Western District of North Carolina
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Illegal Alien from Mexico and Co-Conspirator Indicted for Trafficking Fentanyl in Homeland Security Task Force CaseRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – An illegal alien from Mexico and his co-conspirator have been indicted for trafficking fentanyl in a case that is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Samuel Aquino Chavez, 28, of Mexico, and Crystal Stroud, 34, of Charlotte, are charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, and distribution of fentanyl.
According to allegations in the indictment from July 2023 to June 2024, Chavez and Stroud knowingly and intentionally conspired to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance. It is further alleged that the pair distributed the fentanyl in and around Mecklenburg and Union Counties, and elsewhere.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson credited the Drug Enforcement Administration for the investigation of the case.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney William Wiseman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.
The charges against the defendants are allegations and they are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Home Repairmen Sentenced to Prison for Tax Fraud After Failing to Report Income Earned Overcharging Elderly Clients for RepairsRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Two home repairmen were sentenced to prison today for failing to report more than $1.5 million in income they earned from overcharging elderly customers for home repair services, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
David Angelo Quick, 43, of Charlotte, and Tony Joshua Christo, 34, formerly of Charlotte, now residing in Florida, previously pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return.
Quick was sentenced to 20 months in prison followed by a year of supervised release and was ordered to pay $296,300 in restitution to IRS. Christo received 15 months imprisonment, one year of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $227,548 in restitution to the IRS.
Rodney Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) which oversees North Carolina, and Donald “Trey” Eakins, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Charlotte Field Office, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
According to plea documents and the court hearings, from 2018 to 2021, Quick and Christo provided home repair and improvement services, as well as car repair services, to elderly clients. During that time, the defendants collectively received more than $1.5 million from elderly customers but failed to report any of this income on their federal income tax returns filed with the IRS. Quick, who was not a licensed contractor, owned and operated David Quick Home Improvements, which provided roofing, painting, driveway construction and other home services; Christo, Quick’s brother, worked with him.
Filed documents show that the defendants defrauded some of the elderly clients by overcharging them for repairs. According to court records, Quick would generally approach elderly people about fixing damage to their cars, often in the supermarket parking lot. Once they hired him to do this work, Quick would eventually convince the elderly clients that they had all sorts of problems around their homes and that he and Christo could fix those problems. Then, the repairmen charged the elderly clients outrageous amounts to fix the purported problems, such as painting garage floors, paving a driveway, and replacing windows.
Court records also show that the defendants received payment for their services, but they failed to report their income to the IRS.
The defendants will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
The IRS-CI and the USPIS investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Convicted and Armed Fentanyl Trafficker Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A previously convicted armed fentanyl trafficker was sentenced to prison today on gun and drug charges, announced the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina. Shamel Malik Dove, 32, of Charlotte, was ordered to serve 13 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Estella D. Patterson of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) join the U.S. Attorney’s Office in making the announcement.
According to court documents and court proceedings, in 2016, Dove was convicted of illegal firearm possession and was sentenced to 23 months in prison. In February 2023, CMPD officers were investigating a shooting incident and executed a search warrant at an apartment in Charlotte. Dove was in the apartment when the officers found three firearms, including a Glock model 23 .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, a Glock model 27 .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, and a Ruger AR-15 pistol with a binary trigger. At the time, Dove denied any knowledge of the firearms. On May 8, 2023, CMPD officers arrested Dove, who had a firearm on his person. The officers also discovered a bag of fentanyl pressed into small, round, blue pills marked with an “M” on one side and “30” on the other, located on the rear passenger seat of an SUV nearby. Prior to his arrest, a CMPD officer saw Dove next to the open door of the rear passenger seat of the SUV. The pills were chemically analyzed and determined to be 89.5 grams of fentanyl.
Dove pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possession in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Dove remains in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The ATF and CMPD conducted the investigation.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Three Sentenced for International Multi-Million Dollar Tech Support Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Three men were sentenced to prison today for conspiracy to commit wire fraud for their involvement in an international multi-million dollar technical support fraud scheme, announced the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina.
Reid Davis, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Field Office, and Joseph E. Carrico, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, Nashville Field Office, join the U.S. Attorney’s Office in making the announcement.
Nachiket Banwari, 36, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Hunter G. Mello, 42, of Sandwich, Massachusetts, was ordered to serve 40 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Richard Paul Nolan, 60, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was sentenced to 24 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. The Court ordered the defendants to collectively forfeit $3,711,000 in proceeds from the scheme.
According to court records, Banwari, Mello, Nolan, and others were part of a conspiracy that carried out an international internet technical support fraud scam targeting victims, many of whom were elderly, in the United States and elsewhere. Internet pop-up “ads” were a central part of the conspiracy’s tech support scam. The malicious pop-ups suddenly appeared on victims’ screens and froze their computers. The pop-ups contained misrepresentations designed to trick the victims into believing their computers had been infected with a virus and needed technical support to fix the problem. The pop-ups instructed victims to call the number in the pop ups to receive technical support. The numbers connected the victims to various Republic of India-based call centers who misrepresented themselves as Microsoft and further misrepresented the presence of viruses or other computer issues to induce the victims to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars for technical support to “fix” the non-existent computer problems. No technical support was actually provided. The scheme tricked millions of U.S.-based computer users into calling the call centers.
Banwari worked for Capstone Technologies (Capstone), a company headquartered in Charlotte. Capstone used malicious pop-ups and a Republic of India-based call center to commit technical support fraud as described above. Through this scheme, Capstone defrauded thousands of victims throughout the United States of more than $7 million. For his participation in the scheme, Banwari received three percent of the Capstone revenue, or $222,334.
Mello was a broker of pop-up call leads to call centers in the Republic of India. In other words, Mello worked with the pop-up creators or “publishers” to sell pop-up calls to various call centers, including Capstone. Mello was paid a fee by the pop-up publishers for his sales. Mello generated over $20 million in sales of pop-ups to call centers. Mello also used his financial accounts to transfer proceeds of tech support fraud to publishers’ overseas bank accounts. Mello profited as much as $2 million from the scheme.
Nolan participated in the tech support scheme by creating and operating a platform called TrackDrive to route technical support fraud calls to the call centers, including Capstone. Nolan worked with pop-up publishers to ensure that the pop-ups effectively locked victim computers and displayed the correct call center routing numbers. Nolan’s TrackDrive platform routed approximately 15 million calls to call centers from the pop-ups. Nolan received a fee per call routed on his platform. Nolan also used his financial accounts to transfer proceeds of tech support fraud to publishers’ overseas bank accounts. Nolan profited approximately $2 million from the scheme. The total loss amount associated with Nolan in this scheme is approximately $19 million.
The FBI Charlotte Field Office conducted the investigation into Banwari. The FBI Nashville Field Office – Knoxville Resident Agency, led the investigation into Mello and Nolan.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Warren of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the cases. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Frick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office assisted in prosecuting Banwari.
Previously Convicted Concord Woman Sentenced to Prison for Selling Fake DocumentsRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Chaiya Maley-Jackson, 26, of Concord, N.C., was sentenced to 21 months in prison today for selling fake Social Security Cards, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Maley-Jackson was under federal court supervision when she reoffended and was indicted on new charges. As a result of the new indictment and other probation violations, the Court found that Maley-Jackson violated the conditions of probation of her 2023 conviction and revoked her probation imposing a six-month prison sentence in that case, consecutive to the sentence in the 2024 case, for a total of 27 months imprisonment.
Reid Davis, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
According to plea documents and the court hearing, between October 2023 and October 2024, Maley-Jackson earned more than $49,000 in fees from producing, selling, and transferring various types of fraudulent documents, including Social Security Cards. Maley-Jackson had a Facebook page under the name of Yaya Ling which advertised the sale of false and fraudulent documents. Maley-Jackson communicated with customers via email and messages to obtain the information needed to create the false documents, to provide updates and samples on their orders, and to send the finalized fake documents.
Maley-Jackson produced the fake documents while she was serving a probationary sentence for a 2023 federal conviction for a similar scheme. According to court records in that case, as early as January 2020, Maley-Jackson was the owner and operator of Diva Documents/CPN Services (Diva Documents). Diva Documents advertised the sale of false and fraudulent documents on Facebook as well as two websites, divadocuments.com and divadocuments.onuniverse.com. Maley-Jackson used her personal Facebook page under the name Yaya Flowers to advertise the types of documents she could produce and a pricelist for the fake documents. The documents listed on the document pricelist that Maley-Jackson could produce and transfer included paystubs, lease agreements, COVID-19 hardship letters, bank statements, W2 forms, Social Security Cards, and driver’s licenses, both digital and hard copies, among others. The prices for the fake documents ranged from $15 to edit a paystub to $150 for a hard copy of a driver’s license. Maley-Jackson required customers to pay half of the payment upfront and the balance upon completion of the fabricated documents.
According to court documents, Maley-Jackson was aware that she was producing and transferring fake documents and knew that customers would use the fake documents for PPP loan applications, car loan applications, and apartment rentals, among others. Maley-Jackson admitted that between January 2020 and August 2022, she created at least 400 Social Security Cards, eight driver’s licenses, and six COVID vaccine cards, and earned more than $320,000 in fees from producing, selling and transferring false documents.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson credited the FBI in Charlotte for the investigation which led to the charges and thanked the United States Probation Office for the Middle District of North Carolina for their assistance in this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley and Special Assistant United States Attorney Eric Frick with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte are in charge of the prosecution.
Mint Hill Sentenced for Investment Fraud, Embezzlement from Church, and COVID-19 Relief FraudRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Brian Shane Haigler, 43, of Mint Hill, N.C., was sentenced today to 33 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for a fraud scheme that targeted individual investors, a church, and a federal COVID-19 relief program, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
“Haigler exploited friends, stole from his church, and defrauded a federal relief program meant to provide economic assistance during a national crisis,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “This rampant fraud must be stopped, and my office is committed to investigating and prosecuting those that take advantage of others.”
According to court documents, in or around February 2019, Haigler began to recruit friends and acquaintances to invest money in what he represented were real estate transactions. Haigler promised his investors that their funds would be used to purchase or improve specific properties and that they would receive fixed returns by a certain date. Instead of investing the money as promised, Haigler used little, if any, of the investor funds for legitimate real estate purposes. A significant portion of the money was used for personal expenditures or to make payments to earlier investors. To cover up the fraud, when investors inquired about their investments or sought repayment, Haigler made numerous false statements to conceal the scheme.
Then, according to court records, in July 2019, Haigler embezzled funds from a church where he served as a Treasurer. Following the death of the church’s pastor in early 2019, Haigler was the sole signatory on the church’s bank accounts. From 2019 to 2021, Haigler wrote 53 checks and made three cash withdrawals from the church’s bank account totaling over $389,000. In one instance, Haigler wrote a $160,000 check from the church account payable to himself and then used most of those funds to pay an investor.
After that, in April 2021, Haigler submitted an application through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) online portal for a $311,000 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) in the name of the church, without the church’s knowledge and consent. The SBA approved the EIDL loan and after the funds were deposited into the church’s account Haigler transferred $300,000 to his personal account. The loss associated with Haigler’s embezzlement scheme is between $550,000 and $1.5 million.
On July 14, 2024, Haigler pleaded guilty to wire fraud. He will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
The case was investigated by the SBA and the U.S. Secret Service.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Frick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Gun Trafficker Sentenced to Seven Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Walter Adonai Rivera Chinchilla, 25, of Charlotte, was sentenced today to seven years in prison followed by two years of supervised release for trafficking firearms, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
“This Administration is committed to completely eliminating transnational criminal cartels,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “A key aspect of that effort is ending the smuggling of firearms abroad, where they end up in the hands of those criminal networks and fuel violence and instability overseas. My office will not tolerate those who exploit our lawful gun market to arm criminals—whether here or abroad.”
According to filed court documents and the sentencing hearing, law enforcement were conducting an investigation into Chinchilla’s gun trafficking activities. Investigators determined that between August 2023 to October 2024, the defendant purchased 115 firearms from federal firearms licensees (FFLs) in North Carolina. On all purchases, Chinchilla represented to the sellers that he was purchasing the firearms for himself. Court records show that on August 1, 2024, law enforcement intercepted six Glock handguns along with 17-round high-capacity magazines hidden in a shipment destined for Honduras. All six firearms had been purchased by Chinchilla in previous months.
