District of Massachusetts
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Massachusetts Man Sentenced to Prison for Wildlife TraffickingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Reading, Mass. man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for trafficking in wildlife parts from endangered and protected species.
Adam Bied, 40, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to eight months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. Bied was also ordered to pay a $75,000 fine to fund wildlife enforcement efforts. In January 2026, Bied pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to smuggle goods into the United States, specifically, illegally imported wildlife parts, and two counts of violating the Lacey Act, which prohibits trafficking in wildlife. The wildlife that Bied unlawfully imported and conspired to import was protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as well as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). None of the wildlife Bied imported was declared as required by law. Bied was charged in June 2024.
“Trafficking in the remains of endangered and protected animals is not a collector’s hobby – it is a crime that fuels the exploitation of vulnerable species around the world,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “As the Department of Justice has made clear, protecting animal welfare and enforcing our wildlife laws is a priority. This defendant knowingly smuggled and profited from the killing of protected animals – some of which were slaughtered at his direction – undermining global conservation efforts. Today’s sentence holds him accountable and sends a clear message: those who traffic in wildlife will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Our agency works diligently to combat the illegal international trafficking of wildlife parts due to its devastating effect on a wide variety of vulnerable species,” said Assistant Director Doug Ault, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement. “In their quest for quick profit, wildlife smugglers push critically endangered animals toward the edge of extinction and undermine global conservation efforts. Halting this illegal trade remains one of our highest priorities and together with the Department of Justice, we will bring those responsible to justice.”
Beginning in at least January 2018 and continuing until at least June 2021, Bied bought, sold and traded in wildlife parts and products from threatened and endangered species knowing that many of the transactions violated U.S. laws and regulations, including the ESA and the Lacey Act. Bied also knowingly failed to declare the wildlife to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) upon importation into the United States.
Specifically, Bied placed orders with individuals in Cameroon and Indonesia who were in the businesses of killing and acquiring wildlife, including endangered and protected species, received the parts in the United States unlawfully and then resold or traded the wildlife to customers in the United States.
In text messages, Bied and a co-conspirator in Cameroon (CC-1), a person Bied knew to be a poacher of native species, discussed hunting and killing wildlife. For example, in June 2018 when CC-1 told Bied that he was unable to obtain bullets for hunting wildlife due to the ongoing civil war, Bied offered to send him bullets. After CC-1 said he could go to jail if he is caught receiving ammunition during the ongoing civil war, Bied offered to send him money for bullets in exchange for skulls including, as they discussed, chimpanzee skulls. Bied also requested a gorilla skull. Both gorillas and chimpanzees are endangered, and most gorilla species are critically endangered. Bied also sought to purchase skulls from elephants, lions, hippos and other “rare” and “large animals.”
Bied repeatedly instructed CC-1 not to send him skulls with bullet holes, writing “stop sending me skulls with holes” and “Just send me a lot of big skulls. Also no skulls with bullet holes.” In various messages with CC-1, Bied referred to his customers, advising CC-1, “I need rare things for my customers.”
Bied was aware of the laws protecting wildlife and governing wildlife importation and that it was illegal to trade in endangered and protected species. For example, on Dec. 26, 2019 Bied took photographs of an educational exhibit at a zoo about illegal wildlife trafficking, that prominently featured pangolins as the “most heavily trafficked wild mammal.” Later that day, Bied texted CC-1, “I'd like to buy the pangolin skull – I'd like to buy this pangolin still.” All subspecies of pangolins are protected under CITES.
Bied and his conspirator in Indonesia (CC-2) exchanged electronic messages about the acquisition, purchase, and sale of wildlife, and protected wildlife. Among other wildlife, Bied purchased multiple orangutans and Javan leopard skulls from CC-2. Both species are critically endangered.
Bied later sold two illegally imported leopard skulls to an undercover federal agent. During the negotiations over one skull, Bied lied about its origin, falsely claiming to the agent that the leopard skull was at least 60 years old, that he had purchased it at an auction, and that he believed the sale of this skull to be legal. In fact, the skull had been recently illegally imported from Indonesia. Bied neither sought nor obtained the necessary USFWS import/export licenses or CITES permits before importing these items, nor did he declare the wildlife to the USFWS upon import as required. Instead, Bied and his co-conspirators took steps to conceal the wildlife parts from U.S. authorities by falsely labeling them as “decorative masks” and “rodents,” among other things. Bied unlawfully imported skulls from the following wildlife species, among others: baboon, chimpanzee, pangolin, orangutan and leopard.
Bied has consented to the civil forfeiture of over 100 wildlife parts from endangered, threatened, or protected species seized by the USFWS in July 2021 from Bied’s residence, storage unit and vehicle.
The wildlife parts identified in the civil forfeiture complaint include:
- Orangutan skulls
- Tiger skulls
- Leopard skin, skulls and a claw
- Jaguar skin and skull
- African lion skulls
- Polar bear skull
- Narwhal tusk
- Otter skeleton
- Harp seal skull
- Pangolin skull
- South American fur seal skull
- Elephant seal skull
- Babirusa skulls
- Mandrillus skulls
- Wallaby skull
- Jackal skull
Federal wildlife statutes and regulations prohibit international and illegal trade in vulnerable wildlife species. The ESA, the Lacey Act and CITES, as well as the accompanying regulations, prohibit the import, export, possession, transport, purchase and sale of protected species. The restrictions apply to live and dead wildlife specimens, as well as the skins, parts and products made in whole or in part from listed species. Additional documents are also required for wildlife protected by the CITES treaty, which regulates trade in endangered or threatened species through permit requirements.
The lawful importation of vulnerable wildlife species requires a CITES permit. The lawful importation of any foreign species requires a USFWS wildlife declaration. Individuals are also required to have a USFWS import/export license to import wildlife for commercial purposes.
U.S. Attorney Foley and USFWS Assistant Director Ault made the announcement. This case was worked jointly with the United States Marshals Service and the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Casey and Carol E. Head are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol E. Head, Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit is prosecuting the civil forfeiture case.
Haverhill Man Pleads Guilty to Investment FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Haverhill man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to fraudulently obtaining $350,000 in investor funds.
Luciano Schipelliti, 28, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for June 24, 2026. Schipelliti was charged in March 2026.
In the fall of 2018, Schipelliti established the Superstars Fund and raised roughly $275,000 to invest in cryptocurrency. By 2019, through a series of bad investments, Schipelliti lost all the money in the Superstars Fund. He did not, however, tell any of the investors that he had lost the money. Instead, beginning in approximately November 2020, Schipelliti began sending monthly newsletters to investors that falsely reported that the Superstars Fund continued to grow in value.
Based on the misrepresented performance of the Superstars Fund, in approximately February 2021, Schipelliti launched a new fund, the TTM Fund, through which he raised approximately $350,000 to invest in cryptocurrency. Schipelliti lost all the money in the TTM fund by September 2021. According to the charging documents, Schipelliti lost most of the money in the TTM Fund investing in cryptocurrency and also used some of the money in a manner inconsistent with the terms of the TTM Fund’s operating agreement.
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 $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 Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin A. Saltzman of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
Former Suffolk County Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty to COVID Unemployment and Loan FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former corrections officer employed by the Suffolk County Sherriff’s Department pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to submitting fraudulent information in an effort to obtain loans through CARES Act programs like the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
Jasmine Murphy, 39, of Boston, pleaded guilty to seven counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to a financial institution, arising out of PUA and PPP loan benefits obtained prior to her employment at the Suffolk County Sherriff’s Department and Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits obtained prior to, and during, her employment there. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing for July 9, 2026. In December 2025, Murphy was indicted along with another officer Christnel Orisca.
Murphy had been a Corrections Officer with the Suffolk County Sherriff’s Department from approximately January 2022 to December 2024. Prior to her employment with the Suffolk Sheriff’s Department, Murphy fraudulently applied for pandemic unemployment and small business loan benefits while working for trucking and workforce services companies. While working at the Sheriff’s Department, Murphy fraudulently collected UI benefits for a brief period of time early in her tenure. In total, Murphy obtained approximately $44,346 in unemployment benefits and small business loan funds to which she was not entitled.
In their PUA applications, both Murphy and Orisca made fraudulent representations about their employment status and thereafter falsely claimed, on a weekly basis, that they did not work and did not receive any income during the prior week. In their PPP loan applications, Murphy and Orisca submitted false statements to SBA-approved lenders, including about the income and/or payroll of their purported small businesses, in order to obtain their loans. According to the charging documents, they also made false representations on forms submitted to request that their PPP loans be forgiven.
Orisca pleaded guilty in November 2025 and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 12, 2026.
The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The charge of making false statements to a financial institution provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a $1 million fine. 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 P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D., U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Police Department and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao, Chief of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions 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 Hotline via the https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/webform/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Duxbury Man Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Duxbury man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Daniel Debreczeni, 35, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for July 16, 2026. Debreczeni was arrested and charged in August 2025.
Between Nov. 29, 2023 and Dec. 12, 2023, Debreczeni distributed three videos containing CSAM in a private chat room dedicated to child sexual abuse on the Kik Messenger platform. The children in the three videos appeared to be between approximately two, three and eight years old. During a subsequent search of Debreczeni’s residence, five images and 19 videos depicting CSAM were located on Debreczeni’s Kik account.
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 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 Duxbury and Quincy Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney David 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.
Dominican National Sentenced to Prison for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national unlawfully residing in Lawrence, Mass. was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Jose Alberto Tejeda Turbi, 46, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 18 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In March 2026, Tejeda Turbi pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. In January 2026, Tejeda Turbi was indicted by a federal grand jury.
In July 2015, Tejeda Turbi was convicted in federal court in Boston of heroin distribution and conspiracy, for which he was sentenced to five years in prison and four years of supervised release. Tejeda Turbi was deported from the United States in March 2020 upon his completion of the sentence imposed.
Sometime after his March 2020 removal, Tejeda Turbi illegally reentered the United States without permission.
