Southern District of Florida

MIAMI – A Haitian-born fraudster has been stripped of his U.S. citizenship after defrauding COVID-19 relief programs of millions of dollars and concealing his criminal conduct during the naturalization process.

U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith entered an order revoking the citizenship of Joff Stenn Wroy Philossaint, 25, of Fort Lauderdale, after determining that Philossaint illegally procured his citizenship by making false statements to immigration officials.

“United States citizenship is one of the greatest privileges our nation can offer, and it must be earned honestly,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This defendant built his path to citizenship on false statements while stealing millions from programs meant to keep small businesses alive during the pandemic. The court’s order revoking his citizenship restores accountability and reinforces a simple principle: if you lie to obtain immigration benefits and commit federal crimes, you will lose what you unlawfully gained.”

Between April 2020 and May 2021, Philossaint fraudulently obtained COVID-19 relief funds through companies he owned or controlled and by preparing loan applications for others in exchange for kickbacks. The applications contained materially false representations about the applicants’ revenues and payroll.

In total, Philossaint and his co-conspirators prepared and submitted 40 fraudulent loan applications, obtaining approximately $3.8 million in loan proceeds. Philossaint personally received approximately $549,000 through the scheme in the form of loan proceeds and kickbacks.

Before beginning the scheme, Philossaint applied for U.S. citizenship in February 2020. During a sworn naturalization interview on Dec. 15, 2020, Philossaint concealed his involvement in the fraud scheme and falsely denied committing crimes or making misrepresentations to obtain public benefits in the U.S. These false statements allowed Philossaint to unlawfully obtain U.S. citizenship on Feb. 9, 2021.

On Sept. 8, 2022, Philossaint was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, two counts of conspiracy to launder money, and unlawful procurement of citizenship. Philossaint later pleaded guilty to the three conspiracy charges, and a jury found him guilty of obtaining citizenship contrary to law.

On June 26, 2023, Philossaint was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison. On Feb. 23, the court granted a motion filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and entered an order revoking Philossaint’s U.S. citizenship.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones; Acting Special Agent in Charge, Jason Xerri , U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG), Eastern Region; Special Agent in Charge Rafael Barros of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Ronald A. Loecker of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Florida Field Office; and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami made the announcement.

SBA OIG, Investigations Division’s Eastern Region; USSS Miami; FBI Miami; IRS-CI, Florida Field Office; and HSI Miami investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marc Osborne and Shannon O’Shea Darsch prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-60161.

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MIAMI – Two owners of a pharmaceutical wholesale company were sentenced Friday to a total of 38 years in prison for orchestrating a complex, nationwide drug diversion scheme that harmed vulnerable HIV-positive patients, placed countless others at risk, and corrupted the supply chain for prescription drugs in the United States.

“Patrick and Charles Boyd did not just commit fraud and cost taxpayers millions of dollars, they preyed upon some of the most vulnerable members of our society: HIV patients who depend on life-saving treatments to manage their disease,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Fraud schemes like this one undermine the integrity of our supply chain for necessary prescription drugs. These defendants will rightly spend years in prison for their reprehensible conduct, which took advantage of people for illicit profit. This case is another example of how the Criminal Division, our United States Attorney partner in the Southern District of Florida, and law enforcement will pursue and seek convictions of those who defraud our systems, endanger our citizens, and seek to line their pockets with fraud proceeds.”

“These defendants treated life-saving HIV medication like street contraband,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “They bought drugs off the street from black-market suppliers, shipped them in dirty boxes and discarded packaging, falsified paperwork, and pushed those medications back into the legitimate pharmaceutical supply chain. The consequences were real. HIV patients received bottles containing the wrong drugs, and at least one patient lost consciousness after ingesting medication that should never have been in that bottle. As a former military prosecutor, federal prosecutor, and trial judge, I have seen how greed can drive dangerous schemes. When criminals gamble with patient safety for profit, federal prison is the result.”

“Friday’s sentence underscores the extreme danger these defendants created,” 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). “They took life‑threatening actions that showed an alarming disregard for human life in service of nothing more than a payday. Their criminal scheme endangered vulnerable patients, put entire communities at risk, and undermined the integrity of Medicare and Medicaid. HHS‑OIG will continue working with our law enforcement partners — and using every tool in our arsenal — to pursue and dismantle illegal black‑market rings that seek to corrupt the nation’s drug supply and exploit taxpayer‑funded health care programs.”

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, brothers Patrick Boyd, 47, and Charles Boyd, 43, of Easton, Maryland, founded and owned Safe Chain Solutions, a wholesale distributor of pharmaceutical medications located in Maryland. Charles Boyd was the CEO, while Patrick Boyd was a Managing Partner who oversaw the company’s sales division.  The evidence presented at trial showed that Patrick and Charles Boyd conspired with at least five black-market suppliers to purchase HIV drugs obtained through patient “buyback schemes” at steep discounts. One of their suppliers testified at trial that he purchased HIV drugs from patients on the street, removed the original prescription labels, and packaged the bottles in cardboard boxes — sometimes scavenged from trash on pick-up days — before shipping them to the defendants. On one occasion, this supplier used a diaper box he found on the street to ship the drugs. Many of these bottles were dirty, unsealed, and showed obvious signs they had previously been dispensed, such as the two depicted below:

Trial evidence showed that pharmacies complained to Safe Chain Solutions about their illicit conduct. For example, pharmacies reported to Safe Chain Solutions that they received bottles with entirely different drugs in them as early as August 2020.

In another documented complaint, one of their pharmacy customers sent the defendants a photo of the condition in which he received HIV drugs from them:

The customer informed Patrick and Charles Boyd that these bottles of HIV drugs did not meet “safety standards . . . and may present risk for our patients” and returned the drugs.

Evidence admitted at trial included an article shared between the defendants discussing these serious risks, just days before the customer complained. According to the article, “The schemes hurt individuals with HIV, cost taxpayers millions of dollars and drive up the viral load in communities, exposing others to the illness and spoiling the city and state’s mission to drive the number of new HIV diagnoses to zero.”

Despite these early complaints, Patrick and Charles Boyd continued buying cheap, diverted HIV drugs from the same black-market suppliers for many months, and continued selling the drugs to pharmacies along with falsified paperwork designed to fool their customers and regulatory agencies.

A patient who received a bottle of prescribed HIV medication sold to a pharmacy by the defendants testified at trial that Seroquel, an anti-psychotic drug, was actually in his bottle. He testified that he unwittingly ingested the Seroquel and lost consciousness for 24 hours. Evidence at trial established that missing even a single dose of HIV medication can increase a patient’s viral load and heighten community transmission risk in areas with high HIV infection rates. There was at least one additional documented complaint where another HIV patient unwittingly ingested a different drug that was in his bottle.

The trial evidence established the many elaborate steps Patrick and Charles Boyd took to conceal their criminal conduct from detection. They worked with the black-market suppliers behind the back of their own Director of Compliance, who testified that she repeatedly raised concerns throughout the conspiracy but was ignored. They also enlisted attorneys as part of their cover-up. One of those attorneys testified at trial, describing how the Boyd brothers concealed and misrepresented material information while seeking legal advice about pharmacy complaints and reporting obligations to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to the evidence, the defendants failed to report numerous incidents to the FDA involving pharmacies that had received incorrect or tampered medications.

Between April 2020 and September 2021, Patrick and Charles Boyd bought and resold more than 28,000 bottles of these black-market HIV drugs. They paid more than $92.8 million for the drugs, which they sold to pharmacies for a profit. Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurers were billed and paid for these illicit drugs.

In October 2025, Patrick and Charles Boyd were convicted at trial of conspiracy to introduce misbranded drugs into interstate commerce; conspiracy to traffic in medical products with false documentation; conspiracy to commit wire fraud; two counts of introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce; and two counts of wire fraud. Patrick Boyd was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Charles Boyd was sentenced to 20 years in prison. In addition to the prison sentences, the defendants were ordered to pay $21,850,000 in forfeiture.

A third defendant, Adam Brosius, previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud with the Boyds and was sentenced to 97 months in prison in connection with his role in the scheme.

HHS-OIG and FBI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Thor Pogozelski and Trial Attorney Jacqueline Zee DerOvanesian of the Department of Justice’s Fraud Section, with the assistance of Assistant Chief James V. Hayes of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, prosecuted the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff for the Southern District of Florida handled asset forfeiture.

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 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.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20255.

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Two owners of a pharmaceutical wholesale company were sentenced Friday to a total of 38 years in prison for orchestrating a complex, nationwide drug diversion scheme that harmed vulnerable HIV-positive patients, placed countless others at risk, and corrupted the supply chain for prescription drugs in the United States.

“Patrick and Charles Boyd did not just commit fraud and cost taxpayers millions of dollars, they preyed upon some of the most vulnerable members of our society: HIV patients who depend on life-saving treatments to manage their disease,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Fraud schemes like this one undermine the integrity of our supply chain for necessary prescription drugs. These defendants will rightly spend years in prison for their reprehensible conduct, which took advantage of people for illicit profit. This case is another example of how the Criminal Division, our United States Attorney partner in the Southern District of Florida, and law enforcement will pursue and seek convictions of those who defraud our systems, endanger our citizens, and seek to line their pockets with fraud proceeds.”

“These defendants treated life-saving HIV medication like street contraband,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “They bought drugs off the street from black-market suppliers, shipped them in dirty boxes and discarded packaging, falsified paperwork, and pushed those medications back into the legitimate pharmaceutical supply chain. The consequences were real. HIV patients received bottles containing the wrong drugs, and at least one patient lost consciousness after ingesting medication that should never have been in that bottle. As a former military prosecutor, federal prosecutor, and trial judge, I have seen how greed can drive dangerous schemes. When criminals gamble with patient safety for profit, federal prison is the result.”

“Friday’s sentence underscores the extreme danger these defendants created,” 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). “They took life‑threatening actions that showed an alarming disregard for human life in service of nothing more than a payday. Their criminal scheme endangered vulnerable patients, put entire communities at risk, and undermined the integrity of Medicare and Medicaid. HHS‑OIG will continue working with our law enforcement partners — and using every tool in our arsenal — to pursue and dismantle illegal black‑market rings that seek to corrupt the nation’s drug supply and exploit taxpayer‑funded health care programs.”

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, brothers Patrick Boyd, 47, and Charles Boyd, 43, of Easton, Maryland, founded and owned Safe Chain Solutions, a wholesale distributor of pharmaceutical medications located in Maryland. Charles Boyd was the CEO, while Patrick Boyd served as a Managing Partner who oversaw the company’s sales division. The evidence presented at trial showed that Patrick and Charles Boyd conspired with at least five black-market suppliers to purchase HIV drugs obtained through patient “buyback schemes” at steep discounts. One of their suppliers testified at trial that he purchased HIV drugs from patients on the street, removed the original prescription labels, and packaged the bottles in cardboard boxes — sometimes scavenged from trash on pick-up days — before shipping them to the defendants. On one occasion, this supplier used a diaper box he found on the street to ship the drugs. Many of these bottles were dirty, unsealed, and showed obvious signs they had previously been dispensed, such as the two depicted below:

Trial evidence showed that pharmacies complained to Safe Chain Solutions about their illicit conduct. For example, pharmacies reported to Safe Chain Solutions that they received bottles with entirely different drugs in them as early as August 2020.

In another documented complaint, one of their pharmacy customers sent the defendants a photo of the condition in which he received HIV drugs from them: 

The customer informed Patrick and Charles Boyd that these bottles of HIV drugs did not meet “safety standards . . . and may present risk for our patients” and returned the drugs.

Evidence admitted at trial included an article shared between the defendants discussing these serious risks, just days before the customer complained. According to the article, “The schemes hurt individuals with HIV, cost taxpayers millions of dollars and drive up the viral load in communities, exposing others to the illness and spoiling the city and state’s mission to drive the number of new HIV diagnoses to zero.”

Despite these early complaints, Patrick and Charles Boyd continued buying cheap, diverted HIV drugs from the same black-market suppliers for many months, and continued selling the drugs to pharmacies along with falsified paperwork designed to fool their customers and regulatory agencies.

A patient who received a bottle of prescribed HIV medication sold to a pharmacy by the defendants testified at trial that Seroquel, an anti-psychotic drug, was actually in his bottle. He testified that he unwittingly ingested the Seroquel and lost consciousness for 24 hours. Evidence at trial established that missing even a single dose of HIV medication can increase a patient’s viral load and heighten community transmission risk in areas with high HIV infection rates. There was at least one additional documented complaint where another HIV patient unwittingly ingested a different drug that was in his bottle.

The trial evidence also established the many elaborate steps Patrick and Charles Boyd took to conceal their criminal conduct from detection. They worked with the black-market suppliers behind the back of their own Director of Compliance, who testified that she repeatedly raised concerns throughout the conspiracy but was ignored. They also enlisted attorneys as part of their cover-up. One of those attorneys testified at trial, describing how the Boyd brothers concealed and misrepresented material information while seeking legal advice about pharmacy complaints and reporting obligations to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to the evidence, the defendants failed to report numerous incidents to the FDA involving pharmacies that had received incorrect or tampered medications.

Between April 2020 and September 2021, Patrick and Charles Boyd bought and resold more than 28,000 bottles of these black-market HIV drugs. They paid more than $92.8 million for the drugs, which they sold to pharmacies for a profit. Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurers were billed and paid for these illicit drugs.

In October 2025, Patrick and Charles Boyd were convicted at trial of conspiracy to introduce misbranded drugs into interstate commerce; conspiracy to traffic in medical products with false documentation; conspiracy to commit wire fraud; two counts of introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce; and two counts of wire fraud. Patrick Boyd was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Charles Boyd was sentenced to 20 years in prison. In addition to the prison sentences, the defendants were ordered to pay $21,850,000 in forfeiture.

A third defendant, Adam Brosius, previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud with the Boyds and was sentenced to 97 months in prison in connection with his role in the scheme.

HHS-OIG and FBI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacqueline Zee DerOvanesian and Alexander Thor Pogozelski for the Southern District of Florida, with the assistance of Assistant Chief James V. Hayes of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff for the Southern District of Florida handled asset forfeiture.

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 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. 

MIAMI – A Miami man pleaded guilty today to drug-trafficking offenses related to the importation of N-Isopropyl Butylone, a Schedule I drug and synthetic cathinone, from China into the U.S. for distribution in South Florida. 

According to court documents, Terrell Jermaine Williams, 40, conspired with a China-based drug distributor to import controlled substances into the U.S. for distribution in Miami. The conspiracy began in or around 2022 and continued through 2025.

“This defendant worked with a supplier overseas to bring a dangerous synthetic drug into South Florida and profit from its distribution,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Synthetic cathinones—often referred to on the street as ‘bath salts’ or ‘flakka’—are powerful and unpredictable stimulants that pose a serious threat to public safety. Our Office will continue working with the Homeland Security Task Force and our federal, local, and international partners to stop these trafficking pipelines and prevent dangerous narcotics from reaching our communities.”

To facilitate the scheme, Williams communicated with the Chinese distributor through a mobile-based messaging platform. In a message dated Nov. 3, 2023, the distributor encouraged Williams to stock up on the substance before it was banned so he could charge higher prices when it became unavailable to others.

In another conversation in April 2024, the distributor warned Williams, “its election year there , they check more frequently than before, you know firearms and drugs from china.”

The distributor also sent Williams photographs of the controlled substances through the messaging platform.

Information developed during the investigation was shared with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Guangzhou in China. HSI Guangzhou coordinated with Chinese law enforcement authorities, who initiated a parallel investigation. In September 2025, China’s Anti-Smuggling Bureau (ASB) and other regulatory agencies seized approximately 700 kilograms of N-Isopropyl Butylone believed to be destined for the U.S.