Additionally, and according to court documents, Chinchilla agreed to buy a gun for an undercover agent posing as a buyer. On October 2, 2024, Chinchilla met the undercover agent at an FFL. Chinchilla entered the FFL and purchased two firearms which he then sold to the undercover agent. The undercover agent and Chinchilla then discussed shipping firearms to Mexico, and Chinchilla told the undercover agent that he could coordinate that shipment for a fee. On October 16, 2024, Chinchilla met again with the undercover agent at another FFL, where Chinchilla bought three firearms that he then sold to the undercover agent. Chinchilla was arrested on October 31, 2024, after he showed up for a meeting with the undercover agent about smuggling firearms out of the country.
Chinchilla pleaded guilty to gun trafficking. He remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals until he is transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The ATF conducted the investigation.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Former Mail Carrier Sentenced to Prison for Bank Fraud Conspiracy Involving Stolen MailRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A former U.S. mail carrier was sentenced to prison today for participating in a conspiracy to commit bank fraud involving mail she stole from her postal route, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Kiara Padgett, 31, of Charlotte, was ordered to serve a six-month active prison sentence followed by six months of home detention.
Padgett’s husband, Dominique Dunlap, was previously sentenced to 70 months in prison and ordered to pay $1,650,921.70 as restitution. A third co-conspirator, Terrell Alexander Hager, Jr., was sentenced to three years in prison in connection with the scheme.
Rodney Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) which oversees North Carolina, Kathleen Woodson, Special Agent in Charge, United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General (USPS-OIG) for the Mid-Atlantic Area Field Office (MAAFO), which overseas Charlotte, and Chief Estella D. Patterson of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
“As I have said before, I am sick and tired of checks being stolen from the mail – which we too often see from employees of the Postal Service,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “We are working tirelessly to catch these thieves and bring them to justice.”
According to court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, from August 2021 to November 2022, Padgett conspired with Dunlap, Hager, and others to execute a scheme involving stolen checks. Padgett used her position as a mail carrier to steal checks of businesses and individuals from her postal route. Acting as an intermediary, Dunlap sold the stolen checks to Hager and other individuals. The stolen checks were then deposited into bank accounts controlled by co-conspirators and quickly withdrawn as cash before the financial institutions or the victims detected the fraud. Court documents show that the total face value of checks stolen from Padgett’s postal routes was over $8.5 million.
On September 15, 2023, Padgett pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended the USPIS, USPS-OIG, and CMPD for their investigation of the case.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Frick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Charlotte Man Sentenced to More Than 32 Years in Prison for String of Armed RobberiesRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Charlotte man was sentenced to prison today for a string of armed robberies, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Andrew Marquis Jackson, 33, of Charlotte, was ordered to serve 394 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
Jackson was previously convicted at trial of three counts of Hobbs Act robbery; three counts of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery; two counts of possessing, brandishing, and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence; and one count of possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Reid Davis, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, and Chief Estella D. Patterson of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
According to filed court documents, trial evidence, and witness testimony, Jackson and his co-conspirators, Joshua Jon’tavious Blount and Messiah Lynn Blair, robbed at least three businesses in Charlotte at gunpoint. The first robbery occurred on January 24, 2023. The defendants entered a Dunkin Donuts located on Beatties Ford Road. Jackson approached the counter and demanded cash from the register. He then fired a shot into the ceiling. Blair jumped over the counter and searched the back office for money. Jackson held an employee at gunpoint while taking money from the registers. Blount was the getaway driver.
U.S. v. Jackson et al. – Armed Robbery at Dunkin Donuts
The second armed robbery occurred three days later, on January 27, 2023. Evidence presented at trial showed that Jackson entered a 7-Eleven located on Brookshire Blvd.
Upon entering the store, Jackson fired a shot into the ceiling with a handgun. He then pointed a gun at a store employee ordering him to hand over all the money in the register. Jackson took the money and ran out the store. Blount was inside the store pretending to be a customer during the robbery.
U.S. v. Jackson et al. – Armed Robbery at 7-Eleven
The third robbery took place on February 1, 2023. Blount went into the Family Dollar store located on Beatties Ford Road store to survey the number of people present. Jackson and Blair then entered the store, armed with firearms. The men pointed their guns at the employee behind the counter and demanded money from the register and safe. The robbers proceeded to take all the cash from the registers before they fled the scene.
U.S. v. Jackson et al. – Armed Robbery at Family Dollar
Jackson remains in federal custody. He will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the FBI and CMPD for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Kelly of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.
Armed Drug Trafficker Sentenced to Prison for Selling Glock Switch and Possessing over 6,000 Fentanyl PillsRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – An armed drug trafficker was sentenced to prison today for selling a machinegun conversion device (or “Glock switch”) and possessing over 6,000 fentanyl pills, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Jalein Young, 27, of Charlotte, was ordered to serve 138 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
According to court records, Young sold a firearm fitted with a Glock switch to an undercover law enforcement agent in 2024. The firearm was a Glock model 19 pistol converted from a semiautomatic weapon to one capable of fully automatic fire. In March 2024, Young agreed to sell 5,000 fentanyl pills to an undercover law enforcement agent. Investigators intercepted Young and found over 5,000 pills in his vehicle. A laboratory chemical analysis identified the pills to contain at least 504 grams of fentanyl. An additional 1,532 pills weighing approximately 358 grams were found in Young’s garage. In late March 2024, Young contacted the undercover agent offering to sell 4,000 additional fentanyl pills. In May 2024, Young was arrested while trying to fly to the Dominican Republic on a one-way ticket.
Young pleaded guilty to transfer of a machinegun and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
He is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The ATF conducted the investigation.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Mooresville Man Sentenced for Mail Fraud and Money Laundering in $1.9 Million Embezzlement SchemeRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Mooresville man was sentenced to 41 months in prison today for stealing more than $1.9 million from his employer, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Gene Christopher Acuff, 62, was ordered to serve one year of supervised release after he is released from prison, to pay restitution in the amount of $1,997,150.29, and to forfeit $400,000 as a penalty for his crimes.
Steven Gutierrez, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Charlotte Field Office, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
According to court documents and court proceedings, Acuff was employed as a senior manager by Company A, a large retailer with stores throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. As part of his duties, Acuff was responsible for reviewing property tax assessments on Company A’s stores and retaining real estate appraisers and other professionals to evaluate tax assessments on company stores. Businesses that provided those services to Company A would submit invoices which Acuff paid through Company A’s bill pay system.
According to court records, between January 2020 and June 2024, Acuff created five businesses with names related to real estate appraisal and consulting services. As part of the scheme, Acuff submitted false and fraudulent invoices to Company A in the names of his businesses for appraisals and other services that were never provided to Company A. Acuff then used his authority and access to Company A’s billing system to authorize payments of the false invoices. Through this scheme, Acuff issued payments totaling more than $1.9 million, which he deposited into bank accounts he controlled.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. District Judge Matthew E. Orso said, “A slap on the wrist in a case like this won’t establish true deterrence.”
Acuff pleaded guilty to mail fraud and money laundering. He will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bain-Creed with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Convicted Bloods Gang Member on Federal Supervised Release Sentenced to Prison for Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A previously-convicted Bloods gang member on federal supervised release was sentenced today to 51 months in prison for illegal gun possession, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Christopher O’Brien Moore, 30, of Shelby, N.C., was also ordered to serve three years under court supervision upon completion of his prison sentence.
Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Sheriff Alan Norman of the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
According to court records, in January 2019, Moore was convicted of RICO conspiracy in the Western District of North Carolina and sentenced to prison and a term of supervised release. Court documents show that, on June 6, 2024, while Moore was under court supervision, Cleveland County Sheriff’s deputies attempted to initiate a traffic top of his vehicle after Moore picked up another individual who ran from deputies earlier that day. Moore initially refused to stop, but after a short pursuit he pulled over his vehicle. Deputies detained Moore. During a search of Moore, deputies retrieved a hidden .40 caliber magazine loaded with 10 rounds of Winchester, .40 S&W caliber ammunition and five rounds of CCI, .40 S&W caliber ammunition from his crotch area. Inside the vehicle, deputies located a Glock, model 22, .40 caliber pistol with a loaded extended magazine under the driver’s side floormat. The magazine from the .40 caliber pistol had 21 rounds of ammunition. Deputies also discovered 14 rounds of New Republic, .357 magnum ammunition in the driver’s side door. As a convicted felon, Moore is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
On November 26, 2025, Moore pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon. He is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the ATF and the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hess with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville prosecuted the case.
Charlotte Businessman and Founder of Charitable Organization Indicted for Tax FraudRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office unsealed an indictment today, charging a Charlotte man with tax fraud for filing fraudulent income tax returns and failure to file income tax returns on money he transferred from a charitable organization he founded and controlled, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Michael Kahn, 65, is charged with two counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return, and two counts of failure to file a tax return. He appeared in court this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Omar J. Alboulhosn.
Donald “Trey” Eakins, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Charlotte Field Office (IRS-CI), joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
According to the indictment, the defendant established The Michael A. Kahn Family Foundation (The Foundation) in 2010 as a tax-exempt organization purportedly dedicated to advancing charitable, religious, and educational purposes. Kahn held all leadership roles within The Foundation, including Director, President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Chairman of the Board of Directors, and The Foundation had no other officers, board members, or employees. The indictment alleges that, between 2020 and 2023, Kahn transferred over $4.5 million from The Foundation to himself and failed to report those funds as income on his 2020 and 2021 tax returns filed with the IRS. The indictment also alleges that Kahn failed to file tax returns for calendar years 2022 and 2023, despite receiving income in excess of $25,900 and $27,700, respectively.
Following the court hearing, Kahn was released on bond. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each count of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return, and up to one year in prison for each count of failure to file a tax return. A federal district court judge will determine the ultimate sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The IRS-CI handled the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges against the defendant are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Rheumatologist Agrees to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Related to Unapproved DrugsRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Steven L. Mendelsohn, a medical doctor specializing in rheumatology, has agreed to pay $549,554.26 to resolve False Claims Act allegations arising from the submission of reimbursement claims to Medicare for prescription arthritis drugs that were not approved by the Food & Drug Administration for marketing and distribution in the United States, U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson announced today.
This settlement resolves allegations that, in 2019, Dr. Mendelsohn sought reimbursement from Medicare for immunosuppressive drugs that were administered intravenously to his patients to treat rheumatoid arthritis that were not purchased from a licensed or authorized drug distributor. The United States alleged that the drugs were intended for foreign markets. Those drugs were thus not approved by the FDA for marketing and distribution in the United States.
“When patients receive intravenous drugs, they have no insight into what is being put inside their bodies. The FDA plays an important role in ensuring only safe and proper pharmaceuticals are used,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “Dr. Mendelsohn sidestepped that oversight to buy cheaper drugs abroad yet receive full reimbursement from Medicare at the expense of the American taxpayer. This settlement holds him accountable and ensures that Medicare funds are only used for FDA-approved drugs.”
“Health care professionals are legally obligated to uphold the integrity of the Medicare program,” said Kelly Blackmon, Special Agent in Charge at the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Protecting the safety of Medicare patients is essential, and HHS-OIG is committed to ensuring taxpayer dollars are not spent on unapproved or unauthorized treatments that put patients at risk.”
“The FDA’s comprehensive regulatory framework is designed to ensure the safety, efficacy, and quality of drugs distributed to American consumers,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Juan Berrios, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Miami Field Office. “We commend the efforts of the Department of Justice to protect public health and hold accountable those who place profits over patient safety.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Holly H. Snow handled this affirmative civil enforcement matter with assistance from the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services and the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
Charlotte Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 21+ Years After Being Arrested with Large Quantities of Methamphetamine, Fentanyl, Two Firearms, $10,000 in Cash, and A Stolen VehicleRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Charlotte drug trafficker was sentenced to 262 months in prison today following a federal investigation that resulted in the seizure of large quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl, two firearms, more than $10,000 in cash, and a stolen vehicle, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In addition to the prison term imposed, Deontaye Smith, 32, was ordered to serve five years of supervised release. Smith pleaded guilty to three counts of distributing methamphetamine.
Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
According to court documents and the sentencing hearing, on March 27, 2024, investigators became aware that an individual known as “Taye,” later identified as Deontaye Smith, was selling large quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and firearms in the Charlotte area. Using a confidential informant, investigators arranged multiple drug buys with Smith, during which they purchased significant quantities of methamphetamine. Court records show that, on July 16, 2024, Smith was indicted by a federal grand jury. On July 25, 2024, ATF agents arrested Smith at his residence. During a subsequent search, investigators recovered approximately 1.6 kilograms of methamphetamine, 633 grams of fentanyl, $10,099 in cash, two scales, and a stolen Dodge Charger parked at the residence. In addition to the drugs, law enforcement recovered powder used to dilute the drugs. Law enforcement further seized two firearms and several rounds of assorted caliber ammunition. One of the firearms was fitted with a machinegun conversion device, or “Glock switch,” and was equipped with a 31-round extended magazine.
Smith is in federal custody and will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prison upon designation of a federal facility.
In making the announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended the ATF.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Three California Drug Traffickers Sentenced to Prison for Transporting Six Kilograms of Methamphetamine and A Kilogram of Fentanyl in Checked LuggageRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Three drug traffickers from California who were arrested after they tried to smuggle six kilograms of methamphetamine and a kilogram of fentanyl through the Charlotte Douglas International Airport have been sentenced to prison, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Dericc Milford Adams, 35, of Long Beach, California, was sentenced to 132 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Anthony Quintin Boyd, 30, of Compton, California, was ordered to serve 120 months in prison followed five years of supervised release. David Anton Stallworth, 37, also of Compton, California, was sentenced to 108 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
According to court documents and court proceedings, on August 1, 2023, Adams, Boyd, and Stallworth boarded a flight from California to Charlotte, with fentanyl and methamphetamine hidden in luggage. When they arrived at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, a drug detecting canine alerted the presence of narcotics in two checked suitcases. One of the suitcases was checked by Boyd and the other by Adams. Law enforcement discovered hidden in the luggage more than six kilograms of methamphetamine and nearly a kilogram of fentanyl. Included in the seizure were gallon-sized plastic baggies of methamphetamine hidden in Welch’s Fruit Snack boxes.
In addition to the conduct described above, Stallworth was also convicted and sentenced for trafficking approximately three and a half kilograms of methamphetamine and 100 grams a fentanyl in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Adams and Boyd pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess and distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. Adams also pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. Stallworth pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to possess and distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. One count for the North Carolina conduct and a second count for the Arkansas offense. The defendants are in federal custody and will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making the announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Field Office in Arkansas.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte handled the prosecution.
Repeat Mail Thief Who Fled to Mexico to Avoid Prosecution Appears in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A repeat mail thief who fled to Mexico to avoid prosecution appeared in court today on new federal charges, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Erik Magana, 41, of Charlotte, is charged with bank fraud and two counts of receipt and possession of stolen mail.
In 2020, Magana was convicted of stealing thousands of pieces of mail in North and South Carolina, and was sentenced to prison followed by a term of supervised release. Beginning in 2024, after Magana was released from prison and no longer was under court supervision, he allegedly began to steal large quantities of mail, from mailboxes around Mecklenburg, Union, and Gaston Counties, and elsewhere. Magana allegedly stole business and individual checks, credit cards, tax forms, financial statements, packages, and other documents containing victims’ personal identifying information. Magana used the stolen mail to engage in a bank fraud scheme by depositing stolen and forged business and individual checks into bank accounts he controlled and then withdrawing as much of the funds as possible before the fraud was detected.
Magana fled to Mexico prior to being indicted in September 2024. The U.S. Marshal’s Service facilitated Magana’s arrest and return from Mexico to the United States to face prosecution.
Following today’s arraignment in federal court, Magana was remanded into custody. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison for each mail theft charge, and up to 30 years in prison for the bank fraud offense. A federal district court judge will determine the ultimate sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their investigation of the case. Ferguson also commended the U.S. Marshals Service for securing Magana’s return to the Western District of North Carolina and recognized the Union County Sheriff’s office for assisting in this case.
The charges against the defendant are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Federal Indictment Charges Man with Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – An 18-year-old man has been indicted by a Charlotte grand jury for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. The formal indictment comes after Christian Sturdivant, of Mint Hill, was arrested and charged on December 31, 2025, by criminal complaint after the FBI learned he was planning to use knives and hammers to execute a deadly New Year’s Eve attack at a grocery store and a fast- food restaurant. Sturdivant’s alleged plan was to harm as many people as possible until he was killed by law enforcement.
James C. Barnacle, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
According to allegations in filed documents and court proceedings, the FBI launched an investigation after receiving information that Sturdivant had been communicating with an online undercover law enforcement agent whom Sturdivant thought was an ISIS member. Over the course of their communications, Sturdivant told the undercover agent he was going to “do jihad soon,” and proclaimed he was “a soldier of the state,” meaning ISIS. On December 29, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Sturdivant’s residence, where they discovered handwritten documents indicating he was planning an attack. Law enforcement also seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom two hammers and two butcher knives, a list of targets, as well as tactical gloves and a vest, all acquired as part of the defendant’s alleged planned attack.
Sturdivant remains in federal custody. If convicted, Sturdivant faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine the ultimate sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Charlotte Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, the Matthews Police Department, the Monroe Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Air Marshal Service, the Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, with the assistance of the NYPD, additional FBI Field Offices, the FBI Counterterrorism Division, and the Mint Hill Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Gleason for the Western District of North Carolina and DOJ Trial Attorney Elisa Poteat with the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
The charges against the defendant are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Charlotte Man Sentenced to 6 ½ Years for Possessing AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Images and Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Charlotte man was sentenced to 78 months in prison today for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), some of which was AI-generated, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In addition to the prison term imposed, U.S. District Judge Matthew E. Orso ordered Daniel Joseph Broadway, 54, to serve a lifetime of supervised release, to register as a sex offender after he is released from prison, and to pay $17,000 in special assessments and $15,000 in restitution.
“Child sexual abuse material is harmful in all of its forms, and my office has the experience, expertise, and resolve to keep up with the technology as criminals use new methods to exploit children,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “Using AI to generate harmful imagery of children is illegal and we will aggressively prosecute those who do so.”
According to court documents and court proceedings, in April 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a cybertip that an individual later identified as Broadway was uploading CSAM to an online account. In December 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Broadway’s residence, seizing nine electronic devices. A forensic review of the devices revealed that they contained more than 30,000 images and videos of AI-generated CSAM and over 8,600 images and videos of CSAM. The forensics further showed that Broadway used an AI platform to generate original images of CSAM, including images depicting prepubescent minors. He further used the AI platform to nudify existing images of real people.
In sentencing Broadway, Judge Orso said, “Congress has observed that child pornography is a permanent record of a child’s abuse,” and “those wounds get ripped back open” every time people view the content depicting their abuse.
On April 23, 2025, Broadway pleaded guilty to possession and access with intent to view child pornography involving a prepubescent minor who had not attained 12 years of age, and obscene visual representations of sexual abuse of children involving a prepubescent minor who had not attained 12 years of age. Broadway is in federal custody and will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prison upon designation of a federal facility.
The case was investigated by the FBI in Charlotte and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Cervantes with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Twice-Removed Illegal Alien Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Illegal Reentry and Unlawful Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Aviel Gonzalez-Ruiz, 41, of Mexico, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to illegal reentry by an alien and unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, Kyle D. Burns, Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI in North Carolina and South Carolina, and Chief Justin J. Jacobs of the Murphy Police Department, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
According to court records and the sentencing hearing, on April 20, 2025, Gonzalez-Ruiz illegally possessed a firearm which he fired twice into the air at a motel parking lot in Murphy. Law enforcement responding to the incident recovered the firearm from Gonzalez-Ruiz’s motel room. Video surveillance from the motel’s video system shows Gonzalez-Ruiz firing the gun out the window of his car, while other people, including at least two children, were nearby. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement determined that Gonzalez-Ruiz had been deported from the United States to Mexico on two occasions: once on or about March 2, 2010, at or near Nogales, Arizona, and again on or about September 24, 2018, at or near Brownsville, Texas.
In announcing the sentence, Chief U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger noted Gonzalez-Ruiz’s many previous reentries after deportation, and the recklessness of firing a gun into the air near children.
Gonzalez-Ruiz remains in federal custody and will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making the announcement U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended the ATF, HSI, and the Murphy Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Gast of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
North Carolina Man Sentenced for Civil Rights ViolationRead the Press Release
A Charlotte, North Carolina, man was sentenced today to 40 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for a federal civil rights violation after he threatened eight individuals with force because of their race, color, religion and national origin. Maurice Hopkins, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of interference with federally protected activities on Aug. 19, 2025.
According to filed court documents and the sentencing hearing, on June 8, 2024, Hopkins threatened eight individuals with a firearm inside a pizza restaurant in Charlotte. When Hopkins first encountered the victims, who were a group of friends getting pizza at the time, he asked if they were American. Hopkins then proceeded to harass the victims calling them terrorists, demanding they speak English, telling them to go back to their country, and making other statements because of the victims’ race, color, religion, and national origin. Court records show that Hopkins made multiple threats, telling the victims, “If you say one more thing I’m going to punch you in the face,” and threatened to “Shoot the place up,” and “kill all of them.” Hopkins then left the restaurant and returned minutes later, walking through the doorway with a loaded AR-15 style rifle. The victims immediately fled through the door in the rear of the restaurant.
With his guilty plea, Hopkins admitted that he threatened the eight individuals with force because of their race, color, religion and national origin and because they were enjoying the goods, services and facilities of the restaurant.
“This defendant targeted people enjoying a simple night out and threatened them with violence because of their race and national origin,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This was an outrageous act motivated by nothing other than racial bigotry. Today’s sentence makes clear: if you threaten people with violence because of who they are — or where they come from — you will be met with the full force of federal law.”
“You ought to be able to get pizza with your friends without being harassed due to your race or national origin and certainly without being threatened with an AR-15,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson for the Western District of North Carolina. “Incidents like this should never happen, but when they do, my office will act swiftly to bring justice.”
Hopkins remains in federal custody and will be transferred to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
The FBI Charlotte Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick J. Miller for the Western District of North Carolina and Trial Attorney Chloe Neely of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Charlotte Man with Felony for Assaulting Federal OfficersRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A federal grand jury has returned a criminal indictment charging a Charlotte man with a felony for assaulting federal officers conducting immigration enforcement operations, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Miguel Angel Garcia Martinez, 24, is charged with a felony offense of assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, and interfering with federal officers engaged in their official duties.
According to allegations in filed documents and information shared in court, on November 16, 2025, federal law enforcement officers attempted to make contact with Martinez after his van was observed at two different locations where federal officers were conducting immigration related operations. When the officers approached Martinez’s van, he fled the scene, driving aggressively and at a high rate of speed. Law enforcement used sirens and lights attempting to stop Martinez, but he allegedly continued to evade law enforcement, driving erratically and swerving in and out of traffic, crossing medians and sidewalks, and driving into oncoming traffic down University Boulevard. Ultimately, Martinez’s van struck a government vehicle that had its lights and sirens activated and was occupied by four federal officers. After striking the government vehicle, Martinez continued to flee until he was stopped and taken into custody.
If convicted, Martinez faces a maximum penalty of eight years in prison for the felony offense. A federal district court judge will determine the ultimate sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is joined in making the announcement by U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement, U.S. Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, and the FBI.
The charges against the defendants are merely allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Charlotte Man Sentenced for Civil Rights ViolationRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Charlotte man was sentenced today to 40 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for a federal civil rights violation after he threatened eight individuals with force because of their race, color, religion and national origin, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Maurice Hopkins, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of interference with federally protected activities on August 19, 2025.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Special Agent in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. of the FBI Charlotte Field Office join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
According to filed court documents and the sentencing hearing, on June 8, 2024, Hopkins threatened eight individuals with a firearm inside a pizza restaurant in Charlotte. When Hopkins first encountered the victims, who were a group of friends getting pizza at the time, he asked if they were American. Hopkins then proceeded to harass the victims calling them terrorists, demanding they speak English, telling them to go back to their country, and making other statements because of the victims’ race, color, religion, and national origin. Court records show that Hopkins made multiple threats, telling the victims, “If you say one more thing I’m going to punch you in the face,” and threatened to “Shoot the place up,” and “kill all of them.” Hopkins then left the restaurant and returned minutes later, walking through the doorway with a loaded AR-15 style rifle. The victims immediately fled through the door in the rear of the restaurant.
