Northern District of Georgia
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Delta Air Lines Agrees to Pay $8.1M to Settle Alleged False Claims Act Violations Related to Payroll Support ProgramRead the Press Release
Delta Air Lines Inc., headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, has agreed to pay $8,100,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by awarding compensation to certain corporate officers and employees that exceeded the compensation limits Delta agreed to as part of its participation in the Department of the Treasury’s Payroll Support Program (PSP).
The PSP was established by Congress in March 2020 under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act to provide payroll support to passenger and cargo air carriers and certain contractors for the continuation of payment of employee wages, salaries, and benefits. The program was administered by the Department of Treasury (Treasury), and participating air carriers were required to enter into written agreements with Treasury that imposed certain conditions in exchange for the receipt of PSP funds. Among other program requirements, PSP agreements included limitations on the amount of compensation that PSP participants could pay to certain corporate officers and employees earning annual compensation in excess of $425,000.
Delta entered into PSP agreements with Treasury in 2020 and 2021, under which Delta agreed to the PSP compensation limits. The settlement resolves allegations that, between March 2020 and April 2023, Delta awarded compensation to some corporate officers and employees that exceeded the limits set by the PSP agreements. Delta allegedly violated the False Claims Act by inaccurately certifying compliance with PSP requirements in quarterly reports submitted to Treasury, as well as by not notifying Treasury of the breach once it was discovered by Delta, which would have given the government the right to demand the return of funds.
“The PSP was intended to provide critical assistance to the airline industry during the pandemic,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department is committed to holding accountable those who failed to abide by the terms and conditions governing their receipt and use of federal funds.”
“When companies accept federal assistance, especially generous pandemic-relief funds like those at issue here, they owe a duty to the American people to respect the conditions placed on those funds,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg for the Northern District of Georgia. “We will continue to enforce all available laws to punish the misuse of taxpayers' money.”
“Our criminal investigators have been at the center of this investigation as a core part of our responsibility to safeguard the integrity and efficiency of Treasury programs and operations, and we remain steadfast in our determination to hold recipients of public funds to the highest standards,” said Treasury Deputy Inspector General Loren Sciurba.
The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by H. Remidez LLC. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. H Remidez LLC v. Delta Air Lines Inc., No. 1-23-cv-01116 (N.D. Ga.). The whistleblower will receive $850,500 in connection with the settlement.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, with assistance from the United States Department of the Treasury, Office of Inspector General.
The matter was handled by Trial Attorney James Nealon and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony DeCinque for the Northern District of Georgia.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Mechanics Charged with Trafficking over a Ton of Methamphetamine from Auto Repair ShopRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Two DeKalb County auto mechanics face federal drug trafficking charges after agents seized approximately 2,500 pounds of methamphetamine from their vehicles. Daniel Santana-Lopez, 39, an illegal alien from Guanajuato, Mexico, was arraigned earlier today on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and illegal reentry by a removed alien. Jared Thompson, 41, of Snellville, Georgia, was arraigned on June 30, 2025, on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crime.
“These defendants, including a twice-deported illegal alien, allegedly tried to conceal a major methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy in a local automobile repair shop,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Through a tenacious investigation, our federal and local law enforcement partners rooted out the defendants’ operation in our continued effort to eliminate the scourge of drug dealing from our communities.”
“DEA’s mission remains the same: seize dangerous drugs before they reach our communities and bring to justice those criminals responsible,” said Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “DEA will continue to aggressively pursue criminals that are harming our communities with dangerous drugs.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in Court: On October 23, 2024, law enforcement stopped Santana-Lopez after he drove away from a DeKalb County auto repair shop where he worked as a mechanic. During a search of Santana-Lopez’s vehicle, officers allegedly found approximately 1,000 kilograms of methamphetamine. The investigation revealed that Santana-Lopez was illegally in the United States, having been deported in 2014 and 2017, and had allegedly distributed methamphetamine on several previous occasions in June, July, and August 2024.
Approximately an hour after arresting Santana-Lopez, law enforcement stopped Thompson leaving the same auto repair shop, where he also worked as a mechanic. Inside of Thompson’s vehicle, officers allegedly found approximately 140 kilograms of methamphetamine and a firearm.
Santana-Lopez and Thompson were indicted by a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia on June 11, 2025.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, North Georgia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement with valuable assistance provided by the DeKalb County Police Department and DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Dwayne A. Brown, Jr. is 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Former Troup County Payroll Manager Charged with Embezzling over $500,000 in Government FundsRead the Press Release
NEWNAN, Ga. - Wesleigh Gaddy, 35, of Hogansville, Ga., appeared in federal court today on a charge of theft from a program receiving federal funds.
“Gaddy allegedly stole more than half a million taxpayer dollars by exploiting the personal information of dozens of former Troup County employees,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Such corruption is outrageous, and our office is committed to prosecuting anyone who manipulates a position of public service for unlawful private benefit.”
“Misappropriating public funds is a betrayal of the public trust and authorities granted with a role of public service," said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. “The FBI is committed to holding those accountable who abuse this trust and their position for their own gain.”
“As a public servant, Gaddy used her entrusted position to steal the identities of county employees to access taxpayers’ money for her benefit,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation special agents will continue investigating public officials and servants who steal from the taxpayers they are supposed to serve.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: In April 2025, a Troup County Sheriff’s Office deputy reported a discrepancy with his paycheck to the Troup County Board of Commissioners, which manages Troup County’s finances and is a recipient of federal funding. Specifically, the deputy noted that an employee portal showed several direct deposit payments were made to him when he did not work for the county and never received those payments.
A review of the county’s payroll data showed that, between March 2023 and May 2025, while Wesleigh Gaddy was Troup County’s payroll specialist, hundreds of payments, totaling more than $500,000, were withdrawn from county funds for the purported benefit of more than 75 former Troup County employees. But those funds were directed to only three banking accounts, and none of the employees worked for the county at the time of the payments. The complaint filed on July 3, 2025 alleges that Gaddy controlled at least one of the recipient accounts and that, when interviewed by law enforcement, Gaddy admitted to stealing funds from Troup County’s payroll and sending the money to her own accounts.
Members of the public are reminded that the complaint only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. The Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office referred the case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for federal investigation.
Assistant United States Attorneys Bethany L. Rupert and Garrett Bradford are prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Former CBP Officer Sentenced for Smuggling Cocaine from the U.S. Virgin Islands to AtlantaRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Ivan Van Beverhoudt, 45, a former U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, will serve a 20-year prison sentence following his convictions for importing and possessing with intent to distribute over 15 kilograms of cocaine.
“Van Beverhoudt betrayed his badge by committing one of the very crimes he was entrusted to prevent—smuggling dangerous drugs into our country,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Our office and its agency partners will hold accountable any law enforcement officer who abuses his authority for criminal ends, and Van Beverhoudt’s twenty-year sentence demonstrates that such abuse will be met with severe consequences.”
“This case highlights the severe repercussions for law enforcement officers who abuse their positions of trust,” said Steven N. Schrank, the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Georgia and Alabama. “Ivan Van Beverhoudt’s attempt to smuggle over 15 kilograms of cocaine into the country was a grave violation, and thanks to the efforts of HSI and our partners, he will spend 20 years behind bars.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On January 10, 2020, Van Beverhoudt, a CBP officer, boarded a commercial flight from St. Thomas to Atlanta with 16 bricks of cocaine in his two carry-on bags. To avoid TSA screening in St. Thomas, Van Beverhoudt traveled in his official capacity with his loaded CBP-issued firearm. Upon arriving at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, a CBP-trained narcotics K-9 officer in the jetway alerted to Van Beverhoudt’s luggage, which led to the discovery of the cocaine.
On February 24, 2025, following a five-day jury trial, Van Beverhoudt was convicted of conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, importation of cocaine into the United States, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, and possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
On July 8, 2025, United States District Judge J.P. Boulee sentenced Van Beverhoudt to 20 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, with valuable assistance provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Inspector General.
Assistant United States Attorneys Bethany L. Rupert, Bret R. Hobson, and Laurel B. Milam prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Fairburn Felon Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing Prescription Drugs Worth Nearly $400,000 and Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Malik Kiell Forte, 29, from Fairburn, Georgia has been sentenced for possessing a firearm after numerous felony convictions and stealing prescription drugs by burglarizing a warehouse and breaking into delivery vehicles parked outside of pharmacies around metro Atlanta.
“Criminals who steal prescription medications for profit will be identified, apprehended, and prosecuted,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Our office remains committed to protecting vulnerable patients and punishing gun-toting thieves.”
“Forte’s actions not only harmed the businesses he targeted but impacted the safety and costs for anyone who relies on these medications,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. “The FBI will hold anyone accountable who looks to line their own pockets by harming others.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Between March 2021 and June 2022, Forte and others stole nine shipments of prescription drugs from delivery vehicles parked in front of various pharmacies. Forte, and a co-conspirator, Jaquay Joseph, also stole prescription shipments from a pharmaceutical distribution center in Stone Mountain, Georgia. The pharmaceutical drugs, which included hydrocodone, oxycodone, and morphine among other drugs, had a value of nearly $400,000. When agents searched Forte’s home, they found some of the stolen pharmaceuticals. Additionally, agents recovered a Glock pistol from Forte’s bedroom. As a multi-convicted felon, Forte was prohibited from possessing that gun.
On July 2, 2025, Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr. sentenced Forte to four years, nine months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Forte was convicted of conspiracy to commit theft, theft of medical products, theft of interstate shipments, drug trafficking conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, after he pleaded guilty on February 5, 2025.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Dash A. Cooper prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Illegal Alien Felon and Georgia Man Arrested for Trafficking over 700 Pounds of Methamphetamine Hidden Within a Load of CucumbersRead the Press Release
GAINESVILLE, Ga. - Andres Jasso, Jr. and Rufino Pineda-Perez, an illegal alien, appeared in federal court yesterday on charges related to the seizure of over 700 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in a tractor-trailer load of cucumbers outside of a Gainesville warehouse.
“Thanks to the diligent work of our federal and state law enforcement partners, a tremendous amount of meticulously concealed methamphetamine was located, was seized, and will never hit the street,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Our office will aggressively prosecute criminals who attempt to use North Georgia as a distribution hub for their deadly poisons.”
“This case represents the continued commitment of the DEA to identify and hold accountable those who engage in the distribution of dangerous drugs,” said Jae W. Chung, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “Keeping our communities safe is our highest priority.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On June 30, 2025, DEA Atlanta agents learned that a tractor-trailer parked at a warehouse in Gainesville, Georgia potentially contained a large amount of drugs. At the warehouse, agents observed a sedan next to the tractor trailer. Jasso, Jr. was in the driver’s seat of the sedan, and Pineda-Perez was in the front passenger seat. During a search of the tractor-trailer, agents located 20 pallets of boxes containing cucumbers. Inside the boxes, agents uncovered thousands of individually wrapped packages containing methamphetamine. Jasso, Jr. and Pineda-Perez were allegedly tasked with offloading the shipment from the tractor-trailer and separating the drugs from the cucumbers. After DEA agents arrested Jasso, Jr. and Pineda-Perez, the agents learned that the total quantity of methamphetamine seized exceeded 700 pounds.
Pineda-Perez is allegedly a citizen and national of Mexico with no legal status in the United States. In 2001, Pineda-Perez was deported and removed from the United States following a felony conviction in Arizona for transporting marijuana. He illegally re-entered the United States thereafter and was encountered by federal agents in March 2014, while transporting nearly one kilogram of cocaine in the Atlanta area. In August 2015, a federal judge sentenced him to six and a half years of imprisonment. Upon completion of his prison sentence, Pineda-Perez was deported for a second time.
Andres Jasso, Jr., 37, of Brookhaven, Ga., and Rufino Pineda-Perez, 59, of Mexico, were charged in a criminal complaint on July 1, 2025, with possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Pineda-Perez was also charged in a separate criminal complaint with illegal reentry by a removed alien.
Members of the public are reminded that the criminal complaints only contain charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with valuable assistance provided by the Georgia State Patrol, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Assistant United States Attorney Johnny Baer is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to eliminate the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
The specific mission of the David G. Wilhelm Atlanta OCDETF Strike Force (Atlanta Strike Force) is to eliminate transnational organized crime syndicates and major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the Northern District of Georgia. To accomplish this mission, the Atlanta Strike Force will target these organizations’ leaders, focusing on targets designated as Consolidated Priority Organization Targets, Regional Priority Organization Targets, and their associates. The Atlanta Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from ATF, DEA, FBI, HSI, USMS, USPIS, and IRS, as well as numerous state and local agencies; and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.
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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga
Serial Bank Robber Sentenced to over 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Khyri Deandre Brown, 28, of Dallas, Ga., has been sentenced for robbing a bank, attempting to rob three additional banks, and brandishing a firearm during a November 2023 crime spree.
“Brown repeatedly threatened the lives of bank employees and customers by robbing or attempting to rob banks at gunpoint,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “This case exemplifies how law enforcement partnerships facilitate the successful prosecutions of dangerous offenders like Brown, whose crimes spanned multiple jurisdictions. Seamless coordination by our federal and local law enforcement partners brought Brown to justice and ended his reign of terror.”
“This case highlights the FBI’s commitment to working closely with our local partners to identify and arrest violent offenders who threaten public safety,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Brown’s armed crime spree endangered innocent lives across multiple communities. Thanks to the swift collaboration between law enforcement agencies, he was brought to justice before he could inflict real harm.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court, Brown committed the following armed robberies and attempted armed robberies.
- On November 17, 2023, Brown approached a teller window at a Wells Fargo Bank branch in Hampton, Georgia with a Pringles potato chip can in hand and demanded money. Brown then reached into his waistband as if he were retrieving a weapon. Before the employee complied with Brown’s request, Brown fled the bank without receiving any money.
- On November 18, 2023, Brown entered a Truist Bank branch in Atlanta with a Pringles can in one hand and retrieved a gun from his waistband. Brown walked up to a teller, pointed the gun at her, and demanded money. After the teller struggled to open her drawer for a few seconds, Brown fled the bank without receiving any money.
- On November 22, 2023, Brown entered a Truist Bank branch in Marietta, Georgia, approached the teller counter, stated that he was robbing the bank, and demanded money. After a few moments, Brown quickly exited the bank without receiving anything.
- On November 27, 2023, Brown entered a Fifth Third Bank branch carrying a green Pringles chip can. Brown walked up to a bank employee, lifted his shirt to display a gun tucked in his waistband, and demanded money. Brown then walked around the counter, grabbed money from the employee’s drawer, and placed the cash inside the Pringles can. He then fled the bank.
On November 29, 2023, officers from the Dallas Police Department arrested Brown after pulling over his vehicle in Paulding County, Georgia. Brown was the sole occupant of the vehicle. During the arrest, officers found, among other items, a large amount of cash in Brown’s pocket, a green Pringles chip can on the front passenger floorboard, and a gun on the rear floorboard.
On June 30, 2025, U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Geraghty sentenced Brown to ten years, five months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Brown was convicted on March 20, 2025, after he pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted bank robbery, one count of armed bank robbery, one count of attempted armed bank robbery, and one count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with valuable assistance from the Atlanta Police Department, Cobb County Police Department, Dallas Police Department, Lovejoy Police Department, and Marietta Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wylly, and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney McClellon D. Cox, III, prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Justice Department Announces Coordinated, Nationwide Actions to Combat North Korean Remote Information Technology Workers’ Illicit Revenue Generation SchemesRead the Press Release
Note: This press release has been updated to reflect new information regarding the guilty plea of one defendant in the District of Massachusetts.
The Justice Department announced today coordinated actions against the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea (DPRK) government’s schemes to fund its regime through remote information technology (IT) work for U.S. companies. These actions include two indictments, an information and related plea agreement, an arrest, searches of 29 known or suspected “laptop farms” across 16 states, and the seizure of 29 financial accounts used to launder illicit funds and 21 fraudulent websites.
According to court documents, the schemes involve North Korean individuals fraudulently obtaining employment with U.S. companies as remote IT workers, using stolen and fake identities. The North Korean actors were assisted by individuals in the United States, China, United Arab Emirates, and Taiwan, and successfully obtained employment with more than 100 U.S. companies.
As alleged in court documents, certain U.S.-based individuals enabled one of the schemes by creating front companies and fraudulent websites to promote the bona fides of the remote IT workers, and hosted laptop farms where the remote North Korean IT workers could remote access into U.S. victim company-provided laptop computers. Once employed, the North Korean IT workers received regular salary payments, and they gained access to, and in some cases stole, sensitive employer information such as export controlled U.S. military technology and virtual currency. In another scheme, North Korean IT workers used false or fraudulently obtained identities to gain employment with an Atlanta, Georgia-based blockchain research and development company and stole virtual currency worth approximately over $900,000.
“These schemes target and steal from U.S. companies and are designed to evade sanctions and fund the North Korean regime’s illicit programs, including its weapons programs,” said Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg of the Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department, along with our law enforcement, private sector, and international partners, will persistently pursue and dismantle these cyber-enabled revenue generation networks.”
“North Korean IT workers defraud American companies and steal the identities of private citizens, all in support of the North Korean regime,” said Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of FBI’s Cyber Division. “That is why the FBI and our partners continue to work together to disrupt infrastructure, seize revenue, indict overseas IT workers, and arrest their enablers in the United States. Let the actions announced today serve as a warning: if you host laptop farms for the benefit of North Korean actors, law enforcement will be waiting for you.”
“North Korea remains intent on funding its weapons programs by defrauding U.S. companies and exploiting American victims of identity theft, but the FBI is equally intent on disrupting this massive campaign and bringing its perpetrators to justice,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI Counterintelligence Division. “North Korean IT workers posing as U.S. citizens fraudulently obtained employment with American businesses so they could funnel hundreds of millions of dollars to North Korea’s authoritarian regime. The FBI will do everything in our power to defend the homeland and protect Americans from being victimized by the North Korean government, and we ask all U.S. companies that employ remote workers to remain vigilant to this sophisticated threat.”
