District of Massachusetts

BOSTON – A Brazilian national unlawfully residing in Worcester has been sentenced to prison for selling firearms without a license.  

Joao Vitor Dos Santos Goncalves Pimenta, 21, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns to 27 months in prison. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In August 2025, Goncalves Pimenta pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license.

Between July and September 2024, Goncalves Pimenta sold 14 firearms without the required license in exchange for cash. The firearms included pistols and AR-15-style rifles and large capacity magazines.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Revere Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Crowley and John Reynolds of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – An Attleboro man has been arrested and charged for allegedly possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Gerard R. Proulx, Jr., 59, is charged by criminal complaint with one count of possession of child pornography. Proulx was arrested on Feb. 25, 2026, and made an initial appearance in federal court in Boston later that day. He is currently detained.  

In 2012, Proulx was convicted of possession of child pornography in the District of Rhode Island and sentenced to 30 months in federal prison.

According to the charging documents, in the summer of 2025, law enforcement investigating the receipt and distribution of child pornography via the internet downloaded multiple files from an IP address determined to be registered to Proulx. On Feb. 25, 2026, during a search of Proulx’s residence, various electronic devices including a desktop computer were recovered. It is alleged that an initial forensic examination of Proulx’s desktop computer revealed over 1500 files consistent with CSAM. Further review of Proulx’s devices remains on-going.

Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274 or contact [email protected].

Because of Proulx’s prior conviction, the charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Randy Maloney, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Zacks of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – Two Venezuelan nationals, alleged to be members of the violent transitional criminal organization Tren De Aragua, have been charged in connection with an ATM jackpotting conspiracy that included robberies and attempted robberies in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island. ATM jackpotting schemes typically involve a crew of individuals who travel to targeted ATMs and install malware directly to the ATM’s software programming to force the ATM to dispense all its cash.

Moises Alejandro Martinez Gutierrz and Lestter Guerrero, both 29, have been charged with conspiracy to commit bank theft. They will make their appearance in federal court in Boston at a later date. Both defendants are in the United States unlawfully.

According to court documents there has been an ongoing federal investigation into a nationwide conspiracy, believed to be coordinated and committed by members of Tren de Aragua (“TdA”), to steal money from ATMs using malware -- a scheme referred to as ATM jackpotting. TdA is a violent transnational criminal organization that originated in Venezuela in the mid-2000s which has expanded throughout the Western Hemisphere with an established presence in the United States. According to court filings, TdA’s criminal activities include human smuggling, extortion, drug trafficking, kidnapping and robbery. TdA has developed revenue sources through a range of criminal activities, including ATM jackpotting to steal millions of dollars from financial institutions. Jackpotting proceeds are typically distributed amongst TdA members and associates to conceal its derivation. TdA members often are instructed to split the proceeds from a jackpot operation with 50% earmarked and sent to TdA leadership in Venezuela and 50% divided among subjects conducting ground operations.

According to charging documents, on Feb. 5, 2026, Martinez Gutierrez and Guerrero were arrested in Augusta, Maine following an attempted ATM jackpotting robbery. Martinez Gutierrez is allegedly connected to at least five additional ATM jackpotting robberies across New England, including robberies on Dec. 31, 2025, in Norwich, Conn; Jan. 20, 2026, in Braintree, Mass; and Jan. 30, 2026, in Rochester, N.H.; and attempted robberies on Jan. 14, 2026, in Coventry, R.I.; and on Jan. 19, 2026, in Stoneham, Mass. Guerrero is allegedly connected to at least one additional jackpotting robbery, with Martinez Gutierrez, on Jan. 30, 2026, in Rochester, N.H.

The charge of conspiring to commit bank theft provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New Haven Division; the Massachusetts State Police; the Braintree, Stoneham, Boston, Dedham, Malden, Somerville, Augusta (Maine), Rochester (N.H.), Coventry (R.I.) and Norwich (Conn.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin J. Brown of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit and Peter K. Levitt, Chief of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit, are prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.  

BOSTON – Study Across the Pond, LLC (SATP) and its principal, John Borhaug, have agreed to pay $1.3 million to resolve a lawsuit alleging that they knowingly caused United Kingdom (UK) schools to submit false claims to the U.S. Department of Education. In April 2024, the United States filed a complaint against SATP and Borhaug, alleging that they convinced foreign schools to enter arrangements that violated the federal ban on incentive-based compensation for student recruitment.

“Today’s settlement resolves the United States’ lawsuit against Study Across the Pond and Mr. Borhaug, who used improper incentives in an attempt to influence American students to attend foreign schools,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “My office is committed to ensuring American students are not taken advantage of for financial gain and protecting the integrity of federal student financial aid programs.”

“American students deserve to make enrollment decisions free of the improper influence of third-party recruiters who pursue their own financial gain rather than the students’ best interests,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate, Head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Today’s settlement demonstrates the Department’s commitment to holding accountable individuals and corporate entities who violate the Incentive Compensation Ban and to protect the integrity of the federal student aid programs like the Direct Loan Program.”

“Today’s settlement is a result of the hard work and effort of the Office of Inspector General, the U.S Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Justice to protect and maintain the integrity of the Federal student aid programs by enforcing applicable laws, including the incentive compensation ban,” said Jason Williams, Assistant Inspector General for Investigation Services, U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General. “We will continue to work together to ensure that Federal student aid funds are used as required by law.”

Title IV of the Higher Education Act prohibits any institution of higher education that receives federal student aid from compensating student recruiters with a commission, bonus, or other incentive payment based directly or indirectly on the recruiters’ success in securing student enrollments. This is referred to as the Incentive Compensation Ban. The Incentive Compensation Ban protects students against aggressive recruitment practices that serve the financial interest of the recruiter, rather than the educational needs of the student.

According to facts admitted in the settlement agreement, SATP entered into contracts with UK schools that provided that SATP received a percentage share of the American student’s tuition to the UK school in exchange for SATP’s recruitment of that student. Meanwhile, federal student financial aid programs paid those American students’ tuition, of which SATP received a share under the illegal agreement. Sometimes, in response to questions from UK schools regarding whether such tuition-sharing agreements were permissible, SATP entered into purported “flat fee” contracts with the schools instead.  

The claims resolved in today’s settlement include claims that were brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. Under the Act, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Hitrost LLC v. Study Across the Pond, LLC, et al., No. 21-CV-10274-ADB (D. Mass.). The government intervened in this case in April 2024. As part of today’s resolution, the relator will receive a share of the settlement amount.

U.S. Attorney Foley, AAG Shumate and DOE-OIG Assistant IG Williams made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian LaMacchia and Alexandra Brazier of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit are handling the matter along with Trial Attorney Allison Carroll of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.

BOSTON – A Gardner woman has been charged in federal court in Worcester with fraudulently receiving Social Security disability benefits for 10 years.  

Michelle M. DiSalvo, 53, was charged with one count of receipt of stolen government money or property; one count of Social Security fraud; and one count of false statements. She will appear in U.S. District Court in Worcester at a later date.

According to the charging documents, from October 2013 through October 2023, DiSalvo allegedly received approximately $93,640 in Social Security disability benefits that she knew she was not entitled to. It is further alleged that DiSalvo concealed material information from the Social Security Administration with the intent to fraudulently obtain Social Security benefits. Additionally, DiSalvo allegedly submitted a fraudulent lease agreement to the Social Security Administration in October 2023.

The charging document further alleges that DiSalvo omitted her husband from the fraudulent lease because she knew that if she reported living with him, DiSalvo’s husband’s income and resources would have affected the amount of her benefits.

The charge of receipt of stolen government money or property provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of Social Security fraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of false statements provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Amy Connelly, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – A Northampton, Mass. man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Springfield for firearm and narcotics offenses while on federal supervised release. The defendant was previously convicted in federal court of possessing a loaded ghost gun and ammunition and various firearms and drug offenses in state court.

Gabriel Lebron, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to seven years in prison on the firearm and narcotic charges and one year in prison for violating the conditions of his supervised release to be served consecutively and three years of supervised release. In September 2025, Lebron pleaded guilty to one count each of felon in possession of firearm and ammunition and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and heroin.  

On April 9, 2025, law enforcement in Hadley responded to a 911 call about a man in the Howard Johnson hotel lobby brandishing a firearm. Lebron was found in the lobby in possession of a Jimenez Arms, Model JA 25, .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol loaded with five rounds of .25 caliber ammunition, including one in the chamber, 10 “snap caps” of crack cocaine and two bundles of heroin. He was immediately taken into custody. At the time of his offense, Lebron was on federal supervised release for a Vermont firearms conviction of possessing a loaded ghost gun with a laser sight and multiple rounds of ammunition, for which he was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release in 2023.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance provided by the Hadley Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case.  

Massachusetts company Study Across the Pond LLC (SATP) and its principal, John Borhaug, have agreed to pay $1,300,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly causing foreign schools in the United Kingdom (UK) to submit false claims and false statements to the U.S. Department of Education in connection with the Direct Loan Program through arrangements that violated the federal ban on incentive-based compensation.

“American students deserve to make enrollment decisions free of the improper influence of third-party recruiters who pursue their own financial gain rather than the students’ best interests.” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Today’s settlement demonstrates the Department’s commitment to holding accountable individuals and corporate entities who violate the Incentive Compensation Ban and to protect the integrity of the federal student aid programs like the Direct Loan Program.”

“Today’s settlement resolves the United States’ lawsuit against Study Across the Pond and Mr. Borhaug, who used improper incentives in an attempt to influence American students to attend foreign schools,” said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts. “My office is committed to ensuring American students are not taken advantage of for financial gain and protecting the integrity of federal student financial aid programs.”

“Today’s settlement is a result of the hard work and effort of the Office of Inspector General, the U.S Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Justice to protect and maintain the integrity of the Federal student aid programs by enforcing applicable laws, including the incentive compensation ban,” said Jason Williams, Assistant Inspector General for Investigation Services, U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General. “We will continue to work together to ensure that Federal student aid funds are used as required by law.”

