District of Maine

BANGOR, Maine: A Spanish man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to reentry after removal. 

According to court records, Jose Angel Hidalgo-Torres, 20, was found in Calais shortly after illegally entering the United States on July 18, 2025. He was previously removed from the country in May 2024.

Hidalgo-Torres faces up to two years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.

Operation Take Back America: 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).

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BANGOR, Maine: A New Jersey man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to failing to report his arrival and present himself for inspection at the international port of entry in Calais. 

According to court records, on July 1, 2025, Jason Brenner, 52, drove a vehicle traveling outbound from the United States and entered Canada. After a brief encounter with Canadian immigration officials, Brenner turned his vehicle around and sped back towards the U.S. Instead of stopping his vehicle and presenting himself for inspection at the Calais port of entry, Brenner entered the U.S. by traveling in the outbound lane in the wrong direction, bypassing the incoming traffic inspection lanes. Following a pursuit where Brenner reached speeds of over 100 mph, he crashed the vehicle and was found in the woods with a loaded firearm, two loaded magazines, and wearing body armor. Another loaded firearm was found inside the vehicle.

Brenner faces up to one year in prison, a fine of up to $100,000, and up to one year of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal magistrate judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection investigated the case with assistance from U.S. Border Patrol and the Baileyville and Indian Township police departments.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Honduran national was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for reentry after removal.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Maynor David Casalegno Escobar, 29, to time served (124 days). He pleaded guilty on May 30, 2025.

According to court records, on April 10, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol Agents encountered Casalegno Escobar in Portland during a traffic stop. Post-arrest, Casalegno Escobar acknowledged that he was born in Honduras, was not a U.S. citizen, and that he did not have any authorization to be in the country. Casalegno Escobar also admitted that he had been previously deported from the U.S., which was confirmed through records checks.

Operation Take Back America: 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).

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BANGOR, Maine: A Guatemalan man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for reentry after removal.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Geremias Josue Sanchez-Velasquez, 31, to time served (110 days). He pleaded guilty on June 11, 2025.

According to court records, on April 23, 2025, a U.S. Border Patrol Agent encountered Sanchez-Velasquez in Palmyra, Maine. Sachez-Velasquez acknowledged that he was not a U.S. citizen and that he did not have any authorization to be in the country. Records checks revealed that Sanchez-Velasquez has a previous conviction for illegal entry and had been removed from the United States in 2019.

Sanchez-Velasquez was turned over to immigration authorities at the conclusion of the proceedings.

Operation Take Back America: 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).

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BANGOR, Maine: A Kenduskeag man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to two counts of producing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.

According to court records, in February 2024, investigators with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a search warrant at the home of Justin Leonard, 24, based on a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Leonard was home during the warrant’s execution and provided the password and Face ID to a hidden folder on his cellular telephone. In this hidden folder, investigators located multiple sexually explicit images and videos of two very young children. Leonard admitted that he had taken these images and videos. The parents of the children confirmed Leonard’s statements and identified their children in the images and videos. A subsequent forensic review of Leonard’s phone uncovered Facebook chats where he expressed an interest in children and a desire to acquire children. In addition, in the Safari history of Leonard’s phone, artifacts were found indicating an interest in Rohypnol or Roofies, a powerful sedative. His queries included, “youngest age you can safely give a roofie” and “Is there any drug that can make a person unconscious for 2 hours?”

For each child pornography production count, Leonard faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. For the child pornography possession count, Leonard faces up to 20 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

HSI and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit investigated the case.

To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child sexual abuse material: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.

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

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BANGOR, Maine: A Jay man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to distributing narcotics and illegally possessing a firearm. 

According to court records, Thomas Ray Cook, 44, sold $600 worth of cocaine to a Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) confidential information source (CI) in February 2025 from Cook’s home in Jay. In March 2025, Cook sold the CI additional cocaine and seven firearms for $1,600, from a different residence in Farmington. Cook is prohibited from possessing firearms because of multiple prior Maine state felony convictions, including Aggravated Operating after Habitual Offender Revocation and Eluding an Officer. 

For the narcotics charge, Cook faces up to 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. For the firearms charge, Cook faces up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and MDEA investigated the case.

Operation Take Back America: 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).

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BANGOR, Maine: An Ellsworth man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiring to commit money laundering.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Jeremy Kane, 38, to 87 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Kane pleaded guilty on February 12, 2025.

According to court records, from May 2022 through May 2023, Kane and others conspired to traffic methamphetamine in Maine. A source in California would mail shipments of methamphetamine to Maine for distribution in Downeast Maine. Proceeds from the sale of the methamphetamine were sent to the source using various money services, including Walmart2Walmart, Cash App, and Venmo. A co-conspirator enlisted the aid of Kane and others to use their identifications and accounts to receive the money. This was done to conceal and disguise the source’s involvement in the transactions and the money laundering.

The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Postal Service, Ellsworth Police Department, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, Holden Police Department, and Hancock County Sheriff’s Office.

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PORTLAND, Maine: The owner, former property manager, and contractor of an apartment building in Lewiston have agreed to collectively pay $39,500 to resolve a lawsuit alleging that the former property manager and his contractor sexually harassed a female tenant in violation of the Fair Housing Act.

The Justice Department’s lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine in June 2024, alleges that beginning in 2019 and continuing through 2020, Defendants subjected a female tenant to repeated and unwanted sexual comments and touching without her consent. The case is captioned United States v. Methuselah Tree, LLC., Robert Ross, RLR Enterprises, Brian Bennett, and Henry Irvin Investments, LLC, Case No. 2:24-cv-00204-JAW. The former tenant was represented by Pine Tree Legal Assistance. The lawsuit arose from a complaint that the tenant filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). After HUD investigated the complaint, it issued a charge of discrimination, and the matter was referred to the Justice Department.

Under the consent decree and settlement agreements, the former property owner will pay $35,000 to the former tenant. The former property manager and his contractor will pay $1,500 and $3,000, respectively, while also completing Fair Housing Act training and refraining from engaging in property management or residential property maintenance for one year. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and the settling defendants did not admit liability in the consent decree or settlement agreements.

If you are a victim of sexual harassment by a landlord or property manager or have suffered other forms of housing discrimination, call the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743 or submit a report online. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.

This settlement is part of the Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative, led by the Civil Rights Division, in coordination with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country. The initiative, which the Department launched in October 2017, seeks to address and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers and other people who have control over housing. Since launching the initiative, the Department has filed 49 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered over $16 million for victims of such harassment.

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PORTLAND, Maine: The owner, former property manager, and contractor of an apartment building in Lewiston have agreed to collectively pay $39,500 to resolve a lawsuit alleging that the former property manager and his contractor sexually harassed a female tenant in violation of the Fair Housing Act.