Zhenxing Wang, et al. Indictment, Seizure Warrants, and Arrest – District of Massachusetts
Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts and the National Security Division announced the arrest of U.S. national Zhenxing “Danny” Wang of New Jersey pursuant to a five-count indictment. The indictment describes a multi-year fraud scheme by Wang and his co-conspirators to obtain remote IT work with U.S. companies that generated more than $5 million in revenue. The indictment also charges Chinese nationals Jing Bin Huang (靖斌 黄), Baoyu Zhou (周宝玉), Tong Yuze (佟雨泽), Yongzhe Xu (徐勇哲 andيونجزهي أكسو), Ziyou Yuan (زيو) and Zhenbang Zhou (周震邦), and Taiwanese nationals Mengting Liu (劉 孟婷) and Enchia Liu (刘恩) for their roles in the scheme. A second U.S. national, Kejia “Tony” Wang of New Jersey, has agreed to plead guilty for his role in the scheme and was charged separately in an information unsealed today.
“The threat posed by DPRK operatives is both real and immediate. Thousands of North Korean cyber operatives have been trained and deployed by the regime to blend into the global digital workforce and systematically target U.S. companies,” said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts. “We will continue to work relentlessly to protect U.S. businesses and ensure they are not inadvertently fueling the DPRK’s unlawful and dangerous ambitions.”
According to the indictment, from approximately 2021 until October 2024, the defendants and other co-conspirators compromised the identities of more than 80 U.S. persons to obtain remote jobs at more than 100 U.S. companies, including many Fortune 500 companies, and caused U.S. victim companies to incur legal fees, computer network remediation costs, and other damages and losses of at least $3 million. Overseas IT workers were assisted by Kejia Wang, Zhenxing Wang, and at least four other identified U.S. facilitators. Kejia Wang, for example, communicated with overseas co-conspirators and IT workers, and traveled to Shenyang and Dandong, China, including in 2023, to meet with them about the scheme. To deceive U.S. companies into believing the IT workers were located in the United States, Kejia Wang, Zhenxing Wang, and the other U.S. facilitators received and/or hosted laptops belonging to U.S. companies at their residences, and enabled overseas IT workers to access the laptops remotely by, among other things, connecting the laptops to hardware devices designed to allow for remote access (referred to as keyboard-video-mouse or “KVM” switches).
Kejia Wang and Zhenxing Wang also created shell companies with corresponding websites and financial accounts, including Hopana Tech LLC, Tony WKJ LLC, and Independent Lab LLC, to make it appear as though the overseas IT workers were affiliated with legitimate U.S. businesses. Kejia Wang and Zhenxing Wang established these and other financial accounts to receive money from victimized U.S. companies, much of which was subsequently transferred to overseas co‑conspirators. In exchange for their services, Kejia Wang, Zhenxing Wang, and the four other U.S. facilitators received a total of at least $696,000 from the IT workers.
IT workers employed under this scheme also gained access to sensitive employer data and source code, including International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) data from a California-based defense contractor that develops artificial intelligence-powered equipment and technologies. Specifically, between on or about Jan. 19, 2024, and on or about April 2, 2024, an overseas co-conspirator remotely accessed without authorization the company’s laptop and computer files containing technical data and other information. The stolen data included information marked as being controlled under the ITAR.
Simultaneously with today’s announcement, the FBI and Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) seized 17 web domains used in furtherance of the charged scheme and further seized 29 financial accounts, holding tens of thousands of dollars in funds, used to launder revenue for the North Korean regime through the remote IT work scheme.
Previously, in October 2024, as part of this investigation, federal law enforcement executed searches at eight locations across three states that resulted in the recovery of more than 70 laptops and remote access devices, such as KVMs. Simultaneously with that action, the FBI seized four web domains associated with Kejia Wang’s and Zhenxing Wang’s shell companies used to facilitate North Korean IT work.
The FBI Las Vegas Field Office, DCIS San Diego Resident Agency, and Homeland Security Investigations San Diego Field Office are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Casey for the District of Massachusetts and Trial Attorney Gregory J. Nicosia, Jr. of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the case, with significant assistance from Legal Assistants Daniel Boucher and Margaret Coppes. Valuable assistance was also provided by Mark A. Murphy of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, and Southern District of California.
Kim Kwang Jin et al. Indictment – Northern District of Georgia
Today, the Northern District of Georgia unsealed a five-count wire fraud and money laundering indictment charging four North Korean nationals, Kim Kwang Jin (김관진), Kang Tae Bok (강태복), Jong Pong Ju (정봉주) and Chang Nam Il (창남일), with a scheme to steal virtual currency from two companies, valued at over $900,000 at the time of the thefts, and to launder proceeds of those thefts. The defendants remain at large and wanted by the FBI.
“The defendants used fake and stolen personal identities to conceal their North Korean nationality, pose as remote IT workers, and exploit their victims’ trust to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg for the Northern District of Georgia. “This indictment highlights the unique threat North Korea poses to companies that hire remote IT workers and underscores our resolve to prosecute any actor, in the United States or abroad, who steals from Georgia businesses.”
According to the indictment, the defendants traveled to the United Arab Emirates on North Korean travel documents and worked as a co-located team. In approximately December 2020 and May 2021, respectively, Kim Kwang Jin (using victim P.S.’s stolen identity) and Jong Pong Ju (using the alias “Bryan Cho”) were hired by a blockchain research and development company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and a virtual token company based in Serbia. Both defendants concealed their North Korean identities from their employers by providing false identification documents containing a mix of stolen and fraudulent identity information. Neither company would have hired Kim Kwang Jin and Jong Pong Ju had they known that they were North Korean citizens. Later, on a recommendation from Jong Pong Ju, the Serbian company hired “Peter Xiao,” who in fact was Chang Nam Il.
After gaining their employers’ trust, Kim Kwang Jin and Jong Pong Ju were assigned projects that provided them access to their employers’ virtual currency assets. In February 2022, Jong Pong Ju used that access to steal virtual currency worth approximately $175,000 at the time of the theft, sending it to a virtual currency address he controlled. In March 2022, Kim Kwang Jin stole virtual currency worth approximately $740,000 at the time of theft by modifying the source code of two of his employer’s smart contracts, then sending it to a virtual currency address he controlled.
To launder the funds after the thefts, Kim Kwang Jin and Jong Pong Ju “mixed” the stolen funds using the virtual currency mixer Tornado Cash and then transferred the funds to virtual currency exchange accounts controlled by defendants Kang Tae Bok and Chang Nam Il but held in the name of aliases. These accounts were opened using fraudulent Malaysian identification documents.
The FBI Atlanta Field Office is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samir Kaushal and Alex Sistla for the Northern District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Jacques Singer-Emery of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the case.
21 Searches of Known or Suspected U.S.-based Laptop Farms – Multi-District
Between June 10 and June 17, 2025, the FBI executed searches of 21 premises across 14 states hosting known and suspected laptop farms. These actions, coordinated by the FBI Denver Field Office, related to investigations of North Korean remote IT worker schemes being conducted by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices of the District of Colorado, Eastern District of Missouri, and Northern District of Texas. In total, the FBI seized approximately 137 laptops.
Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the District of Connecticut, the Eastern District of Michigan, the Eastern District of Wisconsin, the Middle District of Florida, the Northern District of Georgia, the Northern District of Illinois, the Northern District of Indiana, the District of Oregon, the Southern District of Florida, the Southern District of Ohio, the Western District of New York, and the Western District of Pennsylvania.
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The Department’s actions to combat these schemes are the latest in a series of law enforcement actions under a joint National Security Division and FBI Cyber and Counterintelligence Divisions effort, the DPRK RevGen: Domestic Enabler Initiative. This effort prioritizes targeting and disrupting the DPRK’s illicit revenue generation schemes and its U.S.-based enablers. The Department previously announced other actions pursuant to the initiative, including in January 2025 and prior, as well as the filing of a civil forfeiture complaint in early June 2025 for over $7.74 million tied to an illegal employment scheme.
As the FBI has described in Public Service Announcements published in May 2024 and January 2025, North Korean remote IT workers posing as legitimate remote IT workers have committed data extortion and exfiltrated the proprietary and sensitive data from U.S. companies. DPRK IT worker schemes typically involve the use of stolen identities, alias emails, social media, online cross-border payment platforms, and online job site accounts, as well as false websites, proxy computers, and witting and unwitting third parties located in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Other public advisories about the threats, red flag indicators, and potential mitigation measures for these schemes include a May 2022 advisory released by the FBI, Department of the Treasury, and Department of State; a July 2023 advisory from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; and guidance issued in October 2023 by the United States and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). As described the May 2022 advisory, North Korean IT workers have been known individually to earn up to $300,000 annually, generating hundreds of millions of dollars collectively each year, on behalf of designated entities, such as the North Korean Ministry of Defense and others directly involved in the DPRK’s weapons programs.
The U.S. Department of State has offered potential rewards for up to $5 million in support of international efforts to disrupt the DPRK’s illicit financial activities, including for cybercrimes, money laundering, and sanctions evasion.
The details in the above-described court documents are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Four North Koreans Charged in Nearly $1 Million Cryptocurrency Theft SchemeRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Four North Korean nationals, Kim Kwang Jin (김관진), Kang Tae Bok (강태복), Jong Pong Ju (정봉주), and Chang Nam Il (창남일), have been charged in a five-count wire fraud and money laundering indictment arising from a scheme to be hired as remote IT workers and then steal and launder over $900,000 in virtual currency.
“The defendants used fake and stolen personal identities to conceal their North Korean nationality, pose as remote IT workers, and exploit their victims’ trust to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “This indictment highlights the unique threat North Korea poses to companies that hire remote IT workers and underscores our resolve to prosecute any actor, in the United States or abroad, who steals from Georgia businesses.”
“These schemes target and steal from U.S. companies and are designed to evade sanctions and fund the North Korean regime’s illicit programs, including its weapons programs,” said John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for the Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department, along with our law enforcement, private sector, and international partners, will persistently pursue and dismantle these cyber-enabled revenue generation networks.”
“North Korean operatives used false identities to infiltrate companies and steal digital assets to fund their regime,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI is committed to exposing these threats and protecting U.S. businesses from nation-state cybercrime.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the indictment, and other information presented in court: To generate revenue for the regime, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (“North Korea” or “DPRK”) dispatches thousands of skilled IT workers around the world to deceive and infiltrate American companies. In October 2019, the defendants traveled to the United Arab Emirates on North Korean documents and worked there as a team. In approximately December 2020 and May 2021, respectively, Kim Kwang Jin (using victim P.S.’s stolen identity) and Jong Pong Ju (using the alias “Bryan Cho”) were hired as developers by an Atlanta, Georgia-based blockchain research and development company and a Serbian virtual token company. Both defendants concealed their North Korean identities from their employers by providing false identification documents containing a mix of stolen and fraudulent identity information. Neither company would have hired Kim Kwang Jin or Jong Pong Ju had it known the defendants were North Korean citizens. Later, on a recommendation from Jong Pong Ju, the Serbian company hired “Peter Xiao,” who in fact was Chang Nam Il.
After gaining their employers’ trust, Kim Kwang Jin and Jong Pong Ju were assigned projects that provided them access to their employers’ virtual currency assets. In February 2022, Jong Pong Ju used that access to steal virtual currency then worth approximately $175,000. In March 2022, Kim Kwang Jin stole virtual currency then worth approximately $740,000 by modifying the source code of two of his employer’s smart contracts.
To launder the funds after the thefts, Kim Kwang Jin and Jong Pong Ju used a virtual currency mixer and then transferred the funds to virtual currency exchange accounts controlled by defendants Kang Tae Bok and Chang Nam Il but held in the names of aliases. The accounts were opened using fraudulent Malaysian identification documents.
Kim Kwang Jin (김관진), Kang Tae Bok (강태복), Jong Pong Ju (정봉주), and Chang Nam Il (창남일) were indicted by a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia on June 24, 2025.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and the government bears the burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is part of the Department of Justice’s DPRK RevGen: Domestic Enabler Initiative. Under the Initiative, launched by the National Security Division and FBI Cyber and Counterintelligence Divisions in March 2024, federal prosecutors and agents prioritize high-impact, strategic, and unified enforcement and disruption operations targeting the DPRK’s illicit revenue generation efforts and the U.S.-based enablers of those efforts.
Assistant United States Attorneys Samir Kaushal and Alex R. Sistla, and Trial Attorney Jacques Singer-Emery of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section, are prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga
Two Illegal Aliens Charged with Assaulting and Resisting Federal Law Enforcement OfficersRead the Press Release
ATLANTA & GAINESVILLE, Ga. - Ricardo Trejo-Martinez and Hector Beltran-Ledesma, both illegal aliens from Mexico, were charged this week with assaulting or resisting federal deportation officers. The charges arise from two separate incidents. Additionally, Beltran-Ledesma was charged with illegally re-entering the United States after prior deportation.
“Interference with law enforcement and attacks on officers are unjustifiable,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Abiding by a policy of zero tolerance, our Office will vigorously and expeditiously hold accountable anyone who endangers or violently obstructs federal law enforcement officers.”
“Violence and physical resistance against our men and women of law enforcement who place themselves at risk to enhance public safety will never be tolerated,” said Steven N. Schrank, the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. “Our agents are committed to holding those who choose violence accountable, and thanks to their diligent efforts, Ricardo Trejo-Martinez and Hector Beltran-Ledesma, both illegal aliens, are now facing serious charges for their actions.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court:
- On May 20, 2025, a deportation officer conducted a vehicle stop on a four-lane highway in Commerce, Georgia to execute an administrative arrest warrant for an illegal alien. The driver, subsequently identified as Ricardo Trejo-Martinez, was the sole occupant of the vehicle. Trejo-Martinez allegedly refused to comply with the officer’s requests to provide identification and, once outside the vehicle, shoved the deportation officer into the highway as vehicles passed.
- On June 21, 2025, two deportation officers were tasked with locating and arresting Hector Beltran-Ledesma, a previously removed alien. Beltran-Ledesma was located upon leaving his home in Roswell, Georgia. He allegedly attempted to flee upon seeing the officers and, after receiving commands to stop, forcibly resisted arrest.
Members of the public are reminded that the complaints only contain charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Both cases are being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Social Security Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing BenefitsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Christina Daniels, a former employee of the Social Security Administration, pled guilty yesterday in federal court to theft of government property and aggravated identity theft.
“As an employee of the Social Security Administration, Daniels was entrusted with access to millions of beneficiaries’ personally identifiable information. She abused that trust by accessing sensitive information and using it to steal from the very people she was hired to serve,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Our office is dedicated to rooting out this type of fraud and prosecuting such offenses to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Social Security Administration (SSA) employees are entrusted in serving the people - not abusing their important position by stealing money from the people that they are meant to serve to line their own pockets,” said Michelle L. Anderson, Assistant Inspector General for Audit performing the duties of the Inspector General. “This fraudulent direct deposit diversion is intolerable behavior; we will hold each SSA employee accountable who chooses to violate our nation’s trust for their personal gain.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Between January 2023 to May 2024, Christina Daniels used her position at the Social Security Administration office in Norcross, Georgia, to change the direct deposit information for approximately 28 beneficiaries. As a customer service representative, Daniels was able to make changes to beneficiaries’ direct deposit information. Daniels abused this authority to steal more than $110,000.
She accomplished her theft by first opening Green Dot and Cash App accounts using personally identifiable information belonging to unwitting Social Security beneficiaries. After she created the new accounts, she changed the direct deposit information of the unsuspecting beneficiaries to one of the newly opened Green Dot or Cash App accounts that she controlled.
An internal investigation was launched after several retirement beneficiaries reported that they had not received their monthly benefit payments. Subsequent internal and law enforcement investigations revealed that Daniels had changed the direct deposit information for approximately 28 beneficiaries and that she redirected the benefits to accounts that she opened using the stolen PII of other beneficiaries – some of whom were her family members.
Daniels, 47, of Winder, Georgia, pled guilty to one count of theft of government money, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years of imprisonment. In determining the actual sentence, the court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.
Sentencing is scheduled for a future date before United States District Judge J.P. Boulee.
This case is being investigated by the Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General. Special Assistant United States Attorney Diane C. Schulman is prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Pipe Bomber Found Guilty of Blowing up ATMRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Abdurrahim Jalal has been convicted of blowing up a bank automated teller machine and possessing illegal explosive devices.
“Criminals who use dangerous explosives to commit crimes will face federal prosecution to the fullest extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “We will not tolerate conduct that puts innocent lives at risk or threatens the safety and stability of our communities.”
“Jalal put his own greed ahead of the safety of our community. The FBI will use every resource available to find anyone who would go to the extreme use of a bomb to illegally obtain money,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown.
"The use of explosives in criminal activities poses an immense threat to public safety, and we will continue to work diligently to ensure that those who engage in such acts are brought to justice," said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka.
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Abdurrahim Jalal was convicted of bank theft, use of an explosive to commit a felony, arson, and two counts of possession of an unregistered destructive device following a bench trial on June 23, 2025. The evidence at trial revealed that on March 29, 2023, Jalal used a pipe bomb to blow up an ATM in Decatur, Georgia. Jalal took approximately $88,000 from the vault of the machine after the explosion. Investigators identified Jalal and obtained a warrant to search his home, during which they recovered additional pipe bombs.
Sentencing for Abdurrahim Jalal, 54, of DeKalb County, Georgia, is scheduled for September 22, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Michael L. Brown. Jalal faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to 60 years of imprisonment followed by up to three years of supervised release. In determining Jalal’s actual sentence, the court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, DeKalb County Police Department, and DeKalb County Fire Rescue Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Dash A. Cooper is prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Marietta Man Arrested for Trafficking Ten Kilograms of Fentanyl from MexicoRead the Press Release
GAINESVILLE, Ga. - Rodrigo Morales-Figueroa, 29, of Marietta, Ga., appeared in federal court on June 23, 2025, following his arrest on federal charges of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
“Foreign cartels profit from the addiction and deaths of Americans, pushing fentanyl and other dangerous drugs in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Our federal law enforcement partners saved countless lives by working quickly in this investigation, which disrupted a major drug trafficking pipeline from Mexico.”