In June 2024, Tejeda Turbi was sentenced in Lawrence District Court to two years in prison for assault and battery resulting in serious bodily injury and three years of probation for remaining charges.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and David T. Wesling, 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 Brad A. Rocheville of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
Dominican National Charged with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national residing in Boston has been charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Angel Daniel Cruz-Sanchez, 40, is charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Cruz-Sanchez was arrested on April 1, 2026 and made his initial appearance in federal court in Boston. A detention hearing is scheduled for April 7, 2026.
According to the charging documents, Cruz-Sanchez is a citizen of the Dominican Republic who was deported in 2019 and 2023. In 2003, 2008 and 2018, Cruz-Sanchez was convicted in separate drug trafficking cases.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien 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 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 David T. Wesling, 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 Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus 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.
Brighton Man Charged with Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brighton man has been arrested and charged with receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
John Tapley, 33, was charged with one count of receipt of child pornography. Tapley was arrested at his home yesterday, and following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston, was ordered detained pending a hearing scheduled for April 6, 2026.
According to the charging documents, Tapley was identified as a member of 15 group chats on the Signal messenger application. Many of these chats had group names that were indicative of the exchange of CSAM. During a search of Tapley’s residence yesterday, it is alleged that five CSAM files were found to have been received by Tapley on his Signal account. The victims in these videos appeared to be between approximately seven and 11 years old.
The charge of receipt of 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 Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by United States Postal Inspection Service and Boston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm 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.
Brazilian National Charged with Unlawful ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brazilian national currently serving a two-year sentence in the Middlesex House of Correction for Operating Under the Influence (4th or greater offense) has been charged in federal court with unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Jose Antonio Ramos, 51, was indicted by a federal grand jury with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. The defendant will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston on April 8, 2026.
According to the charging documents, the defendant was removed from the United States in November 2008.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien 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 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 David T. Wesling, 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 Jennifer Zacks 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.
Newtonville Man Pleads Guilty to Cocaine DistributionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Newtonville man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to a drug distribution offense involving cocaine.
Trevor Headley, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and two counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for June 23, 2026. Headley was arrested and charged in October 2025.
In August 2025, Headley distributed cocaine to an undercover law enforcement officer on multiple occasions. On Aug. 12, 2025, after arranging the first transaction through a series of communications, Headley met the undercover officer at a pre-arranged location and sold approximately 112 grams of cocaine. On Aug. 27, 2025, Headley conducted a second controlled transaction, this time distributing approximately 451 grams of cocaine.
Additionally, on recorded phone calls with the undercover officer in September 2025, Headley discussed obtaining an additional kilogram of cocaine for sale and expressed interest in obtaining firearms and machinegun conversion devices – stating that the firearms would be included as part of the negotiation, in exchange for the cocaine.
During a search of Headley’s residence following his arrest in October 2025, approximately three kilograms of cocaine packaged for distribution, along with more than $32,000 in cash and other items consistent with drug trafficking were recovered.
The charge of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. The charges of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute cocaine each provide 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. 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 Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in New England; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit 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.
Massachusetts Man Arrested for Threatening President TrumpRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Great Barrington, Mass., man has been arrested and charged for allegedly threatening President Donald J. Trump. Defendant allegedly posted messages on Facebook threatening to injure and kill the President.
Andrew D. Emerald, 45, was indicted by a federal grand jury on eight counts of interstate transmission of threatening communications. Emerald was arrested this morning and will appear in federal court in Springfield, Mass., at 2:30 p.m. today.
According to the indictment, from May 2025 to July 2025, Emerald intentionally made eight separate Facebook posts in which he threatened to injure President Trump. Specifically, it is alleged that Emerald made the following posts:
- May 3, 2025: “When I see to it that Trump is put to death. It will be the the day the purpose creation put me here for beyond creating. My daughter is fulfilled. (because what she is destined to do for the world is far greater than mine, taking out the orange menace!)”
- May 13, 2025: “Oh, I’m not just watching!! Either Trump is dead and in the ground by 2026 or I am hunting him down and putting him there. Do you hear that FBI and any other organization that wants to show up at my f****** door? 🚪Put the enemy of the United States in a f****** body bag or I will.”
- May 15, 2025: “Cause and effect. Trump being a monster to humanity caused this family suffering, and they might never choose to have children because of him Affect we’re going to f****** kill Trump on public television so the world sees what we do to f****** monsters and then we’re gonna hang him from the Statue of Liberty until his pathetic bloated corpse rots off falls in the ocean, and I swept out the to see with humanities trash 🚮 After what I just heard if Trump is not dead by 2026 I’m going to Mar-a-Lago and I’m going after myself.”
- May 15, 2025: “That’s not a threat that’s a f****** promise and I don’t have Trump arrangement syndrome. The bulls*** they made up. I’m going after him for taking my second amendment rights on constitutionally for calling him the Russian asset that he is! Cause and f****** affect!!!’ I’m going after him because I’m an actual f****** patriot. By the way, if there’s any arrangement syndrome caused by Trump it’s what his cult is inflicting on the rest of us!!!! That is going to end up going down in the psychological history books. Including the bulls*** that is Trump arrangement syndrome. I have very good reason to threaten his life and to go after it whether I have my second amendment rights or not. If the people that are supposed to have not gone after him by the new year, I am hear Trump I’m coming for you you little b****.”
- May 30, 2025: “If others have not taken care of you before the end of the year, Trump, I will, and I won’t make the mistake of not knowing where the f*** you are when I come for you. I’ll make sure you’re at Mar-a-Lago when I burn it to the f****** ground.”
- May 30, 2025: “And you shouldn’t have listened to my father when he said I wasn’t dangerous. I burned a house to the ground once in my life on accident when I burn you to the ground, it will very much be by intention, and I will revel in it instead of regret it for the rest of my life.”
- June 14, 2025: “Because killing is not wrong defending your life or putting down a predator you see taking others through murder. Which is why I’m coming for you, Trump. You’ve killed millions of people by proxy. And you’re a monster to f****** humanity and it is my mission in this life to end your f****** existence. And I won’t be murdering you I will be executing a monster. I will be fulfilling my constitutional duty to execute a criminal citizen that’s committed high treason just like the constitution tells me too, tells us all f****** too.”
- July 7, 2025: “Trump either you’re dead by 2026 or I’m coming for you personally and if I’m the one that kills you, you’re gonna suffer you little f****** b****.”
The charge of interstate transmission of threatening communications provides for a sentence of up to five 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. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Secret Service; the United States Postal Inspection Service; and the Great Barrington Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office 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.
Lynn Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking Two WomenRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lynn man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for benefitting financially from trafficking two women for sex and knowingly persuading and coercing both women to travel to another state to engage in prostitution.
Anthony Coleman, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 12 years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Coleman was also ordered to pay $77,000 in restitution. In December 2025, Coleman pleaded guilty to two counts of benefitting financially from trafficking and two counts of knowingly persuading and coercing a person to travel to engage in prostitution. Coleman was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2024 and subsequently arrested in April 2024. He has remained in federal custody since.
Coleman targeted victims who had lost their jobs or homes during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns in March through August of 2020. Coleman had his victims move in with him, posted or controlled online commercial sex advertisements for them, provided them scripts to negotiate payment and terms with commercial sex buyers and transported his victims to hotels and other places to engage in commercial sex. The victims were required to give Coleman all the money they made. Coleman also regularly coerced his victims to have sex with him.
Specifically, in March 2020, Coleman recruited one victim who had lost her job due to the pandemic. The victim would sometimes be forced to engage in sex acts with 10-16 clients per day, with Coleman taking all the profits. Coleman also took the victim to Florida on multiple occasions to engage in commercial sex. Coleman also physically abused the victim – one time holding the victim underwater and threatening to drown her.
Around March and April 2020, Coleman recruited a second victim, convincing her to come live with him after she was kicked out of her home. The victim was unable to get a job because many businesses were closed due to COVID-19. The victim began engaging in commercial sex for Coleman and in May 2020, Coleman persuaded the victim to travel to California to engage in commercial sex. After she left him, Coleman threatened the victim – telling her he would hurt her mother and her sibling.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Revere and Cambridge Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Torey B. Cummings of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit prosecuted the case.
Ludlow Man Charged with Witness Tampering and RetaliationRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Ludlow man has been arrested and charged for allegedly threatening the father of a victim in a pending federal sex trafficking case.
Christopher Barbaro, 72, was charged with harassing and threatening a witness in an ongoing sex trafficking prosecution. The defendant was arrested on March 27, 2026 and made an initial appearance before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Paul G. Levenson in federal court in Boston. The defendant was released on conditions.
According to the charging document, in May 2025, Barbaro’s grandson was charged with conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor and with transporting a victim to engage in prostitution. While those crimes were under investigation in the fall of 2024, government investigators interviewed multiple people, including one of the victims and that victim’s father. After the individuals had been interviewed, Barbaro allegedly sent the victim’s father a text message in November 2024 that stated: “You and your kid are a couple of f***** rats [rat emoji] and you know what happens to rats they choke on cheese you no good mother f***** I know what you guys did.”
It is further alleged that in December 2025, Barbaro allegedly called the victim’s father and left the following voicemail: “You c***sucker. I’m gonna get ahold of you at your f****** office, you prick. Be ready!” Five minutes after leaving that voicemail, Barbaro allegedly called the victim’s father again and told him, among other things, that he was a “rat.”
In March 2026, Barbaro allegedly told federal agents that he made communications to the victim’s father. It is further alleged that Barbaro confirmed that he knew where the victim’s father lives and works. Barbaro allegedly stated that if he saw the victim’s father he would “beat the s*** out of him…after what he did to my grandson.” When asked again if he would beat up the victim’s father, Barbaro allegedly stated, “I’d like to smash his face is what I’d like to do, for what he did miss. I’ll be honest with you. You can write that down. Take it as a threat. Whatever you wanna do. But that’s my feelings towards him. Alright? He’s a slippery SOB.”
“My office is committed to vigorously prosecuting anyone who threatens or harasses victims or witnesses,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “This office is committed to protecting the brave individuals who report crimes and assist in prosecutions to hold defendants accountable for their criminal conduct.”