Under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, institutions of higher education that want to participate in federal student aid programs, including the Direct Loan Program, must agree not to provide any commission, bonus, or other incentive payment to student recruiters based directly or indirectly on success in securing student enrollments. This is referred to as the Incentive Compensation Ban. The Incentive Compensation Ban protects students against aggressive recruitment practices that serve the financial interest of the recruiter rather than the educational needs of the student.

Since 2013, SATP has recruited American students to attend foreign schools in the UK.  The United States alleged that SATP knew of the Incentive Compensation Ban and nevertheless collaborated with at least 28 schools in the UK to violate the Ban while those schools were participating in the Direct Loan Program.  Specifically, the United States alleged that SATP demanded a commission for its recruitment services, which was a share of the tuition paid by any students the company recruited for the schools.  In many cases, this was money the schools had claimed from the Direct Loan Program for the education of American students.  The United States further alleged that SATP created sham records to hide these tuition-sharing arrangements from the Department of Education and ultimately caused foreign schools to submit false claims to the Direct Loan Program. The case is captioned United States ex rel. Hitrost, LLC v. Study Across the Pond, LLC, et al., No. 21-CV-10274-ADB (D. Mass.)

The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Hitrost LLC.  Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery.  The whistleblower will receive $240,500 as its share of the recovery.

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, with assistance from the Department of Education’s Office of the Inspector General, Office of the General Counsel, and Federal Student Aid (FSA) office.

The United States was represented in this matter by Trial Attorney Allison C. Carroll of the Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian LaMacchia and Alexandra Brazier of the District of Massachusetts.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

BOSTON – A Dominican national who used the alias, “Jose Perez Antonio,” and who unlawfully resided in Dorchester has been charged with illegally reentering the United States after having been deported on three separate occasions. The defendant has previously been convicted of drug trafficking, aggravated identity theft and wire fraud dating as far back as 1997.  

Wilson Radhames Peguero Brea, a/k/a Jose Perez Antonio, 56, was charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien with a prior felony conviction. The defendant is currently in ICE custody.

According to the charging documents, Peguero has illegally entered the United States at least four times, and used numerous aliases, including aliases belonging to U.S. citizen victims. In 1997, under an alias associated with a U.S. citizen victim, Peguero was convicted of drug trafficking. He was removed from the United States in 2005 and thereafter illegally reentered the country. In 2016, Peguero was arrested and charged by the state for possession of a fraudulently obtained driver’s license. That criminal case remains in default status. He was removed from the U.S. a second time in 2016.

After Peguero allegedly illegally entered the U.S. a third time, he was charged in Dorchester District Court with trafficking cocaine and fentanyl in a criminal case that remains in warrant status. According to court documents, his Massachusetts criminal history is associated with his alias Jose Perez Antonio.

In 2021, Peguero was arrested and charged with his true name in federal court for aggravated identity theft and wire fraud. He was convicted of both charges on Jan. 11, 2023, and sentenced to more than two years in prison. In 2023, Peguero was removed a third time. Peguero then illegally reentered the United States a fourth time and was encountered by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials on Feb. 5, 2026, while using a false identity document.

The charge of illegal reentry by an alien with a prior felony conviction provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julissa Walsh of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.  

BOSTON – A Boston area man pleaded guilty yesterday to his role in Cameron Street, a violent Boston gang.

Takari Elliott, a/k/a “T-Paper,” 34, of Boston, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise involving murder. U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick scheduled sentencing for May 27, 2026. Elliott was among 22 defendants charged in May 2023.

Elliott was identified as a member of Cameron Street, a violent gang based largely in the Dorchester section of Boston. Cameron Street members use firearms to murder and assault gang rivals as well as protect narcotics and drug proceeds. Members of Cameron Street have tattoos and wear clothing signifying their membership in the gang. They also post videos and use social media applications to promote the gang, celebrate murders and other violent crimes committed by the gang.

Elliott engaged in several acts that supported the Cameron Street enterprise. Most significantly, Elliott participated in the October 2020 murder in Brockton of Manuel Duarte, also known as “Brava.” Throughout the day of the murder, Elliott had been communicating with Duarte over Snapchat urging Duarte to meet him at a home address in Brockton to conduct a drug deal. Another member of Cameron Street, who is now deceased, rented a car in Boston and drove to Brockton, where he picked up Elliott and the pair met up with Duarte at a home in Brockton. Once there, the fellow Cameron Street member emerged from the backyard and shot Duarte 10 times, killing him. The fellow Cameron Street member took the rental car and fled to Boston, while Elliott was picked up by others near the scene of the murder.

Further evidence revealed that Elliott and his fellow Cameron Street member were paid $60,000 to murder Duarte and that they spilt the proceeds.

Elliott’s Cameron Street-related conduct goes back as far as January 2011, when Elliott was arrested in possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number and masks in a car near Cameron Street with other Cameron Street members. Elliott was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison for that offense:

In 2017, Elliott was convicted in federal court in Boston for cocaine distribution, for which he was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Following his prison sentence, while on federal supervised release, Elliott was arrested during a traffic stop in possession of a baseball-sized quantity of cocaine and with the Duarte murder.

Elliott is the 21st defendant to be convicted in the case. The remaining defendant, Clayton Rodrigues, is a fugitive and remains at large.

“This defendant and his fellow Carmeron Street gang members terrorized communities for years. Despite previous arrests, and while on federal supervised release, Elliott continued to sell drugs, carry guns and commit a murder for hire. He has no regard for the law and it appears that he is incapable of learning a lesson. Enough is enough. He is facing a harsh sentence which is more than warranted,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley.  

“Cameron Street waged a gang war among the residents of Dorchester, terrorizing their community and causing untold grief to countless families and loved ones of their victims. Takari Elliott was a willing participant in the Cameron Street racketeering enterprise, celebrating these killings and dealing drugs across Massachusetts. Elliott then accepted his cut of $60,000 to commit a murder-for-hire. ATF’s primary mission is to target and disrupt violent entities like Cameron Street. Takari Elliott’s plea places an exclamation point on ATF’s long-running investigation into the retaliatory violence,” said Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division.

“Violent gang members who flood our communities with deadly drugs and commit acts of brutal violence will be held accountable,” said Jared A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division. “This defendant was not only responsible for trafficking dangerous narcotics, but also for participating in racketeering activity that included murder. With two prior convictions, he had multiple opportunities to change course and instead chose to escalate his criminal conduct. DEA and our law enforcement partners remain steadfast in our commitment to dismantling violent criminal enterprises and protecting the public from those who threaten the safety of our neighborhoods.”

The charge of RICO conspiracy involving murder provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

U.S. Attorney Foley, ATF SAC Greco, DEA SAC Forget and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office; Suffolk, Plymouth, Norfolk and Bristol County District Attorney’s Offices; and the Canton, Quincy, Randolph, Somerville, Brockton, Malden, Stoughton, Rehoboth, Pawtucket (R.I.) and Nashville Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Pohl and Brian A. Fogerty of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.  

BOSTON – A Brookline man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for recruiting and enticing a 15-year-old child to produce and send child pornography to him.

Scott Cunha, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun to 15 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In October 2025, Cunha pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of children. Cunha was arrested and charged in January 2025.

Beginning in at least 2022, Cunha communicated over Snapchat with multiple minor children between 13 and 16 years old from across the country. He enticed the children to take nude images and videos of themselves and send them to him over Snapchat, often in exchange for the promise or actual transfer of money or gifts. Cunha also tried to persuade his minor victims to meet him in person for sex acts by offering to pay them money in exchange for doing so. Cunha did, in fact, meet with at least one minor victim.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of Federal Bureau of Investigations made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Torey B. Cummings and Elizabeth Riley of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – Federal complaints were unsealed yesterday against seven members and associates of the Brockton-based Harvard Street Gang and their Randolph-based affiliates for drug and firearm charges:

1. Lue Andrade, a/k/a “Poncho,” 31, of West Bridgewater, is charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime;
2. London Cohen, 36, of Randolph, is charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime;
3. Kelby Correia, 34, of Brockton, is charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances;
4. Giovany Fouyolle, 31, of Randolph, is charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances;
5. Adonis Graham, 34, of Boston, is charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances;
6. Felipe Jonet-Branco, 31, of Brockton, is charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; 
7. Jose Mendes, 35, of Randolph, is charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and 
8. Keanu Fernandes, a/k/a “Keys,” 29, of Brockton, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, in connection with this investigation.

All eight defendants are currently in federal or state custody.

According to court documents, the Harvard Street Gang (HSG) has been investigated since 2019. During this time, more than 20 leaders, members and associates of HSG have been charged with state and federal drug trafficking and firearm crimes. Over 100 kilograms of drugs, including cocaine and fentanyl, and over 45 firearms, including machine guns, have been seized. According to court documents, HSG has been involved in gang violence, including shootings, murders and witness intimidation. Numerous HSG leaders, members, and associates have been convicted of drug trafficking and firearm crimes in federal court because of this investigation. At least six defendants have been sentenced to 10 years or more in federal prison, and one member who was convicted after trial was sentenced to 32 years in prison.

In 2025, the investigation expanded to include HSG’s Randolph-based affiliates. According to court documents, the investigation showed that HSG and their Randolph affiliates worked cooperatively to distribute drugs, such as cocaine and fentanyl, throughout the Brockton and Randolph areas.

During the investigation, numerous residences and stash houses in Boston, Randolph, Taunton, West Bridgewater and Brockton associated with HSG and their Randolph affiliates were searched. According to court records, the searches resulted in the seizure of 15 firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, over 50 pounds of marijuana, approximately three kilograms of cocaine, fentanyl and other drugs as well as approximately $38,000 in cash.