With his guilty plea, Hopkins admitted that he threatened the eight individuals with force because of their race, color, religion and national origin and because they were enjoying the goods, services and facilities of the restaurant.
“This defendant targeted people enjoying a simple night out and threatened them with violence because of their race and national origin,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This was an outrageous act motivated by nothing other than racial bigotry. Today’s sentence makes clear: if you threaten people with violence because of who they are — or where they come from — you will be met with the full force of federal law.”
“You ought to be able to get pizza with your friends without being harassed due to your race or national origin and certainly without being threatened with an AR-15,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “Incidents like this should never happen, but when they do, my office will act swiftly to bring justice.”
Hopkins remains in federal custody and will be transferred to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
The FBI Charlotte Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick J. Miller for the Western District of North Carolina and Trial Attorney Chloe Neely of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.
Bookkeeper Sentenced to Federal Prison for Embezzlment SchemeRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A former bookkeeper from Topton, N.C., was sentenced today to 57 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for orchestrating an embezzlement scheme that stole $1 million from three businesses, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Jeraldine Agnes Geldner, 73, was also ordered to pay $1,131,293.94 in restitution. She previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud and filing a false tax return.
Donald “Trey” Eakins, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Charlotte Field Office (IRS-CI), and Sheriff Chuck Owenby of the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
According to court records and the sentencing hearing, Geldner worked as a contracted bookkeeper for three small businesses. As part of her duties, Geldner was responsible for handling the businesses’ accounts payable, payroll, and filing of tax returns. From 2019 through 2024, Geldner engaged in a scheme to defraud and embezzle from the businesses, by making unauthorized wire transfers from the companies’ bank accounts to her own personal bank accounts. To conceal the fraud, Geldner created phony vendors and falsified accounting entries in the victim companies’ ledgers. The scheme resulted in a total loss of $975,670.94. Geldner used much of the stolen money to gamble at casinos.
According to filed court documents in addition to the embezzlement scheme, Geldner filed false tax returns for tax years 2019 through 2022, that grossly underrepresented the income she received from the embezzlement scheme. The total estimated tax due and owing relative to the unreported income was approximately $155,623.
Geldner will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
The IRS-CI and the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case with the assistance of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville handled the prosecution.
Hickory Man Sentenced to More Than Eight Years for Armed CarjackingRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Hickory man was sentenced today in federal court after pleading guilty to carjacking and aiding and abetting, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. U.S. District Judge Matthew E. Orso ordered Marcus Mayfield, 32, to serve 100 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release.
Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Estella Patterson of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
According to filed documents and court proceedings, on January 11, 2023, Mayfield and his co-conspirator, Kaionta Dabney, were driving together when they began to follow a Dodge Hellcat driven by R.P., who owned the vehicle. When R.P. parked and exited his vehicle, Dabney and Mayfield approached the victim on foot. Mayfield brandished a firearm and held R.P. at gunpoint, while Dabney took the victim’s car key. While Mayfield continued to hold R.P. at gunpoint, Dabney got in the vehicle’s driver’s seat. Mayfield then got into the passenger seat and the two drove away. Court records show that Mayfield later recorded videos of himself posing with the stolen vehicle.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Orso ordered Mayfield’s federal sentence to be served in addition to a 14-year state term of imprisonment for Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson credited the ATF and CMPD for the investigation of the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte handled the prosecution.
Convicted Drug Trafficker on Federal Supervised Release Pleads Guilty to Distributing 63 Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A convicted drug trafficker pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute more than 63 kilograms of cocaine, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Matthew Gerard Hendy, 42, of Charlotte, was on federal supervised release for a previous drug conviction when he reoffended.
Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Sheriff Eddie Cathey of the Union County Sheriff’s Office, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
According to the plea documents and other court filings, in 2012, Hendy was convicted in federal court in the Eastern District of North Carolina of drug trafficking, money laundering, and firearms offenses and was sentenced to five years in prison followed by a term of supervised release. In 2023, and while Hendy was still under court supervision for the prior offense, law enforcement learned that he had arranged a large delivery of narcotics. On December 9, 2023, law enforcement intercepted the delivery when the tractor trailer loaded with the drugs arrived at the meeting location. When Hendy saw law enforcement on the scene he attempted to flee. Hendy later admitted he had ordered 63 kilograms of cocaine.
Hendy remains in federal custody. At sentencing, he faces a minimum of 15 years in prison due to the prior offense, and a maximum of life in prison. A sentencing date has not been set.
In making the announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the ATF and the Union County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of the case, and the U.S. Probation Office for its invaluable assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfredo De La Rosa of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Couple Pleads Guilty to Stealing Millions in COVID-19 Relief FundsRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A couple formerly living in Midland, N.C., has pleaded guilty to federal charges for stealing more than one million dollars in COVID-19 relief funds by defrauding the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Tatiana Vazquez, 39, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge David C. Keesler today and pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy affecting a financial institution and conspiracy to defraud the government. Marquise Highsmith, 41, pleaded guilty to the same charges on October 7, 2025.
Joel Weaver, Special Agent in Charge of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), Southeast Field Division, and Donald “Trey” Eakins, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS CI), Charlotte Field Office, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
According to court documents, from May 2020 to January 2022, Highsmith, Vazquez, and their co-conspirators submitted multiple fraudulent applications to financial institutions and to the SBA to obtain loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. The defendants submitted applications for several purported businesses that they or other co-conspirators controlled. These applications contained fraudulent information related to the businesses’ tax filings, number of employees, and other fabricated financial information. As a result, Highsmith and Vazquez personally received more than $450,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. After receiving the funds, the defendants filed loan forgiveness applications that also contained misrepresentations, and as a result some of the loans were subsequently forgiven.
In addition, from July 2022 to February 2023, Highsmith and Vazquez engaged in a separate but related conspiracy to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 relief funds through other federal programs administered by the IRS, including the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) program and the Sick Leave and Family Leave Credit (SFLC) program. The ERC and SFLC programs enabled certain businesses to receive federal tax credit for employment taxes or wages, a certain portion of which were refundable. The defendants and their coconspirators defrauded the IRS by preparing and filing fraudulent forms that falsely claimed millions of dollars in tax credits and other corresponding tax refunds. As a result, the defendants and their coconspirators improperly received more than $1 million in COVID-19 related tax refunds.
Both Vasquez and Highsmith are released on bond. A sentencing date has not been set.
In making the announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked TIGTA and IRS-CI for leading the investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for their assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Bozin and Daniel Ryan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte are prosecuting the case.
Member of Drug Trafficking Organization Known as “Getting Money Brothers" Found Guilty by Federal JuryRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A federal jury in Charlotte convicted Kareem Hicks, 45, and a member of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) known as “Getting Money Brothers” (GMB), of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Kyle D. Burns, Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI in North Carolina and South Carolina, James C. Barnacle, Jr. Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, and Chief Estella Patterson of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
Four other individuals have pleaded guilty in connection with this case and are awaiting sentencing. Mandella Quinshawn Wolfe, 36, of Charlotte, pleaded guilty to distribution of cocaine base. His brother, Campton Conway Wolfe, 39, pleaded guilty to distribution of cocaine. Whynell Jason Rodriguez, 41, of Charlotte, pleaded guilty to distribution of cocaine base. And Dwight LaQuelle Hallman, 42, of Charlotte, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
According to evidence presented at trial, filed court documents, and witness testimony, from 2023 to 2025, GMB was a DTO that distributed large amounts of cocaine, cocaine base, and other narcotics in the greater Charlotte area, as well as operated multiple drug houses. During the course of the two years GMB operated, information obtained by investigators indicated the DTO had dealt more than 50 kilograms of cocaine and crack. Investigators ultimately seized more than 20 kilograms of methamphetamine, six kilograms of cocaine, and a kilogram of fentanyl. The interdiction of the group also led to the seizure of more than 30 firearms from various individuals.
Trial evidence established that, on March 18, 2024, Hicks travelled to Charlotte from New Jersey to purchase a large amount of cocaine from Wolfe. Following his meeting with Wolfe, officers executed a federal search warrant and located approximately 200 grams of cocaine in Hick’s suitcase.
“This case wasn’t just about one defendant,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “It was about dismantling an entire drug trafficking organization that flooded our community with dangerous drugs and weapons. Our office is committed to pursuing drug traffickers from the street level to the top of the organization and working with our law enforcement partners to shut them down completely.”
“This verdict sends a clear message: Homeland Security Investigations, alongside our law enforcement partners, will not tolerate criminal organizations that endanger our communities with drugs and violence,” said Special Agent in Charge Burns. “Through coordinated investigations and strong partnerships, we are committed to dismantling drug trafficking networks and keeping dangerous narcotics and firearms off our streets.”
After the verdict, Hicks was remanded into custody. At sentencing, he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. A sentencing date has not been set.
U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended HSI, the FBI, and CMPD for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfredo De La Rosa and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney William Wiseman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte are prosecuting the case. Mr. Wiseman is a state prosecutor with the office of the 26th Prosecutorial District and was assigned by District Attorney Spencer Merriweather to serve as a SAUSA with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte. Mr. Wiseman is sworn in both state and federal courts. The SAUSA position is a reflection of the partnership between the District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Convicted Felon Found Guilty of Illegal Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Today, a federal jury in Charlotte found Mitchell Clydero Patterson, 38, of Spring Lake, N.C., guilty of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, Sheriff Eddie Cathey of the Union County Sheriff’s Office, and Chief Estella Patterson of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
“Felons are prohibited from carrying firearms for a reason,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “Defendants like Patterson wreak havoc on our communities when they continually resort to gun violence and shoot innocent people in the process. We will continue to aggressively prosecute these repeat offenders.”
“The danger of a prohibited individual in possession of a firearm cannot be understated,” said Special Agent in Charge Jones. “ATF and our local, state and federal partners are committed to keeping firearms out of the hands of those who should not have them.”
Sheriff Cathey said, "The outstanding work of our deputies and our law enforcement partners made it clear that criminals cannot outrun accountability in Union County. We will not tolerate violent offenders bringing illegal guns into our communities, and we will pursue anyone who thinks they can evade justice by crossing into Union County.”
According to filed documents, trial evidence, and witness testimony, on July 23, 2024, Patterson was involved in an argument in front of a Charlotte-based business. Patterson left but soon returned and fired several shots striking a bystander’s vehicle.
Later, on August 14, 2024, Patterson was involved in another altercation at a take-out restaurant in Charlotte. Following that altercation, Patterson left but returned a short time later and fired several shots striking a young woman in the leg.
The following day, on August 15, 2024, CMPD officers followed Patterson into Union County. Deputies with the Union County Sheriff’s Office attempted to stop Patterson’s vehicle, who traveled at a high rate of speed. While fleeing in his vehicle, Patterson threw a bag out of the window before crashing. Deputies recovered and searched the bag thrown from Patterson’s car and found a stolen Smith & Wesson model SD0, 9mm caliber semiautomatic pistol. Lab analysis connected the stolen firearm to the evidence from the July 23rd shooting.
Patterson remains in federal custody. At sentencing, he faces a maximum of 15 years in prison. A sentencing date has not been set.
U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the ATF, the Union County Sheriff’s Office, and CMPD for their investigation of the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.
Charlotte Man Sentenced to Prison for Ponzi SchemeRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Wynn A.D. Charlebois, 55, of Charlotte, was sentenced to six years in prison today for orchestrating a Ponzi scheme that caused millions of dollars in losses, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. U.S. District Judge David Norton also ordered Charlebois to serve two years of supervised release and to pay more than $5.7 million in restitution.
James C. Barnacle, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, and Rodney Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), which oversees Charlotte, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making this announcement.
According to court records, from 2015 to 2022, Charlebois used companies he owned and controlled, including WC Private, Wilcox Hybrid, Damon Investments, and others, to perpetrate a multi-million-dollar fraudulent investment scheme. Charlebois used his past employment at a reputable hedge fund to con his victims into trusting him with their hard-earned savings, falsely promising their money would be invested in risk-free investments, subscription agreements, and loans. Contrary to Charlebois’s claims, instead of investing the victims’ money as promised, he used the funds to make Ponzi-style payments and on personal expenditures. Court documents show that Charlebois continued to solicit additional funds even after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission brought an enforcement action against him.
