Northern District of Illinois
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Federal Law Enforcement Seizes 22 Firearms and Multiple Kilograms of Narcotics from Chicago Storage Unit; Alleged Drug Trafficker ArrestedRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — Federal law enforcement this month arrested an alleged drug trafficker and seized 22 firearms and multiple kilograms of narcotics from his Chicago storage unit.
MARIO NEUSTADTER sold fentanyl and methamphetamine to an undercover law enforcement officer in Chicago on three occasions in January of February of this year, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The complaint charges Neustadter, 47, of Chicago, with distribution of a controlled substance. Neustadter was arrested on April 7, 2026. He has been ordered by U.S. Magistrate Judge Young B. Kim to remain detained in federal custody pending trial.
During a detention hearing, the government advised the Court that federal law enforcement conducted a court-authorized search of Neustadter’s storage unit on the day of his arrest and discovered 22 firearms, approximately 30 kilograms of methamphetamine, 12 kilograms of cocaine, more than two kilograms of suspected fentanyl, and dozens of cell phones, among other items. A photo of the seized items was entered into evidence at the hearing and can be viewed below.
The complaint and arrest were announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Todd C. Smith, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Valuable assistance was provided by the Chicago Police Department and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. The officials noted that the investigation remains ongoing.
This investigation is part of Operation Fentanyl Free America, a DEA-led initiative to protect the United States from synthetic opioids by disrupting the fentanyl supply chain, reducing its availability, and saving American lives.
“I commend the actions of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners who worked diligently to seize dangerous drugs and an arsenal of high-powered firearms from the defendant before they could flood the streets,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “The arrest and substantial seizures in this case are but one example of the outstanding work being done by the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office, the DEA, Chicago Police Department, and Cook County Sheriff’s Office every day to combat drug trafficking and reduce violent crime. Let this case serve as a warning to criminal drug traffickers: There is no hiding place for those who flood our communities with illegal narcotics.”
“Today’s announcement underscores DEA’s commitment to removing fentanyl and other dangerous drugs, as well as illegally possessed firearms, from our communities,” said DEA SAC Smith. “Through Operation Fentanyl Free America and strong partnerships with the Chicago Police Department, Cook County Sheriff’s Police Department, and all of our law enforcement partners, we remain committed to saving American lives from tragic drug overdoses and poisonings.”
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
neustadter_complaint.pdfFederal Indictment Charges Reputed Chicago Gang Member with Illegally Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A reputed member of a violent Chicago street gang has been indicted on a federal firearm charge for allegedly unlawfully possessing two firearms.
ALEXANDER MARTINEZ-QUIROZ, 35, of Chicago, possessed a rifle and handgun from December 2025 to April 2026, according to an indictment returned Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago. As a previously convicted felon, Martinez-Quiroz was legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
A criminal complaint filed in the case alleges that Martinez-Quiroz fired three shots from the handgun while standing in front of a Chicago building on Dec. 18, 2025. While firing the shots, Martinez-Quiroz calls out that he is a member of the street gang, the complaint states. Martinez-Quiroz recorded himself firing the shots, and the government played the video at Martinez-Quiroz’s detention hearing in federal court. The video can be viewed here. [Note: You may need to download the video to see it properly. The download button is on the bottom right of the video, next to the volume button.]
Martinez-Quiroz was arrested on April 9, 2026. A U.S. Magistrate judge initially ordered him released from custody on bond, but the U.S. Attorney’s Office appealed to a U.S. District Court judge, who reversed the Magistrate judge’s ruling and granted the government’s motion for pre-trial detention. The defendant is now in federal custody pending trial.
The indictment was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan L. Shih.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
martinez-quiroz_indictment.pdf martinez-quiroz_complaint.pdfIllegal Alien Who Possessed a Dangerous Weapon in Cook County Jail and Committed an Attempted Vehicular Hijacking Indicted for Allegedly Unlawfully Re-Entering U.S. After DeportationRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — An illegal alien who resided in a Chicago suburb has been indicted on a federal immigration charge for allegedly unlawfully re-entering the United States after a deportation.
An indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Chicago charges HECTOR DANIEL GAMBOA-MANTALVO, 30, with one count of unlawful re-entry after deportation and removal. Gamboa-Mantalvo pleaded not guilty to the charge during his arraignment on Tuesday in federal court in Chicago. A status hearing is set for May 27, 2026, at 10:30 a.m., before U.S. District Judge LaShonda A. Hunt.
Gamboa-Mantalvo, a Mexican national who resided in Palatine, Ill., was removed from the United States in July 2020, the indictment states. During the arraignment hearing on Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kartik K. Raman advised the Court that Gamboa-Mantalvo was discovered in the United States in 2023 when he was arrested for committing an attempted vehicular hijacking in Palatine. He was convicted of that offense and has been serving a five-year sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections. While in pre-trial custody in that case, Gamboa-Mantalvo possessed a dangerous weapon in the Cook County Jail. He was later convicted of a weapons offense and sentenced to a concurrent term of four years in state custody.
Gamboa-Mantalvo waived his right to a detention hearing on the federal charge and has been ordered into federal custody. The unlawful re-entry charge is punishable by up to twenty years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Defendants convicted of this offense are subject to deportation.
The indictment was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Russell Hott, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Chicago.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. Among other priorities, the HSTF utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Two Plead Guilty to Operating Nearly $12 Million Fraudulent Loan Program Harming Dozens of VictimsRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — Two men from Kentucky have pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges for operating a scheme that caused borrowers, lenders, and investors to turn over nearly $12 million through sham loan programs and investments.
MARK CARROLL and LUKE CURRY admitted in plea agreements that they made materially false and fraudulent representations to victims to cause them to invest in companies Carroll and Curry created, including Catapult Marketing LLC and Catapult Funding LLC. As part of the scheme, Carroll and Curry fraudulently purported to extend lines of credit to victim borrowers in exchange for initial deposits of about 20%, a practice known as an “80/20 line of credit,” the plea agreement states. They also fraudulently entered into “private loan agreements” with victim lenders and investors in which Carroll and Curry falsely promised to repay principal and interest at maturity in exchange for the victims’ funds, the plea agreement states. Carroll and Curry instead misappropriated the victims’ money for purposes other than what they had represented to the victims, the plea agreement states.
The government contends that Carroll and Curry perpetrated their fraud scheme against 60 individuals, resulting in an actual loss of at least $11.8 million.
Carroll, 50, of Lexington, Ky., and Curry, 39, of Bowling Green, Ky., pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud charges during a hearing on Thursday in federal court in Rockford. They each face a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000. U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston set sentencings for Aug. 4, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.
The guilty pleas were announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa R. Munch and Robert Ladd.
Leader of Chicago Street Gang Sentenced to Life in Prison for Participating in Racketeering Conspiracy Involving Multiple MurdersRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A leader of the Four Corner Hustlers street gang in Chicago has been sentenced to life in federal prison for participating in a criminal organization that terrorized the West Side of Chicago for two decades by committing murders, robberies, extortions, witness tampering, and drug dealing.
LABAR SPANN, 47, of Chicago, was convicted in December 2025 after a five-week trial in federal court in Chicago on all four counts against him, including racketeering conspiracy, two murders in aid of racketeering, and extortion. The jury found that Spann committed a total of four murders in a premeditated manner as part of the racketeering conspiracy, including the killings of Rudy Rangel on June 4, 2003; Willie Woods on April 16, 2003; George King on April 8, 2003; and Maximillion McDaniel on July 25, 2000.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin imposed a life sentence on Spann during a hearing in federal court in Chicago. Given the gravity of Spann’s crimes, the life sentence was a mandatory penalty under federal law.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Illinois Secretary of State Police Department, Illinois Department of Corrections, Illinois State Police, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, and Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.
“At defendant’s direction, his co-conspirators ruthlessly murdered, extorted, and robbed anyone in their way, from rival gang members, to law enforcement cooperators, to innocent bystanders,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan C. Morrissey, Michelle J. Parthum, and Emily C.R. Vermylen argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “His actions ended the lives of four men, depriving their families of time with their loved ones. The harm and pain caused to these families can never be repaired.”
The Four Corner Hustlers operated primarily in the Chicago neighborhoods of West Garfield Park and North Lawndale on the city’s West Side, as well as in the former LeClaire Courts public housing development on the city’s Southwest Side. According to evidence presented at Spann’s trial, the gang dealt drugs and robbed and extorted rival dealers, while using violence and intimidation to prevent victims and witnesses from cooperating with law enforcement. The gang engaged in numerous acts of violence, including multiple murders and armed robberies. During the trial, the jury heard testimony from other members of the Four Corner Hustlers, eyewitnesses to numerous crimes, law enforcement officers who responded to crime scenes, and expert witnesses who analyzed forensic and other evidence.
Spann was indicted in 2017 along with eight other members of the Four Corner Hustlers and two additional defendants. All the defendants were convicted.
Former CFO of Chicago-Area Company’s Subsidiary Convicted of EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal jury in Chicago has convicted the former Chief Financial Officer of a Chicago-area company’s subsidiary on fraud charges for embezzling more than $1 million.
TINA FEUERSTEIN, 53, of Hanover, Penn., was convicted of eight counts of wire fraud. The jury returned the verdicts on April 9, 2026, after a four-day trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Each count of wire fraud is punishable by a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge LaShonda A. Hunt set sentencing for Aug. 26, 2026.
Feuerstein served as the CFO of a Pennsylvania company that was owned by a company in the Chicago area. Evidence at trial showed that Feuerstein used a company credit card over the course of five years to purchase personal items, including luxury furniture, designer apparel, and everyday expenses. To conceal her theft, Feuerstein falsified entries in the company’s general ledgers to offset the amounts that she had stolen. She also deleted items in the company’s expense-reporting system to hide more than 3,800 credit card charges that she had made totaling more than $1 million.
In addition, Feuerstein prepared false consolidated financial statements misstating the company’s total expenses that her employer relied upon to make business decisions. The evidence at trial also showed that Feuerstein had previously embezzled more than $250,000 while working in the accounting department of another company.
The conviction was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared Hasten and Anne Yonover.
Chicago Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Provide Material Support to Foreign Terrorist OrganizationRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A Chicago man has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) by using social media to encourage attacks on ISIS’s enemies and recruit ISIS members.
ASHRAF AL SAFOO was a leader of Khattab Media Foundation, a sophisticated online organization that swore allegiance to ISIS and created and disseminated threats and ISIS propaganda on social media and other online platforms. Al Safoo and other members of Khattab created and posted pro-ISIS videos, articles, essays, and infographics at the direction of, and in coordination with, ISIS. Much of Khattab’s propaganda promoted violent jihad on behalf of ISIS, which has been designated by the United States government as a foreign terrorist organization. In one posting, Al Safoo encouraged Khattab members to post pro-ISIS information “to cause confusion and spread terror within the hearts of those who disbelieved.” In another posting, Al Safoo wrote, “Work hard, brothers, edit the issue into short clips, take the pictures out of it and publish the efforts of your brothers in the pages of the apostates. Participate in the war, and spread terror, the [Islamic] State does not want you to watch it only, rather, it incites you, and if you are unable to, use it to incite others.”
Many of Khattab’s postings included images of violence, celebrations of terrorist attacks and mass shootings in the United States, and encouragement for “lone wolf” attacks in western countries.