“Christopher Barbaro learned today that witness tampering can land you in handcuffs,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Mr. Barbaro is accused of harassing and threatening to harm a federal witness in a sex trafficking conspiracy case involving his grandson. Let me be clear: ensuring the safety of federal witnesses both before and after a prosecution is paramount, and the FBI takes Barbaro’s alleged acts extremely seriously.”
The charge of harassing another person and thereby hindering a person from assisting in a criminal prosecution, or attempting to do so, 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 threatening to cause bodily injury with intent to retaliate against a witness, or attempting to do so, provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three 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.
U.S. Attorney Foley and FBI SAC Docks made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Ludlow, Wilbraham and East Longmeadow Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Torey B. Cummings, Craig Estes and Kunal Pasricha of the Criminal Division 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.
Everett Man Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Selling FirearmsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An Everett man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for selling more than half a dozen firearms, including AR-15 style rifles.
Joao Victor Da Silva Soares, 22, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun to time served (18 months in prison), to be followed by two years of supervised release. In December 2025, Da Silva Soares pleaded guilty to one count of dealing firearms without a license and one count of conspiracy to engage in the business of dealing in firearms without a license. Da Silva Soares was arrested in September 2024 in a related state case. Da Silva Soares was charged in federal court by criminal complaint in January 2025 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2025.
Between August and September 2024, Da Silva Soares supplied firearms for sale in Eastern Massachusetts. Specifically, on Aug. 26, 2024, Da Silva Soares delivered two AR-15 style rifles and sold them for $6,000 in a parking lot in Malden. On Sept. 11, 2024, Da Silva Soares participated in another sale involving a total of five firearms (consisting of rifles, pistols and a shotgun) outside a residence in Milford.
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 David T. Wesling, 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 Malden and Milford Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Reynolds of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
Associate of Motorcycle Gang Drug Trafficking Ring Sentenced to 12 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An associate of the Unknown Bikers Motorcycle Club was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for his role in a conspiracy to distribute crystal methamphetamine.
Daniel Loughman, a/k/a “Swiss,” 40, of Wakefield, Mass. was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV to 12 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In December 2025, Loughman pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine and one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine.
Loughman was one of four individuals charged in a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking ring operating in Eastern Massachusetts by members and associates of the Unknown Bikers Motorcycle Club.
In approximately October 2023, Loughman was identified as a drug trafficker who distributed methamphetamine to customers throughout Eastern Massachusetts. Investigators conducted controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Loughman, as well as from his co-conspirators James Snow, of Tewkesbury, Danielle Steenbruggen, of Peabody, and James Adams, of Byfield. Approximately 10 pounds of methamphetamine and four firearms were seized throughout the investigation from controlled purchases, motor vehicle stops and search warrants.
Loughman is the fourth and final defendant to be sentenced in the case. Steenbruggen pleaded guilty in August 2025 and was sentenced to 93 months in prison in November 2025. Snow pleaded guilty in December 2025 and was sentenced to 90 months in prison on March 23, 2026. Adams pleaded guilty in December 2025 and was sentenced to 151 months in prison on March 20, 2026.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in New England; Jason Buckley, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Chief Steven A. Skory of the Wakefield Police Department made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Newbury, Newburyport, Haverhill, Peabody and Hampton (N.H.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
Wilbraham Man Sentenced to 32 Months in Prison for Threatening Public Officials, Private Individuals and ChildrenRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Wilbraham, Mass. man was sentenced today in federal court in Springfield, Mass. for making numerous violent threats on social media targeting public figures, private individuals, children in Wilbraham and Boston, and an elementary school in Springfield, Mass.
Funwayo Mbilini Nyawo, a/k/a “Jonathan Funwayo Nyawo,” a/k/a “Michael Jacobs,” a/k/a “Robert Jacobs,”a/k/a “Carl Fields,” 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to 32 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In July 2025, Nyawo pleaded guilty to 13 counts of interstate transmission of threatening communications and one count of stalking through facilities of interstate commerce. Nyawo was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2025.
Between July 30, 2024 and Oct. 1, 2024, Nyawo posted various threatening communications on X (formerly known as Twitter). These threats explicitly referenced killing, shooting, or bombing; targeted a wide variety of public figures, private individuals and sensitive public locations such as shopping malls and an elementary school; and often urged Islamic terrorist groups or holy warriors to commit these acts of violence.
Nyawo’s threats included threats to kill an elected United States official (and their family); a former United States official (and their family); a former member of a Massachusetts police department (and their family); two private individuals; local officials and their family members; the children of Wilbraham and Boston; members of the Wilbraham Police Department and Wilbraham Fire Department (and their families); and targeted two shopping malls and an elementary school in Springfield, among others.
In addition, between Aug. 17, 2024 and on or about Oct. 1, 2024, Nyawo used X to engage in a course of conduct with the intent to harass and intimidate the elected United States official, their spouse, their child, their child’s spouse and their grandchildren.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and J. Thomas Manger of the United States Capital Police made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Wilbraham Police Department, the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department and the Miami-Dade Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case.
Sudbury Man Pleads Guilty to Carrying Out $7.8 Million Embezzlement SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Sudbury man, formerly of Hudson (Mass.), pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to carrying out a scheme from at least 2015 to 2024 to steal money from his two former employers, both medical practices.
Adam Gentile, 39, pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for July 16, 2026. Gentile was charged in December 2025.
In or around 2014, Gentile was hired as an administrative assistant for a medical practice. He was promoted to the role of office manager shortly thereafter. In his capacity as office manager, Gentile processed payroll and oversaw other recordkeeping and administrative responsibilities for the practice. Beginning in or around 2015 and continuing through November 2020, Gentile embezzled more than $4.5 million from his employer by issuing himself extra paychecks, sometimes labeling the payments as “bonuses.” Gentile also paid off personal credit cards with the practice’s bank account.
In 2021, Gentile was hired as an officer manager for a second medical practice, for which he similarly had sole responsibility for processing payroll. From in or around April 2021 through May 2024, Gentile executed a similar scheme in which he caused extra payroll payments to be issued to himself – sometimes recording these payments as “bonuses.” Gentile used the employer’s bank account to pay off his personal credit cards; purchase and upgrade his home in Hudson; and put toward a side business he ran while employed by the medical practice. Gentile embezzled more than $3.3 million from his second employer.
The charge of wire fraud 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 or twice the gross loss involved. 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 Leominster Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin J. Brown is prosecuting the case.
Store Owner Admits to Multi-Million-Dollar SNAP Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The owner of a small convenience in Boston has been convicted of fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars’ worth of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The defendant’s monthly SNAP redemptions in his 150 square foot store ranged from $100,000 - $500,000 per month, far outpacing full-service supermarkets which redeem approximately $82,000 per month in SNAP benefits.
The defendant also sold liquor and emergency food supplies intended for food-insecure children overseas.
Antonio Bonheur, 74, of Mattapan, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of food stamp fraud and one count of wire fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for July 8, 2026. Bonheur was arrested and charged in December 2025. As part of today’s plea, Bonheur agreed to forfeit nearly $400,000 in fraudulently obtained proceeds that were seized during the investigation.
Bonheur owned Jesula Variety Store, which operated as a small variety store within a single street-facing storefront in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston. Jesula Variety Store occupied approximately 150 square feet.
According to the charging documents, despite the store’s limited size, inventory and food offerings, Jesula Variety Store exhibited extraordinarily high SNAP redemption volumes, far beyond what could reasonably be supported by legitimate food sales. Transaction data revealed that the store had exceptionally large and anomalous average monthly SNAP redemption rates when compared to similarly situated businesses of the same size, type and location. Specifically, Bonheur’s monthly SNAP redemptions for Jesula Variety Store regularly exceeded $100,000 – with many months exceeding $300,000 and, at times, $500,000. By comparison, one full-service supermarket in the same area redeems approximately $82,000 per month in SNAP benefits.
Additionally, transaction-level data showed that only approximately 10% of SNAP transactions were for amounts under $40, while more than 70% of transactions exceeded $95. Such transaction patterns are typically associated with large supermarkets, not small variety stores with limited food inventory.
During undercover operations conducted over the course of the investigation, SNAP benefits were trafficked for cash from Jesula Variety Store on four occasions. In each instance, the defendant worked the cash registers and personally exchanged SNAP benefits for cash. Bonheur also sold liquor in exchange for SNAP benefits.
Additionally, Jesula Variety Store also sold MannaPack meals, a donated food product manufactured by the nonprofit Feed My Starving Children. These meals are paid for entirely by charitable donations intended for shipment and distribution to food-insecure children overseas and are never authorized for retail sale. Bonheur sold donated MannaPack meals in his store for approximately $8 per package, profiting from food intended for humanitarian relief.
Jesula Variety Store carried little legitimate food inventory and generated minimal lawful revenue, therefore Bonheur relied almost entirely on USDA-funded SNAP redemptions as his source of income. To conceal the nature and source of these funds, Bonheur maintained numerous secondary bank accounts through which SNAP proceeds were transferred, withdrawn as cash and redeposited to create the appearance of legitimate business activity while obscuring the true source of funds.
Despite receiving millions of dollars per year in SNAP redemptions through Jesula Variety Store, Bonheur was issued a SNAP card for himself by the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance. In applying for his SNAP benefits, Bonheur made multiple false statements concerning his income and assets.
The charge of food stamp fraud greater than $5,000 provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years 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 $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; Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations – Northeast Region; 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. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is 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.
Former Boston Housing Secretary Pleads Guilty to Falsifying Overtime FormsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former executive secretary at the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to falsifying overtime forms. The defendant lied about working overtime and forged her supervisor’s signature on the overtime forms.
Helen Murray, 41, of Malden, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for July 7, 2026.
From 2017 to 2024, Murray worked as an executive secretary at BHA. As an executive secretary, Murray was responsible for collecting weekly BHA timesheets, as well as overtime forms from other BHA employees. Murray was also eligible to work overtime and receive overtime pay.
To collect overtime, Murray’s overtime work had to be pre-approved by her senior management. Specifically, Murray would have to perform the overtime work, accurately and truthfully fill out an overtime form and submit it to her immediate supervisor via email to be approved electronically.