A search warrant was also executed at the store “Banks & Brancos” on Crescent Street in Brockton, which was owned and operated by HSG associate Jonet-Branco. Ten firearms, over 35 pounds of marijuana (with packaging), over 200 grams of apparent psilocybin mushrooms and over $40,000 in cash were allegedly seized. Eight firearms, along with large-capacity magazines and several empty bottles of promethazine with codeine, were allegedly found inside a hidden drawer underneath the store’s front counter. The guns included a large-caliber rifle and a Glock handgun equipped with a machine gun conversion device. An additional gun was hidden inside the store’s vending machine, and another was in plain view in a storage room.

The charge of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to life in prison, consecutive to the term of imprisonment for the drug trafficking crime, supervised release of up to life and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Abington, Acushnet, Ashland, Boston, Braintree, Bridgewater, Brockton, Chelsea, East Bridgewater, Medford, Quincy, Randolph, Raynham, Stoughton, Taunton and West Bridgewater Police Departments; Plymouth and Suffolk County Sheriff’s Departments; Massachusetts Department of Correction; Plymouth, Norfolk and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Offices; and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Cutshall and Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit are prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

 

BOSTON – A Provincetown man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to child pornography offenses. The defendant possessed several thousand image and video files containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Laurence Pagnoni, 65, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography. U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for May 12, 2026. Pagnoni was arrested and charged in April 2024.

An individual arrested in a child exploitation sting reported to law enforcement that, in March of 2023, Pagnoni distributed CSAM to him via the online cloud storage platform Mega. It was determined that Pagnoni had sent thousands of CSAM files to this individual. During a search of Pagnoni’s home in Provincetown in May of 2023 a number of items, including Pagnoni’s cellphone, were seized. During a subsequent search of Pagnoni’s cellphone, several thousand image files and video files containing CSAM, including at least 51 known series of CSAM as identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, were discovered.  

Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274.

The charge of distribution of child pornography provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – Four individuals, including one from Massachusetts, have been charged for their alleged involvement in a multi-state scheme to obtain millions of dollars in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds for themselves and others by submitting fraudulent applications to PPP lenders.

The following individuals have been indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud:

• Sniders Jean-Jacques, 38, of Miami;
• Lorne Johnson, 38, of Boston;
• Tanya Pierre, 28, of Miami; and
• Ashley Spike, 31, of Miramar, Fla.

Jean-Jacques and Pierre were arrested and appeared in federal court in Miami. Johnson was arrested and appeared in federal court in Boston. Spike was arrested and appeared in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The defendants will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.  

According to the charging documents, Jean-Jacques, Johnson, Pierre and Spike allegedly submitted fraudulent PPP applications on behalf of borrowers and collected up to 30 percent of the loan proceeds as a fee for securing the loans. Beginning in March 2021, the defendants and others allegedly recruited borrowers who were ineligible for PPP loans, claimed the borrowers operated businesses that qualified them for loans and created fake tax forms to backstop the borrowers’ fraudulent applications. As a result, Jean-Jacques, Johnson, Pierre, Spike and others allegedly obtained approximately $7 million in PPP funds to which they and the borrowers were not entitled. The indictment also alleges that the borrowers who received PPP funds based on these fraudulent applications paid kickbacks to Jean-Jacques, Johnson, Pierre, Spike and others, commonly in an amount equal to 30 percent of the loan proceeds.

Jean-Jacques and Pierre were also charged in a separate indictment with conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud related to a scheme to obtain mortgage loans and apartment leases.

The charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the scheme, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, Special Agent in Charge of the Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General, Eastern Region; and Randy Maloney, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Kearney of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.  
 

BOSTON – Five individuals have been charged for their alleged involvement in a scheme to obtain millions of dollars of mortgage loans and dozens of luxury apartment leases by submitting fraudulent applications and forged financial records.

The following individuals have been indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud:

• Sniders Jean-Jacques, 38, of Miami;
• German Olivo, 41, of Weston, Fla.;
• Jim Kelly Michel, 50, of Delray Beach, Fla.;
• Tanya Pierre, 28, of Miami; and
• Rosalie Clement-Jackson, 55, of Sunrise, Fla.

Jean-Jacques and Pierre were arrested and appeared in federal court in Miami. Olivo, Michel and Clement-Jackson were also arrested and appeared in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The defendants will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to the charging documents, Jean-Jacques operated a purported tax preparation and credit repair business with offices in Boston and Miami. For Jean-Jacques’s clients with poor credit who needed a mortgage loan or apartment rental (“Fraudulent Applicants”) the defendants allegedly conspired to prepare fake paystubs and forged bank statements. They allegedly obtained so-called “tradelines,” in which the Fraudulent Applicants were added to the credit accounts of individuals with strong credit histories, in order to fraudulently boost the Fraudulent Applicants’ credit scores. Additionally, it is alleged that they used other people’s identities to hide the Fraudulent Applicants’ savings and credit history from mortgage lenders and landlords.

Kelly Michel allegedly provided the tradelines and victim Social Security numbers for the Fraudulent Applicants to use. Olivo allegedly altered the Fraudulent Applicants’ bank statements to show significant balances and deposits corresponding to fake paystubs Jean-Jacques allegedly sent him, all to suggest the Fraudulent Applicants’ ability to pay a lender or landlord. It is further alleged that Pierre worked as Jean-Jacques’s assistant and allowed Jean-Jacques to use her identity to rent apartments in Miami on behalf of Fraudulent Applicants in order to hide the true tenants’ identities from landlords. Clement-Jackson allegedly worked as a mortgage broker and directed Fraudulent Applicants to Jean-Jacques for fake paystubs and forged bank statements. It is alleged that, between in or about May 2018 and in or about June 2025, the defendants and others applied for more than $6.7 million and obtained more than $3.7 million, in mortgage loans from lenders and applied for and obtained dozens of apartment rentals for Fraudulent Applicants.  

Jean-Jacques and Pierre were also charged in a separate indictment with conspiracy to commit wire fraud related to a scheme to obtain loans under the Paycheck Protection Program.

The charge of wire and bank fraud conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of $1 million or twice the gross gain or loss from the scheme, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, Special Agent in Charge of the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, Eastern Region; and Randy Maloney, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General and the Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Kearney of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.  
 

BOSTON – A Plymouth woman has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to money laundering and submitting fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications on behalf of herself and her father.

Katherine Reynolds, 66, pleaded guilty on Feb. 12, 2026 to two counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun scheduled sentencing for June 23, 2026. In August 2024, Reynolds was indicted by a federal grand jury.

Reynolds submitted two fraudulent loan applications seeking loans for herself and her father pursuant to the PPP. The loan applications falsely claimed that Reynolds and her then 86-year-old father earned over $100,000 per year providing massage services out of their home.  The loan applications also included fraudulent tax forms that were not filed with the IRS. After receiving the funds as a result of the fraudulent applications, Reynolds withdrew $20,000 in cash from the account into which the PPP loans were paid.  

The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of money laundering provides for a sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. The Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General provided valuable assistance in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Sullivan of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.  

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus and https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/combatingfraud. 
   
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form.

BOSTON – A Nigerian national living in Mexico, who was extradited to the United States, was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for his role in a scheme to break into Massachusetts tax preparation firms’ computer networks and to file fraudulent tax returns.

Matthew A. Akande, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to eight years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Akande was also ordered to pay $1,393,230 in restitution. Akande was arrested in October 2024 at Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom at the request of the United States and extradited to the United States on March 5, 2025. Akande was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2022 with one count of conspiracy to obtain unauthorized access to protected computers in furtherance of fraud and to commit theft of government money and money laundering; one count of wire fraud; four counts of unauthorized access to protected computers in furtherance of fraud; 13 counts of theft of government money; and 14 counts of aggravated identity theft.

Between in or about June 2016 and June 2021, Akande worked with others to steal money from the United States government using taxpayers’ personally identifiable information (PII) to file fraudulent tax returns in the taxpayers’ names. The scheme also involved stealing taxpayers’ PII from Massachusetts tax preparation firms via phishing attacks and computer intrusions.

To carry out the scheme, Akande caused fraudulent phishing emails to be sent to five Massachusetts tax preparation firms. The emails purported to be from a prospective client seeking the tax preparation firms’ services but in truth were used to trick the firms into downloading remote access trojan malicious software (RAT malware), including malware known as Warzone RAT. Akande used the RAT malware to obtain the PII and prior year tax information of the tax preparation firms’ clients, which Akande then used to cause fraudulent tax returns to be filed seeking refunds. The tax returns directed that the fraudulent tax refunds be deposited in bank accounts opened by coconspirators in the United States. Once the refunds were issued, those coconspirators withdrew the stolen money in cash in the United States and then transferred a portion to third parties in Mexico, at Akande’s direction, while keeping a portion for themselves. In total, Akande and his coconspirators filed more than 1,000 fraudulent tax returns seeking over $8.1 million in fraudulent tax refunds over approximately five years. They successfully obtained over $1.3 million in fraudulent tax refunds.

Federal authorities encourage all businesses that suspect they have been the target and/or victim of a cyberattack to file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. Taxpayers and tax preparation firms that suspect they have been the target and/or victim of a phishing attack can also forward phishing email(s) to [email protected].

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston made the announcement. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs coordinated with authorities in the United Kingdom to secure the extradition of Akande. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Holcomb of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A former New York based sales director for the Northeast region of a mobile medical diagnostics company was sentenced on Feb. 13, 2026 in federal court in Boston for conspiring to offer and pay kickbacks to doctors in exchange for ordering medically unnecessary brain scans.

James Rausch, 57, of Point Jefferson Station, N.Y., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to eight months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. The defendant was also ordered to pay $17,573,642 in restitution, forfeiture in the amount of $408,437 and a $20,000 fine. In June 2025, Rausch pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the anti-kickback statute.

From March 2015 through at least September 2020, Rausch conspired with others, including two managers for a mobile medical diagnostics company that performed transcranial doppler (TCD) scans, to enter into kickback agreements with various doctors. TCD scans are brain scans that measure blood flow in parts of the brain. Rausch and his co-conspirators agreed to offer and pay doctors kickbacks, some in cash and others by check, based on the number of TCD ultrasounds the doctors ordered. The co-conspirators created purported rental and administrative service agreements, which on paper made it appear as if doctors were compensated for the TCD company’s use of space and administrative resources of the ordering doctor’s practice based on fair market value and not based on the volume or value of referrals. These were sham agreements that hid the true nature of the arrangement of paying per test.  