Al Safoo, 41, has been in federal custody since his arrest in Chicago in 2018. After a bench trial last year in U.S. District Court in Chicago, U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey found Al Safoo guilty of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy to transmit threats in interstate commerce, conspiracy to intentionally access a protected computer without authorization, providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, and intentionally accessing a protected computer without authorization. Judge Blakey imposed the 25-year prison term during a hearing on Thursday in federal court and ordered that it be followed by ten years of court-supervised release.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security at the Department of Justice, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas P. Peabody of the Northern District of Illinois and Trial Attorney Andrew J. Dixon of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Texas Man Who Orchestrated $20 Million Cryptocurrency Scam Sentenced to 23 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A Texas man who orchestrated a cryptocurrency scam that bilked nearly 1,000 investors out of more than $20 million has been sentenced to 23 years in federal prison.
From 2018 to 2023, ROBERT DUNLAP claimed to operate a cryptocurrency business that sold a purported digital asset called “Meta-1 Coin” through a “Meta-1 Coin Trust.” Dunlap made numerous false and misleading statements to potential and actual investors, including claims that the Meta-1 Coin was backed by as much as $1 billion in art and $44 billion in gold. Dunlap falsely claimed that an accounting firm had audited the gold and certified its value. The purported art collection was alleged to have included works by Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Vincent Van Gogh, and other acclaimed artists. Dunlap created bogus legal documents to conceal the fact that he did not actually possess the gold or art.
Dunlap’s fraud scheme caused nearly 1,000 investors to lose more than $20 million. Many of the victim investors lost all of their savings.
A federal jury in the Northern District of Illinois last year convicted Dunlap, 55, of Houston, Texas, on mail fraud charges. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge LaShonda A. Hunt sentenced Dunlap to 23 years in federal prison and ordered him to pay restitution to his victims.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Adam Jobes, Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
“Defendant lied to investors for years telling them that he had created a safe investment for them,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared Hasten and Paige Nutini argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Over the years, defendant was unrepentant and his lies became bigger. Would-be criminals planning to engage in similar conduct need to know that such actions will be met with a serious repercussion that includes loss of one’s liberty for an extended period of time.”
“Robert Dunlap didn’t just take money—he took years of hard work, trust, and financial security from his victims,” said IRS-CI SAC Jobes. “He used lies and deception to pull in millions, leaving some investors with nothing. Crimes like this don’t just hit bank accounts—they upend lives. This 23-year sentence reflects the depth of that harm and sends a clear warning: Those who exploit others for personal gain will be found, and they will face serious consequences.”
Man Admits to Feloniously Using His Vehicle to Impede, Intimidate, and Interfere with the Work of Federal Immigration Agents During Operation Midway BlitzRead the Press Release
CHICAGO – A man has admitted in federal court that he used his vehicle to impede, intimidate, and interfere with the work of federal immigration agents during Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago, and then filed a false police report after the collision. The statutory maximum sentence for this conviction, which is a felony, is three years in federal prison.
On Oct. 3, 2025, ANTHONY GONZALEZ ALVAREZ joined a caravan of vehicles that was following a vehicle driven by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers on the Southwest Side of Chicago. Gonzalez Alvarez admitted in a plea agreement that he drove his Ford pickup truck into the rear passenger-side of the CBP vehicle in order to impede, intimidate, and interfere with the CBP officers’ immigration operation. To conceal his involvement in the collision, Gonzalez Alvarez filed a false report with the Chicago Police Department, claiming that his truck had been stolen on the morning of the collision, the plea agreement states.
Gonzalez Alvarez, 27, of Lyons, Ill., pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one count of misprision of felony. U.S. District Judge LaShonda A. Hunt set sentencing for July 22, 2026.
The guilty plea was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.
gonzalez_alvarez_plea_agreement.pdfFormer CEO of Chicago Charter School Network Charged with Misappropriating More Than $103,000Read the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal grand jury in Chicago today indicted the former Chief Executive Officer of a Chicago charter school network for allegedly misappropriating more than $103,000 in funds intended to support the non-profit’s educational work.
TIMOTHY KING served as CEO of Urban Prep Academies, a not-for-profit corporation that operated three charter schools in Chicago. Urban Prep received educational and organizational funds from Chicago Public Schools that were originally derived from the federal government.
An indictment returned today in U.S. District Court in Chicago alleges that in 2021 and 2022, King embezzled $103,833.31 from Urban Prep to pay for his personal credit card charges. The indictment further alleges that after receiving a federal grand jury subpoena and learning of the criminal investigation in 2022, King obstructed justice by deleting online records of three purported cash donations he had made to Urban Prep.
The indictment charges King, 59, of Chicago, with two counts of federal program theft and one count of obstruction of justice. Arraignment in U.S. District Court in Chicago has not yet been scheduled.
The indictment was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, John F. Woolley, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General’s Midwestern Regional Office, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Adam Jobes, Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago. Valuable assistance was provided by the Chicago Public Schools, Office of Inspector General. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Prashant Kolluri and Sean Hennessy.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Each count of federal program theft is punishable by up to ten years in federal prison, while the obstruction count is punishable by up to 20 years. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
king_indictment.pdfAttempted Carjacking at Suburban Chicago Gas Station Leads to Nearly Six-Year Prison SentenceRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison for attempting to carjack a vehicle at gunpoint while the driver’s wife and children were inside.
The attempted carjacking occurred on the afternoon of Feb. 19, 2023, at a gas station in Dolton, Ill. An off-duty Cook County Sheriff’s Deputy was standing next to his Dodge Challenger when JAVON STINGLEY and two other men—JOSEPH SMITH and MICHAEL BANKS—approached with loaded handguns and demanded the vehicle. One of the carjackers said words to the effect of, “I’ll shoot you, don’t move,” and removed the Deputy’s service weapon from his waistband. The Deputy’s wife and children were able to flee the Challenger before the men started to get inside. The men decided not to take the Challenger and drove off in their own vehicle.
Stingley, 28, of Midlothian, Ill., was arrested in October 2024 and has remained in law enforcement custody since then. He pleaded guilty in federal court last year to an attempted carjacking charge. On April 9, 2026, U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis sentenced Stingley to five years and ten months in federal prison.
Banks, 23, of Chicago, admitted his role in the attempted carjacking as part of a plea agreement that included other carjackings and firearm offenses that he committed. Banks is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Ellis on June 24, 2026, at 10:15 a.m.
Smith, 34, of Hammond, Ind., has pleaded not guilty to the attempted carjacking as well as to other carjackings and firearm offenses for which he is charged. Smith is awaiting trial.
Stingley’s sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elie Zenner.
Man Sentenced to 14 and a Half Years in Prison for Carjacking Vehicle at Gunpoint in Backyard of Chicago ResidenceRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man who carjacked a vehicle at gunpoint in the backyard of a Chicago residence has been sentenced to 14 and a half years in federal prison.
On the evening of Nov. 2, 2023, DAMARRI CONNER and KENNETH MERRITT carjacked an Audi sedan in the backyard of a residence in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood. A woman and her daughter had just returned home in another vehicle when Conner and Merritt sprang from a hiding place and attacked them. Conner punched the woman in the face, causing her to fall to the ground, and then pointed a loaded handgun at her. Conner then pointed the gun at the woman’s husband, who had rushed outside to help his family and calm the situation by providing instructions to the carjackers on how to start the Audi. The carjackers took the Audi and drove off. The carjacking was captured on a home-security video, which can be viewed here.
Conner, having stolen the keys to the victims’ other car—a Range Rover—during the carjacking, returned to the victims’ home on Nov. 14, 2023, and took the Range Rover from in front of the house. Law enforcement was able to track the Range Rover to Conner’s neighborhood and later found him hiding in the closet of a residence, leading to his arrest.
Conner, 23, of Chicago, pleaded guilty earlier this year to federal carjacking and firearm offenses. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Sunil R. Harjani sentenced Conner to 14 and a half years in federal prison. Merritt, 29, of Chicago, also pleaded guilty earlier this year to carjacking and firearm offenses. Judge Harjani scheduled Merritt’s sentencing for June 9, 2026, at 1:30 p.m.
Conner’s sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.
“Carjackings are among the most personal and terrifying crimes committed in this District,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Elie Zenner argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum in Conner’s case. “This crime was heinous and violent. The trauma he inflicted on his victims will take years to repair.”
Suburban Chicago Man Charged with Robbing Undercover Federal Task Force OfficerRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — The U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged a suburban Chicago man with robbing a federal task force officer during an undercover drug transaction last week.
The task force officer was working undercover for the Federal Bureau of Investigation on April 3, 2026, when the officer met with MARCUS LEWIS and a juvenile in a residential neighborhood of Ford Heights, Ill. to buy cocaine from them, according to a criminal complaint unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago. During the meeting, Lewis and the juvenile said words to the effect that they knew the undercover officer “was a cop,” the complaint states. They then beat the officer with a firearm and robbed the officer of $10,000 in government funds that the officer planned to use to purchase the cocaine, the complaint states. Lewis and the juvenile attempted to flee in their vehicle, but it crashed into a responding law enforcement vehicle, the complaint states. The juvenile was quickly arrested, while Lewis fled on foot and was apprehended early the next morning. The juvenile is expected to face charges in state court.
The federal complaint charges Lewis, 23, of Ford Heights, Ill., with one count of robbery. Lewis waived his right to a detention hearing and was ordered to remain detained in federal custody pending trial. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 15, 2026, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Young B. Kim.
The complaint was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office provided valuable assistance in the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jalan L. Jaskot.
“FBI task force officers and agents are first responders in the fight against violent crime in our neighborhoods and communities,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “The dangerous and brave work they do requires them to put their lives on the line every day. We all owe our law enforcement agents and task force officers a debt of gratitude for their dedication to the mission and their commitment to public safety. As I have said numerous times during my first year as United States Attorney, we will not tolerate attacks against federal law enforcement officers in the Northern District of Illinois. The Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office will seek to hold this violent offender accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
“The men and women of the FBI swore an oath to serve and protect the very communities in which they live and serve,” said FBI SAC DePodesta. “Violent attacks on our personnel, which include the elite cadre of embedded task force officer partners, erode respect for the rule of law and compromise the safety of everyone across our country. The FBI, with the full backing of our federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutorial partners, will ensure that there is no safe haven or amnesty for anyone seeking to harm the very personnel working to protect the American people and uphold the U.S. Constitution.”
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. Defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Chicago Man Charged with Threatening to “Shoot up” United States Secret Service OfficeRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois has charged a Chicago man with making a threat to “shoot up” an office of the United States Secret Service and “hunt” an agent.
On March 19, 2026, MICHAEL KOVCO sent an electronic message via the official White House website that stated, “I’m gonna hunt the secret service agent that comes to my door’s family so he better not tell me any identifying information at all like first or last name or pet name or address or place of work because im going to buy a small concealable firearm and go shoot up his place of work immediately if he tells me anything,” according to a criminal complaint unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The message was sent approximately two hours after a Secret Service agent and two Secret Service task force officers visited Kovco’s residence in Chicago to inquire about a prior threat Kovco had sent on March 17, 2026, the complaint states. Kovco’s prior message, which was also transmitted via the official White House website, threatened President Donald J. Trump and one of the President’s sons, the complaint states. Kovco electronically signed that message as being from “Mr. I’m going to [expletive] kill your child Kovco,” the complaint states.
The complaint charges Kovco, 29, with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. Kovco was arrested on April 3, 2026. A detention hearing is scheduled for April 10, 2026, in federal court in Chicago, at which time the government will be seeking Kovco’s continued detention pending trial.
The complaint was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Dai Tran, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Chicago Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the Chicago Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nina Ruvinsky.
“As I have stated repeatedly during my first year as United States Attorney, it is never acceptable to threaten a law enforcement officer, political figure, or a member of their family,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “Under my watch, political violence will be dealt with as the serious federal crime that it is. Working closely with our federal and state law enforcement partners, the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office will find, arrest, and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law those responsible for criminally threatening the safety of our public officials and law enforcement officers.”