“This case represents the continued commitment of the DEA to identify and hold accountable those who engage in the distribution of dangerous drugs,” said Jae W. Chung, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “Keeping our communities safe is our highest priority.”
“The dangers of fentanyl cannot be overstated, and this arrest demonstrates our resolve to protect our communities from its devastating impact,” said Steven N. Schrank, the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. “Thanks to the diligent work of HSI and our law enforcement partners, we successfully intercepted ten kilograms of fentanyl, preventing this poison from reaching the streets of Georgia.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: In early June 2025, law enforcement seized ten kilograms of fentanyl hidden in car batteries transported by a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization (DTO). On June 17, 2025, federal investigators learned that the DTO planned to send a courier to pick up the fentanyl. On the following day, Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations special agents conducted a controlled delivery of ten kilograms of fake fentanyl to the agreed-upon location for the pick-up in Gainesville, Georgia.
Rodrigo Morales-Figueroa arrived at the pick-up location, allegedly reviewed the packages of fake fentanyl, and loaded the packages into his car. Hall County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office deputies assisting with the operation arrested Morales-Figueroa shortly thereafter.
Members of the public are reminded that the complaint only alleges a charge. Morales-Figueroa has not yet been indicted by a grand jury. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charge, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Hall County Sheriff’s Office.
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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Keen is prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Two Convicted for their Roles in Multi-Million Dollar Transnational Telephone ScamRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Pradip Parikh, 67, of Valley Stream, New York, and Alpesh Patel, 40, of Louisa, Virginia, have been convicted for their roles in a scam that defrauded unsuspecting Americans out of millions of dollars after a five-day jury trial.
“This case involved a scheme to defraud multiple victims – many of whom were elderly – and to callously rob them of their hard-earned savings,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “The defendants and their conspirators within and outside the United States enriched themselves through government-imposter scams designed to exploit the public’s inherent trust in federal institutions. The jury has spoken, and Parikh and Patel will now be held accountable for their crimes.”
“These defendants deliberately preyed on some of our most vulnerable citizens—particularly the elderly—by impersonating Social Security officials and exploiting their trust,” said Michelle L. Anderson, Assistant Inspector General for Audit performing the duties of the Social Security Administration (SSA), Inspector General. “This telephone imposter scheme defrauded millions of Americans and caused real harm to individuals who believed they were protecting their benefits. Today’s convictions send a clear message: we will relentlessly pursue those who weaponize fear and deceit to commit fraud, and we thank our law enforcement partners for helping bring these perpetrators to justice.”
“These defendants targeted mostly older adults to cheat them out of their savings,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. “This sentencing should make it known to individuals that protecting our most vulnerable community members is critically important, and we will hold accountable those who engage in these sorts of egregious fraud schemes.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: In 2022, Pradip Parikh, Alpesh Patel, and eight others were indicted for running, promoting, and profiting from an India-based call center scam targeting Americans. The fraudsters typically identified themselves as Social Security Administration employees, telling the victims that their Social Security Numbers had been compromised in connection with criminal activity and promising to help “protect” their assets. Upon luring the victims to agree to this offer, the fraudsters directed the victims to send money to bank accounts controlled by Parikh, Patel, and other conspirators.
During the defendants’ trial, a 70-year-old victim from New Jersey testified that one of the conspirators told her that she would be arrested and lose all her assets if she did not transfer funds to accounts that the caller designated. In response, the victim transferred more than $600,000 of her lifesavings to multiple banks accounts, including $150,000 to an account called “JDM Management” that Parikh controlled.
A recently widowed mother of eight testified that she transferred over $300,000 to JDM Management’s account as part of the scheme. Parikh then laundered the funds, retaining thousands for himself and transferring the balance to a conspirator.
Other victims testified that they wired money to an account called “Seven Points Agency” that Patel controlled. Evidence admitted during trial revealed that the Seven Points Agency account was opened just before scam victims began wiring money into it. More than $100,000 was deposited into the account in the span of two days, and Patel immediately diverted those funds to a conspirator after keeping approximately $10,000 for himself.
Pradip Parikh and Alpesh Patel were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and two substantive counts of money laundering. The jury convicted Patel of all the counts. Parikh was convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering and two substantive counts of money laundering.
The conspiracy to commit wire fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years of imprisonment, and the money laundering counts each carry a maximum penalty of ten years of incarceration. In determining the actual sentence, the court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.
Sentencing hearings for the defendants will be scheduled at a future date before United States District Judge William M. Ray II.
This case is being investigated by the Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Angela Adams and Special Assistant United States Attorney Diane C. Schulman are prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is part of the Department of Justice Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force. The Strike Force focuses on investigating and prosecuting defendants associated with foreign-based fraud schemes that disproportionately affect American seniors. These include romance scams, phone scams, mass-mailing fraud schemes, and tech-support fraud schemes. For further information on these scams, see https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice/senior-scam-alert.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Remote Patient Monitoring Company Settles False Claims Act Lawsuit for $1.29 MillionRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Health Wealth Safe, Inc. and Dr. Subodh Agrawal have paid $1.29 million to settle allegations that they knowingly caused false claims to be presented to Medicare.
“Knowingly billing Medicare for services that do not meet Medicare’s requirements is a fraud against taxpayers,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Our office will continue to enforce the False Claims Act to recover government payments that result from such misconduct.”
“Healthcare professionals have a sworn duty to prioritize patient health and to ensure all services billed to the federal government are fully compliant with program requirements,” said Kelly Blackmon, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to safeguard the integrity of the Medicare program.”
The investigation began when former employees of Health Wealth Safe, Inc. (“Health Wealth”) filed a whistleblower lawsuit under the False Claims Act referred to as a qui tam suit. The False Claims Act is a federal law that imposes civil liability on any person who submits false claims to the federal government or its contractors. The law imposes treble damages and civil penalties on those who submit false claims. Under the law, whistleblowers (also called “relators”) who bring fraud to the government’s attention share in any recovery obtained by the government.
The United States alleged that, at the direction of owner Dr. Subodh Agrawal, Health Wealth caused claims to be presented to Medicare for remote physiologic monitoring (RPM) services that were not reimbursable. RPM involves the use of non-face-to-face technology to monitor and analyze a patient’s physiological metrics, such as oxygen saturation, blood pressure, weight, and blood-sugar or blood-oxygen levels. For monitoring services to be covered by Medicare, the monitoring devices must automatically report readings to the monitoring company without further human intervention. The United States alleged that Health Wealth knowingly billed for RPM services even though it failed to provide patients with devices that met these requirements between September 2019 and January 2021.
The settlement resolved the underlying lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, United States ex rel. Chavous v. Health Wealth Safe, Inc., No. 1:22-cv-02553. The relator will receive $238,650 from the settlement in this matter, plus attorney’s fees.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General.
The civil settlement was reached by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony DeCinque.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Justice Department Ramps up Community Outreach and Prosecution of Fraudsters Targeting Elderly VictimsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - In recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi and U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg announced that the Justice Department has increased efforts to protect American seniors from schemes that cost victims billions of dollars, often depleting their life savings. In the past few months, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia has prosecuted several fraudsters who targeted the elderly as well as conducted outreach to educate law enforcement about these schemes.
“Prosecutors across the country are stepping up the fight against malicious schemes that target older Americans,” said Attorney General Bondi. “We are working with domestic law enforcement and foreign counterparts every day to hold criminals accountable and ensure that justice is done for our seniors both here at home and abroad.”
“Our Office is committed to identifying and prosecuting fraudsters who target elderly citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Hertzberg. “We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to bring opportunistic scammers to justice and ensure they get the punishment they deserve.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office utilizes a two-pronged approach to addressing the threat of elder abuse by: (i) identifying and prosecuting domestic and foreign criminals involved in perpetrating elder fraud schemes and laundering the proceeds of their crimes; and (ii) engaging with law enforcement partners and community groups to educate them about elder fraud offenses and preventive measures to avoid such scams.
Elder Fraud Schemes
Although elder fraud may occur in a variety of ways, the most common schemes involve romance fraud, lottery fraud, tech support fraud, and grandparent scams.
- Romance fraud involves perpetrators who feign romantic interest in victims in order to later extract money or property under false pretenses.
- Lottery fraud schemes trick victims into believing they have won a non-existent lottery or sweepstakes prize to extract fake fees, taxes, or other fabricated charges from the victim.
- Tech support fraud scams involve perpetrators deceiving victims into believing that a computer or phone is faulty, often through fake pop-up messages, followed by demands for payment to repair the problem.
- Grandparent scams involve scammers impersonating a grandchild or other close relative experiencing a fictitious emergency who needs money from the victim as soon as possible.
Recent Prosecutions
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has achieved significant results in prosecuting recent elder fraud matters.
- U.S. v. Parikh, et al. On June 18, 2025, Pradip Parikh and Alpesh Patel were convicted following a jury trial for their roles in receiving and laundering fraud proceeds arising from an Indian call center scam. The scam callers—posing as government officials—scared victims into believing that they faced serious financial or legal problems because their social security numbers had been compromised. To avoid the perceived consequences, these victims, many of whom were elderly, were instructed to deposit cashier’s checks in or wire money to bank accounts identified by the scammers. Parikh and Patel each controlled and operated a bank account that received the victims’ funds. Parikh was convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering and two counts of money laundering. Patel was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and two counts of money laundering. While Parikh and Patel are awaiting sentencing, on April 14, 2025, co-defendants Robert Starling and Sarah Starling received sentences of 27 months and 20 months imprisonment, respectively, after pleading guilty. The court also ordered restitution to the victims.
- U.S. v. Young, et al. and U.S. v. Grey. In April 2025, Rederic Young and Randolph Leggs pleaded guilty to bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering for their roles in a retirement account takeover scheme. According to court documents, from July 2022 through January 2023, scammers involved in the scheme tricked an investment management company into authorizing a distribution to an imposter posing as the true accountholder. The conspirators created phony identification documents for the victim accountholder to open bank accounts in the victim’s name, which were used to receive and launder the stolen funds. In a related case, on June 10, 2025, Kendall Grey, a former community relations business associate, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. Grey abused his position as a bank employee to open the fraudulent bank accounts used by Young and Leggs, knowing the accounts would be utilized to receive and launder proceeds of the identity theft crime. Sentencing hearings for Young, Leggs, and Grey are pending.
Outreach Efforts
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) Outreach Program. On June 11, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office participated in an Elder Abuse Training for law enforcement presented in partnership with the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, and the Georgia Department of Human Services. The event hosted more than 125 attendees from approximately 45 agencies and service organizations across the district.
National Elder Fraud Hotline 2025 WEAAD Campaign. The National Elder Fraud Hotline is a free, national resource for older adults and their loved ones experiencing financial fraud. Supported by the Office for Victims of Crime, the National Elder Fraud Hotline is staffed by professionals experienced in working with older adults. Staff are continuously updated on the latest scams, are trained to make referrals concerning resources and services in the older adult’s local area and to assist older adults in placing a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, a report which has the potential to freeze funds.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: (833) FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311). This Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly to appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step, enabling authorities to identify those who commit fraud and to report certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible to increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm Eastern Time. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is part of the Department of Justice’s Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force. The Strike Force focuses on investigating and prosecuting defendants associated with foreign-based fraud schemes that disproportionately affect American seniors. These include romance scams, phone scams, mass-mailing fraud schemes, and tech-support fraud schemes. For further information on these scams, see https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice/senior-scam-alert.
More information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov or at (877) FTC-HELP (877-382-4357). The Department of Justice provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at www.ovc.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Former Fulton County Deputy Sheriff Charged with Excessively Tasing Three Detainees and Obstructing JusticeRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Khadijah Solomon, a former deputy with the Fulton County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office, was arraigned today on charges of using unreasonable force by repeatedly tasing three detainees without legal justification and obstructing of justice by lying in official reports to cover up her unlawful conduct.
“Law enforcement officers in this district perform their duties professionally and honorably, but those who abuse their power will be held accountable for their unlawful conduct,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “On three occasions, Khadijah Solomon allegedly tased Fulton County Jail detainees without a legitimate purpose, causing each of them pain and injury. Abuses of power of this kind are unconstitutional, erode our community’s trust, and will be prosecuted.”
“The Civil Rights Division has zero tolerance for law enforcement officers who abuse public trust through excessive force and concealing their misconduct,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We will vigorously safeguard the constitutional rights of all individuals, including those in custody, and ensure accountability in this case.”
“The FBI is committed to protecting the civil rights of all individuals, including those in custody,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “When a law enforcement officer betrays the badge by using unlawful force and attempting to cover it up, it not only harms the victim—it undermines the integrity of our entire justice system. We will continue to work with our partners to investigate and hold accountable those who abuse their authority.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the indictment, information provided in court, and other publicly available information: The use-of-force policy implemented by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) directs officers to use force that is objectively reasonable. To determine whether force is objectively reasonable, officers are required to consider the severity of the crime, the immediate threat posed by the subject, and whether the subject is actively resisting. Consistent with the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the FCSO’s policy forbids deploying a taser as a form of punishment.
In violation of this policy, Solomon, a former jail supervisor with the FCSO, allegedly fired her county-issued Taser to repeatedly shock and stun three male detainees without legal justification. Each incident was recorded by Solomon’s body worn camera. The evidence showed that each of the detainees, one of whom was handcuffed at the time, was compliant and non-threatening when Solomon repeatedly tased him. Following each incident, Solomon prepared reports about the incidents that allegedly contained materially false information about the detainee’s conduct and lies about her use of force.
Khadijah Solomon, 47, of Fairburn, Georgia, was arraigned today before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Russell G. Vineyard. She was indicted by a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia on June 10, 2025.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorneys Brent Alan Gray and Bret R. Hobson and Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Briana M. Clark are prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Leader of Multi-Million Dollar International Money Laundering and Drug Trafficking Ring ConvictedRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Monica Dominguez Torres, 36, of Mexico, pleaded guilty on June 13, 2025, to federal charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Dominguez led a transnational criminal organization that operated methamphetamine conversion laboratories in the Atlanta area and laundered millions of dollars of drug proceeds to Mexico.
“Dominguez’s elaborate criminal operation has been dismantled, and more than $3.5 million of illicit drug proceeds have been seized as a result of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners’ diligent work,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Our office will continue to aggressively prosecute individuals like Dominguez who seek an undeserved life of luxury by trafficking deadly drugs in our community.”
Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division stated, “Through hard work, this drug trafficking and money laundering network has been removed from our streets. This criminal organization had no regard for the destructive impact on our communities.”
“This conviction sends a strong message to those who think they can live a life of luxury funded by illegal activities,” said Steven N. Schrank, the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. “Thanks to the dedicated collaboration between HSI and our law enforcement partners at the federal, state, and local levels, we were able to dismantle Monica Dominguez Torres’s multi-million dollar drug trafficking and money laundering ring, seizing millions in illicit proceeds and bringing her to justice.”
“Monica Torres led a transnational organized crime organization, which like others of its nature, threatens the national and economic security of the United States,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation special agents, along with our other federal, state, and local law enforcement partners of the Atlanta Strike Force are working together to find, investigate, and bring to justice those who endanger American citizens lives through their drug trafficking and other illicit crimes.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges and other information presented in court: Monica Dominguez Torres’s organization operated methamphetamine conversion laboratories where liquid methamphetamine, obtained from sources in Mexico, was converted into hundreds of kilograms of crystal methamphetamine to be sold in the Atlanta area and elsewhere. Dominguez and her associates also used residences in the Atlanta area to collect and count millions of dollars in cash from these drug sales. The proceeds were laundered and sent to coconspirators in Mexico.
As part of the criminal operation, Dominguez and her associates purchased millions of dollars’ worth of real estate, vehicles, and luxury goods – all designed to conceal the illicit source of their wealth. The investigation revealed that Dominguez purchased five separate residences, including a seven-bedroom waterfront home in Jonesboro, Georgia. Three of these residences were purchased with bulk cash brought directly to the transaction. Dominguez and others also purchased nine luxury vehicles worth approximately $780,000. Dominguez also spent lavishly on high-end goods, including nearly $400,000 at Louis Vuitton and more than $425,000 at Burberry over roughly four and a half years.
During the investigation, agents seized nearly $3.6 million in cash from Dominguez’s residences, stash locations, and associates. When agents arrested Dominguez at her Conyers, Georgia home in February 2024, they seized more than $1.7 million in cash, five firearms, and three vehicles.
Dominguez is scheduled to be sentenced on September 15, 2025, at 1:30 pm, before Chief United States District Judge Leigh Martin May. Regarding her drug trafficking conviction, Dominguez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life in prison, a maximum $10,000,000 fine, and a minimum of five years of supervised release. The money laundering conviction carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a maximum $500,000 fine or twice the value of the laundered funds, up to three years of supervised release, and forfeiture of property involved in the offense.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, and Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations, with valuable assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Marshals Service, Georgia State Patrol, the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, and the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorneys John T. DeGenova, Deputy Chief of the Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Section, and Nicholas L. Evert 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to eliminate the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
The specific mission of the David G. Wilhelm Atlanta OCDETF Strike Force (Atlanta Strike Force) is to eliminate transnational organized crime syndicates and major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the Northern District of Georgia. To accomplish this mission, the Atlanta Strike Force will target these organizations’ leaders, focusing on targets designated as Consolidated Priority Organization Targets, Regional Priority Organization Targets, and their associates. The Atlanta Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from ATF, DEA, FBI, HSI, USMS, USPIS, and IRS, as well as numerous state and local agencies; and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Duluth Man Indicted for Threatening Two U.S. Senators and their FamiliesRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Robert Davis Forney, 25, of Duluth, Georgia, was arraigned today before a United States Magistrate Judge on federal charges of communicating threats in interstate commerce. Forney was indicted by a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia on June 10, 2025.