Charlebois defrauded more than 40 victims around the country, including friends, family, fellow church members, veterans, and retirees. The victims, some of whom were in or nearing retirement, sustained approximately $6 million in losses, and as a result have suffered substantially. In explaining the sentence imposed, Judge Norton emphasized, among other things, the “devastating effect” that Charlebois’s fraud had on his victims, both financially and emotionally.
“Those who lie and cheat others out of money will eventually be caught and face the full force of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “As this case shows, fraud carries serious consequences, including significant prison time.”
“Those who seek to maximize profits by misleading investors should expect to pay a heavy price,” said Inspector in Charge Hopkins. “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is proud to work alongside our law-enforcement partners to protect the integrity of our financial markets and bring to justice trusted insiders who abuse their position.”
On July 31, 2023, Charlebois pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. He will be ordered to report to a federal facility upon designation by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The FBI and USPIS investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Ryan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Charlotte Man Sentenced to Prison for Possession of Stolen MailRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Dominique Dunlap, 30, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 70 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release today for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and possession of stolen mail, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In addition to the prison sentence, Dunlap was ordered to pay $1,650,921.70 as restitution.
Rodney Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) which oversees North Carolina, Kathleen Woodson, Special Agent in Charge, United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General (USPS-OIG) for the Mid-Atlantic Area Field Office (MAAFO), which overseas Charlotte, and Chief Estella Patterson of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
Dunlap’s wife and co-conspirator, Kiara Padgett, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and is awaiting sentencing. Dunlap’s other co-conspirator, Terrell Alexander Hager, Jr., was sentenced to three years in prison in connection to the scheme.
“I am sick and tired of checks being stolen from the mail,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson, “particularly where it is done internally by an employee. We will aggressively prosecute these cases to put an end to this crime.”
According to court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, from August 2021 to November 2022, Dunlap conspired with Padgett, Hager, and others to execute a scheme involving stolen checks. Padgett was employed by the U.S. Postal Service and used her position as a postal carrier to steal incoming and outgoing checks of businesses and individuals. Acting as an intermediary, Dunlap sold the stolen checks to Hager and other individuals. Court documents show that the total face value of checks stolen from Padgett’s postal routes was over $8.8 million.
On September 15, 2023, Dunlap pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and four counts of possession of stolen mail.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended the USPIS, USPS-OIG, and CMPD for their investigation of the case.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Frick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
FBI Disrupts Alleged New Year’s Eve Attack, Man Charged with Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
Today, the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina announced that a Mint Hill, North Carolina man that allegedly planned to use knives and hammers to execute a deadly New Year’s Eve attack at a grocery store and a fast food restaurant in support of the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has been arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. The criminal complaint was filed on Dec. 31, 2025, and was unsealed today after Christian Sturdivant, 18, appeared in federal court in Charlotte.
“This successful collaboration between federal and local law enforcement saved American lives from a horrific terrorist attack on New Year’s Eve,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice remains vigilant in our pursuit of evil ISIS sympathizers — anyone plotting to commit such depraved attacks will face the full force of the law.”
“The accused allegedly wanted to be a soldier for ISIS and made plans to commit a violent attack on New Year’s Eve in support of that terrorist group, but the FBI and our partners put a stop to that,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “It is essential to work closely with our law enforcement partners and to quickly share information about potential threats, as demonstrated in this case. The message from the FBI is clear — anyone who supports ISIS or other terrorist groups cannot hide and will be held accountable in our justice system.”
“As alleged, Sturdivant aspired to become a ‘martyr’ for ISIS and was in the final stages of planning a mass-casualty attack on New Year’s Eve. Notes recovered from his home appear to reflect intent to harm as many people as possible and terrorize the Nation,” said Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg of the Justice Department's National Security Division. “We commend the extraordinary work of our partners in neutralizing this threat.”
“Americans deserve to celebrate New Year’s Eve without worrying about their personal safety,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson for the Western District of North Carolina. “That is why we worked non-stop to thwart this alleged violent terrorist attack. I am proud of the work done here and thankful for the time spent by law enforcement away from their families during the holidays to ensure public safety.”
“The FBI’s mission is to protect the American people, and this case demonstrates our dedication to do everything we can to protect the residents of North Carolina,” said Special Agent in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. of the FBI Charlotte Field Office. “We worked closely with the Department of Justice, NYPD, Mint Hill Police Department, and our FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force partners to investigate and disrupt this serious threat of a violent attack. We will never stop working to hold people accountable who seek to harm and terrorize our community.”
“Christian Sturdivant allegedly swore allegiance to an international terrorist organization and plotted deadly attacks in its name,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “But the New York City Police Department has a long reach, and our undercover cybersecurity investigators once again identified threats of extremist behavior and thwarted them before they could be carried out. Public safety knows no borders, and we will continue to work with all our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to pursue and hold accountable anyone who seeks to spread fear and violence.”
“Now more than ever, partnerships between law enforcement agencies are paramount,” said Chief Joseph Hatley of the Mint Hill Police Department. “This disruption is a testament to all involved, working as one to thwart an attack and hold accountable anyone planning such a horrific act of violence against our community.”
According to allegations in the arrest affidavit, on Dec. 18, 2025, the FBI in Charlotte received information that an individual later identified as Sturdivant was making multiple social media posts in support of ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization. In early December 2025, Sturdivant posted an image depicting two miniature figurines of Jesus with the on-screen text that read, “May Allah curse the cross worshipers.” The post is allegedly consistent with ISIS’s rhetoric calling for the extermination of all non-believers, including Christians, Jews, and Muslims who do not agree with ISIS’s extreme ideology.
Sturdivant’s social media post in early December 2025The criminal complaint alleges that on or about Dec. 12, 2025, Sturdivant began communicating with an online covert employee, or “OC,” whom Sturdivant thought was an ISIS member. Sturdivant told the OC, “I will do jihad soon,” and proclaimed he was “a soldier of the state,” meaning ISIS. On Dec. 14, 2025, Sturdivant allegedly sent an online message to the OC with an image of two hammers and a knife. This is significant because an article in the 2016 issue of ISIS’s propaganda magazine promoted the use of knives to conduct terror attacks in western countries. The same article inspired actual attacks in other countries. Later, Sturdivant told the OC that he planned to attack a specific grocery store in North Carolina. Sturdivant also told the OC about his plans to purchase a firearm to use along with the knives during the attack, according to the arrest affidavit.
Dec. 14, 2025, Sturdivant’s online message to undercover law enforcement with image of two hammers and a knifeIn addition, on Dec. 19, 2025, Sturdivant allegedly sent the OC a voice recording of Sturdivant pledging “Bayat,” a loyalty oath to ISIS.
On Dec. 29, 2025, law enforcement conducted a search warrant at Sturdivant’s residence, where they discovered handwritten documents, one of which was titled “New Years Attack 2026.” The document listed items such as a vest, mask, tactical gloves, and two knives allegedly to be used in the attack. It also described a goal of stabbing as many civilians as possible, with the total number of victims to be as high as 20 to 21. The note also included a section labeled as “martyrdom op,” that described a plan to attack police responding to the site of the attack so Sturdivant would die a martyr.
Handwritten document titled “New Years Attack 2026”The complaint alleges that Sturdivant lived with a relative, who secured knives and hammers away so Sturdivant could not use them for harm. Yet, law enforcement seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom a blue hammer, a wooden handled hammer, and two butcher knives which appeared hidden underneath the defendant’s bed. These items appear to be the same as the ones depicted in the online message Sturdivant previously sent to the OC.
Items seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom on Dec. 29, 2025, pursuant to a federal search warrantLaw enforcement also seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom a list of targets, as well as tactical gloves and a vest, acquired as part of the defendant’s planned attack.
Additional items seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom acquired for the alleged planned attackSturdivant remains in federal custody. If convicted, Sturdivant faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine the ultimate sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Charlotte Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, the Matthews Police Department, the Monroe Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Air Marshal Service, the Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, with the assistance of the NYPD, additional FBI Field Offices, and the Mint Hill Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Gleason for the Western District of North Carolina and DOJ Trial Attorney Elisa Poteat with the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
The charges against the defendant are merely allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
FBI Disrupts Alleged New Year's Even Attack, Man Charged with Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Mint Hill man that allegedly planned to use knives and hammers to execute a deadly New Year’s Eve attack at a grocery store and a fast food restaurant in support of the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has been arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. The criminal complaint was filed on December 31, 2025, and was unsealed today after Christian Sturdivant, 18, appeared in federal court in Charlotte.
James C. Barnacle, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
“This successful collaboration between federal and local law enforcement saved American lives from a horrific terrorist attack on New Year’s Eve,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice remains vigilant in our pursuit of evil ISIS sympathizers — anyone plotting to commit such depraved attacks will face the full force of the law.”
“The accused allegedly wanted to be a soldier for ISIS and made plans to commit a violent attack on New Year’s Eve in support of that terrorist group, but the FBI and our partners put a stop to that,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “It is essential to work closely with our law enforcement partners and to quickly share information about potential threats, as demonstrated in this case. The message from the FBI is clear—anyone who supports ISIS or other terrorist groups cannot hide and will be held accountable in our justice system.”
"As alleged, Sturdivant aspired to become a ‘martyr’ for ISIS and was in the final stages of planning a mass-casualty attack on New Year’s Eve. Notes recovered from his home appear to reflect intent to harm as many people as possible and terrorize the Nation,” said John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “We commend the extraordinary work of our partners in neutralizing this threat.”
“Americans deserve to celebrate New Year’s Eve without worrying about their personal safety,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “That is why we worked non-stop to thwart this alleged violent terrorist attack. I am proud of the work done here and thankful for the time spent by law enforcement away from their families during the holidays to ensure public safety.”
“The FBI’s mission is to protect the American people, and this case demonstrates our dedication to do everything we can to protect the residents of North Carolina. We worked closely with the Department of Justice, NYPD, Mint Hill Police Department, and our FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force partners to investigate and disrupt this serious threat of a violent attack. We will never stop working to hold people accountable who seek to harm and terrorize our community,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Barnacle.
“Christian Sturdivant allegedly swore allegiance to an international terrorist organization and plotted deadly attacks in its name,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “But the New York City Police Department has a long reach, and our undercover cybersecurity investigators once again identified threats of extremist behavior and thwarted them before they could be carried out. Public safety knows no borders, and we will continue to work with all our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to pursue and hold accountable anyone who seeks to spread fear and violence.”
“Now more than ever, partnerships between law enforcement agencies are paramount,” said Chief Joseph Hatley of the Mint Hill Police Department. “This disruption is a testament to all involved, working as one to thwart an attack and hold accountable anyone planning such a horrific act of violence against our community.”
According to allegations in the arrest affidavit, on December 18, 2025, the FBI in Charlotte received information that an individual later identified as Sturdivant was making multiple social media posts in support of ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization. In early December 2025, Sturdivant posted an image depicting two miniature figurines of Jesus with the on-screen text that read, “May Allah curse the cross worshipers.” The post is allegedly consistent with ISIS’s rhetoric calling for the extermination of all non-believers, including Christians, Jews, and Muslims who do not agree with ISIS’s extreme ideology.
Sturdivant’s social media post in early December 2025
The criminal complaint alleges that on or about December 12, 2025, Sturdivant began communicating with an online covert employee, or “OC,” whom Sturdivant thought was an ISIS member. Sturdivant told the OC, “I will do jihad soon,” and proclaimed he was “a soldier of the state,” meaning ISIS. On December 14, 2025, Sturdivant allegedly sent an online message to the OC with an image of two hammers and a knife. This is significant because an article in the 2016 issue of ISIS’s propaganda magazine promoted the use of knives to conduct terror attacks in western countries. The same article inspired actual attacks in other countries. Later, Sturdivant told the OC that he planned to attack a specific grocery store in North Carolina. Sturdivant also told the OC about his plans to purchase a firearm to use along with the knives during the attack, according to the arrest affidavit.