The scheme resulted in fraudulent bills of approximately $70.6 million to Medicare. Medicare paid approximately $27.2 million to the TCD company for the fraudulent claims.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; Anthony D’Esposito, Inspector General of the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; Nicholas Bucciarelli, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division; and Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie Queenin, Chief of the Health Care Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – The former President of the State Police Association of Massachusetts (SPAM) and the union’s former Massachusetts lobbyist were sentenced today in federal court in Boston for racketeering, fraud, obstruction of justice and tax crimes.

Dana A. Pullman, 64, of Worcester, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to two years in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release. Pullman was also ordered to pay $43,915 in restitution. Anne M. Lynch, 75, of Hull, was sentenced by Judge Stearns to 15 months in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release. Lynch was also ordered to pay $41,795 in restitution.

In November 2022, Pullman and his co-conspirator Anne M. Lynch, the union’s former Massachusetts lobbyist, were convicted by a federal jury of one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of honest services wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service. Pullman was also convicted of two additional counts of wire fraud and two counts of aiding and assisting the filing of a false tax return. Lynch was convicted of an additional count of obstruction of justice and four counts of aiding and assisting in the filing of a false tax return.

In May 2023, Pullman and Lynch were sentenced to 30 months in prison and two years in prison, respectively, on the convicted counts. In June 2025, the First Circuit Court of Appeals reversed three of the defendants’ wire fraud convictions and one of Lynch’s tax convictions, and reversed one of Lynch’s obstruction of justice convictions. The First Circuit affirmed the defendants’ remaining convictions and remanded the case to the District Court for resentencing.

“Dana Pullman and Anne Lynch ran the Massachusetts State Police union like an old-school racket, siphoning money from troopers, deceiving the Commonwealth, hiding income from the IRS and then lying when they got caught. Their conduct was deliberate, sustained and corrosive,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “The men and women of the Massachusetts State Police deserve leaders who protect their interests, not exploit them. No badge, title or power shields anyone from accountability.”

“Former Massachusetts State Police Trooper and union boss Dana Pullman should know better than anyone: crime doesn’t pay. Yet he joined forces with lobbyist Anne Lynch to run the State Police Association of Massachusetts like an organized criminal enterprise to rake in thousands of dollars in bribes and kickbacks for their own financial gain – at the cost of their integrity, careers, and freedom,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “The public’s trust is critical for our justice system to function properly. That’s why the FBI will do everything in its power to root out those whose criminal conduct violates that trust.”

“This case underscores a serious breach of public trust. Mr. Pullman and Ms. Lynch exploited their positions of trust and authority for their own personal gain, betraying the very people they were meant to serve. The reversal of some convictions does not erase the damage wrought by years of fraudulent financial conduct, including the misuse of union funds and tax evasion. IRS-CI remains committed to upholding accountability, protecting the integrity of public institutions, and ensuring that no one is above the law,” said Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office.

SPAM is an association consisting of more than 1,500 Troopers and Sergeants from the Massachusetts State Police (MSP). SPAM acts as the exclusive bargaining agent between its members and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts regarding the terms and conditions of SPAM members’ employment. Pullman, who was a trooper from 1987 to 2018, was the President of SPAM from 2012 until his resignation on Sept. 28, 2018. Lynch’s lobbying firm represented SPAM during the same time period, in exchange for monthly retainer payments.

For the six years that Pullman was President of the union, Pullman and Lynch turned SPAM into a racketeering enterprise, using Pullman’s position and power to defraud SPAM members, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the IRS. Among other things, Pullman and Lynch defrauded SPAM members and the Commonwealth of their right to honest services from Pullman when Lynch paid Pullman a $20,000 kickback in connection with a settlement agreement between SPAM and the Commonwealth. The defendants hid the payment in a manner designed to avoid reporting and paying taxes on that income to the IRS.

In addition to stealing money from SPAM with Lynch, Pullman stole money from SPAM on his own. Over the course of two years, Pullman used the SPAM debit card to pay personal expenses for him and his then-girlfriend. This included a celebratory personal lunch in New York featuring champagne and caviar and a vacation to Miami.

In 2018, when a federal grand jury issued subpoenas as part of the investigation of this matter, Pullman encouraged the SPAM Treasurer to lie that SPAM had a policy to destroy expense records after a year. Additionally, Lynch attempted to obstruct the grand jury’s investigation by lying to investigators.  

U.S. Foley, FBI SAC Docks and IRS SAC Demeo made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristina E. Barclay and Neil J. Gallagher Jr. of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – An Easton man has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for using Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds to secretly purchase a home in the name of a close relative.

Bill Dessaps, 49, was sentenced on Feb. 13, 2026 by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to three years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Dessaps was also ordered to pay $836,800 in restitution. In September 2025, Dessaps was convicted of two counts of wire fraud conspiracy, one count of money laundering, and one count of bank fraud. In January 2024, five other individuals were charged for their alleged involvement in the PPP fraud scheme.

Dessaps – the operator of an Abington-based used car dealership – allegedly conspired with individuals in Massachusetts and Florida to submit a fraudulent PPP application on behalf of Dessaps’ dealership. The application they prepared and submitted for Dessaps’ dealership falsely stated that the dealership had 40 employees and average monthly payroll expenses of $334,720. As a result of the applications, the lender disbursed a PPP loan of $836,800 to Dessaps. After receiving these funds, Dessaps made kickback payments to one or more of the individuals who assisted with the application.

After Dessaps received the PPP loan, he purchased a $750,000 home in the name of a straw buyer—his close relative—because his credit score would have prevented him from obtaining a mortgage on favorable terms, and because he purchased the home using PPP funds, a purchase the PPP prohibits. Dessaps, his close relative, and a real estate agent submitted false mortgage application documents to a lender, including forms and forged records that inflated the relative’s income and assets. For a portion of the home costs, Dessaps transferred PPP proceeds into a joint bank account that he and his relative controlled. After a lender denied the close relative’s application for a secondary loan for the remaining funds, Dessaps and his real estate agent arranged a sham gift of $127,500 from the real estate agent’s girlfriend to the close relative, which Dessaps wired to the girlfriend. Through these and other misrepresentations, Dessaps obtained a $510,000 mortgage on the home and lived in it.

Dessaps also attempted to obtain a “Second Draw” PPP loan through another fraudulent application in March 2021.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David M. Holcomb and Meghan C. Cleary of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Annapurna Balakrishna assisted with forfeiture.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

BOSTON – A Dominican national unlawfully residing in Worcester was sentenced in federal court in Worcester for illegally reentering the United States after deportation. The defendant was previously convicted and sentenced for illegal reentry in 2020 and subsequently removed from the United States.

Jose Luis Urena-Vasquez, 49, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to three years in prison. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In December 2025, Urena-Vasquez pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2025.

Urena-Vasquez was encountered by immigration officials in 2008 while serving an 11-month sentence for drug distribution in the Essex County House of Corrections. Upon completion of his sentence, Urena-Vasquez was placed into removal proceedings and was deported to the Dominican Republic on March 25, 2009.

Sometime after his removal, Urena-Vasquez illegally reentered the United States. In 2018, he was charged in Lawrence District Court with armed assault to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm. He then fled the state and in July 2018, Urena-Vasquez was arrested in Florida and returned to Massachusetts to face the state charges. In October 2018, Urena-Vasquez was indicted by a federal grand jury for unlawful reentry of a deported alien and pleaded guilty to the offense in May 2019. He was subsequently sentenced in April 2020 to eight months in prison and three years of supervised to be served consecutively with his pending state charges. Urena-Vasquez then pleaded guilty to the armed assault to murder and other charges in Essex Superior Court and was sentenced to several years in prison.

Urena-Vasquez was removed from the United States in February 2024 and unlawfully re-entered in or about July 2024. Urena-Vasquez came to the attention of federal authorities in May of 2025 after he was arrested and charged in state court in Worcester for alleged state fraud offenses.
        
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – Two men were sentenced this week in federal court in Boston for fraudulently depositing checks stolen from the mail.

Imanol Rios-Franco, 26, of Canton, was sentenced by Senior District Court Judge Patti B. Saris on Feb. 10, 2026, to 35 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release. Rios-Franco was also ordered to pay $12,528 in restitution. In November 2025, Rios-Franco pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to steal and possess stolen mail.  

Brandon Baez, 23, of North Attleboro, was sentenced by Senior District Court Judge Patti B. Saris on Feb. 12, 2026, to two years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Baez was also ordered to pay $10,285 in restitution. In November 2025, Baez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to steal and possess stolen mail.  

From at least June 2023 until February 2024, the defendants and their co-conspirators stole mail from USPS collection boxes, looking to steal checks. After they stole these checks, they washed the hand-written ink from the checks using commercially available chemicals. The checks were then re-issued to the co-conspirators or other bank accounts that they controlled. After the checks were fraudulently deposited, the defendants and their co-conspirators withdrew money from ATMs or bought money orders with those fraudulently obtained funds. A review of the co-conspirators’ cellphones revealed that they had collaborated to advance this criminal scheme.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas A. Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Nicholas Bucciarelli, Acting Inspector in Charge for the Boston Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston and Wellesley Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lucy Sun and Philip C. Cheng of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
 

BOSTON - A Worcester man was sentenced to over a decade in prison on Feb. 4, 2026 in federal court in Boston for possessing hundreds of files depicting child sexual abuse material (CSAM).  

Andres DeJesus, 66, was sentenced by United States District Judge Richard G. Stearns to 12 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In October 2025, DeJesus pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography.

On Aug. 8, 2025, DeJesus arrived at Logan Airport from the Dominican Republic. DeJesus had been refused entry into the Dominican Republic because of his status as a registered sex offender. Upon his return to Logan Airport, a search was conducted of his luggage, when several articles of children’s clothing and a large amount of chocolate and other sweets were found. A Zip file on DeJesus’ cell phone had three videos containing CSAM. A later forensic examination of the cell phone revealed at least 600 images of CSAM.