“Threatening our elected officials and their families is an act of violence that undermines our entire democracy,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Political discourse and disagreements never justify resorting to vile attacks against our nation’s leaders.”
“Targeting public officials with threatening messages is a serious federal crime,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. “There is no place for political violence or threats of violence in the United States. We will not hesitate to arrest and charge others who engage in similar criminal conduct.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On January 9, 2025, Forney twice called the office of Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and left voicemails in which he threatened sexual violence against Senator Cruz and the senator’s family. The following day, Forney called the office of Nebraska U.S. Senator Deb Fischer and left a voicemail in which he threatened sexual violence against Senator Fischer as well.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bret R. Hobson and Brent Alan Gray are prosecuting the case.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Capitol Police.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Illegal Alien Sentenced for Assaulting a Federal Officer and Setting an Apartment Building on FireRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Armando Carrillo-Diaz, 45, an illegal alien from Rioverde, San Luis Potosí, Mexico, has been sentenced for assaulting a federal officer, arson, and illegally reentering the United States.
“When illegal aliens resort to extreme and dangerous measures to avoid removal, they not only violate our immigration laws but also put law enforcement officers and the public at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Our Office is committed to taking decisive action to hold accountable those who attack law enforcement officers and endanger the community.”
“This conviction sends a strong message to those who think they can evade justice by resorting to dangerous and reckless actions,” said Steven N. Schrank, the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. “Thanks to the dedicated collaboration between HSI and our law enforcement partners at the federal, state, and local levels, we were able to catch Armando Carrillo-Diaz, an illegal alien, and hold him accountable for his reckless and fiery attempts to evade justice.”
“Carrillo-Diaz posed a serious threat to law enforcement and the community,” said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Benjamin Gibbons. “Our top priority is working with our law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges and other information presented in court: On April 26, 2023, deportation officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) attempted to arrest Armando Carrillo-Diaz in the parking lot of his apartment complex. Carrillo-Diaz nearly struck one of the officers as he fled from the scene in a pickup truck.
When ERO officers later returned to his residence to locate him, Carrillo-Diaz attempted to evade capture by setting his apartment on fire. The fire spread, prompting the Gwinnett County, Georgia, Fire Department to evacuate residents from the building. Carrillo-Diaz then sliced his own throat with a box cutter when the officers tried to apprehend him. The officers immediately rendered medical aid and arranged for Carrillo-Diaz’s transport to a local hospital.
On June 26, 2024, a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia returned a superseding indictment charging Carrillo-Diaz with the offenses of Assaulting a Federal Officer, Arson, and Illegally Reentering the United States.
On June 11, 2025, U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen sentenced Carrillo-Diaz to five years in prison followed by one year of supervised release. Carrillo-Diaz was convicted of these charges on January 29, 2025, after he pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by ERO, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Gwinnett County Fire Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Dash A. Cooper prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Mahlega Abdsharafat and Creative Hospice Settle Health Care Kickback Claims for $9.2 MillionRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Mahlega Abdsharafat, also known as “Mallie Sharafat,” Creative Hospice Care, Inc., and affiliated companies (collectively, the “Creative Hospice entities”) have paid $9.2 million to settle allegations that Abdsharafat and the Creative Hospice entities entered into kickback arrangements with medical directors in exchange for referrals of hospice patients to Creative Hospice in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statue and the False Claims Act.
“A physician’s health care decision should be based solely on the needs of the patient rather than the physician’s financial interests,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Health care providers who place unlawful personal gain above their duty of care to patients must be held accountable for their dishonesty.”
“Patients should not have to wonder if their doctors’ medical decisions are being driven by unlawful inducements,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. “We will continue to hold accountable individuals, as well as companies, who participate in kickback schemes that threaten the integrity of our healthcare system.”
“Health care providers that participate in kickback schemes undermine the integrity of federal health care programs,” said Kelly Blackmon, Special Agent in Charge at the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “This settlement demonstrates HHS-OIG’s unwavering commitment with our law enforcement partners to hold those accountable who put profit and personal gain ahead of the legitimate medical services.”
“Decisions regarding end-of-life care are incredibly difficult and personal, and families must be able to trust the intentions of their chosen providers,” said Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. “Those who instead take advantage of the system for their own personal gain will be held accountable.”
The government’s investigation began when a former Creative Hospice employee responsible for marketing Creative Hospice’s services to health care providers filed a whistleblower complaint alleging that Creative Hospice paid kickbacks to medical directors to induce them to refer patients to Creative Hospice. These alleged kickbacks included monthly stipends and a signing bonus paid to the medical directors. The compensation allegedly increased when the medical director referred more patients and decreased when the medical director failed to make referrals. Two additional whistleblower complaints were subsequently filed involving similar allegations.
The Government alleges that these arrangements violated the Anti-Kickback Statute, 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b), and caused the submission of false claims in violation of the False Claims Act (FCA), 31 U.S.C. § 3729, et seq.
This settlement resolves three lawsuits brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the FCA in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia: United States of America, ex rel. John Doe, et al. v. Homestead Hospice, et al., No. 1:15-cv-00840-TWT; United States of America and State of Georgia, ex rel. Cletus William Cole v. Homestead Hospice Management, LLC, et al., No. 1:22-cv-04242-MLB; and United States of America, ex rel. Renee Luchtman, et al. v. Homestead Hospice Management, LLC, et al., No. 1:21-cv-04952-TWT.
Under the FCA, whistleblowers, also known as “relators,” may bring suit for false claims on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery obtained by the government. The relators who filed the three lawsuits against the Creative Hospice entities have received over $1.5 million from the settlement.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and the Medicaid Fraud Division of the Georgia Attorney General’s Office.
The investigation and resolution of this matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeli Ben-David and Georgia Senior Assistant Attorney General Sara Vann. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Akash Desai also worked on the investigation.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Convicted Felon Indicted for Operating Enormous Fentanyl Pill Pressing Lab with Weapons StashRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Bartholomew Keeton Harralson, 47, of Atlanta, Ga., was charged earlier today by a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia with Possession with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl, Methamphetamine, Cocaine, Heroin, and Marijuana, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Harralson allegedly possessed 28 firearms, including a machine gun, and hundreds of thousands of pills containing fentanyl and other illicit drugs.
“Thanks to the hard work of the FBI, DEA, and our U.S. Attorney, Georgians are safer following this drug bust. This defendant was using state-of-the-art pill presses to produce poison on a massive scale — he will now face severe consequences for his alleged crimes as we continue to shut down fentanyl networks across the country,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
“This armed felon allegedly ran a massive fentanyl pill pressing operation in our community, producing enough deadly fentanyl to potentially kill millions of people,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Due to the quick action and seamless collaboration of our law enforcement partners, Harralson now faces federal drug and firearms charges, his operation has been dismantled, and countless lives have almost certainly been saved.”
“The scale of this fentanyl operation—run by a convicted felon—posed a grave threat to our community,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The presence of high-powered firearms alongside industrial pill-pressing equipment underscores the deadly convergence of drug trafficking and violence. The FBI and our law enforcement partners remain steadfast in our commitment to dismantling these operations and holding dangerous individuals accountable.”
“The DEA and our partners are working hard day in and day out to protect our communities from the dangers and violence associated with drug trafficking. DEA’s priorities are to save American lives and to keep our communities safe,” said Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “We will continue to leverage every partnership, and every resource available to ensure drug traffickers who distribute poison, like fentanyl and other illicit drugs in our communities, are brought to justice.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On June 5, 2025, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at Bartholomew Keeton Harralson’s Atlanta-area residence. Once inside, law enforcement located over 56 kilograms of fentanyl, 84 kilograms of methamphetamine, nearly 10 kilograms of heroin, and approximately four kilograms of cocaine – all in the form of powders and hundreds of thousands of pressed pills. Law enforcement also located nine firearms, including one converted to function as a machine gun, $145,000 in cash, and a book titled “How to Avoid Federal Drug Conspiracy & Firearms Charges.” Harralson was arrested at the scene.
Later that same day, law enforcement executed another federal search warrant at Harralson’s Douglasville, Georgia residence. In that residence, law enforcement found two large pill press machines capable of pressing up to 25,000 pills per hour, three hydraulic presses used to form kilogram-sized bricks of narcotics, more than 37 kilograms of fentanyl, approximately 13 kilograms of methamphetamine, just over eight kilograms of heroin, and more than six kilograms of cocaine. These drugs, like those recovered during the search of Harralson’s other residence, were in the form of powder and hundreds of thousands of pressed pills. In addition, in a machine shop located behind the Douglasville residence, law enforcement found approximately 1,375 pounds of binding agent used to press pills, 564 punch dies to mark the pills, 19 firearms, four drum-style magazines, and a significant amount of ammunition.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Postal Inspection Service, with valuable assistance provided by the South Fulton Police Department and Douglasville Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Thomas M. Forsyth, III is 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Illegal Aliens Face Federal Charges in Cobb County Methamphetamine Lab BustRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Juan Perez-Maldonado and Francisco Garcia Gomez, both illegal aliens from Mexico, appeared in federal court on June 4, 2025, following their arrests on charges of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Garcia Gomez and a third illegal alien from Mexico, Filemon Hernandez-Jijon, were also charged with possession of a firearm by an alien unlawfully present in the United States.
“Our law enforcement partners worked swiftly to disrupt a suburban drug lab, seize numerous firearms, and arrest two illegal aliens allegedly responsible for manufacturing and distributing methamphetamine,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Criminals who traffic illegal drugs in our communities will be identified, found, and prosecuted with deliberate speed.”
“DEA remains focused on keeping America safe and protecting the homeland from by removing dangerous drugs from our communities and bringing criminals to justice,” said Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Atlanta Division. “Keeping our communities safe is our highest priority.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On June 3, 2025, DEA agents saw Filemon Hernandez-Jijon allegedly supply two kilograms of methamphetamine to a drug customer in the Smyrna, Georgia area. Law enforcement later observed Hernandez-Jijon traveling to and from a mobile home located in Marietta, Georgia.
Hours later, DEA agents executed a federal search warrant at the mobile home and encountered Juan Perez-Maldonado and Francisco Garcia Gomez there. A third person fled the scene. Inside the mobile home, agents discovered an active laboratory used to convert liquid methamphetamine into a crystal-like form, as well as at least 13 kilograms of what appeared to be the finished drug product. In addition, agents located two handguns, including one hidden in the tank of a toilet, and money remitter receipts bearing Garcia Gomez’s and Hernandez-Jijon’s names. Outside the home, agents recovered acetone, several empty coolers, and other materials commonly used to produce crystalized methamphetamine.
In connection with this investigation, agents executed another federal search warrant at an apartment in Smyrna. In a baby’s crib, agents located a bag containing a loaded Glock pistol, two additional loaded firearm magazines, and identification for Perez-Maldonado. Elsewhere in the apartment, agents found a Springfield XD firearm and a mechanical press used to press powder into kilogram bricks.
The investigation further revealed that Perez-Maldonado and Hernandez-Jijon had been previously deported and removed from the United States.
Hernandez-Jijon is currently a fugitive. If you have any information on the whereabouts of Hernandez-Jijon, please contact your local law enforcement agency.
Members of the public are reminded that the complaint only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with valuable assistance provided from the Marietta-Cobb-Smyrna Narcotics Unit and the DeKalb County Police Department – HIDTA Task Force.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Schwarzl and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebeca M. Ojeda 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6000. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Illegal Alien and Prolific Drug Trafficker Convicted Following Thwarted Robbery of Rival Cocaine SupplierRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Adan Macedo-Rios, 52, of Mexico, who is an alien unlawfully present in the United States, has been convicted of charges related to trafficking in illegal drugs, money laundering, robbery, and unlawful possession of firearms.
“Macedo-Rios, an illegal alien, distributed large amounts of dangerous drugs and laundered his ill-gotten gains through the purchase of a Georgia horse ranch. His callous and dangerous behavior—highlighted by his involvement in a plot to rob a rival cocaine supplier—was disrupted by the tireless work of our law enforcement partners,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Through our combined efforts, we foiled the robbery plan and dismantled the drug trafficking and money laundering organization that Macedo-Rios supplied, thereby eliminating a significant threat of violent crime in our community.”
“DEA strives every day to keep the American public safe from transnational criminal organizations,” said Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “This investigation demonstrates DEA’s commitment to destroying these drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.”
“For all the innocent residents who are trying to raise families in safe communities, the FBI wants you to know that we are here for you through arrests like this,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Macedo-Rios repeatedly disregarded the law to enrich himself. The FBI and our partners are firmly committed to ensuring that our communities are protected from the extreme violence and lawlessness displayed by individuals like him.”
“The conviction of Adan Macedo-Rios, an illegal alien from Mexico and prolific drug trafficker, highlights our unwavering commitment to dismantling drug trafficking organizations that threaten our communities,” said Steven N. Schrank, the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. “Thanks to the hard work of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, we’ve turned his ‘stable’ of crime into a one-way ticket to accountability!”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, public record, and other information presented in court: Macedo-Rios, a large-scale drug trafficker, supplied other Atlanta-based drug distributors with at least 123 kilograms of cocaine destined for distribution throughout multiple states. In 2023, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agents obtained federal court authorization to intercept communications over cellphones used by Macedo-Rios and others. These intercepts led to the seizure of multiple kilograms of cocaine and other narcotics, and drug proceeds, from drug transporters working for Macedo-Rios and his conspirators.
Macedo-Rios remitted drug payments to his narcotics suppliers in Mexico and used proceeds of his criminal activity to fraudulently purchase an eight-acre ranch with a 24-horse stable and farmhouse in Loganville, Georgia. With his conspirators, Macedo-Rios planned the robbery of another drug supplier who was storing 65 kilograms of cocaine in his residence. Macedo-Rios and his conspirators even conducted their own surveillance of the target, including by placing a tracker on the rival’s car, and plotted to use firearms to facilitate the robbery. But their plan was timely thwarted by DEA agents, who intercepted communications about the robbery.
When agents arrested Macedo-Rios at the horse ranch, they discovered a loaded Colt .38 pistol and a Ruger 9mm semi-automatic handgun in his bedroom, even though he was prohibited from possessing firearms due to his unlawful presence in the United States and status as a convicted felon. Macedo-Rios, a Mexican citizen, has a history of multiple deportations from the United States.
Adan Macedo-Rios appeared before United States District Judge J. P. Boulee on May 28, 2025, and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien illegally present in the United States, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
As to his drug trafficking conviction, Macedo-Rios faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, a maximum $10,000,000 fine, and a minimum of five years of supervised release. For the Hobbs Act Robbery conviction, he faces up to 20 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. For the firearm conviction, Macedo-Rios faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. The money laundering conviction carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to a $500,000 fine, and forfeiture of property involved in the offense.
In determining the actual sentence, the Court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 26, 2025, at 1 pm before Judge Boulee.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from Georgia State Patrol and the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorneys John T. DeGenova and Rebeca M. Ojeda 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi¬ jurisdictional operations to eliminate the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
The specific mission of the David G. Wilhelm Atlanta OCDETF Strike Force (Atlanta Strike Force) is to eliminate transnational organized crime syndicates and major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the Northern District of Georgia. To accomplish this mission, the Atlanta Strike Force will target these organizations’ leaders, focusing on targets designated as Consolidated Priority Organization Targets, Regional Priority Organization Targets, and their associates. The Atlanta Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from ATF, DEA, FBI, HSI, USMS, USPIS, and IRS, as well as numerous state and local agencies; and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Mexican National Sentenced to Federal Prison for Firearms TraffickingRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Edson Aregullin has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison for unlawfully purchasing firearms for transport from Georgia to Mexico.
“Illegal firearms trafficking wreaks havoc in communities within and outside our district,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “We are proud to stand alongside our federal law enforcement partners in helping to stem the unlawful flow of firearms to criminals.”
“Every illegal firearm that crosses our border becomes a weapon of destruction in the wrong hands,” said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka. “ATF is committed to shutting down these criminal pipelines with precision and force. Our communities – here and abroad – deserve nothing less.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Edson Aregullin conspired with several individuals in Mexico to purchase more than 150 firearms from various firearms dealers in the Northern District of Georgia. Those firearms included 9mm pistols and AR-style rifles. Aregullin’s contacts in Mexico sent him detailed instructions concerning the makes and models of the firearms to buy. Aregullin bought the firearms with funds received from the actual buyer in Mexico and then facilitated transportation of the weapons to Mexico.
The guns Areguillin purchased illegally were used to commit violent crimes. For example, on April 21, 2022, Aregullin bought a .223 caliber rifle that law enforcement officers in Guanajuato, Mexico recovered just a few months later after a deadly encounter between municipal police and armed combatants. During the ensuing melee, eight people were killed, and four were injured.
On May 22, 2025, United States District Judge Steven D. Grimberg sentenced Edson Aregullin, 47, a Mexican national previously residing in Atlanta, Georgia, to 71 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. On November 19, 2024, Aregullin pled guilty to Conspiracy to Traffic in Firearms, three counts of Trafficking in Firearms, and three counts of False Statements to a Federal Firearms Licensee.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Gabay-Smith prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Federal Felon Arrested in Connection with Months-Long Armed Robbery SpreeRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Terry Lewis Burston, a multi-convicted felon who was released from prison last year, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Regina D. Cannon on May 22, 2025, following his arrest on charges of postal robbery, aggravated assault on a federal employee, Hobbs Act Robbery, and using a firearm during a crime of violence. Burston was arrested on May 17, 2025, pursuant to a criminal complaint obtained by the United States Postal Inspection Service.
“Burston is a violent repeat offender who allegedly terrorized the citizens of DeKalb County by assaulting federal employees and robbing local business operators at gunpoint,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “We are grateful to our federal and local law enforcement partners whose coordinated investigation resulted in Burston’s arrest and prevented him from committing additional violent crimes.”
