; an illegal alien from Mexico.
José Luis Salazar-Cruz, Alfonso Salazar, and Jorge Humberto Salazar are brothers. José Manuel Salazar is José Luis Salazar-Cruz’s son.
Law enforcement continues to search for co-defendant José Ángel López Paniagua, 23, of Littlerock.
All five defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, one count of conspiracy to engage in the business of dealing in firearms without a license, and one count of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license.
Salazar-Cruz is charged with seven counts of being an alien in possession of firearms, seven counts of distribution of methamphetamine, four counts of distribution of fentanyl, one count of trafficking in firearms, one count of possession of a destructive device, and one count of possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle.
The other defendants are charged with various felonies – with Paniagua charged with two counts of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, two counts of distribution of fentanyl, two counts of distribution of methamphetamine, and one count of possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle. Among the charges Alfonso Salazar faces is distribution of methamphetamine and being an alien in possession of a firearm.
According to the indictment, from February 2024 to December 2025, Salazar-Cruz used text messaging applications, encrypted messaging applications, telephone calls, and in-person meetings to coordinate the sale of narcotics, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, as well as firearms. The other defendants charged then brokered sales of the drugs and firearms between suppliers and customers and met with customers to sell the drugs.
Multiple drug sales were made – often of approximately one pound of methamphetamine. For example, on January 21, 2025, Salazar-Cruz sold a buyer nearly one pound of methamphetamine and approximately 324 grams (11.4 ounces) of fentanyl.
On July 30, 2025, Salazar-Cruz sold a buyer approximately 1.2 kilograms (2.5 pounds) of methamphetamine. On December 19, 2025, Salazar-Cruz sold the same buyer approximately 2.3 kilograms (5 pounds) of methamphetamine.
From December 2024 to July 2025, Salazar-Cruz and the other defendants also illegally sold buyers multiple firearms, including a Glock .45-caliber pistol, a street-sweeper destructive device, and a privately manufactured AR-style rifle with no serial number, commonly referred to as a “ghost gun.”
In May 2025, Salazar-Cruz and three other defendants told a buyer that their supply of drugs came from Tijuana and Mexicali, Mexico by traveling across the border via trailer; Paniagua obtained the drugs from members of the Sinaloa cartel; and he provided the drugs to Salazar-Cruz in exchange for money.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
If convicted of all charges, the defendants would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the United States Postal Inspection Service; the Drug Enforcement Administration; Homeland Security Investigations; the San Bernardino Police Department; the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department; the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; the California Highway Patrol; and the Los Angeles Police Department are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Clifford D. Mpare of the Major Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. The HSTF utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
Inland Empire Man Federally Charged with Deliberately Setting Fires that Destroyed Massive Warehouse in OntarioRead the Press Release
RIVERSIDE, California – A San Bernardino County man has been charged in a federal criminal complaint with deliberating setting fires that destroyed a 1.2 million-square-foot warehouse, causing approximately $500 million in damage, the Justice Department announced today.
Chamel Abdulkarim, 29, of Highland, is charged with arson of a building used in interstate and foreign commerce and used in activities affecting interstate and foreign commerce. The federal complaint was filed late Thursday.
Abdulkarim was arrested on Tuesday and is in local custody in San Bernardino County. He is expected to be arraigned on state criminal charges this morning in San Bernardino County Superior Court.
According to an affidavit filed with the federal criminal complaint, early in the morning on April 7, Abdulkarim filmed himself setting fire to multiple pallets of paper goods inside of a large distribution center in Ontario. As he lit the fires, he stated, “If you’re not going to pay us enough to [expletive] live or afford to live, at least pay us enough not to do this [expletive].”
The fires Abdulkarim set quickly consumed the building, resulting in its destruction and causing approximately $500 million in damage.
Abdulkarim posted videos of himself on social media setting the fires. He further made statements to others on the telephone and via text messages related to his motive for setting the building on fire, including the following: “I just cost these [expletive] billions,” “1% is a [expletive] joke,” and “All you had to do was pay us enough to live. Pay us more of the value WE bring. Not corporate. Didn’t see the shareholders picking up a shift.”
The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office is pursuing a criminal case against him in connection with Tuesday’s fire.
A complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, Abdulkarim would face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Ontario Police Department, and the Ontario Fire Department are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Alexander S. Gorin of the National Security Division is prosecuting this case.
Minnesota Man Found Guilty of Sexually Abusing Subordinate During Training Mission at Army Base in San Bernardino CountyRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former member of the Minnesota National Guard was found guilty by a jury today of sexually abusing a subordinate during a training mission at Fort Irwin United States Army base in San Bernardino County.
Kelly Boylan, 56, of Minneapolis, was found guilty of one count of abusive sexual contact. He was remanded into federal custody immediately following the reading of today's verdict.
According to evidence presented at a four-day trial, in July 2020, Boylan was a member of the Minnesota National Guard and, during a training mission at Fort Irwin, sexually abused a direct subordinate, who then was a 23-year-old woman. Both Boylan and the victim had been deployed to Fort Irwin for one month of training.
Boylan was a staff sergeant, which is a non-commissioned officer, and outranked the victim, who was a specialist, which is a junior soldier.
In the Army, non-commissioned officers are prohibited from engaging in sexual relationships with junior soldiers because of the military authority they exert over them.
The victim reported the attack to the Army’s law enforcement division, which began an investigation that led to Boylan’s arrest and prosecution.
United States District Judge Wesley L. Hsu scheduled a July 24 sentencing hearing, at which time Boylan will face a statutory maximum sentence of two years in federal prison.
The FBI investigated this matter. The United States Army Criminal Investigation Division provided assistance.
Assistant United States Attorneys Neil P. Thakor of the Major Crimes Section and Erin C. Kiss of the Riverside Branch Office are prosecuting this case.
San Fernando Valley Clinic Operator Sentenced to 18 Years in Federal Prison for Role in Ring that Sold Illegal Opioid Prescriptions for CashRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A San Fernando Valley man who operated corrupt medical clinics was sentenced today to 216 months in federal prison for participating in a drug trafficking ring that sold thousands of illegal opioid prescriptions for cash.
Justin Douglas Cozart, 48, of Woodland Hills, who operated and supervised the ChiroMed medical clinics, was sentenced by United States District Judge David O. Carter.
In February 2025, at the conclusion of a five-day trial, a federal jury found Cozart guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute oxycodone, one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and one count of concealment money laundering.
From 2017 to January 2020, Cozart and others knowingly and intentionally participated in a conspiracy to distribute the opioid painkiller oxycodone outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose.
Cozart operated several medical clinics in Southern California. Other members of the conspiracy recruited sham patients to go to Cozart’s clinics – including ones in Inglewood, Santa Ana, and Anaheim – to obtain oxycodone prescriptions. Cozart employed doctors at the clinic, including John Korzelius, 74, a.k.a. “Dr. K,” of Long Beach, who wrote oxycodone prescriptions for the fake patients. The recruiters then paid Cozart for the fraudulent oxycodone prescriptions.
Upon obtaining the prescriptions from the clinic, the recruiters took the sham patients to a pharmacy to fill the prescriptions. After collecting and consolidating the pills, co-conspirators shipped them to a drug customer in the Boston area, for distribution on the black market. On two occasions in October and December 2018, parcels containing their consolidated pills were seized by law enforcement.
In November and December of 2019, at a clinic in Inglewood, Korzelius issued prescriptions for 60 30 milligram oxycodone pills – the highest dose of short-acting oxycodone available and the dose most popular among drug abusers – to a patient who actually was an undercover law enforcement officer.
Korzelius did not conduct a physical examination of this “patient” and instructed the undercover officer to not fill the prescription at a large pharmacy such as Walmart or CVS.
“[Cozart] was a primary, illegal source of supply of oxycodone, a dangerous and frequently abused drug, for an organization that was shipping thousands of pills across the country for sale,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “He converted otherwise lawful chiropractic clinics into drug trafficking businesses, and pulled their existing employees…into his scheme.”
In total, prosecutors in this case have secured nine convictions.
Korzelius pleaded guilty in February 2025 to one count of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone. His California medical license expired in December 2020. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 8.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter. The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Torrance Police Department provided substantial assistance.
Assistant United States Attorneys Rosalind Wang and Brian Yang of the Orange County Office are prosecuting this case.
North Hollywood Drug Dealer Who Sold Ketamine that Killed Actor Matthew Perry Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A San Fernando Valley woman was sentenced today to 180 months in federal prison for her long-running drug dealing activities, including selling ketamine that contributed to at least two deaths, including the overdose death of actor Matthew Perry in October 2023.
Jasveen Sangha, 42, a.k.a. “Ketamine Queen,” of North Hollywood, was sentenced by United States District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett.
Sangha pleaded guilty in September 2025 to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine, and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury.
Sangha is a dual citizen of the United States and the United Kingdom and has been in federal custody since August 2024.
“For years…Sangha operated a high-volume drug trafficking business out of her North Hollywood residence,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “To cultivate her business, [Sangha] marketed herself as an exclusive dealer who catered to high-profile Hollywood clientele…While [Sangha] worked to expand and profit from her drug trafficking, she knew – and disregarded – the grave harm her conduct was causing.”
According to court documents, Sangha worked with Erik Fleming, 56, of Hawthorne, to knowingly distribute ketamine to Perry, a successful actor and author whose struggles with drug addiction were well documented. In October 2023, Sangha and Fleming sold Perry 51 vials of ketamine, which were provided to Kenneth Iwamasa, 61, of Toluca Lake, Perry’s live-in personal assistant.
Leading up to Perry’s death, Iwamasa repeatedly injected Perry with the ketamine that Sangha supplied to Fleming. Specifically, on October 28, 2023, Iwamasa injected Perry with at least three shots of Sangha’s ketamine, which caused Perry’s death.
After learning from news reports of Perry’s death, Sangha called Fleming on the Signal app to discuss how to distance themselves from it. That day, Sangha updated the settings on the Signal apps to automatically delete her messages with Fleming. She further instructed Fleming to “Delete all our messages.”
Two days after Perry’s death, Fleming left Sangha a voicemail on Signal and texted, “Please call . . . Got more info and want to bounce ideas off you. I’m 90% sure everyone is protected. I never dealt with [Perry]. Only his Assistant. So the Assistant was the enabler. Also they are doing a 3 month tox screening . . . Does K stay in your system or is it immediately flushed out[?].”
In August 2019, Sangha sold four vials ketamine to victim Cody McLaury, who died hours later from a drug overdose.
In March 2024, law enforcement searched the residence and found thousands of pressed methamphetamine pills, 79 vials of liquid ketamine, MDMA (Ecstasy) tablets, counterfeit Xanax pills, baggies containing powdered ketamine and cocaine, and other drug trafficking items such as a gold money counting machine, a scale, a wireless signal and hidden camera detector, drug packaging materials, and $5,723 in cash.
Sangha also used her North Hollywood residence to store, package, and distribute narcotics, including ketamine and methamphetamine, since at least June 2019.
Besides Sangha, the following defendants have been sentenced in this case:
- Salvador Plasencia, 44, a.k.a. “Dr. P,” of Santa Monica, is serving a 30-month prison sentence after pleading guilty in July 2025 to four counts of distribution of ketamine. He surrendered his California medical license in September 2025. Plasencia repeatedly sold vials of ketamine to Perry despite knowing Perry’s well-documented history of drug addiction and that Perry’s personal assistant was administering the drug without medical training or supervision.
- Mark Chavez, 55, of San Diego, was sentenced to three years of probation, eight months of home detention, and was ordered to perform 300 hours of community service after he pleaded guilty in October 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Chavez operated a ketamine clinic and sold the drug to Plasencia, who then distributed it to Perry. Chavez surrendered his medical license in November 2024.
Iwamasa and Fleming are scheduled to be sentenced in the coming months. Each of them pleaded guilty in August 2024 to federal narcotics charges.
The Los Angeles Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Postal Inspection Service investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Ian V. Yanniello of the National Security Division and Haoxiaohan H. Cai of the Major Frauds Section are prosecuting this case.
Orange County Man Pleads Guilty to Orchestrating Fraud Scheme that Submitted Nearly $270 Million in Bogus Claims to Medi-CalRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – An Orange County man has pleaded guilty to submitting nearly $270 million in fraudulent claims over an 11-month span to Medi-Cal for expensive prescription drugs containing generic ingredients that were not medically necessary and, in many instances, not provided to the purported recipients, the Justice Department announced today.
Paul Richard Randall, 66, of Orange, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of wire fraud committed while on release. He has been in federal custody since June 2025.
“This defendant used a public health program as his personal piggy bank,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. “This guilty plea should send a message that this administration — consistent with the President’s war on fraud — will not turn a blind eye while criminals fleece taxpayers.”
“Thanks to the leadership of President Donald Trump, the Department, working closely with the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, is supercharging efforts to take down every fraudster and bring them to justice,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “In one day, the Department prosecuted the theft of a half-billion in taxpayer dollars. All those ripping off the American people are on notice.”
“The defendant was a repeat fraudster who caused Medi-Cal, a program designed to help those in need, to be billed nearly $270 million for expensive and medically unnecessary medications,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “He and his co-schemers stole over $178 million through false and fraudulent claims for these medications, lining their own pockets with public funds. The Criminal Division will aggressively prosecute those who defraud Medicaid and exploit taxpayer-funded benefit programs.”
“Schemes that bill Medicaid for costly drugs that patients never needed or received threaten the integrity of the program,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott J. Lampert of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “This plea shows our firm resolve, alongside our law enforcement partners, to exposing such fraud operations, ensuring those responsible are held accountable, and safeguarding taxpayer-funded health care programs.”
According to his plea agreement, Randall, along with Kyrollos Mekail, 37, of Moreno Valley, and Patricia Anderson, 58, of West Hills, took advantage of Medi-Cal’s suspension of its requirement that health care providers obtain prior authorization before providing certain health care services or medications as a condition of reimbursement. The suspension of the prior authorization requirements was part of an ongoing transition of Medi-Cal’s prescription drug program to a new payment system.
Through a business called Monte Vista Pharmacy, Randall and his co-schemers exploited Medi-Cal’s prior authorization suspension by billing Medi-Cal tens of millions of dollars per month for dispensing high-reimbursement, non-contracted, generic drugs through Monte Vista Pharmacy. Some prescription medications purportedly were to treat pain and included Folite tablets, a vitamin available over the counter.
Normally, these high-cost reimbursement medications would have required prior authorization under Medi-Cal’s old payment system. Medication involved in this scheme was medically unnecessary, frequently was not dispensed to patients, and procured by kickbacks.
From May 2022 to April 2023, Monte Vista billed Medi-Cal more than $269 million and was paid more than $178 million for 19 expensive, non-contracted drugs containing low-cost, generic ingredients that were not medically necessary, not provided, or both.
Randall and others then laundered their illicit proceeds by transferring the proceeds of the Medi-Cal fraud scheme to a third party to pay kickbacks to Anderson, to promote the fraud scheme and to conceal and disguise the transfers from detection by law enforcement.
Randall admitted in his plea agreement to transmitting by wire at least approximately $269,120,829 in false and fraudulent claims to Medi-Cal for purportedly dispensing the fraud scheme medications that Anderson prescribed, on which Medi-Cal paid at least approximately $178,746,556.
United States District Judge Mark C. Scarsi scheduled an August 3 sentencing hearing, at which time Randall will face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison.
Relatedly, Mekail pleaded guilty in August 2024 to two counts of health care fraud and awaits sentencing. Anderson is charged with two counts of health care fraud.
The United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the FBI, and the California Department of Justice are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Roger A. Hsieh of the Major Frauds Section and Trial Attorney Siobhan M. Namazi of the U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Fraud Section are prosecuting this case. Assistant United States Attorney James E. Dochterman of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section is handling asset forfeiture matters in this case.
California Man Pleads Guilty to Orchestrating $270M Medication Reimbursement Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A California man pleaded guilty yesterday to submitting nearly $270 million in fraudulent claims over an 11-month span to California’s Medicaid program (Medi-Cal) for expensive prescription drugs that were medically unnecessary and, in many instances, not provided to the purported recipients.
The Department of Justice announced this case and two others in support of President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud at a press conference in Washington today.
“Thanks to the leadership of President Donald Trump, the Department, working closely with the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, is supercharging efforts to take down every fraudster and bring them to justice,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “In one day, the Department prosecuted the theft of a half-billion in taxpayer dollars. All those ripping off the American people are on notice.”
“The defendant was a repeat fraudster who caused Medi-Cal, a program designed to help those in need, to be billed nearly $270 million for expensive and medically unnecessary medications,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “He and his co-schemers stole over $178 million through false and fraudulent claims for these medications, lining their own pockets with public funds. The Criminal Division will aggressively prosecute those who defraud Medicaid and exploit taxpayer-funded benefit programs.”
“This defendant used a public health program as his personal piggy bank,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California. “This guilty plea should send a message that this administration — consistent with the President’s war on fraud — will not turn a blind eye while criminals fleece taxpayers.”
“Schemes that bill Medicaid for costly drugs that patients never needed or received threaten the integrity of the program,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott J. Lampert of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “This plea shows our firm resolve, alongside our law enforcement partners, to exposing such fraud operations, ensuring those responsible are held accountable, and safeguarding taxpayer-funded health care programs.”
According to court documents, Paul Randall, 66, of Orange, along with pharmacist and pharmacy owner Kyrollos Mekail, 37, of Moreno Valley, and nurse practitioner Patricia Anderson, 58, of West Hills, exploited Medi-Cal’s suspension of its requirement that health care providers obtain prior authorization before providing certain medications at the beginning of 2022. Medi-Cal temporarily suspended the requirement as part of a transition to a new payment system. Using a business called Monte Vista Pharmacy, which Mekail owned, Randall and his co-schemers billed Medi-Cal tens of millions of dollars per month for purportedly dispensing high-reimbursement drugs containing cheap, generic ingredients that were manufactured in unique dosages, combinations or package quantities and were not included in the applicable maximum price lists that cap Medi-Cal reimbursements.
In furtherance of the scheme, Randall paid illegal kickbacks to patient marketers in exchange for Medi-Cal beneficiary information and thereafter paid illegal kickbacks to Anderson to sign pre-filled prescriptions for 19 high-reimbursement, non-contracted, generic drugs. Anderson never met the patients, reviewed their medical records or otherwise determined that the medications were medically necessary before signing the prescriptions. The medications, which included pain creams and Folite tablets, a vitamin available over the counter, were billed for thousands of dollars each, including approximately $13,424 for one prescription of meloxicam 5 mg, a generic drug that typically costs between $5 and $25 for a 30-day supply in larger dosages.