“The U.S. Secret Service’s top priority is safeguarding the President of the United States and all those we protect,” said SAIC Tran. “We take any threats seriously and aggressively pursue them to ensure our protectees’ safety. I commend our agents’ work in bringing this defendant to justice. I want to thank our partners at the Chicago Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Illinois for their help in pursuing this case.”
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The charge in the complaint is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
kovco_complaint.pdfChicago Drug Trafficker Who Illegally Possessed 17 Firearms Sentenced to Nine Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man who trafficked fentanyl and cocaine and illegally possessed 17 firearms in his Chicago residence has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison.
Law enforcement conducted a court-authorized search of HUGO PINZON’s residence in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago in April 2024 and discovered distribution quantities of fentanyl and cocaine, as well as 17 firearms. As a previously convicted felon, Pinzon was legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
The search also turned up a money-counting machine, a digital scale for weighing narcotics, and $95,456 in cash, which constituted proceeds from narcotics transactions. Pinzon had sold drugs on three occasions earlier in 2024 to an individual who, unbeknownst to Pinzon, was cooperating with law enforcement.
Pinzon, 36, pleaded guilty last year to federal drug and firearm charges. On April 2, 2026, U.S. District Judge John F. Kness sentenced Pinzon to nine years in federal prison.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago. Substantial assistance was provided by the Carpentersville, Ill. Police Department.
“Distribution of narcotics, particularly cocaine and fentanyl, is a very serious offense,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey S. Snell argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “These addictive drugs destroy lives and shatter families. In addition to the narcotics defendant kept in his house, he also kept an array of 17 firearms, knowing that he had previously been convicted of a felony and was not permitted to possess a firearm.”
Former Executive of Chicago-Area Non-Profit Sentenced to Prison for $1.9 Million Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A former executive of a Chicago-area non-profit organization has been sentenced to a year in federal prison for misappropriating nearly $1.9 million through a pair of fraud schemes.
BARBARA HARRIS served as the Executive Director of the Center for Community Academic Success Partnerships (CCASP), which received government grants to provide after-school programs to schools in the Chicago area. From 2012 to 2017, Harris schemed with another CCASP executive, TONY BELL, to submit grant applications that inflated CCASP’s projected annual expenses and falsely claimed that the organization would receive services from five subcontractors. In reality, Harris knew that the subcontractors, two of which were other non-profit groups run by Harris and Bell, provided no actual services to CCASP. The scheme resulted in approximately $1.8 million in losses to the Illinois Department of Education.
Harris also engaged in a separate fraud scheme before and after she was indicted in the CCASP fraud case. From 2021 to 2023, while serving as Co-Executive Director of another non-profit, specifically, the South Suburban Community Services (SSCS), Harris bilked the federally funded AmeriCorps VISTA program, which awards grants to non-profits working to bring communities out of poverty. Harris submitted grant applications falsely representing that VISTA members would work for SSCS programs in the south suburbs of Chicago. Harris knew, however, that those SSCS programs had already been funded. Harris nonetheless obtained approval for eleven VISTA members to work at SSCS, and none of them performed services in accordance with their assignment descriptions, causing a loss to the VISTA program of $98,699.
Harris, 55, of South Holland, Ill., pleaded guilty last year to a federal wire fraud charge and admitted her criminal conduct in both schemes. On March 20, 2026, U.S. District Judge Andrea R. Wood sentenced Harris to 12 months in federal prison.
Harris’s sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, John Woolley, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General’s Midwestern Regional Office, and Adam Jobes, Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago. Valuable assistance was provided by the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, the AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General, and the Illinois Office of Executive Inspector General.
“This type of crime erodes the public’s faith in non-profit organizations generally and the federal programs that fund these organizations,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin Walgamuth argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum in Harris’s case. “Additionally, because the misappropriated grant funds were competitive, Harris’s conduct likely denied other organizations critical federal funding opportunities.”
Bell, 65, of Matteson, Ill., pleaded guilty last year to a federal wire fraud charge. Judge Wood scheduled Bell’s sentencing for Aug. 21, 2026, at 10:30 a.m.
Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Setting Fire to Two Rockford ChurchesRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A man was sentenced today to five years in federal prison for setting fire to two Rockford churches.
MARZAVIOUS THOMAS set fire to the churches on Oct. 19, 2022. The first arson occurred at Bethesda Covenant Church, 2101 E. State St. in Rockford. Thomas poured gasoline on entrance doors of the church and on the ground, causing a fire. Thomas then drove to Crosspoint Church, 3215 E. State St. in Rockford, where he threw a piece of concrete through the glass entry doors. He poured liquid from a container and unsuccessfully attempted to light the liquid. Thomas later returned with an object he lit on fire and dropped into the entryway through the broken glass doors, causing a fire to develop rapidly. The fires caused a combined damage to the churches of more than $35,000.
Thomas, 31, of Rockford, pleaded guilty last year to federal arson charges. In addition to the five-year prison term, U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston ordered Thomas to pay restitution to the churches.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Valuable assistance was provided by the Rockford Fire Department and the Rockford Police Department.
“Arson is a serious violent crime, and it is by sheer luck that these fires did not set Bethesda and Crosspoint churches ablaze, or seriously harm or kill anyone inside,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S Maveus argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Charges Three Men with Attempting to Rob Undercover Federal Agent in ChicagoRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — The U.S. Attorney’s Office today charged three men with attempting to rob a federal agent during an undercover firearm transaction in Chicago.
JEREMY JONES, CHRISTOPHER DENSMORE, and CARMELL MASSEY attempted to rob an agent from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives on Thursday morning, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The agent was working undercover when the agent met with the defendants in a parking lot on the South Side of Chicago for the purpose of buying two firearms from them, the complaint states. During the meeting, the defendants attempted to rob the agent of $600 in government funds that the agent planned to use to purchase the guns, the complaint states. When Jones pointed a firearm at the undercover agent, the agent responded by firing a shot at him, the complaint states. Jones and the two other defendants attempted to flee the area, but law enforcement quickly arrested all three defendants, the complaint states.
The complaint charges Jones, 19, Densmore, 22, and Massey, 20, all of Chicago, with one count of attempted robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. The firearm charge is punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and a maximum of life. The attempted robbery charge is punishable by a maximum of 25 years. The defendants were scheduled to make initial appearances in federal court in Chicago this afternoon.
The complaint was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The Chicago Police Department provided valuable assistance. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Gurley.
“Each and every day in Chicago, ATF agents put their lives on the line to fight violent crime and make our city safer,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “The undercover agent in this case demonstrated the utmost bravery, courage, and skill, all of which are the hallmarks of our nation’s dedicated ATF agents. Any crimes against law enforcement—especially violent crimes—are direct assaults on the rule of law. Through these serious federal charges, the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office will seek to hold these violent offenders accountable.”
“During an undercover firearms trafficking operation yesterday, the offenders arrived with the intention of conducting a robbery,” said ATF SAC Amon. “They did not realize they were targeting highly trained agents who immediately took action to take the offenders into custody and protect their own. I am proud of the professionalism and bravery demonstrated by our undercover law enforcement officers, ATF agents, and Task Force Officers on the scene. These professionals risk their lives day in and day out to target violent criminals and their sources of crime guns. Once the radio call went out, the Chicago Police Department immediately responded and provided critical investigative support, and I am grateful for their work. To be very clear, the conduct of these offenders will not be tolerated, and I want to thank U.S. Attorney Boutros and his team for swiftly bringing federal charges in this case.”
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
jones_et_al_complaint.pdfChicago Man Sentenced to 24 Years in Prison for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A Chicago man has been sentenced to 24 years in federal prison for sexually abusing two children and recording it.
DENIKOS HAWKINS induced two children to engage in sexual acts with him in 2023. Hawkins recorded the acts and sent the sexually explicit videos to other minors, offering to pay them if they created the same type of videos. When one of the victims stopped responding to Hawkins on Instagram, he threatened to send the videos of her to her school and to “everyone” she knew.
Hawkins, 36, of Chicago, pleaded guilty last year to federal charges of production of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang imposed the 24-year prison sentence during a hearing in federal court in Chicago on March 19, 2026.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.
If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Illegal Alien Facing State Murder Charge Now Charged in Federal Court with Illegally Possessing Firearm in ChicagoRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — An illegal alien unlawfully residing in the United States, who is charged in state court with murdering an 18-year-old Loyola University student, was charged today in federal court with illegally possessing a firearm in Chicago.
JOSE MEDINA-MEDINA illegally possessed a handgun on March 20, 2026, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Chicago Police officers discovered the firearm during a court-authorized search of his residence in the Rogers Park neighborhood on Chicago’s North Side, the complaint states. The search was conducted as part of a state investigation relating to a homicide that occurred in the neighborhood the day before, the complaint states. Chicago Police officers arrested Medina-Medina after the search, and he was subsequently charged in Cook County Circuit Court with murder and other offenses related to the homicide, the complaint states.
Medina-Medina is a citizen of Venezuela and has no lawful status in the United States, the complaint states. As an illegal alien unlawfully residing in the United States, Medina-Medina was legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
The federal complaint charges Medina-Medina, also known as “Jose Gregorio Medina,” “Jose Gregorio Medina-Medina,” and “Jose Medina,” 25, with one count of illegal possession of a firearm, which is punishable by a maximum sentence of ten years in federal prison. Medina-Medina is currently detained in state custody without bond. His initial appearance in federal court has not yet been scheduled.
The federal complaint was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Valuable assistance was provided by the Chicago Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jill Bhalakia and William Dunne.
“Given the senseless, cold-blooded nature of the murder of a young student with a bright future ahead of her, the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office will take no chances that this illegal alien perpetrator will be released back into our community,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “The Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office applauds the excellent work of the Chicago Police Department and Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to quickly identify, apprehend, and charge the culprit and hold him accountable for the murder in state court. Our Office will be ready to move forward with the federal charge as needed.”
“ATF will pursue all applicable federal charges to ensure that those who commit acts of violence are held accountable, and I am grateful for the strong investigative work conducted by the Chicago Police Department and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office," said ATF SAC Amon. "The addition of federal charges in this case further ensures that the defendant is held fully accountable under the law.”
The federal investigation is being conducted in coordination with ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence Center of Chicago. The CGIC is a centralized law enforcement partnership that focuses exclusively on investigating and prosecuting violent offenders who utilize firearms in commission of their crimes in Chicago and throughout northern Illinois. Every firearm-related case in Chicago is processed through the CGIC on a daily basis.
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
medina-medina_complaint.pdfFour Rockford Men Indicted in Federal Court on Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A federal drug investigation has resulted in criminal charges against four individuals for allegedly trafficking cocaine in the Rockford area.
The investigation, led by the FBI and the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office, utilized covert surveillance operations, undercover narcotics purchases, and wiretapped communications to shut down an alleged drug trafficking organization involving four Rockford men—AMJED ALSADUN, 38, AHMED ALSADUN, 38, NAMARIO L. HALEY, 38, and WILL A. EVANS, 32. An indictment unsealed on Tuesday in federal court in Rockford charges the four defendants with drug conspiracy and drug distribution.
Amjed Alsadun, Ahmed Alsadun, and Haley were arrested on Tuesday morning and pleaded not guilty during their arraignments that afternoon in federal court in Rockford. Detention hearings for Amjed Alsadun and Ahmed Alsadun are set for April 3, 2026, while a detention hearing for Haley will be held on April 7, 2026. Evans is currently in state custody in Winnebago County on an unrelated charge. His arraignment in federal court is set for April 6, 2026.