At the time of the seizure, N-Isopropyl Butylone was not yet a regulated substance in China. Following the seizure, Chinese authorities determined that the substance had no legitimate use and subsequently placed it under regulatory control, restricting its manufacture.

Williams pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import N-Isopropyl Butylone into the U.S. and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute N-Isopropyl Butylone. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones, Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of HSI Miami, and Inspector in Charge Bladismir Rojo of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division, made the announcement.

HSI Miami, HSI Guangzhou, USPIS, and the Homestead Police Department are investigating the case. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, and City of Miami Police Department provided invaluable assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Monique Botero is prosecuting the case.

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. 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. HSTF Miami comprises agents and officers from HSI Miami, HSI Guangzhou, CBP, USPIS, the Homestead Police Department, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, and City of Miami Police Department, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-20471.

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MIAMI – A federal inmate serving a life sentence was convicted by a federal jury in Fort Lauderdale on Feb. 27 for his role in a violent scheme to abduct and rob a rideshare driver while fleeing Georgia state custody.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Stevenson Charles, 24, had been in federal custody until Dec. 5, 2025, when he was transferred to Georgia state custody to await trial on charges related to a 2022 murder and armed robbery. During a routine security check on Dec. 22, 2025, authorities discovered that Charles and two other inmates — Yusuf Minor, 31, and Naod Yohannes, 25 — were missing from the facility.

“This defendant’s escape from custody triggered a violent chain of events that put an innocent rideshare driver in grave danger,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The evidence at trial showed a brutal kidnapping carried out to facilitate his flight from justice. Thanks to the determined work of our federal agents and law enforcement partners, the victim survived and the defendant now stands convicted by a jury of his peers. Our Office will continue to work with our partners to ensure that violent offenders who threaten the public are held fully accountable.”

After escaping, Charles and his co-conspirators used a rideshare service in Georgia and kidnapped the driver. Once inside the vehicle, one of the defendants wrapped a rope around the victim’s neck from behind, bound the victim’s hands, and forced the victim into the backseat. The defendants then threatened the victim’s life and told the victim to keep their head down while they drove into South Florida.

The defendants forced the victim to provide access to her banking accounts and used the victim’s banking cards to make purchases at businesses in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, including securing a short-term rental residence in Broward County. When the victim attempted to escape, the defendants physically assaulted the victim and made threats against her life. The defendants transported the victim to the rental residence, where they prevented the victim from leaving.

Over 18 hours into the kidnapping, during the evening of Dec. 22, 2025, law enforcement located Charles driving the victim’s vehicle, with Yohannes also inside. Law enforcement attempted to disable the vehicle and Charles exited the vehicle while it was still moving. Charles fled on foot, leading agents on a chase through a construction site. During the foot chase, Charles discarded a semi-automatic handgun before being apprehended shortly thereafter. The firearm was subsequently recovered along the route of the pursuit.

The jury convicted Charles of kidnapping, conspiracy to kidnap, Hobbs Act robbery, and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison on the conspiracy and kidnapping counts and up 20 years in prison on the Hobbs Act robbery count. Charles also faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison on the felon-in-possession count if the Court determines that he qualifies as an armed career criminal under the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA). Charles waived a jury trial on the ACCA phase of the felon-in-possession count, which the Court has set for a future date.

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Yohannes and Minor are scheduled to stand trial on March 30.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

FBI Miami is investigating the case. FBI Atlanta; the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Atlanta; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division; the Martin County Sheriff’s Office; the Broward Sheriff’s Office; and USMS Miami provided invaluable assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey Maultasch and Breezye Telfair are prosecuting the case.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number  26-cr-60009.

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MIAMI – The final defendant in a scheme to fraudulently obtain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act has been sentenced in federal court.

U.S. District Judge Ed Artau sentenced Max Alberto Mera Ulloa to 27 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

“This scheme exploited emergency relief programs funded by the American taxpayer,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “These defendants submitted more than 165 fraudulent loan applications and then demanded kickbacks from the very funds meant to keep workers employed. Today’s sentence closes out this case and sends a clear message: those who steal from programs designed to help our communities will be investigated, prosecuted, and held accountable.”

“These sentences stand as a reminder that stealing from federal programs is stealing from taxpayers—and we will not let those crimes go unanswered,” said Special Agent in Charge Ron Loecker of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Florida Field Office. “IRS Special Agents, alongside our law enforcement partners, will continue to safeguard taxpayer dollars by ensuring criminal conduct carries real consequences.”

According to court documents, between May 2020 and March 2021, Christian Mendoza, Guillermo Lopez Carrazana, and Mera Ulloa, all residents of Miami‑Dade County, conspired to submit more than 165 false and fraudulent PPP loan applications to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA administered the emergency relief program under the CARES Act to help small businesses maintain payroll and cover essential expenses during the Covid‑19 pandemic.

The defendants owned and operated several businesses, including G LUX LLC, Global Tax & Accounting Group Corp., CM Logistics Systems LLC, and Max Mera Corporation. Through these entities, they submitted fraudulent loan applications that misrepresented payroll expenses and employee information in order to obtain substantial loan amounts under false pretenses.

The conspirators also carried out a kickback scheme where they had the borrower pay them a portion of the money they received from submitting the fraudulent loan applications.  Rather than using the PPP loan proceeds for their intended purposes, the defendants used the funds for personal enrichment.

Mendoza and Lopez Carrazana also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Mendoza, a tax preparer, was sentenced on Dec. 19, 2025, to 33 months in federal prison, followed by 12 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,287,855 in restitution.

Lopez Carrazana was also sentenced on Dec. 19, 2025, to 22 months in federal prison, followed by 18 months of supervised release. A restitution hearing for Lopez Carrazana is scheduled for March 10.

A restitution hearing for Mera Ulloa is scheduled for May 6.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones; Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Loecker of IRS-CI, Florida Field Office, made the announcement.

FBI Miami and IRS‑CI, Florida Field Office, investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Cruz prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff is handling asset forfeiture.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case no. 25-cr-20178.

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MIAMI – Five individuals have been sentenced for their roles in a large-scale credit card fraud and money laundering scheme that resulted in more than $3.5 million in fraudulent charges.

Willan Pupo, 38, was sentenced to 132 months in federal prison; Joel Castillo, 39, to 58 months; William Castillo, 42, was sentenced to 55 months in federal prison; Miriam Pupo, 36, to 37 months; and Jessica Forpomes, 40, to 36 months. Each defendant previously pleaded guilty to commit money laundering.

“This was a coordinated fraud ring that generated more than $3.5 million in fake charges by manipulating point-of-sale systems, stolen credit cards, and shell companies,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “They exploited legitimate businesses, abused financial systems, and shifted losses onto banks and processors. Large-scale fraud like this undermines confidence in our financial markets. Those who build criminal enterprises around deception and stolen data will face serious federal prison time.”

According to court records, from at least February 2023 through June 2024, the defendants orchestrated a credit card fraud and money laundering scheme involving more than $3.5 million in fraudulent charges. To carry out the scheme, the defendants used legitimate businesses and shell companies to obtain point-of sale (POS) devices from merchant processors. These devices allowed them to process credit and debit card transactions and route funds into accounts under their control.

Once equipped with the POS devices, the defendants conducted fraudulent transactions in several ways. First, they used credit cards belonging to associates to generate sham purchases for goods and services that were never provided. Those associates later disputed the charges to obtain refunds. Second, the defendants purchased stolen credit card numbers on the dark web and through encrypted messaging platforms, including Telegram, and used those numbers to process unauthorized transactions. Third, they use credit cards stolen from the mail to conduct additional fraudulent purchases.

After processing the fraudulent transactions, the defendants quickly transferred or withdrew the proceeds from the associated bank accounts to prevent discovery by merchant processors. When victims reported the fraudulent charges, credit card issuers reversed the transactions, leaving merchant processors and financial institutions to absorb the losses.

To further facilitate the scheme, William Castillo, Willan Pupo, and Joel Castillo accessed a database containing extensive personal identifying information, including names, aliases, dates of birth, social security numbers, addresses, and other sensitive data. They used this information to identify and exploit victims, enabling them to activate stolen credit cards and accelerate their fraudulent activity.   

As part of their efforts to make restitution, Joel and William Castillo have paid over $800,000 to date.

In addition to the credit card fraud scheme, Willan Pupo and Joel Castillo admitted to using shell companies to fraudulently obtain Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), receiving more than $650,000 in proceeds.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones, Special Agent in Charge Rafael Barros of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office, and Assistant Inspector General for Investigations (AIGI) Scott Moffit of the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), Cybercrimes Investigations Division (CCID), made the announcement.

USSS Miami and TIGTA investigated the cases.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Quin Landon prosecuted the cases. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Annika Miranda and Robin Waugh, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx Calderon, handled asset forfeiture.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case numbers 25-cr-20184 (Miriam Pupo), 24-cr-20302 (Joel Castillo and Willan Pupo), 25-cr-20185 (Forpomes), and 25-cr-20177 (William Castillo).

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MIAMI – A Georgia man made his initial appearance in federal court today after allegedly leaving a threatening voicemail for a victim in the Southern District of Florida.

According to court documents, on Sept. 19, 2025, Henry Paul Demarco, 64, left a voicemail message threatening to “blow [the victim’s] head off.” The call was transmitted from Georgia to the Southern District of Florida.

Demarco was granted bond with a condition that he have no contact with the victim.

Demarco is charged with interstate transmission of a threat to injure. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, and Police Chief Michael Coleman of the Riviera Beach Police Department made the announcement.

FBI Miami is investigating the case with valuable assistance from the Riviera Beach Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Juan Albino is prosecuting the case. 

An indictment/complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 26-cr-80050.

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MIAMI – A federal indictment unsealed today charges a Miami real estate developer with orchestrating an $85 million fraud scheme, failing to pay millions in taxes, and lying to financial institutions to obtain funds to purchase a luxury yacht.

According to court documents, Rishi Kapoor, 41, formerly of Miami, was the chief executive officer of Location Ventures, a Miami-based real estate development company that purported to develop projects in Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Miami Beach, and Fort Lauderdale.

“The indictment alleges an $85 million fraud scheme in which investor funds intended for real estate development were diverted for luxury purchases, including a 68-foot yacht,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “It further alleges that the defendant withheld payroll taxes from employees but failed to turn that money over to the government, effectively stealing from his own employees. These are serious allegations that will now be addressed in federal court. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”

As alleged, although Kapoor raised approximately $85 million from investors, most of the promised real estate projects were never built. Despite being entitled to a capped salary of $400,000 plus certain fees, Kapoor diverted substantially more funds for personal use, including the purchase of a 68-foot yacht and a residence in Cocoplum.

The indictment alleges that Kapoor misrepresented to investors the amount of his personal financial contribution to Location Ventures, claiming he had invested $13 million alongside his business partner and family when, in reality, he contributed roughly half that amount. Kapoor also allegedly deceived escrow agents to secure the release of pre-construction condominium deposits and then misappropriated those funds for personal expenses unrelated to the developments.  As a result, condominium projects in Coconut Grove and Miami Beach were never built.

In addition, Kapoor is charged with withholding payroll taxes from Location Ventures employees but failing to remit those taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  Instead, Kapoor allegedly diverted more than $2 million from company accounts for his personal benefit.

The indictment further alleges that Kapoor failed to pay his own personal taxes from 2019 through 2023, despite earning more than $2.8 million in income in 2022 and 2023 alone.   

Kapoor is also charged with falsifying bank statements to inflate his account balances, failing to disclose a significant mortgage on his Cocoplum residence, and misrepresenting that his tax returns had been filed with the IRS—all to obtain more than $9 million in financing. One bank extended a $5 million line of credit to Location Ventures, while another loaned Kapoor $4.2 million to finance the yacht purchase.

The indictment charges Kapoor with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to commit offenses against and to defraud the U.S., failure to pay payroll taxes, tax evasion, failure to file tax returns, and bank fraud. The indictment also includes forfeiture allegations, including a Rolex Daytona watch and 2.5 carat platinum ring.

If convicted, Kapoor faces up to 20 years in federal prison for each count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud; up to 10 years for money laundering; up to five years for each count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the U.S., failure to pay payroll taxes, tax evasion, and failure to file tax returns; and up to 30 years for each count of bank fraud.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission also filed a civil action against Kapoor (Case No. 23-cv-24903).

U.S. Attorney Reding Quinoñes, Special Agent in Charge Ronald A. Loecker of Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Florida Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of FBI Miami made the announcement.

U.S. Attorney Quinoñes commended the investigative efforts of IRS-CI and FBI Miami.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Young and Daya Nathan are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff is handling asset forfeiture.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.sdfl.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.sdfl.uscourts.gov, under Case No. 26-cr-20073.

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MIAMI – A Pennsylvania man was convicted by a federal jury on Feb. 11 of attempting to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM) involving a minor victim overseas.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Earl Richard Clouser, 55, of Burnham, Pennsylvania, engaged in months-long online communications with a 15-year-old victim in Cuba. Despite knowing her age, Clouser repeatedly solicited sexually explicit videos and directed her to produce CSAM, often in exchange for electronic payments he sent to her.

“This defendant targeted a 15-year-old child, directed her to create sexually explicit material, and then traveled overseas to exploit her in person,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The fact that the victim lived in another country did not put her beyond the protection of U.S. law. If you use the internet or international travel to exploit a child, we will find you, prosecute you, and seek the full measure of federal punishment.”

In September 2025, Clouser traveled from the U.S. to Havana, Cuba, to meet the victim for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity. Prior to the trip, the victim provided Clouser with identification confirming she was underage. Nevertheless, Clouser arranged for the victim to meet him in Havana, where she stayed overnight with him at his rental apartment.

After returning to the U.S. through Miami International Airport on Sept. 19, 2025, Clouser was referred for secondary inspection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. During the inspection, officers discovered CSAM and communications between Clouser and the victim on three electronic devices in his possession, each containing sexually explicit material depicting the victim. Clouser was arrested.

After a two-day trial, the jury convicted Clouser of attempted production of visual depictions involving the sexual exploitation of a minor. He faces up to 30 years in federal prison with a mandatory minimum of 15 years. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami made the announcement.

HSI Miami investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Hannah and Anthony Reynolds tried the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number  25-cr-20444.

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Note: the press release has been updated to include a quote from U.S. Attorney Quiñones.

Francisco Javier Ravelo, 36, of Coral Gables, Florida, pleaded guilty today to distributing videos depicting the torture of monkeys, in violation of the federal Animal Crushing statute. Ravelo was charged in October 2025.

According to court documents, Ravelo created some and administered some online chat groups dedicated to the distribution and discussion of sexual and violent videos depicting monkeys being  mutilated and burned, including baby and adult monkeys. Ravelo personally distributed more than 40 of these obscene crush videos.

“In his first term, President Donald J. Trump signed the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act into law to end animal crushing,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “If you are involved in this sadistic activity, we will prosecute you.”

“This case is deeply disturbing,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “As a former state court trial judge who presided over domestic violence cases, I was trained to recognize lethality factors, warning signs that violence is escalating. Deliberate cruelty to animals is one of the clearest red flags. It reflects a willingness to dominate, torture, and inflict suffering without remorse. The defendant didn’t merely view this material. He created and administered online groups devoted to it and distributed dozens of obscene animal torture videos. That conduct fuels a market built on brutality. Animal crushing is a serious federal crime. In the Southern District of Florida, we will enforce that law firmly and without hesitation.”

“Our team worked diligently to ensure Ravelo was held accountable for his egregious crimes and to prevent further harm,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Wright of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “We are grateful for the collaboration that brought this case to resolution and Ravelo to justice.”

Ravelo faces a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.

HSI investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Emily R. Stone of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooke E. Latta for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

MIAMI – A federal jury in Miami convicted Victor Rafael Arcia Albeja, also known as “Vitico,” 32, of Miami, on Feb. 20 for his role in a violent human smuggling scheme that kidnapped and extorted Cuban migrants, holding them captive and threatening brutal harm to force payments from their families.