The Justice Department’s lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine in June 2024, alleges that beginning in 2019 and continuing through 2020, Defendants subjected a female tenant to repeated and unwanted sexual comments and touching without her consent. The case is captioned United States v. Methuselah Tree, LLC., Robert Ross, RLR Enterprises, Brian Bennett, and Henry Irvin Investments, LLC, Case No. 2:24-cv-00204-JAW. The former tenant was represented by Pine Tree Legal Assistance. The lawsuit arose from a complaint that the tenant filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). After HUD investigated the complaint, it issued a charge of discrimination, and the matter was referred to the Justice Department.

Under the consent decree and settlement agreements, the former property owner will pay $35,000 to the former tenant. The former property manager and his contractor will pay $1,500 and $3,000, respectively, while also completing Fair Housing Act training and refraining from engaging in property management or residential property maintenance for one year. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and the settling defendants did not admit liability in the consent decree or settlement agreements.

If you are a victim of sexual harassment by a landlord or property manager or have suffered other forms of housing discrimination, call the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743 or submit a report online. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.

This settlement is part of the Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative, led by the Civil Rights Division, in coordination with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country. The initiative, which the Department launched in October 2017, seeks to address and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers and other people who have control over housing. Since launching the initiative, the Department has filed 49 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered over $16 million for victims of such harassment.

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PORTLAND, Maine: An Islesford man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Portland on Wednesday to providing false information to a federal firearms dealer.

According to court records, William Heutz, 32, purchased a Glock Model 19 9mm pistol from a licensed federal firearms dealer in February 2023. In filling out a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Form 4473 required for the purchase, Heutz indicated that he was the firearm’s actual buyer. However, according to electronic messages obtained by investigators, he straw purchased the pistol for another individual, who provided money for the purchase. Heutz kept the money left over from the exchange and transferred the firearm to that individual.

Heutz faces up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 followed by up to three years of supervised release. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

ATF investigated the case.

Straw Purchasing: A straw purchase is an illegal firearm purchase where the actual buyer of the gun, being unable to pass the required federal background check or desiring to not have his or her name associated with the transaction, uses a proxy buyer who can pass the required background check to purchase the firearm for him/her.

Project Safe Neighborhoods: This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. To learn more information about Project Safe Neighborhood, visit www.justice.gov/psn.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Guatemalan national was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for illegally re-entering the United States after a prior removal.

Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Marvin Aguilar-Lopez, 24, to time served (approximately 4 months). Aguilar-Lopez pleaded guilty on May 29, 2025.

According to court records, Old Orchard Beach police officers pulled over Aguilar-Lopez in March 2025 for a taillight violation. Aguilar-Lopez produced an invalid international license and told police he was from Guatemala. Immigration records showed that he had previously been removed from the U.S. in 2023 and did not have a visa or other documentation that would allow him to re-enter the country.

U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.

Operation Take Back America: 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 (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

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BANGOR, Maine: A Brazilian man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for re-entering the country after being deported.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Americo Lopes-Da Silva, 37, to time served. Lopes-Da Silva pleaded guilty on May 20, 2025.

According to court records, on April 7, 2025, a U.S. Border Patrol Agent from the Rangeley Border Patrol Station was on routine patrol when he ran the license plate of a white van from Massachusetts. He learned that the van was registered to a person who entered the United States in 2018 but had overstayed their visa. The agent stopped the vehicle to investigate further and found the driver and his passenger, Lopes-Da Silva, to be the vehicle’s only two occupants. Both men acknowledged that they did not have lawful authority to be in the country. The agent transported both men back to the Border Patrol station where further checks revealed that Lopes-Da Silva had been ordered removed and deported from the U.S. in 2021.

The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.

Operation Take Back America: 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 (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

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BANGOR, Maine: A New York man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to possessing heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine base with the intent to distribute those substances. 

According to court records, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office began investigating the suspected trafficking of illegal narcotics from an Avon residence. In July 2020, investigators executed a search warrant and found Oscarlin Peguero Ortiz, 27, inside the residence. During a search of the residence, law enforcement seized approximately 85 grams of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl and 40 grams of crack cocaine. Investigators also seized digital scales, drug paraphernalia, and over $8,000 in cash.

Ortiz faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, and at least three years and up to life of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Maine State Police, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case.

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BANGOR, Maine: A Brockton, Massachusetts man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for his role in a drug trafficking ring that stretched from Massachusetts to northern Maine.

U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced Daviston Jackson, 28, to 20 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. On January 21, 2025, Jackson and his co-defendant, Daquan Corbett, were found guilty of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl following a two-week long trial.

According to court records, between January 2018 and December 2021, Jackson and others trafficked methamphetamine and fentanyl in Penobscot and Aroostook counties and elsewhere. Together with Corbett, Jacksonorganized and conducted the conspiracy’s operations through a network of dealers. Jackson delivered and arranged for the delivery of large quantities of the two drugs from an out-of-state supplier and then distributed those drugs through a network of dealers in Penobscot and Aroostook counties. Proceeds from the sale of the drugs were collected and returned to Massachusetts by Jackson and others.

Twenty-two defendants have been convicted in this and related cases for their part in a widespread drug trafficking conspiracy. To date, 21 of the defendants have been sentenced, while only Corbett awaits sentencing:

Sentenced:

• Andrew Adams (32, Aroostook County) – 10 years
• Matthew Catalano (38, Penobscot County) – 165 months
• Christopher Coty (44, Bangor) – 4 years
• Jason Cunrod (42, Caribou) – 48 months
• Blaine Footman (38, Bangor) – 5 years
• Nicole Footman (41, Holden) – 3 years
• Dwight Gary, Jr. (54, Medway) – Time served (approx. 5 months)
• Carol Gordon (53, Bangor) – Time served (approx. 31 months) plus 6 months of community confinement
• Thomas Hammond (26, Charleston) – 84 months
• Joshua Jerrell (30, Orrington) – Time served (approx. 36 months)
• James King (55, Caribou) – 165 months
• Shelby Loring (29, Bangor) – Time served (approx. 32 months)
• Danielle McBreairty (34, Glenburn) – 20 years
• John Miller (24, Caribou) – 54 months
• Aaron Rodgers (43, Bangor) – Time served (approx. 33 months)
• Wayne Smith (33, Bangor) – 85 months
• Joshua Young (48, Presque Isle) – Time served (approx. 2 months) plus 24 months home detention
• Tamara Davis (29, Fall River, MA) – Time Served (approx. 14 months)
• Sarah McBreairty (36, Dixmont) – 60 months
• James Valiante (42, Linneus) – 36 months
• Daviston Jackson (28, Brockton, Mass.)

Awaiting sentencing:

• Daquan Corbett (30, Brockton, Mass.)