December 14, 2025, Sturdivant’s online message to undercover law enforcement with image
of two hammers and a knife
In addition, on December 19, 2025, Sturdivant allegedly sent the OC a voice recording of Sturdivant pledging “Bayat,” a loyalty oath to ISIS.
On December 29, 2025, law enforcement conducted a search warrant at Sturdivant’s residence, where they discovered handwritten documents, one of which was titled “New Years Attack 2026.” The document listed items such as a vest, mask, tactical gloves, and two knives allegedly to be used in the attack. It also described a goal of stabbing as many civilians as possible, with the total number of victims to be as high as 20 to 21. The note also included a section labeled as “martyrdom op,” that described a plan to attack police responding to the site of the attack so Sturdivant would die a martyr.
Handwritten document titled “New Years Attack 2026”
The complaints alleges that Sturdivant lived with a relative, who secured knives and hammers away so Sturdivant could not use them for harm. Yet, law enforcement seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom a blue hammer, a wooden handled hammer, and two butcher knives which appeared hidden underneath the defendant’s bed. These items appear to be the same as the ones depicted in the online message Sturdivant previously sent to the OC.
Items seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom on December 29, 2025,
pursuant to a federal search warrant
Law enforcement also seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom a list of targets, as well as tactical gloves and a vest, acquired as part of the defendant’s planned attack.
Additional items seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom acquired
for the alleged planned attack
Sturdivant remains in federal custody. If convicted, Sturdivant faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine the ultimate sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Charlotte Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, the Matthews Police Department, the Monroe Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Air Marshal Service, the Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, with the assistance of the NYPD, additional FBI Field Offices, the FBI Counterterrorism Division, and the Mint Hill Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Gleason for the Western District of North Carolina and DOJ Trial Attorney Elisa Poteat with the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
The charges against the defendant are merely allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Russ Ferguson to Lead U.S. Attorney's Office as Presidentially Appointed United States Attorney Following U.S. Senate ConfirmationRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Russ Ferguson will lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office as the presidentially-appointed United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, following his confirmation by the United States Senate on December 18, 2025. Nominated by President Donald Trump, who formally signed his commission on December 23, 2025, U.S. Attorney Ferguson took the oath of office, administered by the Honorable Frank D. Whitney, Senior United States District Judge, on Christmas Eve.
Mr. Ferguson was first appointed as interim United States Attorney by Attorney General Pamela Bondi on March 3, 2025, and sworn in on March 11, 2025. He was subsequently unanimously appointed to the position by all federal judges in this district effective June 30, 2025. He was then nominated by the President on July 30, 2025.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to serve the people of the Western District of North Carolina as their U.S. Attorney,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “We are a district that punches above our weight — and we will continue to deliver justice that is tough, fair, and focused on keeping our communities safe. I am grateful to the President for his trust and to the U.S. Senate for my confirmation. I will continue to approach this responsibility with integrity and accountability.”
As the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Western District of North Carolina, U.S. Attorney Ferguson oversees federal criminal prosecutions and civil litigation on behalf of the United States. He leads an office of nearly 100 federal prosecutors and professional staff serving 32 counties across western North Carolina, including the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians — the largest federally recognized tribe east of the Mississippi — and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, the most-visited national park in the nation.
Since taking office, U.S. Attorney Ferguson has:
- Increased prosecutions by implementing Operation Take Back America to dismantle gang and cartel networks operating in Western North Carolina and target drug-induced violence and large-scale drug trafficking networks.
- Strengthened partnerships with law enforcement to increase prosecutions of convicted felons in possession of illegal firearms, repeat offenders, and those drivers of violent crime.
- Expanded outreach to nonprofit organizations and community advocates to enhance crime prevention strategies, education, and engagement through partnerships in rural counties.
- Expanded protections for vulnerable populations by prioritizing cases involving older adults and children.
- Prioritized recouping public dollars and protecting government-funded programs from fraud through increased criminal prosecutions and civil enforcement actions.
U.S. Attorney Ferguson brings more than 16 years of legal experience to the office. He began his career as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, where he tried 28 cases to verdict, and served as Legislative Counsel for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Prior to returning to public service, he was a partner at Womble Bond Dickinson and led the firm’s complex litigation group, handling high-profile civil and criminal matters in courtrooms and arbitration tribunals around the world.
He has been recognized for professional excellence and service by Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America, North Carolina Business Elite, and the Charlotte Business Journal’s Forty Under Forty Award. The Mecklenburg County Bar honored him with its award for Best Individual Attorney for his dedication to pro bono service. Ferguson has written and presented extensively on issues involving federal criminal practice and complex litigation.
U.S. Attorney Ferguson has served the community by serving on the Board of NourishUp, Charlotte’s food pantry and meals on wheels organization, demonstrating his ongoing commitment to addressing hunger and supporting families in need. He also previously served on Keep Charlotte Beautiful, to which he was appointed by the City Council, and on the Mecklenburg County Bar’s Board of Directors.
A Duke University graduate, Ferguson earned his law degree and Master of Laws from Georgetown University Law Center. He clerked for Judge Frank D. Whitney of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.
U.S. Attorney's Office Joins Justice Department in Announcing Results of Operation Relentless JusticeRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson joins the Department of Justice in announcing the results of Operation Relentless Justice, a nationwide coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track, and arrest child sex predators. In the Western District of North Carolina, the operation resulted in federal charges against a Hickory man for possession of child sexual abuse material, along with drug and firearm offenses. The nationwide crackdown resulted in over 205 child victims being located and the arrests of over 293 child sexual abuse offenders. The coordinated effort was executed over the course of two weeks by all 56 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Department’s Criminal Division, and U.S. Attorneys’ offices around the country.
“We will not allow evil criminals who prey on children to evade justice,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Our federal agents have worked tirelessly alongside our state and local partners to track down these vile predators, and now our prosecutors will ensure they receive severe punishments to match their horrific crimes.”
“Operation Relentless Justice shows no child will be forgotten and that all predators targeting the most vulnerable amongst us will be held accountable,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This year, the FBI has led multiple nationwide surges across the U.S. to find and arrest hundreds of child predators. We will not stop until every child can live a life free of exploitation. We will utilize the strength of all our field offices and our federal, state, and local partners to protect communities across the nation from such horrific crimes.”
“The name of the operation says it all – we will be relentless when it comes to protecting our children,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “As we did here, we will use the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect children who live in this district and put their abusers behind bars.”
“There is no place in our community for people who prey on and sexually exploit children. The FBI will use every resource available to find these predators and work with prosecutors to put them behind bars where they can no longer harm a child. Operation Relentless Justice is a never-ending commitment to protect innocent children,” said James C. Barnacle Jr., the FBI Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina.
In the Western District of North Carolina, an investigation stemming from Operation Relentless Justice resulted in criminal charges filed against a Hickory man, for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), in addition to drug and gun offenses. According to allegations in the criminal indictment, on or about December 11, 2024, Tony Chache See, 29, did knowingly possess and access with intent to view CSAM, that involved a prepubescent minor and a minor under 12 years of age. The indictment also alleges that, between March and December 2024, See distributed methamphetamine and cocaine in and around Catawba County, and possessed a firearm, including a short-barreled rifle, in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to the Justice Department’s announcement, those arrested as part of Operation Relentless Justice are alleged to have committed various crimes, including the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material; online enticement and transportation of minors; and child sex trafficking. Some of the alleged offenders include an airman out of Dallas, TX, who was arrested with his wife for producing child sex abuse material (CSAM), as well as a Police Officer from Raleigh, NC, who distributed CSAM to an undercover officer while discussing his interest in engaging in sexual contact with children. In another case involving enticement of a minor, the Miami Field Office arrested a Guatemalan national who was previously deported in 2011, and had previous arrests for battery, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and carrying a concealed weapon.
As sextortion cases continue to rise, this operation highlights arrests of individuals who target vulnerable children online including the five leaders of Greggy’s Cult, as well as a Virginia man who persuaded a 14-year-old to produce CSAM. The victim attempted suicide after he allegedly told her to kill herself.
This effort follows two other successful operations, including Operation Restore Justice in May, which resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 child sex abuse offenders, and Operation Enduring Justice in August, which resulted in the rescue of 133 children and the arrests of 234 offenders.
The FBI's Victim Services Division (VSD) assisted victims during this operation and provided services, to include forensic interviews, referrals for medical and mental health resources, and coordination with partners. VSD's mission is to inform, support, and assist victims in navigating the aftermath of crime and the criminal justice process with dignity and resilience.
These operations underscore the Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and combating child sexual exploitation. These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. attorneys’ offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/psc.
The Department partners with and oversees funding grants for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives and shares tips about possible child sexual exploitation received through its 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST and on missingkids.org.
The Department urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through the FBI's tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling your local FBI field office.
An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Armed Methamphetamine Traffickers Appear in Federal Court on Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Jonathan Grant Fox, 44, and his daughter, Nevaeh Elizabeth Fox, 19, both of Hickory, appeared in federal court yesterday on drug trafficking and firearms charges, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Jonathan and Nevaeh Fox are each charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Jonathan Fox is also charged with trafficking in firearms.
U.S. Attorney Ferguson is joined in making today’s announcement by Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Bryan Adams of the Hickory Police Department.
According to allegations in the indictment, Jonathan and Nevaeh Fox conspired with each other and other individuals to distribute at least 50 grams of methamphetamine in and around Catawba County. The indictment further alleges that Jonathan and Nevaeh Fox did knowingly possess firearms in furtherance of their drug trafficking crimes. It is also alleged that Jonathan Fox, in August 2025, did engage in the trafficking of nine firearms:
- Springfield, model XD, 9mm pistol
- Glock, model 19M, 9mm pistol
- Glock, model 11, .40 caliber pistol
- Bersa, model Thunder380, .380 caliber pistol
- Mossberg, model 500 tactical 12-guage shotgun
- Romarm Draco 9S, 9mm pistol
- Sig Sauer, model P320C, 9mm pistol
- Rock Island Armory, model 1911A1, .45 caliber pistol
- Hi-Point, model 1095TS, 10mm rifle
The defendants were arrested on December 16, 2025. While executing the arrest warrants, law enforcement seized additional fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine, 18 firearms, and $11,139 in U.S. Currency.
The defendants are in federal custody. If convicted, they face up to a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine the ultimate sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The charges against the defendants are merely allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
In making the announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the ATF and the Hickory Police Department for their investigative efforts and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations, the Catawba Count Sheriff’s Office, the Newton Police Department, the Maiden Police Department, and the Burke County Sheriff’s Office for their invaluable assistance in this case.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) William Wiseman is prosecuting the case. Mr. Wiseman is a state prosecutor with the office of the 26th Prosecutorial District and was assigned by District Attorney Spencer Merriweather to serve as a SAUSA with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte. Mr. Wiseman is sworn in both state and federal courts. The SAUSA position is a reflection of the partnership between the District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Member of Asheville Drug Distribution Ring Is Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Charmaine Vapreece Fair, 32, of Asheville, was sentenced on Thursday, December 11, 2025, to 66 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In addition to the prison term, Fair was sentenced to five years of supervised release.
According to records filed in the case, from 2021 to 2023, Fair was part of a drug conspiracy that trafficked methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine in Buncombe, Henderson, and Transylvania Counties. Zachery Micah Rice, Fair’s boyfriend and the major supplier, would obtain the drugs from a supplier in Atlanta and then transport them back to Western North Carolina for further distribution through a local network. During one of Rice’s trip, law enforcement stopped and searched Rice’s vehicle, seizing over 11.5 kilograms of methamphetamine, a .40 caliber pistol modified to fully automatic, and more than $32,683 in cash. Investigators later executed search warrants at two stashes house, to include Fair’s apartment, and a storage unit used by Rice, recovering kilogram quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine, multiple firearms, including high-capacity magazines, ammunition, digital scales, drug paraphernalia used for drug distribution, and more than $27,470. When interviewed, Fair admitted to picking up money for Rice, admitted that she took drugs to certain people, and she would distribute drugs for Rice. Fair confirmed that she distributed prepackaged and weighed drugs to drug customers who would give Fair cash, which Fair would then deposit the money.