Arcia Albeja was the last of six defendants to be convicted for their roles in a South Florida-based alien smuggling and extortion scheme. Co-defendants Osmel Benitez, 40, of Opa-Locka; Victor Manuel Perez Cardenas, 40, of Tampa; Jhonny Walther Izaguirre Lopez, 46, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Yoelys Prada Ramos, 45, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Jose Angel Marrero Rodriguez, 52, of Houston, Texas, previously pleaded guilty.

“This was an organized human smuggling enterprise enforced through kidnapping, torture, and terror,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The defendants smuggled vulnerable Cuban migrants into our country and then treated them as commodities, imprisoning them, beating them with machetes, staging mock executions, and putting guns to their heads to extort ransom from their families. These are not immigration violations. They are violent federal crimes. If you exploit desperation for profit in South Florida, you will be hunted down, prosecuted federally, and face the full weight of the law.”

“The depravity of this kidnapping and smuggling operation is almost beyond description,” said Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of FBI Miami. “Arcia Albeja and his co-defendants kidnapped, extorted, and tortured victims and their families by putting them in nightmarish circumstances such as a mock hanging, being beaten by a machete, and extorting large sums of money. Now all convicted, these defendants justly face significant prison sentences for their inhumane actions.”

According to the evidence presented at trial, in March and May 2024, Arcia Albeja and Perez Cardenas transported Cuban nationals by boat from Cayo Coco, Cuba to Key Largo.  Benitez and other members of the alien smuggling enterprise then transported the aliens to a safe house in Miami Gardens, where members of the enterprise demanded $15,000 in smuggling fees per person from the aliens’ families and friends. 

To enforce payment and deter noncompliance, members of the enterprise used threats and violence. When the aliens brought in March 2024 failed to pay, Prada Ramos showed the aliens a video depicting a man battering a victim with a machete, then shooting the victim dead.  This video was shown to aliens who came on the May 2024 voyage before they boarded the boat.  Further, Arcia Albeja and other members of the enterprise implemented a policy that no alien would be released until full payment was received.

On May 18, 2024, Arcia Albeja and Perez Cardenas brought approximately 15 aliens to Key Largo. After some attempted to flee, members of the enterprise pursued them. Meanwhile, Perez Cardenas drove some of the aliens to the safe house. At the safe house, enterprise members threatened the aliens with harm if payment was not made. When several aliens’ families failed to pay, five aliens were transported to a vacant farm property in northwest Miami-Dade County used for cockfighting.

At that location, members of the enterprise resumed their efforts to collect the aliens’ smuggling fees, including staging and recording acts of violence and sending the videos to aliens’ families.  One alien testified that Izaguirre Lopez put her on a FaceTime call with her mother, put a gun to her head, and told her mother that if she did not pay, she would receive her daughter’s head. In another instance, Benitez and Arcia Albeja forced one of the aliens to participate in a mock hanging while being beaten with a machete.

When the extortion scheme failed, members of the enterprise attempted to transport the aliens to Louisiana for forced labor to satisfy the smuggling debts. On May 20, 2024, law enforcement stopped Izaguirre Lopez on the Florida Turnpike in Sumter County, arrested him, and rescued the aliens.

The jury convicted Arcia Albeja of conspiracy to kidnap, four counts of kidnapping, conspiracy to bring an alien to the U.S., bringing an alien to the U.S., and four counts of violent crimes in furtherance of racketeering. Arcia Albeja faces a maximum sentence of life in prison on the kidnapping-related charges. He also faces up to 10 years in prison on each of the alien smuggling counts and up to 20 years in prison on each count of violent crimes in furtherance of racketeering. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Skiles made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dwayne E. Williams and Bertila Fernandez are prosecuting the case.

FBI Miami is investigating the case. The Homestead Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, and Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office provided invaluable assistance.

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. 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. HSTF Miami comprises agents and officers from FBI Miami, Homestead Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, and Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website for the United States District of Florida at www.sdfl.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.sdfl.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20397.

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MIAMI – Francisco Javier Ravelo, 36, of Coral Gables, pleaded guilty today to distributing videos depicting the torture of monkeys, in violation of the federal Animal Crushing statute. Ravelo was charged in October 2025.

According to court documents, Ravelo created some and administered some online chat groups dedicated to the distribution and discussion of sexual and violent videos depicting monkeys being mutilated and burned, including baby and adult monkeys. Ravelo personally distributed more than 40 of these obscene crush videos.

“In his first term, President Donald J. Trump signed the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act into law to end animal crushing,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “If you are involved in this sadistic activity, we will prosecute you.”

“This case is deeply disturbing,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “As a former state court trial judge who presided over domestic violence cases, I was trained to recognize lethality factors, warning signs that violence is escalating. Deliberate cruelty to animals is one of the clearest red flags. It reflects a willingness to dominate, torture, and inflict suffering without remorse. The defendant didn’t merely view this material. He created and administered online groups devoted to it and distributed dozens of obscene animal torture videos. That conduct fuels a market built on brutality. Animal crushing is a serious federal crime. In the Southern District of Florida, we will enforce that law firmly and without hesitation.”

“Our team worked diligently to ensure Ravelo was held accountable for his egregious crimes and to prevent further harm,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Wright of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “We are grateful for the collaboration that brought this case to resolution and Ravelo to justice.”

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Gustafson, U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Wright made the announcement.

HSI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooke E. Latta for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Emily R. Stone of the ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting the case.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under Case No. 25-cr-20477.

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MIAMI – A federal grand jury returned indictments on Wednesday charging two foreign nationals after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized more than 76 kilograms of hashish during outbound inspections at Miami International Airport (MIA).

According to court documents, on Feb. 11, Joseph Mark Delacruz, 24, of the United Kingdom, and Sezer Ali Ilhan, 20, of Germany, each attempted to board separate flights from Miami to São Paulo, Brazil, with suitcases containing large quantities of vacuum-sealed hashish.

CBP officers conducting outbound inspections at MIA examined checked luggage associated with both defendants. Officers discovered approximately 38.32 kilograms of hashish concealed inside two suitcases checked under Delacruz’s name.

That same day, a CBP K-9 alerted to two additional suitcases checked under Ilhan’s name for a separate flight to Brazil. A subsequent search revealed approximately 37.77 kilograms of hashish.

Both defendants were intercepted at their departure gates before boarding.

Delacruz and Ilhan are each charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and attempting to export a controlled substance. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in federal prison on each count.

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami, made the announcement.

HSI Miami is investigating the cases.

The cases are being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa Terrades from the Border and Immigration Crimes Enforcement (BICE) Section. 

BICE was created by U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones to strengthen South Florida’s border security posture, protect points of entry, enforce federal immigration law, and dismantle transnational smuggling networks operating through the region. The Section brings together narcotics, immigration, fraud, and violent-crime expertise into a single coordinated unit focused on border-driven threats. 

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case numbers 26-cr-20060 (Delacruz), 26-cr-20059 (Ilhan).

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MIAMI – A Miami man was sentenced today to 55 months in prison and three years of supervised release for possessing approximately 450 fraudulent, stolen or counterfeit access devices, which included others’ credit card numbers, social security numbers, and means to gain access to bank accounts.

Mckenzie Levar Monestine, 33, of Miami, pleaded guilty in December 2025 to one count of possessing 15 or more unauthorized access devices and one count of aggravated identity theft. Monestine pleaded guilty to these charges based on conduct stemming from a 2020 FBI investigation.

“This defendant built a fraud operation on stolen identities, at least 450 of them,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “He stockpiled Social Security numbers, bank credentials, and credit card information in spreadsheets and on electronic devices, treating other people’s identities like inventory. Identity theft is not a victimless crime. It drains savings, damages credit, and disrupts lives. If you traffic in stolen identities in South Florida, you will face federal prosecution and real prison time.”

According to court documents, on or about June 22, 2020, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Monestine’s home. That search uncovered a trove of fraud evidence inside Monestine’s padlocked room, including mechanisms to access the banking information of other people, such as personally identifying information (PII), social security numbers, account passwords, driver’s license numbers, phone numbers, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, debit card numbers, and dates of birth belonging to other persons. Because much of the fraudulent activity was committed online and using social media and email, the evidence of how Monestine committed the fraud was found on numerous electronic devices, such as cellphones and a Macbook laptop. Monestine kept information consisting of the PII in various forms and locations on his devices including in a spreadsheet containing approximately 450 access devices and in notes maintained on his MacBook Pro. Monestine exchanged numerous text messages on his phone that contained PII as well, including logins for banking information, pin numbers for credit and debit cards, and data used to access other people’s bank accounts.

In addition, the search uncovered physical evidence of fraud, including over $11,000 in U.S. currency; a large number of credit, debit, and gift cards, in the names of other people; fake identification cards; Western Union money orders; a credit card re-encoder that the information encoded in a credit card’s chip or magnetic strip and mail in other people’s names.

The estimated loss to victims in this case is between $250,000 and $550,000.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones; Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Rafael Barros of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

The FBI Miami Field Office and USSS Miami investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Maultasch for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorneys Jinah Chang and Jennifer E. Burns of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section prosecuted the case.

This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Miami. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute offenders and prevent violence.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case no. 25-cr-20282.

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A Florida man was sentenced today to 55 months in prison and three years of supervised release for possessing approximately 450 fraudulent, stolen or counterfeit access devices, which included others’ credit card numbers, social security numbers, and means to gain access to bank accounts.

Mckenzie Levar Monestine, 33, of Miami, pleaded guilty in December 2025 to one count of possessing 15 or more unauthorized access devices and one count of aggravated identity theft. Monestine pleaded guilty to these charges based on conduct stemming from a 2020 FBI investigation.

According to court documents, on or about June 22, 2020, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Monestine’s home. That search uncovered a trove of fraud evidence inside Monestine’s padlocked room, including mechanisms to access the banking information of other people, such as personally identifying information (PII), social security numbers, account passwords, driver’s license numbers, phone numbers, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, debit card numbers, and dates of birth belonging to other persons. Because much of the fraudulent activity was committed online and using social media and email, the evidence of how Monestine committed the fraud was found on numerous electronic devices, such as cellphones and a Macbook laptop. Monestine kept information consisting of the PII in various forms and locations on his devices including in a spreadsheet containing approximately 450 access devices and in notes maintained on his MacBook Pro. Monestine exchanged numerous text messages on his phone that contained PII as well, including logins for banking information, pin numbers for credit and debit cards, and data used to access other people’s bank accounts.

In addition, the search uncovered physical evidence of fraud, including over $11,000 in U.S. currency; a large number of credit, debit, and gift cards, in the names of other people; fake identification cards; Western Union money orders; a credit card re-encoder that the information encoded in a credit card’s chip or magnetic strip and mail in other people’s names.

The estimated loss to victims in this case is between $250,000 and $550,000.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida; and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of FBI Miami Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Miami Field office investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Jinah Chang and Jennifer E. Burns of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Maultasch for the Southern District of Florida prosecuted the case.

This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Miami. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute offenders and prevent violence.

MIAMI – An Illinois man has been sentenced to federal prison for sending a series of threatening communications to a U.S. District Judge in the Southern District of Florida, including threats directed at the judge and the judge’s family.

U.S. District Judge William F. Jung for the Middle District of Florida sentenced Eric James Rennert, 56, of Champaign, Illinois, to 33 months in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to three counts of threatening to assault, kidnap, and murder a U.S. judge with the intent to impede, intimidate, or interfere with the judge’s ability to perform official duties and with the intent to retaliate against the judge.

“Threatening a federal judge is not protest. It is a federal crime,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “When someone sends violent threats to intimidate a judge or terrorize a judge’s family, they are attacking the rule of law itself. Let this sentence send a clear message: if you threaten a judge in the Southern District of Florida, we will find you, we will charge you, and we will move your case swiftly and aggressively. Our judges will continue to do their jobs without fear, and this Office will ensure they are protected.”

“Threats to kill a federal judge are an attack on our justice system and will not be tolerated” said Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office. “Mr. Rennert engaged in egregious criminal conduct which resulted in a thorough investigation and aggressive prosecution. Our judicial system, and the officers of the court who work within it, must be free from intimidation to ensure the impartiality of their work. The FBI will vigorously investigate these types of threats to preserve the integrity of our courts.”

According to court records, between May and July 2024, Rennert sent multiple emails from his personal account to the judge’s personal email address, each containing escalating threats of violence.

On May 25, 2024, Rennert sent an email threatening that the judge and the judge’s family would be “hunted down” and executed. Three days later, on May 28, 2024, Rennert mistakenly sent a similar threatening email to an unrelated professor with the same name before quickly forwarding it to the intended judge. That message again included threats of violence and death directed at the judge and referencing the judge’s family.

Rennert continued his conduct on June 25, 2024, sending another email containing profane and violent threats, including statements that the judge would be killed regardless of the outcome of future events. On July 24, 2024, Rennert sent a final email with the subject line “your going down,” again threatening to kill the judge.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Skiles made the announcement.

FBI Miami investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elena Smukler-Dominguez and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Wheeler III prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20425.

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MIAMI – A federal jury in Fort Lauderdale found a Palm Coast man guilty of attempted sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact aboard a cruise ship.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Brent Arthur Gilpin, 48, encountered the 21-year-old victim at a casino bar while on a cruise. Over the next 45 minutes, the victim became intoxicated to the point of incapacitation and fell to the floor twice. Gilpin helped her stand and then maneuvered her into a casino chair, where he placed her on his lap and began to fondle her.  While the victim lay unconscious, video surveillance captured Gilpin attempting to digitally penetrate the victim.

“Sexual predators look for vulnerability,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This defendant exploited an incapacitated young woman aboard a cruise ship, believing he could take advantage of her condition without consequence. Cruise ships are meant to be places of recreation and safety, not exploitation. The evidence showed he targeted a woman who was unconscious and unable to protect herself. That conduct is criminal and unacceptable. The jury saw the evidence and delivered justice. Our Office will continue to prosecute sexual abuse aggressively, whether it occurs on land or at sea.”

The jury convicted Gilpin of attempted sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact. He faces up to life in federal prison for attempted sexual abuse and up to three years in prison for abusive sexual contact. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

FBI Miami is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brianna Coakley and Daniel Rosenfeld are prosecuting the case.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number  24-cr-20556.

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MIAMI – A Miami Gardens man made his first appearance in federal court on Friday after a grand jury in Miami charged him with drug crimes, using and firing a gun as part of the drug crime, and illegal firearm possession by a prior felon relating to his prior felony conviction.

“This defendant shot repeatedly at an innocent man who stopped a crime as it was happening,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “It was through the bravery of the Uber driver that police were alerted and able stop the movement of almost a kilogram of pure cocaine from hitting the streets of Miami. The Criminal Division will pursue violent drug dealers in every city in America.”

“There is a real and dangerous link between drug trafficking and gun violence,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “According to the indictment, this defendant arranged a drug deal and then fired multiple shots at a rideshare driver. That kind of alleged conduct turns a drug crime into a life-threatening situation in seconds. Federal law treats that combination seriously, with a mandatory minimum sentence of fifteen years if convicted.”

According to court documents, on or about Oct. 29, 2024, Lester Leon Sanders, 47, allegedly reserved an Uber ride share. When the driver arrived, Sanders and another man loaded three suitcases in the Uber. While this was happening, the Uber driver saw a firearm magazine fall out of Sanders’s clothing.

Sanders got into the Uber and he and the driver drove off. Shortly thereafter, Sanders ordered the driver to stop the car. Sanders got out of the vehicle and began shouting. The driver, concerned with what he had observed, drove off without Sanders but with the luggage and other belongings still in the car. Sanders shouted at the Uber driver and fired a gun approximately five times as the Uber driver sped away.