In 2010, in the Middlesex County Superior Court, DeJesus was found guilty of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, possession of child pornography and posing or exhibiting a child in a sexual act. DeJesus was sentenced to eight years to eight years and one day in state prison.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Jennifer De La O, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office; and Chief Paul B. Saucier of the Worcester Police Department made the announcement today. Assistant United States Attorney David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A Providence man arrested and charged for allegedly transporting child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Mark Huynn, 39, of Providence, R.I., was charged by criminal complaint with one count of transporting child pornography. Huynh was arrested on Feb. 12, 2026, and made an initial appearance in federal court in Boston later that day.

According to the charging documents, in 2025, Huynh was arrested at Boston Logan Airport entering the country with an active arrest warrant out of Rhode Island. Searches of Huynh’s electronic devices at the airport revealed multiple files consistent with CSAM.  

The charge of transporting child pornography provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigations New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office. Assistant United States Attorney Eric L. Hawkins of the Major Crimes Unit in Boston is prosecuting the case.  

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

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
 

BOSTON – A former New York operations manager was sentenced in federal court in Boston for conspiring to offer and pay kickbacks to doctors in exchange for ordering medically unnecessary brain scans.

Timothy Doyle, 45, of Selden, N.Y. was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 14 months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. The defendant was also ordered to pay $27,225,434 in restitution and $1,102,725 in forfeiture. In January 2025, Doyle pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the anti-kickback statute.

From at least June 2013 through at least September 2020, Doyle conspired with others, including two managers for a mobile medical diagnostics company that performed transcranial doppler (TCD) scans, to enter into kickback agreements with various doctors. TCD scans are brain scans that measure blood flow in parts of the brain. Doyle and his alleged co-conspirators agreed to offer and pay doctors kickbacks, some in cash and others by check, based on the number of TCD ultrasounds the doctors ordered. Doyle and his alleged co-conspirators created purported rental and administrative service agreements, which on paper made it appear as if doctors were compensated for the TCD company’s use of space and administrative resources of the ordering doctor’s practice based on fair market value and not based on the volume or value of referrals. These agreements were shams that hid the true nature of the arrangement of paying per test.  

The scheme resulted in fraudulent bills of approximately $70.6 million to Medicare.  Medicare paid approximately $27.2 million to the TCD company for the fraudulent claims.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; Kelly M. Lawson, Acting Regional Director, U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Boston Regional Office; Nicholas Bucciarelli, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division; and Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie Queenin, Chief of the Health Care Fraud Unit, prosecuted the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

BOSTON – Two Massachusetts men have been arrested and charged in connection with seizures in Somerville and Lowell of tens of thousands of counterfeit pills, approximately 30 lbs. of crystal methamphetamine, two machines used to make pills and five firearms.

Franklin Argueta, a/k/a “Frizz,” 29, of Lowell, and Luis Arias, a/k/a “Nacho,” of Somerville, were charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. The defendants were detained following initial appearances in federal court in Boston earlier today.

According to court records, in August 2025 an investigation began into Argueta and Arias for manufacturing counterfeit pills that contain methamphetamine. Between August 2025 and October 2025, it is alleged that controlled purchases of pills were conducted from Argueta and Arias at locations in Middlesex and Suffolk counties. On Jan. 14, 2026, Argueta is alleged to have taken approximately 10,000 pills out of his residence in Lowell and sold them to an undercover officer. On Feb. 10, 2026, a search was executed at Argueta’s residence in Lowell and at Arias’s residence in Somerville. It is alleged that at Argueta’s house, tens of thousands of counterfeit pills suspected to contain methamphetamine, approximately 30 lbs. of crystal methamphetamine and two firearms were located. It is further alleged that at Arias’s residence, tens of thousands of counterfeit pills suspected to contain methamphetamine and a firearm were also located. Separately, two pill press machines used to manufacture counterfeit pills and dozens of bags of filler material used in the manufacturing process were also recovered.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and up to life and a fine of $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Massachusetts State Police and the Lowell and Somerville Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel R. Feldman of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.  

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.  
 

BOSTON – A Salvadoran national unlawfully residing in Chelsea pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to making multiple illegal firearms sales.

Melbi Ovidio Ortez, 41, pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license and one count of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for May 6, 2026. In June 2025, Ortez was arrested and charged.

According to charging documents, Ortez was identified as an 18th Street Gang associate who supplied firearms and controlled substances to gang members. On four different occasions between April 3, 2025 and May 2, 2025, Ortez sold firearms and ammunition behind his Chelsea residence. Ortez sold a Glock 9mm caliber pistol; a Sturm and Ruger .22 caliber revolver; a Glock .40 caliber pistol; a Colt .380 caliber pistol; magazines; and over one hundred rounds of ammunition. In addition, the serial numbers on both the Glock 9mm pistol and the Colt .380 pistol had been defaced. The Glock 9mm pistol had been purchased only 20 days earlier from a licensed firearms dealer in New Hampshire. Ortez also sold cocaine two times during that same period.

The charge of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Falmouth, Lynn, Medford, Nantucket and Revere Police Departments; Massachusetts State Police; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Fraud Detection and National Security Unit; Massachusetts Department of Correction; and the Suffolk County and Middlesex County District Attorney’s Offices. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred M. Wyshak, III of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.

BOSTON – A Lynn man with multiple prior criminal convictions has been charged with unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition.

Derrick Poe, 40, was charged with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. Poe is currently in state custody and is scheduled to appear in federal court on Feb. 18, 2026.

It is alleged that between Dec. 2, 2025 and Dec. 18, 2025, Poe allegedly distributed crack cocaine to undercover law enforcement in three separate controlled purchases in Salem, Mass. Poe was arrested after the third controlled purchase. According to court records, a subsequent search of Poe’s Lynn residence resulted in the recovery of suspected crack cocaine and other evidence of drug distribution as well as three firearms and ammunition. Two of the firearms were privately made polymer-80 pistols, bearing no serial numbers, which are commonly referred to as “ghost guns.” The third firearm was a Springfield Armory 9mm pistol that had been reported stolen from Columbus, Ohio:

According to court records, Poe is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to multiple prior felony convictions, including in Alabama. These include a 2006 conviction for unlawful possession of a controlled substance and robbery as well as a 2012 conviction for receiving stolen property. Poe received concurrent 10year and 20-year sentences for the 2006 drug and robbery offenses – sentences which were later suspended and he was ordered to serve four years in prison followed by four years of supervised probation. As for the 2012 receipt-of-stolen-property offense, Poe received a 69-month prison sentence that was suspended, with credit for time served, and was placed on probation for 60 months. In 2016, he was convicted in Massachusetts state court of possessing Class B drugs with intent to distribute.

The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas A. Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aidan Lang of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
 

BOSTON – A Worcester man pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to fraudulently obtaining tens of thousands of dollars in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) while employed as a TSA Security Officer full-time.

Ismael Rosado Jr., 40, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for May 19, 2026. Rosado was charged in December 2025.

Rosado was employed full-time as a TSA Security Officer at Boston Logan International Airport from November 2018 through October 2021. Between May 2020 and September 2021, Rosado submitted an application seeking PUA and weekly certifications claiming he was unemployed and making no income. Based on misrepresentations in the application and weekly certifications, Rosado received $47,526 in unemployment benefits to which he was not entitled.    

The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss, whichever is greater.  Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Anthony D’Esposito, Inspector General of the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D., Inspector General, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Sullivan of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case. 
 

BOSTON – A Windsor man was sentenced today in federal court in Springfield for making online threats and extortionate demands.

Michael Andrew Rodgers, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to 15 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In November 2025, Rodgers pleaded guilty to one count of threatening interstate communications and one count of extortionate interstate communications. Rodgers was arrested and charged in September 2024.

On April 5, 2023, Rodgers posted a threat on the Google review page of a Springfield medical practice that stated: “They gonna get what’s coming soon. […] Will be there in the morning to get them myself one way or another. Locked and loaded.” Beneath this text, Rodgers included an image of a hand holding a gun.

On April 6, 2024, Rodgers submitted a threat through a fraud reporting website for the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General with the intent to extort Social Security disability benefits. Specifically, Rodgers stated: “I m gonna start taking what I need. By any means nessacary. […] GIVE ME MY MONEY OR IM GONNA START DROPPING PEOPLE.  YOULL NEVER FIND MY WEAPONS SO STOP LOOKING AND GIVE ME MY CHECK.  […]  NEXT TIME I SLICE SOMETHING OPEN. IT WONT BE ME. ITLL BE ONE OF YOUR CHILDREN ILL MERC A WHOLE SCHOOL AND NOT GIVE A F***. […] SO YOULL BE MY FIRST TARGET IF YOU KEEP REFUSING TO HELP ME.”

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Amy Connelly, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the Massachusetts State Police, Springfield Police Department, Windsor Police Department and Federal Protective Service. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – An East Weymouth woman was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for fraudulently obtaining Social Security benefits.

Debora A. Siler, 68, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to time served (approximately one day in prison) and three years of supervised release. Siler was also ordered to pay $62,885 in restitution. In September 2025, Siler pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. Siler was charged in August 2025.

From June 2015 through September 2020, Siler fraudulently obtained approximately $61,685 in Social Security benefits and a $1,200 COVID economic impact payment. Siler had access to the checkbook and debit card of a Social Security beneficiary who died in May 2015. Instead of reporting the beneficiary’s death to the Social Security Administration or the bank where the benefits were deposited, Siler accessed the improperly paid benefits by forging the deceased beneficiary’s name on several checks and regularly depleting the account funds through debit card transactions.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Amy Connelly, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – The owner of a construction company doing business in Berkshire County pleaded guilty today in federal court in Springfield, Mass. to a multi-year income tax fraud scheme.

Dennis Condron, 76, of Cheshire, pleaded guilty to four counts of tax fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for May 19, 2026.