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case. Assistance was provided by the Maine State Police and the police departments in Orono, Bangor, Brewer, Caribou, Presque Isle and Houlton. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also recognized the cooperation and coordination provided by the Maine State Attorney General’s Office and the Aroostook County District Attorney’s Office.

Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces: This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Lewiston man pleaded guilty on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Portland to being a felon in possession of a firearm. 

According to court records, in January 2025, Lewiston police officers stopped a vehicle operated by Kulmiye Abukar Idris, 35, for traffic violations. Officers searched the vehicle and found a handgun. Idris was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for gross sexual assault.

Idris faces up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and supervised release for three years. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Lewiston Police Department investigated the case, with assistance from the Androscoggin County District Attorney’s Office.

Project Safe Neighborhoods: This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psn.

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BANGOR, Maine: An Augusta man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material.

U.S. District Court Judge Stacy D. Neumann sentenced Nathaniel Gagne, 37, to 8 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $23,000 in restitution.

According to court records, in April 2023, investigators from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Augusta Police Department began investigating the possible livestreaming of child sexual abuse material. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) had notified the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit (MSP CCU) that it had received a report through its CyberTipline that an Omegle user, later identified as Gagne, had uploaded a video file containing suspected child sexual abuse material. Omegle is an anonymous chat site where users are matched at random within topics and can communicate by text or video. The file reported by Omegle contained four images of a three- to four-year-old child being sexually abused.

During the execution of a search warrant at his Augusta home, Gagne admitted to viewing child sexual abuse material and sharing it on Omegle. Investigators seized two cell phones and an SD card during the investigation, recovering hundreds of images and videos.

HSI investigated the case with assistance from MSP CCU and the Augusta Police Department.

To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child pornography: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.

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

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BANGOR, Maine: A Syracuse, New York man was sentenced on Monday in U.S. District Court in Bangor for conspiring to violate federal firearms laws and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Tyquinn Montell Cannon (aka “Q”), 32, to 45 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Cannon pleaded guilty on June 17, 2024.

According to court records, beginning in May 2022, Cannon knowingly conspired with others in Maine and New York to illegally obtain firearms at federally licensed firearms dealers (FFLs) in central and southern Maine using straw purchasers. Two of the coconspirators in Maine would arrange for the straw purchase of firearms, and Cannon would deliver, or arrange the delivery of, the illegally obtained firearms to coconspirators in New York. In September 2022, Cannon was found in possession of a Glock .40 caliber pistol, which had earlier been straw purchased at an FFL in Maine. Cannon is prohibited from possessing firearms due to felony drug convictions in Illinois.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Massachusetts State Police investigated the case.

STRAW PURCHASING: A straw purchase is an illegal firearm purchase where the actual buyer of the gun, being unable to pass the required federal background check or desiring to not have his or her name associated with the transaction, uses a proxy buyer who can pass the required background check to purchase the firearm for him/her.

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BANGOR, Maine: A former Caribou man was sentenced on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Bangor for possessing child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced Devin Madigan, 30, to eight years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $20,500 in restitution. Madigan pleaded guilty on February 4, 2025.

According to court records, in April 2022, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a tip from Kik, a messaging and chat app, that a user had uploaded videos containing child sexual abuse material. The videos captured the sexual abuse of victims as young as 1 to 3 years old. The account was later traced to Madigan. A forensic investigation of Madigan’s phone revealed images and videos of child sexual abuse material.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case with assistance from the Grafton County (NH) Sheriff’s Office and the Brewer Police Department.

To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt, or production of child sexual abuse material: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.

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

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CONCORD- Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack, together with Acting U.S. Attorneys Michael P. Drescher of the District of Vermont and Craig M. Wolff of the District of Maine, announces a sweeping enforcement action aimed at combatting health care fraud across New England. The enforcement action is a result of the collaboration and partnership between the Districts of New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, and the New England Strike Force.

The New England Strike Force charged six defendants in connection with unrelated allegations including conspiracies to defraud the State of New Hampshire’s Medicaid program (NH Medicaid), Medicare, and other federal benefit programs, totaling over $14 million. The charges filed in federal court throughout New England are part of the Department of Justice’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. The charges stem from various schemes, including a previously convicted social worker who submitted claims to NH Medicaid following his disbarment from billing federal health care programs, a conspiracy to submit false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for wrist, knee, and back braces and other equipment that were medically unnecessary, and a conspiracy to fulfill illegitimate prescriptions for drugs including Ozempic.

The schemes charged in the District of New Hampshire include:

Previously Convicted Felon Charged in New Scheme Fraudulently Billing Medicaid and Exploiting a Vulnerable Patient

• United States v. Erik Alonso: Erik Alonso, age 54, of Miami, Florida, was charged by indictment with eight counts of health care fraud in connection with an alleged scheme to submit claims to NH Medicaid, despite being barred from billing federally funded health care programs following a previous heath care fraud related conviction in 2015. Alonso failed to disclose his exclusion to his employer, a Laconia, New Hampshire-based telehealth psychotherapy provider, and purportedly provided psychotherapy treatments to NH Medicaid beneficiaries between March 2022 and July 2024 via telehealth. In addition, Alonso allegedly exploited a psychotherapy patient by using purported psychotherapy sessions to seek and obtain assistance from that client with personal tasks, including preparing an application for a presidential pardon of his prior conviction and assisting him with applying for licensure in other New England states.  The case is being prosecuted by DOJ Trial Attorneys Danielle Sakowski, Thomas Campbell, and John Howard, and Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Vicinanzo of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire.

Straw Owner of Health Care Company Used to Commit Fraud and Launder Illicit Proceeds

• United States v. Leo Anzivino Jr.: Leo Anzivino, Jr., age 34, of Teaticket, MA, was charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and four counts of money laundering in connection with an alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain over $6 million in Medicare funds. According to the indictment, Anzivino, Jr. acted as the straw owner of a durable medical equipment (“DME”) company, Advanced Medical Supply (Advanced), and conspired with others to cause the submission of false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for DME.  The indictment further alleges that Anzivino falsified bank account documents, including beneficial ownership information, and conspired to launder fraudulent funds from the DME scheme to conceal and disguise the nature, source, origin, and control of the proceeds of the DME fraud.  Anzivino, Jr., made four transfers from one Advanced account at a New Hampshire bank to another Advanced account at a Massachusetts bank, totaling over $3 million dollars, to conceal a co-conspirator’s control over the funds. The government seized approximately $353,768.29 in assets tied to the alleged scheme.  This case is being prosecuted by DOJ Trial Attorneys Danielle Sakowski, Thomas Campbell, and Tiffany Wynn, and Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Vicinanzo of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire.