The driver then flagged down police and relayed what had happened. Law enforcement arrested Sanders a short time later. Inside of the Uber, police recovered a loaded, large-capacity firearm magazine, 929 grams of almost pure cocaine, six pounds of marijuana, and more ammunition, as well as drug paraphernalia, such as a weight scale and multiple small transparent bags. They also found shell casings in the vicinity of where Sanders fired at the Uber.

If convicted, Sanders faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison.

The FBI Miami Field Office is investigating the case with assistance provided by the Miami Gardens Police Department.

Trial Attorneys Jennifer Burns and Jinah Chang of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Miami. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute offenders and prevent violence.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case no. 26-cr-20029.

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MIAMI – A Port Saint Lucie tax preparer was sentenced Feb. 11 to 36 months in federal prison for defrauding taxpayers of more than $175,000 and attempting to obtain U.S. citizenship by concealing his crimes from immigration officials.

U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks imposed the sentence on Wislet Metayer, 45, and ordered him to pay $167,792.45 in restitution. A federal jury in West Palm Beach previously convicted Metayer of 32 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns and one count of making a false statement related to naturalization.

“This defendant abused the trust of his clients and stole from the American taxpayer,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “He inflated refunds to increase his fees, costing the U.S. Treasury more than $175,000. At the same time, he attempted to obtain U.S. citizenship while concealing his crimes. Fraud in our tax system and dishonesty in our immigration process will not be tolerated.”

“When you turn tax forms into tools for bogus refunds —you’re stealing from every honest taxpayer,” said Special Agent in Charge Ron Loecker of the  IRS Criminal Investigation, Florida Field Office. “Metayer chose to cheat the system and even lied in a bid for citizenship. A jury saw through it, and the court delivered accountability. IRS Special Agents will continue protecting the integrity of the tax system and work with our partners to hold accountable those who engage in fraud.”

According to court records, Metayer worked as a professional tax preparer from approximately 2019 through 2025. To attract customers and justify inflated preparation fees, Metayer prepared and filed dozens of federal income tax returns containing false business losses, deductions, and credits—without his customers’ knowledge—in order to increase their refunds. As a result of this scheme, the U.S. Treasury suffered losses exceeding $175,000.

Metayer is a Haitian national and lawful permanent resident of the U.S. In March 2024, while his tax fraud scheme was ongoing, Metayer applied to become a naturalized U.S. citizen. As part of the application process, Metayer was required to disclose whether he had ever been convicted of, charged with, or arrested for a crime or offense and whether he had ever committed a crime or offense for which he was not arrested. Metayer concealed his ongoing criminal conduct and falsely denied committing any such offenses.

Metayer will be subject to removal from the U.S. after completing his prison sentence.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones; Special Agent in Charge Loecker; and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami made the announcement.

IRS‑CI Florida Field Office and HSI Miami investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Osborne prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number  25-cr-14036.

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MIAMI – A convicted felon was sentenced Feb. 3 to 104 months in federal prison after a drive-by shooting investigation uncovered firearms, contraband, and stolen personal information.

U.S. District Judge David S. Leibowitz imposed the sentence on Keith Bethel, 34, after a federal jury found him guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices, and aggravated identity theft.

“What began as a drive-by shooting investigation led to the discovery of illegal firearms, stolen identities, and a calculated fraud operation,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Federal investigators uncovered a dangerous combination of violence and identity theft that harmed real people — from a foster care specialist to a young Air Force firefighter. The Southern District of Florida will continue working with our partners to dismantle criminal enterprises and protect our community.”

According to evidence presented at trial, on July 18, 2023, law enforcement responded to a high-caliber drive-by shooting at a residence in a Lauderhill neighborhood. Law enforcement learned that Bethel — who was on an ankle monitor at the time due to a prior felony conviction — fled the residence after the shooting.

A search of the residence, described as a “trap house,” revealed multiple firearms, including a large-capacity Draco-style firearm, ammunition, and extensive evidence of identity-theft activity. Investigators uncovered folders containing victims’ personal identifying information, stolen mail, blank checks, and a ledger with scripts and instructions for defrauding individuals and financial institutions.

Victims in the case included a Florida basketball coach, a foster care specialist, a retired nurse, and a young U.S. Air Force firefighter, all of whom suffered the theft and misuse of their personal information.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami, made the announcement.

HSI Miami investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kseniya Smychkouskaya and General Crimes Chief Joseph Egozi prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-60103.

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MIAMI – An alleged leader of the Sinaloa Cartel made his initial appearance in federal court today to face charges for leading a large-scale drug trafficking operation responsible for moving fentanyl and other narcotics into the United States.

According to court records, Fidel Felix-Ochoa, 53, of Mexico, was one of the primary leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel responsible for directing, managing, and overseeing the organization’s drug trafficking and money laundering activities. Felix-Ochoa allegedly coordinated the smuggling of hundreds of kilograms of fentanyl and cocaine into the United States using couriers who transported narcotics by vehicle and through the U.S. mail. The Sinaloa Cartel is a transnational criminal group based in Mexico. On Feb. 20, 2025, the Sinaloa Cartel was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.

“The charges target an alleged senior leader of the Sinaloa Cartel who is accused of directing the flow of massive quantities of fentanyl and other deadly narcotics into the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “While these are allegations that must be proven in court, this case reflects our Office’s unwavering commitment to dismantling transnational criminal organizations and protecting American communities from the devastating consequences of drug trafficking. No cartel leader is beyond the reach of the rule of law.”

Once the narcotics entered the United States, Felix-Ochoa allegedly directed co-conspirators to store the drugs at multiple stash houses before distributing them to drug dealers and customers throughout the country, including Florida, Arizona, California, Texas, and Massachusetts.

During the investigation into Felix-Ochoa and his co-conspirators, law enforcement seized approximately 73,000 fentanyl pills, 21 kilograms of pure fentanyl, 243 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, two kilograms of cocaine, and 24 firearms.

Felix-Ochoa was amongst 37 Mexican nationals wanted for serious crimes in the United States transferred into U.S. custody on Jan. 20.  The Justice Department Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs coordinated the transfers.

Prior to Felix-Ochoa’s arrest, the United States Attorney’s Office successfully apprehended and prosecuted seven members of his organization in a related case, under case number 23-cr-60111.

Felix-Ochoa is charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. If convicted, Felix-Ochoa faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Jason Stankiewicz of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division, made the announcement.

The ATF Miami Field Office is investigating the case with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami, Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO), ATF Los Angeles Field Division, U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ajay Alexander is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Paster is handling asset forfeiture.

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. 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. HSTF Miami comprises agents and officers from ATF, DEA, HSI, BSO, USMS, and USPIS with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.sdfl.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.sdfl.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-cr-60150.

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MIAMI – Today, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida announced that it has filed a civil denaturalization complaint in the U.S. District Court in Miami, against Phillipe Bien-Amie, also known as Jean Philippe Janvier, a native of Haiti who used two identities to procure immigration benefits — and eventually acquire U.S. citizenship — after illegally entering the U.S.

“This Administration will not permit fraudsters and tricksters who cheat their way to the gift of U.S. citizenship,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The passage of time does not diminish blatant immigration fraud.”

“United States citizenship is a privilege grounded in honesty and allegiance to this country,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The complaint alleges that this defendant built his citizenship on fraud — using false identities, false statements, and a sham marriage to evade a lawful removal order. The fact that he later served as an elected mayor makes the alleged deception even more serious, because public office carries a duty of candor and respect for the rule of law. If proven, we will ask the Court to revoke a status that was never lawfully obtained. The rule of law requires nothing less.”

Before he became a U.S. citizen under the name Philippe Bien-Aime, the defendant used a fraudulent, “photo-switched” passport to enter the U.S. under the name Jean Philippe Janvier. In 2001, Bien-Aime was placed in removal proceedings and ordered removed under the Janvier identity. He appealed the removal order, but he withdrew the appeal, representing that he had returned to live in Haiti. In reality, Bien-Aime remained in the U.S. and, using the new name and date of birth, married a U.S. citizen to obtain permanent resident status. The marriage was fraudulent and invalid because he was already married to a Haitian citizen. After making numerous false and fraudulent statements in adjustment and naturalization proceedings, he naturalized in 2006 under the Bien-Aime identity.   

The complaint, filed on Wednesday, Feb. 18, alleges that Bien-Aime illegally procured naturalization for several reasons. First, he was subject to a final removal order, which disqualified him from naturalization and precluded the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) from considering his application for permanent resident status. Second, the removal order prohibited U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from considering his naturalization application and granting U.S. citizenship. Third, he did not lawfully adjust status to permanent resident because of his fraud and because his marriage was fraudulent and not legally valid. Fourth, he provided false or misleading information under oath in his adjustment and naturalization interviews to obtain immigration benefits when he denied that he was subject to a removal order and denied that he lied to U.S. government officials. He also provided false testimony about his children and former residential addresses. The complaint also claims that Bien-Aime’s naturalization should be revoked because he concealed and misrepresented facts that were material to his qualifications for U.S. citizenship.

Bien-Aime’s immigration fraud was discovered and confirmed through a comparison of fingerprints that he provided under the two identities. That comparison is part of an ongoing national initiative called the Historic Fingerprint Enrollment project, a joint effort by the Justice Department and USCIS.

The case was investigated by USCIS of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and will be litigated by the Affirmative Litigation Unit of the Civil Division’s Office of Immigration Litigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

The claims made in the complaint are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 26-cv-21064.

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MIAMI – A British national was convicted following a bench trial for traveling to the U.S. to sexually abuse a child he had previously victimized overseas.

“Crimes against children are the most vile offenses imaginable,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This defendant crossed international borders to continue abusing a child he had already victimized overseas. After years of legal challenges, he was extradited to the United States to face justice. Let this be clear: distance, time, and geography will not shield child predators. The Southern District of Florida will relentlessly pursue those who exploit children, no matter where they hide and no matter how long it takes.”

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Justin Matthew Ward, 59, befriended a family living in Germany while the parents were employed by the U.S. Department of State. While in Germany, Ward sexually assaulted one of the family’s children, who was under the age of 12.

After the family later relocated to South Florida, Ward traveled to the U.S. in February 2004 and resumed sexually assaulting the same victim.

In December 2012, Ward was arrested in the United Kingdom on unrelated charges involving child molestation and the production of child sexual abuse material. Ward was convicted and sentenced to 11 years in prison. Following the completion of those proceedings, Ward was taken into custody pursuant to a U.S. extradition request. After years of legal challenges, Ward was extradited to the Southern District of Florida on July 14, 2025.

U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez found Ward guilty of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. Ward faces up to 30 years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing is set for April 7. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

FBI Miami is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Koontz is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 18-cr-60353.

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MIAMI – Five defendants pleaded guilty in federal court for their roles in a sophisticated scheme involving stolen U.S. Postal Service mail keys, which are pass keys for locked mailboxes, and counterfeit checks. These defendants were part of a ring of thieves who stole checks and other mail and then used counterfeit identification to cash the stolen checks that they had altered to higher amounts than originally intended.

According to court documents, from September 2021 through May 2023, the five defendants, all of Miami Gardens ─ Angel Joe Gonzalez, 28; Evens Necler Monestime, 27; David Gonzalez, 23; Cristina Azahares, 27; and Adriana Ginel, 56 ─ conspired to defraud federally insured financial institutions — banks.  The scheme involved unlawfully getting and using U.S. Postal Service arrow keys to steal mail; opening stolen mail to acquire checks without authorization; producing counterfeit and forged checks using information from stolen checks; obtaining and using personal identifying information including names, addresses, bank account numbers, and signatures; depositing fraudulently altered checks into bank accounts they controlled; and using the illicit proceeds for personal gain and to advance the conspiracy. Some of the defendants were also involved in trafficking drugs.

“These defendants targeted hardworking members of our community — stealing their mail, altering their checks, and exploiting their personal information for profit,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “At the same time, they trafficked dangerous drugs and armed themselves, bringing violence and fentanyl into our neighborhoods. That combination of fraud and drug dealing puts real people at risk. The Southern District of Florida will continue to dismantle these networks and protect the financial security and safety of our community.”

Police learned of defendants’ crimes when, on May 3, 2023, Miami Gardens Police Department officers responded to reports of shots fired at a Miami Gardens residence shared by Angel Joe Gonzalez, Azahares, and Monestime. Officers found approximately $1.7 million in stolen checks and stolen mail, along with personal identifying information of individuals who did not live at the residence. Officers also seized six U.S. Postal Service mail keys; 40 debit and credit cards embossed with names of unknown individuals; additional checks addressed to and by different persons and companies; and numerous electronic devices including 27 cell phones, six laptops, a digital video recorder, and two Apple iPads.

The search also uncovered multiple firearms and ammunition, various narcotics packaged for sale, including heroin, cocaine, MDMA pills, and other controlled substances. Inside a Lexus registered to Gonzalez, officers found fentanyl and more cocaine, scales and baggies used for narcotics packaging, and additional debit and credit cards in other people’s names.

Angel Joe Gonzalez pleaded guilty to possession of stolen mail keys, conspiracy to commit money laundering, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Monestime pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, possession of stolen mail keys, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. David Gonzalez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and possession of stolen mail keys. Azahares and Ginel each pleaded guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft for their role in cashing the altered and stolen checks.

Investigation also revealed that Angel Joe Gonzalez and David Gonzalez moderated a Telegram group of approximately 2,000 individuals where they sold stolen checks.

Angel Joe Gonzalez and Monestime each face a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. David Gonzalez, Azahares, and Ginel each face a mandatory minimum penalty of two years in prison and a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of FBI Miami Field Office; Inspector in Charge Bladismir Rojo of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division; Special Agent in Charge Rafael Barros of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office; and City of Miami Gardens Police Department Chief Delma Noel-Pratt, announced the guilty pleas.

The FBI Miami Field Office, USPIS Miami, USSS Miami, and the City of Miami Gardens Police Department investigated the case.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Hayden P. O’Byrne, Assistant U.S. Attorney Quinshawna Landon for the Southern District of Florida, and Trial Attorneys Jennifer Burns and Alieu Kargbo of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Miami. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute offenders and prevent violence.

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. 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. HSTF Miami comprises of agents and officers from FBI Miami Field Office, USPIS Miami, USSS Miami, and the City of Miami Gardens Police Department with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-20353.

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MIAMI – The last member of a transnational Colombian robbery crew in Miami pleaded guilty on Feb. 12 for his role in a series of robberies of and thefts from jewelry couriers that targeted high-end retailers and resulted in losses exceeding $5 million dollars. Leroy Ortega, also known as “El Enano,” 43, of Miami, was the last of 11 defendants indicted as part of an operation against South American theft groups operating in the Southern District of Florida.

The 11 defendants were each convicted as part of Operation Boujee Bandits, an investigation of a Colombian South American Theft Group targeting jewelry salespersons in South Florida and elsewhere. The investigation resulted in three indictments and an information that charged robberies and money laundering activity from September 2019 to July 2021.

“This transnational theft crew came to the United States to steal from American businesses and preyed upon unsuspecting, hard-working citizens who were just trying to do their jobs as jewelry couriers,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Leroy Ortega played an integral role with other already convicted defendants to execute sophisticated, high-value robberies that caused millions of dollars in losses.  The Criminal Division will investigate and prosecute organized theft networks and hold to account those individuals who participated in them at all levels.”

“These defendants operated as part of a coordinated South American theft group that targeted hardworking jewelry couriers and sales professionals transporting high-value diamonds, watches, and other merchandise,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “They followed their victims from jewelry exchanges, used fraudulent identification to rent vehicles, and relied on force and violence to steal valuable inventory. Those who commit organized robberies in South Florida will face federal prosecution and significant prison time. We will continue dismantling theft crews that threaten the safety of our community and the integrity of our marketplace.”