“This is another example of Postal Inspectors and local agencies collaborating to remove an armed and dangerous individual from our community,” said Rodney M. Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division. “We are grateful to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecuting the violent and callous actions committed by this defendant against postal service employees and other businesses.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On December 14, 2024, Burston allegedly robbed an auto parts store in Decatur, Georgia. During the robbery, Burston allegedly brandished a black handgun, tapped it on the store counter, and demanded money from an employee. Burston fled after confiscating the cash.
Six days later, on December 20, 2024, Burston allegedly waited outside a Scottdale, Georgia, post office. He forced his way inside after the last customer departed, pointed a gun at a postal employee, demanded money, obtained cash from the register, and fled.
Later, on January 17, 2025, Burston allegedly attempted to rob a gas station in Decatur when he pointed a black handgun at an employee and demanded money.
Four months later, on May 17, 2025, Burston allegedly attempted to rob a Lithonia, Georgia, Post Office but fled after postal employees began alerting their co-workers. Postal inspectors who responded to the attempted robbery found Burston changing his clothes behind a nearby restaurant. They recovered a firearm lying at Burston’s feet and arrested him after a brief chase.
At the time of these alleged offenses, Burston was subject to federal supervision following his 2013 conviction for armed bank robbery. In a separate case, Burston was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment for robbing an Atlanta bank and post office in 1995.
Members of the public are reminded that the complaint only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service with valuable assistance from the DeKalb County Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Noah R. Schechtman is prosecuting this case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Head of Commercial Real Estate Investment Firm Sentenced to Federal Prison for $62.8 Million Fraud Scheme Targeting Atlanta Financial Center InvestorsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Elchonon (Elie) Schwartz has been sentenced to 87 months of imprisonment and ordered to pay over $45 million in restitution for inducing more than 800 investors to send him approximately $62.8 million, including approximately $54 million in investments earmarked for the Atlanta Financial Center, a planned commercial real estate complex. Instead of using the funds for legitimate purposes, Schwartz diverted the funds for his own use, including purchases of luxury items.
“Schwartz’s greed was boundless,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “He callously abused the trust of hundreds of investors to line his own bank accounts, purchase expensive watches, and buy additional luxury items. Schwartz’s sentence reflects our office’s commitment to hold fraudsters accountable for exploiting investors who innocently rely on their false representations.”
“This sentencing underscores that those who exploit the trust of investors for personal gain will be held accountable,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Mr. Schwartz’s actions caused significant financial harm to hundreds of individuals, and hopefully today’s outcome delivers a measure of justice for the victims.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges and other information presented in court: beginning in May 2022, Elie Schwartz engaged in a scheme to defraud commercial real estate investors who invested through a crowdfunding investment website, CrowdStreet Marketplace. Schwartz raised nearly $63 million from hundreds of investors through CrowdStreet, including approximately $54 million for a large commercial real estate complex in Atlanta, Georgia and approximately $9 million for a mixed-use building in Miami Beach, Florida. As part of the investment solicitation process, Schwartz represented to CrowdStreet investors that he would safeguard their funds within segregated bank accounts, that he would not commingle the investors’ money, and that he would use the funds only for investment in each property.
Contrary to these representations, Schwartz misappropriated and converted investors’ funds for his own use. Schwartz directed substantially all the funds into his personal bank account, personal brokerage account, and accounts for unrelated commercial real estate investments he controlled. Schwartz used the funds to purchase luxury watches, to invest in stocks and options in his brokerage account, and to cover payroll expenses for his unrelated commercial real estate businesses. Ultimately, in mid-July 2023, the two corporate entities that Schwartz formed to receive funds from CrowdStreet investors filed for bankruptcy.
On May 19, 2025, U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg sentenced Schwartz, 46, of New York, New York, to 87 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay restitution of $45,079,485.03. Schwartz pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud on February 12, 2025.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement provided valuable assistance in the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly K. Connors and Trial Attorney Matthew F. Sullivan of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys David O’Neal and Christopher Huber provided substantial assistance with the investigation and prosecution.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Atlanta Man Arrested in Connection with More than $3 Million CARES Act Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Ian Patrick Jackson, 37, of Atlanta, Ga., appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Regina D. Cannon today, following his arrest on federal charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. Jackson was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 6, 2025.
“Jackson’s arrest caps a lengthy investigation that involved multiple defendants and more than $3 million in stolen funds intended to help struggling Americans during a national health crisis,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “These charges demonstrate our office’s commitment to collaborate closely with our law enforcement partners to prosecute fraudsters who pilfered CARES Act funds.”
“Ian Jackson took advantage of government programs meant to support American businesses struggling during a national emergency and world-wide pandemic,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s charges reveal that Jackson was the mastermind behind numerous schemes, utilizing a variety of fraudulent tools and techniques, to lie to the SBA. The Criminal Division will continue to investigate and prosecute those responsible for stealing taxpayers’ money during a crisis.”
“While hard-working small business owners were looking for lifelines to save their businesses from financial ruin, the defendant and his conspirators were scheming to steal the very funds made available to them through SBA’s pandemic response programs,” said SBA-OIG Deputy Inspector General Sheldon Shoemaker. “I want to thank the Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and pursuit of justice.”
“Lying to gain access to economic stimulus funds for personal gain will be met with justice,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. “FBI special agents will persist in unraveling the often-complex CARES Act fraud schemes and bring criminals to justice.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Ian Patrick Jackson allegedly conspired with another Atlanta man to solicit, recruit, and direct at least nine business owners to submit fraudulent PPP loan applications using fabricated tax documents. Jackson and his co-conspirator allegedly directed the business owners to falsely claim in their PPP applications that each business employed 16 individuals and paid monthly wages of $120,000. Each of the nine business owners received $300,000 in PPP funds. After they received the funds, the business owners wrote “payroll” checks to individuals who did not work for their businesses and then either kept the money for themselves or gave the money to a co-conspirator, who in turn provided a share to Jackson.
In addition to his alleged role in the conspiracy, Jackson is also charged in connection with three other alleged schemes to submit fraudulent PPP or EIDL applications, having allegedly: (1) applied for a fraudulent $237,500 PPP loan using fabricated tax forms and a doctored bank statement; (2) used a forged Georgia’s driver’s license to fraudulently apply for approximately $100,000 in EIDL and PPP loans using false revenue statements; and (3) fraudulently obtained a $240,035 PPP loan and $125,000 in EIDL loans and grants. All these loans were funded. Jackson allegedly spent the PPP and EIDL loan proceeds on checks made payable to fictitious individuals and to pay for personal expenses, including restaurant dining, spa services, phone and credit card payments, a vacation in Aruba, and cash withdrawals.
Jackson is charged with one count conspiracy to commit bank fraud, two counts of bank fraud, two counts of wire fraud, and two counts of money laundering. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison on the conspiracy and bank fraud counts and 20 years in prison for the wire fraud and money laundering counts.
In determining the actual sentence, the Court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Small Business Association - Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Diane C. Schulman and Department of Justice Criminal Division Trial Attorney Matthew Reilly are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant United States Attorney Christopher J. Huber also assisted in the investigation and prosecution of this case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Justice Department Announces North Georgia Results of Operation Restore JusticeRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Between April 28, 2025 through May 1, 2025, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted Operation Restore Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort, by all 55 FBI field offices, United States Attorneys’ Offices across the country, and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division (CEOS), to identify, track, and arrest child sex offenders. The operation resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 subjects, including six individuals charged in the Northern District of Georgia: Austin Hunter Bedingfield, 27, of Douglasville; Ian Dudar, 26, of Roswell; Kenneth Frazier, 30, of Powder Springs; Eduardo Gardea, 26, of Norcross; Connie Lynn Thompson, 52, of Grantville; and Christopher Welcher, 44, of Grantville.
“The Department of Justice will never stop fighting to protect victims – especially child victims – and we will not rest until we hunt down, arrest, and prosecute every child predator who preys on the most vulnerable among us,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “I am grateful to the FBI and their state and local partners for their incredible work in Operation Restore Justice and have directed my prosecutors not to negotiate.”
“Sex crimes against minors are especially heinous,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “We commend our federal and local law enforcement partners for their tireless efforts to hold accountable those who prey on children and achieve a measure of justice for the victims and their families.”
“Every child deserves to grow up free from fear and exploitation, and the FBI will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of those who exploit the most vulnerable among us,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Operation Restore Justice proves that no predator is out of reach and no child will be forgotten. By leveraging the strength of all our field offices and our federal, state, and local partners, we’re sending a clear message: there is no place to hide for those who prey on children.”
“Our commitment is resolute. FBI Atlanta remains steadfast in its mission to safeguard children from those who seek to harm society’s most vulnerable,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “However, let there be no confusion – this week’s operation is just one chapter in a relentless, year-round effort that our dedicated agents are fully invested in. We will continue to leverage every tool and resource at our disposal to track down child predators and ensure they face justice.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court, the following defendants were arrested in connection with the operation, indicted by federal grand juries seated in the Northern District of Georgia, and have now been arraigned before a United States Magistrate Judge:
- Austin Hunter Bedingfield was charged with distribution of child sexual abuse material and possession of child sexual abuse material. Bedingfield allegedly distributed graphic videos depicting the abuse of minors to an undercover officer via Kik. FBI agents conducted a search of Bedingfield’s electronic devices and recovered additional images of sexual abuse of minor children. He was arrested on April 30, 2025.
- Ian Dudar was charged with possession of child sexual abuse material. Dudar allegedly purchased child sexual abuse material using Bitcoin from a commercial child exploitation ring on at least four occasions in 2022. Later, in January 2024, when FBI agents executed search warrants on his person and home, they found child sexual abuse material on two of his electronic devices. He was arrested on April 29, 2025.
- Kenneth Frazier was charged with enticement of a minor, receipt of child sexual abuse material, and possession of child sexual abuse material. On November 7, 2024, acting on tips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Cobb County, Georgia, Police Department executed a search warrant at Frazier’s residence in Powder Springs. Officers seized Frazier’s cell phones, which contained hundreds of images and videos of children as young as infants and toddlers forced to engage in sex acts. One of Frazier’s phones also contained chat transcripts in which Frazier allegedly described himself as a “pedophile,” enticed a minor to engage in sexual activity, and received a visual depiction of that minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. He was arrested on May 2, 2025.
- Eduardo Gardea was charged with distribution of child sexual abuse material and possession of child sexual abuse material. Gardea allegedly distributed child sexual abuse material on two internet platforms and possessed thousands of images depicting the sexual abuse of children. He was arrested on April 24, 2025.
- Connie Lynn Thompson was charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly destroying electronic devices to conceal the alleged child exploitation crimes of Christopher Welcher, who was also arrested during the operation, as is more fully described below. Approximately a week after Welcher’s arrest, he allegedly called Thompson from jail and discussed a plan to destroy electronic devices that contained evidence against him. Although Thompson allegedly executed the concealment plan, the FBI recovered the damaged devices from Thompson’s household trash. She was arrested on May 16, 2025.
- Christopher Welcher was charged with enticement of a minor, interstate travel to engage in an illicit sex act with a minor, possession of child sexual abuse material, and commission of a felony by a registered sex offender. On March 4, 2025, Welcher, a registered sex offender who previously served more than six years in federal prison for distributing child sex abuse materials, allegedly exchanged sexually explicit text messages with an undercover investigator he believed to be a 14-year-old girl. Welcher then drove from Alabama to the vicinity of a northwest Georgia high school to allegedly meet and molest the girl. Police arrested Welcher upon his arrival at the meeting location and seized his phone, which contained hundreds of images of child sex abuse. He was arrested on May 16, 2025.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictments only contain charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
United States Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg and Assistant United States Attorneys James Hwang, Matthew LaGrone, Leanne Marek, and Amy Palumbo are prosecuting these cases.
These cases are being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with valuable assistance from the Cobb County Police Department, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and Rome/Floyd Metro Drug Task Force.
This effort follows the Department of Justice’s observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April 2025, and underscores the Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and raising awareness about the dangers they face. While the Department, including the FBI and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, investigate and prosecute these crimes every day, April served as a powerful reminder of the importance of preventing these crimes, seeking justice for victims, and raising awareness through community education.
The Department is committed to combating child sexual exploitation. These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department. 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, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
The Department partners with and oversees funding grants for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives and shares tips about possible child sexual exploitation received through its 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST and on missingkids.org. The Department urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through the FBI’s tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling your local FBI field office.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi Appoints Career Prosecutor Theodore S. Hertzberg as Interim United States AttorneyRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Attorney General Pamela Bondi has appointed Theodore S. Hertzberg as Interim United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546, which provides that “the Attorney General may appoint a United States [A]ttorney for the district in which the office of United States [A]ttorney is vacant.” This appointment took effect on May 13, 2025. Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr. administered Mr. Hertzberg’s oath of office on May 14, 2025.
Mr. Hertzberg previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for nearly ten years. His tenure with the Justice Department began in the Savannah headquarters of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia. In Savannah, Mr. Hertzberg prosecuted violent criminals, drug dealers, fraudsters, and money launderers while also serving as chief of the asset forfeiture section. Upon relocating to Atlanta in 2018, Mr. Hertzberg transferred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, where he prosecuted gang leaders, child sex predators, gun traffickers, armed felons, and other dangerous offenders.
Before joining the Department of Justice, Mr. Hertzberg practiced law in the New York office of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, and he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Kristi K. DuBose of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama.
U.S. Attorney Hertzberg is a graduate of Amherst College and New York University School of Law.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Atlanta Attorney Sentenced in Syndicated Conservation Easement Tax SchemeRead the Press Release
A Georgia attorney was sentenced today to 16 months in prison for obstructing the IRS in connection with his participation in the promotion of abusive syndicated conservation easement tax shelters.
The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: Vi Bui was an attorney and partner at Sinnott & Co., an Atlanta-based company. Beginning at least in 2012 and continuing through at least May 2020, Bui participated in a scheme to defraud the IRS by organizing, marketing, implementing, and selling illegal syndicated conservation easement tax shelters created and organized by co-conspirators Jack Fisher, James Sinnott, and others. Fisher and Sinnott were convicted at trial for their involvement in the scheme, and in January 2024, they were sentenced to 25 and 23 years in prison, respectively.
The scheme entailed the creation of partnerships that purchased land and land-owning companies and then donated conservation easements over that land or the land itself. Appraisers generated fraudulent and inflated appraisals of the conservation easements. The partnerships then claimed a charitable contribution tax deduction based on the inflated value of the conservation easement, resulting in a fraudulent tax deduction flowing to the wealthy clients who purchased units in the partnership. Many of these clients joined the tax shelters after the donation of the interest in land and after the end of the relevant tax year. Bui knew that in order to make it appear that the participants had timely purchased their units in the tax shelters, Fisher, Sinnott, and others backdated and instructed others to backdate documents, including subscription agreements, checks, and other documents.
Bui anticipated that the syndicated conservation easement transactions would be audited. In order to deceive the IRS, Bui and others took steps to make the partnerships appear as legitimate real estate development companies. They created and disseminated lengthy documents disguising the true nature of the transaction, instituted sham “votes” for what to do with the land that the partnership owned despite knowing that outcome was predetermined, and falsified paperwork such as appraisals and subscription agreements.
In one instance, when investigators conducted an undercover operation in 2018, Bui, believing that the IRS was auditing an individual’s tax returns, prepared false documents related to a 2014 syndicated conservation easement tax shelter with the intent to make it appear that the documents were executed before the purported donation of the conservation easement in 2014 and before the 2014 tax returns had been filed.
Bui earned substantial income for his role in the illegal scheme. He also used the fraudulent tax shelters to evade his own taxes, filing false personal tax returns from 2013 through 2018 that claimed false tax deductions from the illegal syndicated conservation easement tax shelters.
In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Timothy C. Batten Sr. for the Northern District of Georgia ordered Bui to serve one year of supervised release and to pay $8,250,244 in total restitution to the IRS.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg for the Northern District of Georgia made the announcement. They also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina for their assistance in the investigation of this matter.
IRS Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.
Senior Litigation Counsel Richard M. Rolwing, and Trial Attorneys Parker Tobin, Jessica Kraft, and Nicholas Schilling of the Tax Division prosecuted the case, with support from Assistant U.S. Attorney Samir Kaushal for the Northern District of Georgia.
Northern District of Georgia Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie Jr. Recognizes National Police WeekRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – In honor of National Police Week, Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. recognizes the service and sacrifice of federal, state, local, and Tribal law enforcement. This year, the week is observed Sunday, May 11, 2025, through Saturday, May 17, 2025.
“Law enforcement officers faithfully and selflessly help to protect our families, friends, and neighbors while risking their own lives to safeguard the public,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “We owe these men and women our gratitude and support for the dedication and bravery they display each day, often through unpublicized altruistic acts of service to the community.”
In 1962, former U.S. President John F. Kennedy issued the first proclamation for Peace Officers Memorial Day and National Police Week to remember and honor law enforcement officers for their service and sacrifices. During National Police Week, our nation celebrates the contributions of law enforcement from around the country, recognizing their hard work, dedication, loyalty, and commitment to keeping our communities safe.
The National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund’s report indicates that 148 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty in 2024 (https://nleomf.org/memorial/facts-figures/roll-call-of-heroes/). Here, in the Northern District of Georgia, we solemnly commemorate the seven officers who tragically died in the line of duty within the past year and solemnly extend our regards to their families, for especially whom the impact of the loss is ongoing:
- Deputy Sheriff Brandon Tyler Cunningham, Paulding County, GA, Sheriff's Office, End of Watch: Saturday, August 17, 2024.
- Investigator Taylor Jaimeson Bristow, Carroll County, GA, Sheriff's Office, End of Watch: Friday, August 23, 2024.
- Deputy Sheriff Eric Anthony Minix, Coweta County, GA, Sheriff's Office, End of Watch: Thursday, January 4, 2024.
- Trooper Jimmy Cenescar. Georgia State Patrol, End of Watch: Sunday, January 28, 2024.