According to the charging document, over a three-year period, in addition to depositing customer payments to his company, D Condron Construction, Condron hid over half a million dollars in customer checks by cashing them and diverting them to his personal accounts. When Condron had his taxes prepared, he did not tell his preparer about the checks he was cashing and diverting customer checks – resulting in his tax returns underreporting the gross receipts of the business by hundreds of thousands of dollars. As a result, Condron kept hundreds of thousands of dollars that he should have paid in federal and state income taxes.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Merck of the Springfield Office is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Brockton man has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for bribing a road test examiner to issue driver’s licenses to individuals who did not pass or, in some cases, even take road tests at the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) in Brockton.

Carlos Cardoso, 72, was sentenced on Feb. 6, 2026 by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to time served (one day in prison) to be followed by two years of supervised release with the first six months to be spent in home incarceration. He was also ordered to pay a $5,500 fine. In June 2025, Cardoso pleaded guilty to one count of honest services mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud. In May 2024, Cardoso was indicted by a federal grand jury.

Cardoso, the former owner of a driving school, paid cash bribes totaling more than $20,000 to a road test examiner at the Brockton RMV service center to misrepresent that certain driver’s license applicants had passed their road test when, in fact, they had not. Some of the applicants did not even show up to take the test. As a result of the fraud, the RMV mailed driver’s licenses to unqualified applicants.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Brian C. Gallagher, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Wichers of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A Boston man has been arrested and charged for allegedly leaving a residential re-entry center where he was serving the remainder of his federal sentence for being a felon in possession of ammunition.

Tyreek Hall, 23, of Boston, was charged by criminal complaint with escape. Hall remains detained following an initial appearance on Feb. 5, 2026 before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley.

According to the charging documents, in May 2024, Hall was sentenced in the District of Massachusetts to 46 months in prison for illegally possessing ammunition while on parole as a convicted felon. In July 2025, Hall was transferred from a correctional institution to a residential re-entry center in Boston to serve the remainder of his confined sentence.

As part of the reentry program, Hall was employed as a “part-time vehicle cleaner.” It is alleged that, at approximately 11 p.m. on Sept. 7, 2025, when Hall returned to the residential re-entry center from work, staff conducted a breathalyzer test as part of their standard security screening. It is alleged that Hall tested positive, refused a subsequent breathalyzer test and refused to submit to a urinalysis test. After his refusals, Hall was allowed to go to his living quarters. It is alleged that, at approximately 11:56 p.m., Hall returned to the front desk and walked out of the front door. Hall did not return to the residential re-entry center and was considered an active escape from federal custody until his apprehension.  

The charging statute provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Acting U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts Dennis Matulewicz made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Boston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Dawley of the Organized Crime and Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – A Salvadoran national unlawfully residing in East Boston was sentenced today in federal court in Boston on drug distribution charges.

Tony Cartagena-Chacon, 47, was sentenced by United States District Judge Angel Kelley to 18 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of the imposed sentence. In October 2025, Cartagena-Chacon pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of and possessing with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

During an investigation of the transnational criminal organization 18th Street Gang, Cartagena-Chacon met with a cooperating witness on Feb. 15, 2024 to sell approximately 50 grams of fentanyl powder. During the deal, Cartagena-Chacon emphasized how “pure” his product was, suggesting that the cooperating witness could re-sell the substance for significant profit.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations; Suffolk County and Middlesex County District Attorney’s Offices; and the Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Falmouth, Lynn, Medford, Nantucket and Revere Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred M. Wyshak III of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.

BOSTON – A Rhode Island woman has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for her leading role in laundering hundreds of thousands of dollars of her then-boyfriend’s fentanyl trafficking money.

Carolina Correa, 35, of Cranston, R.I., was sentenced on Feb. 4, 2026 by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 42 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. Correa was also ordered to pay a $150,000 fine and forfeiture in the amount of $350,000. In July 2025, Correa pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy.

Correa – an entrepreneur, real estate owner and fundraiser – was the leader of a sophisticated multi-state scheme to launder $450,000 in fentanyl trafficking proceeds derived by her then-boyfriend, Jasdrual Perez. In December 2024, Jasdrual Perez was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for his role as the leader of a large-scale fentanyl trafficking conspiracy responsible for manufacturing and distributing millions of fentanyl pills made to look like oxycodone and Percocet.

In late 2021 to early 2022, Perez enlisted his financially savvy girlfriend Correa to assist him in concealing his drug proceeds. Correa contacted a friend who was opening a marijuana dispensary in Massachusetts and seeking investors. Correa agreed to seek out investors in the dispensary and in exchange, she would get an ownership stake and the title of CFO of the marijuana dispensary.

In January 2022, Correa indicated that she had found “investors” in the marijuana dispensary. Those “investors” included a real estate investor based in North Carolina with whom Correa had a long-time personal, not professional, relationship as well as his associate. Shortly thereafter, Correa enlisted a friend to drive $350,000 in Perez’s drug proceeds from Rhode Island to Correa’s “investors” in North Carolina. Financial records showed that the North Carolina “investors” then wired $350,000 in two transactions, from two separate business accounts, in the amount of $250,000 and $200,000, to a bank account for an attorney for the marijuana dispensary. Those funds were then transferred from the attorney’s account to the marijuana dispensary’s business account.

To further create an appearance of legitimacy for the concealed drug proceeds, Correa used her work email address to communicate with the North Carolina “investors.” She drafted sham loan paperwork and promissory notes for her, the CEO of the marijuana dispensary and the North Carolina “investors” to sign to conceal the true source of the funds. Correa and Perez also facilitated, and bank records confirmed, the laundering of an additional $100,000 of Perez’s drug proceeds into the marijuana dispensary’s bank account through the business bank account of a real estate investment company of one of Perez’s Rhode Island based friends.  

Correa used her professional reputation and public image to appear that she was legitimately securing “investors” in the marijuana dispensary while, simultaneously, in intercepted communications, she regularly described the hustle to “clean” Perez’s drug money for her own financial benefit through various financial and real estate transactions.

After the successful movement of $450,000 of Perez’s drug proceeds, the photograph below was posted on her social media account:
 

“Money launderers protect and strengthen an industry – the drug trafficking industry – that directly harms millions of people. By making drug profits usable, launderers allow drug trafficking organizations to operate like legitimate businesses. To say that money laundering is a victimless crime ignores the reality of the interconnected relationship between launderers and traffickers. As a fentanyl trafficker’s business expands, so too do the rates of drug use, addiction and overdose. Ms. Correa thought she could outsmart the system and law enforcement while she was laundering at least half a million dollars in drug proceeds,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “This case should serve as a warning to others that our efforts to curb drug addiction doesn’t just involve prosecuting drug dealers, it also involves arresting their financial partners in the trafficking conspiracy.”

“This case shows that fentanyl trafficking is not limited to street-level dealers,” said Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget, New England Field Division. “Ms. Correa used her business and fundraising activities to disguise and move hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds, directly supporting a trafficking operation that fuels addiction and death in our communities. The DEA will hold accountable anyone who profits from this poison, no matter how they try to hide it.”

"The capability to launder illegal drug profits is as important and essential to drug traffickers as the very profit made from the distribution of their illegal drugs. Without these ill-gotten gains being ‘cleaned’, the traffickers cannot ‘legitimately’ finance their illicit business or spend the money,” said Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office. “As the role of IRS-CI in narcotics investigations is to follow the money, we are highly skilled at financially disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking organizations. We are proud to provide our financial expertise as we work alongside our law enforcement partners to bring criminals to justice."

U.S. Attorney Foley, DEA SAC Forget and IRS-CI SAC Demeo and made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigations; Rhode Island State Police; Massachusetts State Police; and the Cranston, Warwick and West Warwick, Rhode Island Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey Weinstein and Kunal Pasricha of the Criminal Divisions prosecuted the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.

BOSTON – A federal prison inmate was sentenced today in federal court in Worcester for possessing a synthetic cannabinoid, also known as “K2,” in FMC Devens. 

Raymond Gaines, 46, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to 18 months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. In December 2025, Gaines pleaded guilty. Gaines was charged by complaint in March 2025, along with former state employee Tasha Hammock, who distributed the K2 to Gaines. Gaines was later indicted with possessing contraband, in the form of K2, as a prison inmate, and Tasha Hammock was charged and pleaded guilty.

On Jan. 25, 2022, Gaines was sentenced to more than seven years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court in Boston to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. At the time he committed the offenses, he was on federal judicial supervised release after serving a prison sentence resulting from a 2017 conviction for distributing cocaine base within 1,000 feet of a school. According to court records, in both prior cases Gaines was alleged to be an associate of the Orchard Park Trailblazers, a street gang in Boston. On Jan. 17, 2025, Gaines received an Executive Grant of Clemency, reducing his federal sentence to five years in prison.  

On Aug. 18, 2024, Hammock, while visiting Gaines in prison, surreptitiously passed K2-laced papers to Gaines, which he pocketed. At the time, Hammock was employed with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. 

As described in court documents, K2 presents a health problem at FMC Devens, where inmates have become sick from smoking paper believed to contain K2, as well as prison staff who have been exposed to the secondary smoke.    

In January 2025, Hammock was sentenced to three years of probation. The government recommended a sentence of 12 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case.   

BOSTON – A New Hampshire man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to obstruction and video voyeurism charges. 

Nicholas Testagrossa, 43, of Rindge, N.H., pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction and attempted obstruction of an official proceeding, and two counts of video voyeurism. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for May 12, 2026. Testagrossa was charged in December 2025.

In March 2025, Testagrossa – then a U.S. Postal Worker at the Westminster, Mass. – secretly placed a hidden camera inside the women’s restroom at the Westminster Post Office in an effort to record his female co-workers while they were undressed and using the bathroom. The device was discovered on March 28, 2025, after a postal employee noticed it concealed beneath a vent. A subsequent investigation revealed that the camera had been placed in the restroom on multiple occasions and had captured video recordings inside the women’s bathroom on several dates in February 2025 and March 2025, including recordings of two victims undressed without their knowledge or consent.