The schemes charged in the District of Vermont include:

Global Pharma and Money Laundering Scheme

• United States v. Manthan Rohit Shah: Manthan Rohit Shah, 37, of Mumbai, India, was charged by indictment with misbranding prescription medication, conspiring to import controlled substances, and conspiring to commit international concealment money laundering.  As alleged in the indictment, Shah owned and operated Company-1, a pharma company based in Mumbai, India. Company-1 allegedly shipped controlled substances and misbranded pharmaceutical drugs, including drugs that contained potentially potent, dangerous, and/or addictive substances, into New England and across the United States.  Shah and Company-1 used fake prescriptions to provide a veneer of legitimacy for customer orders, despite the customers never obtaining such prescriptions.  Shah undertook various acts in furtherance of the drug conspiracy. For example, on or about May 6, 2025, Shah sent a text message to an undercover law enforcement agent regarding Company-1’s fulfillment of illegitimate prescriptions for 50 pens of the drug Ozempic, costing approximately $6,200, to be shipped from a location outside the United States to an address in Vermont.  Shah also conspired with others to direct the shipment of pharmaceutical drugs without valid prescriptions to a network of online pharmacies and call centers that fulfilled orders placed by customers in New England and across the United States. Shah then conspired with others to launder the funds from financial accounts in the United States, through shell companies, and to Shah’s company in India.  The case is being prosecuted by DOJ Trial Attorneys Patrick Brown, John Howard, and Thomas Campbell.

Health Care Scheme Involving Purchase of Tulum Penthouse, High-Volume Cash Withdrawals

• United States v. Evelyn Herrera: Evelyn Herrera, 61, of Loxahatchee, Florida, was charged by complaint with conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with an alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain approximately $6.5 million in Medicare funds.  According to the charging documents, Herrera, the owner of Merida Medical Supplies Inc., a purported DME company, submitted false and fraudulent claims to Medicare from individuals residing across New England for wrist, knee, and back braces and other equipment, which were medically unnecessary and ineligible for reimbursement by Medicare.  After the funds from these fraudulent services were deposited into a bank account controlled by Herrera, she allegedly conducted financial transactions and attempted to conceal the source, origin, and control of the health care fraud proceeds generated by Merida. For example, Herrera allegedly sent an international wire from her bank account, indicating it was to be used to purchase property in Mexico, and sent other funds to a cryptocurrency wallet that she controlled.  During the scheme, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued a payment suspension to Herrera for suspected fraud, after which Herrerra allegedly attempted to withdraw large amounts of cash from a bank and siphon funds off to other individuals.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Sarah Rocha, Thomas Campbell, and Tiffany Wynn.  The complaint was filed in the District of Vermont.

Health Care CEO Indicted in Cross-Border Health Care Fraud Scheme

• United States v. Donald Jani: Donald Jani, 39, of Maharashtra, India, was charged by indictment with health care fraud and conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with an alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain approximately $1.9 million in Medicare funds.  According to the indictment, Jani, the CEO of CSS Pain Relief, Inc., a purported DME company, submitted false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for DME.  Jani and his co-conspirators allegedly used the personal identifying information of elderly and disabled New England residents to fraudulently bill Medicare.  As part of the conspiracy, Jani unlawfully used the personal identifying information of medical providers in the District of Vermont and elsewhere to create the false appearance that the DME claims were premised on legitimate medical orders. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Sarah Rocha, John Howard and Thomas Campbell.  The indictment was brought in the District of Vermont.

The scheme charged in the District of Maine includes:

Individual Charged in Health Care and Identity Theft Scheme

• United States v. Joseph Dobie: Joseph Dobie, 36, of Lewiston, Maine, was charged by complaint with aggravated identity theft, false statements relating to health care matters, and unlawful use of Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (“SNAP”) benefits in connection with an identity-theft scheme. As alleged in the complaint, Dobie used a stolen identity to fraudulently obtain Medicaid and SNAP benefits in Maine, while simultaneously receiving SNAP benefits in New York.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Scott. The complaint was filed in the District of Maine.

Additionally, the New England Strike Force provided valuable support in a nationwide investigation:

Operation Gold Rush: Transnational Criminal Organization-Led Health Care Fraud and Money Laundering Scheme

Outside of New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, the New England Strike Force also supported a nationwide investigation, Operation Gold Rush, which resulted in charges in the Eastern District of New York, the Northern District of Illinois, the Central District of California, the Middle District of Florida, and the District of New Jersey against 19 defendants in connection with the largest loss amount ever charged in a health care fraud case brought by the Department at $10.6 billion. Twelve of these defendants have been arrested, including four defendants who were apprehended in Estonia as a result of international cooperation with Estonian law enforcement and seven defendants who were arrested at U.S. airports and the U.S. border with Mexico, cutting off their intended escape routes as they attempted to avoid capture. The criminal case is being prosecuted by DOJ Fraud Section Assistant Chiefs Kevin Lowell and Shankar Ramamurthy, and Trial Attorneys Sara Porter, Andres Almendarez, Leonid Sandlar, Monica Cooper, Thomas Campbell, Danielle Sakowski, and Matthew Belz.  Trial Attorney Sara Porter initiated the investigation, which has been supported by members of multiple Strike Forces. The civil forfeiture proceeding is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Nelson of the District of Connecticut and Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section Trial Attorneys Emily Cohen and Chelsea Rooney. Office of Public Affairs | National Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in 324 Defendants Charged in Connection with Over $14.6 Billion in Alleged Fraud | United States Department of Justice

These charges are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and illegal drug diversion schemes that involved the submission of over $14.6 billion in intended loss and over 15 million pills of illegally diverted controlled substances. The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled to line their own pockets. The United States has seized over $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles and other assets in connection with the takedown. Descriptions of each case involved in the national enforcement action are available at Criminal Division | 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.

The New England Strike Force’s cases are the result of investigations conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations; Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation; and the United States Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

Leveraging advanced data analytics, forensic accounting, interagency collaboration, and subject-matter expertise, the New England Strike Force investigates and prosecutes complex health care fraud and money laundering schemes across the region, focusing on both individuals and corporations engaged in criminal conduct. DOJ Fraud Section Assistant Chief Kevin Lowell leads the Strike Force.

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.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Greene man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to possessing controlled substances with intent to distribute and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a federal drug trafficking crime. 

According to court records, in January 2025, Lewiston police officers approached and detained John Labbe, 44, after they observed him operating a vehicle unlawfully. Officers recovered from Labbe a handgun with a laser sight. Inside a backpack he was wearing, officers found quantities of fentanyl and cocaine base. A later search of Labbe’s cell phone revealed communications in which he appeared to be arranging for the distribution of controlled substances.

Labbe faces at least 10 years and up to life in federal prison, a maximum fine of $5 million, and up to life on federal supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case, with help from the Lewiston Police Department, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Maine Attorney General’s Office.