Randall received a portion of Monte Vista’s reimbursements from Medi-Cal, at times equaling approximately 40% of Monte Vista’s profit from the false and fraudulent claims. Randall admitted in his plea agreement that he caused at least $269,120,829 in false and fraudulent claims to Medi-Cal from May 2022 to April 2023, of which Medi-Cal paid at least approximately $178,746,556. Randall also admitted that he committed the offense while on release in another criminal case.
Randall and others laundered their illicit proceeds by transferring the money to a third party to pay kickbacks to Anderson in an attempt to conceal the crime from law enforcement.
In his plea agreement, Randall agreed to forfeit property obtained from the fraud, including bank account balances exceeding $17 million, three vehicles, seven real properties, and sports memorabilia. To date, the government has seized approximately $126.5 million in assets that Randall and his co-schemers accumulated from the scheme, including $111 million in bank funds and securities, nine luxury vehicles totaling approximately $1 million, nine luxury real properties totaling approximately $13.5 million, and more than $1 million worth of sports memorabilia.
Randall pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 3 and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Relatedly, in August 2024, Mekail pleaded guilty to two counts of health care fraud and awaits sentencing. In April 2025, Anderson pleaded guilty to two counts of health care fraud and also awaits sentencing.
The FBI, HHS-OIG, and the California Department of Justice are investigating the case.Assistant Chief Niall M. O’Donnell and Trial Attorney Siobhan M. Namazi of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger A. Hsieh for the Central District of California are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney James E. Dochterman for the Central District of California’s Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section is handling asset forfeiture matters in this case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of eight strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Huntington Beach Woman Sentenced to 2½ Years in Federal Prison for Embezzling Nearly $3 Million from Noodle CompanyRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – An Orange County woman was sentenced today to 30 months in federal prison embezzling nearly $3 million from her employer, a Southern California-based noodle company for whom she worked as an account manager.
Tae Miyaji Jones, 50, of Huntington Beach, was sentenced by United States District Judge Fred W. Slaughter, who also ordered her to pay $2,894,441 in restitution.
Jones pleaded guilty in October 2025 to seven counts of mail fraud and three counts of wire fraud.
According to her plea agreement, from December 2017 to July 2023, Jones was an account manager for her employer in Garden Grove. In this role, her responsibilities included administering the company’s accounting and financial operations. She had access to and control of the company’s financial systems, corporate accounts, and records and had check-signing authorities on the company’s bank accounts.
Without her employer’s knowledge or consent, Jones transferred company funds from her employer’s corporate accounts to her personal bank accounts to finance personal expenses. These expenses included home mortgages, jewelry, car loans, and personal credit card charges.
To conceal her scheme, Jones falsified her employer’s account records to hide her unauthorized takings of company money. She used the mail to send and deposit company check into her various accounts.
For example, in July 2023, Jones mailed a $42,600 check from her employer’s bank account to American Express, to be applied to her own credit card balance. To deceive her employer, Jones falsely represented this payment in her employer’s records as a payment to a company vendor for material costs.
In total, Jones defrauded her employer out of approximately $2,894,441 in funds she used for her personal benefit, including buying luxury items and real estate in Alabama and Hawaii. Jones forfeited to the government the luxury items and the Alabama and Hawaii properties she purchased as part of the scheme.
“[Jones’s] crimes were not the result of a momentary lapse of judgment,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “Her conduct lasted for a period of
years and was carefully planned in order to mask her conduct. And [Jones] was able to successfully mask her conduct for years without consequence.”
The FBI investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Clifford D. Mpare of the Major Crimes Section and Alexander Su of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section prosecuted this case.
8 Arrested in Health Care Fraud Takedown, Including Owners of Hospices that Billed Taxpayers Millions of Dollars to Serve the ‘Dying’Read the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – In coordination with the Vice President’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, eight defendants, including three nurses, a chiropractor, and a purported psychologist, have been arrested on federal charges that they schemed to defraud the nation’s health care system out of more than $50 million – including by running sham hospice care facilities that bilked Medicare by using people without terminal illnesses as beneficiaries, the Justice Department announced today.
Six of the defendants arrested today are expected to make their initial appearances this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. One defendant is expected to make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Idaho.
“We are enforcing a zero-tolerance policy for criminals who defraud American taxpayers,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “The defendants arrested this morning who are charged with stealing millions of dollars of health care benefits got caught and now face years in federal prison.”
“The Southern California region is a high-risk environment for hospice-related and many other forms of health care fraud,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The United States loses hundreds of billions of dollars annually to healthcare fraud at the expense of all American taxpayers, whose benefits decrease as premiums, co-payments and taxes grow. Our aim is to reverse that trend with ‘Operation Never Say Die’ and others like it.”
“The defendants charged today allegedly turned hospice care into a cash producing operation, resulting in more than $50 million in losses to taxpayers. The magnitude of the losses underscores a deliberate abuse of the authority and trust afforded to health care providers,” said Inspector General T. March Bell of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Today’s takedown reflects HHS-OIG’s commitment to deploy every tool at our disposal, and collaborate with our law enforcement partners, to dismantle hospice operations built on deception. Anyone who seeks to weaponize hospice care to bilk Medicare should expect to be held accountable.”
“Today’s arrests are another decisive strike in our war on fraud,” said U.S. Department of Labor Inspector General Anthony P. D’Esposito. “My office is relentlessly pursuing those who target union benefit plans and exploit employee healthcare programs for personal gain. Working side-by-side with the FBI, the Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, and our law-enforcement partners, we are aggressively dismantling fraud schemes and taking down those who exploit American workers. Let this be a warning: If you steal from workers or taxpayers, your time is up. We will find you, investigate you, and hold you accountable.”
“When employee benefit plans become targets for fraud, it’s not just the plans that are hurt – everyday working Americans who earned those benefits honestly, their families, and the communities they live in are hurt,” said Robert Prunty, Acting Regional Director U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration’s Los Angeles Regional Office. “In the Trump Administration, we will relentlessly seek out fraud and ensure those responsible are brought to justice.”
“Health care fraud undermines federal programs, threatens public trust, diverts resources away from legitimate patient care, and is a calculated attack on programs meant to protect the vulnerable,” said Tyler Hatcher, Special Agent in Charge, IRS‑CI Los Angeles Field Office. “The enforcement actions taken today demonstrate IRS‑CI’s commitment to uncovering the financial lies behind these schemes and holding accountable those who profit at the expense of taxpayers and patients. Our agents will continue to work alongside our law‑enforcement partners to protect the integrity of our healthcare system and ensure that those who abuse it are brought to justice.”
MEDICARE HOSPICE CARE FRAUD
- USA v. Minerd
Lolita Beronilla Minerd, 65, a.k.a. “Lolita Beronilla Rice,” of Anaheim, a licensed vocational nurse, was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint charging her with health care fraud.
According to court documents, Minerd owned and operated the Artesia-based Topanga Hospice Care Inc. From July 2020 to April 2025, Minerd used this company to submit more than $9,174,117 in fraudulent hospice claims to Medicare, which paid more than $8,510,448 on these claims.
Through Topanga, Minerd billed Medicare for hospice services for beneficiaries who were not terminally ill. Numerous beneficiaries had common addresses and lived far from the facility, which is consistent with being recruited by marketers. The investigation further revealed that Minerd paid kickbacks to beneficiaries and marketers for the referral of purported hospice patients to her company.
One beneficiary couple was approached at a market about signing up and then were visited at home by Minerd and three other Topanga employees, who promised them if they signed up everything would be free, and they each would receive $300 per month. The money was delivered in an envelope in cash: $600 per month for six months. Neither beneficiary stated they had a terminal illness, which their physician confirmed. The couple also reported receiving unneeded items such as nutritional shakes, non-prescription vitamins, and wheelchairs.
Topanga had a non-death discharge rate of approximately 85%, nearly five times the national average of 17.2% from 2021.
The FBI is investigating this matter along with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).
Assistant United States Attorney Alexandra M. Michael of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting this case.
- USA v. Gill, et al.
Gladwin Gill, a 66-year-old purported psychologist, and his wife, Amelou Gill, a 70-year-old registered nurse, both of Covina, were arrested today on a federal criminal complaint charging them with health care fraud.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, the Gills owned and operated the Glendale-based 626 Hospice Inc., which did business as St. Francis Palliative Care.
The Gills allegedly schemed to defraud Medicare by paying illegal kickbacks for the referral of patients who were not dying. The Gills also submitted more than $5.2 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for hospice services that either were not medically necessary or were not provided. Medicare paid the Gills more than $4 million on these fraudulent claims.
They then laundered the scheme’s proceeds and spent their ill-gotten gains on personal expenses such as mortgage payments, car payments, international flights, restaurants, and personal bills.
The Gills are expected to make their initial appearance this afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
HHS-OIG, the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Food and Drug Administration are investigating this matter with assistance from United States Trustee, Region 16, Los Angeles Field Office.
Assistant United States Attorney David Y. Pi of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting this case.
- USA v. Palma, et al.
Nita Almuete Paddit Palma, 76, a thrice-convicted health care fraudster now incarcerated at a federal prison in Seattle, and her husband, Adolfo Cezar Catbagan, 68, of Glendale, are charged in an 11-count indictment with operating at least three fraudulent hospice care facilities – including while Palma was free on bond awaiting a hospice fraud trial. Law enforcement arrested Catbagan this morning.
Palma, who is a lawful permanent resident from the Philippines, and Catbagan are charged in an indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud and 10 counts of health care fraud.
According to the indictment, from June 2022 to April 2024, Palma and Catbagan opened three Glendale-based hospice care facilities despite Palma being legally barred from doing so: One Up Hospice Care Inc., Rosewood Hospice and Palliative Care Inc., and Advance Hospice and Palliative Care Inc.
Catbagan was named as the nominal owner and CEO of the three hospices when Palma in fact owned and exercised operating control of them – despite her exclusion – so Medicare would not deny the companies’ claims. The defendants submitted false claims to Medicare for beneficiaries who were not terminally ill and the physicians supposedly providing hospice services did not treat the patients.
Palma and Catbagan submitted at least $4.8 million in fraudulent claims through these companies, resulting in Medicare payments of at least $4.2 million.
HHS-OIG and the FBI are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew M. Roach and Roger A. Hsieh of the Major Frauds Section are prosecuting this case. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander Su of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section is handling asset forfeiture matters for this case.
- USA v. Tindimubona
Evelyn Tindimubona, 51, a licensed vocational nurse from Chatsworth, is charged in a federal criminal complaint with health care fraud. According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, from January 2022 to September 2025, Tindimubona used the Tarzana-based Comfort Choice Hospice Inc. to submit to Medicare hundreds of fraudulent claims for purported hospice services to dozens of beneficiaries. For those claims, Comfort Choice sought more than $3.8 million, of which Medicare paid approximately $3.4 million.
For example, in November 2022, Comfort Choice submitted a claim to Medicare in the amount of $7,021, for reimbursement of hospice services for a beneficiary. Law enforcement later interviewed this beneficiary and other Comfort Choice patients who said they were not terminally ill, a requirement to qualify for hospice care.
Tindimubona allegedly also paid kickbacks to marketers for their referral of hospice patients to Comfort Choice in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute.
HHS-OIG is investigating this matter.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Yervant P. Hagopian of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting this case.
- USA v. Lauritzen
Ivan Verne Lauritzen, 50, of Simi Valley, was arrested Tuesday on a federal criminal complaint charging him with health care fraud. According to court documents, Lauritzen was the CEO and CFO of the Simi Valley-based Valley Pacific Hospice Inc., whose Medicare enrollment was revoked in August 2024.
In 2022, the live discharge rate of Valley Pacific patients was more than 75%, vastly higher than the national average that year of approximately 17%. Based on an audit examining 18 Valley Pacific Medicare claims from August 2023 to March 2024, CMS determined the company had a pattern and practice of submitting claims that failed to meet Medicare’s hospice standards and requirements. To facilitate this fraud, Lauritzen forged the signature of at least one physician on the Medicare enrollment forms.
During the alleged scheme, Valley Pacific billed Medicare more than $580,000 and was paid more than $526,000.
Lauritzen made his initial appearance Tuesday and was ordered released on $10,000 bond. His arraignment is scheduled for April 27.
HHS-OIG is investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Neil P. Thakor of the Major Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
PRIVATE HEALTH CARE PLAN FRAUD
- USA v. Aulava-Moala, et al.
Four defendants with South Bay ties – one of them a licensed chiropractor – have been charged in a two-count information with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud in connection with a $19 million scheme to defraud a labor union’s health plan via false claims for chiropractic services and physical therapy that weren’t needed or never provided.
The defendants charged are:
- Tolu Aulava-Moala, 51, of Carson, who was the director of the facilities;
- John Nicola, 77, of El Segundo, a licensed chiropractor;
- Crysta Richter, 40, of Torrance, who owned a medical billing company; and
- John Keohuloa, 49, of Long Beach.
These defendants will be summonsed into Los Angeles federal court and are expected to make their initial appearances in the coming weeks.
According to court documents, from January 2010 to September 2023, they fraudulently submitted at least $19,005,463 in claims to International Longshore and Warehouse Union Pacific Maritime Association and other private health insurers on behalf of several chiropractic and physical therapy service companies: Ohana Wellness Center, Ohana Management Corp., and R3New Wellness – all based in Carson – and the Huntington Beach-based One Life Acupuncture APC.
Aulava-Moala and Keohuloa induced beneficiaries to visit clinics to receive medically unnecessary services, such as massages or endoscopies, in exchange for kickback payments. Nicola knowingly created fake client notes for beneficiaries, and Aulava-Moala, Nicola, and Richter submitted false and fraudulent claims to health insurers for reimbursement for medical services.
In August 2022, the former owner of the Ohana companies testified under oath at a civil trial that the companies falsified patient chart notes and billed claims under chiropractors’ names and insurance numbers without their knowledge. A state court later that month found the Ohana companies liable for the fraud scheme.
In addition, from March 2016 to June 2023, Aulava-Moala and Keohuloa conspired to submit approximately $700,000 in fraudulent receipts for a charity donation program operated by a Los Angeles-based oil refinery for which the company paid at least $500,000.
The FBI, the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), and the U.S. Department of Labor – Employee Benefits Security Administration are investigating this matter with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the United States Secret Service.
Assistant United States Attorney Jason C. Pang of the Transnational Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.
- USA v. Cartmell; USA v. Surace
Gregory Cartmell, 62, of Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, a licensed chiropractor, was arrested today on a four-count indictment charging him with two counts of health care fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft. He is expected to make his initial appearance today in U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho. He will be arraigned in Los Angeles in the coming weeks.
According to the indictment, from December 2018 to November 2022, Cartmell submitted approximately $9.14 million in fraudulent claims to the ILWU-PMA health plan for chiropractic services – including for services not rendered – and received approximately $6.43 million in payment from the union’s health plan, which had terminated him from the plan in December 2020.
To circumvent his termination, Cartmell arranged with a co-conspirator – Vincent Surace, 87, of McKinney, Texas – to bill ILWU-PMA’s health plan under the co-conspirator’s name and identification number. In exchange for allowing his name and ID number to be used in the scheme, Cartmell paid Surace a portion of the proceeds the union’s plan paid for the fraudulent claims.
Surace is charged via information with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. He will be summonsed to Los Angeles federal court in the coming weeks.
The FBI, the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), and the U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration (DOL-EBSA) are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jason C. Pang of the Transnational Organized Crime Section and William M. Larsen of the Criminal Appeals Section are prosecuting this case with assistance from Assistant United States Attorney Christopher C. Kendall of the Transnational Organized Crime Section.
- USA v. Griffen
Sonia Griffen, 51, of Lakewood, was arrested today on a five-count indictment charging her with health care fraud. From April 2019 to May 2024, Griffen allegedly submitted nearly $5 million in fraudulent claims to ILWU-PMA’s health care plan through her wellness company, Bee Well Holistic Wellness Center, for purported chiropractic services given to union members, even though the plan had previously terminated Bee Well and barred it from submitting claims.
According to the indictment, to circumvent Bee Well’s termination from the ILWU-PMA plan and obtain payments, Griffen concealed Bee Well’s identity and involvement by arranging with two chiropractors to bill the plan under their names and at fictitious addresses. She also submitted false claims billing the plan for chiropractic services that were never rendered.
In total, Griffen submitted approximately $4.9 million in fraudulent claims to the ILWU-PMA plan, resulting in payments of approximately $2.5 million.
The FBI, the United States Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), and the Department of Labor – Employee Benefits Security Administration (DOL-EBSA) are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Jing Yan of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
IMMIGRATION HEALTH CARE FRAUD
- USA v. Ko
Young Joo Ko, 59, of East Hollywood and a lawful permanent resident from South Korea, was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint charging her with fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, Ko engaged in a medical fraud scheme exploiting the green card application process by creating fraudulent immigration documents. Civil surgeons designated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and operating in the Los Angeles area did not examine green card applicants as required by law.
Instead, Ko – for a fee – fraudulently prepared the required forms by presenting herself as a nurse or doctor and indicating false compliance with medical examination requirements necessary for immigration applicants to register permanent residence or adjust their immigration status.
If convicted, Ko would face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
HSI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and USCIS are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Brenda N. Galván of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
Health care fraud-related charges in these cases carry a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison. Aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two-year consecutive prison sentence.
Complaints and indictments contain allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
Former Rosemead Resident Who Fled U.S. on Eve of Methamphetamine Trafficking Trial Extradited from SingaporeRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former San Gabriel Valley resident who fled the United States on the eve of her May 2022 methamphetamine trafficking trial has been extradited from Singapore, the Justice Department announced today.
Demi Pham, 44, a.k.a. “Diem Thi Ly,” a dual U.S.-Vietnamese citizen formerly of Rosemead, arrived Thursday evening at Los Angeles International Airport on a flight from Singapore.
She is expected to make her initial appearance this afternoon in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana.
Pham is charged with one count of conspiracy to export controlled substances, two counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of attempted exportation of methamphetamine. She pleaded not guilty to these charges in October 2021.
According to a four-count indictment, from November 2018 to May 2019, Pham and a co-conspirator enlisted couriers to transport methamphetamine and cocaine in luggage from the United States to Australia, concealing the drugs inside candles and toy boxes. In total, law enforcement seized more than 20 kilograms (44.1 pounds) of methamphetamine from couriers and found more than 10 kilograms (22.1 pounds) of methamphetamine at Pham’s then-residence in Rosemead.