The charges and arrests were announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Gary Caruana. Winnebago County Sheriff. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Kim.
The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
alsadun_indictment.pdfSuburban Chicago Woman Indicted for Allegedly Defrauding Multiple Victims out of $3.5 MillionRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal grand jury in Chicago has indicted a woman on fraud charges for allegedly swindling multiple victims out of at least $3.5 million by falsely claiming their money would be used to support immigration services, projects in Ukraine, and other supposed needs.
TATIANA BAZER falsely represented to victims that their money would be used in various ways, including, among things, projects in Ukraine, immigration services, or as loans to Bazer to help resolve her purported arrest for shoplifting, according to an indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Some of the victims entrusted Bazer with hundreds of thousands of dollars, the indictment states. Bazer spent much of the victims’ money in a manner other than what she had represented, including for her own personal use, the indictment states. Bazer concealed the fraud by sending the victims false records, including bogus wire transfer receipts and fraudulent checks, the indictment states.
Furthermore, after learning that federal law enforcement was investigating her fraud scheme, Bazer pretended to be FBI agents, a prosecutor, and a criminal defense attorney to lull victims into believing that her case would be resolved and that victims would receive their money back, the indictment states.
Bazer, 40, of Buffalo Grove, Ill., is charged with seven counts of wire fraud and two counts of impersonating a federal law enforcement officer. Bazer pleaded not guilty to the charges during her arraignment in federal court in Chicago. A status hearing is scheduled for April 21, 2026, at 10:30 a.m.
The indictment was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The Illinois Secretary of State’s Securities Department provided valuable assistance.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Each count of wire fraud carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, while each count of impersonating a federal law enforcement officer is punishable by up to three years. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
If you or someone you know may be a victim of fraud allegedly committed by Tatiana Bazer, you are encouraged to report it to the FBI by clicking here.
bazer_indictment.pdfSuburban Chicago Investment Advisor Sentenced to Six and a Half Years in Prison for Swindling ClientsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago investment advisor has been sentenced to six and a half years in federal prison for inducing clients to invest in nonexistent business opportunities.
RALPH ROGERS III held himself out as an entrepreneur and investment advisor. From 2021 to 2023, Rogers fraudulently obtained funds from multiple individuals by falsely promising to invest their money in purported business opportunities, including fiber optic cable installation, computer chip manufacturing for Tesla, and a fitness recovery studio. Instead of investing the funds as promised, Rogers used the money for his own personal benefit, including for travel, hotel rooms, jewelry, apparel, and gym fees. He also made Ponzi-type payments to lull earlier investors.
Rogers carried out his scheme while on court-supervised release following a period of incarceration for a prior federal fraud conviction.
Rogers, also known as “Tres Rogers,” 63, of Batavia, Ill., pleaded guilty in November 2025 to a federal wire fraud charge. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis imposed the 78-month prison term and ordered Rogers to pay $238,044.62 in restitution to his victims.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.
“Defendant is a serial fraudster who, through both sophisticated and unsophisticated means, pursues every opportunity to victimize any person who comes into his orbit,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin M. Pinkston argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Defendant selects his victims from his immediate environment: his gym, the local bicycle store, the local smoothie shop, the hotel bar where he is a guest, the restaurant where he is dining, the relatives of his romantic partner. He will defraud anyone he can.”
Federal Law Enforcement Seizes Eleven Firearms, Ammunition, and Twenty Machine Gun Conversion Devices from Chicago Residence; Two Suspected Gang Members ArrestedRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — Federal law enforcement this week arrested two suspected gang members and seized eleven firearms, ammunition, and twenty machine gun conversion devices from their Chicago residence.
Criminal complaints filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago charge JULIAN TORRES, 19, and BRANDON OSORIO, 29, with possession of a machine gun. Torres and Osorio were arrested on Monday. Today, U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez granted the government’s motion for both defendants to remain detained pending trial.
Law enforcement on Monday of this week conducted a court-authorized search of Torres’s and Osorio’s residence in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood on Chicago’s Southwest Side. During the search, agents discovered a short-barrel rifle and ten handguns, one of which was equipped with an extended magazine, the charge alleges. Agents also discovered 20 machine gun conversion devices, which when affixed to a firearm allow it to operate like a machine gun, meaning the gun would be able to fire multiple rounds with a single pull of the trigger. The search also turned up assorted ammunition and firearm accessories, the complaints state.
During the detention hearing in federal court today, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirsten Moran advised the Court that Torres and Osorio are members of the 31st and Morgan Satan’s Disciples, a Chicago street gang that allegedly engages in illegal firearms trafficking, drug trafficking, and other criminal offenses. The Court was also advised that the gang used Torres’s and Osorio’s residence as a hub for its illegal activities.
The complaints and arrests were announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI Chicago Field Office, and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the Illinois Secretary of State Police and the Illinois Army National Guard Counterdrug Program. The officials noted that the investigation remains ongoing.
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
osorio_complaint.pdf torres_complaint.pdfFederal Jury Convicts Suburban Chicago Man of Threatening to Kill Federal and State Public OfficialsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal jury today convicted a suburban Chicago man of making a true threat to kill multiple public officials, including President Donald J. Trump, the 47th and 45th President of the United States.
TRENT SCHNEIDER, 58, of Winthrop Harbor, Ill., was found guilty of making a true threat in interstate commerce to injure a person. The jury returned its verdict after a three-day trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The conviction is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
On Oct. 21, 2025, Schneider posted a video of himself on Instagram in which he stated, “People like me have suffered real [expletive] crimes from [expletive] judges, doctors, lawyers, police. They all should be killed. All of them should be executed for what they’ve done . . . I’m going to get some guns. I know where I can get a lot of [expletive] guns and I am going to take care of business myself. I’m tired of all you [expletive] frauds. People need to [expletive] die and people are going to die. [Expletive] all of you, especially you Trump. You should be executed.” The video also included a caption that stated, in part: “THIS IS NOT A THREAT!!! AFTER LOSING EVERYTHING and My House Auction date is 11.04.2025 @realDonaldTrump SHOULD BE EXECUTED!!!”
On the same date, Schneider appeared at the Lake County, Ill. courthouse and told the judge presiding over Schneider’s pending foreclosure case that he would burn the courthouse down.
The conviction was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Dai Tran, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Chicago Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the Lake County, Ill. Sheriff’s Office and the Winthrop Harbor, Ill. Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hanna Helwig and Paige Nutini.
“Let this conviction send a clear message that it is never acceptable to threaten a political figure or a member of the judiciary,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “Political violence is not only intolerable, but it is a serious crime. Working closely with our law enforcement partners, the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office will find, arrest, and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law those responsible for criminally threatening the safety of our elected officials and judges.”
“Threats of political violence are not a joke,” said SAIC Tran. “They are a federal crime. The U.S. Secret Service vigorously pursues all threats to harm the President of the United States. I am proud of our agents’ work in this case and thank our partners at the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Winthrop Harbor Police Department for their assistance in bringing this defendant to justice. I also want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Illinois for prosecuting this case to its conclusion.”
Federal Judge Sentences Suburban Chicago Man to Six and a Half Years in Prison for $3.3 Million Covid-Relief FraudRead the Press Release
CHICAGO – A suburban Chicago man has been sentenced to six and a half years in federal prison for scheming to fraudulently obtain more than $3.3 million in small business loans and grants under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). Under the leadership of United States Attorney Andrew S. Boutros and consistent with the Administration’s priorities to identify, investigate, and prosecute criminal fraud in the federal government entitlement and benefit programs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois is taking a fresh look at Covid-19 fraud.
In 2020 and 2021, FRANCESCO DISTEFANO and a co-defendant, SARGIS URUMIEH, engaged in fraud related to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL), two sources of relief under the CARES Act. The pair applied for and obtained loans and grants for two companies where Urumieh served as a corporate officer. Distefano also applied for and obtained loans for a technology company that he owned and controlled. The applications contained numerous false statements and misrepresentations regarding the companies’ operations, including the number of employees, gross revenues, and payroll expenses. As a result of the fraud, Distefano and Urumieh caused a loss to the federal government of more than $3.3 million.
Distefano also fraudulently collected more than $37,500 in unemployment benefits from the state of Illinois in his name and the name of a relative while simultaneously receiving the Covid-relief loan proceeds and continuing to work for his technology company. Distefano used his Covid-relief and unemployment fraud proceeds to purchase, among other things, a Lamborghini Huracan, Maserati Ghibli, Land Rover Evoque SE, and Porsche 911, all of which were seized by law enforcement and forfeited to the government.
Distefano, 29, of Addison, Ill., pleaded guilty last year to a federal wire fraud charge. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Jeremy C. Daniel sentenced Distefano to 78 months in federal prison.
Urumieh, 58, of Glendale, Calif., also pleaded guilty to a federal wire fraud charge. Urumieh is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Daniel on July 22, 2026, at 4:00 p.m.
U.S. Attorney Boutros announced Distefano’s sentence along with Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, Adam Jobes, Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago, and Brett Lehnert, Acting Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General.
“As the nation was struggling with the Covid pandemic, the defendant was scheming to defraud the PPP, EIDL, and unemployment programs,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey S. Snell argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum in Distefano’s case. “It was not the result of a momentary lack in judgment, but a continuing series of decisions, motivated by greed.”
Anyone with information about suspected Covid-19 fraud can report it to the Department of Justice by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud at (866) 720-5721, or by submitting an online complaint here.
Chicago Man Charged with Threatening to “Shoot up” a Jewish SynagogueRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago has charged a man with making a threat to shoot up a Jewish synagogue.
On March 3, 2026, TIMOTHY HOLMES publicly posted on X, “I’m going to shoot up a synagogue,” according to a criminal complaint filed in the Northern District of Illinois. Holmes’s post was made in reply to a post from @Israel, the Israeli government’s official X account, concerning the death of Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei in Iran, the complaint states.
The FBI National Threat Operation Section received information regarding the threat, which Holmes made using @MapleStCapital, his X account, the complaint states. Further investigation revealed additional threatening communications from Holmes’s account this month, including a series of derisive posts concerning Jewish people, the complaint states. Holmes also posted the purported address in the United States of relatives of an Israeli government official, the complaint states.
The complaint charges Holmes, 31, of Chicago, with making a threat in interstate commerce to injure a person. Holmes was arrested on Wednesday morning in Florida and appeared that afternoon in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Over the government’s objection, he was ordered released on a $100,000 bond subject to various conditions, including not possessing a firearm or dangerous weapon, not contacting victims or witnesses in the case, not accessing social media or chat-based platforms, allowing the U.S. District Court to install GPS monitoring and access his electronic devices to confirm compliance with the conditions, and limiting his travel to the Northern District of Illinois and the Middle District of Florida. Holmes will appear in federal court in Chicago on a date to be scheduled.
The complaint was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI Chicago Field Office. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas P. Peabody.
“Anti-Semitism has no place in our society,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago is using all available legal tools to combat criminal conduct that rears its head in hateful anti-Semitism. This Administration has made clear that threats and violence against the Jewish community will not be tolerated. Working closely with our law enforcement partners, we will find, prosecute, and hold accountable the perpetrators of unlawful anti-Semitic threats and violence.”
“The FBI works 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year to swiftly detect and disrupt threats of violence across the country,” said FBI SAC DePodesta. “Anti-Semitic speech and threats against the Jewish community are reprehensible, and our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners remain committed to holding accountable those seeking to intimidate or harm. Public tips are key in our shared effort of keeping Chicago safe. The public is encouraged to report any suspicious or threatening behavior immediately by calling 9-1-1, the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), or online at tips.fbi.gov.”