Project Safe Neighborhoods: This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psn.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Massachusetts man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Andre Hill, 25, to 32 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release. Hill was also ordered to pay $13,842 in restitution. Hill pleaded guilty on February 24, 2025.

According to court records and evidence from the sentencing, from January to February 2023 Hill obtained and used multiple debit card numbers without the knowledge of the account holders. Hill loaded the stolen numbers into a digital wallet application on his phone and then traveled to Maine and other locations to make purchases, request cash back, and purchase money orders payable to himself. The purchases made in Maine took place at multiple retail locations and post offices in the greater Portland area. Hill attempted over $40,000 in transactions using the stolen debit card numbers.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Lewiston man has been charged with identity theft and fraud offenses in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud Medicaid.

Joseph Dobie, 36, of Lewiston, was charged by complaint with aggravated identity theft, false statements relating to health care matters, and unlawful use of Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, in connection with an identity theft scheme.

The charges filed in U.S. District Court in Portland are part of the Department of Justice’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and illegal drug diversion schemes that involved over $14.6 billion in intended loss. The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled to line their own pockets, and the government, in connection with the Takedown, seized over $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, cryptocurrency and other assets.

The Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, and Texas Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Arizona, Central District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California, District of Columbia, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware, Middle, District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Middle, District of Georgia, District of Idaho, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of Maine, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Northern District of Mississippi, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of Nevada, District of New Hampshire, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Western District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, District of North Dakota, Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, District of South Carolina, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Vermont, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Washington, and Northern District of West Virginia; and State Attorney Generals’ Offices for Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania are prosecuting the cases in the National Health Care Fraud Takedown, with assistance from the Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team. Descriptions of each case involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the Department of Justice website here.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General led the investigation of the Dobie case, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

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

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BANGOR, Maine: An Ellsworth man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiring to commit money laundering.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Lucas Michaud, 33, to 70 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. Michaud pleaded guilty on January 13, 2025.

According to court records, from May 2022 through May 2023, Michaud and others conspired to traffic methamphetamine in Maine. A source in California would mail shipments of methamphetamine to Maine for distribution in Downeast Maine. Proceeds from the sale of the methamphetamine were sent to the source using various money services, including Walmart2Walmart, Cash App, and Venmo. A co-conspirator enlisted the aid of Michaud and others to use their identifications and accounts to receive the money. This was done to conceal and disguise the source’s involvement in the transactions and the money laundering.

The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Postal Service, Ellsworth Police Department, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, Holden Police Department, and Hancock County Sheriff’s Office.

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BANGOR, Maine: A Waterville man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to making threatening interstate communications. 

According to court records, on February 8, 2024, Benjamin Brown, 47, posted comments on YouTube threatening to hunt down and kill illegal immigrants. In his comments, Brown said that no one could stop him from killing illegal immigrants, not even law enforcement. Federal agents had previously met with Brown on two separate occasions to discuss other comments he had posted online and warned him about the federal crime of interstate threats.

“You can’t threaten to kill people, like Benjamin Brown did, and not face repercussions,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “The FBI and our partners have to take you at your word and intervene, because protecting human life is our absolute priority.”

“Despite being repeatedly warned about his online comments, Benjamin Brown not only made threats to kill others, but basically dared law enforcement to stop him,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Craig M. Wolff. “Online threats are no less serious than those made in other ways, and those who make them will be investigated and prosecuted.”

Brown faces up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI and the U.S. Secret Service investigated the case with assistance from the Waterville Police Department.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Scarborough man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to possessing a firearm despite a prior felony conviction.

According to court records, in November 2024, South Portland police officers approached James Selberg-Stross, 33, while he was inside a vehicle parked at a gas station. An officer observed that Selberg-Stross had a handgun on his lap. A loaded magazine for the handgun was found elsewhere in the vehicle. Selberg-Stross was prohibited from possessing firearms due to his criminal history, which includes a federal conviction for possessing controlled substances with intent to distribute.

Selberg-Stross faces up to 15 years in federal prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI investigated the case, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the South Portland Police Department. 

Project Safe Neighborhoods: This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psn.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Mexican national pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to illegally reentering the U.S. after a prior removal.

According to court records, on May 10, 2025, Miguel Gomez-Sanchez, 45, was arrested by the Maine State Police for operating under the influence on I-95. Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) determined Gomez-Sanchez had previously been removed from the U.S. several times. He was most recently removed in 2022 after being convicted for illegally reentering the U.S. after a prior removal.

Gomez-Sanchez faces a maximum prison term of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

ICE-ERO investigated the case.

Operation Take Back America: 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 (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Massachusetts man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for trafficking fentanyl into Maine.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Alvin Dorsey, 39, to 18 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty on January 24, 2025.

According to court records, in June 2023, a confidential source of information working at the direction of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) arranged the purchase of two “sticks” (i.e., 20 grams) of fentanyl from a drug dealer who was the target of a federal investigation. Ultimately, it was Dorsey who showed up in Biddeford bearing the drug order, and who consummated the transaction with the informant. Dorsey was later charged by a grand jury with distributing fentanyl, leading to his arrest and prosecution.   

DEA investigated the case, with support provided by the DEA Airport Group, the Massachusetts State Police Airport Group, and the Biddeford Police Department.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A former president of a local union chapter representing employees of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court in Portland to wire fraud and making false written statements.

According to court records, Kyle Chasse, 38, embezzled over $10,000 in union funds between 2020 and 2022, while serving as the union’s president. As part of the scheme, Chasse withdrew cash and made debit purchases using the union’s bank account, all without authorization by the union. The debit transactions included purchases from bars, restaurants, vending machines, and other businesses. Chasse made false statements to cover up his fraudulent use of the funds. These false statements included a union financial disclosure form filed with the federal government, in which Chasse misrepresented the amount of money he had received from the union.

Chasse faces up to 20 years of imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000, and three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Office of Labor-Management Standards of the U.S. Department of Labor investigated the case.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to conspiring to straw purchase firearms, conspiring to distribute controlled substances, and producing child sexual abuse material.

According to court records, from late 2020 until at least July 2023, Aden Mohamed (a/k/a “Mike,” a/k/a “AD”), 26, was among the leaders of a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy to traffic firearms purchased by straw purchasers in Maine to sell to customers in Syracuse, New York and Springfield, Massachusetts. Mohamed was often paid in drugs, primarily cocaine, which he used to facilitate the firearms trafficking activity by paying straw purchasers in drugs for their services. Mohamed regularly bought and sold hundreds of grams per week of cocaine as part of this scheme.

During the investigation into the firearms trafficking conspiracy, law enforcement seized Mohamed’s phone and discovered child sexual abuse material on the device. The resulting investigation revealed that Mohamed had compelled two minors into sexually explicit situations for the purpose of producing child sexual abuse material.