“Eliminating these brazen South American Theft Groups reinforces the FBI’s mission of ensuring public safety,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor of the FBI Atlanta Field Office. “With our hardworking special agents, analysts, and professional staff triaging leads and sharing threat intelligence with law enforcement partners around the world, we’ve been able to efficiently and effectively disrupt these criminal groups.”

According to court documents, Ortega was part of a group that forcefully took jewelry and other property from victims they believed were in the business of buying and selling jewelry throughout South Florida. To commit the robberies, defendants rented vehicles using false identification documents to follow jewelry salespersons from the International Jewelry Exchanges or the Seybold Jewelry Building. They would then rob victims of the jewelry that they were transporting, sometimes brandishing a knife-like weapon to ensure victims’ compliance.

Ortega admitted that he committed two robberies. On Oct. 16, 2019, Ortega and his co-defendants identified a person they believed was carrying a case of jewelry. In fact, the victim was not a jewelry courier but rather a professional photographer who had been photographing jewelry. Following the victim to a shopping center, co-defendant Allan Lucas, 33, of Miami, pushed the photographer and Ortega grabbed the photographer’s case, which contained photography equipment and a computer. The photographer chased Ortega and Lucas to their get-away car. When the photographer tried to open the car door to get his case back, Ortega reversed the car, causing injury as the photographer was thrown to the ground.

Then, on Nov. 7, 2019, Ortega and his co-conspirators, including defendants Andres Barahona Poveda, 51, a national of Colombia, and Edwin Castillo, 45, of Pembroke Pines, robbed a jewelry salesman of approximately $125,000 of assorted jewelry. Ortega and his co-conspirators followed the salesman to his business in Miami Beach. As the salesman sat in the vehicle, Ortega approached and smashed the salesman’s windows while another co-conspirator took the salesman’s backpack containing the jewelry. When the salesman tried to exit the vehicle, Ortega held the salesman’s door shut trapping him inside the vehicle. To conduct the robbery, defendant Carlos Morales, 47, of Miami rented a vehicle using a fraudulent Venezuelan driver’s license.

Ortega pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy and two counts of Hobbs Act robbery. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 1 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Defendants convicted under this Operation, in addition to Ortega, include the following:

Allan Lucas, who was sentenced to 168 months in prison;

Diana Grisales Basto, 41, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 97 months in prison;

Carlos Morales, who was sentenced to 60 months in prison;

Giovanni Cardenas, also known as“El Mono,” 40, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 110 months in prison;

Andres Barahona Poveda, who was sentenced to 87 months in prison;

Edwin Castillo, who was sentenced to 108 months in prison;

Demian Gonzalez Contreras, 30, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 74 months in prison;

Victor Fabian Valenzuela, 39, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 57 months in prison;

Hernando Rodriguez Mahecha, also known as “Nando,” 42, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 60 months in prison; and

Mark Simon, 57, of New York, was sentenced to 57 months in prison.

The FBI Tampa Field Office is leading the investigation of the case with valuable assistance from the FBI Miami Field Office, Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, Miami-Dade Police Department, Miami Beach Police Department, Tampa Police Department, Boca Raton Police Department, Palm Beach Sherriff’s Office, Boynton Beach Police Department, Fort Pierce Police Department, and the Jewelry Security Alliance. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia, provided significant assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Dobbins for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorneys Lakeita F. Rox-Love and Christopher D. Usher II of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting the case.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-cr-20272.

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MIAMI – Two executives were sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted for their roles in a years-long scheme to steal from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) program. The defendants — the president of an insurance brokerage firm and the CEO of a marketing company — preyed on tens of thousands of vulnerable consumers to improperly enroll them into fully subsidized ACA plans, for which the defendants earned millions of dollars in commission payments from insurance companies.

“Preying upon medically compromised consumers to rob hundreds of millions from taxpayer-funded programs is evil and unforgivable,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Fraud schemes like this rob citizens and shake faith in our institutions — today’s sentencing is the latest example of this DOJ’s commitment to fighting fraud nationwide.”

“These defendants will rightly spend decades in prison for taking advantage of thousands of vulnerable people and stealing millions from a health care safety net designed for working families,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These defendants were sophisticated, licensed insurance brokers.  They had everything and intentionally took advantage of people who had nothing. The message from these sentences is simple: those who seek to line their own pockets with taxpayer dollars, victimize our most vulnerable and deplete federal programs will be held accountable.”

“These defendants didn’t just steal money — they built a $233 million fraud scheme on the backs of vulnerable people,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “They targeted individuals struggling with homelessness, addiction, and mental health challenges, manipulated them for profit, and jeopardized their access to legitimate medical care. In the process, the federal government paid out at least $180 million in fraudulent subsidies — money stolen from the American people and a health care safety net designed for working families. That level of calculated exploitation demands serious prison time, and today’s sentences reflect the scale and cruelty of this crime.”

“These defendants didn’t just commit fraud; they built a business model around exploiting people at their most vulnerable,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “They targeted vulnerable individuals in the community, manipulated federal health programs for profit, and put victims at risk of losing critical medical care so they could cash in. Stealing hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars while endangering lives is as callous as it gets. The FBI and our partners will continue to track down and hold accountable anyone who treats vulnerable Americans as a payday.”

“These defendants designed a purposeful scheme to profit from human suffering, targeting individuals at their most vulnerable moments, solely for personal gain,” said Inspector General T. March Bell of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Their callous greed put lives at risk, and such disregard for human dignity is unacceptable. HHS-OIG will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to ensure that those who defraud federal health care programs and endanger public health are brought to justice.”

“Benefit fraud against public programs isn’t just a crime — it hurts real people, especially the most vulnerable,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Chief Guy Ficco. “These sentencings send a powerful message: cheating a federal program comes with serious consequences. IRS-CI and our law enforcement partners will stop at nothing to track down those who exploit these programs and bring them to justice. If you steal from the public, you will be caught — and you will pay the price.”

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Cory Lloyd, 47, of Stuart, and Steven Strong, 43, of Mansfield, Texas, engaged in an extensive fraud scheme that sought over $233 million in fraudulent ACA plan subsidies for which the federal government paid at least $180 million. As proven at trial, Lloyd and Strong targeted vulnerable, low-income individuals experiencing homelessness, unemployment, and mental health and substance abuse disorders, and, through “street marketers” working on their behalf, sometimes offered bribes to induce those individuals to enroll in subsidized ACA plans. Evidence presented at trial showed that Lloyd and Strong conspired to enroll these vulnerable consumers in ACA plans that were fully subsidized by the federal government by submitting false and fraudulent applications for individuals whose income did not meet the minimum requirements to be eligible for the subsidies. As a result of being enrolled in subsidized ACA plans for which they did not qualify, some of these consumers experienced serious disruptions in their medical care or their prior insurance coverage under Medicaid or other programs. These individuals were put at risk of losing access to life-saving treatments for opioid use disorders, mental health disorders and serious infectious diseases.

The evidence at trial further showed that Lloyd received commissions and other payments from an insurance company in exchange for enrolling consumers in the ACA plans. In turn, Lloyd paid commissions to Strong in exchange for consumer referrals. To maximize these commission payments, Lloyd and Strong used misleading sales scripts and other deceptive sales techniques to convince consumers to state that they would attempt to earn the minimum income necessary to qualify for a subsidized ACA plan, even when the consumer initially stated to insurance agents that they had no income. Lloyd and Strong also conspired to bypass the federal government’s attempts to verify income and other information and deliberately submitted thousands of applications to Medicaid for various individuals in a way that guaranteed their denial so that they could sign up these same consumers for a fully subsidized ACA plan outside of the open enrollment period and therefore maximize their commissions year-round.

Evidence presented at trial showed that Lloyd and Strong exchanged text messages bragging about the money they were making and belittling the people they victimized in the process. In one text exchange, Strong suggested to Lloyd that the pair send street marketers into hurricane shelters in Florida. Lloyd replied, “It’s a killer idea, if we could pull it off! … I want to rake the shelters! R*pe.” Strong replied, “Haha I’m not kidding,” and Lloyd confirmed, “Me either…let’s f*uck em up.”

Lloyd and Strong used money from the scheme to purchase luxury homes, including a waterfront home in the Florida Keys depicted below, an 80-foot yacht and a Tesla.

Waterfront Home in the Florida Keys

In November 2025, Lloyd and Strong were both convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Strong was also convicted of two counts of money laundering. Lloyd and Strong were both sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison and ordered to pay $180.6 million in restitution.

A third defendant, Dafud Iza, previously pleaded guilty to major fraud against the United States and was sentenced to 35 months in prison in connection with his role in the scheme.

FBI, HHS-OIG and IRS-CI investigated the case.

Assistant Chief Jamie de Boer and Trial Attorney D. Keith Clouser of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daren Grove for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture.

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 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.

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Two executives were each sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted for their roles in a years-long scheme to steal from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) program. The defendants — the president of an insurance brokerage firm and the CEO of a marketing company — preyed on tens of thousands of vulnerable consumers to improperly enroll them into fully subsidized ACA plans, for which the defendants earned millions of dollars in commission payments from insurance companies.

“Preying upon medically compromised consumers to rob hundreds of millions from taxpayer-funded programs is evil and unforgivable,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Fraud schemes like this rob citizens and shake faith in our institutions — today’s sentencing is the latest example of this DOJ’s commitment to fighting fraud nationwide.”

“These defendants didn’t just commit fraud; they built a business model around exploiting people at their most vulnerable,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “They targeted vulnerable individuals in the community, manipulated federal health programs for profit, and put victims at risk of losing critical medical care so they could cash in. Stealing hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars while endangering lives is as callous as it gets. The FBI and our partners will continue to track down and hold accountable anyone who treats vulnerable Americans as a payday.”

“These defendants will rightly spend decades in prison for taking advantage of thousands of vulnerable people and stealing millions from a health care safety net designed for working families,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These defendants were sophisticated, licensed insurance brokers. They had everything and intentionally took advantage of people who had nothing. The message from these sentences is simple: those who seek to line their own pockets with taxpayer dollars, victimize our most vulnerable and deplete federal programs will be held accountable.”

“These defendants designed a purposeful scheme to profit from human suffering, targeting individuals at their most vulnerable moments, solely for personal gain,” said Inspector General T. March Bell of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Their callous greed put lives at risk, and such disregard for human dignity is unacceptable. HHS-OIG will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to ensure that those who defraud federal health care programs and endanger public health are brought to justice.”

“Benefit fraud against public programs isn’t just a crime — it hurts real people, especially the most vulnerable,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Chief Guy Ficco. “These sentencings send a powerful message: cheating a federal program comes with serious consequences. IRS-CI and our law enforcement partners will stop at nothing to track down those who exploit these programs and bring them to justice. If you steal from the public, you will be caught — and you will pay the price.”

“These defendants didn’t just steal money — they built a $233 million fraud scheme on the backs of vulnerable people,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “They targeted individuals struggling with homelessness, addiction, and mental health challenges, manipulated them for profit, and jeopardized their access to legitimate medical care. In the process, the federal government paid out at least $180 million in fraudulent subsidies — money stolen from the American people and a health care safety net designed for working families. That level of calculated exploitation demands serious prison time, and today’s sentences reflect the scale and cruelty of this crime.”

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Cory Lloyd, 47, of Stuart, Florida, and Steven Strong, 43, of Mansfield, Texas, engaged in an extensive fraud scheme that sought over $233 million in fraudulent ACA plan subsidies for which the federal government paid at least $180 million. As proven at trial, Lloyd and Strong targeted vulnerable, low-income individuals experiencing homelessness, unemployment, and mental health and substance abuse disorders, and, through “street marketers” working on their behalf, sometimes offered bribes to induce those individuals to enroll in subsidized ACA plans. Evidence presented at trial showed that Lloyd and Strong conspired to enroll these vulnerable consumers in ACA plans that were fully subsidized by the federal government by submitting false and fraudulent applications for individuals whose income did not meet the minimum requirements to be eligible for the subsidies. As a result of being enrolled in subsidized ACA plans for which they did not qualify, some of these consumers experienced serious disruptions in their medical care or their prior insurance coverage under Medicaid or other programs. These individuals were put at risk of losing access to life-saving treatments for opioid use disorders, mental health disorders and serious infectious diseases.

The evidence at trial further showed that Lloyd received commissions and other payments from an insurance company in exchange for enrolling consumers in the ACA plans. In turn, Lloyd paid commissions to Strong in exchange for consumer referrals. To maximize these commission payments, Lloyd and Strong used misleading sales scripts and other deceptive sales techniques to convince consumers to state that they would attempt to earn the minimum income necessary to qualify for a subsidized ACA plan, even when the consumer initially stated to insurance agents that they had no income. Lloyd and Strong also conspired to bypass the federal government’s attempts to verify income and other information and deliberately submitted thousands of applications to Medicaid for various individuals in a way that guaranteed their denial so that they could sign up these same consumers for a fully subsidized ACA plan outside of the open enrollment period and therefore maximize their commissions year-round.

Evidence presented at trial showed that the defendants exchanged text messages bragging about the money they were making and belittling the people they victimized in the process. In one text exchange, Strong suggested to Lloyd that the pair send street marketers into hurricane shelters in Florida. Lloyd replied, “It’s a killer idea, if we could pull it off! … I want to rake the shelters! R*pe.” Strong replied, “Haha I’m not kidding,” and Lloyd confirmed, “Me either…let’s f*uck em up.”

The defendants used money from the scheme to purchase luxury homes, including a waterfront home in the Florida Keys depicted below, an 80-foot yacht and a Tesla.

In Nov. 2025, Lloyd and Strong were both convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Strong was also convicted of two counts of money laundering. Both Defendants were sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison and ordered to pay $180.6 million in restitution.

A third defendant, Dafud Iza, previously pleaded guilty to major fraud against the United States and was sentenced to 35 months in prison in connection with his role in the scheme.

FBI, HHS-OIG and IRS-CI investigated the case.

Assistant Chief Jamie de Boer and Trial Attorney D. Keith Clouser of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daren Grove for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture.

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 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.
 

Today, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida announced that it has filed a civil denaturalization complaint in the U.S. District Court in Miami, Florida, against Philippe Bien-Aime, also known as Jean Philippe Janvier, a native of Haiti who used two identities to procure immigration benefits — and eventually acquire U.S. citizenship — after illegally entering the United States.

“This Administration will not permit fraudsters and tricksters who cheat their way to the gift of U.S. citizenship,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The passage of time does not diminish blatant immigration fraud.”

“United States citizenship is a privilege grounded in honesty and allegiance to this country,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The complaint alleges that this defendant built his citizenship on fraud — using false identities, false statements, and a sham marriage to evade a lawful removal order. The fact that he later served as an elected mayor makes the alleged deception even more serious, because public office carries a duty of candor and respect for the rule of law. If proven, we will ask the Court to revoke a status that was never lawfully obtained. The rule of law requires nothing less.”

Before he became a U.S. citizen under the name Philippe Bien-Aime, defendant used a fraudulent, “photo-switched” passport to enter the United States under the name Jean Philippe Janvier. In 2001, Bien-Aime was placed in removal proceedings and ordered removed under the Janvier identity. He appealed the removal order, but he withdrew the appeal, representing that he had returned to live in Haiti. In reality, Bien-Aime remained in the United States and, using the new name and date of birth, married a U.S. citizen to obtain permanent resident status. The marriage was fraudulent and invalid because he was already married to a Haitian citizen. After making numerous false and fraudulent statements in adjustment and naturalization proceedings, he naturalized in 2006 under the Bien-Aime identity.    