In May 2022, Pham failed to appear for a hearing the day before her trial was to begin, and United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson issued a bench warrant for her arrest. Pham was arrested in Singapore in November 2025 at the request of the United States. Singaporean authorities transferred her to the custody of the United States Marshals Service, who escorted her to the United States today.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
If convicted, Pham would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is investigating this matter. The U.S. Attorney’s Office thanks U.S. law enforcement partners at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore, including the HSI Attaché Office and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service for their assistance in this matter. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, working with the Singapore Police Force and Attorney-General’s Chambers, provided critical assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Pham to the United States.
Assistant United States Attorneys David Y. Pi of the Major Frauds Section and David C. Lachman of the National Security Division are prosecuting this case.
Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Participating in Online Neo-Nazi Group that Exploited Children into Producing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Texas man and convicted rapist pleaded guilty today to leading a child exploitation enterprise connected to an internet-based extremist group that entices and targets children into producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and images of self-harm.
Kaleb Christopher Merritt, 26, a.k.a. “eTerror,” of Spring, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in a child exploitation enterprise.
Merritt is in federal custody in Los Angeles but also is serving a 33-year prison sentence in Virginia.
“Going after dangerous pedophiles is one of the top priorities of our office,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “This sick, perverted criminal led an effort to prey on vulnerable children through the internet. The only way to keep the public safe is to lock him up in prison for as long as possible, and that’s exactly what we will fight for at sentencing.”
“This guilty plea exposes the depravity of CVLT, a criminal enterprise that systematically targeted vulnerable children, coerced them into producing abuse material, and threatened to destroy their lives if they resisted,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “Merritt was one of the online administrators who made CVLT's monstruous machinery of child exploitation run. NSD thanks our law enforcement partners here and around the world whose work enabled the Department to bring these charges.”
“This guilty plea marks a significant step toward accountability for the actions of this network of predators,” said HSI Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang. “HSI special agents uncovered this scheme through extensive investigation, analysis of electronic communication, and victim reporting to ultimately identify those responsible for this deplorable conduct.”
According to his plea agreement, Merritt was a member and leader of CVLT – pronounced “cult” – which was a group of individuals dedicated to the online sexual exploitation of children, primarily vulnerable girls. CVLT members, including Merritt, worked together online to entice and coerce children into self-producing CSAM and to engage in self-harm. CVLT members – Merritt included – hurt at least five minor victims.
CVLT consisted of multiple individuals, including Merritt and co-defendants Clint Jordan Lopaka Nahooikaika Borge, 42, a.k.a. “Whoops,” of Pahoa, Hawaii, Rohan Rane, 29, and Collin John Thomas Walker, 24, a.k.a. “Wrath,” of Bridgeton, New Jersey.
The purpose of CVLT’s child exploitation was to create an army of sadist followers. CVLT espoused neo-Nazism, nihilism, and pedophilia as its core principles, among others, and exposed children to material depicting and promoting these principles. This included repeated uses of Nazi symbols and language and the distribution of bondage, discipline, sadist, and masochistic (BDSM) and gore CSAM.
The defendants each joined the CVLT as early as 2020 and served as leaders of the group, including hosting servers, controlling membership and access, and directing and instructing victims during the creation of CVLT extortion videos and other materials.
Together, the defendants groomed and coerced numerous minors into self-harm by exposing them to violent and extremist content and extreme philosophies, such as neo-Nazism, nihilism, pedophilia, and anarchy.
Having degraded and groomed the children, the defendants would then knowingly employ, use, persuade, induce, entice, and coerce children to self-produce CSAM and self-harm.
United States District Judge Hernán D. Vera scheduled a January 7, 2027, sentencing hearing, at which time Merritt will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Rane is in custody in France on CSAM-related charges pending extradition to the United States. Walker and Borge pleaded guilty in October 2025 and December 2025, respectively, to one count of engaging in a child exploitation enterprise and are expected to be sentenced in the coming months. They remain in federal custody.
Homeland Security Investigations, the Los Angeles Police Department, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office (Virginia), the Iowa State University Police, Police Nationale (France), the National Crime Agency (United Kingdom), the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs, and EUROPOL are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Kellye Ng of the Major Crimes Section and Justice Department Trial Attorneys Justin Sher and James Donnelly of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting this case.
This case is a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.justice.gov/psc.
Man Pleads Guilty to Participating in Online Neo-Nazi Group that Exploited Children into Producing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
A Texas man and convicted rapist pleaded guilty to leading a child exploitation enterprise connected to an internet-based extremist group that entices and targets children into producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and images of self-harm. Kaleb Christopher Merritt, 26, also known as “eTerror,” of Spring, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in a child exploitation enterprise. Merritt is in federal custody in Los Angeles but also is serving a 33-year prison sentence in Virginia.
“This guilty plea exposes the depravity of CVLT, a criminal enterprise that systematically targeted vulnerable children, coerced them into producing abuse material, and threatened to destroy their lives if they resisted,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “Merritt was one of the online administrators who made CVLT's monstruous machinery of child exploitation run. NSD thanks our law enforcement partners here and around the world whose work enabled the Department to bring these charges.”
“Going after dangerous pedophiles is one of the top priorities of our office,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California. “This sick, perverted criminal led an effort to prey on vulnerable children through the internet. The only way to keep the public safe is to lock him up in prison for as long as possible, and that’s exactly what we will fight for at sentencing.”
“This guilty plea marks a significant step toward accountability for the actions of this network of predators,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang. “HSI special agents uncovered this scheme through extensive investigation, analysis of electronic communication, and victim reporting to ultimately identify those responsible for this deplorable conduct.”
According to his plea agreement, Merritt was a member and leader of CVLT – pronounced “cult” – which was a group of individuals dedicated to the online sexual exploitation of children, primarily vulnerable girls. CVLT members, including Merritt, worked together online to entice and coerce children into self-producing CSAM and to engage in self-harm. CVLT members – Merritt included – hurt at least five minor victims.
CVLT consisted of multiple individuals, including Merritt and co-defendants Clint Jordan Lopaka Nahooikaika Borge, 42, also known as “Whoops,” of Pahoa, Hawaii, Rohan Rane, 29, and Collin John Thomas Walker, 24, also known as “Wrath,” of Bridgeton, New Jersey.
The purpose of CVLT’s child exploitation was to create an army of sadist followers. CVLT espoused neo-Nazism, nihilism, and pedophilia as its core principles, among others, and exposed children to material depicting and promoting these principles. This included repeated uses of Nazi symbols and language and the distribution of bondage, discipline, sadist, and masochistic (BDSM) and gore CSAM.
The defendants each joined the CVLT as early as 2020 and served as leaders of the group, including hosting servers, controlling membership and access, and directing and instructing victims during the creation of CVLT extortion videos and other materials.
Together, the defendants groomed and coerced numerous minors into self-harm by exposing them to violent and extremist content and extreme philosophies, such as neo-Nazism, nihilism, pedophilia, and anarchy. Having degraded and groomed the children, the defendants would then knowingly employ, use, persuade, induce, entice, and coerce children to self-produce CSAM and self-harm.
United States District Judge Hernán D. Vera for the Central District of California scheduled a Jan. 7, 2027 sentencing hearing, at which time Merritt will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Rane is in custody in France on CSAM-related charges pending extradition to the United States. Walker and Borge pleaded guilty in October 2025 and December 2025, respectively, to one count of engaging in a child exploitation enterprise and are expected to be sentenced in the coming months. They remain in federal custody.
Homeland Security Investigations, the Los Angeles Police Department, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office (Virginia), the Iowa State University Police, Police Nationale (France), the National Crime Agency (United Kingdom), the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs, and EUROPOL are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Kellye Ng of the Major Crimes Section and Justice Department Trial Attorneys Justin Sher and James Donnelly of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting this case.
This case is a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.justice.gov/psc.
Justice Department Notifies California of Investigation into Whether Housing Biological Men at Women’s Prisons Violates ConstitutionRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – The United States Department of Justice today sent a letter of legal notice to California Gov. Gavin Newsom informing him of the commencement of a federal investigation into two state women’s prisons to determine if those prisons unconstitutionally provided housing and preferential treatment to biological male prisoners within those prisons’ walls.
The Justice Department will investigate whether California engages in a pattern or practice of violating the constitutional rights of female prisoners incarcerated at the California Institution for Women (CIW) in San Bernardino County and the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) in Madera County.
The investigation will be conducted under two federal statutes: the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA) and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA). Today’s letter of legal notice is required under CRIPA.
“California’s Transgender Respect, Agency, and Dignity Act has provided none of these qualities to the female inmates of state prisons who have been forced to share space with biological men who are violent felons,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Our Constitution protects women from having their civil rights violated by harmful state legislation wrapped in the language of ‘equity’ and ‘progress.’”
“Under my leadership, the Civil Rights Division will not allow women incarcerated in jails or prisons to be subject to unconstitutional risks of harm from male inmates,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon. “These investigations will uncover whether the dangerous national trend of housing men in women’s prisons has resulted in violations of women’s constitutional rights.”
Specifically, the Justice Department will investigate widely reported allegations of deprivation of female prisoners’ rights, including the First Amendment’s guarantees of freedom of speech and free exercise of religion, the Eighth Amendment’s protection from cruel and unusual punishment, and the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. There have been allegations of sexual assaults, attempted rapes, voyeurism, and a pervasive climate of sexual intimidation due to the presence of males in the women’s prison.
Since California’s Transgender Respect, Agency, and Dignity Act took effect in January 2021, men in state prisons, including violent felons charged with sex crimes and who have intact genitals, can request transfer to women’s prisons based on self-identification as transgender.
The Department has not reached any conclusions regarding allegations in these matters. The Department will investigate CIW, CCWF, and MCC Windham pursuant to its authority to enforce the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA). Under CRIPA, the Department has the authority to investigate violations of prisoners’ constitutional rights that result from a “pattern or practice of resistance to the full enjoyment of such rights.”
The Department has conducted CRIPA investigations of many correctional systems, and where violations have been found, the resulting settlement agreements have led to important reforms. The Department will also investigate CIW and CCWF under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA), 42 U.S.C. § 2000cc.
Individuals with relevant information are encouraged to contact the Department via civilrights.justice.gov/report. The Department is also collecting information on men housed in women’s jails and prisons anywhere in the country. Individuals can reach the National Initiative Examining the Housing of Biological Men in Women’s Prisons at (202) 616-5939 or [email protected]. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt.
Today’s letter is separate and unrelated to an existing CRIPA investigation into alleged abuse of female inmates by prison staff at CCWF and CIW.
Canadian National Pleads Guilty to Leading Group that Trafficked More Than 850 Kilograms of Meth and Cocaine from U.S. into CanadaRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Canadian national pleaded guilty today to leading a criminal organization that – during a roughly one-month span – trafficked from the United States into Canada hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine and cocaine worth up to $17 million.
Guramrit Sidhu, 62, of Brampton, Ontario, Canada, pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise.
Sidhu is the lead defendant in a 23-count January 2024 federal indictment targeting a drug trafficking organization. He has been in federal custody since October 2024 after being extradited from Canada.
According to his plea agreement, from September 2020 to February 2023, Sidhu led an organization responsible for trafficking drugs from the U.S. into Canada for distribution.
From September 13, 2022, to October 24, 2022, Sidhu orchestrated the distribution of eight separate drug loads, totaling approximately 523 kilograms (1,153 pounds) of methamphetamine and 347 kilograms (765 pounds) of cocaine, which law enforcement seized. These drug loads had an estimated wholesale value of approximately $15 million to $17 million.
After buying the bulk quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine in the U.S., Sidhu arranged for the narcotics’ transportation into Canada via long-haul semi-trucks for further distribution. Sidhu provided telephone numbers and serial numbers on bills of currency for couriers to use as a “token” for identification purposes during the delivery and transportation of the cocaine and methamphetamine.
Sidhu and co-conspirators then retrieved the cocaine and methamphetamine from locations within Canada for further distribution.
United States District Judge John A. Kronstadt scheduled a July 9 sentencing hearing, at which time Sidhu would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Sidhu is the seventh defendant to plead guilty in this matter. Several other defendants have pleaded guilty to criminal charges in this case and have been sentenced to federal prison terms ranging from 27 months to 108 months.
The FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force (LA IMPACT), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, United States Customs and Border Protection, and law enforcement authorities in Mexico investigated this matter. Significant assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with the Canadian authorities to secure the arrest and October 2024 extradition of Sidhu.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
Assistant United States Attorney Kelly Larocque of the Transnational Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.
United States Sues San Clemente-Based Towing Company for Illegally Auctioning Vehicles Owned by Military MembersRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against an Orange County-based towing company alleging it violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by illegally auctioning over several years nearly 150 motor vehicles owned by members of the military.
According to the lawsuit, from August 2020 to April 2025, San Clemente-based S&K Towing Inc. illegally sold or disposed of as many as 148 vehicles owned by servicemembers, many of which were towed from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
Even though S&K’s contract with Camp Pendleton required it to comply with all applicable federal and state laws, the company made no effort to comply with the SCRA, which requires tow companies to obtain a court order before selling or disposing of a vehicle owned by an SCRA-protected servicemember.
“The men and women who serve in our nation’s military deserve peace of mind in knowing that their legal rights will be protected at home while they are away serving the United States,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “It is unacceptable and illegal for a business to sell or dispose of these vehicles without abiding by the laws that protect servicemembers.”
“Towing companies must respect and abide by the federal laws that protect members of our Armed Forces,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Servicemembers are often absent for extended periods due to training and deployments and may not know that their vehicle has been towed. The SCRA plays an important role in providing these servicemembers with adequate legal protections, including notice and the opportunity to have towing and storage fees adjusted in light of their military service.”
In May 2024, a Military Legal Assistance lawyer contacted S&K Towing and explained that the company was violating the SCRA. In response, a manager at S&K Towing told the attorney that “We do this all the time.” After this exchange, S&K Towing continued to sell and dispose of vehicles owned by SCRA-protected servicemembers without obtaining court orders. Some of the vehicles S&K sold or disposed of were registered to addresses on Camp Pendleton. In other cases, S&K auctioned vehicles even after they were told that the owner was in the military.
This case is being handled by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. Since 2011, the Department has obtained more than $484 million in monetary relief for more than 149,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. For more information about the Department’s SCRA enforcement efforts, please visit www.servicemembers.gov.
Servicemembers and their dependents who believe that their rights under the SCRA may have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations can be found at legalassistance.law.af.mil.
Larchmont Woman Sentenced to Nearly 3 Years in Federal Prison for Her Role in Hospice and Diagnostic Testing Fraud that Conned MedicareRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A woman from the Larchmont area of Los Angeles was sentenced today to 35 months in federal prison for defrauding Medicare out of more than $14 million by submitting fraudulent claims for hospice care and diagnostic testing services that were either unnecessary or not provided at all.
Sophia Shaklian, 38, was sentenced by United States District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr., who also ordered her to pay $14,103,043 in restitution.
Shaklian pleaded guilty in November 2025 to one count of health care fraud.
From March 2019 to August 2024, Shaklian and her co-schemers – often using aliases – used multiple bogus hospice and diagnostic testing providers enrolled with Medicare and submitted fraudulent claims on behalf of companies she owned.
These businesses included a Shaklian-owned hospice company – the Pasadena-based Chateau d’Lumina Hospice and Palliative Care – and several diagnostic testing companies: Saint Gorge Radiology in Sylmar; Hope Diagnostics in North Hollywood; Direct Imaging & Diagnostics and Lab One – both based in Hollywood; and Labtech and Lifescan Diagnostics in Claremont.
Shaklian and her co-schemers used the information of Medicare beneficiaries, and checked beneficiaries’ Medicare eligibility to knowingly and willfully submit fraudulent claims to Medicare on behalf of beneficiaries who did not need the services, had never received the services, and were not familiar with the fraudulent hospice and diagnostic testing providers, with the intent to defraud Medicare into reimbursing the sham providers for those claimed services.
For example, Shaklian and her co-schemers knowingly and willfully submitted a false and fraudulent claim for $2,000 in November 2022 to Medicare for diagnostic testing purportedly provided to an individual.
Shaklian admitted in her plea agreement that fraudulent claims were submitted on behalf of the sham providers, some by herself and others by her co-schemers during and in furtherance of the above scheme. Because Shaklian was involved in the billing and was familiar with the amounts Medicare paid to the fraudulent providers on the types of claims submitted during this scheme, she caused a loss of at least $14,103,043 to Medicare.
Co-defendant Alex Alexsanian, 48, a.k.a. “Samvel” and “Samo,” of Burbank, pleaded guilty on January 20 to one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. He will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison at his April 28 sentencing hearing.
The United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General and the FBI are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Kevin B. Reidy of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting this case.
2 Foreign Nationals Among 11 Arrested on Charges They Used Stolen Identities to Fraudulently Obtain Loans Backed by PropertiesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Eleven defendants – including two foreign nationals – were arrested today on a 15-count federal indictment charging them with executing a scheme in which they stole the identities of elderly victims, used that information to obtain title reports for residential properties, then solicited millions of dollars in hard money loans from private lenders by falsely representing the loans as being secured by the elderly victims’ properties.
The following defendants were arrested this morning and all but two of them are expected to be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles:
- Nazaret Chakrian, 65, a.k.a. “Niko,” of Hollywood;
- Arnold Moradians, 57, a.k.a. “Julian,” of Hollywood, an Iranian national who has an outstanding warrant for removal from the United States;
- Avetis Hekimyan, 38, a.k.a. “Chef Avo,” of North Hollywood;
- Ross Tarkhan, 32, of Glendale;
- Tigran Hovanesian, 56, of Glendale;
- Armen Vardevaryan, 55, a.k.a. “Gonch,” of North Hollywood;
- Craig Higdon, 66, of Naples, Florida, who will make his initial appearance in the Middle District of Florida;
- Helen Spangler, 62, of Oakdale, California, who will make her initial appearance in the Eastern District of California;
- Victor Lossi, 43, of Thousand Oaks; and
- Marine Sarkisian, 49, of Hollywood, an Azerbaijani national and green card holder.
The following defendant arrested today is expected to be arraigned tomorrow in Los Angeles federal court:
- Cynthia Borjas, 51, of Koreatown.
All defendants except Hovanesian are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and seven counts of wire fraud. Chakrian, Moradians, Borjas, Hekimyan, Tarkhan, Spangler, Lossi, and Sarkisian are charged with one count of aggravated identity theft. Chakrian, Moradians, Tarkhan, and Hovanesian are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Tarkhan is further charged with five counts of money laundering.
“There is no shortage of massive fraud occurring within California,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Today’s operation represents one of many sophisticated schemes used by criminals – including foreign nationals – to defraud U.S. citizens and taxpayers of their hard-earned property. Those days are over under this U.S. Department of Justice. These defendants will be facing significant prison time for their charged conduct.”