Mohamed faces up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 on the firearms charges, up to 20 years in prison and a maximum $1 million fine on the drug charges, and at least 15 years imprisonment (up to a maximum 30 years) and a fine up to $250,000 on the production of child sexual abuse material charge. The Court may also order him to pay restitution to the victims. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

As part of a plea agreement with the government, Mohamed – a Somalian national – has agreed to the entry of a judicial order of removal, which will result in his deportation from the United States following a term of at least 15 years of incarceration.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the cases.

To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child sexual abuse material: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.

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

STRAW PURCHASING: A straw purchase is an illegal firearm purchase where the actual buyer of the gun, being unable to pass the required federal background check or desiring to not have his or her name associated with the transaction, uses a proxy buyer who can pass the required background check to purchase the firearm for him/her.

Project Safe Neighborhoods: This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psn.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Dominican national was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for the felony offense of re-entering the United States after a prior removal.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Odanis Manuel Brea Mejia, 54, to 18 months in prison. He pleaded guilty on March 20, 2025.

According to court records, in January 2025, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) assisted the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) with a search warrant in Lewiston. During the warrant’s execution, investigators arrested Brea Mejia for drug trafficking. Brea Mejia, a Dominican national with an extensive criminal history, had been previously removed from the country in October 2021 following a Massachusetts conviction for distributing heroin. Since Brea Mejia’s prior removal, he had not obtained consent to re-enter the U.S.

HSI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection investigated the case with assistance from the MDEA.

Operation Take Back America: 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).

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Gorham man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material. 

According to court records, Cody J. Merrill, 33, who had been previously convicted of unlawful sexual conduct involving a minor in York County Superior Court, sent a video file depicting child sexual abuse material to an undercover Special Agent from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) over a messaging application. In February 2025, HSI executed a search warrant at his residence, resulting in the seizure of multiple digital media devices that contained child sexual abuse material files. During a recorded interview with investigators, Merrill admitted to accessing, viewing, and distributing child sexual abuse material over the internet.

Merrill faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a maximum supervised release term of life. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

HSI investigated the case.

To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child sexual abuse material: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.

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

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BANGOR, Maine: A Sedgwick man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for producing child sexual abuse material.

Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Travis Bessey, 30, to 60 years in prison and supervised release for life. He was also ordered to pay $20,000 in restitution to each of his two victims.

According to court records, in May 2021, Bessey participated in a Kik chat room dedicated to the distribution of child sexual abuse material. A Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agent monitoring the chat observed Bessey share images of a man sexually abusing young children. The U.S. Attorney’s Office does not identify victims of crime and is limiting identifying information, including gender, age and location, to protect the minor victims’ privacy. The Maine State Police and HSI executed a search warrant at Bessey’s residence. Following execution of the search warrant, Bessey admitted that he sent and received child sexual abuse material in the Kik group. Images of Bessey sexually abusing children were later recovered from his phone.

In imposing sentence, Judge Walker noted that he had handled many cases involving child sexual exploitation as a state and then federal judge, and that “this is the most thoroughly disturbing case I have ever seen.”

HSI investigated the case with assistance from the Maine State Police and the Bangor Police Department. 

To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child pornography: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal term as "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.

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

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PORTLAND, Maine: Two Biddeford men were found guilty today of interfering with commerce by robbery; conspiring to traffic cocaine, cocaine base, and fentanyl; using a firearm during and in relation to drug trafficking; and illegally possessing a firearm. The verdict came following a six-day jury trial in U.S. District Court in Portland.

According to court records and testimony at trial, Nathaniel Ashwood, 37, and Lloyd Lyttle, 35, distributed narcotics in the Biddeford area and defended their narcotics distribution interests with violence and threats of violence. Witnesses at trial testified that during the evening of July 28, 2023, Ashwood and Lyttle robbed and assaulted a rival drug dealer and two other individuals in the area of Cutts Street in Biddeford using firearms and physical force to intimidate local residents and establish their control of the local drug market. At the time Lyttle and Ashwood committed these assaults they had both been convicted of felony offenses that prohibited them from possessing firearms.

Ashwood faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years and a maximum sentence of life. Lyttle faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 14 years with a maximum sentence of life. Both men will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Biddeford Police Department investigated the case, with the assistance of the Springfield, Vermont Police Department.

PORTLAND, Maine: A Bath man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to being a felon in possession of firearms. 

According to court records, in October 2024, the Bath Police Department received information that Noah Sibole-Little, 29, had potentially threatened an individual at a residence with a firearm. Bath officers and Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office personnel responded to the area and set up a perimeter. Officers observed Sibole-Little exit a rear door to the residence with a backpack and toss the bag over a fence on the property into a bush. Police seized the backpack and located three firearms—two 9mm pistols and a .380 caliber pistol—inside. Sibole-Little had previously been convicted of Robbery and Aggravated Assault in 2016 in Cumberland County and was therefore prohibited from possessing firearms.

Sibole-Little faces up to 15 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case with assistance from the Bath Police Department and the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office.

Project Safe Neighborhoods: This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psn.

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BANGOR, Maine: A Springfield man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Bangor today for unlawfully possessing a firearm.

U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced James Elliott, 67, to 21 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Elliott pleaded guilty on February 4, 2025.

According to court records, in February 2024, a deputy from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report that Elliott had threatened an insurance company home inspector with a firearm. During a search of Elliott’s home in March 2024, deputies found six firearms, including a loaded .44 magnum lever-action rifle. Elliott is precluded from possessing firearms due to two prior felony convictions in the state of Kansas.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office, the Maine Warden Service, and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

Project Safe Neighborhoods: This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psn.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Bayamon, Puerto Rico man was sentenced on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Portland for possessing with intent to distribute controlled substances, including 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Rafael Omar Ojeda Lopez, 44, to a term of imprisonment of 57 months, to be followed by five years of supervised release.

According to court records, in September 2023, at the direction of agents of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a confidential source negotiated the purchase of a kilogram of fentanyl from Lopez for $40,000, following several smaller “test” buys. While Lopez and the source were working to finalize the transaction in Rockland, Maine, HSI agents arrested Lopez and seized the fentanyl, which was later lab confirmed to contain a mixture of fentanyl, caffeine, heroin, and xylazine, a powerful tranquilizer. The mixture of fentanyl and xylazine is particularly dangerous to drug users: because xylazine is not a narcotic, its effects cannot be reversed by naloxone, which serves to heighten the risk of overdose death.

HSI and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) investigated the case.

Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces: This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Kennebunkport man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to possessing child pornography. 