However, in January 2023, Murray began submitting false overtime forms to BHA payroll. Instead of submitting the forms to her supervisor for approval, Murray entered overtime hours that Murray had not worked and then falsified her supervisor’s signature on the form, without her supervisor’s knowledge nor permission. Murray would then submit the falsified overtime forms directly to BHA Payroll via email, after which BHA payroll would include Murray’s fraudulent overtime pay in her weekly paycheck.
In total, Murray submitted over 100 falsified overtime forms between January 2023 to August 2024 – ultimately collecting approximately $72,131 in fraudulent overtime pay.
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 $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. The Boston Housing Authority provided valuable assistance during the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao, Chief of the Public Corruption Unit, is prosecuting the case.
Worcester Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Sexually Exploiting MinorsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Worcester man has been sentenced for sexually exploiting three minor females.
Antonio Merced, 29, was sentenced on March 26, 2026 by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to 30 years in prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. This sentence will run consecutive to his state prison sentence. In July 2025, Merced pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of possession of child pornography.
In July 2024, Merced exposed two minor victims to pornography and sex toys. A subsequent investigation revealed that Merced had been sexually abusing three minors and producing videos of their sexual abuse. Documentation of the abuse occurring in 2023 of a six year old child, and videos created in 2024 of two other children being sexually abused by Merced were found during the investigation. At a plea hearing in July 2025, Merced admitted to using the three minors to create sexually explicit videos and to possessing hundreds of photos and videos of child sex abuse material of children unknown to him.
Merced was arrested in September 2024 and was subsequently indicted in Worcester Superior Court. He was convicted of 10 counts of aggravated rape of a child and sentenced to 25-30 years in state prison.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Worcester Police Chief Paul B. Saucier made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Noto of the Worcester Branch Office prosecuted 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.
South Carolina Businessman Who Operated Bowling Entertainment Business in Massachusetts Pleads Guilty to $1.2 Million COVID Relief FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A South Carolina businessman has pleaded guilty in federal court in Worcester to COVID relief fraud.
David Breen, 54, of Mount Pleasant, S.C., pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government property, for misappropriating COVID-19 funds for personal use. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for June 25, 2026.
Breen spent more than $1.2 million in Economic Injury and Disaster Loan (EIDL) money that he obtained from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to build a home and purchase motor vehicles. Through the EIDL program, the SBA provided loans to small businesses that suffered substantial economic injury due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Specifically, in March 2022, Breen applied for EIDL funds on behalf of ‘Fun Zone,’ an entity through which he operated ‘Pinz,’ a bowling alley and other entertainment venue in Milford, Mass. To obtain the loan, Breen entered into a loan agreement with the SBA in which he agreed, among other things, to use the loan proceeds as working capital for his business. After receiving approximately $1.5 million from the SBA, Breen used more than $1.2 million of this money, through June 2023, to build a home for himself in Mount Pleasant, S.C., and for down payments on a $111,000 truck and a $98,289 Mercedes.
The charge of theft of government property carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine 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; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Massachusetts Inspector General Jeffrey S. Shapiro made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General, Boston Region. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan D. O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office 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.
Lynn Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lynn man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to drug trafficking and firearm offenses.
Denys Gonzalez Hernandez, 33, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 28 grams or more of cocaine base and methamphetamine. The defendant also pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for June 25, 2026. Hernandez was indicted in March 2025, along with his alleged co-conspirator Lexus Perez.
During a February 2025 search of Perez and Gonzalez Hernandez’s shared apartment in Lynn, it is alleged that two loaded firearms, 465 grams of fentanyl, 34 grams of cocaine base (commonly known as crack cocaine) and 21 grams of methamphetamine were seized. Following the search, Gonzalez Hernandez was located and taken into custody. During a search of his person, 16 baggies of cocaine and two baggies of fentanyl were found inside Gonzalez Hernandez’s sock.
The charge of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 28 grams or more of cocaine base and methamphetamine provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime supervised release and a fine of $10 million. The charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking carries a sentence of at least five years consecutive to any other term of imprisonment. 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 Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker; and Christopher P. Reddy, Chief of the Lynn Police Department made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.Gardner Woman Pleads Guilty to Social Security FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Gardner woman pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to fraudulently receiving Social Security disability benefits for 10 years.
Michelle M. DiSalvo, 53, pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of stolen government money or property; one count of Social Security fraud; and one count of false statements. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for July 16, 2026. DiSalvo was charged in February 2026.
In 2001, DiSalvo began receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Eligibility for SSI is based, in part, on the applicant having limited income and resources. In assessing a married individual’s eligibility for SSI, the income and resources of the applicant’s spouse is considered if they live together. If an applicant is awarded SSI, they have a continuing obligation to notify SSA of any changes in their marital status, living arrangements and household income and resources.
In June 2014, DiSalvo truthfully reported to SSA that she was married, but falsely stated that she and her husband had separated in September 2013, when, in fact, they were living together. In five additional redetermination interviews with SSA between December 2014 and August 2023, DiSalvo continued to conceal that she lived with her husband with the intent to fraudulently obtain SSI benefits. DiSalvo also submitted a fraudulent lease agreement to SSA in October 2023 that DiSalvo omitted her husband because she knew that if she reported living with him, DiSalvo’s husband’s income and resources would have made her ineligible for SSI.
From October 2013 through October 2023, DiSalvo fraudulently received $93,640 in SSI disability 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.
Former High School Wrestling Coach Sentenced for Sending Obscene Material to MinorRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Burlington, Mass. man was sentenced on March 26, 2026 for sending obscene material to an undercover agent posing as a 14-year-old girl on Kik messenger.
Stephen James Lemelin, 51, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to two years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In December 2025, Lemelin was convicted of three counts of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor. Lemelin was arrested and charged in May 2024 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2024.
Over the course of five months, Lemelin –a Burlington High School wrestling coach at the time – sent sexually explicit messages and obscene material over Kik Messenger to an undercover officer posing as a 14-year-old girl. In the messages, Lemelin sent three separate obscene photographs of his genitals to the purported child and proposed meeting in person for sex.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Customs and Border Protection and the Arlington, Boston, Brookline, Burlington, Salisbury and Winchester Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David G. Tobin and Eric L. Hawkins prosecuted 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.
Amherst Man Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Possessing Enormous Child Pornography CollectionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An Amherst, Mass. man has been sentenced in federal court in Springfield, Mass. for possessing more than 100,000 files of sexual abuse material (CSAM). The defendant possessed disturbing images of violent acts including a female being shot in the head, a cat in a blender and a dog being beaten to death.
Daniel Tocci, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to four years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The government recommended a sentence of 70 months in prison. In September 2025, Tocci pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.
During a search of Tocci’s Amherst residence in November 2023, it was revealed that Tocci possessed over 100,000 images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of minors. More than 100,000 CSAM files were found saved across five thumb drives and more than 10,000 CSAM files were found on Tocci’s laptop. Some CSAM files portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct or sexual exploitation of a toddler.
Tocci’s laptop also contained extremely disturbing images of violent acts, such as a cat being killed by being put in a blender; a male shooting a female in the head; a dog being beaten to death; severed limbs; as well as images and videos of bestiality. Tocci’s devices also revealed Google searches related to child sexual abuse, such as “countries with legal prostitution under 18.”
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 U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Amherst Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted 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.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley Announces Fraud Coordinators and Benefit & Voter Fraud TeamRead the Press Release
BOSTON – United States Attorney Leah B. Foley has named two federal prosecutors to lead the newly formed Benefit and Voter Fraud Team in response to the rampant fraud being uncovered in Massachusetts. The Team’s mission will be to actively and aggressively root out benefit fraud in Massachusetts, including SNAP fraud, MassHealth fraud, childcare subsidy fraud and voter fraud, just to name a few. In support of this effort, a new hotline has been established for members of the public to report suspicion of benefit fraud: 1-855-SCAM-MA-1 (855-722-6621).
The District of Massachusetts is committed to assisting the Administration’s war on fraud and will support the work of the Vice President’s Anti-Fraud Task Force and the Department of Justice’s National Fraud Enforcement Division through independent investigations brought by the Benefit and Voter Fraud Team.
The Benefit and Voter Fraud Team will be led by two Fraud Coordinators, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip Mallard and Mark Grady. AUSA Mallard will be responsible for overseeing the district-wide effort, coordinating with multiple federal agencies to identify benefit fraud and develop a plan of action. AUSA Mark Grady will supervise the federal investigations and prosecutions for the office, working closely with partner agencies.
“Both Phil and Mark are seasoned federal prosecutors who each bring tremendous assets to the Fraud Team. With a combined 40+ years of prosecutorial experience, they will hit the ground running and make a lasting impact on the widespread and prolific benefit fraud we are seeing across the state,” said Foley.
AUSA Mallard is a longtime state and federal prosecutor, first serving as an Assistant District Attorney in Essex County where he investigated and prosecuted gangs, murders and numerous types of fraud. He has extensive experience prosecuting SNAP fraud, procurement fraud, identity theft and embezzlement, among others. AUSA Mallard joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit in 2018 where he is responsible for investigating violent crime, including complex gang and murder cases such as the Latin Kings and Trinitarios.
AUSA Mark Grady is Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Unit where he manages and prosecutes a range of immigration, child exploitation, violent crime and fraud cases. He has deep prosecutorial experience in the fraud space, including fraud cases against the Massachusetts State and Boston Police, SNAP, housing, Social Security and employment fraud. He previously served in the Public Corruption Unit, Worcester Branch Office and the Civil Division. AUSA Grady has been a federal prosecutor for nearly 25 years and previously served as an Assistant District Attorney in Suffolk County.
Since December 2025, Foley’s office has charged 15 individuals with nearly $9 million in fraud including SNAP benefit fraud and MassHealth fraud.
“It has become apparent that there are insufficient guardrails in place in Massachusetts to address the rampant benefit fraud across the state. It is time to hold criminals stealing taxpayer benefits accountable. This has gone on far too long and the buck stops with me,” said Foley.