Fair pleaded guilty on June 9, 2025, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. She will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
Rice was sentenced last May to more than 28 years in prison. Rice’s drug supplier was Les Corey Peak, a Georgia inmate sentenced in November to 20 years in prison.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina, the Asheville Police Department, the Waynesville Police Department, the Cherokee Indian Police Department, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office, the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office, the Swain County Sheriff’s Office, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher S. Hess of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville handled the prosecution.
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).
Convicted Drug Trafficker Armed with Machinegun Is Sentenced to 21 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Grey Alan Hester, 50, of Candler, N.C. was sentenced on Thursday, December 11, 2025, to 21 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release on drug and gun charges, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which oversees the Charlotte District Office, Sheriff Quentin Miller of the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, and Chief Carla Neadeau of the Cherokee Indian Police Department (CIPD), join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
According to records filed in the case, from 2021 to 2023, Hester trafficked methamphetamine and fentanyl in Buncombe and Jackson Counties. Court documents show that on July 11, 2023, Cherokee Indian Police Department officers encountered Hester who was attempting to use a fake identification card at Harrah’s Casino. During the encounter, officers seized from Hester more than $11,380, fentanyl, and a loaded pistol from a holster on Hester’s hip. The officers later searched Hester’s backpacks that contained quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine, a pistol with an affixed machinegun conversion kit, known as a “Glock Switch,” a 30-round extended magazine loaded with 23 rounds of ammunition, digital scales, and other drug paraphernalia. According to court records, on July 14, 2023, law enforcement conducted a search of Hester’s Buncombe Country home, where they found fentanyl, methamphetamine, a stolen pistol, a semi-automatic shotgun, a rifle, an AR-style 5.56 rifle (privately made firearm), and multiple rounds of ammunition. Hester has a prior felony conviction, and he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
On June 20, 2025, Hester pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a machine gun. He is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the DEA, ATF, Cherokee Indian Police Department, and the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher S. Hess of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville handled the prosecution.
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).
Twice-Removed Illegal Alien Charged for Violent Attack on Charlotte’s Light Rail SystemRead the Press Release
A federal criminal complaint was filed in Charlotte today charging an illegal alien with a federal crime in connection with the violent attack on the city’s light rail system.
Oscar Gerardo Solorzano-Garcia, 33, from Honduras, is charged with one count of illegal reentry by a removed alien and one count of committing an act of violence on a mass transportation system.
“Not only should this defendant have already been in prison — he should not have been in our country to begin with,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This attack is more tragic evidence that soft-on-crime policies and vetting failures put innocent citizens at risk. My prosecutors will deliver swift, comprehensive justice in this case.”
“The people of Charlotte deserve to live in a safe city and this horrific act should never have happened,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “As the FBI has illustrated, we will not stand for this type of violence in our communities. Our mission is to keep our communities safe and that is exactly what the men and women of the FBI are working to accomplish each and every day.”
“This defendant is charged with coming back to the United States after being deported not once, but twice, and then stabbing a passenger in the chest on our city’s public transit system,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson for the Western District of North Carolina. “Everyone who uses public transportation is the victim of a crime like this, and we will act swiftly to prosecute those who violate our immigration laws and endanger the lives of citizens using public transit to go about their daily lives.”
“Oscar Solorzano-Garcia should not have been on the Charlotte light rail last Friday. In fact, he should not have been in our country. He has a violent criminal history and was deported twice,” said Special Agent in Charge Barnacle James C. Barnacle Jr. of FBI’s Charlotte Field Office. “These two recent attacks on the city’s light rail system make one thing clear. Safety measures on public transportation in our city must be strengthened. People deserve a secure and reliable transit system where they make it to work and back home unharmed.”
“Our strong partnerships with federal and community stakeholders are essential to keeping our city safe,” said Chief Estella Patterson of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD). “Federal charges brought against violent offenders send a clear message: if you commit violent crimes, you will be held accountable. Actions have consequences, and we will continue working with our justice partners to ensure offenders are prosecuted to the fullest extent.”
According to allegations in the affidavit filed with the criminal complaint, on Dec. 5, at approximately 4:49 p.m., CMPD officers received a call for service related to an assault with a deadly weapon that occurred on the Lynx Blue Line light rail in Charlotte. Responding CMPD officers located the victim in the rear rail car. The victim, identified in court documents as K.D., had sustained serious injuries from a stab wound to his upper left chest and was taken to the hospital.
According to witness statements and surveillance footage, Solorzano-Garcia was a passenger on the train and appeared to be intoxicated. K.D. and Solorzano-Garcia engaged in a verbal altercation, and Solorzano-Garcia pulled out a long knife and stabbed the victim in the chest. Solorzano-Garcia then got off the train and began walking away. Additional CMPD officers responding to the scene located Solorzano-Garcia and took him into custody.
The criminal complaint alleges that Solorzano-Garcia is an alien unlawfully present in the United States. It is further alleged that in 2012, Solorzano-Garcia was arrested by the Union County Police Department in New Jersey and was later convicted of robbery. In July 2016, Solorzano-Garcia was arrested by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Florida for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and he was removed from the United States in March 2018. Nine months later, Solorzano-Garcia was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol. He was convicted of illegal reentry and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. On June 9, 2021, Solorzano-Garcia was removed from the United States out of Alexandria, Louisiana.
If convicted, Solorzano-Garcia faces a maximum penalty of life in prison for the charge of violence on a mass transportation system, and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for the illegal reentry offense. Ultimately, his sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI is investigating the case with the assistance of CMPD.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick J. Miller for the Western District of North Carolina is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Twice-Removed Illegal Alien Charged for Violent Attack on Charlotte’s Light Rail SystemRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A federal criminal complaint was filed in U.S. District Court in Charlotte today, charging an illegal alien with a federal crime in connection with the violent attack on the city’s light rail system, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Oscar Gerardo Solorzano-Garcia, 33, from Honduras, is charged with one count of illegal reentry by a removed alien and one count of committing an act of violence on a mass transportation system.
James C. Barnacle, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
“Not only should this defendant have already been in prison — he should not have been in our country to begin with,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This attack is more tragic evidence that soft-on-crime policies and vetting failures put innocent citizens at risk. My prosecutors will deliver swift, comprehensive justice in this case.”
“The people of Charlotte deserve to live in a safe city and this horrific act should never have happened,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “As the FBI has illustrated, we will not stand for this type of violence in our communities. Our mission is to keep our communities safe and that is exactly what the men and women of the FBI are working to accomplish each and every day.”
“This defendant is charged with coming back to the United States after being deported not once, but twice, and then stabbing a passenger in the chest on our city’s public transit system,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “Everyone who uses public transportation is the victim of a crime like this, and we will act swiftly to prosecute those who violate our immigration laws and endanger the lives of citizens using public transit to go about their daily lives.”
“Oscar Solorzano-Garcia should not have been on the Charlotte light rail last Friday. In fact, he should not have been in our country. He has a violent criminal history and was deported twice. These two recent attacks on the city’s light rail system make one thing clear. Safety measures on public transportation in our city must be strengthened. People deserve a secure and reliable transit system where they make it to work and back home unharmed,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Barnacle.
“Our strong partnerships with federal and community stakeholders are essential to keeping our city safe,” said CMPD Chief Estella Patterson. “Federal charges brought against violent offenders send a clear message: if you commit violent crimes, you will be held accountable. Actions have consequences, and we will continue working with our justice partners to ensure offenders are prosecuted to the fullest extent.”
According to allegations in the affidavit filed with the criminal complaint:
On December 5, 2025, at approximately 4:49 p.m., officers with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) received a call for service related to an assault with a deadly weapon that occurred on the Lynx Blue Line light rail in Charlotte. Responding CMPD officers located the victim in the rear rail car. The victim, identified in court documents as K.D., had sustained serious injuries from a stab wound to his upper left chest and was taken to the hospital.
According to witness statements and surveillance footage, Solorzano-Garcia was a passenger on the train and appeared to be intoxicated. K.D. and Solorzano-Garcia engaged in a verbal altercation, and Solorzano-Garcia pulled out a long knife and stabbed the victim in the chest. Solorzano-Garcia then got off the train and began walking away. Additional CMPD officers responding to the scene located Solorzano-Garcia and took him into custody.
The criminal complaint alleges that Solorzano-Garcia is an alien unlawfully present in the United States. It is further alleged that, in 2012, Solorzano-Garcia was arrested by the Union County Police Department in New Jersey and was later convicted of robbery. In July 2016, Solorzano-Garcia was arrested by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Florida for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and he was removed from the United States in March 2018. Nine months later, Solorzano-Garcia was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol. He was convicted of illegal reentry and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. On June 9, 2021, Solorzano-Garcia was removed from the United States out of Alexandria, Louisiana.
If convicted, Solorzano-Garcia faces a maximum statutory sentence of up to life in prison in prison for the charge of violence on a mass transportation system, and up to 10 years in prison for the illegal reentry offense. Ultimately, his sentence will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI is investigating the case with the assistance of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick J. Miller of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.
The charges against the defendant are allegations and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Man Charged with Transporting Minor Across State Lines to Engage in Sexual Activity and Related OffensesRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson announced today that a federal grand jury in Asheville has returned a criminal indictment charging Ricky Dean Clinton, 40, with transporting a minor across state lines to engage in sexual activity and related offenses. This is Clinton’s second federal indictment in the Western District of North Carolina, both of which are currently pending resolution.
According to allegations in the indictment, between March and June 2025, Clinton knowingly transported a minor victim across state lines with the intent that the minor engage in sexual activity with him. The indictment further alleges that Clinton also crossed state lines for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct.
According to court documents, Clinton was indicted in October 2025 for attempting to kill law enforcement officers, specifically United States Marshals Service deputies, United States Marshals Service task force officers, and deputies with the Burke County Sheriff’s Office. The charges stem from an incident on August 12, 2025, where Clinton allegedly shot at law enforcement while they were attempting to arrest the defendant on outstanding state warrants. Clinton also faces additional charges for firearms offenses in connection with this incident, including unlawful use and carry of a firearm in furtherance of crimes of violence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Those charges are still pending.
Clinton is in federal custody. If convicted, he faces up to a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine Clinton’s ultimate sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In making the announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the U.S. Marshal’s Service, the U.S. Marshal Service Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the Burke County Sheriff’s Office for the investigation that led to Clinton’s initial indictment, and the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office for their investigative efforts that resulted in the newest indictment against the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis Solheim with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville is prosecuting both cases.
The charges against the defendant are merely allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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 Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
U.S. Attorney's Office Hosts Annual Meeting of the Western District's Health Care Fraud Working GroupRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson announced today the annual meeting of the Western District’s Health Care Fraud Working Group, a partnership of federal and state agencies focused on combating health care fraud and protecting taxpayer dollars in the Western District of North Carolina.
The Health Care Fraud Working Group’s mission is to collaborate to effectively uncover health care fraud schemes and hold accountable those who are responsible for the fraud. The Working Group is comprised of investigators, analysts, auditors, and attorneys from federal and state agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG), the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), the North Carolina Attorney General’s Medicaid Investigations Division, and the South Carolina Attorney General’s Medicaid Recipient Fraud Unit.
At today’s meeting, U.S. Attorney Ferguson recognized the contributions of partner agencies in the Western District’s successful pursuit of criminal charges and civil claims against perpetrators of health care fraud in the district.
“Of the $5 trillion per year spent on healthcare in the United States, 45% is through government programs. That massive figure makes it hard to detect complex healthcare fraud; it simply cannot be done without strong partnerships and collaboration,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “But it is critical work—not just because we must protect taxpayer money, but because healthcare fraud increases medical costs and insurance premiums for everyone.”
If you suspect Medicare or Medicaid fraud, please report it by phone at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477), or online at https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud/
To report Medicaid fraud in North Carolina, call the North Carolina Medicaid Investigations Division at 919-881-2320 or fill out an online complaint form.
To report TRICARE fraud, contact the appropriate contractor identified at https://tricare.mil/PatientResources/ContactUs/ReportFraudAbuse
Fraud against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system can be reported at www.vaoig.gov/hotline.
U.S. Attorney's Office Announces North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles Improvements on Voter-Registration Process to Protect Election IntegrityRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson announced today that a series of actions to further enhance and protect the integrity of the voter-registration process will be implemented by the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV). This follows a rigorous review by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of ineligible individuals, including illegal aliens, who were improperly registered to vote at the DMV.