According to court records, in November 2024, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at the residence of Kevin Rockwell, 41, in Kennebunkport. In executing the warrant, agents recovered a tablet located on a nightstand; a review of the tablet uncovered numerous image and video files of child sexual abuse material, including prepubescent children. In an interview, Rockwell admitted owning the tablet and acknowledged the presence of the files on it. Rockwell has a prior federal conviction for transporting child pornography, for which he was sentenced to 8 ½ years in federal prison.

Rockwell faces a mandatory term of imprisonment of not less than 10 years with a maximum of 20 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and a mandatory supervised release period of at least 5 years up to lifetime supervision. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI investigated the case.

To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child sexual abuse material: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.

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

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Honduran national was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for illegally entering the U.S. after a prior removal.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr., sentenced Josue Osmin Montoya Acosta, 36, to time served (approximately 93 days). Montoya Acosta pleaded guilty on April 3, 2025.

According to court records, on February 25, 2025, Montoya Acosta was observed by an officer from the Brunswick Police Department operating a vehicle with no front license plate and no light on the rear license plate. The rear plate was later determined to be a temporary plate from Indiana. When asked for his license, Montoya Acosta presented a Honduran passport and told the officer he did not have a driver’s license. When asked if he had a visa, he told the officer he did not. Immigration records showed that he had previously been removed on two prior occasions.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection investigated the case with assistance from the Brunswick Police Department.

Operation Take Back America: 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 (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

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PORTLAND, Maine: An Ecuadorian national was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for illegally entering the U.S. after a prior removal.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr., sentenced William Ariel Tamay Guaman, 23, to time served (approximately seven months in prison). Tamay Guaman pleaded guilty on April 3, 2025.

According to court records, on February 4, 2025, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and the FBI conducted surveillance at a South Portland residence. After observing Tamay Guaman get into a van, agents followed him and conducted a traffic stop. An ERO agent familiar with Tamay Guaman approached the driver and asked for their name. Tamay Guaman provided a false name and was directed to step out of the vehicle. After briefly fleeing on foot and resisting arrest, Tamay Guaman was taken into custody. He had previously been removed from the U.S. in September 2023.

ICE-ERO investigated the case with assistance from the FBI.

Operation Take Back America: 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 (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Guatemalan national was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for illegally entering the U.S. after a prior removal.

Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Samuel Par-Lopez, 37, to time served (approximately 113 days). Par-Lopez pleaded guilty on March 14, 2025.

According to court records, on February 7, 2025, an officer from the Wiscasset Police Department observed Par-Lopez operating a vehicle with snow on the roof that had not been cleared (a violation of Maine motor vehicle law). Immigration records showed that he had previously been removed from the U.S. and did not have a visa or other documentation that would allow him to re-enter the country.

U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case with assistance from the Wiscasset Police Department.

Operation Take Back America: 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 (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

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PORTLAND, Maine: The Opportunity Alliance, of South Portland, has agreed to pay $346,369 to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by causing the submission of false drug testing claims.

The civil settlement agreement between The Opportunity Alliance and the United States and the State of Maine resolves allegations that The Opportunity Alliance caused false claims to be submitted to Medicare and MaineCare (Maine’s Medicaid program) from July 2018 through June 2021. MaineCare is funded primarily by the federal government, which pays approximately two-thirds of all reimbursed claims.

On May 22, 2025, the United States and Maine (“Plaintiffs”) filed a civil complaint against The Opportunity Alliance in the U.S. District Court in Portland. As alleged in the complaint, The Opportunity Alliance operates Morrison Place, a residential treatment program for homeless individuals who have a major mental illness and/or a substance use disorder. Between July 2018 and June 2021, The Opportunity Alliance sent misleading urine drug requisition forms to Morrison Place clients’ medical providers, and then used these forms in directing a third-party urine drug testing lab (“Laboratory A”) to perform an excessive number of presumptive and definitive drug tests on certain Morrison Place clients. Individual test orders were treated as “standing orders,” according to which three presumptive and definitive drug tests would be ordered each week, without exception and without regard for the client’s individualized treatment needs, for up to a full year. Under an agreement between The Opportunity Alliance and Laboratory A, Laboratory A would bill MaineCare and Medicare directly for any urine drug tests performed on Morrison Place clients; Laboratory A would not bill Morrison Place for any urine drug testing-related service. Such tests were not individually approved as medically necessary, were performed without a valid order from a medical provider, and were used by The Opportunity Alliance as a means of performing residential monitoring in violation of relevant MaineCare rules. 

The United States brought the complaint under the FCA, as well as Maine’s false claims statute. The FCA provides that any person who “knowingly presents, or causes to be presented, a false or fraudulent claim for payment or approval” or “knowingly makes, uses, or causes to be made or used, a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim” is liable to the United States for three times the amount of damages which the United States sustains, plus a civil penalty for each FCA violation. As alleged in the complaint, by sending the misleading requisition forms to clients’ medical providers, and then using these forms in directing Laboratory A to perform a grossly excessive number of presumptive and definitive drug tests, The Opportunity Alliance knowingly caused Laboratory A to submit false or fraudulent claims for payment or approval in violation of the FCA.

The Opportunity Alliance cooperated with the investigation. Federal authorities encourage health care providers to cooperate with investigations involving the possible submission of false claims to federal programs. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine; and the Office of the Maine Attorney General investigated the case. The civil action is docketed United States & State of Maine v. The Opportunity Alliance, 2:25-cv-00266-JCN (D. Me.).

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BANGOR, Maine: A Canadian national was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for unlawfully entering the U.S. from Canada and importing a controlled substance.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Nathan Paul Curran-McQuade, 31, to 12 months and a day of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for importing a controlled substance. Curran-McQuade received a concurrent sentence of 100 days for entering the U.S. unlawfully. He pleaded guilty on January 21, 2025.

According to court records, in September 2024, U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Van Buren station stopped Curran-McQuade for illegally entering the U.S. from Canada in the town of Caswell. Curran-McQuade was encountered while operating an ATV on an ATV trail that borders Canada and was marked with international boundary signs. When stopped by the agents, Curran-McQuade had approximately 13.9 grams of methamphetamine on his person as well as marijuana in a mason jar in his backpack. He claimed to be traveling to a store in Caswell to get gas and that the drugs were for personal use.   

U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.

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BANGOR, Maine: An Illinois man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to making threatening interstate communications. 

According to court records, Massimo Frangella, 24, sent seven identical emails to Maine public officials from his email account. The subject line of each read: “You’re going to die.” In the body of the emails, Frangella further threatened: “I’m going to kill you and all of your child raping friends.”

Frangella faces up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI investigated the case with assistance from Maine Capitol Police.

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BANGOR, Maine: A Linneus man was sentenced on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Bangor for his role in a northern Maine drug trafficking ring.