- Police Officer Jeremy R. Labonte, Roswell, GA, Police Department, End of Watch: Friday, February 7, 2025.
- Trooper First Class Chase Winston Redner, Georgia State Patrol, End of Watch: Tuesday, February 20, 2024.
- Captain Helio Armando Garcia, III, South Fulton, GA, Police Department, End of Watch: Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Also each year, the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund in Washington, D.C. hosts an Annual Candlelight Vigil to memorialize those who sacrificed their lives. The names of hundreds of officers killed in the line of duty are engraved on the walls of the Memorial and their names will be read aloud during this year’s 37th annual vigil scheduled for tomorrow, on Tuesday, May 13, 2024, at 8 PM (https://nleomf.org/memorial/programs/national-police-week-2025/candlelight-vigil/). The vigil will livestream on YouTube: YouTube.com/NLEOMF and Facebook: Facebook.com/NLEOMF.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Fugitive Wanted for Murder in Saint Lucia Indicted in Atlanta on Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Orville Andrew Pernell, also known as “Oneil Christopher Reid,” 32, of Saint Mary, Jamaica, was arraigned today before the Honorable John K. Larkins, III, United States Magistrate Judge, on a federal charge of possession of a firearm by an alien illegally or unlawfully present in the United States. Pernell was indicted by a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia on April 23, 2025.
“Pernell is an international fugitive who was charged with murder before escaping custody in both Saint Lucia and Jamaica, and then unlawfully entering the United States under a false identity,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “Our office is proud of the collaborative work of our United States, Saint Lucian, and Jamaican law enforcement partners whose efforts resulted in Pernell’s identification and apprehension.”
“Law enforcement collaboration is instrumental in apprehending violent individuals locally and internationally,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka. “This arraignment sends a direct message to criminals that ATF and our local and international law enforcement partners will investigate and protect its citizens.”
“This case demonstrates the far-reaching impact of Homeland Security Investigations in identifying and apprehending fugitives who pose a threat to public safety across international borders,” said Steven N. Schrank, the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. “Pernell’s ability to evade law enforcement in multiple countries and unlawfully enter the United States under a false identity underscores the importance of strong global partnerships. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of HSI and our domestic and international counterparts, a dangerous individual is now off the streets and facing justice.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, Jr., the charges, and other information presented in court: Pernell was charged with the murder of Clius Alfred in Saint Lucia on October 8, 2020. He then escaped custody in Saint Lucia while awaiting trial. He was arrested in Jamaica on July 21, 2021, but then escaped Jamaican custody while awaiting his extradition to Saint Lucia.
Pernell was then encountered by immigration authorities on December 7, 2022, when he attempted to illegally enter the United States via an unmanned border area near the San Ysidro point of entry. He gave the false name of “Oneil Christopher Reid” and was allowed to enter the United States pending further immigration proceedings.
On July 21, 2023, Pernell, using the Reid alias, was stopped by the Clayton County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office after being observed traveling 115 miles per hour on a motorcycle. He attempted to flee but was forced to stop after he encountered a heavily congested intersection. Once he was stopped, officers determined that the motorcycle he was driving was stolen. During a search that followed, officers found a firearm in the front pocket of his jacket. Officers also determined that the firearm was stolen from a Southern Freight Lines firearms shipment. He was arrested for possession of a stolen motorcycle, possession of a stolen firearm, and attempting to evade arrest.
Pernell is facing federal charges of possession of a firearm by an alien illegally or unlawfully present in the United States. He has been ordered detained pending trial, and is subject to removal and extradition back to Saint Lucia once the proceedings in the United States are concluded.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains a charge. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charge and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Wylly is 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Six Defendants Sentenced for their Roles in Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Six members of a drug trafficking organization have been sentenced for their roles in distributing deadly fentanyl and methamphetamine throughout the metro-Atlanta area.
“These defendants distributed substantial amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine with no regard for the grave public safety risk,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “Our Office will continue to closely coordinate with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to prosecute drug traffickers and prevent dangerous narcotics from poisoning our communities.”
“These drug traffickers endangered countless lives by distributing large quantities of deadly fentanyl and methamphetamine,” Jae W. Chung, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division commented on the case. “DEA will continue to aggressively pursue the criminals that contribute to the drug crisis.”
“This case highlights the critical role Homeland Security Investigations plays in dismantling transnational drug trafficking organizations operating in our communities,” said Steven N. Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. “The defendants in this case were responsible for introducing massive quantities of deadly narcotics into the metro-Atlanta area—methamphetamine that was trafficked across borders, chemically altered, and distributed without regard for the devastating impact on public health and safety. Through the combined efforts of HSI and our federal, state, and local partners, we’ve disrupted a dangerous supply chain and brought key members of this organization to justice.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, the charges, and other information presented in court: In 2022, federal special agents discovered that a drug trafficking organization (DTO) was distributing drugs obtained from a Mexico-based supplier throughout metro-Atlanta. These drugs included methamphetamine which arrived from Mexico in liquid form and was converted to crystal methamphetamine.
During an early phase of the investigation, defendant Erik Rosales-Lopez was arrested in December 2022 at a residence used to process liquid methamphetamine that had been mixed with paint. Rosales Lopez had distributed methamphetamine on three previous occasions, including to an undercover agent. During a search of his residence, investigators seized 11 kilograms of finished crystal methamphetamine.
In April 2023, agents surveilled defendants Brayan Garcia-Picasso and Bryan Pacheco-Carranza as they left a residence believed to be used as a methamphetamine lab. Local law enforcement then conducted a traffic stop of their vehicle. Police officers seized approximately 16 kilograms of methamphetamine during a search of the vehicle. Agents later searched the residence as well and, while doing so, confirmed that the location was a methamphetamine lab. The agents found approximately six kilograms of methamphetamine and methamphetamine conversion equipment on the premises.
Following the arrests of Garcia-Picasso and Pacheco-Carranza, agents continued to investigate the DTO. In June 2023, defendant Alex Chamorro-Valencia was arrested after a search of a vehicle he was driving was found to contain nearly a kilogram of methamphetamine. Investigators also searched the residence from which he was seen departing and discovered a second methamphetamine lab used by the DTO. Agents recovered 15 gallons of liquid methamphetamine and 135 kilograms of finished crystal methamphetamine in the residence. Defendant Hedgarciney Gameno-Cortez was encountered in the residence and arrested.
The following defendants were convicted and sentenced:
- Juventino Rodriguez was sentenced earlier today by U.S. District Judge Victoria M. Calvert to 54 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release. Rodriguez was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl after he pled guilty on December 19, 2024.
- Garcia-Picasso was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael L. Brown to 12-and-a-half years in prison followed by four years of supervised release. Garcia-Picasso was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine after he pled guilty on November 7, 2023.
- Pacheco-Carranza was sentenced by Judge Brown to six years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Pacheco-Carranza was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine after he pled guilty on January 18, 2024.
- Chamorro-Valencia was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross to eight years in prison followed by four years of supervised release. Chamorro-Valencia was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine after he pled guilty on October 16, 2023.
- Hedgarciney Gameno-Cortez was sentenced by Judge Ross to eight years in prison followed by four years of supervised release. Gameno-Cortez was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine after he pled guilty on February 28, 2024.
- Erik Josue Rosales-Lopez was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg to seven years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Rosales-Lopez was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine after he pled guilty on July 31, 2023.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations, with valuable assistance from the Clayton County Police Department, Henry County Police Department, Georgia State Patrol, DeKalb County Police Department, Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, and Cobb County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren E. Renaud and Sandra E. Strippoli, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Howard, prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. The specific mission of the David G. Wilhelm Atlanta OCDETF Strike Force (Atlanta Strike Force) is to eliminate transnational organized crime syndicates and major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the Northern District of Georgia. To accomplish this mission, the Atlanta Strike Force will target these organizations’ leaders, focusing on targets designated as Consolidated Priority Organization Targets, Regional Priority Organization Targets, and their associates. The Atlanta Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from ATF, DEA, FBI, HSI, USMS, USPIS, and IRS, as well as numerous state and local agencies; and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Repeat Felon who Fought Police Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison for Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
NEWNAN, Ga. - Arthur Gene Young, a multi-convicted felon with a history of violence, has been sentenced to federal prison for unlawfully possessing a firearm while resisting police officers in a small west Georgia city.
“Armed felons cannot be allowed to terrorize the citizens of our district,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “After Young was arrested with a firearm for the third time in two years, local law enforcement wisely sought federal assistance to ensure he would be removed from the community. We will continue to work with our partners at all levels to protect the public from gun violence and repeat violent offenders.”
“The law-abiding citizens of this community are safer because of today’s sentence which will ensure the incarceration of a dangerous criminal and contribute to the restoration of order and peace to this area,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Benjamin Gibbons. “This sentence sends a direct message to criminals that ATF and our local law enforcement partners will investigate violent criminals and protect citizens.”
“The partnership of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies is imperative to help local communities stay safe,” said Bremen Police Department Lieutenant Joshua Newman. “The Bremen Police Department would like to thank all the agencies and law enforcement officers that were involved in this case.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, the charges and other information presented in court: On May 2, 2023, less than a month after his release from state prison for other criminal conduct, Arthur Gene Young shoplifted from a pharmacy located in Bremen, Georgia. He returned to the pharmacy the following morning and argued with the store manager. Police officers responded and, upon learning of the earlier shoplifting incident, escorted Young from the store to arrest him. Young refused to obey the officers’ commands and shouted that he would not go back to prison as he fled the scene.
As officers pursued Young through the center of town and towards a church preschool, Young exclaimed that he was armed and demanded to be left alone. As additional officers responded, Young crossed a highway, scaled a berm, and walked onto an active train track. There, he grabbed the wrist and arm of a deputy sheriff who attempted to detain him. Ultimately, Young tripped, giving officers an opportunity to place handcuffs around one of his wrists. But Young fought the officers and refused to comply as the officers attempted to fully cuff him. During the struggle, one of the officers noticed the grip of a loaded 7.65mm semiautomatic pistol in Young’s right pants pocket. The officer managed to secure the weapon before Young was finally handcuffed.
As a multi-convicted felon, Young was legally prohibited from possessing firearms. Young’s decade-long criminal record included convictions for crimes of violence, such as attempted robbery by intimidation and terroristic threats, as well as other offenses. Additionally, at the time of his arrest following the incident at the Bremen pharmacy, Young was under indictment and on pretrial release in three cases brought in 2021 and 2022 charging him with attempted armed robbery, attempted robbery by intimidation, and two counts each of felon in possession of a firearm, aggravated assault, and simple assault.
Arthur Gene Young, 34, of Bremen, Georgia, was sentenced on April 22, 2025, by Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr. to 14 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Young was convicted of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person on January 14, 2025, after he pleaded guilty in the middle of a jury trial.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Bremen Police Department. The Haralson County Sheriff’s Office, Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, and Georgia State Patrol provided valuable assistance.
Assistant United States Attorneys Theodore S. Hertzberg and Amy M. Palumbo prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Seven Members of Dunwoody-Based Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Trafficking Organization SentencedRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Seven defendants have been sentenced for their roles in distributing fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other deadly drugs within and outside the metro-Atlanta area. Karla Lopez-Delgado, the ringleader, was also convicted of possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute on a premises where a minor resided.
“This case underscores our Office’s unwavering commitment to dismantle drug trafficking networks that threaten our communities with deadly substances,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “And the convictions that our Office and our federal and local partners achieved in this case further amplify our collective determination to relentlessly pursue and prosecute those who profit by distributing the drugs that harm our citizens. I commend the exceptional work of our law enforcement partners in bringing these defendants to justice.”
“Drug dealers who poison our communities will be held accountable. These sentences serve as a warning to anyone who thinks they can profit off addiction — we will find you, and you will be prosecuted,” said Steven N. Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. “HSI and our partners remain relentless in our fight to shut down drug operations and protect the safety of our streets.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, the charges, and other information presented in court: Beginning in 2022, HSI investigated a drug trafficking operation led by Karla Lopez-Delgado. She ran the organization with the assistance of Jonathon Torres-Aguirre, who, at the time, was incarcerated at Washington State Prison in Davisboro, Georgia. During the investigation, HSI agents seized methamphetamine and fentanyl from Lopez-Delgado’s customers on seven occasions.
When agents executed a search warrant at Lopez-Delgado’s Dunwoody apartment—a two-bedroom apartment she shared with her four-year-old daughter—they found approximately 4.5 kilograms of fentanyl, over 80 kilograms of methamphetamine, almost 20 kilograms of cocaine, and a handgun. Agents also found several cell phones with hundreds of conversations with Torres-Aguirre about their drug trafficking activities across the state of Georgia and into Alabama, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
The following defendants were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg:
- Karla Lopez-Delgado was sentenced to 19 years, eight months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, after she pleaded guilty.
- Jonathon Torres-Aguirre was sentenced to 12 years, seven months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty.
- Marco Camacho-Escobar was sentenced to 10 years, one month in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty.
- Issac Duran-Gomez was sentenced to three years, seven months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty.
- Carlos Santiago was sentenced to five years, three months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty.
- Bennie Shelton was sentenced to three years, ten months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty.
- Kiara Jones was sentenced to one year of home detention, followed by three years of supervised release, after she pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, with invaluable assistance provided by U.S. Secret Service, the United States Marshals Service, Brookhaven Police Department, Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force, Cobb County Police Department, and Henry County Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Matthew R. LaGrone, and former Assistant United States Attorney Tyler Mann, prosecuted 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to eliminate the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
The specific mission of the David G. Wilhelm Atlanta OCDETF Strike Force (Atlanta Strike Force) is to eliminate transnational organized crime syndicates and major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the Northern District of Georgia. To accomplish this mission, the Atlanta Strike Force will target these organizations’ leaders, focusing on targets designated as Consolidated Priority Organization Targets, Regional Priority Organization Targets, and their associates. The Atlanta Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from ATF, DEA, FBI, HSI, USMS, USPIS, and IRS, as well as numerous state and local agencies; and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Previously Convicted Armed Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Alexander Arellano has been sentenced to federal prison for distributing large amounts of fentanyl in the Atlanta area while possessing firearms.
“Fentanyl traffickers pose a tremendous threat to public safety especially when they illegally possess firearms in furtherance of their drug trafficking crimes,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “Defendants like Arellano who peddle this poison in our communities are being held accountable, including through lengthy prison sentences, thanks to the collaborative work of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners.”
“Arellano endangered countless lives by trafficking large quantities of deadly fentanyl,” Jae W. Chung, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division commented on the case. “The success of this investigation is proof that those destroying our communities with fentanyl will be held accountable.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, the charges and other information presented in court: On May 3, 2024, special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration saw Arellano sell a half kilogram of fentanyl to another individual in a Marietta gas station parking lot. Agents followed Arellano back to an apartment on Windy Hill Road in Marietta. A short time later, Arellano was arrested at the apartment complex and agents obtained a federal search warrant for his apartment.
During the search, agents found 10 kilograms of fentanyl, two loaded firearms, including an AK-47 pistol, and $120,000 in cash inside a bedroom belonging to Arellano. Arellano had been previously convicted for trafficking methamphetamine and was on probation at the time of his arrest.
Alexander Arellano, 25, of Atlanta, Ga., was sentenced on April 14, 2025, by United States District Judge William M. Ray II to 13 years, three months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. He was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, after he pleaded guilty to the charges on August 29, 2024.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with valuable assistance provided by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Cobb County Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Bethany L. Rupert prosecuted the case
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Members of a Massive International Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering Ring Indicted in AtlantaRead the Press Release
On April 1, seven individuals in Georgia and Mexico were indicted by a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia related to a drug trafficking and money laundering ring tied to a Mexico-based trafficker. Five of these defendants, all of Norcross, Georgia — Sandra Beatriz Hernandez Chilel, 49; Karina Beatriz Perez Hernandez, 22; David Miranda Vinalay, 39; Jerome Lewis, 47; and Irving Joel Hernandez, 34 — were arrested earlier today in a coordinated effort by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and local law enforcement. The defendants were arraigned before a U.S. Magistrate Judge following their arrests.
“Thanks to the great investigative work of our federal partners and local law enforcement, five individuals working on behalf of the violent Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) have been taken off our streets,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will not allow these criminal enterprises to continue profiting off of the death and destruction of American lives.”
“The defendants allegedly trafficked high volumes of fentanyl and other deadly drugs into our community and then laundered the illicit proceeds of their activities as directed by a Mexico-based drug trafficker, including more than $1 million during a mere two-month period,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie Jr. for the Northern District of Georgia. “Although these individuals took great measures to conceal their alleged criminal conduct, a determined and coordinated effort by our federal and local law enforcement partners helped to secure the federal charges in this case.”
“The deadly impact of fentanyl on our communities is devastating,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jae W. Chung of the DEA’s Atlanta Division. “These arrests should be a clear message to the traffickers that keeping our communities safe is our highest priority.”
“Using our expertise in financial investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation is following the money, despite attempts by criminals to cover their tracks,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman of IRS-CI’s Atlanta Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation special agents in partnerships with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other law enforcement agencies, will continue our work investigating and holding accountable those responsible for bringing dangerous drugs into our communities.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie for the Northern District of Georgia, the indictment, and other information presented in court: In September 2024, the DEA uncovered a scheme involving drug traffickers delivering bulk currency from drug sales to a middleman in Norcross. The middleman then allegedly delivered the drug proceeds to defendants Sandra Beatriz Hernandez Chilel (Chilel) and her daughter Karina Beatriz Perez Hernandez (Perez), who then laundered the proceeds as directed by a Mexico-based drug trafficker. Chilel and Perez allegedly operated a money service business (MSB) in Norcross called “La Pulga Esperenza.”
Between September and November 2024, DEA saw several traffickers deliver hundreds of thousands of dollars of suspected drug proceeds to the middleman in Norcross, who then transferred the cash to Chilel and Perez. Agents with IRS-CI analyzed the MSB’s transactions and determined that the cash was wired to Mexico but was transferred in small increments so as not to raise suspicion by federal regulators. During a period of approximately two months, this ring of individuals allegedly laundered over $1 million in drug proceeds smuggled to Mexico.