“The growing problem of title fraud victimizes homeowners and lenders, many of whom are elderly and have their identities stolen, in addition to their hard-earned money,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. “An investigation by the FBI Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force, LAPD, and other law enforcement partners led to today's arrests of multiple perpetrators of this cruel scheme who now face lengthy prison sentences.”
“The defendants didn’t just steal identities, they used those stolen identities to secure high value real estate loans, fabricate financial documents, and move millions of dollars through a maze of fraudulent businesses and funnel accounts,” said Tyler Hatcher, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-CI Los Angeles Field Office. “Our agents traced every wire, every transfer, and every shell account to expose the financial backbone of this conspiracy. This indictment sends a clear message, IRS CI will dismantle the money pipelines that allow complex fraud schemes to flourish, and we will hold accountable those who profit from exploiting our financial system.”
According to the indictment that a federal grand jury returned on February 5, from January 2021 to May 2023, Chakrian and Moradians fraudulently obtained the personal identifying information (PII) of elderly victims. The victims owned properties in Santa Monica and in the following Los Angeles neighborhoods: Hollywood, Hollywood Hills, Westwood, and Chinatown.
Chakrian and Higdon then used the victims’ PII to create counterfeit identification documents. Borjas and Hekimyan created email accounts in the victims’ names to impersonate them.
Using the victims’ PII, the fraudulent ID documents, and the fraudulent email addresses, Chakrian, Moradians, Hekimyan, Vardevaryan, and Spangler misrepresented themselves as the victims’ agents, brokers, representatives or relatives, and submitted fraudulent applications to private money lenders for hard money loans secured by the victims’ properties.
Chakrian, Hekimyan, Higdon, and Spangler created false and fabricated documents – including bank statements, rental agreements, doctors’ notes, and death certificates – to the lenders. These documents contained lies about the victims’ identities, assets, finances, and health as well as the loan proceeds’ intended purpose, and the types of properties being used to secure the loans.
Upon receiving closing documents from the lenders, Chakrian, Hekimyan, Lossi, and Sarkisian caused the documents to be fraudulently notarized and signed by individuals representing the victims.
Tarkhan used stolen PII to create synthetic identities – profiles or ID documents combining fictitious profile information with real victim PII. Using these synthetic identities, Tarkhan caused bank accounts to be opened under false names. These accounts were used to funnel proceeds derived from the scheme.
Private money lenders relied on the false statements, misrepresentations, and certifications to cause funds to be disbursed via check and wire to mailboxes and bank accounts controlled by Chakrian, Tarkhan, and others.
The total intended loss in this case is approximately $17.4 million, and the total actual loss is approximately $6 million.
“This case reflects the relentless work of our investigators and the strong collaboration with our federal partners to unravel a complex and calculated criminal scheme,” said Interim Glendale Police Chief Robert William. “Their focus and determination ensured those responsible are held accountable and that justice is delivered.”
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
If convicted, the defendants would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each fraud- and money laundering-related count, and a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years in federal prison for the aggravated identity theft count.
This case is being investigated by the Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force (EOCTF) and the Los Angeles Police Department – Commercial Crimes Division. The EOCTF includes agents and task force officers from the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the Glendale Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorneys Claire E. Kelly of the General Crimes Section and Hava Mirell of the Criminal Appeals Section are prosecuting this case.
Koreatown Man Arrested on Charges that He Obtained More Than $2 Million in COVID Business Loans That He Invested in CryptocurrencyRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A rideshare driver from the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles has been arrested on a five-count federal indictment charging him with fraudulently obtaining more than $2 million in COVID-19 pandemic business-relief loans on behalf of his nonexistent companies, which he instead used to buy cryptocurrency, the Justice Department announced today.
Bruce Choi, 34, was arrested Tuesday at San Francisco International Airport after arriving on a flight from Japan. He is charged with four counts of wire fraud affecting a financial institution and one count of transactional money laundering.
He is expected to make his initial appearance today in United States District Court in San Francisco. He will be arraigned in Los Angeles federal court in the coming weeks.
According to the indictment, which was returned in October 2025 and unsealed today, from May 2020 to December 2024, Choi schemed to defraud the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and financial institutions out of government funds aimed to help businesses weather the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic fallout.
Choi, representing himself as the CEO and owner of a business called “Premier Republic,” applied for a $1,995,000 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. In support of this application, Choi falsely claimed that Premier Republic had an average monthly payroll of $798,000, was in operation in mid-February 2020, and paid salaries and payroll taxes.
In fact, Premier Republic was a fictional entity that neither had business operations nor hired anyone.
To support his false claim that Premier Republic was a real business, Choi submitted to a lender several fraudulent documents, including a fake 2019 individual tax return that claimed his “company” received gross receipts of nearly $11.8 million in 2019 and that it made a gross profit of nearly $9.6 million that year.
Choi also submitted a fake bank statement listing “deposits” and “transfers” of $798,000 during the fictitious period of February 1, 2020, through February 31, 2020.
Further, Choi submitted a fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) application through the SBA in which he falsely stated his business “Bruce” was involved in real estate, employed 10 people, and enjoyed gross revenues of $475 million in 2019. In fact, no such business existed.
As a result of his scheme, the victim lender disbursed $1,995,000 to Choi and the U.S. Treasury disbursed a $10,000 EIDL advance. Choi later wired proceeds from his scheme to a Kraken cryptocurrency exchange account.
Pursuant to a court-issued warrant, federal prosecutors have seized nearly 40 bitcoins and other cryptocurrency as part of the investigation.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
If convicted, Choi would face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count and up to 10 years in federal prison on the money laundering count.
IRS Criminal Investigation, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and the SBA’s Office of Inspector General are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Tara B. Vavere of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section and Assistant United States Attorney Alexander B. Schwab, Acting Chief of the Criminal Division, are prosecuting this case.
Former San Diego State University Police Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Possessing Sexually Explicit Videos Featuring ChildrenRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former sergeant with the San Diego State University Police Department pleaded guilty today to possessing more than 600 files that contained sexually explicit videos and images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Paul Aurelio McClain, 46, of Menifee, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. He has been in federal custody since March 2025.
According to his plea agreement, in July and August of 2024, law enforcement conducting an undercover operation on a peer-to-peer network determined that an Internet Protocol (IP) address linked to McClain’s home in Riverside County had been used to possess a sexually explicit video of a girl who appeared to be approximately 6 to 8 years of age.
In March 2025, federal agents executed search warrants at McClain’s home and seized multiple digital devices, including a hard drive that contained videos of girls who appeared to be approximately 8 to 10 years old.
Law enforcement found other CSAM files during this investigation, totaling more than 600 files.
McClain admitted in his plea agreement that he knowingly possessed CSAM that he downloaded from the internet onto his digital devices, that he knew the files contained depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, that he knew the depictions involved the use of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and that the CSAM depicted real children who were less than 18 years old.
He further admitted to knowingly possessing CSAM that he downloaded from the internet depicted prepubescent minors and minors who had not yet reached the age of 12 years old.
United States District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett scheduled a June 24 sentencing hearing, at which time McClain will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated this matter with assistance from the West Covina Police Department, the San Bernardino Police Department, the Riverside County Child Exploitation Team, and the San Diego State University Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorneys Cory L. Burleson and Sonah Lee of the Riverside Branch Office are prosecuting this case.
L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy Pleads Guilty to Obstructing Federal Investigation into Crypto ‘Mogul’ Threats Against Party PlannerRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) deputy pleaded guilty today to obstructing a federal investigation into a now-jailed, self-styled cryptocurrency businessman by lying that he never witnessed the wannabe crypto mogul threaten and extort $25,000 from a party planner at his Bel Air mansion.
Scott Allen Simpkins, 34, of Brea, pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of justice.
Prior to today’s hearing, Simpkins had been relieved of duty and placed on leave by LASD, but he has not yet left the department.
According to his plea agreement, Simpkins was a deputy assigned to LASD’s Lakewood Station and worked for LASD’s Special Enforcement Bureau and SWAT team. He also worked approximately six to eight shifts as a private security guard for Saavedra & Associates and received cash payments for his services.
Saavedra & Associates was a private company owned and operated by then-LASD Deputy and one-time federal task force officer Eric Chase Saavedra, 43, of Chino, that employed active LASD deputies and law enforcement officers and provided private security services for clients.
One of those clients was Adam Iza, 25, who resided in Beverly Hills and Newport Beach, was a self-styled cryptocurrency businessman who called himself “The Godfather,” and who has been in federal custody since September 2024. Iza pleaded guilty in January 2025 to one count of conspiracy against rights, one count of wire fraud, and one count of tax evasion, and awaits sentencing.
In August 2021, Iza hired Simpkins, fellow then-LASD Deputy Christopher Michael Cadman, 34, of Fullerton, and other law enforcement officers to provide private security at a party at his Bel Air mansion. At the time, Simpkins knew Iza possessed at least one firearm.
After the party ended, at around 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. on August 15, 2021, Simpkins learned the party planner – identified in court documents as “R.C.” – had been kicked out of the party for erratic behavior.
The next day, Simpkins worked another shift at Iza’s Bel Air mansion and – along with Cadman – escorted R.C. to Iza’s office and closed the door behind them. Iza – seated behind his office desk – then took steps to intimidate R.C. to obtain $25,000 by placing four or five rounds of live 9mm ammunition on his desk across from R.C. While speaking to the victim, Iza picked up the live ammunition and twirled a bullet in his hand as he spoke threateningly to R.C.
During this meeting, Iza accessed R.C.’s phone after demanding that $25,000 be transferred from R.C.’s bank account to an Iza-controlled bank account. After the transfer occurred, Simpkins and Cadman escorted R.C. out of Iza’s mansion.
After this incident, Iza hired Saavedra & Associates as his private security provider and made substantial payments to Saavedra and his employees. Simpkins and Cadman each earned $1,400 for their shifts during the August 2021 party and the August 16 incident with R.C.
In response to Simpkins and Cadman helping to secure a long-term contract with Iza, Saavedra & Associate paid them approximately 10% of the company’s total profits for the contract’s first month.
After Iza’s arrest in September 2024 and the R.C.-related conduct being charged – along with other crimes – in a federal criminal complaint and an indictment against Iza, the FBI executed a search warrant on Simpkins’ person and seized his phone.
In a November 2024 meeting with federal law enforcement concerning Iza and corrupt LASD deputies and in which Simpkins was warned that lying would result in criminal prosecution, Simpkins lied repeatedly to FBI agents and federal prosecutors that he saw no ammunition or shell casings inside Iza’s office during the incident with victim R.C. Simpkins further lied when he said he saw no financial transactions occur.
Simpkins admitted in his plea agreement that he knew his lies had the natural and probable effect of interfering with the criminal investigation and legal proceedings against Iza and were material to the investigation.
United States District Judge Percy Anderson scheduled a July 13 sentencing hearing, at which time Simpkins will face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
Iza, Saavedra and Cadman, among others, have pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges and await sentencing.
On Monday, Judge Anderson sentenced former LASD Deputy Michael David Coberg, 44, of Eastvale, to 63 months in federal prison and was ordered to pay $127,000 in restitution for helping Iza extort a rival and arrange the sham illegal drug possession arrest of another adversary in Paramount in 2021.
The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation are investigating this matter. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has provided assistance.
Assistant United States Attorney Maxwell K. Coll of the National Security Division is prosecuting this case.
Australian National Arrested on Criminal Complaint Charging Him with Assaulting Federal Officer at Los Angeles International AirportRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – An Australian national has been arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging him with assaulting a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), the Justice Department announced today.
Thomas Jesse Bingham, 35, of Melbourne, Australia, is charged with assault on a federal officer. He was arrested Monday at LAX and is scheduled to make his initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
According to the complaint and affidavit, on March 15, the victim – an on-duty, uniformed TSA officer – was leaving a restroom located in the sterile area connector between Terminals 6 and 7 at LAX. Upon exiting, Bingham – who was then booked on a flight from Los Angeles to Las Vegas – approached the victim and accused him of taking his backpack and passport. Bingham then forcibly assaulted the victim by grabbing the victim’s uniform, pulling the victim’s TSA identification lanyard off his neck, grabbing and pulling the victim’s hair, and pushing him into a glass wall.
The victim later reported experiencing pain in his hand and back and sought medical evaluation.
Airport police arrested Bingham, whose carry-on bag and passport were later located at a restaurant in Terminal 7 that he previously visited.
Bingham later was released from custody and on Monday was arrested at LAX prior to boarding a flight to the United Kingdom.
A complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, Bingham would face up to eight years in federal prison.
TSA Office of Law Enforcement / Investigations is investigating this matter with assistance from the Los Angeles Airport Police.
Assistant United States Attorney Eric L. Mackie of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
Former Syrian Assad Prison Official Convicted of Torture and Immigration FraudRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted Samir Ousman Alsheikh, 73, today on one count of conspiracy to commit torture and three counts of torture for his involvement in the torture of prisoners at Adra Prison in Damascus, Syria. The jury also convicted Alsheikh of lying to U.S. immigration authorities about his commission of these crimes, fraudulently obtaining a green card and attempting to naturalize as a U.S. citizen.
“Samir Ousman Alsheikh tortured prisoners and committed human atrocities to punish and silence political dissent in Syria,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva for the Justice Department's Criminal Division. “Then, after committing these heinous offenses for years, he lied to U.S. immigration authorities to live in the United States of America and pursue citizenship. Thanks to the courage of the victims, and the diligence and dedication of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners, Alsheikh can no longer escape his past and will be held to account for his brutal crimes.”
“Our country is not a refuge for criminals — especially criminals who engage in brutality of the kind this defendant inflicted on his victims,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “I commend the victims, our agents, and our prosecutors for finally bringing this defendant to justice.”
“Homeland Security Investigations and our partners are dedicated to bringing accountability to criminals like Samir Ousman Alsheikh, who tortured prisoners and then relocated to the United States,” said Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Los Angeles. “Our Homeland will never serve as a sanctuary for human rights abusers.”
“Today’s convictions serve as a reminder that the FBI will not tolerate acts of violence and torture or attempts to obfuscate those crimes,” said Assistant Director Heith Janke of the FBI’s Criminal Division. “Along with our partners in the United States and throughout the world, we remain committed to defending victims and bringing perpetrators to justice.”
According to the evidence presented at trial, Alsheikh was a Brigadier General in charge of Damascus Central Prison, commonly known as Adra Prison, from about 2005 through 2008, under the regime of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. According to the evidence, Alsheikh inflicted and ordered subordinates to inflict severe physical and mental pain and suffering on prisoners. In particular, Alsheikh ordered certain prisoners to be sent to a section of the prison known as Wing 13, where they were held in tiny isolation cells and tortured.
Victims who refused to harm or kill political dissidents imprisoned with them or who otherwise showed support for the prisoners testified at trial that they witnessed and suffered various forms of torture. For example, guards used manacles to suspend prisoners by their wrists from pipes on the ceiling and then beat them with fists or cables while suspended for extended periods of time. One victim testified that he felt like his limbs would be torn from his body when they suspended him for days.
Witnesses also testified that they were placed on a torture device known as the “Magic Carpet” or “Flying Carpet,” which consisted of two large wooden panels with hinges in the middle. Guards strapped the witnesses to the device on their backs, positioning the prisoners’ waists at the hinges, and then forcing the lower panel together with the upper, folding the upper and lower halves of the prisoners’ bodies together and causing excruciating pain and serious injury. One victim recalled that Alsheikh himself stomped on the Magic Carpet with his foot. One victim testified that as part of his punishment for writing a letter of support to a political prisoner, he was subjected to the Magic Carpet and then forced to wear a red jumpsuit solely assigned to those designated for execution. He testified that he thought he was going to die. Witnesses also testified to being folded into a car tire, restrained, and beaten by guards.
The evidence at trial showed that Alsheikh personally ordered these and other horrific acts of torture and brutality against the three named victims in the indictment. Following his time at Adra Prison, Alsheikh was appointed Governor of the Syrian province of Deir Ez-Zour in 2011. In 2018, he applied for a visa and later applied to become a U.S. Citizen.
Photograph depicting Alsheikh and Bashar al-Assad on or about July 25, 2011, when Assad appointed AlsheikhThe evidence at trial also showed that Alsheikh came to the United States in 2020, after lying about and concealing the torture and violence he ordered and committed at the prison, among other misrepresentations, on his visa application to enter the United States and to become a legal permanent resident. The evidence further proved that Alsheikh continued to lie about and conceal his past conduct in his later application to become a United States citizen.
Alsheikh faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each of the three torture counts and the count of conspiracy to commit torture; he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each of the immigration and attempted naturalization fraud charges. He will remain in U.S. custody pending his sentencing at a date to be determined by the Court. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
HSI Los Angeles and FBI Chicago investigated the case with support from HSI and FBI Legal Attachés in Germany. HSI’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC) also significantly supported the case, along with the FBI’s International Human Rights Unit (IHRU). Established in 2009, the HRVWCC furthers the government’s efforts to identify, locate, and prosecute human rights abusers in the United States, including those who are known or suspected to have participated in persecution, war crimes, genocide, torture, extrajudicial killings, female genital mutilation, and the use or recruitment of child soldiers. Valuable assistance was also provided by the Federal Criminal Police Office in Germany.
Trial Attorney Patrick Jasperse of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Assistant United States Attorney Joshua O. Mausner prosecuted the case, with significant assistance from HRSP Historian/Analyst Philip Hoffman and HRSP Trial Attorney Alexandra Skinnion, and support from HRSP Trial Attorney Detailee Spencer M. Perry. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided critical assistance.
Members of the public who have information about former human rights violators in the United States are urged to contact U.S. law enforcement through the HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423) or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also email [email protected] or complete its online tip form at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp.
Former L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy Sentenced to More Than 5 Years in Federal Prison for Extorting, Falsely Arresting Rivals of Crypto FraudsterRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former deputy and helicopter pilot with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) was sentenced today to 63 months in federal prison for helping a now-jailed, self-styled cryptocurrency businessman extort a rival and arrange the sham illegal drug possession arrest of another adversary in Paramount in 2021.
Michael David Coberg, 44, of Eastvale, was sentenced by United States District Judge Percy Anderson, who also ordered him to pay $127,000 in restitution.
Coberg pleaded guilty in September 2025 to one count of conspiracy to commit extortion and one count of conspiracy against rights.