Earlier today, Foley’s office announced charges against nine individuals, including a Dominican national for allegedly stealing nearly $300,000 in SNAP, Social Security and MassHealth benefits in Massachusetts using a stolen identity. The charges in these cases were brought after an analysis of recipient data showed the same identity was receiving benefits at the same time in two or more states post COVID. According to the charging documents, in December 2024, Massachusetts DTA issued SNAP benefits to approximately 495 identities simultaneously receiving SNAP benefits in Puerto Rico.
“This is the tip of the iceberg,” said Foley. “We have dozens of investigations in the pipeline that will come to fruition in the coming weeks. My office is committed to stepping up and taking benefit fraud seriously.”
The Benefit and Voter Fraud Team will employ resources from Homeland Security Investigations in New England; U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service; U.S. Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Springfield Man Pleads Guilty to Drug and Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Springfield, Mass. man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Springfield to possessing a firearm and cocaine possession and distribution.
Joshua Garcia, 26, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm if furtherance of drug distribution. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for June 15, 2026. Garcia was charged in March 2025.
Garcia possessed with the intent to distribute drugs and a firearm on Oct. 3, 2024.
The charge of possession with intent to distribute cocaine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charge of possessing a firearm if furtherance of drug distribution provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, five 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 in New England; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announced today. The case is being prosecuted by Todd E. Newhouse of the Springfield Branch Office.
Pittsfield Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Pittsfield man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Springfield, Mass. to receipt and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Benjamin Shacar, 39, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of receipt of child pornography and one count possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for June 22, 2026. Shacar was charged by criminal complaint in March 2021.
According to charging documents, between August 2020 and March 2021, Shacar received and possessed CSAM. During a search of Shacar’s residence a thumb drive and laptop containing multiple files depicting CSAM were located. During an on-scene interview, Shacar admitted that he viewed and downloaded CSAM from the internet.
The charge of receipt of child pornography provides for a sentence of no less than five years and up to 20 years in prison. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Each charge also provides for at least five years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $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; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Hampden County Sheriff Nicholas Cocchi; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Pittsfield Police Chief Marc Maddalena made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Neil Desroches and Thomas Barnico of the Springfield Branch Office are 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Nine Charged in Benefit Fraud CrackdownRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Nine individuals have been charged in a coordinated federal crackdown on benefit fraud schemes that exploited stolen identities to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer-funded programs – including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), MassHealth and Social Security benefits. Nearly $9 million in benefit fraud has been uncovered since December 2025.
The following defendants have been charged over the past nine weeks as part of the United States Attorney’s ongoing enforcement priority to investigate and prosecute benefit fraud involving federal and state assistance programs:- Juan Felipe Chalas, 58, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Salem, N.H., was charged with making a false statement in a passport application, aggravated identity theft and unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits;
- Efrain Rivera, 54, a United States citizen from Puerto Rico, living in New Bedford, Mass., was charged with unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits, misuse of a Social Security number and aggravated identity theft;
- Danis Piron Lara, 51, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Dorchester, Mass. was charged with aggravated identity theft, unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits and making false statements relating to a health care program;
- Erpawi Roque Collado, 53, a Lawful Permanent Resident living in Boston, Mass. who was born in the Dominican Republic, was charged with unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits;
- John Doe aka Wilkin Emilio Pimental Pereyra, 44, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Boston, Mass., was charged with aggravated identity theft, theft of government benefits and unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits;
- John Doe, an individual whose true identity is unknown, who was living in Hyde Park, Mass., was charged with unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits, misuse of a Social Security number and aggravated identity theft;
- Mercedes Soto Capellan, 53, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Lawrence, Mass., was charged with unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits;
- Oscar Gonzalez Melo, 59, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Boston, Mass., was charged with unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits, making false statements related to health care benefits, making false statements related to Social Security benefits and aggravated identity theft; and
- Cruz Augusta Pena Arias, 58, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Salem, Mass., was charged with making a false statement in an application for a United States passport, aggravated identity theft and unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits.
As alleged, the defendants used stolen identities – often belonging to U.S. citizens from Puerto Rico – to obtain government-issued identification, including Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) credentials and, in some instances, U.S. passports, which were then used to apply for and receive public benefits.
In some cases, the defendants are alleged to have used stolen identities over extended periods of time – including one individual who allegedly lived under a stolen identity for more than 20 years. Certain defendants are further alleged to have obtained benefits across multiple programs, including SNAP, MassHealth and Social Security.
In multiple instances, the defendants allegedly provided stolen identities to law enforcement during prior arrests, and at least one defendant has a prior conviction under the same identity.
According to the charging documents, the alleged schemes resulted in approximately $943,197 in total losses to public assistance programs – including approximately $149,775 in SNAP benefits, approximately $776,715 in MassHealth benefits and approximately $16,707 in Social Security benefits.
The charge of unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits provides for a sentence of up to 20 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 charge of misusing 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 theft of government property 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 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 making false statements relating to a health care program provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, one year 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; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Amy Connelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division; Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region; Nathan Hebert, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office; and Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Grady, Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus, David G. Tobin, Jennifer Zacks, Allegra Flamm, Eric Hawkins, Julissa Walsh and Aidan Lang of the Major Crimes Unit are prosecuting the cases.
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.
New Bedford Couple Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Clients of over $750,000 in Connection with Their Insurance BusinessRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A married couple from New Bedford pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to a scheme to defraud individuals seeking insurance coverage through the couple’s business, BL Insurance Brokerage, LLC.
Brendan Lawler, 58, and Lisa Lawler, 46, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun scheduled sentencing for July 22, 2026. The Lawlers were charged by criminal complaint in August 2025.
From March 2023 through March 2024, the Lawlers solicited and collected insurance payments from BL Insurance’s clients, which should have been paid to the clients’ insurance providers. Instead of paying the insurance companies, the Lawlers pocketed their clients’ payments and used the money for their own purposes. To conceal this theft of client funds and to keep their BL Insurance afloat to perpetuate the scheme, the Lawlers used incoming client funds to pay outstanding balances due to other clients’ insurers. The Lawlers also created and distributed certain insurance documents to clients that falsely suggested that the clients were insured. In total, through this scheme, the Lawlers defrauded at least 50 individuals or insurance providers and stole more than $750,000 from insurance providers, premium finance companies and hard money lenders.
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/BLInsuranceVictims/view.
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 up to $250,000, or twice the gain to the defendant or loss to the victim. 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 Division of Insurance and Insurance Fraud Bureau. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Cleary of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.
Lynn Man Charged with Receiving Stolen Government Money and Making False StatementsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lynn man was charged today in federal court in Boston with receiving stolen Social Security benefits and making false statements.
James C. Burdulis, 56, was charged with one count of receiving stolen government money or property and one count of false statements. Burdulis will make an appearance in federal court in Boston at a later date.
As alleged in the charging document, Burdulis received approximately $63,959 in stolen Social Security benefits from June 2019 through June 2025. Additionally, Burdulis allegedly submitted a fraudulent representative payee report to the Social Security Administration in June 2024. The charging document further alleges that Burdulis stated on the fraudulent report that he spent money received from the Social Security Administration on behalf of a beneficiary in 2023 and 2024, but that the beneficiary died several years earlier in 2019.
The charge of receiving 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 up to $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 other statutory factors.
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 document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.U.S. Attorney's Office Entered Settlements Exceeding $900 Million and Collected over $70 Million in Civil and Criminal Actions in Fiscal Year 2025Read the Press Release
BOSTON – United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced today that the District of Massachusetts entered settlements with defendants for more than $900 million and collected more than $70 million in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2025. Of this amount, $30.5 million was collected in criminal actions and $39.6 million was collected in civil actions. The Office also recovered more than $48 million in forfeited assets.
Additionally, the District of Massachusetts worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and Department of Justice components to collect more than $557 million in cases pursued jointly by these offices. Of this amount, $556.9 million was collected in civil actions and $75,165 was collected in criminal actions. The remaining amounts will be recovered over time.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office had another a record year. Significant defense contracting and health care fraud settlements will return more than $900 million to the American taxpayers. We also collected more than $70 million in other civil and criminal actions and forfeited over $48 million in criminally derived property. This Office has continued to set the standard for securing and recovering assets for victims, holding wrongdoers accountable and protecting taxpayer dollars. We will continue to aggressively pursue enforcement and collection actions to advance those goals,” said U.S. Attorney Foley.
In Fiscal Year 2025, the Office’s Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit (ACE) entered into settlements with defendants totaling over $900 million. These included the agreement with Raytheon Company to resolve criminal and civil allegations of fraud against the government in numerous defense contracts. Raytheon agreed to pay $147 million to resolve the criminal allegations and $428 million to resolve the civil allegations – making it the second largest government procurement fraud recovery under the False Claims Act (FCA).
The ACE Unit also entered into a $425 million resolution with Teva Pharmaceuticals to resolve allegations that Teva paid kickbacks via two co-pay assistance foundations in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute and FCA. This resolution stands as the largest co-pay assistance settlement to date.
In Fiscal Year 2025, the Asset Recovery Unit (ARU) was responsible for the collection of over $30.6 million in restitution for victims, criminal fines and special assessments, as well as forfeiture of $48.2 million in criminal proceeds or other property involved in crimes. This forfeited amount includes approximately $22.5 million in forfeited cryptocurrency. ARU recovered an additional $7.35 million in an appearance bond enforcement action against a Greenwich Conn., mansion owned by a fugitive.
ARU completed the collection of the entire $48,344,036 in criminal restitution awarded to victims of a health care racketeering conspiracy committed by the founder and six former executives of Insys Therapeutics. Additionally, ARU filed several civil forfeiture cases to recover funds for fraud victims, including victims of cryptocurrency and elder fraud scams, and obtained forfeiture of over $5 million traceable to a business email compromise scheme targeting a Massachusetts workers union. It also filed a civil forfeiture case against seized cryptocurrency alleged to be the property of Iranian national Mohammad Abedini, who was charged with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.
The District of Massachusetts’ Civil Division is led by Assistant United States Attorney Abraham R. George, Chief of Civil. Assistant United States Attorney Brian LaMacchia, Chief of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit, leads the District’s efforts in affirmative civil enforcement and Assistant United States Attorney Carol Head, Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit, leads the District’s forfeiture and restitution efforts.