The complaint, filed on Wednesday, Feb. 18, alleges that Bien-Aime illegally procured naturalization for several reasons. First, he was subject to a final removal order, which disqualified him from naturalization and precluded the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) from considering his application for permanent resident status. Second, the removal order prohibited U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from considering his naturalization application and granting U.S. citizenship. Third, he did not lawfully adjust status to permanent resident because of his fraud and because his marriage was fraudulent and not legally valid. Fourth, he provided false or misleading information under oath in his adjustment and naturalization interviews to obtain immigration benefits when he denied that he was subject to a removal order and denied that he lied to U.S. government officials. He also provided false testimony about his children and former residential addresses. The complaint also claims that Bien-Aime’s naturalization should be revoked because he concealed and misrepresented facts that were material to his qualifications for U.S. citizenship.

Bien-Aime’s immigration fraud was discovered and confirmed through a comparison of fingerprints that he provided under the two identities. That comparison is part of an ongoing national initiative called the Historic Fingerprint Enrollment project, a joint effort by the Justice Department and USCIS.

The case was investigated by USCIS of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and will be litigated by the Affirmative Litigation Unit of the Civil Division’s Office of Immigration Litigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

The claims made in the complaint are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

MIAMI – U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones announced today that a federal grand jury in Miami has separately charged nine illegal aliens with various immigration related criminal offenses.

Lazaro Gaddiel Flores-Arita, 24, of Honduras, was indicted after he was apprehended on Jan. 20 in Monroe County for allegedly possessing a firearm and ammunition as an unlawful alien (Case No. 26-cr-10003). If convicted, Flores-Arita faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

Medinel Joseph, 28, of Haiti, was charged by information with attempted illegal entry into the U.S. after coming ashore in Miami-Dade County in January 2026 (Case No. 26-cr-20038). If convicted, Joseph faces a maximum penalty of six months in prison.

According to the indictments, the following defendants are charged with unlawfully reentering or attempting to reenter the U.S. after prior removals:

Wendy Esmeralda Ponce-Hernandez, 30, of El Salvador, was found in Miami-Dade County in January 2026 after being deported in 2020 (Case No. 26-cr-20046);

Yolander Ceeald Bish, 27, of Jamaica, came ashore in Miami-Dade County in January 2026 after being deported in 2025 (Case No. 26-cr-20045);

Jean Woodley Franezy, 25, of Jamaica, came ashore in Miami-Dade County in January 2026 after being deported in 2022 (Case No. 26-cr-20044);

Guillermina Carolina Pimentel Lara, 30, of the Dominican Republic, came ashore in Miami-Dade County in January 2026 after being deported in 2023 (Case No. 26-cr-20042);

Sandro Boror-Rivera, 51, of Guatemala, was found in Miami-Dade County in January 2026 after being deported in 2009 and 2020 (Case No. 26-cr-20034);

Juan Carlos Rafael Avila, 36, of Mexico, was found in Miami-Dade County in January 2026 after being deported in 2011, 2012, 2017, and 2022 (Case No. 26-cr-20032); and

Rafael Corona-Mendez, 46, of Mexico, was found in Miami-Dade County in December 2025 after being deported in 2012 (Case No. 26-cr-20033).

Illegal reentry after deportation carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison. Corona-Mendez faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison based on prior convictions, qualifying him for an increased maximum sentence. Rafael Avila and Boror-Rivera each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison based on allegations of prior aggravated convictions, qualifying for an increased maximum sentence.

The cases are being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO); Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Highway Patrol.

The cases are being prosecuted by the newly formed Border and Immigration Crimes Enforcement (BICE) Section. BICE was created by U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones to strengthen South Florida’s border security posture, protect maritime and land points of entry, enforce federal immigration law, and dismantle transnational smuggling networks operating through the region. The Section brings together narcotics, immigration, fraud, and violent-crime expertise into a single coordinated unit focused on border-driven threats.

BICE Deputy Chief Yvonne Rodriguez-Schack, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jackson Dering, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa Roca Shaw, Tanner Stiehl, Vanessa Terrades, and Jeffrey Pierce are prosecuting the cases.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

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The last member of a transnational Colombian robbery crew in Miami pleaded guilty yesterday for his role in a series of robberies of and thefts from jewelry couriers that targeted high-end retailers and resulted in losses exceeding $5 million dollars. Defendant Leroy Ortega, also known as “El Enano,” 43, of Miami, was the last of 11 defendants indicted as part of an operation against South American theft groups operating in the Southern District of Florida.

The 11 defendants were each convicted as part of Operation Boujee Bandits, an investigation of a Colombian South American Theft Group targeting jewelry salespersons in South Florida and elsewhere. The investigation resulted in three indictments and an information that charged robberies and money laundering activity from September 2019 to July 2021.

“This transnational theft crew came to the United States to steal from American businesses and preyed upon unsuspecting, hard-working citizens who were just trying to do their jobs as jewelry couriers,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Leroy Ortega played an integral role with other already convicted defendants to execute sophisticated, high-value robberies that caused millions of dollars in losses.  The Criminal Division will investigate and prosecute organized theft networks and hold to account those individuals who participated in them at all levels.”

“These defendants operated as part of a coordinated South American theft group that targeted hardworking jewelry couriers and sales professionals transporting high-value diamonds, watches, and other merchandise,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “They followed their victims from jewelry exchanges, used fraudulent identification to rent vehicles, and relied on force and violence to steal valuable inventory. Those who commit organized robberies in South Florida will face federal prosecution and significant prison time. We will continue dismantling theft crews that threaten the safety of our community and the integrity of our marketplace.”

“Eliminating these brazen South American Theft Groups reinforces the FBI’s mission of ensuring public safety,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor of the FBI Atlanta Field Office. “With our hardworking special agents, analysts, and professional staff triaging leads and sharing threat intelligence with law enforcement partners around the world, we’ve been able to efficiently and effectively disrupt these criminal groups.”

According to court documents, Ortega was part of a group that forcefully took jewelry and other property from victims they believed were in the business of buying and selling jewelry throughout South Florida. To commit the robberies, defendants rented vehicles using false identification documents to follow jewelry salespersons from the International Jewelry Exchanges or the Seybold Jewelry Building. They would then rob victims of the jewelry that they were transporting, sometimes brandishing a knife-like weapon to ensure victims’ compliance.

Ortega admitted that he committed two robberies. On Oct. 16, 2019, Ortega and his co-defendants identified a person they believed was carrying a case of jewelry. In fact, the victim was not a jewelry courier but rather a professional photographer who had been photographing jewelry. Following the victim to a shopping center, co-defendant Allan Lucas, 33, of Miami, pushed the photographer and Ortega grabbed the photographer’s case, which contained photography equipment and a computer. The photographer chased Ortega and Lucas to their get-away car. When the photographer tried to open the car door to get his case back, Ortega reversed the car, causing injury as the photographer was thrown to the ground. 

Then, on Nov. 7, 2019, Ortega and his co-conspirators, including defendants Andres Barahona Poveda, 51, a national of Colombia, and Edwin Castillo, 45, of Pembroke Pines, robbed a jewelry salesman of approximately $125,000 of assorted jewelry. Ortega and his co-conspirators followed the salesman to his business in Miami Beach. As the salesman sat in the vehicle, Ortega approached and smashed the salesman’s windows while another co-conspirator took the salesman’s backpack containing the jewelry. When the salesman tried to exit the vehicle, Ortega held the salesman’s door shut trapping him inside the vehicle. To conduct the robbery, defendant Carlos Morales, 47, of Miami rented a vehicle using a fraudulent Venezuelan driver’s license.

Ortega pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy and two counts of Hobbs Act robbery. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 1 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Defendants convicted under this Operation, in addition to Ortega, include:

Allan Lucas, who was sentenced to 168 months in prison; 

Diana Grisales Basto, 41, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 97 months in prison;

Carlos Morales, who was sentenced to 60 months in prison;

Giovanni Cardenas, also known as“El Mono,” 40, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 110 months in prison;

Andres Barahona Poveda, who was sentenced to 87 months in prison;

Edwin Castillo, who was sentenced to 108 months in prison;

Demian Gonzalez Contreras, 30, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 74 months in prison;

Victor Fabian Valenzuela, 39, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 57 months in prison;

Hernando Rodriguez Mahecha, also known as “Nando,” 42, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 60 months in prison; and

Mark Simon, 57, of New York, was sentenced to 57 months in prison.

The FBI Tampa Field Office is leading the investigation of the case with valuable assistance from the FBI Miami Field Office, Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, Miami-Dade Police Department, Miami Beach Police Department, Tampa Police Department, Boca Raton Police Department, Palm Beach Sherriff’s Office, Boynton Beach Police Department, Fort Pierce Police Department, and the Jewelry Security Alliance. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia, provided significant assistance.

Trial Attorneys Lakeita F. Rox-Love and Christopher D. Usher II of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Dobbins for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

Five defendants pleaded guilty in federal court for their roles in a sophisticated scheme involving stolen U.S. Postal Service mail keys, which are pass keys for locked mailboxes, and counterfeit checks. These defendants were part of a ring of thieves who stole checks and other mail and then used counterfeit identification to cash the stolen checks that they had altered to higher amounts than originally intended.

According to court documents, from September 2021 through May 2023, the five defendants, all of Miami Gardens, Florida ─ Angel Joe Gonzalez, 28; Evens Necler Monestime, 27, David Gonzalez, 23, Cristina Azahares, 27, and Adriana Ginel, 56 ─ conspired to defraud federally insured financial institutions — banks.  The scheme involved unlawfully getting and using U.S. Postal Service arrow keys to steal mail; opening stolen mail to acquire checks without authorization; producing counterfeit and forged checks using information from stolen checks; obtaining and using personal identifying information including names, addresses, bank account numbers, and signatures; depositing fraudulently altered checks into bank accounts they controlled; and using the illicit proceeds for personal gain and to advance the conspiracy. Some of the defendants were also involved in trafficking drugs.

Police learned of defendants’ crimes when, on May 3, 2023, Miami Gardens Police Department officers responded to reports of shots fired at a Miami Gardens residence shared by Angel Joe Gonzalez, Azahares, and Monestime. Officers found approximately $1.7 million in stolen checks and stolen mail, along with personal identifying information of individuals who did not live at the residence. Officers also seized six U.S. Postal Service mail keys; 40 debit and credit cards embossed with names of unknown individuals; additional checks addressed to and by different persons and companies; and numerous electronic devices including 27 cell phones, six laptops, a digital video recorder, and two Apple iPads.

The search also uncovered multiple firearms and ammunition, various narcotics packaged for sale, including heroin, cocaine, MDMA pills, and other controlled substances. Inside a Lexus registered to Gonzalez, officers found fentanyl and more cocaine, scales and baggies used for narcotics packaging, and additional debit and credit cards in other people’s names.

Angel Joe Gonzalez pleaded guilty to possession of stolen mail keys, conspiracy to commit money laundering, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Monestime pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, possession of stolen mail keys, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. David Gonzalez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and possession of stolen mail keys. Cristina Azahares and Adriana Ginel each pleaded guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft for their role in cashing the altered and stolen checks.

Investigation also revealed that Angel Joe Gonzalez and David Gonzalez moderated a Telegram group of approximately 2,000 individuals where they sold stolen checks.

Angel Joe Gonzalez and Monestime each face a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. David Gonzalez, Cristina Azahares, and Adriana Ginel each face a mandatory minimum penalty of two years in prison and a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida; and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of FBI Miami Field Office, announced the guilty pleas.

The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the City of Miami Gardens Police Department.

Trial Attorneys Jennifer Burns and Alieu Kargbo of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Quinshawna Landon for the Southern District of Florida and are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Miami. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute offenders and prevent violence.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

MIAMI – U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones announced today that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida collected $188,113,543 in criminal and civil debts in fiscal year 2025.

Of that amount, $173,471,304.33 was recovered through criminal restitution collections, and $14,642,238.67 was collected in civil actions to enforce debts owed to the U.S.  These recoveries reflect the Office’s continued commitment to securing restitution for crime victims and enforcing financial judgments imposed by federal courts.

“Nearly $200 million recovered means real accountability and real results,” said U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones. “Those funds represent restitution returned to victims and debts collected from people who broke the law. Court orders matter, and in the Southern District of Florida, we enforce them. If you steal or defraud, we will put you in prison and we will come after the money.”

U.S. Attorney’s Offices are responsible for enforcing and collecting restitution judgments owed to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered financial loss or physical injury, as well as civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. While restitution is paid directly to crime victims, criminal fines and assessments are deposited into the Department of Justice’s Crime Victims Fund, which supports federal and state victim compensation and assistance programs. The Office’s collection efforts are carried out through the Financial Litigation Program (FLP).

Significant recoveries in fiscal year 2025 include the following cases:

• Issa Asad and Q Link Wireless LLC were convicted of conspiring to defraud the U.S. and committing offenses against the U.S. The defendants were ordered to pay $111,395,396.25 in restitution. To date, the FLP has recovered $108,024,452.04.

• Israel Guardarrama was convicted of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and wire fraud and was ordered to pay $1,722,080.27 in restitution.  The FLP has recovered $1.4 million by litigating and resolving a civil criminal restitution judgment lien foreclosure action against the defendant’s homestead and rental properties.

• Michael Scott Segal was convicted of mail fraud and wire fraud and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $912,570.50. The FLP recovered $409,438.75 of that amount in fiscal year 2025 to fully satisfy the judgment.

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MIAMI – A Guatemalan national has been sentenced to federal prison after he assaulted two federal officers attempting to arrest him.

U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks sentenced Fredy Aureliano Morales-Ramirez, 39, residing in Lake Worth Beach, to one year and one day in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to forcibly assaulting a federal officer.

“Assaulting federal officers will never be tolerated here,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “These officers were doing their jobs, lawfully executing an arrest warrant, and they were met with violence. Today’s sentence makes clear that if you attack federal law enforcement in South Florida, you will go to prison.”

According to court records, on Aug. 13, 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportation officers attempted to execute an arrest warrant for Morales-Ramirez, who was illegally present in the U.S. Officers located Morales-Ramirez during a vehicle stop near his residence.

During the stop, Morales-Ramirez refused to comply with officers’ commands, attempted to place his vehicle into drive, and actively resisted arrest by pushing the deportation officers and grabbing their handcuffs. Morales-Ramirez then attempted to flee on foot by exiting through the passenger-side door.

The officers pursued Morales-Ramirez and attempted to restrain him. Morales-Ramirez continued to resist, striking the officers on their arms and torsos. With assistance from a deputy with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, officers were eventually able to restrain Morales-Ramirez on the ground.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Acting Field Office Director Kelei Walker of ICE, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), made the announcement.

ICE ERO investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Ralston prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-80140.

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MIAMI – Palacio Valdes Farley, 45, a federal inmate serving consecutive sentences totaling 34 years for conspiring to commit drug-trafficking and money laundering offenses, and conspiring to rob drug-traffickers of narcotics, money, and other property, made his initial appearance in federal court on Jan. 27 to face new charges arising from the August 2016 kidnapping and murders of two victims.

According to court records, Farley and his co-conspirators allegedly planned and carried out the robbery of an apartment in Oakland Park used to store narcotics and drug-trafficking proceeds. Farley recruited Frederic Wayne Mordon, Jr., 44, Emmanuel Xavier White, 51; Walter James Tillman, 37; Andrew Francois Martin, 33; and Joassaint Josiah Aristil, Jr., 30, to execute the robbery.

In preparation, the defendants allegedly purchased GPS tracking devices, clothing bearing the letters “DEA,” masks, holsters, and flashlights, and rented two vehicles.  They placed a GPS tracking device on a vehicle belonging to a drug-trafficker, “John Doe,” who used the Oakland Park apartment as a narcotics stash house.

On Aug. 18, 2016, the defendants met at a staging location in Lauderhill and used the GPS tracking device to locate Doe’s vehicle, which was parked at an apartment complex in Lauderhill.  The defendants drove to the apartment complex in the two rental vehicles.  When the defendants arrived, Doe was seated in the driver’s seat of his vehicle, with his acquaintance, Tiara Jeanne Register, seated in the front passenger seat.  Farley, Mordon, and White allegedly approached wearing DEA-style shirts and masks and carrying firearms, announced they were the DEA, and ordered Doe and Register to put their hands up.