Coberg – then employed as an LASD deputy and helicopter pilot – worked on the side with Adam Iza, 25, formerly of Beverly Hills and Newport Coast. Iza, a self-proclaimed “Godfather,” was engaged in fraudulent marketing and cryptocurrency schemes and has been in federal custody since September 2024. He has pleaded guilty to federal charges and is expected to be sentenced in the coming months.
Coberg’s contract with Iza allowed him to work as a business partner and advisor, as opposed to simply working security shifts. Coberg and Iza at one point planned to start a business selling anabolic steroids. Iza paid Coberg at least $20,000 per month for his services.
“Coberg swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and laws of the United States,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “Instead, [he] betrayed that oath and those he swore to protect, abusing the awesome power of his badge. And he did so for an all-too-common reason: greed.”
Participation in Extortion
In October 2021, Coberg accompanied other security guards to pick up a victim whose business partner was having a financial dispute with Iza. After transporting the victim – identified in court documents as “L.A.” – to Iza’s residence, Iza placed a firearm on the desk and displayed an assault rifle, which was placed on the ground near the desk.
Coberg informed the victim that he was an active-duty law enforcement officer and interrogated the victim about the financial dispute Iza had with L.A.’s business partner. While Coberg stood watch over the victim, Iza demanded – and recorded a video of – the victim transferring $127,000 to a bank account Iza controlled. Iza then directed his security guards to take away the victim’s passport and told them to drive the victim back to the victim’s hotel.
The next day, Coberg continued to interrogate the victim about the financial dispute and the location of the victim’s business partner. Later that day, Coberg took Iza and the victim to a shooting range in Iza’s residence and left the two individuals alone. Iza then held the victim at gunpoint and demanded the victim’s business partner transfer money to him, which the victim’s business partner did later that day.
False Traffic Stop and Arrest
In September 2021, Coberg conspired with Iza and others to lure another victim – identified in court documents as “R.C.” – from Miami to Los Angeles to set up the victim and cause him to be arrested with illegal narcotics. During the previous month, Coberg learned of a dispute between Iza and the victim and that Iza and two corrupt LASD deputies working for Iza forced the victim at gunpoint to transfer $25,000 from the victim’s bank account to an account Iza controlled.
Coberg and other co-conspirators set up a plan in which the victim’s ex-girlfriend called the victim and pretended to be interested in pursuing a romantic relationship to convince the victim to fly to Los Angeles to meet with her to use drugs together. At Coberg’s advice and counseling, the co-conspirator purchased the airplane ticket for the victim, picked him up at Los Angeles International Airport in a white Tesla, drove the victim to obtain drugs, and later traveled to a location in Paramount where an LASD deputy would make the traffic stop and arrest.
Christopher Michael Cadman, 34, of Fullerton, a corrupt LASD deputy who had participated in the intimidation of the victim in August 2021 resulting in the $25,000 payment to Iza, also helped set up the false arrest. Cadman pleaded guilty in August 2025 to federal criminal charges and is expected to be sentenced in the coming months.
With Cadman’s assistance, Coberg lied to a fellow LASD deputy that a confidential informant was driving a white Tesla with an individual who had an outstanding arrest warrant and possessed illegal drugs. That deputy later conducted the traffic stop, searched the Tesla, found cocaine in the car and psilocybin mushrooms inside the victim’s backpack, and arrested the victim.
During the arrest, Coberg slowly drove past the scene in a black Cadillac Escalade SUV – with the window rolled down – as Iza watched from the back passenger seat. Iza took videos and photographs of the victim’s arrest.
After the arrest, Coberg texted Cadman to thank him for facilitating the traffic stop and stated, “the kid enjoyed it,” referencing Iza. Iza later taunted the victim by sending him a photograph of the victim’s arrest in progress and the victim’s booking photo, and texting him, “[f]or a drug dealer, you [expletive] with the wrong people.”
The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provided assistance.
Assistant United States Attorney Maxwell K. Coll of the National Security Division prosecuted this case.
Former Assad-Era Syrian Prison Chief and Governor Found Guilty of Torturing Inmates then Lying About It to U.S. Immigration OfficialsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former Syrian government official who was the head of one of that nation’s major prisons was found guilty by a jury today of torturing Syrian inmates at Adra Prison in Damascus then later lying about it to United States immigration officials, fraudulently obtaining a green card and attempting to naturalize as a U.S. citizen.
Samir Ousman Alsheikh, 73, formerly of Lexington, South Carolina, but who has been in federal custody in Los Angeles since July 2024, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit torture, three counts of torture, one count of fraud in the possession and use of an immigration document, and one count of attempted naturalization fraud.
“Our country is not a refuge for criminals – especially criminals who engage in the brutality of the kind this defendant inflicted on his victims,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “I commend the victims, our agents, and our prosecutors for finally bringing this defendant to justice.”
“Samir Ousman Alsheikh ordered, directed, and directly participated in heinous acts of torture designed to inflict excruciating mental and physical pain with the goal of punishing and silencing political dissent,” said Tysen Duva, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “For many years, he evaded responsibility for his crimes in Syria, including by lying to U.S. immigration authorities in order to reside in the U.S. with the hope of obtaining citizenship. Thanks to the courage and perseverance of the victims and the dedication of Department of Justice prosecutors, along with their law enforcement partners, justice has prevailed and Alsheikh can no longer run from his past.”
“Homeland Security Investigations and our partners are dedicated to bringing accountability to criminals like Samir Ousman Alsheikh, who tortured prisoners and then relocated to the United States,” said HSI Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang. “Our Homeland will never serve as a sanctuary for human rights abusers.”
“Today’s convictions serve as a reminder that the FBI will not tolerate acts of violence and torture or attempts to obfuscate those crimes,” said Assistant Director Heith Janke of the FBI’s Criminal Division. “Along with our partners in the United States and throughout the world, we remain committed to defending victims and bringing perpetrators to justice.”
According to evidence presented at a nine-day trial, Alsheikh was a brigadier general in charge of Damascus Central Prison, commonly known as Adra Prison, from about 2005 through 2008, under the regime of then-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Alsheikh inflicted and ordered subordinates to inflict severe physical and mental pain and suffering on prisoners. In particular, Alsheikh ordered certain prisoners to be sent to a section of the prison known as Wing 13, where they were held in tiny isolation cells and tortured.
Victims who refused to harm or kill political dissidents imprisoned with them or who otherwise showed support for the prisoners testified at trial that they witnessed and suffered various forms of torture. For example, guards used manacles to suspend prisoners by their wrists from pipes on the ceiling and then beat them with fists or cables while suspended for extended periods of time. One victim testified that he felt like his limbs would be torn from his body when they suspended him for days.
Witnesses also testified that they were placed on a torture device known as the “Magic Carpet” or “Flying Carpet,” which consisted of two large wooden panels with hinges in the middle. Guards strapped the witnesses to the device on their backs, positioning the prisoners’ waists at the hinges, and then forcing the lower panel together with the upper, folding the upper and lower halves of the prisoners’ bodies together and causing excruciating pain and serious injury.
One victim recalled that Alsheikh himself stomped on the Magic Carpet with his foot. One victim testified that as part of his punishment for writing a letter of support to a political prisoner, he was subjected to the Magic Carpet and then forced to wear a red jumpsuit solely assigned to those designated for execution. He testified that he thought he was going to die. Witnesses also testified to being folded into a car tire, restrained, and beaten by guards.
Alsheikh personally ordered these and other horrific acts of torture and brutality against the three named victims in the indictment. Following his time at Adra Prison, Alsheikh was appointed governor of the Syrian province of Deir Ez-Zour in 2011. In 2018, he applied for a visa and later applied to become a U.S. citizen.
Alsheikh came to the United States in 2020, after lying about and concealing the torture and violence he ordered and committed at the prison, among other misrepresentations, on his visa application to enter the United States and to become a legal permanent resident. Alsheikh continued to lie about and conceal his past conduct in his later application to become a United States citizen.
United States District Judge Hernán D. Vera will schedule a sentencing hearing for a later date, at which time Alsheikh will face up to 20 years in federal prison for the conspiracy to commit torture charge, up to 20 years in federal prison for each torture charge, and up to 10 years in federal prison for each immigration fraud-related charge.
HSI Los Angeles and FBI Chicago investigated the case with support from HSI and FBI legal attachés in Germany. HSI’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC) also significantly supported the case, along with the FBI’s International Human Rights Unit (IHRU). Established in 2009, the HRVWCC furthers the government’s efforts to identify, locate, and prosecute human rights abusers in the United States, including those who are known or suspected to have participated in persecution, war crimes, genocide, torture, extrajudicial killings, female genital mutilation, and the use or recruitment of child soldiers. Valuable assistance was also provided by the Federal Criminal Police Office in Germany.
Assistant United States Attorney Joshua O. Mausner of the National Security Division and Justice Department Trial Attorneys Patrick Jasperse of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) are prosecuting this case with significant assistance from HRSP Historian/Analyst Philip Hoffman and HRSP Trial Attorney Alexandra Skinnion, and support from HRSP Trial Attorney Detailee Spencer M. Perry. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided critical assistance.
Members of the public who have information about former human rights violators in the United States are urged to contact U.S. law enforcement through the HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423) or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also email [email protected] or complete its online tip form at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp
United States Arrests Alleged Tren de Aragua Leader Charged in Chile with Criminal Association, Extortion and Kidnapping Resulting in HomicideRead the Press Release
Venezuelan national and illegal alien Rafael Enrique Gamez Salas, 40, has been arrested at the request of the Government of Chile so that he may be prosecuted on seven charges stemming from his alleged role as a leader of “Los Piratas,” the primary Chilean cell of the Venezuelan transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua (TdA).
Chile accuses Gamez Salas, who was arrested Wednesday, of directing multiple extortions and kidnappings on behalf of TdA, one of which resulted in the highly publicized murder of a former Venezuelan military officer. This arrest brings Gamez Salas, who also has criminal convictions in the United States for human smuggling and illegal reentry after deportation, one step closer to facing justice in Chile after illegally attempting to seek refuge in the United States.
“This illegal alien from Venezuela is an alleged leader of the foreign terrorist organization TdA,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “While in the United States, he was convicted of human smuggling and is accused by Chile of heinous violent crimes. This man is a clear public safety threat and should never have been in this country but reentered the United States illegally under the Biden Administration. The Justice Department, along with our federal and international partners, will continue to put safety and security first.”
“Rafael Enrique Gamez Salas’s arrest for purposes of extradition is evidence of the strong and ongoing cooperation between the United States and our foreign partners to combat transnational crime, dismantle foreign terrorist organizations like Tren de Aragua and hold members accountable for their heinous criminal acts,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The United States is not a safe haven for dangerous criminal aliens. Thanks to the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, which worked extensively with Chilean authorities over the last year to obtain the facts and evidence necessary to initiate these extradition proceedings.”
“Our country must never become a refuge for criminal illegal aliens who are senior members of foreign terrorist organizations,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “We will continue to work closely with our overseas law enforcement partners to ensure this defendant will face justice in a Chilean courtroom.”
Gamez Salas, also known as “Adrian Rafael Gamez Finol” and “Turko,” is accused of overseeing the criminal activities of Los Piratas in Chile. According to Chilean authorities, he planned and coordinated kidnappings, homicides, extortions and other offenses on behalf of the TdA affiliate, which included instructing subordinates to obtain necessary resources to execute the offenses, and ensuring that financial resources generated for Los Piratas were transferred abroad. Chile is seeking Gamez Salas’s extradition so that he may stand trial for one count of criminal association, two counts of extortion, two counts of unjustified firearm discharge, one count of kidnapping resulting in homicide and one count of kidnapping for extortion, arising from separate crimes against multiple victims.
As set forth in the United States’ complaint for provisional arrest with a view toward extradition, Chile alleges, among other things, that Gamez Salas, acting under the supervision of senior TdA leadership, directed and planned the February 2024 kidnapping and murder in Santiago, Chile, of a former Lieutenant in the Venezuelan military.
According to Chile, members of Los Piratas arrived at the victim’s apartment building in the middle of the night armed with firearms and in a car equipped with a blue light in an apparent attempt to impersonate officers of the Chilean Investigative Police. After using a battering ram to force entry into the victim’s apartment, the perpetrators handcuffed the victim and forcibly removed him from the building and into a car.
Around one week later, in response to a tip from a witness, authorities discovered the victim’s body by drilling into the concrete floor of a makeshift dwelling in a housing development elsewhere in Santiago, Chile. The victim’s body was found covered in lime, concealed inside a suitcase, buried in concrete more than three feet deep and sealed beneath a concrete slab.
An autopsy determined that the victim’s cause of death was asphyxia due to hanging, and the victim’s body showed signs of suspension by the upper extremities, lesions consistent with torture and partial postmortem dismemberment. Testimony obtained in the Chilean investigation revealed that the victim’s kidnapping and murder was allegedly ordered by leaders of TdA and directed to be paid for from outside of Chile.
Additionally, in an intercepted conversation, Gamez Salas allegedly told other Los Piratas members that he had been assigned “from above” the task of coordinating and executing the crime.
In support of its other charges against Gamez Salas, Chile also alleges that he played a leading role in an April 2024 deadly armed confrontation that killed a Chilean police officer; February and June 2024 kidnappings for extortion; and a March 2024 attempted kidnapping, among other offenses.
In 2023, Gamez Salas was removed from the United States to Venezuela for having entered the United States illegally. He subsequently illegally reentered the United States and was prosecuted for human smuggling by the Val Verde County District Attorney’s Office in Texas. He was convicted in February 2025, after which he was indicted in the Southern District of Texas for illegally reentering the United States. He pled guilty to the illegal reentry charge in April 2025 and was serving his prison sentence in the Central District of California when he was arrested on the extradition warrant. Gamez Salas is also subject to an order of removal to Venezuela, which does not extradite its own nationals.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Marshals Service executed the provisional arrest warrant by transferring Gamez Salas from Federal Bureau of Prisons custody to its custody in the Central District of California. He appeared on Wednesday for his initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles F. Eick for the Central District of California and was remanded into custody. The extradition matter for Gamez Salas is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Lulejian for the Central District of California and Trial Attorneys Reena T. Mittelman and Ruxandra Barbulescu of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
Previously, in September 2025, the United States extradited to Chile another alleged TdA member, Edgar Javier Benitez Rubio, who was charged in Chile with multiple offenses arising from this same kidnapping and murder of the former Venezuelan Lieutenant. That extradition matter was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
U.S. Arrests Alleged Tren de Aragua Leader Charged in Chile with Criminal Association, Extortion, and Kidnapping Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Venezuelan national and illegal alien has been arrested at the request of the Government of Chile so that he may be prosecuted on seven charges stemming from his alleged role as a leader of “Los Piratas,” the primary Chilean cell of the Venezuelan transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua (TdA), the Justice Department announced today.
Rafael Enrique Gámez Salas, 40, who was finishing serving a federal prison sentence in San Bernardino County, was arrested by the United States Marshals Service (USMS) and was transferred to USMS custody in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Chile accuses Gámez Salas of directing multiple extortions and kidnappings on behalf of TdA, one of which resulted in the highly publicized murder of a former Venezuelan military officer. This arrest brings Gámez Salas, who also has criminal convictions in the United States for human smuggling and illegal reentry after deportation, one step closer to facing justice in Chile after illegally attempting to seek refuge in the United States.
“Our country must never become a refuge for criminal illegal aliens who are senior members of foreign terrorist organizations,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “We will continue to work closely with our overseas law enforcement partners to ensure this defendant will face justice in a Chilean courtroom.”
“This illegal alien from Venezuela is an alleged leader of the foreign terrorist organization TdA,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “While in the United States, he was convicted of human smuggling and is accused by Chile of heinous violent crimes. This man is a clear public safety threat and should never have been in this country but reentered the United States illegally under the Biden Administration. The Justice Department, along with our federal and international partners, will continue to put safety and security first.”
“Rafael Enrique Gámez Salas’s arrest for purposes of extradition is evidence of the strong and ongoing cooperation between the United States and our foreign partners to combat transnational crime, dismantle foreign terrorist organizations like Tren de Aragua and hold members accountable for their heinous criminal acts,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The United States is not a safe haven for dangerous criminal aliens. Thanks to the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, which worked extensively with Chilean authorities over the last year to obtain the facts and evidence necessary to initiate these extradition proceedings.”
Gámez Salas, also known as “Adrian Rafael Gámez Finol” and “Turko,” is accused of overseeing the criminal activities of Los Piratas in Chile. According to Chilean authorities, he planned and coordinated kidnappings, homicides, extortions and other offenses on behalf of the TdA affiliate, which included instructing subordinates to obtain necessary resources to execute the offenses, and ensuring that financial resources generated for Los Piratas were transferred abroad.
Chile is seeking Gámez Salas’s extradition so that he may stand trial for one count of criminal association, two counts of extortion, two counts of unjustified firearm discharge, one count of kidnapping resulting in homicide and one count of kidnapping for extortion, arising from separate crimes against multiple victims.
As set forth in the United States’ complaint for provisional arrest with a view toward extradition, Chile alleges, among other things, that Gámez Salas, acting under the supervision of senior TdA leadership, directed and planned the February 2024 kidnapping and murder in Santiago, Chile, of a former Lieutenant in the Venezuelan military.
According to Chile, members of Los Piratas arrived at the victim’s apartment building in the middle of the night armed with firearms and in a car equipped with a blue light in an apparent attempt to impersonate officers of the Chilean Investigative Police. After using a battering ram to force entry into the victim’s apartment, the perpetrators handcuffed the victim and forcibly removed him from the building and into a car.
Around one week later, in response to a tip from a witness, authorities discovered the victim’s body by drilling into the concrete floor of a makeshift dwelling in a housing development elsewhere in Santiago. The victim’s body was found covered in lime, concealed inside a suitcase, buried in concrete more than three feet deep and sealed beneath a concrete slab.
An autopsy determined that the victim’s cause of death was asphyxia due to hanging, and the victim’s body showed signs of suspension by the upper extremities, lesions consistent with torture and partial postmortem dismemberment. Testimony obtained in the Chilean investigation revealed that the victim’s kidnapping and murder was allegedly ordered by leaders of TdA and directed to be paid for from outside of Chile.
Additionally, in an intercepted conversation, Gámez Salas allegedly told other Los Piratas members that he had been assigned “from above” the task of coordinating and executing the crime.
In support of its other charges against Gámez Salas, Chile also alleges that he played a leading role in an April 2024 deadly armed confrontation that killed a Chilean police officer; February and June 2024 kidnappings for extortion; and a March 2024 attempted kidnapping, among other offenses.
In 2023, Gámez Salas was removed from the United States to Venezuela for having entered the United States illegally. He subsequently illegally reentered the United States – where he was found in December 2024 – and was prosecuted for human smuggling by the Val Verde County District Attorney’s Office in Texas. He was convicted in February 2025, after which he was indicted in the Southern District of Texas for illegally reentering the United States.