In July, the U.S. Attorney initiated an inquiry to the Commissioner of the DMV following a report by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) that the DMV permitted ineligible individuals, such as illegal aliens, to register to vote at the DMV, sometimes without the individual’s knowledge. The investigation found individuals were erroneously given citizen identification cards for years and some were registered to vote even after informing the DMV they were not citizens. The involved DMV examiners initially blamed the error on a “system glitch,” but the DMV later admitted “the online system doesn’t verify citizenship status.” The U.S. Attorney asked the DMV Commissioner to review the voter registration processes to ensure non-eligible voters were not being registered to vote.
The DMV agreed to investigate and found that individuals had been registered to vote due to errors by DMV examiners. These errors included mistakenly marking individuals as U.S. citizens, which “bypassed the necessary legal presence questions and allowed voter registration.” The DMV also found a “system error” that lasted for three months and permitted ineligible individuals to register to vote.
Following the inquiry by the U.S. Attorney, the DMV has agreed to make changes to safeguard the North Carolina voter rolls and assure election integrity. Some changes include:
- Issuing a statewide reminder to DMV examiners on protocols and safeguards to ensure proper voter registration of only eligible individuals through the DMV.
- Designing and implementing new training modules for DMV examiners with a special emphasis on citizenship verification processes.
- Modernizing DMV technology to streamline technological processes and reduce examiner errors, including of the voter registration component.
- Hiring additional personnel to increase accurate input of sensitive data.
- Actively pursuing a technical solution to effectively integrate citizenship checks into the DMV’s online and kiosk voter-registration application systems.
The DMV is also coordinating with the State Board of Elections to ensure that any ineligible individuals identified by the federal government have been removed from voter rolls.
“It is vitally important that our elections in North Carolina are accurate, fair, and irreproachable—and that the public has confidence in them—to protect the foundation of our democracy,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “We must ensure that our voter rolls are precise and do not include minors, felons, or illegal aliens. The DMV, which accounts for as much as 80 percent of voter registrations in a given year, plays a central role in that process. We appreciate the agency’s cooperation to improve processes so that only eligible voters are added to the rolls.”
U.S. Attorney Ferguson also thanked HSI and the State Board of Elections for their coordination during this review process and noted that the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to monitor compliance at all levels to ensure the sanctity of our elections.
“A host of federal laws give the federal government oversight authority to ensure states maintain accurate and current statewide voter lists,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “We take that obligation seriously and will continue to ensure confidence in our elections.”
Man and Woman Charged with Obstructing Use of Entrance of Federal Property and Related OffensesRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Two individuals have been charged with obstructing the use of entrances on federal property, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. William Stanley, 25, and Heather Morrow, 44, both of Charlotte, are also charged with impeding and disrupting the performance of official duties of government employees, failure to comply with the lawful direction of an authorized individual, and assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, and interfering with persons performing official duties. Morrow was previously charged by a federal criminal complaint, which the Court dismissed at the government’s request upon the filing of the formal charges.
According to allegations in the criminal bill of information, on November 16, 2025, Morrow and Stanley, aiding and abetting one another, did willfully enter federal property, specifically, the grounds of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE/ERO) building in Charlotte. While there, Stanley and Morrow allegedly engaged in disorderly conduct and other actions that unreasonably obstructed the usual use of the building’s entrances and parking lots. It is further alleged that Stanley and Morrow’s conduct impeded and disrupted ERO Deportation Officers in the performance of their official duties. Stanley and Morrow also allegedly failed to comply with the lawful direction of ERO Deportation Officers and forcibly assaulted, resisted, opposed, impeded, and intimidated ERO Deportation Officers who were engaged in the performance of their official duties, with such acts constituting simple assault.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is joined in making today’s announcement by Homeland Security Investigations, ICE/ERO, and the FBI.
The charges in the bill of information are allegations only. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Convicted Felon Who Shot at Vehicles on Highway Pleads Guilty to Gun OffenseRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. –Anil Dabydeen, 40, of Charlotte, appeared in federal court today and pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon for shooting at vehicles on I-485, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Estella Patterson of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in this announcement.
According to court documents and today’s court hearing, on January 8, 2025, at 3:49 p.m., CMPD officers were dispatched to I-485 at the South Tryon Street exit for a reported shooting. Court documents show that CMPD received several 911 calls describing a male operating a white Honda sedan on the highway who was shooting at passing vehicles. Law enforcement arrived on the scene and located two victims who had been struck by gunfire. The victims told the officers that they were traveling south on I-485 when their vehicle was struck by gunfire. While on the scene, the officers reviewed a video shot by a witness. The video showed a white sedan stopped on the side of the highway, and an individual, later identified as Dabydeen, walking around the vehicle brandishing a firearm and pointing it at passing vehicles.
Court records show that, while the officers were investigating the incident, they observed a white Honda sedan traveling south at a high rate of speed. The officers recognized the vehicle as the one observed during the shooting and began to pursue the vehicle. After a brief pursuit, Dabydeen stopped the vehicle, and he was taken into custody. Officers recovered from Dabydeen a live round of 9mm ammunition, and a Taurus, Model G3c, 9mm pistol that had been reported stolen. Dabydeen has a prior felony conviction for 1st Degree Manslaughter in New York, and he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
“The violent shootings in Charlotte have gotten out of hand,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “Where we can, the federal government will step in and put the most violent offenders behind bars.”
Dabydeen remains in federal custody. A sentencing date has not been set.
The ATF and CMPD led the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfredo De La Rosa of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.
Previously Removed Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Kilogram Quantities of Methamphetamine and Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Hector Hernandez Orozco, 30, of Mexico, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge David C. Keesler today and pleaded guilty to trafficking methamphetamine and illegal reentry charges, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Cardell T. Morant, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in North Carolina and South Carolina, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
According to filed court documents and the plea hearing, on April 3, 2025, Hernandez Orozco sold approximately two pounds of methamphetamine to an undercover law enforcement officer. Court records also show that Hernandez Orozco had been previously removed from the United States on November 20, 2016, near Del Rio, Texas, and again on November 30, 2016, near Hidalgo, Texas.
Hernandez Orozco pleaded guilty to distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, which carries a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison. The illegal reentry offense carries a maximum term of two years in prison. A sentencing date has not been set.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended HSI for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney William Bozin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.
Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening to Murder Federal AgentsRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Johnathan Trent Thomas, 27, of Linwood, N.C., pleaded guilty in federal court today to making threats to murder federal officers to impede, intimidate, or interfere with the performance of their official duties, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Cardell T. Morant, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in North Carolina and South Carolina, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
According to filed court documents and court proceedings, six months ago, on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at approximately 12:00 p.m., a caller, later identified as Thomas, contacted the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) and threatened to kill Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and CMPD officers if immigration enforcement actions did not stop. During a second telephone call with a CMPD officer, Thomas warned that he was coming to Charlotte with armor piercing ammunition, night vision devices, and body armor to kill law enforcement officers and threatened to “shoot them all” if he observed anyone making arrests. Thomas was referencing arrests made previously by ICE federal agents on Albemarle Road in Charlotte.
Court documents show that Thomas stated that if a police officer pointed a gun at him, he was just going to open fire. He also said that he would “Swiss cheese” the officers if they were doing the same thing they did before, meaning making arrests. Thomas made additional threats to law enforcement, including that he had Tannerite (an explosive) all around his house if the police came, and referenced April 29, 2024, which is the date that four law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in Charlotte, warning that he “could do a whole lot better than that.” Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Thomas’s residence, seizing three rifles, a handgun, and a variety of ammunition.
According to court records, Thomas has an extensive history of threatening law enforcement, to include the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office and CMPD, and had previously followed CMPD officers in marked patrol cars while they were performing their official duties.
Thomas pleaded guilty to one count of threatening to murder federal law enforcement officers which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Thomas remains in federal custody. A sentencing date has not been set.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended HSI for the investigation of the case and thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of North Carolina, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office, the Waxhaw Police Department, and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for their assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Kelly and Stephanie Spaugh of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte are prosecuting the case.
Georgia Inmate Who Coordinated the Distribution of Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Sentenced to 20 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Les Corey Peak, 38, of Flat Rock, N.C., was sentenced today to 20 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
According to court records and court proceedings, from 2021 to 2023, Peak conspired with Zachery Micah Rice and others, to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl in Buncombe, Henderson, and Transylvania Counties, and elsewhere. During that time, Peak was incarcerated in the Georgia Department of Corrections. Court records show that Peak, using contraband phones, worked with his Atlanta-based supplier to arrange bulk drug purchases and coordinated with Rice to arrange the pickups. Rice then transported the drugs back to Western North Carolina for further distribution through a local network of traffickers and dealers. During one of the transactions Peak arranged, law enforcement stopped and searched Rice’s vehicle, seizing over 11.5 kilograms of methamphetamine, a .40 caliber pistol modified to fully automatic with a machinegun conversion device known as a “Glock switch,” and more than $32,683 in cash. Investigators later executed search warrants at stash houses and a storage unit used by Rice, recovering kilogram quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine supplied by the Atlanta based source, multiple firearms, including high-capacity magazines ammunition, digital scales, drug paraphernalia used for drug distribution, and more than $27,470.
On June 23, 2025, Peak pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. He remains in federal custody pending placement by the Federal Bureau of Prisons at a designated facility.
Rice was sentenced in May 2025 to more than 28 years in prison for his role in the conspiracy.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina, the Asheville Police Department, the Waynesville Police Department, the Cherokee Indian Police Department, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office, the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office, the Swain County Sheriff’s Office, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher S. Hess of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville handled the prosecution.
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.
Four Drug Traffickers Sentenced to Federal Prison for Distributing Thousands of Fentanyl-Laced PillsRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Four drug traffickers responsible for distributing thousands of fentanyl pills in the Charlotte area were sentenced to prison today, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Ezekiel Lee Suber, 26, of Forest City, N.C. was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Darien Akiel Brown, 24, also of Forest City, was sentenced to 72 months in prison and four years of supervised release. Elija McDowell, 22, of Charlotte was ordered to serve 57 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release, and Jocelyn Marie Hamilton, 26, of Charleston, West Virginia, was sentenced to five years of probation.
According to court documents and court proceedings, between 2023 and 2024, the defendants, led by Suber, operated as a drug conspiracy trafficking fentanyl in Charlotte and elsewhere. Court documents show that during the investigation undercover law enforcement officers made multiple purchases of fentanyl-laced pills from Suber and his co-defendants. The pills were yellow in color and had a “T-189” imprint, which is the same as color and imprint as 30 milligram Oxycodone Hydrochloride tablets. In addition, court documents show that during some of the undercover drug buys law enforcement observed that Suber was armed with a firearm. On February 27, 2024, law enforcement arrested Suber at his residence in Charlotte. During a subsequent search of the residence, they seized two loaded firearms, two loaded magazines, multiple rounds of ammunition, and more than $4,200 in U.S. currency. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement purchased over 7,000 fentanyl-laced pills from the co-conspirators, containing over a kilogram of fentanyl.
In making the announcement U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dana Washington prosecuted the case.
Charlotte Woman Charged with Assaulting Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A newly-unsealed criminal complaint charges Heather Morrow, 44, of Charlotte, with felony assault, resist, or impede a federal officer, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
According to allegations in the criminal complaint, on the morning of November 16, 2025, Morrow and others gathered at a U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement & Removal Operations Office (ICE/ERO) facility in Charlotte in an apparent attempt to impede law enforcement movement on the property. The complaint alleges that a federal officer who was just arriving to work encountered several individuals, including Morrow, blocking the entrance. While the officer attempted to arrest one individual for punching the window of the officer’s vehicle and impeding the officer’s path, Morrow approached the officer from behind and forcibly made physical contact with him, including grabbing the officer’s shoulders and attempting to jump on the officer’s back. Morrow was arrested on the scene.
“Recently in North Carolina, we have seen that the very worst can happen when individuals forcibly gain access to a law enforcement officer’s weapon. We take seriously incidents where that could happen,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “Fortunately, the officer in this case was arriving to work and was not armed.”
Morrow had her initial appearance in federal court on Monday and was released on bond.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is joined in making the announcement by Homeland Security Investigations, ICE/ERO, U.S. Border Patrol, and the FBI.
The charges against the defendant are merely allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.