Farley forcibly removed Doe at gunpoint from the vehicle and placed him in the back seat, while Martin got into the driver’s seat.  White removed Register from the vehicle and handed her to Mordon, who placed her into one of the rental cars. Aristil and Tillman allegedly served as lookouts during the carjacking and kidnappings of Doe and Register.

After leaving the Lauderhill complex, Mordon took Register back to the staging location and handed her over to Aristil to hold her captive. Meanwhile, Martin, Farley, and White drove Doe to the Oakland Park stash apartment.  Upon arrival, Farley and White took Doe out of his vehicle, intending to use Doe to access his apartment.  However, Doe’s associate, Eric Orlando McNair, was standing at the bottom of the stairs smoking a cigarette, saw them, and fled upstairs to the apartment.  Doe struggled with White, attempting to disarm him. Farley allegedly shot Doe twice, and Doe fell to the ground. Doe survived and fled the scene.

Farley and White then pursued McNair upstairs. Inside the stash apartment, Farley and White pursued McNair into a bedroom, where Farley fatally shot McNair in the head and the neck, killing him. Farley and White collected narcotics and cash from inside the apartment and fled the scene in Doe’s vehicle, driven by Martin.

Following the robbery, Martin, Farley, White, Mordon, and Tillman met up at White’s residence in Lauderhill.  Soon after, Aristil arrived in one of the rental cars, with Register. Farley handed Martin a firearm and instructed him to take Register to a nearby cul-de-sac and kill her. Martin and Aristil drove Register to the dead end, where Martin shot her in the head, killing her.  Aristil and Martin then returned to White’s house, where Martin reported to Farley that he had executed Register.

The defendants are charged with two counts of kidnapping resulting in death and one count of causing the death of a person in furtherance of a crime of violence and a drug trafficking crime.  Farley, Martin, and Aristil are also charged with killing a witness. If convicted, the defendants face mandatory sentences of life imprisonment on the kidnapping counts.  The maximum penalty for all counts is death or life in prison.

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, Sheriff Dr. Gregory Tony of the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO), and Chief Constance Stanley of the Lauderhill Police Department (LPD) made the announcement.

FBI Miami, BSO, and LPD are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dwayne E. Williams is prosecuting the case.

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. 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. HSTF Miami comprises agents and officers from FBI Miami, Broward Sheriff’s Office, and the Lauderhill Police Department with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

An indictment/complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.sdfl.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.sdfl.uscourts.gov, under case numbers 25-cr-60305, and 24-cr-60063 (Mordon).

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MIAMI – A Fort Lauderdale financial advisor was sentenced Monday to 240 months in federal prison for operating a decades-long international investment fraud scheme that defrauded international investors — primarily Venezuelan nationals — of more than $94 million.

U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra imposed the sentence on Andrew Hamilton Jacobus, 64, who previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering.

“This was a $94 million international fraud built on lies and broken trust,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The defendant preyed on families, professionals, and faith-based institutions across our community and beyond. At 64 years old, he was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. That sentence reflects the real harm to victims and sends a clear message: sophisticated financial fraud will be exposed and punished in South Florida.”

“Greed was Jacobus’s greatest tool — paired with a computer and a phone, it fueled a scheme that stole millions and shattered lives,” said Special Agent in Charge Ron Loecker of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Florida Field Office. “IRS Special Agents will continue to work tirelessly to uncover financial fraud and deliver justice to victims.”

According to court records, Jacobus falsely portrayed himself as a seasoned financial advisor managing legitimate investment portfolios while misappropriating investor funds for personal use and to pay purported returns to earlier investors in classic Ponzi-scheme fashion.

After completing his education in engineering, Jacobus began a career in finance in the early 1990s. Over the years, he solicited funds through entities under his control, including Kronus Financial Corporation and Finser International Corporation, promising investors access to secure investment products and high-yield returns. In reality, Jacobus forged account statements, falsified financial documentation, and diverted client funds to support a lavish personal lifestyle and unrelated business ventures.

Jacobus victimized more than 150 investors whose combined investments exceeded $90 million. His scheme spanned multiple continents, with victims located in South Florida, Venezuela, and Spain. Among those defrauded were lawyers, doctors, members of the Venezuelan Archdiocese, former employees, and members of his own family.

More than 20 victims appeared in court for the sentencing hearing, with an additional 80 victims participating remotely.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Loecker made the announcement.

IRS-CI, Florida Field Office, investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert F. Moore prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitch Hyman is handling asset forfeiture.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number  25-cr-20309.

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MIAMI – The owner of a company that produces and sells renewable fuel and fuel credits pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy for his role in a scheme that generated over $7 million in fraudulent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) renewable fuels credits and sought over $6 million in fraudulent tax credits connected to the purported production of biodiesel.

According to court documents, Christopher Burdett, 59, owned a biofuel company based in Fort Pierce that claimed to turn various feedstocks into biodiesel. However, when reporting to the IRS and the EPA the number of gallons they produced, Burdett and his company vastly overstated their production volume to generate more credits. When auditors sought more information from the company, Burdett and general manager Royce Gillham, who was sentenced last year to 37 months in prison, provided false information about their fuel production and customers.

“The defendant’s fraud undermines the integrity of EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard and hurts farmers and refiners who follow the law,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “This guilty plea is another example of the Justice Department’s broader efforts to hold those accountable, like Burdett and Gillham, who defraud American taxpayers.”

“This was not a paperwork error or a regulatory misunderstanding — it was fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The defendant inflated production numbers to steal millions in fuel and tax credits, taking money straight from taxpayers. Working closely with our partners at EPA and IRS, we will continue to hold accountable anyone who lies, cheats, and tries to game federal programs for personal profit.”

“The defendants compromised the core of a program designed to secure abundant renewable fuel. By claiming credit (RINs) for fuel they never produced or sold, the defendants not only defrauded American fuel producers and consumers but also compromised our energy security,” said Assistant Administrator Jeffrey A. Hall of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Lying to the federal government and to others under federal programs for profit is an elemental federal crime and intolerable in our society.”

“Fraudulent tax schemes erode trust in our tax system and harm every honest taxpayer,” said Ron Loecker, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation, Florida Field Office. “Our mission is to ensure that those who attempt to exploit tax credits are identified and brought to justice, protecting the integrity of our nation’s tax laws.”

Burdett pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud and to file false claims. He is scheduled to be sentenced in the coming months. The conspiracy count has a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine whether to accept the plea agreement after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and IRS Criminal Investigations investigated the case.

Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of ENRD and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Funk for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting this case.

ENRD is a member of the Department of Justice Trade Fraud Task Force, a cross-agency law enforcement effort that also involves the Criminal and Civil Divisions’ Fraud Sections, the Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide. The Task Force was created to leverage all of the Department’s tools and authorities to prevent trade fraud that deprives the government of vital revenue, threatens critical domestic industries, undermines consumer confidence, and weakens national security. The Task Force is designed to pursue enforcement actions against parties who seek to evade tariffs and other duties, as well as smugglers who seek to import prohibited goods into the American economy. The Justice Department encourages whistleblowers to alert the government to credible allegations of fraud, including utilizing the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act or through the Criminal Division’s Corporate Whistleblower Program at [email protected] using the form available here.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-14071.

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The owner of a company that produces and sells renewable fuel and fuel credits pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida to conspiracy for his role in a scheme that generated over $7 million in fraudulent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) renewable fuels credits and sought over $6 million in fraudulent tax credits connected to the purported production of biodiesel.

According to court documents, Christopher Burdett, 59, owned a biofuel company based in Fort Pierce, Florida, that claimed to turn various feedstocks into biodiesel. However, when reporting to the IRS and the EPA the number of gallons they produced, Burdett and his company vastly overstated their production volume to generate more credits. When auditors sought more information from the company, Burdett and general manager Royce Gillham, who was sentenced last year to 37 months in prison, provided false information about their fuel production and customers.

“The defendant’s fraud undermines the integrity of EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard and hurts farmers and refiners who follow the law,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “This guilty plea is another example of the Justice Department’s broader efforts to hold those accountable, like Burdett and Gillham, who defraud American taxpayers.”

“The defendants compromised the core of a program designed to secure abundant renewable fuel. By claiming credit (RINs) for fuel they never produced or sold, the defendants not only defrauded American fuel producers and consumers but also compromised our energy security,” said Assistant Administrator Jeffrey A. Hall of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Lying to the federal government and to others under federal programs for profit is an elemental federal crime and intolerable in our society.”

“This was not a paperwork error or a regulatory misunderstanding — it was fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The defendant inflated production numbers to steal millions in fuel and tax credits, taking money straight from taxpayers. Working closely with our partners at EPA and IRS, we will continue to hold accountable anyone who lies, cheats, and tries to game federal programs for personal profit.”

“Fraudulent tax schemes erode trust in our tax system and harm every honest taxpayer,” said Ron Loecker, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation, Florida Field Office. “Our mission is to ensure that those who attempt to exploit tax credits are identified and brought to justice, protecting the integrity of our nation’s tax laws.”

Burdett pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud and to file false claims. He is scheduled to be sentenced in the coming months. The conspiracy count has a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine whether to accept the plea agreement after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and IRS Criminal Investigations investigated the case.

Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of ENRD and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Funk for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting this case.

ENRD is a member of the Department of Justice Trade Fraud Task Force, a cross-agency law enforcement effort that also involves the Criminal and Civil Divisions’ Fraud Sections, the Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide. The Task Force was created to leverage all of the Department’s tools and authorities to prevent trade fraud that deprives the government of vital revenue, threatens critical domestic industries, undermines consumer confidence, and weakens national security. The Task Force is designed to pursue enforcement actions against parties who seek to evade tariffs and other duties, as well as smugglers who seek to import prohibited goods into the American economy. The Justice Department encourages whistleblowers to alert the government to credible allegations of fraud, including utilizing the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act or through the Criminal Division’s Corporate Whistleblower Program at [email protected] using the form available here.

MIAMI – Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Hoover was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation signed by FBI Director Kash Patel in recognition of his outstanding work in the successful prosecution of Shannima Yuantrell Session.

The award was presented by FBI Supervisory Special Agent Peter Angell of the Fort Pierce Resident Agency at a meeting hosted by the Human Trafficking Coalition of the Treasure Coast and Okeechobee at the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.

“Human trafficking is one of the most vicious crimes imaginable: it strips victims of their freedom, dignity, and humanity,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “AUSA Justin Hoover showed exceptional leadership and resolve in holding a trafficker accountable and standing up for survivors. This recognition from the FBI reflects the kind of commitment and partnership that defines the best of public service.”

The certificate honors AUSA Hoover’s exemplary leadership, dedication, and advocacy for victims throughout the prosecution of Session, who was convicted by a federal jury in September 2024 following a nine-day trial. Session was subsequently sentenced to life in federal prison for trafficking nearly a dozen women and girls and exploiting their vulnerabilities over multiple years.

Evidence at trial demonstrated that Session lured his victims with false promises of legitimate employment and housing assistance, then used violence, coercion, and intimidation tactics — including physical assault and firearm threats — to control them. Session also manipulated victims’ substance abuse issues to compel them into commercial sex acts.

Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.

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MIAMI – Ryan Wesley Routh, 59, was sentenced today to life plus 84 months in federal prison for the attempted assassination of then-presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and related violent and firearms offenses.

U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon imposed the sentence following Routh’s conviction by a federal jury on all five counts charged in the indictment.

“Ryan Routh’s heinous attempted assassination of President Trump was not only an attack on our President — it was a direct assault against our entire democratic system," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Thanks to our prosecutors in the National Security Division and the Southern District of Florida, Routh will never walk free again.”

“Routh attempted to assassinate President Trump and thereby cast our Nation into what would have been one of its darkest periods,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “Today’s sentence is a resounding rejection of political violence and a clear reminder that we resolve our differences through civil discourse, democratic elections, and lawful protest, not by force.”

“This life sentence reflects a fundamental truth: political violence is un-American and will never be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “An attempted assassination of a presidential candidate is an attack on our democratic process and the rule of law itself. This assassination attempt was stopped by the courage and professionalism of U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Robert Fercano, whose decisive actions protected lives and prevented a national tragedy. Today’s life sentence ensures the defendant will never again threaten public safety and sends a clear message that those who choose violence to advance their beliefs will face swift, certain, and decisive justice.”

“Routh’s plan to kill a major presidential candidate, President Donald Trump, was a despicable attack on our democratic system,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.  “Thanks to the work of the FBI and our Justice Department partners, he will pay a high price for his actions. Today’s sentencing demonstrates the justice system will not tolerate such heinous attacks.”

“Political violence is unacceptable in the United States, and this sentence is commensurate with the gravity of Routh’s actions,” said Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office. “The investigation was immense and left no stone unturned.  The FBI worked shoulder to shoulder with the Secret Service, ATF, the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office, and the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. The FBI covered leads across the country and around the globe using all the tools and techniques at our disposal to include FBI Laboratory analysis, the Computer Analysis Response Team and the Cellular Analysis Survey Team.  I commend our law enforcement partners and investigative team for their tireless work which led to today’s result.”

In September 2025, after a two-week trial in Fort Pierce, a jury found Routh guilty of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assault of a federal law enforcement officer, and multiple firearms offenses.

According to evidence presented at trial, then-U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Robert Fercano was patrolling one hole ahead of President Trump at the Trump International Golf Club when he observed Routh pointing what appeared to be an AK 47-style rifle at him from a sniper’s hide concealed in a fence line bordering the golf course. Fearing for his life and the life of President Trump, Special Agent Fercano fired at Routh, who fled the scene.

Law enforcement officers later recovered a Norinco SKS rifle equipped with a scope, a loaded magazine containing 19 rounds of ammunition and one round in the chamber, steel armor plates, and a camera affixed to the fence and pointing at the sixth green of the golf course where President Trump was about to play golf.

A civilian witness reported seeing Routh run across a roadway and enter a black Nissan Xterra. Based on that information, Routh was apprehended while traveling northbound on I-95 by officers from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

A search of Routh’s vehicle revealed multiple mobile phones and a list of international flights along with directions to Miami International Airport. Cell phone records showed that between Aug. 18 and Sept. 15, 2024, Routh’s phone accessed cell towers located near Trump International Golf Club and the President’s residence at Mar-a-Lago on multiple occasions.

Testimony at trial also established that Routh had dropped off a box at a witness’s residence in April 2024 after making another trip to the area near the golf course. Inside the box was a handwritten letter addressed “Dear World,” in which Routh stated, among other things, “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you.”

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Skiles announced the sentence.

FBI Miami investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office and Martin County Sheriff’s Office also assisted with this case.

Senior Counsel John C. Shipley, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher B. Browne, National Security Division Chief Maria K. Medetis Long, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Luce for the Southern District of Florida, and Trial Attorneys James Donnelly and John Cella of the Justice Department’s National Security Division Counterterrorism Section prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-80116.

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MIAMI – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida stood shoulder to shoulder with our law enforcement family at the Federal Bureau of Investigation Miami Field Office to honor the lives and service of Special Agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger, who tragically lost their lives in the line of duty five years ago while protecting our community.

The ceremony was held beside a flourishing memorial tree and bench bearing a commemorative plaque first presented in prior years. An invocation was offered by FBI Chaplain Rabbi Claudio Kogan, followed by heartfelt remembrances from Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles, who shared personal stories of Dan and Laura at the Academy, in the field, and at home.

Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel attended the ceremony and delivered remarks of compassion for the families and the FBI community. Director Patel spoke of his personal commitment to remember Dan and Laura each day, honoring their dedication to the FBI mission, their resolve to protect the public, and their enduring example that justice will overcome evil. He also announced his approval of a permanent memorial so their sacrifice will be remembered every day.