During the investigation, the DEA identified several alleged traffickers who transported the drug proceeds to Norcross, including defendants David Miranda Vinalay, Jerome Lewis, and Irving Joel Hernandez. DEA identified one of the primary traffickers as being a member or associate of the CJNG. Additionally, as alleged in the indictment, some of the traffickers also possessed methamphetamine and fentanyl that they intended to distribute on behalf of the drug trafficking ring.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the DEA and IRS-CI. Valuable assistance was also provided by the Georgia State Patrol, Dekalb County, Georgia, Police Department, Gwinnett County, Georgia, Police Department, and Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bethany L. Rupert and Dwayne A. Brown Jr. for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Justice Department 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This effort is part of an OCDETF operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
An indictment is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Members of a Massive International Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering Ring Indicted in AtlantaRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – On April 1, 2025, seven individuals in Georgia and Mexico were indicted by a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia related to a drug trafficking and money laundering ring tied to a Mexico-based trafficker. Five of these defendants, all of Norcross, Georgia – Sandra Beatriz Hernandez Chilel, age 49, Karina Beatriz Perez Hernandez, age 22, David Miranda Vinalay, age 39, Jerome Lewis, age 47, and Irving Joel Hernandez, age 34 – were arrested earlier today, on April 15, 2025, in a coordinated effort by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, and local law enforcement. The defendants were arraigned before a United States Magistrate Judge following their arrests.
“Thanks to the great investigative work of our federal partners and local law enforcement, five individuals working on behalf of the violent Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) have been taken off our streets,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will not allow these criminal enterprises to continue profiting off of the death and destruction of American lives.”
“The defendants allegedly trafficked high volumes of fentanyl and other deadly drugs into our community and then laundered the illicit proceeds of their activities as directed by a Mexico-based drug trafficker, including more than $1 million during a mere two-month period,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “Although these individuals took great measures to conceal their alleged criminal conduct, a determined and coordinated effort by our federal and local law enforcement partners helped to secure the federal charges in this case.”
“The deadly impact of fentanyl on our communities is devastating,” said Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “These arrests should be a clear message to the traffickers that keeping our communities safe is our highest priority.”
“Using our expertise in financial investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation is following the money, despite attempts by criminals to cover their tracks,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation special agents in partnerships with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other law enforcement agencies, will continue our work investigating and holding accountable those responsible for bringing dangerous drugs into our communities.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, the indictment, and other information presented in court: In September 2024, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) uncovered a scheme involving drug traffickers delivering bulk currency from drug sales to a middleman in Norcross. The middleman then allegedly delivered the drug proceeds to defendants Sandra Beatriz Hernandez Chilel (“Chilel”) and her daughter Karina Beatriz Perez Hernandez (“Perez”), who then laundered the proceeds as directed by a Mexico-based drug trafficker. Chilel and Perez allegedly operated a money service business (“MSB”) in Norcross called “La Pulga Esperenza.”
Between September and November 2024, DEA saw several traffickers deliver hundreds of thousands of dollars of suspected drug proceeds to the middleman in Norcross, who then transferred the cash to Chilel and Perez. Agents with the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”) analyzed the MSB’s transactions and determined that the cash was wired to Mexico but was transferred in small increments so as not to raise suspicion by federal regulators. During a period of approximately two months, this ring of individuals allegedly laundered over $1 million in drug proceeds smuggled to Mexico.
During the investigation, the DEA identified several alleged traffickers who transported the drug proceeds to Norcross, including defendants David Miranda Vinalay, Jerome Lewis, and Irving Joel Hernandez. DEA identified one of the primary traffickers as being a member and/or associate of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (“CJNG”). Additionally, as alleged in the indictment, some of the traffickers also possessed methamphetamine and fentanyl that they intended to distribute on behalf of the drug trafficking ring.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation. Valuable assistance was also provided by the Georgia State Patrol, Dekalb County, Georgia, Police Department, Gwinnett County, Georgia, Police Department, and Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorneys Bethany L. Rupert and Dwayne A. Brown, Jr. 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Leaders of La Nueva Familia Michoacana and Atlanta-Based Money Launderer IndictedRead the Press Release
Siblings Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga — also known as El Pez, Pescado, and Mojarra — and Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga — also known as El Fresa, El Feyo, and La Fruta — both of Guerrero, Mexico, and co-leaders of the La Nueva Familia Michoacana (LNFM) drug cartel, were charged by a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl knowing those controlled substances would be imported into the United States, conspiracy to import those controlled substances into the United States, and conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute those controlled substances.
The indictments were returned in September 2024 and recently unsealed. Prior to his indictment, Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga was designated as a Consolidated Priority Target (CPOT) by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. Both Hurtado Olascoaga brothers are fugitives believed to be residing in Mexico. In addition, today the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced new sanctions against Johnny and Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga and their siblings, LNFM members Ubaldo Hurtado Olascoaga and Adita Hurtado Olascoaga. On Feb. 20, the U.S. Department of State also announced the designation of LNFM as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). Additionally, the Department of State announced a Narcotics Rewards Program offer of up to $5 million and $3 million, respectively, for information leading to the arrests or convictions of Johnny and Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga.
Franco Tabares Martinez, 51, of Guerrero, Mexico, a high-ranking member of LNFM was charged by a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia with conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and related substantive counts of drug trafficking. The indictment was unsealed against Franco Tabares Martinez on July 7, 2023, after which he was sanctioned by OFAC. On June 20, 2024, his brother Uriel Tabares-Martinez was also sanctioned by OFAC. Another brother, Pablo Tabares Martinez, pleaded guilty on Jan. 13 to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Their sister, Guadalupe Tabares Martinez — also known as Yosel Medrano Hernandez and Lupe — of Mableton, Georgia, has now been charged by a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia with conspiracy to commit international money laundering, conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money services business, and related substantive counts. The indictment was returned on April 8 and recently unsealed.
“Today’s indictments and OFAC sanctions against high-ranking LNFM cartel members sends a clear message: if you contribute to the death of Americans by peddling poison into our communities, we will work relentlessly to find you and bring you to justice,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
“These cartel members are allegedly responsible for importing massive amounts of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl from Mexico to the Atlanta area and across the United States, and then wiring hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds from distributing those drugs back to Mexico,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie Jr. for the Northern District of Georgia. “These federal indictments, in conjunction with the imposition of OFAC sanctions, send a strong message that we will tirelessly investigate, prosecute, and defund individuals around the globe who choose to import deadly drugs into, and risk the lives of the members of, our communities.”
“Today’s action underscores our commitment to intensify the pressure on violent drug cartels like LNFM, who continue to traffic deadly fentanyl and other drugs, smuggle illegal aliens over our Southwest border, and attack law enforcement,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “The Trump administration will continue to use all available tools to target the cartels and other violent organizations that attempt to exploit our communities and harm Americans.”
“President Trump has promised to crack down on the flow of deadly drugs into our country,” said Senior Bureau Official F. Cartwright Weiland of the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). “And today, working with the DEA and Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of State is delivering on that promise by offering rewards totaling up to $8 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of the Hurtado brothers.”
“Cases like this exemplify the value of partnerships,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jae W. Chung of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Atlanta Division. “The volume of dangerous drugs and violence impacts our communities beyond comprehension. This investigation and subsequent indictments demonstrate DEA’s commitment to protecting our community by destroying these drug trafficking organizations.”
“The indictment of senior leaders of this brutal Mexican cartel and subsequent OFAC sanctions makes one thing clear, we are coming after these criminal networks and utilizing every weapon in our arsenal,” said Special Agent in Charge Steven N. Schrank of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Georgia and Alabama. “Through aggressive interagency coordination, HSI and our law enforcement partners are not only seizing their drugs and arresting their members, but we are also cutting off their money, dismantling their infrastructure, and bringing their leaders to justice. This operation underscores our unwavering commitment to protecting our communities and dismantling the criminal enterprises that profit from violence and addiction.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie for the Northern District of Georgia, the indictments, and other information presented in court: In 2021, agents of the DEA and HSI began an investigation of LNFM cartel members importing methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl into the United States, including into the Northern District of Georgia. As part of the investigation, agents identified Franco Tabares Martinez as a then-high-ranking member of the LNFM cartel who allegedly distributed multi-kilogram quantities of methamphetamine in the metro Atlanta area.
In addition, agents identified Franco Tabares Martinez’s sister, Guadalupe Tabares Martinez, as an Atlanta-based money launderer allegedly helping her brother and other drug traffickers by picking up bulk currency and then using her money service business, Noyola Multiservice, to transmit those drug proceeds to drug trafficking associates in Mexico. Through the investigation, agents also identified Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga and Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga as the cartel’s co-founders and kingpins, who conspired with cartel members in Mexico and throughout the United States to import heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl across the U.S.-Mexico border for distribution in various cities and states, including Atlanta.
This case is being investigated by the DEA and HSI.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laurel Milam and Bethany Rupert for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case against the Hurtado Olascoaga brothers, Franco Tabares Martinez and Guadalupe Tabares Martinez. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Morrison for the Middle District of Georgia provided valuable contributions to the investigation of Guadalupe Tabares Martinez.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Justice Department 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This prosecution is part of an OCDETF Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi¬ jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
The specific mission of the David G. Wilhelm Atlanta OCDETF Strike Force (the Strike Force) is to degrade and dismantle major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations (DTMLOs) in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the Northern District of Georgia. To accomplish this mission, the Strike Force will target these organizations’ leaders, focusing on targets designated as Consolidated Priority Organization Targets (CPOTs), Regional Priority Organization Targets (RPOTs), and their associates. The Atlanta Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from ATF, DEA, FBI, HSI, USMS, USPIS, and IRS; as well as numerous state and local agencies, and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.
An indictment is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Leaders of La Nueva Familia Michoacana and Atlanta-Based Money Launderer IndictedRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Siblings Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga, also known as “El Pez,” “Pescado,” and “Mojarra,” 52, and Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga, also known as “El Fresa,” “El Feyo,” and “La Fruta,” 41, both of Guerrero, Mexico, and co-leaders of the La Nueva Familia Michoacana (LNFM) drug cartel, were charged by a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl knowing those controlled substances would be imported into the United States, conspiracy to import those controlled substances into the United States, and conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute those controlled substances.
The indictments were returned in September 2024 and recently unsealed. Prior to his indictment, Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga was designated as a Consolidated Priority Target (“CPOT”) by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) program. Both Hurtado Olascoaga brothers are fugitives believed to be residing in Mexico. In addition, today the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) announced new sanctions against Johnny and Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga and their siblings, LNFM members Ubaldo Hurtado Olascoaga and Adita Hurtado Olascoaga. On February 20, 2025, the U.S. Department of State also announced the designation of LNFM as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (“FTO”) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (“SDGT”). Additionally, the Department of State announced a Narcotics Rewards Program offer of up to $5 million and $3 million, respectively, for information leading to the arrests and/or convictions of Johnny and Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga.
Franco Tabares Martinez, 51, of Guerrero, Mexico, a high-ranking member of LNFM was charged by a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia with conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and related substantive counts of drug trafficking. The indictment was unsealed against Franco Tabares Martinez on July 7, 2023, after which he was sanctioned by OFAC. On June 20, 2024, his brother Uriel Tabares-Martinez was also sanctioned by OFAC. Another brother, Pablo Tabares Martinez, pleaded guilty on January 13, 2025, to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Their sister, Guadalupe Tabares Martinez, also known as “Yosel Medrano Hernandez” and “Lupe,” 48, of Mableton, Georgia, has now been charged by a federal grand jury seated in the Northern District of Georgia with conspiracy to commit international money laundering, conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money services business, and related substantive counts. The indictment was returned on April 8, 2025, and recently unsealed.
“Today’s indictments and OFAC sanctions against high-ranking LNFM cartel members sends a clear message: if you contribute to the death of Americans by peddling poison into our communities, we will work relentlessly to find you and bring you to justice,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
“These cartel members are allegedly responsible for importing massive amounts of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl from Mexico to the Atlanta area and across the United States, and then wiring hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds from distributing those drugs back to Mexico,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “These federal indictments, in conjunction with the imposition of OFAC sanctions, send a strong message that we will tirelessly investigate, prosecute, and defund individuals around the globe who choose to import deadly drugs into, and risk the lives of the members of, our communities.”
“Today’s action underscores our commitment to intensify the pressure on violent drug cartels like LNFM, who continue to traffic deadly fentanyl and other drugs, smuggle illegal aliens over our Southwest border, and attack law enforcement,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “The Trump administration will continue to use all available tools to target the cartels and other violent organizations that attempt to exploit our communities and harm Americans.”
“President Trump has promised to crack down on the flow of deadly drugs into our country,” said Senior Bureau Official F. Cartwright Weiland of the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). “And today, working with the DEA and Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of State is delivering on that promise by offering rewards totaling up to $8 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of the Hurtado brothers.”
“Cases like this exemplify the value of partnerships,” said Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “The volume of dangerous drugs and violence impacts our communities beyond comprehension. This investigation and subsequent indictments demonstrate DEA’s commitment to protecting our community by destroying these drug trafficking organizations.”
“The indictment of senior leaders of this brutal Mexican cartel and subsequent OFAC sanctions makes one thing clear, we are coming after these criminal networks and utilizing every weapon in our arsenal,” said Steven N. Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Georgia and Alabama. “Through aggressive interagency coordination, HSI and our law enforcement partners are not only seizing their drugs and arresting their members, but we are also cutting off their money, dismantling their infrastructure, and bringing their leaders to justice. This operation underscores our unwavering commitment to protecting our communities and dismantling the criminal enterprises that profit from violence and addiction.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, the indictments, and other information presented in court: In 2021, agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) and the Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) began an investigation of LNFM cartel members importing methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl into the United States, including into the Northern District of Georgia. As part of the investigation, agents identified Franco Tabares Martinez as a then-high-ranking member of the LNFM cartel who allegedly distributed multi-kilogram quantities of methamphetamine in the metro Atlanta area.
In addition, agents identified Franco Tabares Martinez’s sister, Guadalupe Tabares Martinez, as an Atlanta-based money laundering allegedly helping her brother and other drug traffickers by picking up bulk currency and then using her money service business, Noyola Multiservice, to transmit those drug proceeds to drug trafficking associates in Mexico. Through the investigation, agents also identified Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga and Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga as the cartel’s co-founders and kingpins, who conspired with cartel members in Mexico and throughout the United States to import heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl across the U.S./Mexico border for distribution in various cities and states, including Atlanta, Georgia.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictments only contain charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laurel Milam and Bethany Rupert are prosecuting the case againstthe Hurtado Olascoaga brothers, Franco Tabares Martinez and Guadalupe Tabares Martinez. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Morrison with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia provided valuable contributions to the investigation of Guadalupe Tabares Martinez.
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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi¬ jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
The specific mission of the David G. Wilhelm Atlanta OCDETF Strike Force (the Strike Force) is to degrade and dismantle major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations (DTMLOs) in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the Northern District of Georgia. To accomplish this mission, the Strike Force will target these organizations’ leaders, focusing on targets designated as Consolidated Priority Organization Targets (CPOTs), Regional Priority Organization Targets (RPOTs), and their associates. The Atlanta Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from ATF, DEA, FBI, HSI, USMS, USPIS, and IRS; as well as numerous state and local agencies, and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.
The Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia recommends that parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following websites: www.justthinktwice.gov; www.operationprevention.com/; and www.dea.gov/onepill.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Man Charged with Threatening Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and her FamilyRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Aliakbar Mohammad Amin has been arrested and charged pursuant to a criminal complaint with transmitting interstate threats to injure Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard and her family.
“Threatening to harm public officials is a criminal act that cannot be excused as political discourse,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “Our Office, in coordination with our law enforcement partners, will vigorously prosecute individuals who commit these acts of violence.”
“The FBI sees all threatening communications as a serious federal offense. We will employ every investigative tool and resource available to identify those responsible and ensure they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Let this arrest serve as a clear warning: if you engage in this kind of criminal behavior, you will be caught and you will go to prison.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, the complaint, and other information presented in court: Between March 29 and April 1, 2025, Amin allegedly sent text messages that included threats against DNI Gabbard and her husband, including the following statements:
- “You and your family are going to die soon” and “I will personally do the job if necessary.”
- “Death to America means death to America literally, Tulsi is living on borrowed time.
- “The home you two own . . . is a legitimate target and will be hit at a time and place of our choosing.”
- “Prepare to die, you, Tulsi, and everyone you hold dear. America will burn.”
During the investigation, federal agents also discovered similar threats allegedly made by Amin in social media posts, including an image depicting a firearm pointed at a photograph of DNI Gabbard, and a second image of a firearm pointed at a photograph of DNI Gabbard and her husband. Federal agents later recovered a firearm while executing a warrant to search Amin’s home.
Aliakbar Mohammad Amin, 24, of Lilburn, Georgia, was charged on April 11, 2025, via a previously sealed criminal complaint alleging a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 875(c). He was ordered detained pending trial by a U.S. Magistrate Judge after making his initial appearance in federal court.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Five Individuals Face Federal Charges Following Multi-Agency Immigration Enforcement OperationsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Five individuals have been charged in the Northern District of Georgia with firearms-related offenses during a multi-agency immigration enforcement operation in metro-Atlanta during the past week. The operations involved coordinated investigations led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Federal Bureau of Investigation, with valuable support from several local law enforcement partners. In addition to the individuals charged federally, law enforcement seized more than a dozen firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in connection with the operations.
“Our office is proud to support our law enforcement partners in this effort and other enforcement initiatives to protect our communities and safeguard our national security,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “This initiative sends a strong message to those engaged in criminal activity, whether regarding immigration-related or firearms offenses, that the ongoing and determined coordinated efforts of our federal and local law enforcement partners will achieve measurable results in making our communities safer.”