He pleaded guilty to the illegal reentry charge in April 2025 and was serving his prison sentence in the Central District of California when he was arrested on the extradition warrant. Gámez Salas is also subject to an order of removal to Venezuela, which does not extradite its own nationals.
On Wednesday, the United States Marshals Service executed the provisional arrest warrant by transferring Gámez Salas from Federal Bureau of Prisons custody to its custody in the Central District of California. He made his initial appearance on Wednesday for his initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles F. Eick in Los Angeles and was remanded into federal custody.
Assistant United States Attorney John J. Lulejian of the Criminal Division and Justice Department Trial Attorneys Reena T. Mittelman and Ruxandra Barbulescu of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs are handling the Gámez Salas extradition matter.
Previously, in September 2025, the United States extradited to Chile another alleged TdA member, Edgar Javier Benitez Rubio, who was charged in Chile with multiple offenses arising from this same kidnapping and murder of the former Venezuelan Lieutenant. That extradition matter was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
Four Pomona Gang Members and Mexican Mafia Associates Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison for Murder, RacketeeringRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A member of the Mexican Mafia prison gang who controlled and extorted Latino street gangs in the Pomona area and three of his underlings were sentenced today to life in federal prison for racketeering-related crimes, including the June 2020 murder of a federal inmate in Los Angeles.
Michael Lerma, 69, a.k.a. “Pomona Mike” and “Big Mike,” was sentenced by United States District Judge George H. Wu, who also ordered him and the three other defendants to pay $10,365 in restitution.
Judge Wu also sentenced the following defendants to life in federal prison:
- Carlos Gonzalez, 42, a.k.a. “Popeye”;
- Juan Sanchez, 33, a.k.a. “Squeaks”; and
- Jose Valencia Gonzalez, 44, a.k.a. “Swifty.”
At the conclusion of a 20-day trial, a jury in March 2025 found all four defendants guilty of one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of violent crimes in aid of racketeering (VICAR) murder, and one count of first-degree murder within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States.
The jury also found Lerma and Valencia Gonzalez guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances (methamphetamine and heroin) at MDC Los Angeles (a federal prison in downtown Los Angeles) and in the Pomona area. Finally, the jury found Gonzalez and Valencia Gonzalez guilty of one count of being felons in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Sanchez was found not guilty of one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
All four defendants have been in federal custody since 2018.
From February 2012 to June 2020, Lerma – a full member of the Mexican Mafia prison gang – controlled and extorted drug proceeds from Latino street gangs in and around Pomona, as well as from incarcerated Latinos in Calipatria State Prison in Imperial County. Members of Lerma’s criminal enterprise also engaged in robberies, identity theft and fraud, drug trafficking, and other acts of violence.
In June 2020, Lerma directed three Mexican Mafia-linked Pomona gang members to enter a cell at MDC Los Angeles and kill a victim – identified in court documents as “S.B.” S.B. was murdered in retaliation for S.B. failing to pay drug debts deemed owed to Lerma’s cell of the Mexican Mafia prison gang.
“[Lerma’s] role as the leader of a violent criminal enterprise reflects the danger he remains to the community,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “His direct involvement in the murder of an inmate at a [Federal Bureau of Prisons] facility and attempts to cover-up the crime reflects his cruelty, his cunning, and his power.”
Federal prosecutors so far have secured nine convictions in this case, including that of Cheryl Perez-Castaneda, 63, of Pomona, who is serving a 12-year prison sentence for using her power on the street as a “señora” – a high-level female associate of Lerma’s – to solicit a murder and for participating in a carjacking attempt that resulted a July 2013 shooting.
The FBI’s San Gabriel Valley Safe Streets Task Force (SGVSSTF), which is comprised of agents and officers with the FBI, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Pomona Police Department, the El Monte Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, investigated this matter in conjunction with the FBI’s Los Angeles Metropolitan Violent Crime Task Force. The Pomona Police Department is the sponsoring agency of the SGVSSTF and has been the headquarters for the task force since its inception in 2008.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kyle W. Kahan of the General Crimes Section, Kellye Ng of the Major Crimes Section, and Jason A. Gorn of the Transnational Organized Crime Section prosecuted this case.
Illegal Alien from Mexico Charged with Carjacking in Orange County and with Illegally Reentering the U.S. Following DeportationRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A twice-deported illegal immigrant from Mexico has been federally charged with carjacking a restaurant employee in Orange County last month – assaulting both the victim and her coworker who rushed to help her and nearly hitting them with the stolen vehicle – and with illegally reentering the United States, the Justice Department announced today.
Miguel Abrajan-Morales, 30, of Fullerton, is charged in a federal criminal complaint with carjacking. He also is charged in a separate federal criminal complaint with being an illegal alien found in the United States following deportation or removal.
Abrajan-Morales is in state custody at the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange. He faces a criminal charge in Orange County Superior Court of assault with a deadly weapon. He is expected to make his initial appearance on the federal charges in United States District Court in Santa Ana in the coming weeks.
According to affidavits filed with the federal complaints, during the evening of February 27, two restaurant employees were leaving work in Placentia. One victim – later identified as a woman with whom Abrajan-Morales previously had a romantic relationship – walked to her 2025 Ford Bronco and sat in the driver’s seat. Unexpectedly and without her permission, Abrajan-Morales opened and entered the vehicle’s front passenger seat and struck her in the face several times. To escape, the victim left the Ford Bronco from the driver’s door and left the vehicle running.
The victim’s coworker was entering his vehicle and witnessed the assault. To defend the victim, he ran toward the Ford Bronco and began fighting Abrajan-Morales. During this fight, Abrajan-Morales and he struck each other several times.
After the fight, Abrajan-Morales walked around to the driver’s side of the Ford Bronco, sat in the driver’s seat, and drove away. He nearly struck both restaurant employees with the vehicle as he exited the parking lot – colliding with a parked Honda Civic near where they were standing. Both victims – who had visible injuries – told law enforcement they believed he intentionally tried to strike them with the Ford Bronco.
On March 1, Abrajan-Morales was arrested in Ontario.
Law enforcement reviewed his immigration status and determined that Abrajan-Morales had twice been deported from the United States to Mexico in October 2016. There is no record of any application nor permission from the Secretary of Homeland Security or the United States Attorney General granting Abrajan-Morales permission to reenter the United States.
A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
If convicted, Abrajan-Morales would face a statutory maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison on the carjacking charge and up to two years in federal prison on the illegal reentry charge.
The Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Integrated Operations Group (IOG) and the Placentia Police Department are investigating the carjacking matter with assistance from the Ontario Police Department. IOG is a task force comprised of participation from HSI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the United States Marshals Service. HSI-OIG is investigating the illegal reentry matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Aylin B. Kuzucan of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting the carjacking case. Special Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth D. Bisland of the Domestic Security and Immigration Crimes Section is prosecuting the illegal reentry case.
Guatemalan National Pleads Guilty to Leading Massive Human Smuggling Organization and Holding Illegal Immigrants HostageRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – An illegal immigrant from Guatemala pleaded guilty today to leading one of the largest human smuggling organizations in the United States, a ring that smuggled approximately 20,000 illegal immigrants from Guatemala to destinations nationwide over a five-year span and further admitted to holding two victims hostage.
Eduardo Domingo Renoj-Matul, 52, a.k.a. “Turko,” “El Jefe,” “Patrón,” and “El Gallo,” who most recently lived in the Westlake neighborhood near downtown Los Angeles, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to bring aliens to the United States, transport aliens in the United States, and harbor aliens in the United States for private financial gain and one count of hostage taking.
Renoj-Matul has been in federal custody since February 2025.
According to his plea agreement, Renoj-Matul first worked for then acted as a leader in the smuggling organization and specialized in the smuggling of illegal aliens from Guatemala to the United States, the transportation and movement of those illegal aliens within the United States, and the harboring, concealing, and shielding of illegal aliens within the United States.
Renoj-Matul admitted in his plea agreement that the organization moved approximately 20,000 illegal aliens from 2019 through July 2024.
Associates in Guatemala who solicited illegal aliens to come to the United States accepted payment of between $15,000 and $18,000 for each illegal alien to be smuggled into the United States and coordinated the journey of the illegal aliens from Guatemala to the United States.
Mexican smuggling organizations who accepted Guatemalan illegal aliens in southern Mexico transported them through Mexico and then smuggled those illegal aliens across the U.S.-Mexico border.
In the United States, co-conspirators within the organization oversaw smuggling cells, teams of drivers who transported illegal aliens, and operators of stash houses where illegal aliens were held while they were within the United States.
Co-conspirators operated an illegal alien stash house located on James M. Wood Boulevard in the Westlake district of Los Angeles. Illegal aliens smuggled by the organization were brought to this house. After an illegal alien’s smuggling fee was paid, the illegal alien was transported by co-conspirators to another destination within the United States. If an illegal alien’s smuggling fees were not paid, Renoj-Matul and other co-conspirators would hold that illegal alien against their will at the Westlake house until their fee was paid.
Other co-conspirators transported and coordinated the transport of illegal aliens for Renoj-Matul from Guatemala, through Mexico, to the United States and then throughout various destinations within the United States. Within the United States, co-conspirators drove illegal aliens to other destinations in vehicles provided by Renoj-Matul and others for a fee paid by the aliens.
Renoj-Matul directed that the transportation of proceeds from human smuggling be transported from Los Angeles to Phoenix to be given to the Mexican smuggling organization and pay the smuggling organization’s expenses.
In his plea agreement, Renoj-Matul admitted to arranging for co-conspirators to transport illegal immigrants to Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, New York, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
Renoj-Matul admitted that at all relevant times, he acted for the purpose of private financial gain.
In 2024, after a third party reneged on paying a victim’s smuggling fees, co-conspirators in Guatemala and Renoj-Matul called the victim’s mother and threatened to harm the victim, including by warning the victim “would come home in a box” if her smuggling fees were not paid. For a two-month period from May 2024 to July 2024, the victim was held hostage at the house in the Westlake area of Los Angeles.
Renoj-Matul further admitted to holding another victim – an illegal immigrant from Guatemala – hostage from April 2024 to July 2024. Renoj-Matul knowingly and intentionally seized and detained, and threatened to kill, injure, and continue to detain the victim to compel third persons to pay smuggling fees to the hostage takers as an explicit condition for the victim’s release.
United States District Judge Cynthia Valenzuela scheduled a October 2 sentencing hearing, at which time Renoj-Matul will face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
An April 21 trial is scheduled for co-defendants José Paxtor-Oxlaj, 45, a driver for the smuggling organization who is incarcerated in Oklahoma in connection with a November 2023 car accident resulting in the deaths of seven illegal immigrants – including a 4-year-old child, and Cristóbal Mejia-Chaj, 50, of Westlake, Renoj-Matul’s alleged right-hand man. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty.
Helmer Obispo-Hernández, 42, a.k.a. “Xavi,” a lieutenant in the criminal organization, faces federal criminal charges in this case and is a fugitive.
Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force, HSI’s Figueroa Initiative Gang and Human Trafficking Task Force, United States Border Patrol, and the Inglewood Police Department are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Kelly L. Larocque of the Transnational Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.
Former Laguna Niguel Resident Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for Threatening to Kill Judge Who Presided over His Family Law CaseRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A former Orange County resident was sentenced today to 84 months in federal prison for threatening to kill a superior court judge who had presided over his family law case.
Byrom Zuniga Sanchez, 34, formerly of Laguna Niguel, but whose most recent residence was in Mexico, was sentenced by United States District Judge Fred W. Slaughter, who also ordered him to pay $22,790 in restitution.
At the conclusion of a three-day trial, a jury in December 2025 found Sanchez guilty of two counts of threats by interstate and foreign communication. Sanchez has been in federal custody since February 2024.
From May 2023 to July 2023, Sanchez sent multiple death threats via email to the victim judge. Sanchez also threatened to kill or harm others, including other court employees, lawyers, and law enforcement officials.
For example, in July 2023, Sanchez emailed the victim judge’s former courtroom, “I am more committed to murdering you than I am to being present as a father.”
In the same email, Sanchez also wrote, “You’re already dead. The remainder of my life will be dedicated to assassinating judges, attorneys, and a police station’s entire shift staff.”
These communications were sent via interstate commerce, and Sanchez claimed he was in Mexico when he sent the threatening messages. Sanchez was arrested in San Diego in February 2024 after attempting to enter the United States.
“[Sanchez’s] terrifying embrace of his offenses – his delight at the pain of others – and his total lack of remorse increases the already substantial need for specific deterrence,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum.
The FBI investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Alexandra Sloan Kelly of the Transnational Organized Crime Section and Diane B. Roldán of the Major Crimes Section prosecuted this case.
18th Street Gangsters, Associates Arrested on Indictments Alleging Murder, Extortion, Drug Trafficking in L.A.’s MacArthur Park AreaRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Twelve members and associates of 18th Street – Los Angeles’s largest street gang – were arrested today on criminal charges, including the murder of a drug trafficker who failed to pay the gang’s extortionate “taxes,” and further alleging that the gang controlled the city’s MacArthur Park as an open-air drug marketplace, using tents to blend in with the homeless population and avoid detection by law enforcement.
Five of the defendants arrested today are expected to make their initial appearances and be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
During this investigation, federal and local law enforcement have seized more than 175 pounds of methamphetamine and fentanyl. Today, law enforcement seized approximately $80,000 in cash, 10 pounds of fentanyl, five pounds of methamphetamine, and six firearms.
A total of seven federal grand jury indictments have been returned against members and associates of 18th Street. The main federal indictment, which contains seven counts, charges the following seven Los Angeles-based members and associates of 18th Street, with one count of racketeering conspiracy:
- Keiko Marie Gonzalez, 59, a.k.a. “Moms,” “La Señora,” and “La Reina,”
- Edward Escalante, 49, a.k.a. “Toro,”
- Edward Alvarenga, 27, a.k.a. “Tito,”
- George Carillo, 60, a.k.a. “Chuco,”
- Carlos Beltran, 48, a.k.a. “Negro,”
- Felipe De Los Angeles, 51, a.k.a. “Indio,” and
- Edwin Martinez, 32, a.k.a. “Dreamer.”
Law enforcement is looking for six fugitives in this matter. One fugitive is believed to be in Mexico and another is believed to be in Guatemala.
“For far too long, 18th Street and other criminals have been allowed to turn one of the city’s most beautiful public spaces into a crime-infested pit. That ends today,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “We are committed to eliminating violent organized crime and open-air drug markets from Los Angeles.”
“The distribution of illegal narcotics in our communities is unacceptable, as is the associated violent crime that many times affects innocent residents,” said Robert Molvar, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. “This investigation should send a message to 18th Street Gang members and their Mexican Mafia overlords that we’re going to continue to work with our law enforcement partners to target those responsible for the distribution of illegal narcotics which enrich the gang while they prey on and poison members of our community.”
According to the indictment, 18th Street is historically a Mexican-American street gang that has grown into a transnational gang with more than 100,000 members within the United States, and operates across Mexico, Central and South America, and elsewhere. 18th Street controls numerous neighborhoods in and around Los Angeles, including MacArthur Park and its surrounding blocks.
“MacArthur Park served as an open-air marketplace for drug trafficking by 18th Streeters, many of whom operated within tents to conceal the nature of their drug trafficking and to avoid law enforcement detection,” the indictment alleges. “18th Street also controlled a substantial portion of the drug trafficking activities in the Skid Row area of Downtown Los Angeles.”
The gang controls its “territory” through violence and threats of violence against rivals and others, controls and participates in drug trafficking including that of fentanyl and methamphetamine, operates illegal gambling establishments (casitas) and collects extortionate “taxes.”
18th Street is affiliated with the Mexican Mafia prison gang and the Mexican Mafia member who maintained ultimate control over 18th Street is an unindicted co-conspirator – identified in the indictment as “Co-Conspirator 1” – who is an inmate at a California state prison.
From at least July 2020 to March 2026, Gonzalez – the second in command and street boss of 18th Street – directly communicated with Co-Conspirator 1. In this role, Gonzalez had decision-making authority, oversaw the gang’s criminal activity, disciplined members, collected rent, “taxes,” and fines from the gang’s members and associates, and ordered murders of individuals in the gang, the gang’s rivals, or drug traffickers. Gonzalez and others also directed drug trafficking, violent acts, and other criminal activities.
For example, on July 27, 2022, Gonzalez ordered the murder of a victim who failed to pay 18th Street’s extortionate taxes on her drug trafficking activities in the gang’s territory. The victim – identified in the indictment as “M.Z.” – was shot to death. Carillo and Beltran are charged with one count of murder in aid of racketeering for their roles in that murder.
Gonzalez, Escalante, Alvarenga, and De Los Angeles also are charged with one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion (Hobbs Act). Escalante additionally is charged with three counts of attempted Hobbs Act extortion, and one count of knowingly and intentionally distributing nearly two pounds of methamphetamine.
“Gang criminals and drug peddlers have been exploiting the MacArthur Park community for far too long,” said Anthony Chrysanthis, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration Los Angeles Field Division. “18th Street has been moving product in MacArthur Park at will. The collaborative work poured into this multi-agency operation is a testament to our resolve to turn the tide. We want to return MacArthur Park back to the community.”
“This indictment exposes a criminal enterprise that relied on illegal activities that generated steady illicit income,” said Tyler Hatcher, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-CI Los Angeles Field Office. “By uncovering the financial structure that supported this organization, we are helping dismantle the network that allowed it to operate and profit at the expense of our communities. IRS CI will continue to use our financial expertise to ensure that violent gangs cannot hide their proceeds and cannot use those profits to fuel further harm.”
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
If convicted, Carillo and Beltran would face a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment, Gonzalez would face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, Alvarenga would face up to 40 years in federal prison, De Los Angeles and Martinez would face up to 20 years in federal prison, and Escalante would face a 10-year mandatory minimum prison sentence and a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
The FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Los Angeles Police Department are investigating this matter with assistance from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the United States Marshals Service.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jena A. MacCabe of the Major Crimes Section and Daniel H. Weiner of the Transnational Organized Crime Section are prosecuting these cases.
Hacienda Heights Man Arrested and Charged with Running Dog Fighting Venture and with Illegal Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Hacienda Heights man was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint charging him with hosting dog fights and illegally breeding, training, and exhibiting dogs for use in such fights.