New Hampshire Man Charged with CyberstalkingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Londonderry, N.H. man was arrested today for allegedly cyberstalking a Massachusetts victim through social media, text messages; and various online platforms. Among numerous other things, the defendant allegedly posted sexually provocative statements, including a post that indicated the victim wanted to be sexually assaulted. The defendant also allegedly directed others on social media to produce, post and repost sexually explicit material of the victim.
Brad Cerullo, 46, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of cyberstalking. Cerullo was arrested this morning and, following an initial appearance today, was ordered detained pending a hearing scheduled for March 27, 2026 at 2 p.m. in federal court in Boston.
According to the charging documents, between March 2021 and May 2025, the victim received approximately 72 text messages to her cell phone from at least 26 unknown senders, many from VoIP numbers. Several of the text messages referenced her photos or personal information on impersonation Twitter accounts. It is alleged that two of the unknown VoIP numbers were traced to Cerullo.
Over 340 of the victim’s images, including sexually explicit images and videos stolen from a secure device in the victim’s possession, and at least 10 accounts, including four accounts containing the victim’s name, were allegedly used to impersonate and/or further a campaign to shame, defame, harass, or otherwise cause the victim substantial emotional distress.
The charge of stalking by electronic means provides for a sentence of up to five 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 other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Wayne Tracy, Acting Chief of the Haverhill Police Department made the announcement today. The Andover and Londonderry (N.H.) Police Departments provided valuable assistance in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and member 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.Lead Defendant in Multi-State SNAP and PUA Fraud Conspiracy Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Fitchburg, Mass. man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to his role in a fraud scheme that used the stolen identities of more than 100 individuals to obtain $440,000 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits from Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The defendant and his alleged co-conspirators also fraudulently obtained over $700,000 in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits from Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio Washington and Nevada.
Raul Fernandez Vicioso, 37, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit SNAP Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, SNAP benefit Fraud, Aiding and Abetting and Money Laundering. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for July 9, 2026.
The defendant was charged on Feb. 3, 2026. Three alleged co-conspirators – Joel Vicioso Fernandez, 42, of Fitchburg, Mass.; Roman Vequiz Fernandez, 32, a Venezuelan national living in Leominster, Mass.; and Coralba Albarracin Siniva, 24, a Venezuelan national living in Leominster, Mass., were charged by criminal complaint.
Raul Fernandez Vicioso and his alleged co-conspirators purchased and used the stolen personal information of over 100 real people from multiple states to fraudulently obtain SNAP benefits. The stolen identities were used to create 24 “households” in SNAP applications. All of these applications, submitted in the names of over 100 people, were listed as living in two single-family apartments in Providence, R.I.
A number of the stolen identities from Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico were used to fraudulently obtain SNAP benefits in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Raul Fernandez Vicioso used his own personal information to create fraudulent SNAP benefit accounts that were found commingled among the victim identities in the applications. In support of the fraudulently submitted SNAP applications, the defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly provided images of counterfeit passports and passport cards, with metadata that indicated the images were taken inside or within the immediate vicinity of El Primo Restaurant – a restaurant operated by Raul Fernandez Vicioso in Leominster, Mass.
The defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly used the fraudulent SNAP benefits cards to purchase large quantities of expensive bulk food items (such as multiple-pound packages of chicken, beef and pork) at various local wholesalers and food markets to stock El Primo Restaurant at no expense. With their supplies obtained for free through fraudulent SNAP benefits, they sold menu items at El Primo Restaurant at a complete profit, later wiring the fraud proceeds to individuals living in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, among other places.
According to the charging documents, between April 2020 and December 2021, the defendants and their co-conspirators further enriched themselves by over $700,000 by submitting fraudulent applications and supporting documents for PUA in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Nevada. The fraudulent PUA benefits were issued in the names of Raul Fernandez Vicioso and allegedly Joel Vicioso Fernandez and in the names of suspected identity theft victims, including identities common to the related the SNAP benefit fraud. At least 29 different identities were allegedly used in PUA applications in six different states – all of which listed the address for El Primo Restaurant as the residential address. Bank records obtained during the investigation detail approximately $276,021 in fraudulent PUA benefits deposited into bank accounts held in the names of the El Primo Restaurant, Raul Fernandez Vicioso and allegedly Joel Vicioso Fernandez and other co-conspirators. Other fraudulent PUA benefits were allegedly issued to prepaid cards in the identities of the various individuals which were applied for using known addresses and telephone numbers of the subjects.
During searches of Raul Fernandez Vicioso’s residence and the El Primo Restaurant, fraudulently obtained Massachusetts and Rhode Island EBT cards, fraudulent documents bearing a Providence address involved in the alleged scheme, printed ledgers and handwritten lists of more than 100 identities and SNAP-related mailings were recovered.
Fraud, waste or abuse can be reported to the Council of the Inspectors General for Integrity and Efficiency: https://www.oversight.gov/where-report-fraud-waste-abuse-or-retaliation.
The charge of Conspiracy to Commit SNAP Fraud 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 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 The charge of illegal acquisition or use of SNAP benefits 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 money laundering provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount involved in the transaction, 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; Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region; Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General; U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Department of State - Diplomatic Security Service; Rhode Island Office of Internal Audit - Fraud Detection & Prevention Unit; Massachusetts State Police; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island; and the Fitchburg and Leominster Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danial Bennett of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Former Department of Energy Employee Pleads Guilty to Bribery of a Public OfficialRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Security Specialist with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to trying to bribe another DOE employee in order to secure government contracts for a private company.
Edward Doherty, 35, of Washington, D.C. and Weymouth, Mass., pleaded guilty to honest services fraud, payment of illegal gratuities and bribery of a public official. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing for July 8, 2026. In July 2025, Doherty was indicted by a federal grand jury.
Doherty worked for the DOE as Security Specialist until he agreed to participate in the deferred resignation program in February 2025. Just before he started working with the DOE, in November 2024, Doherty started a company in Massachusetts called MAE Systems, LLC (MAE). In February 2025, Doherty offered a DOE employee money in exchange for the DOE employee ensuring that MAE received DOE contracts. The DOE employee reported the incident to law enforcement. Between February and June 2025, Doherty was recorded offering to pay the DOE employee at least $10,000 in exchange for the DOE employee awarding a DOE contract to MAE. In June 2025, Doherty made two downpayments on the bribe, totaling $2,500, to the DOE employee.
The charge of honest services wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of payment of illegal gratuities provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of bribery of a public official provides for a sentence of up to 15 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; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and said Department of Energy Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Lewe Sessions made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristina E. Barclay of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting the case.
New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Operating an Unlicensed Money Transmitting BusinessRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A New Jersey man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston in connection with his operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business, despite his reason to believe that the funds he received were derived from criminal offenses and were intended to be used to promote and support unlawful activity.
Shadrach Anapalum, 36, of Newark, pleaded guilty to one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business before Senior U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, who scheduled sentencing for June 10, 2026.
Between May and December 2022, Anapalum received approximately $375,000 from at least four victims of online scams. Anapalum generally kept approximately 10 percent of the funds for himself, before transmitting the money elsewhere, including to bank accounts in China and Turkey. In a consensually recorded call with a cooperating witness, Anapalum said he lied to a bank about the nature of the checks he was depositing and agreed that what he was doing was not legitimate.
The charge of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business provides a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss. 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 Ted E. Docks Special Agent in Charge of Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Kearney of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
Louisiana Woman Charged and Agrees to Plead Guilty in Pandemic Relief SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Louisiana woman has been charged and has agreed to plead guilty to her alleged involvement in a multi-state scheme to obtain millions of dollars in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds for herself and others by submitting fraudulent applications to PPP lenders.
Lisa Lemoine, 38, of Bossier City, La., was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the Court.
According to the charging document, Lemoine allegedly conspired with Sniders Jean-Jacques, Lorne Johnson, Tanya Pierre, Ashley Spike and others to submit fraudulent PPP applications on behalf of borrowers and to collect up to 30 percent of the loan proceeds as a fee for securing the loans. Beginning in March 2021, Lemoine 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, Lemoine and others allegedly obtained PPP funds to which she and the borrowers were not entitled. The indictment also alleged that the borrowers who received PPP funds based on these fraudulent applications paid kickbacks to Lemoine and others, commonly in an amount equal to 30 percent of the loan proceeds.
Jean-Jacques, Johnson, Pierre and Spike were charged in a separate indictment with conspiracy to commit wire fraud related to this scheme.
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.
H Block Gang Member Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A member of the violent Boston-based gang, H-Block, was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for drug conspiracy charges.
Eric Celestino, 31, of Boston, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to five years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In December 2025, Celestino pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.
Celestino is one of 10 H-Block gang members and associates charged in August 2024 following a multi-year investigation in response to an uptick in gang-related drug trafficking, shootings and violence. According to court documents, over 500 grams of cocaine, cocaine base (crack cocaine) and fentanyl, as well as over 20,000 doses of drug-laced paper were seized during the investigation.
Since the investigation began in 2021, law enforcement attributed 12 incidents of gunfire involving H Block gang associates. Six H Block members and associates were arrested and charged with drug dealing in Boston and surrounding communities. Four additional H Block members and associates were already in state custody at the time of the arrests. Additional drugs and four firearms were seized during the subsequent arrests.
From 2022 through 2023, Celestino, a long-time H Block gang member, participated in a conspiracy to distribute various controlled substances, in particular, powdered cocaine and cocaine base (crack). According to court filings, Celestino was a supplier of cocaine to his co-conspirators, who engaged in various drug deals with an undercover officer.
According to the charging documents, the H Block Street Gang is one of the most feared and influential city-wide gangs in Boston. Originally formed in the 1980s as the Humboldt Raiders in the Roxbury section of Boston, the gang re-emerged in the 2000s as H Block. Current members of H Block have a history of violent confrontation with law enforcement, including an incident in 2015 when a member shot a Boston Police officer at point blank range without warning or provocation.