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The charge in the complaint is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
holmes_complaint.pdfIllinois Businessman Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for $14 Million Covid-Relief FraudRead the Press Release
CHICAGO – An Illinois businessman has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining $14 million across 1,500 fraudulent small business loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The scheme netted SHARHABEEL SHREITEH at least $741,000 in kickback payments. In turn, Shreiteh then funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars in loan proceeds fraudulently obtained from the United States government to financial institutions in the Palestinian Territories, much of which was used to build a second home there. He also used some of the fraud proceeds to fund a lavish lifestyle in the United States, including renovations to his residence in Crete, Ill., and vacations to South Carolina and Florida. Under the leadership of U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros and consistent with the Administration’s priorities to identify, investigate, and prosecute criminal fraud in the federal government entitlement and benefit programs, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois is taking a fresh look at Covid-19 fraud.
Shreiteh engaged in fraud in 2020 and 2021 related to the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was created by the CARES Act to cover lost revenue due to economic disruptions from the Covid-19 pandemic. Shreiteh, who worked as a tax preparer in Palos Hills, Ill., recruited purported sole proprietors, self-employed individuals, and businesses to provide their personal identifying information and other documents, and then submitted more than 1,500 fraudulent PPP loan applications on their behalf, causing the government to disburse at least $14 million in fraudulent PPP loans. As part of the scheme, the applications contained numerous misrepresentations that inflated the applicants’ operations, payroll, income, and other expenses. For each successful fraudulent loan, Shreiteh received at least $1,000 to $4,000 in kickback payments from the loan applicants.
Shreiteh, 46, pleaded guilty last year to a federal wire fraud charge. On March 10, 2026, U.S. District Judge Martha M. Pacold sentenced Shreiteh to ten years in federal prison and ordered him to forfeit $741,000 to the United States government. Judge Pacold also ordered Shreiteh to pay $14 million in restitution to the United States government. During the sentencing hearing, Judge Pacold remarked, “Any fraud against any government program, but in particular a program that was an emergency relief program, to take advantage of those emergency funds and ultimately to steal from taxpayers is a terrible thing, and it’s a very serious offense.” Judge Pacold continued, “This was emergency money, it was supposed to help people who were suffering. It was supposed to help people who were suffering the effects of the Covid pandemic. It was funded by the government, therefore, by the American taxpayers, and [the fact] it was then sent overseas is very aggravating. And it's true, as the government pointed out, the next time there’s a crisis . . . people will point to this sort of fraud as a reason why there might be a problem with putting this sort of program out there, and that just hurts ultimately the people who really needed the funds.”
Judge Pacold also cited evidence that Shreiteh collected unemployment benefits from the states of Illinois and Ohio in 2020 and 2021 while simultaneously receiving the PPP fraud proceeds and working as a tax preparer. “That just shows a general disregard for the law, and . . . [a] willingness to lie to get money from government programs,” Judge Pacold said.
U.S. Attorney Boutros announced the sentence along with Adam Jobes, Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI Chicago Field Office.
“In America’s time of need, the defendant saw a chance to upgrade his lifestyle,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Elie Zenner argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “His fraudulent scheme resulted in a massive loss to the federal government at a time when Americans were struggling in the pandemic and legitimate businesses needed money to pay their employees. This was a massive, callous fraud motivated purely by greed.”
Anyone with information about suspected Covid-19 fraud can report it to the Department of Justice by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud at (866) 720-5721, or by submitting an online complaint here.
Chicago Man Sentenced to More Than Four Years in Prison for Fraudulently Obtaining $1.5 Million in SNAP BenefitsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A Chicago man has been sentenced to more than four years in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining more than $1.5 million in benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
SNAP is a federal benefit program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to supplement the food budgets of eligible individuals. Retail stores authorized to participate in the program can accept SNAP benefits through EBT cards, also known as Link cards, although it is illegal for stores or individuals to exchange the cards for cash or other items.
From 2018 to 2023, DAVID QUINONES gave cash or other items to SNAP recipients in exchange for access to their Link cards. Quinones used the cards to purchase various goods at authorized retail stores, fraudulently representing himself as the authorized user of the cards. He then re-sold most of the goods, keeping the proceeds for himself. In total, Quinones used more than 1,200 cards and fraudulently caused the USDA to pay out approximately $1,554,804 in SNAP benefits.
Quinones, 45, of Chicago, pleaded guilty last year to a federal wire fraud charge. On March 9, 2026, U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger sentenced Quinones to four years and four months in federal prison and ordered him to pay $1,554,804 in restitution to the government.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Shantel R. Robinson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Kelly.
Suburban Chicago Man Charged with Sending Threatening Letters to Two Federal JudgesRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man has been charged in federal court with sending threatening letters to federal judges in Texas and Florida.
JAMES LEBUHN, 65, of Libertyville, Ill., is charged with two counts of mailing a threatening communication, according to a criminal information filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Arraignment is set for March 26, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis.
According to the information, Lebuhn mailed letters in March of last year to U.S. District Court judges in Amarillo, Texas, and Fort Pierce, Fla. Lebuhn mailed the letters for the purpose of making a true threat and knowing that the letters would be viewed as such, the information states. When mailing the letters, Lebuhn also recklessly disregarded the substantial risk that others would regard the communications as a threat, the charges allege.
The charges were announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. The case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Federal Protective Service, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard M. Rothblatt of the Northern District of Illinois.
“The Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to holding accountable anyone who seeks to intimidate and instill fear in members of the federal government, including the esteemed public servants on the bench,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “When a threat such as this occurs, our Office will find, arrest, and prosecute those responsible to the fullest extent of the law. We are grateful for the close collaboration with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the Northern District of Texas and Southern District of Florida and the fine work they provided in support of this prosecution.”
“In today’s times of increasing threats of violence, these criminal charges should serve as a warning to others contemplating such behavior,” said Ryan Raybould, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. “I applaud the investigative efforts of our agents in this District and the prosecution team in the Northern District of Illinois for their outstanding work.”
The public is reminded that an information is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Each count in the information is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
lebuhn_information.pdfChinese Telecommunications Company Fined $50 Million for Conspiring to Steal Technology from Motorola SolutionsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal judge in Chicago has fined a Chinese telecommunications company $50 million for criminally conspiring to steal proprietary technology from Illinois-based Motorola Solutions, Inc.
Beginning in 2006, China-based HYTERA COMMUNICATIONS CORP. LTD. recruited and hired Motorola employees and directed them to take proprietary and trade secret information from Motorola without authorization. The stolen information related to Motorola’s digital mobile radio technology, which Motorola had developed through years of research and design. The engineers used the stolen information, including source code, to develop products for Hytera—at a fraction of the cost that it took Motorola to develop the exclusive technology—and competed with Motorola in the digital radio market through 2020.
Hytera pleaded guilty last year in the Northern District of Illinois to a federal charge of conspiracy to steal trade secrets. In addition to the $50 million fine, U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp, Jr. on Thursday sentenced Hytera to a five-year term of probation, which includes conditions for maintaining an effective compliance program and annual reporting of the program to the government. Judge Tharp found that Hytera caused Motorola to lose $214 million in profits, but restitution was offset in full by payments previously made by Hytera as a result of a civil judgment.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. Valuable assistance was provided by the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas P. Peabody and Wesley A. Morrissette of the Northern District of Illinois.
Seven Hytera employees were indicted in 2021 in federal court in Chicago for their alleged roles in the thefts from Motorola. One of them—GEE SIONG KOK—pleaded guilty in 2022 to a federal charge of conspiracy to steal trade secrets. As part of a plea agreement, Kok agreed to cooperate with the government in its investigation. Kok is awaiting sentencing. Warrants have been issued for the arrests of the six other defendants.
California Attorney Guilty of Federal Contempt Charge for Failing to Ensure Distribution of Settlement Funds to Relatives of Victims of Lion Air Flight 610Read the Press Release
CHICAGO — A California attorney pleaded guilty today in Chicago to a criminal contempt of court charge for disobeying a court order that called for settlement funds to be distributed to relatives of victims killed in the crash of Lion Air Flight 610.
KEITH GRIFFIN, 54, of Temple City, Calif., entered the plea before U.S. District Judge LaShonda A. Hunt in the Northern District of Illinois. Judge Hunt set sentencing for Aug. 6, 2026.
Griffin worked for the California personal injury law firm Girardi Keese, which represented relatives of victims who were killed in the 2018 crash in the Java Sea. Girardi Keese filed civil lawsuits in federal court in Chicago against the plane’s manufacturer, Boeing Co., and settled the suits in 2020. In connection with the settlements, U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin ordered that the settlement funds, which included a total of $7.5 million, be sent to each client as soon as practicable. Although Boeing wired the settlement funds into Girardi Keese’s client trust account in March 2020, Griffin admitted in a plea agreement that he knew for the next eight months that the firm failed to distribute the full amount of money to the clients, in contravention of Judge Durkin’s order and despite the clients’ repeated inquiries and demands for the money.
Griffin stated in the plea agreement that on multiple occasions he confronted another attorney at the firm, THOMAS GIRARDI, about paying the money to the clients. Griffin knew, however, that Girardi was not distributing those funds as required by Judge Durkin’s order over that eight-month period, the plea agreement states. The Lion Air victims eventually received their settlement funds when another law firm’s insurer paid them.
Griffin’s guilty plea was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared Hasten and Emily Vermylen.
Girardi, 86, of Seal Beach, Calif., was convicted in 2024 by a federal jury in Los Angeles of embezzling millions of dollars in settlement funds from other clients. In connection with Girardi’s sentencing in that case, prosecutors in Los Angeles apprised the Court that Girardi had misappropriated the settlement funds in the Lion Air matter. Girardi was sentenced last year to more than seven years in federal prison.
Two other Girardi Keese employees were charged in Chicago as part of this investigation. Attorney DAVID LIRA, 65, of Pasadena, Calif., pleaded guilty last year to a criminal contempt charge for his willful failure to abide by Judge Durkin’s settlement payment order. Lira was sentenced to four months in federal prison and four months of home confinement and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service. The firm’s former Chief Financial Officer, CHRISTOPHER KAMON, 51, of Palos Verdes, Calif., pleaded guilty last year to a wire fraud charge for helping Girardi embezzle the victims’ settlement funds. Kamon was sentenced to more than five years in federal prison, which will run concurrently to a ten-year sentence that Kamon received in federal court in Los Angeles for a related embezzlement scheme.
u.s._v._griffin_-_plea_agreement.pdfOwner of Chicago-Area Convenience Stores Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Defrauding Low-Income Food ProgramRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal judge has sentenced the owner of several Chicago-area convenience stores to four years in prison for scheming to defraud a low-income food program for women and children.
From 2010 to 2018, HASSAN ABDELLATIF schemed with eight other convenience store owners or workers in the Chicago area to fraudulently redeem checks from the Women, Infants, and Children (“WIC”) program, a federally funded initiative designed to provide a nutritious diet to low-income children and pregnant, breastfeeding, and post-partum women. Abdellatif and the others knowingly allowed customers to provide their WIC checks as payment for ineligible items at the stores, often at inflated prices. In all, ten stores involved in the scheme redeemed more than $19 million in WIC checks.
A federal jury last year convicted Abdellatif, 37, of Chicago, on all five counts against him, including two counts of wire fraud, one count of fraudulently obtaining government benefits, and two counts of willfully failing to file corporate tax returns. In addition to the four-year prison term, U.S. District Judge Jorge L. Alonso on Tuesday ordered Abdellatif to pay more than $8.8 million in restitution to the government.