Raymond Nunez, 53, is charged with buying, delivering, and possessing animals for an animal fighting venture, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Nunez was arrested this morning and is scheduled to make his initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
According to the complaint, from at least December 2025 to February 2026, Nunez illegally exhibited, bred, and trained dogs for dog fighting at his home in Hacienda Heights. He also possessed firearms, which he is not legally permitted to do because of his felony conviction in Los Angeles Superior Court in 1991 for unlawful taking of a vehicle.
On Tuesday, federal agents executed a search warrant at Nunez’s home and seized, among other things: an AK-47 style assault rifle and a shotgun; 10 firearms in a safe in the master bedroom; an emaciated pit bull that was bleeding and chained to a cable in the yard; a second pit bull with scars in a bloody caged area; multiple dog treadmills; a rope with a scale for weighing dogs; and a skin stapler and syringes.
A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
If convicted, Nunez would face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
This case is part of the federal, state, and local Dog Fighting and Animal Abuse Task Force spearheaded by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California and Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office launched in 2025.
The FBI and the United States Marshals Service are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Dennis Mitchell of the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section is prosecuting this case.
Founder of Acton-Based Animal Welfare Organization Arrested on Federal Charge that He Plotted Former Employee’s KidnappingRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – An actor who is the founder and president of an animal welfare organization based near the Antelope Valley has been arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging him with the attempted kidnapping of a former employee who won a $6.7 million wrongful-termination judgment against him, the Justice Department announced today.
Leo Grillo, 77, of Acton, is charged with attempted kidnapping, a felony that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
He was arrested Tuesday and is scheduled to make his initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, Grillo leads an Acton-based animal welfare organization called Dedication and Everlasting Love to Animals (DELTA) Rescue, which bills itself as the largest no-kill animal sanctuary of its kind in the world. Grillo also is a film actor and producer.
In November 2024, the victim won a judgment of $6,680,950 in Los Angeles Superior Court after a jury found DELTA Rescue liable for wrongful termination and other causes of legal action. DELTA Rescue – which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 2025 – is appealing that judgment.
In December 2025, Grillo met in Burbank with an individual to discuss the wrongful-termination litigation as well as a documentary targeting his liability insurance company that he believed had treated him poorly. He then asked the individual to use his contacts in Mexico to find out more about the plaintiff who successfully sued him.
During January 2026, Grillo asked the individual – whom Grillo didn’t know was then cooperating with law enforcement – for another in-person meeting and began talking in code about a “documentary” in which the woman who defeated him at trial would be kidnapped along with a family member and for them to be held hostage in Mexico. While in confinement, she would be forced to cooperate with Grillo to settle the litigation. He also said he would be willing to pay $100,000 to make that happen and that he wanted her child and she to be flown out of an airfield in Lancaster.
In February 2026, Grillo mailed the individual a check from “Animals Are People Too” for $20,000 and confirmed that he wanted to get the victim on an airplane to Mexico, where her husband and she would be held hostage. The memo on the check stated, “Production,” consistent with Grillo’s coded terminology for the kidnapping plot.
On March 3, the individual met again with Grillo in Burbank, told him, “They’ve got ‘em,” and showed Grillo a fake photograph on the individual’s cellphone showing what appeared to be the victim and a man tied up with zip ties and with the victim having duct tape over her mouth.
The individual then told Grillo that the plan had hit a snag and the victim and her husband had not yet left Lancaster and would need to be taken to a different place in Mexico. Grillo worried aloud that their sons could contact law enforcement. Grillo eventually wrote a $10,000 check to the individual to further advance the kidnapping plot.
A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
The FBI and the United States Postal Inspection Service are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Butler of the Major Crimes Section and Kevin B. Reidy and Haoxiaohan H. Cai of the Major Frauds Section are prosecuting this case.
Riverside and Colorado Women Found Guilty of Stalking ICE Officer Home from Work and Livestreaming the Pursuit on Social MediaRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Two women – one from the Inland Empire and the other from Colorado – have been found guilty by a jury of a felony stalking charge for following a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportation officer home and livestreaming their pursuit on social media, the Justice Department announced today.
Cynthia Raygoza, 38, of Riverside, and Ashleigh Brown, 38, of Aurora, Colorado, were found guilty late Friday of one count of stalking.
“Justice has been served against two agitators who stalked a federal employee, livestreamed it on social media, and traumatized both the victim and his family,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Our Constitution protects peaceful protest – not political violence and unlawful intimidation.”
According to evidence presented at a four-day trial, on August 28, 2025, the defendants – while dressed in black and concealing their faces with black masks – followed the victim from a federal building in downtown Los Angeles to his personal residence. The victim was heading home to his family for an outing that included a surprise for his sons, ages three and seven.
The defendants livestreamed on their Instagram accounts their pursuit of the victim and provided directions as they followed the victim home, encouraging their viewers to share the livestream. The Instagram accounts they used to livestream the event were “ice_out_of_la,” “defendmesoamericanculture,” and “corn_maiden_design.”
Upon arriving at the victim’s neighborhood, the defendants shouted to bystanders while livestreaming on Instagram that their “neighbor is ICE,” “la migra lives here,” and “ICE lives on your street and you should know.” Raygoza also threatened to “pop” the victim. Both the victim’s wife and a concerned neighbor called 911 in response to the defendants’ actions.
Brown then publicly disclosed on Instagram an address approximately 100 feet from the victim’s home and told viewers, “Come on down.” In response, several individuals – also wearing masks – appeared outside the victim’s home.
The victim’s wife – whom the defendants targeted with racial slurs – and children witnessed the incident and suffered emotional distress. The increased traffic from onlookers in the ensuing weeks caused the victim and his family to relocate to a different county. The forced move significantly disrupted the education of the victim’s children. The victim’s 3-year-old son, who has a disability, lost several social and health care benefits that were tied to his former county.
United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson scheduled a June 8 sentencing hearing, at which time Raygoza and Brown will face up to five years in federal prison.
The jury found Raygoza and Brown not guilty of one count of conspiracy to publicly disclose the personal information of a federal agent. The jury also acquitted Samane Sandra Carmona, 25, of Panorama City, of both charges she faced: conspiracy and stalking.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren E. Border of the General Crimes Section and Clifford D. Mpare of the Major Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.
Pasadena Commercial Real Estate Broker Sentenced to 2 Years in Federal Prison for Years-Long Pattern of Obstructing the IRSRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A San Gabriel Valley man and commercial real estate broker was sentenced today to 24 months in federal prison for engaging in a years-long pattern of obstructing the IRS from collecting taxes he owed, leading that agency to collect $770 in tax liabilities when he earned approximately $1 million from his employment during that time.
Gabriel David Guerrero, 60, of Pasadena, was sentenced by United States District Judge Percy Anderson, who also ordered him to pay $509,492 in restitution.
Guerrero pleaded guilty in June 2025 to one count of corruptly obstructing or impeding, or endeavoring to obstruct or impede, the due administration of the Internal Revenue Code.
Guerrero is a commercial real estate broker who for years did not file timely federal individual income tax returns, specifically for the years 1998, 1999, and 2001 through 2005. He later owed tax liabilities for the years 2012 and 2013.
After the IRS assessed taxes against Guerrero and attempted to collect them him via the sending of dozens of notices, Guerrero took steps to conceal his income and assets from the IRS. For example, he made extensive use of cash and cashier’s checks; submitted a false form to the IRS that significantly understated his income; and used a nominee bank account to deposit income.
Despite the IRS’s issuance of dozens of levies to bank accounts and brokers with whom Guerrero worked throughout the collection action from October 2013 to November 2017, the IRS obtained only $770 towards Guerrero’s tax liabilities for 1998, 1999, 2001 through 2005, 2012, and 2013 despite Guerrero earning approximately $1 million in income from his work as a commercial real estate broker over that same time frame.
“[Guerrero’s] conduct betrays a long-running and calculated effort to obstruct the Treasury, aggravated because [Guerrero] did not need to commit these violations, given he was well-compensated as a commercial real estate agent and maintained a commensurate lifestyle, including a home valued at $4,000,000 and monthly car lease payments of $1,200 and $1,100,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Steven M. Arkow of the Major Frauds Section and Justice Department Trial Attorney Robert A. Kemins of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section prosecuted this case.
North Hollywood Man Sentenced to More Than 16½ Years in Federal Prison for Armed Robbery Spree Targeting One Dozen SoCal BusinessesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A San Fernando Valley man was sentenced today to 199 months in federal prison for committing armed robberies of smoke shops, donut shops, and convenience stores in Los Angeles and Orange counties during a two-week crime spree in early 2024.
Antonio Lamar Bland, 36, of North Hollywood, was sentenced by United States District Judge John A. Kronstadt, who also ordered him to pay $17,829 in restitution.
Bland, who has been in federal custody since May 2024, pleaded guilty in November 2025 to one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act) and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of, and during and in relation to, a crime of violence.
From January 29, 2024, to February 14, 2024, Bland and co-defendants Ronnie Tucker, 24, of Long Beach, Abigail Luckey, 50, of North Hollywood, robbed 12 businesses in Los Angeles and Orange counties. The victimized businesses were one smoke shop in Tustin, nine 7-Eleven stores in North Hollywood, Burbank, Torrance, Van Nuys, Long Beach, Glendale, and Pasadena, and two donut shops in Los Angeles and Downey.
The commercial robberies typically occurred late at night and usually involved Bland and Tucker who entered each business wearing hooded sweatshirts and face masks. In several of the robberies, a getaway driver, Luckey, waited outside for Bland and Tucker to complete the robbery and fled the scene in a white four-door sedan owned by Luckey.
During the armed robbery spree, on February 6, 2024, Bland and Luckey drove to Las Vegas and were legally married before returning to Southern California for their next robbery on February 8, 2024.
The armed robbery spree ended after Bland, Tucker and Luckey committed an attempted robbery of a donut shop in Downey during the early morning hours of February 14, 2024, when a store employee in self-defense fired a handgun during the crime, hitting a wall of the building.
After the employee fired the weapon, Bland and Tucker ran out of the store. Law enforcement witnessed the attempted armed robbery and, shortly afterward, pulled over a car containing Bland, Tucker and Luckey, and later retrieved a firearm from the vehicle.
“[Bland] did it for the money; he did it for greed,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “Afterward, [Bland] bragged about his crimes, labeling a picture of himself ‘#RobberyGang.’”
Tucker and Luckey have pleaded guilty to felony charges in this case and await sentencing. They remain in federal custody.
The FBI and the Burbank Police Department investigated this matter with assistance from the Tustin, Torrance, Long Beach, Glendale, Pasadena, Los Angeles, and Downey police departments.
Assistant United States Attorney Diane B. Roldán of the Major Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
South Florida Man Sentenced to 6 Years in Federal Prison for Role in Global Scheme that Stole Millions of Dollars from American ConsumersRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A South Florida man has been sentenced to 72 months in federal prison for participating in a transnational scheme to steal millions of dollars from American consumers’ bank accounts, the Justice Department announced today.
Michael Young, 44, of Hollywood, Florida, was sentenced Monday afternoon by United States District Judge Mark C. Scarsi.
Young pleaded guilty in June 2025 to one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
“Global criminal groups use U.S.-based individuals to exploit our nation’s banking system and launder money stolen from innocent victims,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. “I applaud our law enforcement partners for helping to bring this criminal to justice. We must and shall be as relentless in using every legal tool available to punish these individuals.”
“This sentence holds accountable yet another member of a transnational criminal network that stole millions of dollars from unsuspecting Americans across the country,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These schemes are designed to be difficult to detect – spanning multiple jurisdictions and relying on layers of conspirators to obscure their operations – making them especially harmful to victims who often do not realize they have been targeted until it is too late. With 22 defendants charged in four districts, this prosecution reflects the Criminal Division’s commitment to dismantle every layer of criminal enterprises that prey on Americans, no matter how far their operations reach.”
According to court documents, Young was part of a criminal enterprise responsible for stealing millions of dollars from the bank accounts of unknowing consumers across the United States. The enterprise obtained “lead lists” that contained victims’ banking information – some of which derived from payday loan applications – and used it to make unauthorized debits against victims’ bank accounts.
Members of the enterprise falsely claimed to banks that victims had authorized the transactions. The enterprise also used numerous shell entities and money laundering techniques to conceal its actions.
For years, Young worked for a co-conspirator based in Southern California who ran the domestic side of the operation, assisting foreign co-conspirators with obtaining lead lists, establishing U.S. banking relations and coordinating nominal owners or “signers” for shell entities. Through that work, Young participated in nearly every aspect of the scheme. Young later replicated the scheme himself to make more money.
In total, 22 defendants have been charged and seven have been convicted in connection with this scheme. Notices of upcoming hearings may be found here.
The United States Postal Inspection Service investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Monica E. Tait of the Major Frauds Section and Justice Department Trial Attorneys Wei Xiang and Meredith B. Healy of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted this case.
The Department of Justice urges individuals to be on the lookout for unauthorized debits to their accounts. Regularly check your bank, credit card and other financial statements and contact your financial institution if you see a charge you do not recognize. Report any fraudulent debit you identify to law enforcement. Reports may be filed with the Federal Trade Commission at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov or at 877-FTC-HELP.
Member of Transnational Fraud Network Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Racketeering Conspiracy that Stole Millions from American ConsumersRead the Press Release
A Florida man was sentenced to six years in prison yesterday for his participation in a scheme to steal millions of dollars from American consumers’ bank accounts.
“This sentence holds accountable yet another member of a transnational criminal network that stole millions of dollars from unsuspecting Americans across the country,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These schemes are designed to be difficult to detect – spanning multiple jurisdictions and relying on layers of conspirators to obscure their operations – making them especially harmful to victims who often do not realize they have been targeted until it is too late. With 22 defendants charged in four districts, this prosecution reflects the Criminal Division’s commitment to dismantle every layer of criminal enterprises that prey on Americans, no matter how far their operations reach.”
“Global criminal groups use U.S.-based individuals to exploit our nation’s banking system and launder money stolen from innocent victims,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “I applaud our law enforcement partners for helping to bring this criminal to justice. We must and shall be as relentless in using every legal tool available to punish these individuals.”
“Despite hiding their actions behind fake companies, these suspects will pay for their abuse of people’s information and the banking system,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Criminal Investigations Group. “By exploiting victims from the payday loan list, these criminals took what little was left from people already struggling to make ends meet. The United States Postal Inspection Service will continue to relentlessly pursue criminals who exploit this country’s hardworking citizens and the U.S. Mail for unlawful purposes.”
According to court documents, Michael Young, 44, of Hollywood, Florida, was part of a criminal enterprise responsible for stealing millions of dollars from the bank accounts of unknowing consumers across the United States. The enterprise obtained “lead lists” that contained victims’ banking information – some of which derived from payday loan applications – and used it to make unauthorized debits against victims’ bank accounts. Members of the enterprise falsely claimed to banks that victims had authorized the transactions. The enterprise also used numerous shell entities and money laundering techniques to conceal its actions. For years, Young worked for a co-conspirator based in Southern California who ran the domestic side of the operation, assisting foreign co-conspirators with obtaining lead lists, establishing U.S. banking relations and coordinating nominal owners or “signers” for shell entities. Through that work, Young participated in nearly every aspect of the scheme. Young later replicated the scheme himself to make more money.
In June 2025, Young pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. In total, 22 defendants have been charged and seven have been convicted in connection with this scheme. Notices of upcoming hearings may be found here.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Wei Xiang and Meredith B. Healy of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica E. Tait for the Central District of California prosecuted the case.
The department urges individuals to be on the lookout for unauthorized debits to their accounts. Regularly check your bank, credit card and other financial statements and contact your financial institution if you see a charge you do not recognize. Report any fraudulent debit you identify to law enforcement. Reports may be filed with the Federal Trade Commission at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov or at 877-FTC-HELP.
Justice Department Sues University of California over Antisemitism and Hostile Work Environment at UCLARead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – The United States Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division filed a lawsuit today against the University of California alleging it engaged in a hostile work environment against Jewish and Israeli faculty and staff at its University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended.
According to today’s complaint, after the Hamas-led massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023, antisemitic acts pervaded UCLA. The suit alleges the university engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination in violation of Title VII against Jewish and Israeli employees at UCLA by failing to prevent and correct discriminatory and harassing conduct. The lawsuit further alleges the university negligently permitted a hostile work environment against two charging parties and other aggrieved Jewish and Israeli employees.
In 2024, the university allowed antisemitic harassment to continue unabated for days in front of its iconic Royce Hall: among other acts, Jews were not permitted on portions of the main quad, Jewish professors were assaulted, and swastikas were graffitied on university buildings.
The university has ignored, and continues to ignore, gross and repeated violations of viewpoint-neutral time, place, and manner restrictions involving these and other actions directed against Jewish and Israeli employees. Jewish and Israeli faculty have been physically threatened, had their classrooms disrupted, and had their workplaces papered with disturbing images.
Jewish professors have been, and continue to be, subjected to ostracism and harassment by their colleagues and students, while their colleagues and supervisors not only have failed to report those acts as required but have even participated in them. Numerous Jewish and Israeli employees have been forced to take leave, work from home, and even leave their jobs to avoid the hostile work environment.
“UCLA failed to live up to its systemwide commitment to diversity and equal opportunity when it stood by as Jewish employees were subjected to harassment,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “The federal government has an obligation to step in and ensure a discrimination-free environment at our universities.”
“Based on our investigation, UCLA administrators allegedly allowed virulent anti-Semitism to flourish on campus, harming students and staff alike,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Today’s lawsuit underscores that this Department of Justice stands strong against hate and anti-Semitism in all its vile forms.”
“The litany of vile acts of antisemitism that allegedly took place, and continue to take place, at UCLA are, if found to be true, a mark of shame against the University of California,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will ensure that UCLA maintains an environment for its employees free from antisemitic harassment.”
The lawsuit stems from a Commissioner’s Charge filed by then-Commissioner Andrea Lucas of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in June 2024. The EEOC was instrumental in investigating the allegations of harassment at UCLA and in identifying the university’s poor complaint system. “The EEOC is committed to eradicating antisemitism at work,” said EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas. “If a university will not investigate and remedy repeated allegations of antisemitism against its employees, then EEOC will.”
Assistant United States Attorney Julie A. Hamill of the Civil Division’s Civil Rights Section and Justice Department Trial Attorneys Carl D. Wasserman and Besa Bucaj of the Civil Rights Division’s Employment Litigation Section are litigating this matter with assistance from Eric Sell, Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division, Jeffrey Morrison, Acting Chief of the Civil Rights Division’s Employment Litigation Section, and Hilary Pinion, Acting Principal Deputy Chief of the Employment Litigation Section.