Celestino is the 6th defendant to be sentenced in the case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Special Agent in Charge Randy Maloney of the U.S. Secret Service Boston Field Office; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Anthony D’Esposito, Inspector General of the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement. The investigation was supported by the Massachusetts State Police; Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office; Massachusetts Department of Corrections; and the Braintree, Quincy, Randolph and Watertown Police Departments. Assistant United States Attorney John T. Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit and Jeremy Franker of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section are prosecuting the cases.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 documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Boston Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A self-admitted member of the Bailey Street gang in Boston pleaded guilty today to illegal possession of five firearms and ammunition.
Kenneth Bigby-Williams, 29, of Hyde Park, pleaded guilty to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for June 16, 2026. Bigby-Williams was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2025.
On Aug. 7, 2025, a series of search warrants were executed on Bigby-Williams and his residence. As a result of those search warrants, five firearms, approximately 73 rounds of various caliber ammunition, along with numerous high-capacity magazines and other firearms accessories were seized. Due to a prior conviction in 2019 for possession of a firearm without a permit in Suffolk Superior Court, Bigby-Williams is prohibited from possessing firearms.
The charging statute for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 15 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 other statutory factors.
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 John Dawley of the Organized Crime and Gang Unit 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.
Motorcycle Gang Associate Sentenced to over 12 Years in Prison for Role in Methamphetamine Trafficking RingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Byfield man was sentenced on Friday in federal court in Boston for his role in a conspiracy to distribute crystal methamphetamine.
James Adams, a/k/a “Jimmy,” 43, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV to 151 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In December 2025, Adams pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine and one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine.
Adams was one of four individuals charged in connection with a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking ring operating in Eastern Massachusetts by members and associates of the Unknown Bikers Motorcycle Club.
In approximately October 2023, law enforcement received information about drug trafficking activities of a large-scale methamphetamine supplier in the Eastern Massachusetts area. Over the next several months, Adams was identified as a drug trafficker who distributed methamphetamine to customers throughout Eastern Massachusetts. Controlled purchases of methamphetamine we conducted with Adams, as well as from his co-conspirators James Snow of Tewksbury, Danielle Steenbruggen of Peabody and Daniel Loughman of Wakefield. Approximately 10 pounds of methamphetamine and four firearms were seized throughout the investigation from controlled purchases, motor vehicle stops and search warrants.
Adams is the second defendant to be sentenced in the case. Steenbruggen pleaded guilty in August 2025 and, in November 2025, was sentenced to 93 months in prison. Snow pleaded guilty on Dec. 1, 2025 and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 23, 2026. Loughman pleaded guilty on Dec. 2, 2025 and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 1, 2026.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in New England; Jason Buckley, Acting Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Chief Steven A. Skory of the Wakefield Police Department made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Newbury, Newburyport, Haverhill and Peabody Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
Florida Doctor Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements in Connection with Multi-Million-Dollar Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Florida-based doctor has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to making false statements in connection with a multi-million-dollar health care fraud scheme involving medically unnecessary genetic testing and durable medical equipment (DME).
Simon Grinshteyn, 52, pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements relating to health care matters. U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for June 24, 2026. Grinshteyn was charged in January 2026.
Between February 2020 and June 2020, Grinshteyn worked with a purported telemedicine company to sign medical documentation, including doctors’ orders, for medically unnecessary genetic testing and DME. The medical records and doctors’ orders Grinshteyn received and signed were pre-populated and made it appear that Grinshteyn was providing legitimate consultations to the Medicare beneficiaries and had conducted examinations of the beneficiaries and/or would provide further medical care to them. Grinshteyn generally did not contact the beneficiaries himself and had no provider-patient relationship with the beneficiaries. DME suppliers and laboratories ultimately submitted claims to Medicare for these signed orders. As a result of Grinshteyn’s participation in this scheme, Medicare paid more than $3.1 million in claims for DME and genetic testing that were based on false documentation.
The charge of making false statements relating to health care matters provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary 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; Robert Coviello, Special Agent in Charge, Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Boston Division; Jason Buckley, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division; Kelly Lawson, Acting Regional Director, Boston Regional Office, Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. Department of Labor; and Christopher Silvestro, Special Agent in Charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Northeast Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandra Brazier and Lindsey Ross of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit prosecuted the case.
Dorchester Man Pleads Guilty to Firearms TraffickingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dorchester man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to trafficking firearms.
Joshua Morency, 28, pleaded guilty to one count of dealing in firearms without a license and one count of possessing a machinegun. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for June 25, 2026. Morency was arrested and charged in November 2025.
In August 2025, an investigation of Morency began for unlawfully distributing firearms in the Boston area. Over the course of the investigation, Morency sold 17 firearms in undercover controlled purchases. The majority of the firearms purchased from Morency were 3D-printed, privately made firearms (commonly known as “ghost guns”).
The charge of dealing in 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 possessing a machinegun 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 statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston Police Department and the Suffolk County and Plymouth County Sheriff’s Offices. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aidan Lang of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
Brockton Man Pleads Guilty to Two Separate Cases Involving the Distribution of Large Quantities of Fentanyl and CocaineRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brockton man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to two separately charged cases involving the distribution of kilograms of fentanyl and, in one case, cocaine.
Elijah Melton, 28, pleaded guilty on March 20, 2026 in United States v. Elijah Melton et al., Cr. No. 22-10356-LTS, to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances (involving 400 grams or more of fentanyl), and to one count of distribution of 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Melton also pleaded guilty in United States v. Theodore Richards et al., Cr. No. 25-10288-LTS, to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances (involving 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 5 kilograms or more of cocaine). U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for July 15, 2026.
On Dec. 7, 2022, in recorded calls, Melton agreed to deliver four kilograms of fentanyl to an individual working with law enforcement. Among other things, the defendant stated, “I told you four, I got you the four.” That evening, the defendant sent an associate to deliver the kilograms to a residential area in Attleboro, Mass. The associate arrived in a car, which law enforcement stopped. From the trunk of the car, a bag containing approximately 3.5 kilograms of fentanyl was seized.
Melton’s associate, Samuel Fonseca, 32, of Brockton, previously pleaded guilty in 22-10356-LTS. His sentencing is scheduled for June 16, 2026.
Melton was arrested on Dec.12, 2023 (22-10356-LTS). Following his arrest, a search was conducted and a mobile phone was seized from Melton. The phone contained communications relevant to the second charged case against Melton (25-10288-LTS). Specifically, investigators discovered communications on an encrypted application between Melton and a user identified as “James Jackson,” which is alleged to be co-defendant Theodore Richards. In those communications, from 2023, “James Jackson,” located in California, agreed to deliver to Melton, in Massachusetts, kilograms of fentanyl (referred to as “boy”) and cocaine (referred to as “girl”). “James Jackson” ultimately agreed to send Melton 4 kilograms of fentanyl, 32 kilograms of cocaine and approximately 300 pounds of marijuana. “James Jackson” sent Melton photographs of the drugs he would be sending.
On or about Oct. 29, 2023, “James Jackson” sent an associate to Massachusetts to deliver the drugs to Melton. Melton confirmed receipt and described to “James Jackson” his efforts to sell the drugs in Massachusetts.
Theodore Richards has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.
The charges of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances (involving 400 grams or more of fentanyl and five kilograms or more of cocaine), and distribution of 400 grams or more of fentanyl, provide for a sentence of at least 10 years in prison and up to life, at least five years of supervised release and up to life and a fine of up to $10 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; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Rhode Island State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Crowley and Samuel R. Feldman of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
The cases are 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 remaining defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.Boston Woman Pleads Guilty to Role in Bank Fraud RingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Massachusetts woman has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston in connection with a scheme to defraud a bank in Massachusetts.
Trinity Antonetty, 24, of Boston, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. U.S. District Judge Julia E. Kobick scheduled sentencing for Aug. 18, 2026.
Between July and October 2024, Antonetty opened a business bank account and allowed Phalentz Vernot to deposit fraudulently obtained cashier’s checks into the account. Antonetty used funds from one of the checks Vernot deposited into her account to purchase a cashier’s check payable to a shell company Vernot controlled. When the bank froze another of the checks Vernot deposited into Antonetty’s account for suspected fraud, Antonetty called the bank and falsely claimed that she operated a high-end car dealer and that the funds were related to a luxury car.
In July 2025, Vernot and five other men were charged as part of a related investigation into a multi-million-dollar scheme to defraud banks in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Vernot pled guilty on Dec. 17, 2025. Earlier this month, two additional people were charged for their roles in the scheme.
The charge of bank fraud 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, 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; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New Haven Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Connecticut State Police, the Glocester (RI) Police Department, the Sutton Police Department, the Concord (MA) Police Department, the Dracut Police Department, the Westwood Police Department and the Abington Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Kearney of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.Alabama Doctor Sentenced to over One Year in Prison for $2.7 Million Telemedicine Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An Alabama-based doctor has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for a $2.7 million telemedicine fraud scheme involving medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME) and genetic testing primarily used to detect mutations in genes that could indicate a higher risk of developing certain types of cancers.
Tommie Robinson, 44, was sentenced on March 20, 2026 by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 16 months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. Robinson was also ordered to pay $2,784,733.49 in restitution. In October 2025, Robinson pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud. Robinson was charged in August 2025.
Between December 2018 and March 2021, Robinson worked with telemedicine companies to sign medical documentation, including doctors’ orders, for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment and genetic testing. The orders Robinson signed were pre-populated based on telemarketing calls made to Medicare beneficiaries. Robinson generally did not contact the beneficiaries himself and had no provider-patient relationship with the beneficiaries. DME suppliers and laboratories ultimately submitted claims to Medicare for these signed orders. As a result of Robinson’s participation in this scheme, the suppliers and laboratories submitted over $2.7 million in claims to Medicare for DME and genetic testing that were medically unnecessary and based on false documentation.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Robert Coviello, Special Agent in Charge, Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Boston Division; Jason Buckley, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division; Kelly Lawson, Acting Regional Director, Boston Regional Office, Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. Department of Labor; and Christopher Silvestro, Special Agent in Charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Northeast Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandra Brazier and Lindsey Ross of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit prosecuted the case.
Rehoboth Man Arrested for Sexually Exploiting Multiple MinorsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Rehoboth man has been arrested and charged with allegedly sexually exploiting four minor females between 12 and 16 years old.