Investigators recovered video files showing Testagrossa personally installing the hidden camera in the restroom, positioning it to obtain a recording vantage point, and testing the device both inside the post office and at his home. The recordings clearly showed Testagrossa’s face and documented his repeated efforts to conceal and operate the camera. The evidence confirmed that the recordings were intentional and part of a pattern of conduct targeting female co-workers.

After the hidden camera was discovered and secured by the Postmaster, Testagrossa removed the device from the Postmaster’s desk without authorization and attempted to destroy evidence by damaging the camera’s memory card and USB ports. His efforts were unsuccessful because the memory card had already been removed and preserved.

The charge of obstruction and attempted obstruction of an official proceeding provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charges of video voyeurism provide for a sentence of up to one year in prison, up to one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $100,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General, Northeast Area Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danial E. Bennett of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Mexican national, currently serving a state prison sentence for rape, has been charged with illegally re-entering the United States after deportation.

Eugenio Isidro Victoriano, 54, is charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. The defendant is currently serving a state prison sentence for rape, indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 years of age and larceny.

According to court documents, Isidro Victoriano was first encountered as being unlawfully present in the United States in April 2004, when he was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol near El Paso, Texas. He was subsequently removed from the United States to Mexico.

It is alleged that sometime thereafter, Isidro Victoriano unlawfully reentered the United States without inspection or authorization.

In February 2021, Isidro Victoriano was arrested in Great Barrington, Mass., for operating under the influence of alcohol. According to court documents, fingerprints taken during that arrest matched Victoriano’s prior immigration records. Isidro Victoriano was released from state custody before immigration authorities could take action.

It is alleged that, in December 2022, Isidro Victoriano was again arrested by local law enforcement in Great Barrington, Mass., for rape, indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 years of age and larceny under $1,200. Isidro Victoriano pleaded guilty to those charges in November 2025 and was sentenced to four to six years in prison, with credit for time served. Immigration authorities lodged a detainer following his arrest.

According to the charging documents, following his November 2025 state conviction, Isidro Victoriano admitted that he was not a U.S. citizen, that he paid a smuggler to enter the United States and that he had no legal authorization to do so.

The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil L. Desroches, Chief of the Springfield Branch Office, is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – A Colombian woman, unlawfully residing in Boston, was convicted today following a five-day jury trial in federal court in Boston of identity theft offenses, including receiving rental assistance, Social Security and Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, as well as voter fraud under the stolen identity. The defendant also applied for a United States passport and obtained a Massachusetts Real ID and eight other state IDs.

Lina Maria Orovio-Hernandez, 59, was convicted of one count of false representation of a Social Security number; one count of making a false statement in an application for a United States passport; one count of aggravated identity theft; three counts of receiving stolen government money or property; and one count of fraudulent voting. Orovio-Hernandez was charged by superseding indictment in May 2025. She was previously charged in an indictment in February 2025 and has remained in federal custody since that time.

Orovio-Hernandez, a Colombian national without lawful status in the United States, has lived under a stolen identity for more than 20 years. Using the stolen identity, Orovio-Hernandez obtained nine state IDs, including a Massachusetts Real ID and applied for a U.S. passport.

Orovio-Hernandez also used the stolen identity to cast a fraudulent ballot in the November 2024 presidential election. In addition, Orovio-Hernandez improperly received approximately $400,000 in federal benefits: $259,589 in Section 8 rental assistance benefits from October 2011 through January 2025; $101,257 in Social Security disability benefits from July 2014 through January 2025; and $43,348 in SNAP benefits from April 2005 through January 2025.

“Ms. Orovio-Hernandez has lived in this country illegally for two decades, during which time she repeatedly made false statements, stole, committed fraud and even voted illegally,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “Her repeated criminal acts are a slap in the face to all those who come into this country legally and abide by our laws. The air of entitlement is astounding. This case is yet another example of our commitment to rooting out those who violate our immigration laws and steal from United States Citizens.”

“This investigation highlights the critical role of DSS in protecting the American public from identity and document fraud,” said Special Agent in Charge Nathan Hebert of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Boston Field Office. “This conviction reflects the tireless efforts of our special agents and the strength of our partnerships across agencies.”

“This verdict sends a clear message: identity theft and fraud against federal benefit programs will not go undetected or unpunished,” said Amy Connelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General (SSA OIG), Boston–New York Field Division. “The jury confirmed that the defendant used a stolen identity to illegally collect Social Security benefits, commit voter fraud, and undermine public trust. SSA OIG is committed to investigating and holding accountable anyone—including illegal immigrants—who exploit Social Security programs.”

“Orovio-Hernandez’s calculated deception caused her to fraudulently receive over $400,000 in federal benefits including more than $250,000 in HUD rental assistance. These taxpayer funds were intended to provide housing assistance to our most at-risk populations—low income, disabled, and elderly United States citizens,” said Special Agent in Charge Shawn Rice with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG). “Her actions were not a onetime mistake or accident. She lived under a stolen identity for over two decades, taking numerous actions and steps to further defraud the United States Government. HUD OIG remains steadfast in its commitment to working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue those who engage in activities that threaten the integrity of HUD programs.”

The charge of false representation of a Social Security number provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of making a false statement in an application for a United States passport provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory two-year sentence to run consecutively to any other sentence imposed, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charges of receiving stolen government or property provide for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of fraudulent voting provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

U.S. Attorney Foley; DSS SAC Hebert; SSA OIG SAC Connelly; HUD OIG SAC Rice; and Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations – Northeast Region made the announcement. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the United States Postal Inspection Service. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg and Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm of the Major Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case. 

BOSTON – A Brazilian national unlawfully living in Massachusetts and New Hampshire was sentenced yesterday for dealing firearms without a license.  

Riquelme Henrique De Aguiar Ferreira, a/k/a “Koringa,” 22, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge William G. Young to two years in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of the imposed sentence. In September 2025, De Aguiar Ferreira pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in the business of dealing firearms without a license and one count of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license.

Between May 2023 and August 2023, De Aguiar Ferreira coordinated the sale of two pistols (one with a large capacity magazine) to a cooperating witness without the required license in exchange for cash. The following year, De Aguiar Ferreira also offered the cooperating witness additional firearms for sale, but those transactions never occurred. De Aguiar Ferreira also conspired with others to deal firearms, traveling to South Carolina and connecting supply sources in South Carolina with individuals in Massachusetts. The picture below of the firearms obtained from South Carolina were found on De Aguiar Ferreira’s phone:

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Framingham, Revere and Merrimac (N.H.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Crowley and John Reynolds of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – A Salvadoran national associated with the transnational criminal organization 18th Street Gang was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for selling 1,000 fentanyl pills in and around the North Shore area of Boston.

Orlando Mancia, a/k/a Intruso, 22, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Senior Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 21 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In August 2025, Mancia pleaded guilty to distributing and possessing with intent to distribute 40 grams and more of fentanyl.

On Oct. 15, 2024, in Everett, Mancia sold approximately 500 pressed fentanyl pills to a cooperating witness. Later, on Oct. 23, 2024, Mancia again sold another 500 pressed fentanyl pills along with cocaine to the cooperating witness.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement & Removal Operations; Suffolk County and Middlesex County District Attorney’s Offices; and the Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Falmouth, Lynn, Medford, Nantucket and Revere Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy Moran of the Criminal Division and Fred Wyshak of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. 

BOSTON – A New York man has been arrested and charged for allegedly conspiring to infiltrate email accounts of legitimate truck-load carriers, using the hacked accounts to book cargo with shippers and selling the items for illicit profit. The goods allegedly stolen include over 33,000 pounds of frozen snow crab, pallets of blueberries and more than $400,000 of designer cologne.

Romoy Forbes, 31, a Jamaican national living in Deer Park, N.Y., has been charged with interstate transportation of stolen goods, and conspiracy to commit that offense. Forbes was arrested today in Long Island, N.Y. and will make his initial appearance in the Eastern District of New York. He will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to the charging documents, on July 15, 2025, Forbes allegedly stole 33,750 pounds of frozen snow crabs worth $325,000 from a warehouse that held the goods in Worcester, Mass. Leading up to the theft, a co-conspirator allegedly hacked into the email account of a trucking carrier company (Carrier 1). The co-conspirator, pretending to work for Carrier 1, and using the email account of Carrier 1, allegedly contacted and contracted with Shipper 1, a transportation business, to ship the goods to a customer in Jacksonville, Fla. Forbes then allegedly arrived at the warehouse in Worcester pretending to work for Carrier 1, loaded the seafood into his truck and drove off.

Instead of delivering the seafood to the customer in Florida, Forbes allegedly transported it to the location of a grocery store business in Queens, N.Y., where Forbes took a picture of the pallets of packaged crabs with his cellphone.

Before the alleged seafood heist, Forbes, on June 25, 2025, allegedly stole a shipment of blueberries in Winslow Junction, N.J. A co-conspirator allegedly hacked into the email account of Carrier 2, a trucking carrier company, and, pretending to be Carrier 2, contacted and contracted with Shipper 2, a transportation business, to ship the goods to a customer in Illinois. Forbes then allegedly arrived at the warehouse that was holding the goods, and, pretending to work for Carrier 2, loaded the fruit into his truck and drove away.  

Instead of delivering the blueberries to the customer in Illinois, Forbes allegedly arranged to illicitly sell the fruit to his phone contact named, “My customer for everything.”

After the seafood and blueberry thefts, on July 25, 2025, Forbes allegedly conspired to steal approximately $433,830 worth of cologne in Ronkonkama, N.Y. Again, a co-conspirator allegedly hacked into the email account of Carrier 3, a trucking carrier company, and, pretending to be Carrier 3, contracted with Shipper 3, a transportation business, to ship the goods to a customer in Los Angeles, Calif. Forbes then allegedly arrived to the warehouse that was holding the goods, and, pretending to work for Carrier 3, loaded the items into his truck and drove away.    