Suspended Los Angeles Lawyer Sentenced to More Than 7 Years in Federal Prison for Receiving $2.1 Million Bribe Payment from Oil CompanyRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Los Angeles-area lawyer was sentenced today to 87 months in federal prison for receiving a $2.1 million bribe while serving as an officer of Nigeria’s state-owned oil company in connection with negotiating favorable drilling rights for a subsidiary of a Chinese state-owned oil company.
Paulinus Iheanacho Okoronkwo, 58, a.k.a. “Pollie,” of Rancho Cucamonga, was sentenced by United States District Judge John F. Walter, who also ordered him to pay $923,824 in restitution to the IRS and ordered that Okoronkwo forfeit $1,039,997, the net proceeds of the sale of a home involved in the laundering of the bribe money.
At the conclusion of a four-day trial, a jury in August 2025 found Okoronkwo guilty of three counts of transactional money laundering, one count of tax evasion, and one count of obstruction of justice.
Okoronkwo, who is a dual citizen of the United States and Nigeria and who practiced immigration, family, and personal injury law out of an office in Koreatown, was a foreign official who served as the general manager of the upstream division of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC). The NNPC is a state-owned company through which Nigeria’s government developed that nation’s fossil fuel and natural gas reserves, including through partnerships with foreign oil companies. In this role, Okoronkwo owed a fiduciary duty to the Nigerian government and was a public official.
In October 2015, Addax Petroleum, a Switzerland-based subsidiary of Sinopec, a Chinese state-owned petroleum, gas, and petrochemical conglomerate, wired a payment of $2,105,263 to an Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Account (IOLTA) in the name of Okoronkwo’s Los Angeles law firm, purportedly for his work as a consultant who negotiated and completed a settlement agreement with the NNPC with respect to Addax’s drilling rights in Nigeria. According to the indictment, Addax calculated that it stood to lose billions of dollars if its favorable drilling rights were not secured.
The engagement letter that Addax signed that month with Okoronkwo’s law office – with a fake address in Lagos, Nigeria – was a ruse intended to conceal the fact that its payment to Okoronkwo was a bribe in exchange for his influence in securing more favorable financial terms relating to its crude oil drilling in Nigeria.
To conceal the illegal bribery scheme, Addax falsely characterized the $2.1 million payment as a payment for legal services, lied to an auditor about the payment, and fired executives who questioned the payment’s propriety. To create the false impression that the bribe payment constituted client funds, Okoronkwo received the payment in his law firm’s IOLTA.
After receiving the bribe into his IOLTA, between February 2016 and 2018, Okoronkwo routed funds to a company called IPO Capital LLC. From there, Okoronkwo used the bribery funds to pay for family expenses, a car, and a home. Specifically, in November 2017, Okoronkwo used $983,200 of the illegally obtained funds to make down payments on a house in Valencia.
Okoronkwo also omitted the $2.1 million bribe payment from his 2015 federal income tax return. He also obstructed justice in June 2022 when he lied to federal investigators when he told them he did not use any of the $2.1 million to purchase a house and that the money represented client funds rather than income to his law office.
In January 2026, the State Bar of California suspended Okoronkwo’s law license.
The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance.
Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander B. Schwab, Acting Chief of the Criminal Division, Nisha Chandran of the Major Frauds Section, and Alexander Su of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section are prosecuting this case.
Pennsylvania Man Arrested at Castaic Motel Federally Charged After Grooming Minor Victim into Engaging in Acts of Self-HarmRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Pennsylvania man has been arrested and federally charged after grooming a girl who recently turned 13 years old to send him sexually explicit material of herself and images of self-harm over the internet, a pattern of abuse consistent with nihilistic violent extremist (NVE) ideology that culminated in law enforcement rescuing her at a Santa Clarita Valley motel.
Matthew Edward Pysher, 18, of Bangor, Pennsylvania, was arrested late Friday in Castaic and is expected to make his initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
Pysher is charged in a federal criminal complaint with travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, a felony punishable by up to 30 years in federal prison.
“The facts charged in this case are chilling,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “If your children have access to use the internet, sadistic predators may have access to your kids. Law enforcement will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who seek to harm children. We advise parents to keep their kids offline.”
“The subject arrested this weekend is one of a growing number of alleged nihilistic violent extremists who prey on children and talk them into compromising sex acts and self-mutilation,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners are committed to finding and holding accountable these sadistic predators and ensuring they face serious consequences for their vile acts.”
“Violent online exploitation that targets our children through manipulation, coercion, and fear has absolutely no place in our communities, whether on our streets or behind a computer screen,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna. “Because of the swift and coordinated efforts of local and federal law enforcement, and the decisive action of a vigilant mother who immediately contacted law enforcement, this young victim was safely recovered, and further harm was prevented. We will continue to work with our local and federal partners, using every investigative tool available, to protect our youth and hold predators accountable in Los Angeles County.”
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, from at least December 2025 until February 20, Pysher groomed and encouraged the victim to send him material of herself engaging in sexually explicit acts. He also encouraged the victim to cut herself and engage in other acts of self-harm.
On February 10, the victim’s mother contacted the FBI because she was concerned her daughter was being encouraged to harm herself by a person named “Matthew,” whom the victim met on the Discord online platform. The victim encountered Pysher on a Discord server related to individuals suffering from mental illness.
On February 20, Pysher traveled to Los Angeles to engage in sexual activity with the victim. On that day, Pysher met the victim near her home and took her to a motel in Castaic.
When law enforcement arrived at the motel room, they encountered Pysher and the victim and found condoms, a knife, lubricant, razor blades, bloody tissues, and a boarding pass for Pysher’s flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. Law enforcement also found a faraday bag, commonly used to block electronic signals, near Pysher’s cellphone. The victim told law enforcement that Pysher and she had engaged in sexual conduct and that he had used a knife to repeatedly cut her.
Based on a review of the contents of the victim’s smartphone and Pysher’s online activities, law enforcement believes that Pysher is associated with NVE ideology.
The complaint details the nature of NVEs, including 764, a group whose members are known to the FBI to engage in criminal conduct within the United States and abroad in furtherance of political, social, or religious goals that derive primarily from a hatred of society at large and a desire to bring about its collapse by sowing indiscriminate chaos, destruction, and social instability.
NVEs often target vulnerable individuals, including minors, and frequently use social media platforms to share child sexual abuse material or gore material or to groom victims toward committing acts of violence. NVEs and their members frequently extort or blackmail victims into complying with NVE demands, which vary but may include self-mutilation; online and in-person sexual acts; harm to animals; sexual exploitation of siblings and others; acts of violence; and threats of violence, suicide, and murder.
A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, which is comprised of various agencies including the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, and California Highway Patrol, is investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Colin S. Scott of the National Security Division and Brandon E. Martinez-Jones of the Major Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.
Four-Time Congressional Candidate Sentenced to 4 Years in Federal Prison for Funneling Campaign Money to Himself via His Mother and FriendRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A South Bay man and former congressional candidate was sentenced today to 48 months in federal prison for embezzling approximately $250,000 from his political campaign through a fraudulent scheme involving his mother and friend, pocketing more than $100,000 in cash and using the money on personal expenses such as Las Vegas trips and to defend himself against criminal stalking charges.
Omar Navarro, 37, of Torrance, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mark C. Scarsi, who ordered Navarro immediately remanded into federal custody. A restitution hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
Navarro pleaded guilty in June 2025 to one count of wire fraud.
Navarro unsuccessfully campaigned in the four election cycles from 2016 to 2022 to represent south Los Angeles County residents in California’s 43rd Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.
According to court documents, from July 2017 to February 2021, Navarro defrauded his campaign committee, Omar Navarro for Congress, by illicitly funneling campaign cash to himself. Navarro understood that federal law required his campaign to make regular, public disclosures about the receipt and disbursement of any funds raised or spent on its behalf.
As a congressional candidate, Navarro knew and understood that campaign funds raised by him and others for his campaign were restricted to supporting his election efforts and could not be used for his own personal use or enjoyment. Nevertheless, Navarro conspired with his co-defendants – his mother, Dora Asghari, 61, of Torrance, and his friend, Zacharias Diamantides-Abel, 37, of Long Beach – to convert campaign donations to personal use.
From 2018 to 2020, Navarro’s campaign received more than $1 million in contributions from donors across the United States who supported his election to Congress. To use these funds for personal use and to fund his lavish lifestyle, Navarro illegally transferred campaign checks to himself by sending payments to Asghari and Abel – purportedly for campaign work. Asghari and Abel then sent that money – minus their cut – back to Navarro.
To further the scheme, Navarro represented on those checks, and later lied via disclosures to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that Abel, Asghari, and others – not Navarro – had received payment from the campaign for their services.
For example, in November 2019, Navarro wrote a $2,500 campaign check to his mother for little or no work that she performed for the campaign, knowing she would funnel a substantial amount of that money back to him for his personal use. Asghari cashed the check, which caused the transmission of an interstate wire communication. She then provided most of that money back to Navarro, who took the money and made three cash deposits totaling $2,340 in his personal bank account.
Navarro also wrote thousands of dollars’ worth of checks to Brava Consulting, a company that his mother owned and operated, purporting to be in payment for campaign work, but which instead the bulk of which was funneled back to him for personal expenses.
These expenses included trips to Las Vegas, Nintendo Switch video games, a private investigator and personal criminal defense lawyers. Navarro admitted in his plea agreement to spending at least $12,822 in campaign money on legal fees to defend his criminal stalking case.
Navarro did not report to the FEC or his campaign donors that these payments were for personal expenses. Instead, he caused other people to file on his behalf false reports with the FEC representing that the payments were for campaign expenses.
In total, Navarro’s scheme deprived the campaign and its donors of approximately $268,932 in campaign funds, according to prosecutors.
Asghari pleaded guilty in June 2025 to one count of making false statements for lying to the FBI in September 2020 when she said she never received any money from her son’s congressional campaign and that she never provided her son any money she from the campaign checks she accepted as the owner of Brava Consulting. She will face up to five years in federal prison at her April 13 sentencing hearing.
Abel pleaded guilty in May 2025 to one count of conspiracy and awaits sentencing.
The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter. The California Fair Political Practices Commission provided assistance.
Assistant United States Attorneys Frances S. Lewis of the General Crimes Section, Thomas F. Rybarczyk and Juan M. Rodriguez of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section prosecuted this case.
Woodland Hills Film Production Accountant Pleads Guilty to Embezzling Money from Indie Films That Employed HimRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A film production accountant from the San Fernando Valley pleaded guilty today to embezzling money from the independent film productions that employed him, moving the illicitly obtained funds into an account he called “Fun Fun Fun.”
Joshua Mandel, 48, of Woodland Hills, pleaded guilty to six counts of wire fraud.
According to court documents, Mandel owned the Woodland Hills-based company First J Productions Inc., where he served as both its CEO and chief financial officer. He also worked as a film production accountant who specialized in accounting services for independent films.
As a production accountant, Mandel oversaw cash flow, payroll, and expenses for the film productions. He also was an authorized user for bank accounts belonging to the production companies and added funds to prepaid debit cards issued by CASHét Card, which are commonly used in the film industry.
From 2019 to 2023, Mandel misappropriated funds belonging to the film productions by writing unauthorized checks, making unauthorized wire transfers, and moving funds into a CASHét Card account he controlled called “Fun Fun Fun.” To hide his scheme, Mandel used funds from one production company to pay expenses incurred by another.
Law enforcement believes the total amount Mandel embezzled approached $2 million and that he used the embezzled money to maintain his lifestyle, including paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to various young women, including pornographic actresses, and more than $129,000 to a woman he met through a “sugar daddy” website; spending more than $24,000 at Las Vegas hotels, clubs, and shows; and purchasing more than $12,000 in luxury items from Louis Vuitton.
United States District Judge John F. Walter scheduled a May 4 sentencing hearing, at which time Mandel will face up to 20 years in federal prison for each count. Mandel remains free on $25,000 bond.
The FBI is investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander B. Schwab, Acting Chief of the Criminal Division, and Lauren E. Border of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.
Downey Man Arrested on Federal Complaint Alleging He Groomed Girls into Producing Sexually Explicit Videos that Featured Self-HarmRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Downey man has been arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging him with coercing, inducing, and enticing minor girls to create and send him sexually explicit videos – one of them he groomed to film herself engage in self-harm and self-humiliation, images he shared with others online, the Justice Department announced today.
Bryant Najera Gonzalez, 24, is charged with production of child pornography. He was arrested on Thursday morning and made his initial appearance late Thursday afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. A federal magistrate judge ordered Gonzalez jailed without bond. Gonzalez did not enter a plea, and his arraignment is scheduled for March 10.
“The complaint affidavit outlines disturbing behavior that is every parent’s nightmare,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “To the individuals targeting children with sick acts as part of a twisted ideology, you’ve been warned: Your future is a lengthy federal prison sentence.”
“Nihilistic violent extremism targeting children is on the rise domestically and internationally,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. “The arrest of Mr. Gonzalez this morning in our backyard is just the latest example of the growing nature of this perverse activity that encourages children toward sexual compromise and self-mutilation, then further victimizes them with extortion demands.”
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, from at least April 2025 to June 2025, through social media platforms, direct messaging, and other means of communication, Gonzalez coerced, induced, and enticed children to create and send him child sexual abuse material (CSAM). In communications with other online users, Gonzalez also discussed extorting his minor victims by, among other things, threatening to send sexually explicit images to the victims’ families.
Based on Gonzalez’s online activities, his coercion and enticement of minors to create CSAM and self-harm videos, law enforcement believes Gonzalez is associated with nihilistic violent extremist ideology such as “764.”
The complaint details the nature of the 764, which is known to the FBI as a Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE) group whose members engage in criminal conduct within the United States and abroad, in furtherance of political, social, or religious goals that derive primarily from a hatred of society at large and a desire to bring about its collapse by sowing indiscriminate chaos, destruction, and social instability.
NVEs oftentimes target vulnerable individuals, including minors, frequently using social media platforms to share CSAM are gore material, or grooming victims toward committing acts of violence. Victims can be blackmailed into complying with NVE demands, which vary, but may include self-mutilation, online and in-person sexual acts, harm to animals, sexual exploitation of siblings and others, acts of violence, threats of violence, suicide, and murder.
For example, at Gonzalez’s urging, one victim – then an 11-year-old girl – produced and sent to Gonzalez at least one CSAM video. Gonzalez possessed at least six CSAM videos and one CSAM image of this victim. After obtaining the sexually explicit videos and images of this victim, Gonzalez on multiple occasions shared the CSAM with other people via the internet.
At Gonzalez’s urging, another victim – then a 15-year-old girl – produced and sent to him at least four sexually explicit images of herself and several videos in which she engaged in self-harm and self-humiliation.
A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
If convicted, Gonzalez would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison.
The FBI is investigating this matter with assistance from the Downey Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph S. Guzman of the National Security Division and Kelsey A. Stimson of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.
San Bernardino County-Based Company and Owner Pay $2.5 Million to Settle Allegations They Caused Wildfire to IgniteRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – An Upland-based grading, concrete, and pipeline contracting company and its owner have paid $2.5 million to resolve claims brought by the United States to recover wildfire suppression costs stemming from the South Fire, which burned hundreds of acres in the San Bernardino National Forest during the summer of 2021, the Justice Department announced today.
Garrett John Gentry and his company, Garrett J. Gentry General Engineering Inc. paid the settlement amount, resulting in the court dismissing the lawsuit on January 22.
The South Fire ignited on August 25, 2021, in San Bernardino County. The United States alleged that the fire was caused by the negligent operation of an excavator by the defendants. According to the complaint, the steel treads of the excavator struck rocks in a rocky area, generating sparks that ignited dry vegetation.
The wildfire destroyed residences and other structures, resulted in evacuations, and ultimately burned more than 680 acres, including approximately 450 acres of National Forest System land within the San Bernardino National Forest.
The United States Forest Service sustained fire suppression costs exceeding $2.2 million, the complaint alleges.
“Gentry Engineering and Gentry were aware of the danger of a rock strike by the excavator and failed to take action to prevent a fire,” the lawsuit alleges.
The settlement resolves all civil claims asserted by the United States and does not constitute an admission of liability.
The case, United States of America v. Garrett J. Gentry General Engineering, Inc., et al., No. 2:24-cv-07136-CAS-BFM, was litigated by Assistant United States Attorney Trent K. Fujii of the Complex and Defensive Litigation Section.
Glendale Man Sentenced to Nearly 5 Years in Federal Prison for Role in Darknet Network that Sold and Distributed Narcotics NationwideRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Glendale man was sentenced today to 57 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute various drugs including cocaine, methamphetamine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and ketamine on darknet marketplaces in exchange for cryptocurrency.
Davit Avalyan, 36, was sentenced by United States District Judge Percy Anderson.
Avalyan pleaded guilty in October 2025 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, ketamine, and MDMA. He is the last of four defendants to be sentenced in this case.
From September 2018 to February 2025, Avalyan conspired with co-defendants Hrant Gevorgyan, 36, of Glendale, Hayk Grigoryan, 36, a.k.a. “Hayk Greg,” of Glendale, and Gurgen Nersesyan, 44, a.k.a. “Guro Tiko,” of Sherman Oaks, to distribute illegal narcotics.
The conspiracy maintained darknet drug vendor accounts, including JoyInc, LaFarmacia, WhiteDoc, JanesAddiction, DaShop, WhiteRepublic, Tomorowland, PlanetHollywood, DopeValley, and Major2Minor. These accounts operated on several darknet marketplaces and sold methamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, and ketamine to customers across the United States in exchange for cryptocurrency.
The conspiracy regularly fulfilled multiple small-scale drug orders through darknet vendor accounts by packaging narcotics into parcels and depositing those parcels at post offices and postal mailboxes in Los Angeles County and elsewhere.
JoyInc is believed to have been operating since at least 2018 and is one of the most prolific methamphetamine and cocaine distributors to ever operate on the darknet.
On January 5, Judge Anderson sentenced Grigoryan to 10 years in federal prison. Nersesyan was sentenced on January 12 to 43 months in federal prison. On February 9, Judge Anderson sentenced Gevorgyan to 24 months in federal prison.
The Justice Department established the FBI-led JCODE (Joint Criminal Opioid Darknet Enforcement) team to lead and coordinate government efforts to detect, disrupt, and dismantle major criminal enterprises reliant on the darknet for trafficking opioids and other illicit narcotics, along with identifying and dismantling their supply chains.
This case was worked jointly with the FBI, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Costa Mesa Police Department, and IRS Criminal Investigation, with assistance from the Los Angeles Police Department.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders.
Assistant United States Attorneys James A. Santiago of the Transnational Organized Crime Section and James E. Dochterman of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section prosecuted this case.