On February 2, 2021, Special Agents Alfin and Schwartzenberger were executing a court-ordered federal search warrant in Sunrise as part of a violent crimes against children investigation when they were ambushed. Three other agents were wounded in the attack. Their courage exemplified the highest traditions of federal service and the core values of the FBI.

“Five years later, the loss of Dan Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger is still felt across our law enforcement family,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “They ran toward danger to protect the most vulnerable, and they paid the ultimate price in service to others. Today we honor their courage, stand with their families and colleagues, and recommit ourselves to the mission they lived every day, protecting our community and upholding the rule of law.”

We are grateful to stand with our FBI family on this solemn day of remembrance. We honor the memory of Special Agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger, and we will never forget their sacrifice.

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MIAMI – A Florida man pleaded guilty on Jan. 15 for his role in a scheme to defraud Medicare by submitting over $52 million in false and fraudulent claims for genetic testing that Medicare beneficiaries did not need and that were based on prescriptions purchased through illegal kickbacks and bribes.

According to court documents, Sean Alterman, 38, of Lake Worth, owned and operated two laboratories, Live Beyond Medical MGMT, LLC and Dynix Diagnostics LLC, through which he purchased doctors’ orders for expensive genetic testing from patient recruiters. The patient recruiters ran deceptive telemarketing campaigns that targeted Medicare beneficiaries and persuaded them to agree to take the tests to justify the fraudulent billing.

“Healthcare fraud is not a paperwork crime, it is theft from patients and taxpayers,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “By buying prescriptions, running deceptive telemarketing campaigns, and billing tens of millions for tests no one needed, this defendant treated Medicare like an ATM. That conduct will be met with aggressive prosecution, forfeiture, and prison time.”

As part of the scheme, the patient recruiters used a tactic known as “doctor chasing” – faxing physicians false and misleading requests for prescriptions designed to trick them into signing off on tests their patients did not need. The faxes and accompanying materials falsely stated, among other things, that the prescription requests were made on behalf a mutual patient. But they were generated by call centers that deceived the Medicare beneficiaries to agree to the tests without being examined or treated by physicians for the diseases underlying the tests.

Alterman’s laboratories billed approximately $52 million to Medicare for the false and fraudulent claims, of which Medicare paid approximately $36 million. Alterman made roughly $5.5 million from the scheme, much of which he received through shell companies he owned called Shivv LLC and Shank LLC. As part of his plea agreement, Alterman agreed to forfeit his Lake Worth estate and a 2022 Rolls Royce Ghost purchased with money traceable to the scheme:

Alterman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and conspiracy to offer and pay kickbacks. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 16 and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida; and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Chris Caldwell of the FBI; and 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) made the announcement.

The FBI and HHS-OIG are investigating the case.

Trial Attorneys Reginald Cuyler Jr. and Aisha Schafer Hylton of the Justice Department’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadya Cheatham for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture.

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 nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, 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.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-80105.

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MIAMI – Sherwood Avionics and Accessories, Inc. (Sherwood), headquartered in Opa-Locka, has agreed to pay $109,618 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by failing to use contractually required and updated technical manuals when performing repairs on U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) C-130 aircraft landing gear.

“The False Claims Act protects more than taxpayer dollars—it safeguards the integrity of federal missions that depend on safe, reliable equipment,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Our Office will continue working with our partners to enforce procurement standards and ensure accountability in defense and homeland security contracting.”

“The U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service is committed to ensuring the integrity of procurements by the U.S. Coast Guard,” said Assistant Director Josh Packer of the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS). “We will continue to work diligently with our partners to protect taxpayer resources and uphold the highest standards in government contracting.”

According to the settlement, in September 2016, Sherwood entered into a contract with the USCG to perform repair and overhaul work on various components of C-130H and C-130J aircraft landing gear in accordance with specific technical and contractual requirements. The USCG relies on C-130 aircraft for a variety of critical missions, including law enforcement operations and search-and-rescue efforts.

From September 2017 through September 2021, Sherwood performed overhaul and maintenance work on USCG C-130 landing gear but failed to obtain and use the most current U.S. Air Force Technical Orders required under the contract. These Technical Orders provide mandatory instructions for conducting repairs safely and properly.

Enacted during the Civil War, the False Claims Act is the government’s primary civil tool to combat fraud and abuse in federal programs and procurement.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Assistant Director Josh Packer, CGIS, Southeast Region, made the announcement.

CGIS, Southeast Region investigated the matter, with assistance from the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ghannam handled the matter.

Note: See the settlement agreement here.

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MIAMI – Medical Services of America, Inc. and Traditional Home Care, Inc., doing business as Community Home Health Services, have agreed to pay $702,541.20 to resolve allegations that they violated the Physician Self-Referral Law, commonly known as the Stark Law, by making bonus payments to an employee based on the number of patient referrals made by the employee’s spouse, a physician.

“The Stark Law exists to ensure that medical decisions are driven by patient need — not financial relationships,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “When providers violate that principle, they undermine trust in the Medicare system and unfairly profit at the expense of taxpayers. This resolution reinforces our commitment to protecting the integrity of federal healthcare programs.”

The Stark Law prohibits entities from submitting claims to Medicare for certain designated health services that result from referrals by a physician who has a financial interest with the entity, unless a specific exception applies. Here, the physician’s spouse was employed by Community Home Health Services, and the alleged conduct did not meet any Stark Law exception.  

The alleged misconduct occurred from February 2017 through February 2025 and involved a physician referring Medicare beneficiaries to Community Home Health Services for designated health services. Community Home Health Services then allegedly furnished those services and submitted claims to Medicare for reimbursement.

Of the $702,541.20 settlement amount, $379,752 will be paid as restitution. 

The allegations arose from a lawsuit filed by a whistleblower, Javier Figueroa, under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, which allow private individuals to bring lawsuits on behalf of the government and share in any recovery. Figueroa will receive approximately $126,457 from the settlement announced today.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jesus Barranco of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Miami Regional Office, announced the settlement.

HHS-OIG Miami investigated the matter.

Assistant U.S. Attorney H. Ron Davidson and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Cheek handled the litigation.

Note: See the settlement agreement here.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-cv-81328.

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MIAMI – A North Miami man was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after committing a violent home invasion and kidnapping.

U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks imposed the sentence on Alphonso Gainer, 37, on Jan. 6, following his jury trial conviction on one count of kidnapping and three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm or ammunition.

“This defendant used a firearm to invade a home, terrorize a victim, and commit a kidnapping—conduct that strikes at the heart of community safety,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Under Operation Take Back America, violent offenders who bring guns into our neighborhoods will be identified, prosecuted, and removed from our streets. A 15-year federal sentence sends a clear message: there is no tolerance for violent gun crime in South Florida.”

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on July 11, 2023, at approximately 6 a.m., Gainer broke into the victim’s North Miami residence and opened fire inside the home, nearly killing the victim. A 911 call placed by the victim captured the sound of Gainer firing three additional rounds as the victim sought cover. 

Responding officers arrived within minutes, but Gainer fled before law enforcement could locate him.  Hours later, after officers had completed their initial investigation and left the scene, Gainer returned to the residence, kidnapped the victim at gunpoint, and forced the victim into his rental vehicle. The victim managed to escape unharmed but photographed the vehicle’s license plate, which law enforcement traced back to Gainer. Ballistics evidence introduced at trial linked a firearm recovered from Gainer’s residence to shell casings found at the scene of the shooting.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Jason Stankiewicz of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division, made the announcement.

ATF Miami Field Office is investigating the case, with substantial assistance from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael C. Mikulic and Altanese P. Phenelus are prosecuting the 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.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-20226.

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MIAMI – Today, the U.S. Department of Justice and the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida filed a civil denaturalization complaint in the United States District Court in Miami, Florida, against Luis Miguel Fernandez Gaviola, a native of Peru who was charged with eight extra-judicial killings in Peru.

Fernandez served as a Deputy in Charge of Infantry in the G-2 of the 31st Infantry Division of the Peruvian military. In this role, he commanded a unit that killed eight residents of the District of Pucará, Peru, in November 1989 based on the victims’ alleged membership in a certain political group, before coming to the United States in 1992 while hiding his horrific past actions.

“No one who commits atrocities like these is entitled to the precious gift of U.S. citizenship,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We owe it to the American people to protect them from human rights violators who abuse positions of power, wherever they engaged in their offensive acts.”

“United States citizenship is a profound privilege, reserved for those who obtain it honestly and in accordance with the law,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This civil action alleges that the defendant concealed material facts about his past, including involvement in grave human rights abuses, in order to obtain that privilege. While these are allegations only, our responsibility is clear: when credible evidence shows that citizenship may have been procured through fraud or concealment, the Department of Justice will act to protect the integrity of our immigration system and the rule of law.”

In 2003, when he applied for adjustment of status as a permanent resident of the United States, he falsely stated under penalty of perjury that he had no foreign military service and that he had never participated in the killing of anyone because of their political opinion. When he applied for naturalization as a U.S. citizen four years later, he falsely testified under oath that he was never involved in persecution based on political opinion and had never given false or misleading information to any U.S. government official while applying for any immigration benefit.

The case was investigated by the Human Rights Violator Law Division, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and will be litigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, and the Affirmative Litigation Unit of the Civil Division’s Office of Immigration Litigation.

The claims made in the complaint are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

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Today, the U.S. Department of Justice and the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida filed a civil denaturalization complaint in the United States District Court in Miami, Florida, against Luis Miguel Fernandez Gaviola, a native of Peru who was charged with eight extra-judicial killings in Peru.

Fernandez served as a Deputy in Charge of Infantry in the G-2 of the 31st Infantry Division of the Peruvian military. In this role, he commanded a unit that killed eight residents of the District of Pucará, Peru, in November 1989 based on the victims’ alleged membership in a certain political group, before coming to the United States in 1992 while hiding his horrific past actions.

“No one who commits atrocities like these is entitled to the precious gift of U.S. citizenship,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We owe it to the American people to protect them from human rights violators who abuse positions of power, wherever they engaged in their offensive acts.”

“United States citizenship is a profound privilege, reserved for those who obtain it honestly and in accordance with the law,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This civil action alleges that the defendant concealed material facts about his past, including involvement in grave human rights abuses, in order to obtain that privilege. While these are allegations only, our responsibility is clear: when credible evidence shows that citizenship may have been procured through fraud or concealment, the Department of Justice will act to protect the integrity of our immigration system and the rule of law.”

In 2003, when he applied for adjustment of status as a permanent resident of the United States, he falsely stated under penalty of perjury that he had no foreign military service and that he had never participated in the killing of anyone because of their political opinion. When he applied for naturalization as a U.S. citizen four years later, he falsely testified under oath that he was never involved in persecution based on political opinion and had never given false or misleading information to any U.S. government official while applying for any immigration benefit.

The case was investigated by the Human Rights Violator Law Division, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and will be litigated by the Affirmative Litigation Unit of the Civil Division’s Office of Immigration Litigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

The claims made in the complaint are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

A Florida man pleaded guilty on Jan. 15 for his role in a scheme to defraud Medicare by submitting over $52 million in false and fraudulent claims for genetic testing that Medicare beneficiaries did not need and that were based on prescriptions purchased through illegal kickbacks and bribes.

According to court documents, Sean Alterman, 38, of Lake Worth, Florida, owned and operated two laboratories, Live Beyond Medical MGMT, LLC and Dynix Diagnostics LLC, through which he purchased doctors’ orders for expensive genetic testing from patient recruiters. The patient recruiters ran deceptive telemarketing campaigns that targeted Medicare beneficiaries and persuaded them to agree to take the tests to justify the fraudulent billing.

As part of the scheme, the patient recruiters used a tactic known as “doctor chasing” – faxing physicians false and misleading requests for prescriptions designed to trick them into signing off on tests their patients did not need. The faxes and accompanying materials falsely stated, among other things, that the prescription requests were made on behalf a mutual patient. But they were generated by call centers that deceived the Medicare beneficiaries to agree to the tests without being examined or treated by physicians for the diseases underlying the tests.

Alterman’s laboratories billed approximately $52 million to Medicare for the false and fraudulent claims, of which Medicare paid approximately $36 million. Alterman made roughly $5.5 million from the scheme, much of which he received through shell companies he owned called Shivv LLC and Shank LLC. As part of his plea agreement, Alterman agreed to forfeit his Lake Worth estate and a 2022 Rolls Royce Ghost purchased with money traceable to the scheme:

Alterman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and conspiracy to offer and pay kickbacks. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 16 and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Chris Caldwell of the FBI; and 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) made the announcement.

The FBI and HHS-OIG are investigating the case.

Trial Attorneys Reginald Cuyler Jr. and Aisha Schafer Hylton of the Justice Department’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadya Cheatham for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture.

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 nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, 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.

MIAMI – A former Miami Heat security officer has been sentenced to 36 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $1,889,931.91 in restitution for stealing hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other valuable sports memorabilia from the team and selling the stolen items across state lines for personal profit.

U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez imposed the sentence on Marcos Tomas Perez, 62, of Miami, who previously pleaded guilty to transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce.

“This defendant was a former police officer who betrayed the public trust and exploited his access to our beloved hometown team for personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The Miami Heat represent excellence built through hard work and discipline in South Florida — and this conduct was the opposite. This sentence and restitution order make clear that no badge, no past service, and no proximity to prestige shields anyone from accountability under the law.”

According to court documents, Perez, a 25-year retired veteran of the City of Miami Police Department, was employed as a security officer with the Miami Heat from 2016 to 2021 and later worked as an NBA security employee from 2022 to 2025. During his tenure, Perez worked on the game-day security detail at the Kaseya Center, where he had access to a secured equipment room that stored hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia set aside for a future Miami Heat Museum.

While employed in these positions, Perez stole more than 400 jerseys and other items from the secured equipment room. Over a three-and-a-half-year period, Perez sold more than 100 stolen items on various online marketplaces, often at prices well below their market value. For example, Perez sold a game-worn LeBron James Miami Heat NBA Finals jersey for approximately $100,000. That same jersey was later sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $3.7 million.

On April 3, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Perez’s residence and recovered nearly 300 additional stolen game-worn jerseys and memorabilia, which the Miami Heat confirmed had been stolen from their facility.

U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

FBI Miami investigated the case. U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division, and the Miami Police Department provided invaluable assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Moore and Jon Juenger prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Raemy Charest-Turken handled asset forfeiture.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-20346.

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MIAMI – Four Brazilian nationals made their initial appearances in federal court Wednesday after a grand jury returned an indictment charging multiple defendants for their roles in a conspiracy to launder tens of millions of dollars in illicit proceeds, including drug money.

According to court documents, Ygor Fokin Saviolli, 35; Gabriel Cezar Menezes, 29; Joao Andrade De Mello, 29; and Leandro De Avila Goncalves, 42 — all Brazilian nationals — and Omar Aliperti De Mello Correa, 34, were part of a sophisticated money laundering organization that operated throughout the U.S. and across multiple countries.

As alleged, the defendants served as facilitators and couriers who deposited large amounts of illicit cash, including drug proceeds, into financial institutions across the U.S. to conceal the source of the funds and return profits to, among others, the sources of drug supply. During the course of the conspiracy, the organization concealed more than $30 million in cash.

Each defendant is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. If convicted, Saviolli, Menezes, Andrade De Mello, and De Avila Goncalves would also be subject to removal proceedings.

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

FBI Miami is investigating the case, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Rochester Office, Homeland Security Investigation’s Miami and Brasilia Offices, and FBI Orlando.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Monique Botero for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorneys James Hepburn and Jessee Alexander-Hoeppner of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Gonzalez for the Western District of New York.

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. 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. HSTF Miami comprises agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Miami Office, Drug Enforcement Administration’s Rochester Office, Homeland Security Investigation’s Miami and Brasilia Offices, and FBI Orlando with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Miami.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-20545.

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