Eight others were charged in federal court as part of this investigation. All eight have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, Shantel R. Robinson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Midwest Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, and Adam Jobes, Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kartik K. Raman and Rick Young.
“Hassan Abdellatif and his co-schemers engaged in conduct that was extremely serious, complex, and wide-ranging in scope,” AUSA Raman argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Vulnerable communities are impacted when individuals steal from those programs.”
Man Pleads Guilty to Robbing a Rockford Post OfficeRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A man has admitted in federal court that he robbed a U.S. Post Office in Rockford last year.
On May 27, 2025, ANTHONY JOHNSON walked approximately one block from his residence in Rockford to the Post Office, where he told the clerk to give him all the money in the cash register. After stealing approximately $219, Johnson ran back to his residence, crossing private backyards on his way.
Johnson, 59, pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of robbing money from the United States. The conviction is punishable by up to ten years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston set sentencing for July 8, 2026, at 1:30 p.m.
The guilty plea was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Mary T. Johnson, Acting Inspector in Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The Rockford Police Department assisted in the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Kim.
Alleged Boss of Violent Sinaloa Cartel Indicted in Chicago on Drug, Firearm, and Material Support of Terrorism ChargesRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal grand jury in Chicago has indicted an alleged boss of the violent Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico on drug, firearm, and material support of terrorism charges.
JESUS OMAR IBARRA FELIX led an armed security group known as the Las Fuerzas Especiales de Chuta (FECH), which engaged in armed conflict on behalf of the Guzman faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, a U.S. designated foreign terrorist organization previously headed by Joaquin Guzman Loera, also known as “El Chapo,” according to an indictment returned Thursday in the Northern District of Illinois. Ibarra Felix’s group allegedly provided armed security in support of Guzman Loera’s four sons, collectively known as “the Chapitos,” who took over leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel after Guzman Loera’s arrest in 2016. Guzman Loera was later convicted by a federal jury in Brooklyn, N.Y., and sentenced to life in prison.
The indictment alleges that from 2016 to 2026, Ibarra Felix supplied machineguns to the Chapitos and conspired with them and others to import methamphetamine and fentanyl into the United States from Mexico. One of the alleged co-conspirators—Fausto Isidro Meza Flores—worked with Ibarra Flores to deploy the armed guards, the indictment states. Meza Flores was indicted in 2019 in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and is currently on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
In addition to leading the FECH, the indictment accuses Ibarra Felix of serving as a “plaza boss,” overseeing drug trafficking operations in his assigned region near Ahome, Mexico, from 2016 to 2025.
The indictment charges Ibarra Felix, also known as “El Chuta,” 49, of Los Mochis, Mexico, with terrorism, drug, and firearm charges. The charges are punishable by a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Ibarra Felix is not in custody, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
The indictment is the result of a collaboration between prosecutors in the Northern District of Illinois and Southern District of California, as well as law enforcement partners from the FBI’s Washington, D.C. and San Diego Field Offices, and Homeland Security Investigations’ San Diego and Arizona offices.
The indictment was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Adam Gordon, United States Attorney for the Southern District of California, Darren Cox, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington, D.C. Field Office, TJ Holland, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI San Diego Field Office, Kevin Murphy, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of HSI San Diego, and Matthew Murphy, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of HSI Arizona. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Maione, Michelle Parthum, and Hanna Helwig of the Northern District of Illinois and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Mellor and Matthew Sutton of the Southern District of California.
The indictment was announced as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve various law enforcement goals, including the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect American communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
“The indictment of El Chuta should leave no doubt that this Administration is going to aggressively pursue transnational criminal organizations and hold their highest-ranking members accountable for poisoning the American public with illegal and harmful drugs and for the violence they perpetrate in the process,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “The Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of violent drug cartels, several of which, including the Sinaloa Cartel, have very deservedly been designated as foreign terrorist organizations. Working closely with other prosecutors and law enforcement partners across the United States, our goal is crystal clear: to disrupt and dismantle the cartels’ drug empire and bring its leaders to justice.”
“The indictment of El Chuta reinforces a simple message to him and other Sinaloa Cartel leaders: Foreign terrorist organizations may operate across borders–but justice doesn’t stop at them,” said U.S. Attorney Gordon.
“Ibarra Felix allegedly led an armed security group that committed heinous acts of violence in defense of the Sinaloa Cartel and its illicit drug trafficking monopoly,” said FBI Washington Assistant Director in Charge Cox. “His indictment is the first step toward bringing him to justice for facilitating the distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the U.S. and the terrorization of communities in Ahome.”
“This indictment makes clear that Jesus Omar Ibarra Felix would do whatever it took to reap the spoils of his alleged illicit cartel activities,” said FBI San Diego Acting SAC Holland. “It is the FBI’s priority to dismantle and eliminate these designated foreign terrorist organizations, so they can no longer threaten our communities with guns and drugs and violence. The FBI will remain relentless until we achieve this mission.”
“The indictment of Ibarra Felix underscores HSI’s dedication to disrupting transnational criminal organizations operating in the United States and abroad,” said HSI San Diego Acting SAC Murphy. “This major impact to Sinaloa cartel leadership is the result of persistent investigative efforts by HSI and our partner agencies to bring criminals to justice, protect our communities, and safeguard our nation.”
“This indictment underscores the unwavering commitment of Homeland Security Investigations to disrupt and dismantle violent transnational criminal organizations that threaten the safety of our communities,” said HSI Arizona Acting SAC Murphy. “HSI will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to ensure those responsible for trafficking dangerous drugs and perpetrating violence are brought to justice.”
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
ibarra_felix_indictment.pdfRockford Man Sentenced to over Six Years in Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A Rockford man has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for possessing child pornography.
A jury last year convicted STEPHEN CANFIELD, 54, of two counts of possession of child pornography. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins sentenced Canfield to six years and three months in federal prison.
According to evidence presented at trial, Canfield knowingly possessed images of child pornography on his cell phone and in a Dropbox account. The investigation began when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security received a cyber tip that the Dropbox account contained suspected child pornography.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert S. Ladd and Andrew M. Rosati.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. PSC marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, while also providing critical services to victims.
If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Man Convicted of Sex Trafficking a Minor in Chicago SuburbRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal jury has convicted a man on sex trafficking charges for causing a minor to engage in commercial sex in a Chicago suburb.
KENNARD CAMERON recruited and enticed a 15-year-old girl to engage in commercial sex acts in a motel in Lansing, Ill., in 2023. Cameron had photographed the girl wearing lingerie and in the nude and then posted the photos online in commercial sex advertisements. After Cameron arranged for encounters with individuals who responded to the ads, he and a co-conspirator required the girl to turn over the proceeds to them.
Cameron, 40, of Chicago, was convicted on Wednesday of one count of sex trafficking of a minor and one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor. The jury returned its verdicts after a week-long trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago.
Cameron faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in federal prison and a maximum of life. U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey set sentencing for Sept. 16, 2026.
The conviction was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Chang and Caitlin Walgamuth.
If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Tommy Schaefer Is Returned to Chicago to Face Federal Charges for the 2014 Murder of U.S. Citizen in Bali, IndonesiaRead the Press Release
Tommy Schaefer, 32, of Chicago, was arrested in international air space on a flight back to the United States yesterday to face a three-count indictment in the Northern District of Illinois charging him with one count of conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, one count of conspiracy to commit foreign murder of a U.S. national, and one count of obstruction.
Schaefer is alleged to have conspired with his girlfriend, Heather Mack, to kill Mack’s mother, Sheila Von Weise, while Mack and Von Weise were on vacation in Bali, Indonesia, in 2014. Court documents allege that Mack arranged for Schaefer to travel to Bali for the purposes of killing Von Weise. The indictment alleges that before the murder, Schaefer exchanged messages with his cousin, Ryan Bibbs, regarding different ways to kill Von Wiese.
In December 2016, Bibbs pled guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Commit Foreign Murder of a U.S. National for providing advice to Schaefer for how to kill Von Weise. Court documents in that case reveal that Mack had also asked Bibbs if he knew anyone who would kill her mother in exchange for money. The indictment alleges that Schaefer and Mack discussed how and when to kill Ms. Von Weise and eventually followed through with the plan on Aug. 12, 2014, in her hotel room. It is alleged that immediately following the murder, Schaefer and Mack placed Von Weise’s body inside a suitcase that they loaded into the trunk of a taxi.
In 2015, Schaefer and Mack were convicted in Indonesia of criminal charges related to Ms. Von Weise’s murder. Mack was sentenced to 10 years in prison. After Mack was released from the Indonesian prison and returned to the United States, she pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to kill a U.S. national and was sentenced to 26 years in prison in June 2023. Schaefer was sentenced in Indonesia to 18 years in prison. Schaefer was returned to the United States yesterday after completing his sentence, which was reduced by the Indonesian authorities due to remissions and general good behavior.
If convicted, Schaefer faces a maximum penalty of life in prison for counts one and two, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for count three, and a maximum fine of $250,000. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois, and Special Agent in Charge Douglas S. DePodesta of the FBI Chicago Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Acting Deputy Chief Frank Rangoussis of the Justice Department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Marie Ursini of the Northern District of Illinois are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Tommy Schaefer Is Returned to Chicago to Face Federal Charges for the 2014 Murder of U.S. Citizen in Bali, IndonesiaRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Tommy Schaefer, 32, of Chicago, was arrested in international air space on a flight back to the United States, to face a three-count indictment in the Northern District of Illinois charging him with one count of conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, one count of conspiracy to commit foreign murder of a U.S. national, and one count of obstruction.
Schaefer is alleged to have conspired with his girlfriend, Heather Mack, to kill Mack’s mother, Sheila Von Weise, while Mack and Von Weise were on vacation in Bali, Indonesia, in 2014. Court documents allege that Mack arranged for Schaefer to travel to Bali for the purposes of killing Von Weise. The indictment alleges that before the murder, Schaefer exchanged messages with his cousin, Ryan Bibbs, regarding different ways to kill Von Wiese. In December 2016, Bibbs pled guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Commit Foreign Murder of a U.S. National for providing advice to Schaefer for how to kill Von Weise. Court documents in that case reveal that Mack had also asked Bibbs if he knew anyone who would kill her mother in exchange for money. The indictment alleges that Schaefer and Mack discussed how and when to kill Ms. Von Weise and eventually followed through with the plan on Aug. 12, 2014, in her hotel room. It is alleged that immediately following the murder, Schaefer and Mack placed Von Weise’s body inside a suitcase that they loaded into the trunk of a taxi.
In 2015, Schaefer and Mack were convicted in Indonesia of criminal charges related to Ms. Von Weise’s murder. Mack was sentenced to a term of 10-years in prison. After Mack was released from the Indonesian prison and returned to the United States, she pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to kill a U.S. national and was sentenced to 26 years in prison in June 2023. Schaefer was sentenced in Indonesia to a term of 18 years in prison. Schaefer was returned to the United States yesterday after completing his sentence, which was reduced by the Indonesian authorities due to remissions and general good behavior.
If convicted, Schaefer faces a maximum penalty of life in prison for counts one and two, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for count three, and a maximum fine of not more than $250,000. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros of the Northern District of Illinois, and Special Agent in Charge Douglas S. DePodesta of the FBI Chicago Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Acting Deputy Chief Frank Rangoussis of the Justice Department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Marie Ursini of the Northern District of Illinois are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Winnebago County Woman Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud for Stealing Funds from a Booster ClubRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — The former Treasurer of a booster club in Rockford, Ill. has pleaded guilty to a federal fraud charge for embezzling more than $34,000 from the club.