U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced James Valiante, 43, to 36 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. On August 22, 2024, Valiante pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.

According to court records, between January 2018 and December 2021, Valiante and others trafficked methamphetamine and fentanyl in Penobscot and Aroostook counties and elsewhere. Valiante regularly arranged to obtain quantities of the two drugs from other members of the conspiracy through phone calls and texts using coded language and then distributed those drugs through a network of dealers he supplied in Aroostook County, using the proceeds to purchase more drugs. 

Twenty-two defendants have been charged in this and related cases for their part in a widespread northern Maine drug trafficking conspiracy. With Valiante’s sentencing this week, 20 of the defendants have been sentenced while two – Daquan Corbett and Daviston Jackson, who were convicted following a two-week trial in December 2024 – await sentencing.

In addition to the sentence imposed on Valiante today, the Court has imposed the following sentences in related cases:

Sentenced:

• Andrew Adams (32, Aroostook County) – 10 years
• Matthew Catalano (38, Penobscot County) – 165 months
• Christopher Coty (44, Bangor) – 4 years
• Jason Cunrod (42, Caribou) – 48 months
• Blaine Footman (38, Bangor) – 5 years
• Nicole Footman (41, Holden) – 3 years
• Dwight Gary, Jr. (54, Medway) – Time served (approx. 5 months)
• Carol Gordon (53, Bangor) – Time served (approx. 31 months) plus 6 months of community confinement
• Thomas Hammond (26, Charleston) – 84 months
• Joshua Jerrell (30, Orrington) – Time served (approx. 36 months)
• James King (55, Caribou) – 165 months
• Shelby Loring (29, Bangor) – Time served (approx. 32 months)
• Danielle McBreairty (34, Glenburn) – 20 years
• John Miller (24, Caribou) – 54 months
• Aaron Rodgers (43, Bangor) – Time served (approx. 33 months)
• Wayne Smith (33, Bangor) – 85 months
• Joshua Young (48, Presque Isle) – Time served (approx. 2 months) plus 24 months home detention
• Tamara Davis (29, Fall River, MA) – Time Served (approx. 14 months)
• Sarah McBreairty (36, Dixmont) – 60 months

Awaiting sentencing:

• Daquan Corbett (31, Brockton, MA) – sentencing scheduled for August 11, 2025
• Daviston Jackson (28, Boston, MA) – sentencing to be scheduled

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case. Assistance was provided by the police departments in Orono, Bangor, Brewer, Caribou, Presque Isle and Houlton. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also recognized the cooperation and coordination provided by the Maine State Attorney General’s Office and the Aroostook County District Attorney’s Office.

Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces: This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Guatemalan national pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to illegally re-entering the United States after a prior removal. 

According to court records, Marvin Aguilar-Lopez, 24, was pulled over by Old Orchard Beach police officers in March 2025 for a taillight violation. Aguilar-Lopez produced an invalid international license and told police he was from Guatemala. Immigration records showed that he had previously been removed from the U.S. in 2023 and did not have a visa or other documentation that would allow him to re-enter the country.

Aguilar-Lopez faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to a year of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.

Operation Take Back America: 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 (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

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BANGOR, Maine: A Honduran national was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for illegally entering the U.S. after a prior removal.

U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced Jose Luis Matute-Duarte, 35, to time served (approximately 70 days). Following sentencing, Matute-Duarte was taken into custody for immigration proceedings and faces likely deportation.

According to court records, on March 10, 2025, a U.S. Border Patrol Agent approached Matute-Duarte outside a Brownville convenience store. Matute-Duarte told the agent he was from New Jersey and produced a New Jersey driver’s license. When asked if he was in the country illegally, Matute-Duarte initially declined to answer before acknowledging that he was. Immigration records showed that he was arrested in 2015 for illegally entering the U.S. in Texas and was removed from the country.

U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.

Operation Take Back America: 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).

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BANGOR, Maine: A man from Brazil pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to re-entry after deportation

According to court records, Americo Lopes-Da Silva, 37, was a passenger in a van stopped by the U.S. Border Patrol in the Rangeley, Maine area. During a field immigration inspection, Lopes-Da Silva indicated that he was from Brazil and had no legal status to be present in the United States.  Subsequent processing at the Rangeley Border Patrol Station revealed that Lopes-Da Silva had been removed from the United States in 2021 after illegally crossing into the country in Texas.

Lopes-Da Silva faces up to two years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Portland woman was arrested yesterday on a criminal complaint charging her with making threatening interstate communications and anonymous telecommunications harassment.

According to court records, Alice Jones, 40, made threatening telephone calls to a Supervisory United States Border Patrol Agent and others.

“The FBI takes all threats against law enforcement extremely seriously and we will work with our partners to bring those who set out to undermine their safety to justice,” said Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “What Alice Jones is accused of is not only an attack on these  individuals, but the entire criminal justice system.”

The FBI investigated the case.

Criminal complaints are merely allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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PORTLAND, Maine: In honor of National Police Week 2025, observed this year from May 11 to May 17, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine recognizes the service and sacrifice of federal, state, and local law enforcement.

“On Tuesday of this week I was privileged to attend the annual observance at the Maine Law Enforcement Officers Memorial,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Craig M. Wolff. “The names of two additional officers were added to the wall, bringing to 90 the number of officers whose names are etched on the wall to honor their sacrifice protecting the people of Maine. The service was a poignant reminder of the risks that law enforcement officers willingly embrace each day.”

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), 147 federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement officers died in the line of duty in 2024. The number of law enforcement professionals nationwide who died in the line of duty in 2024 increased 25% compared to 2023, according to preliminary data provided by the NLEOMF. The names of 345 fallen officers were added this year to the wall at the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial in Washington, D.C., including the officers who were killed in 2024.

In 1962, President Kennedy issued the first proclamation for Peace Officers Memorial Day and National Police Week to remember and honor law enforcement officers for their service and sacrifices. Peace Officers Memorial Day, which every year falls on May 15, specifically honors law enforcement officers killed or disabled in the line of duty.

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PORTLAND, Maine: An Ecuadorian national was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for illegally entering the U.S. after a prior removal.

U.S. District Court Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Juan Pablo Clabijo Tacuri, 37, to time served (approximately 105 days).

According to court records, on January 27, 2025, an officer from the Brunswick Police Department observed Clabijo Tacuri operating a vehicle without a seatbelt. After Clabijo Tacuri pulled into a gas station parking lot, the officer approached the vehicle. When asked for his license, Clabijo Tacuri presented a Massachusetts driver’s license with a false name. Immigration records showed that he had previously been removed from the United States on four occasions and did not have a visa or other documentation that would allow him to re-enter the United States.

U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case with assistance from the Brunswick Police Department.

Operation Take Back America: 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 (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

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