Instead of delivering the fragrances to the customer in California, Forbes allegedly contacted his “customer for everything” offering to sell the cologne and sent the contact a video of the cologne, to which the contact replied, “Ok.”

The charge of interstate transportation of stolen goods provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to commit that offense carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.  

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.  

BOSTON – John Oliveira & Sons Stamp Concrete, Inc., a corporation doing business in East Freetown, Mass. pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to willfully violating Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety standards in a 2023 incident that led to a worker’s death.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul G. Levenson scheduled sentencing for May 4, 2026.

According to court documents, the company utilized a large soil screener for purposes of processing and screening soil and similar substances. The soil screener was approximately 46 feet long and 13 feet high, and weighed approximately 35,880 lbs. The tail conveyor of the soil screener – which weighed approximately 1,500 pounds – could be placed in a vertical closed position or could be opened to an approximate 45° angle. At various occasions in 2022 or 2023, the tail conveyor of the soil screener closed unexpectedly, and the soil screener had suffered a ruptured hydraulic pressure line.  

On Sept. 6, 2023, a company employee was working alongside a co-owner on the tail conveyer of the soil screener, which was in the open position. At the time, there was no equipment in place to prevent the tail conveyer from closing. According to the charging documents, as the employee was seeking to remove a bolt, the tail conveyor closed unexpectedly. The employee held onto the upper frame of the soil screener as the tail conveyer closed into the vertical position, crushing the employee’s head. The employee suffered massive head trauma and was pronounced dead soon thereafter.

For willfully violating an OSHA safety standard, John Oliveira & Sons Stamp Concrete, Inc. faces a term of probation of up to five years, a fine of up to $500,000 and restitution payable to the estate of the deceased victim. Sentences are imposed by a federal judge based upon statutory factors.  

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Anthony D’Esposito, Inspector General of the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; Jeff Erskine, Regional Administrator of the Department of Labor OSHA Boston Region; and Maia Fisher, Regional Solicitor for Department of Labor Boston Region made the announcement. Assistance in the investigation was also provided by the OSHA Criminal Investigations Team, Boston Region. Assistant U.S. Attorney William F. Abely, Chief of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – An Illinois man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to phishing the Snapchat access codes of nearly 600 women in an effort to hack their Snapchat accounts and steal nude photos, which he kept, sold, or traded on the internet.  

Kyle Svara, 27, of Oswego, Ill., pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, computer fraud, conspiracy to commit computer fraud and false statements related to child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy scheduled sentencing for May 18, 2026. Svara was charged in December 2025.

From at least May 2020 to February 2021, Svara used social engineering and other resources to collect victim emails, phone numbers and/or Snapchat usernames. He used those means of identification to access victim Snapchat accounts, which prompted Snap Inc. to send account security codes to victims. Using anonymized phone numbers, Svara posed as a representative of Snap Inc. and texted more than 4,500 victims requesting those Snapchat access codes. When approximately 570 women provided those codes, Svara accessed the Snapchat accounts of at least 59 women without permission and downloaded their nude or semi-nude images. Once he had the stolen images, Svara sold or traded them on internet forums or in transactions with others who had hired him to hack the Snapchat accounts. Svara advertised on internet forums like Reddit that he could “get into girls snap accounts” for others and provide content “for you or trade.”

One of Svara’s co-conspirators, Steve Waithe, a former Track and Field Coach at Northeastern University hired and paid Svara to hack the Snapchat accounts of women Waithe coached or had other relationships with. In November 2023, Waithe was convicted in federal court in Boston of 12 counts of wire fraud; one count of cyberstalking; one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud; and one count of computer fraud, aiding and abetting. In March 2024, Waithe was sentenced to five years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.

In addition to the women Waithe and others hired Svara to hack, Svara also targeted women who resided in or around the area of Plainfield, Ill. or who were students at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.

When Svara was interviewed by investigators, he falsely stated that he did not know anything about hacking Snapchat. Additionally, he falsely stated that had no interest in child pornography and had never actively sought out or accessed child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Contrary to these statements, the defendant collected, distributed and solicited CSAM.

Members of the public who believe they may be a victim of this case or have any relevant information related to this case are requested to please fill out the attached form to be contacted by a member of law enforcement: https://forms.fbi.gov/victims/snaphackvictims

The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a sentence of at least two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain/loss from the offense. The charges of computer fraud and conspiracy to commit computer fraud provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of false statements provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Boston made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Chicago and the Oswego Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Cleary of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.

BOSTON – A Brazilian national unlawfully residing in Fall River, Mass. pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation and was sentenced.

Evaldo Ferreira Pinto, 51, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to time served and one year of supervised release. The defendant is now subject to deportation proceedings. Earlier in the hearing Pinto pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. According to court records, Pinto had been in custody since his arrest on Aug. 7, 2025. Pinto was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2025.

According to the charging documents, Pinto was found in the United States on Aug. 7, 2025, after previously having been removed from the United States on or about May 31, 2019.  According to court documents, Pinto has previously been removed or self-deported on four occasions and has been previously convicted of unlawful reentry three times. Pinto is now subject to deportation.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elianna J. Nuzum of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

BOSTON – QP Holdings, LLC, an Arkansas company, and its affiliates, River Bend, Industries, LLC, Master Molded Products, LLC and 3D Plastics, LLC, have agreed to pay $3,295,129.76 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by obtaining Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for which they were not eligible.

Congress enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) on March 29, 2020, to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain approved expenses through the PPP, which the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) administered. The PPP provided for loans in two “draws”—first draw loans became available in March 2020, with a second draw announced in January 2021. Businesses were required to certify on their loan applications that they met certain size standards based on, for example, the number of employees they, and their affiliated entities, collectively employed.  

QP Holdings’ affiliates each received a second-draw PPP loan. As part of the settlement, QP Holdings and its affiliates acknowledge that they were ineligible for their PPP loans because they exceeded the applicable business size standards for second-draw loans. The affiliates sought and received forgiveness from SBA for the full amount of their second-draw loans.

The settlement credits the QP Holdings Entities for cooperation under the Department of Justice’s Guidelines for Taking Voluntary Disclosure, Cooperation, and Remediation into Account in False Claims Act Matters.  

The claims resolved in today’s settlement include claims that were brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. Under the Act, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Verity Investigations, LLC v. QP Holdings, LLC, et al., No. 24-cv-12001-NMG. As part of today’s resolution, the relator will receive 10% of the settlement amount.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and the U.S. Small Business Administration made the announcement today. Brian M. LaMacchia, Chief of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit handled the matter.

BOSTON – A husband and wife from Worcester have been sentenced for sex trafficking a victim in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Kiersten Soto, 32, and Moises Soto, 33, were sentenced on Jan. 23, 2026 by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to 18 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The defendants were also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and pay mandatory restitution to the victim in the amount of $138,000. In September 2025, the defendants were convicted of one count each of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion. Kiersten Soto was also convicted of one count of traveling or using interstate facilities to promote unlawful activities. The defendants were arrested and charged in December 2022.

From February through May 2022, the Sotos used force, fraud and coercion to traffic the victim for commercial sex in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island. A website was used to advertise the victim to sex buyers from all over New England. Kiersten Soto regularly threatened the victim with violence, abandonment and involuntary commitment to a facility. Moises Soto used extreme physical violence including beatings, assaults with wooden dowel rods and choking if the victim failed to make enough money. Videos from the defendants’ cell phones show the defendants cornering the victim in their home, threatening her, berating her, calling her a snitch, all while the victim suffered through agonizing drug withdrawals.
    
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Special assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Marlborough and Worcester Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen W. Hassink and Torey B. Cummings of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
 

BOSTON – A Wareham man pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to possessing and receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Brandon Bendall, 50, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun scheduled sentencing for May 7, 2026. He was arrested and charged by criminal complaint on May 2, 2025 and indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2025.

According to court documents, Bendall was a member of an online chat group in which members viewed and posted CSAM. While in the chat group Bendall posted at least 17 videos containing CSAM. During a search of Bendall’s residence and cell phone, approximately 9,400 images and videos of CSAM, including images of children as young as infants being sexually assaulted, were located.

The charges of receipt and possession of child pornography each provide for a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Wareham, Marion and East Bridgewater Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

BOSTON – An Ohio man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Massachusetts in connection with multiple sales of firearms transported from Ohio to Massachusetts.

Ruben Joel Sanchez Jr., 31, of Youngstown, Ohio, was indicted on one count of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license and two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. Sanchez was arrested on Jan. 8, 2026, and remains in federal custody.

According to the charging documents, beginning at least as early as June 2025 through January 2026, Sanchez engaged in the business of unlawful trafficking in firearms. Specifically, in June 2025, Sanchez, who is not licensed to deal in firearms, allegedly sold three firearms to an individual in exchange for $4,000. It is further alleged that, on Jan. 8, 2026, Sanchez was recorded and observed selling four additional firearms to the same individual in return for $8,500. Sanchez was arrested at the scene where an AR-style pistol equipped with a loaded, 100-round drum; a rifle equipped with a loaded, 100-round drum; a loaded pistol equipped with an extended magazine; and an additional loaded pistol were allegedly recovered.

The charge of felon in possession of firearms and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of unlawful trafficking in firearms provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julissa Walsh of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

BOSTON – A Methuen, Mass. man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to sending a package containing drugs to a federal prison.

Tuere Barnes, 43, pleaded guilty to one count of providing contraband in prison. U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for May 11, 2026. Barnes was charged on Jan. 12, 2026.

On or about Jan. 23, 2023, Barnes caused a package containing 460 sublingual strips laced with narcotics to be shipped to an inmate at FCI Danbury – a federal correctional facility in Danbury, Conn. Lab testing showed a sample strip contained buprenorphine, a Schedule III substance. Under federal regulations, possession of narcotics is prohibited in federal correctional facilities. The defendant’s fingerprints were found on papers in the package.

The charge of providing contraband in prison provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Mulcahy and Lauren Maynard of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit are prosecuting the case.