SHONDRA MCLARTY, 55, admitted in a plea agreement that she embezzled and stole money from the Tumbling and Acro Boosters Club (“TAB”) from 2023 to 2024 while she served as Treasurer. McLarty fraudulently used TAB’s business debit card and fraudulently caused TAB to issue business checks, which she used for personal expenses and not for any legitimate business purpose. According to the plea agreement, McLarty admitted to concealing her misappropriation of funds by changing the mailing address of TAB’s business bank accounts to her personal residence.
McLarty, of Rockton, Ill., pleaded guilty on Tuesday to wire fraud, which is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence will be determined by U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston, guided by the Sentencing Guidelines. Sentencing is set for June 23, 2026, at 1:30 p.m.
The guilty plea was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The Rockford Police Department assisted in the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Kim.
Department of Justice Selects U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago as Leading Prosecutorial Partner on Trade Fraud Task ForceRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, today announced that the Department of Justice has selected the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago to be a lead prosecutorial partner on a task force designed to bring robust enforcement against importers, purchasers, supply chain actors, and other parties who seek to defraud the United States. Those with information about serious trade fraud schemes should consider filing a False Claims Act case in the District or making a voluntary disclosure or criminal referral under one of the avenues available for cooperators or whistleblowers.
The Department of Justice recently created the Trade Fraud Task Force to aggressively pursue enforcement actions against parties who seek to evade federal customs laws, as well as smugglers who seek to import prohibited goods into the American economy. Those engaged in fraud increasingly are attempting to illegally import below-market, industry-destabilizing goods without paying lawful duties or smuggling prohibited items that violate laws addressing public health, safety, intellectual property rights, and national security by allowing dangerous, restricted, or adversarial materials to bypass critical screening protocols. Trade fraud not only deprives the government of vital revenue used to reinvest in the country, but also threatens critical domestic industries, undermines consumer confidence, and weakens national security. At an economic level, illegally transshipped, mislabeled, and misdeclared merchandise also creates a two-tier pricing structure for imported products: higher prices for buyers and sellers unwilling to transact in transshipped, mislabeled, and misdeclared merchandise, and cheaper prices for those willing to do so or who are otherwise indifferent.
In a significant policy speech on Monday at the Forum on Trade Investigations Enforcement and Litigation in Arlington, Va., the Head of the Department of Justice’s Trade Fraud Task Force, Cody Matthew Herche, announced that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago will serve as a lead prosecutorial partner on the Task Force, along with attorneys from the Department of Justice and agents from the Department of Homeland Security and the Environmental Protection Agency. In the speech, Mr. Herche praised U.S. Attorney Boutros for his “partnership and extensive thought leadership in highlighting and combatting trade fraud” as well as his decades-long work in the space both as a federal prosecutor and thereafter.
When U.S. Attorney Boutros served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago from 2008 to 2015, he led what still stand as the Department of Justice’s largest-ever criminal trade fraud prosecutions, spanning 27 corporate and individual defendants across multiple indictments[1], with losses totaling approximately $260 million. Those cases provide valuable insight into how the Trade Fraud Task Force will build future criminal prosecutions. After his initial public service as a federal prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Boutros handled many matters and investigations involving trade fraud, authored numerous articles and book chapters on the subject, and served as the keynote speaker at several noteworthy legal conferences throughout the country.
“As Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. observed, ‘[A] page of history is worth a volume of logic,’” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “Early in my career as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in this Office, I led a series of momentous trade fraud prosecutions that laid the groundwork for the Trade Fraud Task Force. There were many unprecedented challenges in these difficult cases, but I was determined by a strong sense of the law and all equities, while also being fortified by an unwavering agency partner in the Department of Homeland Security in Chicago. Together we persevered and worked relentlessly for years to bring what still stand as the largest and most significant criminal trade fraud cases in our nation’s history. I take great pride in knowing that we were the architects of this enforcement area and that we were decades ahead of our time. It is also deeply satisfying that the vision we had for this enforcement area nearly 20 years ago has now been adopted at the very highest levels of the Department and is being implemented across the whole of government.”
The Northern District of Illinois spans 18 counties—from the Lake Michigan shoreline on the eastern edge of Illinois to the Mississippi River on the state’s western border—and serves as a major transit hub in the middle of the United States. Air and water transportation centers in northern Illinois are critically important global, national, and regional connectors. The Illinois International Port District, also known as the Port of Chicago, annually moves more than 19 million tons of cargo. Located along Lake Michigan on Chicago’s Southeast Side, the Port of Chicago provides the means to move bulk commodities across the Chicago region and beyond, whether by water, train, or truck. O’Hare International Airport in Chicago was the 13th largest air cargo hub in the world in 2024 (the most recent year for which final data is available), moving more than two million tons of cargo, while Chicago Rockford International Airport in Rockford, Ill., moves more than a million tons of cargo per year, making it the 13th busiest airport for cargo in the United States. Under our federal criminal laws, any offense involving the importation of an object may be inquired of, and prosecuted in, any district from, through, or into which the imported object or person moves.
“Chicago is one of the largest and most significant inland ports in the United States, allowing for expansive venue opportunities for criminal and civil trade fraud matters,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “Trade compliance is a key concern for not only our region’s economic security, but also that of our entire nation’s. The Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office will be strongly committed to holding parties accountable for their fraudulent schemes that undermine honest American competitors. We are proud to stand with our Department of Justice and agency partners as a prosecutorial leader of the Trade Fraud Task Force. I applaud the Administration for bringing greater focus, intensity, efficiency, and impact to prosecuting all varieties of trade fraud and safeguarding American ingenuity and security.”
The Trade Fraud Task Force will advance President Trump’s America First Trade Policy by pursuing those who violate customs laws through duty and penalty collection actions under the Tariff Act of 1930, actions under the False Claims Act, and, where appropriate, parallel criminal prosecutions, penalties, forfeitures, and seizures. The Trade Fraud Task Force encourages importers, their agents, purchasers, other supply chain actors, and industrial and commercial end-users to conduct thorough audits of their sourcing, purchasing, and importing practices, and voluntarily self-disclose and remediate unlawful behavior. In addition, the Trade Fraud Task Force welcomes False Claims Act filings as well as referrals and cooperation from the domestic industries that are most harmed by unfair trade practices and trade fraud.
[1]Among the cases U.S. Attorney Boutros brought as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois in the criminal trade fraud area were: U.S. v. Giesselbach, et al., 08 CR 417; U.S. v. Yong Xiang Yan, 09 CR 424; U.S. v. Hung Ta Fan, 10 CR 198; U.S. v. Shu Bei Yuan, 11 CR 84; U.S. v. Couture, 11 CR 781; U.S. v. Hung Yi Lin, 13 CR 125; U.S. v. Groeb Farms, Inc., 13 CR 137; U.S. v. Murphy, et al., 13 CR 138; U.S. v. Jun Yang, 13 CR 139; and U.S. v. Urbain Tran, 13 CR 140.
Two Individuals Arrested in Connection with Undercover Federal Firearm Investigation in Chicago SuburbsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — Two individuals have been arrested in connection with an undercover federal firearm investigation in the Chicago suburbs.
On Feb. 5, 2026, MATTHEW BARRAZA, 21, of Chicago, illegally sold a loaded handgun to an undercover law enforcement officer for $2,000, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The handgun was equipped with a machine gun conversion device, which allows the gun to fire multiple rounds with a single pull of the trigger. Also attached to the firearm was an extended magazine containing 19 rounds of .40 caliber ammunition, the complaint states. During the firearm transaction, which occurred at a gas station in Bolingbrook, Ill., Barraza also sold approximately 127 grams of cocaine to the undercover officer for $3,600, the complaint states. Barraza is charged with unlicensed dealing of a firearm, possession of a machine gun, and distribution of a controlled substance.
A separate federal complaint charges EDWIN MORENO, 27, of Chicago, with possessing a machine gun. Moreno possessed the firearm, which was equipped with a machine gun conversion device, on Jan. 15, 2026, while providing what he believed was security for tow operators allegedly conducting a vehicle repossession in Joliet, Ill., the complaint states. Unbeknownst to Moreno, the purported tow operators were undercover law enforcement officers, the complaint states.
Barraza and Moreno were arrested on Wednesday. Detention hearings in federal court have been scheduled for Feb. 25, 2026, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura K. McNally.
The charges and arrests were announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Substantial assistance was provided by the Joliet Metropolitan Area Narcotics Squad. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Saqib Mohammad Hussain.
barraza_complaint.pdf moreno_complaint.pdfMan Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Coordinating Hundreds of Meth Shipments from California to ChicagoRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for coordinating more than 200 shipments of methamphetamine from California to Chicago.
In 2022 and 2023, KEITH R. MCCORMICK mailed more than 200 parcels—each containing a pound of 90-100% pure methamphetamine—from his residence in Sacramento, Calif., to individuals in Chicago. Many of the parcels were addressed to co-conspirators who arranged for the sale of the drugs on the streets. The illicit proceeds were then shipped back to McCormick in California.
McCormick, 54, was arrested in March 2023. He pleaded guilty last year to a drug conspiracy charge. On Feb. 10, 2026, U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang imposed the 14-year prison sentence and fined McCormick $25,000.
McCormick was one of six defendants charged with drug conspiracy as part of this investigation. Four co-conspirators, all of whom resided in Chicago, pleaded guilty and were previously sentenced as follows:
STEPHEN R. JENKINS, 46: 14 years in prison.
DANIEL HEISE, 43: 12 years in prison.
DONALD W. GRENIER, JR., 64: four years in prison.
JOSE HERNANDEZ, 48: four years in prison.
The fifth alleged co-conspirator—WILLIAM F. KOCH, 38, of Chicago—died in 2024, prompting the government to dismiss the charges against him.
McCormick’s sentence and the results of the investigation were announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Mary T. Johnson, Acting Inspector-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Todd C. Smith, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the DEA, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California; Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTF) in Chicago and Sacramento; the USPIS High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force —Parcel Interdiction Regional Enforcement Team in Chicago; USPIS and Homeland Security Investigations Field Offices in Sacramento; and the North Riverside, Ill. Police Department. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly Moheb.
Suburban Chicago Man Sentenced to 37 Years in Prison for Sexually Exploiting Nearly 100 ChildrenRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal judge has sentenced a Chicago man to 37 years in prison for sexually exploiting nearly 100 children with whom he communicated on social media.
In 2022, SHAUN HEALY used Snapchat to contact and persuade young girls to create and send him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves. Healy often posed as a young girl himself to gain his victims’ trust and induce them to produce the sexually abusive material. He provided graphic, step-by-step instructions to his victims, including the type of explicit conduct they should engage in and how to record and send it to him.
Healy also extorted his victims by threatening to publish the images and videos they sent him if they didn’t produce and send him even more such materials.
In December 2022, law enforcement arrested Healy at his residence in Elburn, Ill., and searched his cellular phone. Law enforcement discovered a password-protected album on the phone that contained dozens of carefully organized folders of children that Healy had stored from his Snapchat account. Each folder contained the child’s Snapchat username, image, and a catalog of the sexually explicit videos and images that he instructed them to produce and send.
Healy, 45, pleaded guilty last year to child exploitation charges. U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman imposed the 37-year prison sentence during a hearing on Feb. 12, 2026, in federal court in Chicago.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Matthew J. Scarpino, Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Chicago. Valuable assistance was provided by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
“Defendant is a child predator,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Saqib Mohammad Hussain and Elly Moheb argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “And not just a child predator, but one who ruthlessly sexually exploited young girls and prided himself on it. What defendant made these children do will affect them for the rest of their lives in ways that we cannot appreciate.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. PSC marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, while also providing critical services to victims.