“The successful enforcement actions taken during this multi-agency operation underscore HSI’s unwavering commitment to upholding immigration laws and targeting illegal aliens allegedly possessing and trafficking in firearms,” said Steven N. Schrank, special agent in charge of HSI Atlanta, which covers Georgia and Alabama. “By leveraging our partnerships and resources, we are identifying and apprehending those who exploit our immigration system to engage in criminal activities that threaten public safety and national security.”
“ATF along with our federal law enforcement partners will utilize all resources to investigate firearms trafficking by transnational criminal organizations and cartels,” said Special Agent in Charge Benjamin Gibbons. “The success of these investigative efforts could not be accomplished without cohesive partnerships, which keep our communities safe.”
“The DEA, along with our law enforcement partners, are sending a clear message to the Mexican drug cartels and their criminal associates, that keeping our communities safe is our highest priority,” said Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division.
“FBI Atlanta is dedicated to supporting our federal partners in achieving our mutual objective of ensuring the safety of our communities,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This case clearly illustrates the success that can be achieved when federal agencies unite their resources and expertise to combat violent criminals."
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, the charges, and other information presented in court: From March 24 to April 2, 2025, federal law enforcement agencies conducted a series of enforcement operations targeting individuals allegedly committing firearms and other violations, including those illegally present in the United States. During the operation, law enforcement seized 13 firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Significantly, resulting investigations revealed that many of the firearms were bound for Mexico.
The following defendants have been charged in connection with the operations:
- Lucio Hernandez Mora, 45, of Riverdale, GA, was charged in a Criminal Complaint with possession of a firearm by an alien unlawfully present in the United States. On April 1, 2025, special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Department of Homeland Security, Enforcement and Removal Operations, executed a search warrant on a residence in Riverdale, Georgia and encountered Hernandez Mora, an illegal alien. During a search of the residence, agents located two firearms, allegedly belonging to Hernandez Mora.
- Cameron Vick, 22, of Atlanta, GA was indicted by a federal grand jury on nine counts of making a false statement to a firearms dealer in connection with the acquisition of firearms. Vick’s purchases included two belt-fed M249S rifles, believed to be destined for Mexico. He was arrested on March 27, 2025.
- Bernice Macias Montes, 31, of Atlanta, GA, was charged in a Criminal Complaint with making a false statement to a firearms dealer in connection with the acquisition of firearms. ATF agents seized five firearms during a search of her residence on March 27, 2025.
- Teresa Gonzales-Hoppo, 56, of Lithia Springs, GA, was charged in a Criminal Complaint with possession of a firearm by an alien unlawfully present in the United States. On March 27, 2025, ATF agents executed a search warrant on Gonzales-Hoppo’s residence and located a firearm, allegedly belonging to Gonzales-Hoppo.
- Carlos Sambrano, 28, of Rex, GA, was charged in a Criminal Complaint with unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. ATF agents located seven firearms in his residence during the execution of a March 27, 2025, search warrant.
Hernandez Mora made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Linda T. Walker on April 1, 2025. Gonzales-Hoppo made her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge John K. Larkins, III on March 28, 2025. Vick, Macias Montes and Sambrano also made their initial appearances before Judge Larkins on March 27, 2025.
Members of the public are reminded that the Criminal Complaints and Indictment only contain charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
These cases are being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations, and Federal Bureau of Investigation, with valuable assistance provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Secret Service, Georgia State Patrol, Sandy Springs Police Department, Doraville Police Department, Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, Clayton County Police Department, South Fulton Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Gwinnett County Police Department, Clarkston Police Department and East Point Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys with the Northern District of Georgia, including those assigned to the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN), provided valuable support for these operations.
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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The specific mission of the David G. Wilhelm Atlanta OCDETF Strike Force (Atlanta Strike Force) is to eliminate transnational organized crime syndicates and major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the Northern District of Georgia. To accomplish this mission, the Atlanta Strike Force will target these organizations’ leaders, focusing on targets designated as Consolidated Priority Organization Targets, Regional Priority Organization Targets, and their associates. The Atlanta Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from ATF, DEA, FBI, HSI, USMS, USPIS, and IRS, as well as numerous state and local agencies; and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Massive Fentanyl Seizure in Sandy Springs Leads to Federal ChargesRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Antwuan Brown, 39, of Alpharetta, Ga., made an initial appearance earlier today before United States Magistrate Judge Linda T. Walker on a Criminal Complaint, charging him with possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. Brown allegedly possessed for distribution approximately 240,000 fentanyl pills and 4.5 kilograms of fentanyl powder, making this the largest seizure of fentanyl in the district’s history.
“Our federal and local law enforcement partners undoubtedly saved countless lives through their diligent investigation and seizure of this immense quantity of deadly fentanyl,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “Our office will continue to work with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to aggressively target alleged fentanyl dealers who seek to poison our communities for profit.”
“DEA will continue to combat the fentanyl crisis by holding the most dangerous and prolific drug traffickers accountable,” said Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “Locking away criminal drug dealers who choose to push poison on our streets will save lives as fentanyl is the number one killer among Americans aged 18-45.”
A representative from the Sandy Springs Police Department said, “The Sandy Springs Police Department is committed to reducing the impact of illegal drugs in our city, especially fentanyl. We work closely with our federal law enforcement partners, such as the DEA/HIDTA to strengthen our efforts. We appreciate the U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta for their support and for prosecuting this case.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, the charges, and other information presented in court: On March 21, 2025, as part of a drug trafficking investigation, federal investigators of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program, and Sandy Springs, Georgia, Police Department officers, executed search warrants of an apartment and a vehicle located in Sandy Springs. Investigators found a pill press containing fentanyl powder and two firearms inside the apartment.
Law enforcement officers then encountered Brown who had the key to the vehicle of interest in his pocket. Officers located the vehicle in the apartment complex’s parking deck, opened it with Brown’s key, and discovered approximately 240,000 fentanyl pills, 4.5 kilograms of fentanyl powder, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Brown was arrested at the scene.
Members of the public are reminded that the Criminal Complaint only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Sandy Springs Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Matthew R. LaGrone is 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Felon Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing Firearms After Being Intercepted with Guns on Reinhardt University CampusRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Joshua Timothy Rex has pleaded guilty to possession of two firearms by a convicted felon after law enforcement officers intercepted him on his way to confront a student on the campus of Reinhardt University.
“Rex is a repeat violent offender who placed the citizens of Cherokee County and the Reinhardt University community at serious risk by bringing guns to campus in anticipation of an encounter with a student,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “We are relieved that local law enforcement intervened before Rex harmed anyone, and we are grateful for the collaborative efforts of our federal and local law enforcement partners who aided this successful prosecution.”
“Rex posed a serious threat to the public,” said Special Agent in Charge Benjamin Gibbons. “Identifying and apprehending Rex shows that ATF and our law enforcement partners will continue to utilize all resources to protect the community.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, Jr., the charges and other information presented in court: Joshua Rex is prohibited by law from possessing firearms due to his record of prior felony drug convictions and a prior conviction of domestic violence. But in spite of his previous criminal history, on July 20, 2024, he drove to the campus of Reinhardt University armed with two fully loaded firearms and extra magazines of ammunition. Law enforcement was alerted to Rex’s apparent violent intentions when they received a 911 call stating that Rex was en route to the school to confront and potentially harm a student.
Officers of the Cherokee County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office and Reinhardt University Department of Public Safety prevented a potentially life-threatening incident when they intercepted Rex just as he entered the campus and arrested him for driving under the influence of alcohol and bringing firearms to the campus. Rex later admitted to federal agents that he had armed himself in anticipation of an encounter with a Reinhardt University student.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 9, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. before Senior United States District Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr.
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with valuable assistance provided by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and Reinhardt University Department of Public Safety.
Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Wylly is 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Rome-Area Fentanyl Dealer Receives Federal Prison SentenceRead the Press Release
ROME, Ga. - Deaja Simone Clemons has been sentenced for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl.
“Clemons sold thousands of fentanyl pills at a time that the illegal distribution and use of this drug was continuing to ravage communities within and outside our district,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “Our Office is grateful for the collaboration among our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners which makes it possible to combat the threat of drug traffickers like Clemons.”
“Illicit drugs like fentanyl has destroyed countless lives,” said Jae W. Chung, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “Keeping our communities safe is our highest priority.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, the charges, and other information presented in court: In February 2024, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Rome, Georgia, Field Office received information that Deaja Clemons was dealing fentanyl in the Rome area. A subsequent investigation revealed that in the month of February, Clemons sold 121 blue pills marked with M30 (counterfeit pills made to resemble oxycodone 30 mg pills) that contained fentanyl. Clemons had sold 60 of those fentanyl pills in Rome, and 61 in Cedartown, Georgia.
In early April 2024, DEA special agents and Polk County police officers followed Clemons from Rome to Polk County. Polk County officers stopped Clemons en route back to Rome and, during a search of her car, recovered 124 blue, counterfeit “M30” pills containing fentanyl and $3,922 in cash. Clemons was arrested and, during the investigation that followed, DEA special agents discovered that Clemons had been selling about 300 fentanyl pills a week for approximately three months.
United States District Judge William M. Ray, II, sentenced Deaja Simone Clemons, 29, of Rome, Ga., to 63 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Clemons was convicted of the charges on December 13, 2024, after she pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Atlanta-Carolinas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (AC-HIDTA), and the Polk County Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorneys Thomas M. Forsyth, III and Calvin A. Leipold, III prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strategic Initiative focused on combatting the fentanyl crisis in northwest Georgia. OCDETF identifies and eliminates the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Anyone with information about drug sales/trafficking in their area can report it to the GBI at1-800-597-TIPS (8477) or DEA’s Atlanta Division Office at (404) 893-7000. Online tips can be submitted at https://www.dea.gov/submit-tip.
The Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia encourages parents and children to learn about the dangers of fentanyl and other drugs at the following websites: www.justthinktwice.gov, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com, www.operationprevention.com/, www.CampusDrugPrevention.gov, and www.dea.gov/onepill.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Villa Rica Man Sentenced for Stealing Social Security BenefitsRead the Press Release
NEWNAN, Ga. - Timmy S. Stephens has been sentenced for stealing money intended as disability benefits from the Social Security Administration. For approximately 20 years, Stephens claimed that he was disabled in order to receive benefits all while he worked at a local funeral home.
“Stephens perpetrated a two-decades long fraud on the Social Security Administration,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “The disability program is a wage replacement program for those members of our society who cannot work due to a physical or mental health condition. Stealing benefits from the Social Security trust fund betrays the Social Security Administration and the people the program is designed to help.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, Jr., the charges and other information presented in court: The evidence uncovered during the investigation showed that Stephens began receiving disability benefits due to a cardiac condition in or about August 2002. At that time and regularly thereafter, the Social Security Administration (SSA) informed him that if his condition improved or if he returned to work, he must report any change in his condition or work activity to the SSA. Despite notice of these reporting requirements, Stephens began working at a local funeral home in January 2003 and did not report the work activity to SSA. Instead, to conceal his work activity from SSA, Stephens arranged with the funeral home for his earnings to be reported to the Internal Revenue Service using a relative’s social security number.
SSA later learned of this arrangement and about Stephen’s work activity. Stephens then submitted a false work activity report claiming that he had not worked since 2001. In response, federal special agents interviewed Stephens about his work activity. During the interview, he lied to the agents and also produced falsified time sheets to the funeral homeowner, directing her to give the false records to law enforcement. In total, Stephens received more than $360,000 in disability benefits when he was in fact able to work and not disabled.
Timmy Stephens has been sentenced to nine months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a fine of $5,500.00 and restitution in the amount of $126,560.50. Stephens was convicted on these charges on October 17, 2024, after he pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Diane C Schulman prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Robert Burkich, M.D. Settles Case Alleging that he Submitted False Claims for Chelation Therapy to MedicareRead the Press Release
ROME, Ga. - Robert Burkich, M.D., of Chattanooga, Tennessee and Preventive Medicine Anti-Aging & Chelation, Inc., his practice in Ringgold, Georgia, have settled claims under the False Claims Act to resolve allegations that they knowingly submitted false claims to Medicare for medically unnecessary chelation therapy.
“By falsely certifying that services provided to patients are medically necessary, healthcare providers deplete the resources available to Medicare beneficiaries who are actually in need of care,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “In coordination with our law enforcement partners, our Office will continue to identify and pursue individuals who commit acts of waste, fraud, and abuse against the Medicare program.”
“Providers who knowingly submit unreasonable and medically unnecessary claims prioritize personal profits over their duty to patients and federal health care programs,” said Kelly J. Blackmon, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG, in partnership with our law enforcement allies, remains committed to investigating fraudulent billing practices that undermine the integrity of federal health care programs and jeopardize the well-being of beneficiaries.”
“We must assure patients and taxpayers that the care provided by federally- funded healthcare programs is dictated by clinical needs, not fiscal greed,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI and our partners are committed to combining resources to investigate and hold providers accountable for billing the government only for necessary services.”
The United States alleges that between September 2009 and January 2017, Dr. Burkich billed Medicare for administering the chelation drug edetate calcium disodium (EDTA) to Medicare beneficiaries who were not suffering from lead poisoning. EDTA is a rarely used drug that is indicated for use only in individuals suffering from lead poisoning and lead encephalopathy.
Medicare has several long-standing rules preventing reimbursement for EDTA when not used for cases of lead poisoning or lead encephalopathy. The United States alleges that Dr. Burkich falsely represented to Medicare that his patients suffered from lead poisoning or other heavy-metal-related diseases to avoid Medicare’s restrictions and obtain reimbursement.
Based on these allegations, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia filed suit against Dr. Burkich and his practice, accusing them of violating the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. 3729, et seq. That statute prohibits, among other conduct, the knowing submission of false claims for payment to government agencies. The case is titled United States v. Burkich et al., No. 1:19-cv-03510-MLB (N.D. Ga.).
The settlement was reached under the Department of Justice’s ability-to-pay guidelines, which can be used to settle cases where defendants lack the financial ability to pay a merits-based settlement. The guidelines require defendants to submit to a rigorous financial analysis to determine their ability to pay a settlement. Per the resolution, Dr. Burkich and his practice will jointly pay $700,000 to the United States to be used as restitution to Medicare.
This matter was litigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony DeCinque and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Paris Wynn.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Former Mohawk Executive Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
ATLANTA, Ga. – Jana Kanyadan, the former Global Chief Information Officer of Mohawk Industries, Inc. (“Mohawk”), has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison for defrauding Mohawk.
“Kanyadan held a position of authority as a C-suite executive at Mohawk and abused his fiduciary duty by stealing from the company that trusted him,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “His sentence is a reasonable one that reflects the seriousness of his criminal conduct.”
“The defendant stole money that should have gone to his employer,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. “We will continue to investigate and hold accountable anyone who attempts to scam their employer out of funds.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, the indictment, and other information presented in court: Kanyadan was Mohawk’s Global Chief Information Officer, responsible for Information Technology (“IT”) services and decisions. In 2019, Mohawk began a large, multi-year IT project and outsourced work for the project to IT consulting firms. Kanyadan secretly organized and controlled a Georgia company, Meta Technology Platforms, LLC (“Meta Tech”), and used his position at Mohawk to retain Meta Tech as a Mohawk vendor and divert Mohawk’s outsourced IT consulting work to Meta Tech.
Between approximately May 7, 2022, and October 2, 2022, Meta Tech submitted invoices to Mohawk totaling approximately $3,016,011.40. But these invoices did not disclose Kanyadan’s relationship to Meta Tech. Moreover, the invoices charged Mohawk for services that had not actually been performed and for software that had not actually been provided. The invoices also charged Mohawk inflated hourly rates that Kanyadan approved on Mohawk’s behalf. Based on the fraudulent invoices, Mohawk paid Meta Tech approximately $1,857,741.40, in total, with approximately $820,577.40 of that amount arising from fraud.
Jana Kanyadan, 54, of Marietta, Georgia, was sentenced to seven years, six months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Kanyadan was also ordered to pay a $250,000 fine and $985,166.66 in restitution. Kanyadan pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy and seven counts of wire fraud on November 1, 2024.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Samir Kaushal and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Tal C. Chaiken prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Eight GoodFellas Gang Members and Associates Charged with Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering, Including Attempted MurderRead the Press Release
An indictment was unsealed yesterday in the Northern District of Georgia charging eight members and associates of the GoodFellas Gang for their alleged roles in a criminal enterprise engaged in attempted murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and attempted carjacking in and around Atlanta.
According to the indictment, the GoodFellas are a violent gang that heavily recruits members in Atlanta neighborhoods, local jails, and Georgia Department of Corrections facilities. Members engage in violence to enhance the violent reputation of the gang.
As alleged in the indictment, six of the defendants shot and attempted to murder four victims. Additionally, two GoodFellas members and associates allegedly attempted a carjacking and assaulted three victims with a dangerous weapon.
Frank Hubbert, also known as Capo Frank, 38; Montavis Jones, also known as Nigel Woods, Jitt, and Git, 37; Darian Sheppard, also known as Lil D, 27; De’Andre Jackson, also known as Gen, Glock, and Glizzy, 22; Ephram Marshall, also known as Lil E, 24; Tahj Rankine, also known as Biggz, 26; and Leonunte Carson, also known as Lil Tae, 22, are each charged with multiple counts of attempted murder in aid of racketeering and with using a firearm during these crimes.
Hubbert and Ahday Nelson-George, also known as Baby K, 25, are each charged with multiple counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, and attempted carjacking.
Seven of the defendants face a maximum penalty of life in prison; Nelson-George faces a maximum penalty of 75 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Supervisory Official Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie Jr. for the Northern District of Georgia, and Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown of the FBI Atlanta Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI is investigating the case with valuable assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Fulton County (Georgia) Sheriff’s Office; Georgia Department of Corrections; and the Atlanta Police Department.
Trial Attorney Sarah J. Rasalam of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Renaud for the Northern District of Georgia 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 achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.