Christopher Mota, 29, was charged by criminal complaint with four counts of sexual exploitation of children. Mota was arrested this morning in Rehoboth and will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston later today.
On June 5, 2025, Mota was scheduled to board a flight from Boston Logan International Airport to Aruba. During a border search of Mota’s luggage, an iPhone 16 Pro Max. was observed which contained a hidden folder in the Photos application containing apparent child sexual abuse material (“CSAM”). The device was subsequently seized.During a recorded interview by federal authorities Mota admitted that he stored CSAM in a hidden folder on his phone and that he obtained CSAM from minors via Snapchat, text and Telegram. Mota allegedly stated that he estimated he has received CSAM from approximately 20 to 25 minor girls. When asked how many images or videos of CSAM he has received, Mota allegedly stated, “it’s a lot” and said, “probably hundreds.”
A preliminary forensic review of Mota’s phone revealed that he had sexually explicit communications and exchanges of CSAM with at least four identified minor females, whose identities are known to law enforcement.
The charge of sexual exploitation of minors (and attempt and conspiracy) provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 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 Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office and Rehoboth Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and member of the Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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.
California Man Sentenced for Operating an Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business in Connection with Online Pharmacy WebsitesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A California man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.
Jimmy Fu, 64, of West Hills, Calif., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick to one year and one day in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. In November 2025, Fu pleaded guilty to one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. Fu agreed to forfeit approximately $689,697.09 seized from various accounts.
Since in or around November 2022, law enforcement began investigating two online pharmacies believed to be operating in India that advertised controlled substances for sale and distributing misbranded and counterfeit drugs, including drugs that contain controlled substances. The investigation revealed that online orders placed by customers in the United States were filled in several ways, including by illicit pill press locations operating in the United States as well as via shipments from overseas locations with several illicit pill manufacturing locations identified as being involved in the shipment and fulfillment of orders. During the investigation, a variety of counterfeit prescription drugs, some of which contained controlled substances, were obtained via undercover purchases. One undercover purchase of 60 Adderall pills was found to contain methamphetamine and caffeine. Another undercover purchase of 90 Adderall pills contained no active pharmaceutical ingredient.
Fu was identified as the operator of Axson Engineering, Inc., doing business in Canoga Park, Calif. as “Axson Data.” The business processed customer payments for controlled substances from the online pharmacies and wired the proceeds of these illegal purchases to various businesses located overseas. The wires were directed to a number of different businesses that identify as information technology consulting businesses, among other things.
During the investigation over 18 undercover purchases for prescription drugs were processed by Fu’s business, Axson Data, with each of the payments deposited into an Axson bank account. A review of all of Axson’s bank accounts revealed thousands of checks deposited from individuals across the United States, including Massachusetts, for various amounts of money ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars. At least some of these payments corresponded to purchases from the network of online pharmacy websites. Between January 2021 and August 2024, Axson accounts appeared to have received approximately $11.5 million from individuals across the United States.
A search warrant executed for an account associated with Axson revealed, among other things, a photo of a cell phone displaying an image of a drug test showing a positive indicator for methamphetamine, followed by a text message that read: “I ordered Adderall . . . I got this . . . it’s pressed meth. I said if they don’t have real Adderall I would take 20mg Ritalin to replace. They refused unless I sent these back (which is highly illegal).”United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, New England; and Fernando P. McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations in West Palm Beach, Fla., Northridge, Calif. and Las Vegas; the Drug Enforcement Administration; Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. Customs & Border Protection; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Federal Air Marshals Service; U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California; Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office; and the Quincy, Framingham and Henderson, Nev., Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Mackenzie Duane of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit, Alexandra Amrhein of the Major Crimes Unit and Leslie Wright of the Health Care Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf.
Haverhill Man Charged with Investment FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Haverhill man was charged in federal court in Boston with fraudulently obtaining $350,000 in investor funds.
Luciano Schipelliti, 28, was charged with one count of wire fraud and has agreed to plead guilty before Senior United States District Judge F. Dennis Saylor on a date to be set by the Court.
According to the charging documents, in the fall of 2018, Schipelliti established the Superstars Fund and raised roughly $275,000 to invest in cryptocurrency. By 2019, through a series of bad investments, Schipelliti allegedly lost all the money in the Superstars Fund. He did not, however, tell any of the investors that he had lost the money. Instead, according to the charging documents, beginning in approximately November 2020, Schipelliti began sending monthly newsletters to investors that falsely reported that the Superstars Fund continued to grow in value.
Based on the misrepresented performance of the Superstars Fund, in approximately February 2021, Schipelliti allegedly launched a new fund, the TTM Fund. He raised approximately $350,000 to invest in cryptocurrency. Schipelliti allegedly lost all the money in the TTM fund by September 2021. According to the charging documents, Schipelliti lost most of the money in the TTM Fund investing in cryptocurrency and also used some of the money in a manner inconsistent with the terms of the TTM Fund’s operating agreement.
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 $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 Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin A. Saltzman of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.Dominican National Extradited to the United States for Allegedly Laundering Proceeds from Elder Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national has been extradited to the United States for his alleged role in a transnational “call center” operation in the Dominican Republic that tricked hundreds of elderly victims in the United States into believing that their grandchildren or other close family members were in trouble and needed money. In total, the investigation identified over 400 victims with an average age of 84, including at least 50 in Massachusetts, and more than $5 million in losses.
Gerardo Heriberto Nuñez Nuñez, 42, was arrested in August 2025 in the Dominican Republic at the request of the United States and extradited on March 18, 2026. He appeared in federal court in Boston today and was detained pending trial. The defendant was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2024 and is charged with one count of money laundering conspiracy.
According to the charging documents, the defendant allegedly served as a money launderer for a sophisticated “call center” operation in the Dominican Republic that defrauded hundreds of elderly victims in the United States. English-speaking employees of the call center carried out what are commonly known as “grandparent scams,” in which they tricked elderly victims into believing that their grandchildren or other close family members were in trouble and needed money. One employee would call victims and pretend to be a grandchild who was in an accident. Then, another employee would allegedly follow up with another call, pretending to be the grandchild’s attorney, asking for a sum of money to pay for the grandchild’s attorney’s fees. Callers would instruct elderly victims to provide cash to “runners” in the United States.
As alleged in the indictment, the defendant laundered illicit proceeds from the operation back to the Dominican Republic. The defendant provided the call center operators with access to bank accounts in the names of purported businesses. The runners would then deposit cash from victims into those bank accounts. The defendant also arranged for the runners to hand-deliver cash from victims to individuals in New York and elsewhere. The defendant then provided cash to the call center operators in the Dominican Republic. The defendant allegedly charged the call center operators a fee of approximately 8 to 10 percent in exchange for transmitting scam proceeds from the United States to the Dominican Republic.Charges were unsealed in August 2025 against the defendant and 12 others who operated the call center or served as runners. Members of the public who believe they may be victims of this case, or other elder fraud scams, should contact [email protected] or call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). Suspected fraud can also be reported on the FBI’s IC3 Elder Fraud Complaint Center.
The charge of money laundering conspiracy provides for up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the amount of laundered funds, whichever is greater. 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 Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition to the United States of Nuñez Nuñez. Valuable assistance was provided by the Dominican National Police; División Especial de Investigación del Crimen Organizado Internacional (DEICROI); Central de Investigaciones Criminales (DICRIM); and the Ministerio Publico. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Holcomb of the Criminal Division 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.
Cambridge Man Indicted for Sex Trafficking Multiple WomenRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Cambridge man has been indicted for trafficking four women and attempting to traffic a fifth victim. One victim was a minor when she was first trafficked.
Daniel Rodriguez, 36, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of sex trafficking of a minor, four counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, one count of attempted sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and one count of knowingly persuading, inducing, enticing, and coercing an individual to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution. Rodriguez is currently held in state custody and will be arraigned in federal court in the coming weeks.
According to the indictment, Rodriguez allegedly forced four separate women, one of them beginning when she was a minor, to engage in commercial sex from 2018 until as recently as January 2026. Rodriguez also allegedly attempted to force a fifth victim to engage in commercial sex on his behalf in 2017. According to previously filed documents, Rodriguez’s trafficking enterprise involved travel to Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, New Jersey, Connecticut and Maine.
According to publicly filed documents, Rodriguez was arrested on state charges in January 2026 after leading the police on a high-speed chase in Randolph, MA, ultimately crashing the car with one of his victims in it. Rodriguez is alleged to have used multiple tactics to force his victims to engage in commercial sex on his behalf, including but not limited to physical violence, stalking and fraud.
The charges of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion and attempted sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion carry minimum mandatory sentences of 15 years in prison, with a maximum sentence of life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of sex trafficking of a minor carries a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in prison, with a maximum sentence of life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charges of coercing a person to travel for purposes of prostitution provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three 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 Federal Bureau of Investigations; and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Riley and Craig Estes of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit are prosecuting the case.
If you or someone you know may be impacted or experiencing commercial sex trafficking, please contact [email protected].
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.
Lawrence Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing 10,000 Counterfeit Percocet PillsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lawrence man pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to drug charges connected to a drug manufacturing ring.
Joshua Morales, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for June 12, 2026. Morales was charged in August 2025.
According to the charging documents, Morales was observed by law enforcement entering into a residence in Methuen and leaving with a large orange bag. According to court documents, investigators knew that the residence was an alleged drug distribution and manufacturing location. While under surveillance, Morales then drove to a location in Lawrence, where he was apprehended. During a search of Morales’ vehicle, 10,000 counterfeit Percocet pills believed to contain fentanyl were recovered.During a search of the residence in Methuen, an automated pill press was located, along with multiple kilograms of counterfeit Adderall and Percocet pills believed to contain fentanyl and methamphetamine. Numerous items used in the pill manufacturing process, including cutting agents, blenders, scales, bowls and bags full of suspected fentanyl and methamphetamine powders and binding agents were also recovered.
The charge of possessing a controlled substance with intent to distribute provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $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; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Methuen Police Chief Scott J. McNamara made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Essex County District Attorney’s Office, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, Peabody Police Department, Lawrence Police Department and Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Boston Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America. HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).