If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to https://www.missingkids.org/ or calling 1-800-843-5678. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from sexual predators, visit Know2Protect.gov.
Two Foreign Nationals Indicted in Chicago as Part of $10M Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Two foreign nationals participated in a $10 million scheme to fraudulently bill Medicare and private insurers for nonexistent health care services, according to an indictment returned in federal court in Chicago.
In 2023 and 2024, Burhan Mirza and Kashif Iqbal, along with several co-schemers, used nominee-owned laboratories and durable medical equipment providers to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare and private health care benefit programs for items and services that were not provided, the indictment states. Mirza, 31, is a Pakistani native who resided in Pakistan and obtained the identifying information of individuals, providers, and insurers without their knowledge and used the information to support the bogus claims submitted on behalf of the nominee-owned companies, the indictment states. Iqbal, 48, is a Pakistani native who resided in Lavon, Texas, and was allegedly associated with a number of durable medical equipment providers that submitted fraudulent claims to insurers. Iqbal also laundered fraud proceeds obtained by the co-schemers and coordinated the transfer of money obtained through the scheme to Pakistan, the indictment states.
“Rooting out fraud is a priority for this Justice Department, and these defendants allegedly billed millions of dollars from Medicare and laundered the proceeds to Pakistan,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “These alleged criminals stole from a program designed to provide health care benefits to American seniors and the disabled, not line the pockets of foreign fraudsters. We will not tolerate these schemes that divert taxpayer dollars to criminals.”
“Every fraudulent submission in this case was a hand in the pocket of a senior citizen or disabled person who relies on Medicare to fund critically important care,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois. “The defendants didn’t just steal from a government program; they stole from taxpayers who fund the promise of healthcare in this country. The newly established Healthcare Fraud Section in the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to stop bad actors from draining public and private programs—especially those in the healthcare fraud space that would make it harder for legitimate patients to receive care.”
“Each fraudulent claim submitted by the defendants deprived other deserving patients from necessary medical resources and cost taxpayers their hard-earned money,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas S. DePodesta of the FBI Chicago Field Office. “The FBI, along with our network of investigative and prosecutorial partners, will bring to justice those who engage in egregious fraudulent schemes at the expense of the American public.”
“This scheme was built on a foundation of lies — fraudulent claims for services that were never provided and a deliberate effort to funnel millions of dollars overseas,” said Special Agent in Charge Mario Pinto of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “These actions not only siphon funds from federal health care programs and private insurers but also undermine the integrity of programs meant to serve vulnerable patients. Our agency will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to dismantle these schemes and ensure those responsible are held accountable.”
The indictment charges Mirza with 12 counts of health care fraud and five counts of money laundering. Iqbal is charged with 12 counts of health care fraud, six counts of money laundering, and one count of making a false statement to U.S. law enforcement. Arraignments in federal court in Chicago have not yet been scheduled.
Three alleged co-schemers were previously indicted as part of this investigation and have pleaded guilty to federal health care fraud charges. Mir Akbar Khan, 57, of West Chicago, Illinois, recruited and managed individuals, including Fasiur Rahman Syed, 47, a citizen of India who resided in Chicago, to pose as the nominee owners of the purported medical businesses that Mirza and Iqbal used in their false submissions to Medicare. Navaid Rasheed, 43, a citizen of Pakistan who resided in Plano, Texas, admitted that he tracked payments of false claims in the United States to the nominee-owned companies, as well as disbursement of the fraud proceeds to the co-schemers. Khan, Syed, and Rasheed are awaiting sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Hayes for the Northern District of Illinois is prosecuting the case.
An indictment merely contains accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Two Foreign Nationals Indicted in Chicago as Part of $10 Million Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — Two foreign nationals participated in a $10 million scheme to fraudulently bill Medicare and private insurers for nonexistent health care services, according to an indictment returned in federal court in Chicago.
In 2023 and 2024, BURHAN MIRZA and KASHIF IQBAL, along with several co-schemers, used nominee-owned laboratories and durable medical equipment providers to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare and private healthcare benefit programs for items and services that were not provided, the indictment states. Mirza, a Pakistani native who resided in Pakistan, obtained the identifying information of individuals, providers, and insurers without their knowledge and used the information to support the bogus claims submitted on behalf of the nominee-owned companies, the indictment states. Iqbal, a Pakistani native who resided in Lavon, Texas, was allegedly associated with a number of durable medical equipment providers that submitted fraudulent claims to insurers. Iqbal also laundered fraud proceeds obtained by the co-schemers and coordinated the transfer of money obtained through the scheme to Pakistan, the indictment states.
The indictment charges Mirza, 31, with 12 counts of healthcare fraud and five counts of money laundering. Iqbal, 48, is charged with 12 counts of healthcare fraud, six counts of money laundering, and one count of making a false statement to U.S. law enforcement. Arraignments in federal court in Chicago have not yet been scheduled.
The indictment was announced by Todd Blanche, Deputy Attorney General, Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Mario Pinto, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Chicago Regional Office. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Hayes of the Northern District of Illinois.
“Rooting out fraud is a priority for this Justice Department, and these defendants allegedly billed millions of dollars from Medicare and laundered the proceeds to Pakistan,” said Deputy Attorney General Blanche. “These alleged criminals stole from a program designed to provide health care benefits to American seniors and the disabled, not line the pockets of foreign fraudsters. We will not tolerate these schemes that divert taxpayer dollars to criminals.”
“Every fraudulent submission in this case diverts much needed monies from senior citizens and disabled persons who rely on Medicare to fund critically important health needs,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “The defendants didn’t just steal from a government program; they did damage to the promise of healthcare in this country and the peace of mind that comes with it. I was proud to form a new Healthcare Fraud Section in the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office last summer with the aim of guarding hardworking taxpayer funds. We will work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to stop bad actors from draining public and private programs—especially those in the healthcare space that make it harder for legitimate patients to receive care.”
“Each fraudulent claim submitted by the defendants deprived other deserving patients from necessary medical resources and cost taxpayers their hard-earned money,” said FBI SAC DePodesta. “The FBI, along with our network of investigative and prosecutorial partners, will bring to justice those who engage in egregious fraudulent schemes at the expense of the American public.”
“This scheme was built on a foundation of lies—fraudulent claims for services that were never provided and a deliberate effort to funnel millions of dollars overseas,” said HHS-OIG SAC Pinto. “These actions not only siphon funds from federal health care programs and private insurers, but also undermine the integrity of programs meant to serve vulnerable patients. Our agency will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to dismantle these schemes and ensure those responsible are held accountable.”
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Three alleged co-schemers were previously indicted as part of this investigation and have pleaded guilty to federal healthcare fraud charges. MIR AKBAR KHAN, 57, of West Chicago, Ill., recruited and managed individuals, including FASIUR RAHMAN SYED, 47, a citizen of India who resided in Chicago, to pose as the nominee owners of the purported medical businesses that Mirza and Iqbal allegedly used in their false submissions to Medicare. NAVAID RASHEED, 43, a citizen of Pakistan who resided in Plano, Texas, admitted that he tracked payments of false claims in the United States to the nominee-owned companies, as well as disbursement of the fraud proceeds to the co-schemers. Khan, Syed, and Rasheed are awaiting sentencing.
mirza_et_al_indictment.pdfMan Sentenced to More Than 8 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A Crystal Lake, Ill., man has been sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine.
JAMES ETTLESON, 39, pleaded guilty last year to one count of distributing more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance. U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston imposed a 100-month prison sentence during a hearing on Monday at the federal courthouse in Rockford.
In a plea agreement, Ettleson admitted that from 2022 to 2024, he repeatedly ordered controlled substances to be delivered to him through the mail via the “dark web,” and then advertised to sell those controlled substances on Facebook. In April 2023, Ettleson arranged the order and sale of a package containing 113.2 grams of methamphetamine to an undercover law enforcement officer.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Mary Johnson, Acting Postal Inspector in Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodora Anderson.
Federal Judge Sentences Man to More Than Four Years in Prison for Robbing U.S. Postal Service Carrier in ChicagoRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal judge has sentenced a man to more than four years in prison for robbing a United States Postal Service letter carrier in Chicago.
The robbery occurred on March 31, 2020, in the 1900 block of North Albany Avenue in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood. DONTE HUGHES and another individual approached the carrier from behind as she was delivering mail. The other individual wrapped both arms around the carrier, preventing her from moving, while Hughes reached into the carrier’s pocket and demanded property. The victim complied with the demand and turned over official USPS property. Hughes and the other individual then fled the area on foot.
Hughes was arrested in 2024. At the time of the robbery, he was on probation for a firearm-related conviction in state court.
Hughes, 34, of Chicago, pleaded guilty last year to a federal robbery charge. On Feb. 4, 2026, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey I. Cummings sentenced Hughes to four years and three months in federal prison for the robbery of the postal carrier.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Mary T. Johnson, Acting Inspector-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Valuable assistance was provided by the Chicago Police Department. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Chang.
Foreign National Residing in Chicago Suburb Indicted for Allegedly Bringing Illegal Aliens into United States and Forcing Them to WorkRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A foreign national residing in a Chicago suburb has been indicted in federal court for allegedly bringing illegal aliens into the United States for private financial gain.
FREDY HERNANDEZ knowingly brought four illegal aliens from Honduras into the United States in 2022 and 2023, according to an indictment returned on Feb. 2, 2026, in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Once in the United States, Hernandez forced the victims to work for his private financial gain, the indictment states. Hernandez threatened the victims and made them believe that if they did not perform the work, they or others would suffer serious harm, the indictment states.
Hernandez, 46, is a citizen of Honduras who resided in Waukegan, Ill. The indictment charges him with four counts of bringing illegal aliens to the United States for commercial advantage, four counts of harboring illegal aliens, and four counts of forced labor. Each count of bringing in and harboring aliens is punishable by up to ten years in federal prison, while each forced labor count is punishable by up to 20 years. Arraignment in federal court in Chicago has not yet been scheduled.
The indictment was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elie Zenner.
hernandez_indictment.pdfViolent Sex Trafficker Sentenced to 28 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A Chicago man has been sentenced to 28 years in federal prison for violently sex trafficking five young victims, including a 15-year-old girl, and kidnapping two of them.
DENNIS WILLIAMS used threats, violence, drugs, and other coercive means to force five victims to engage in commercial sex. Williams often restrained or assaulted the victims to force them to comply and turn over the proceeds to him. Williams also caused a 17-year-old girl, whom he also assaulted repeatedly, to assist him in trafficking the victims. Williams ran his sex trafficking operation out of his Chicago residence and motels in Lansing, Ill., in 2022 and 2023.
Last year, a jury in U.S. District Court in Chicago convicted Williams, 33, on all seven sex trafficking and kidnapping counts against him. All five of Williams’ victims, including both of the kidnapping victims, bravely testified about their ordeals at trial.
U.S. District Judge Mary M. Rowland imposed the 28-year prison sentence during a hearing on Feb. 4, 2026, in federal court in Chicago.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. Valuable assistance was provided by the Lansing, Ill. Police Department, Chicago Police Department, Evergreen Park, Ill. Police Department, Joliet, Ill. Police Department, Manhattan, Ill. Police Department, Orland Park, Ill. Police Department, Palos Heights, Ill. Police Department, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Illinois State Police, and Illinois Attorney General’s Office.
“Williams’ crimes were violent, exploitative, and incredibly serious,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sushma Raju and Michelle Parthum argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Although the young women and girls that he victimized are now free of defendant’s grasp, the harm that he inflicted on them is likely to reverberate throughout the rest of their lives in the form of increased risk of mental illness and other struggles.”
If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.