District of Nebraska
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Omaha Man Sentenced to 126 Months for Receipt and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Byron G. Morales, 57, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on May 18, 2026, in federal court in Omaha for receipt and distribution of child pornography. Chief District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Morales to 126 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Morales’s release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release.
On October 20, 2020, Facebook, Inc., sent four files to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC’) in a CyberTipline Report, which were subsequently passed along to law enforcement to investigate.
On July 7, 2023, two FBI agents interviewed Morales at his place of employment. Morales admitted to receiving and possessing child pornography. He also provided the agents with his black Samsung Galaxy cell phone. Specifically, Morales admitted to viewing child pornography beginning in 2018 through spring of 2023. Morales stated he would typically receive the child pornography through Facebook and WhatsApp chat groups. During the review of Morales’s phone, FBI agents located multiple photographs and videos depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Between December 7, 2018, and July 7, 2023, Morales knowingly received, by computer, visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Between December 7, 2018, and July 7, 2023, Morales knowingly possessed visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
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 United States Attorney’s 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Illegal Alien Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Drug Trafficking and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Alexi Zamora-Chona, 30, an illegal alien from Mexico, was sentenced on May 19, 2026, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a short-barreled rifle in furtherance of drug trafficking. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Zamora-Chona to a total of 192 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Zamora-Chona’s release from prison, he will begin a four-year term of supervised release.
On November 21, 2024, DEA agents and local law enforcement executed a search warrant at a residence in Omaha where Zamora-Chona and co-defendant Octavio Zamora-Chona lived. Probable cause for the search warrant was based on a controlled buy of half a pound of methamphetamine in Omaha. Agents recovered more than 30 pounds of methamphetamine, five firearms, and more than $19,000 cash. One of the firearms was a short-barreled rifle. Zamora-Chona said that the firearms were his and acknowledged that he knew the methamphetamine was at his house. Octavio Zamora-Chona’s seized cell phone was searched and extracted data revealed his involvement in methamphetamine dealing.
Octavio Zamora-Chona, 39, an illegal alien from Mexican, was sentenced February 13, 2026, to 180 months’ imprisonment for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
United States Attorney Lesley Woods said, “This case is a prime example of how drug trafficking and firearms go hand-in-hand and the presence of them together is a public safety threat to Nebraska’s communities. This sentencing was a just and appropriate outcome. Law enforcement should be commended for taking these individuals and their dangerous contraband off of our streets. We look forward to their swift deportation following their lengthy terms of imprisonment.”
The seized cash and firearms will be forfeited to the United States.
This case was investigated by the DEA with assistance from the Omaha Police Department, Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office, and Saunders County Sheriff’s Office.
May 2026 Grand Jury for the District of NebraskaRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced the federal Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska has returned 10 unsealed Indictments charging 12 defendants. Indictments are charging documents that contain one or more individual counts that are merely accusations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Tristan Bush, age 40, of Grand Island, Nebraska, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charges Bush with burglary of a United States Post Office on or about January 8, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Bush with possession with intent to deliver 50 grams of actual methamphetamine on or about January 18, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
Alrondo Martin Taylor, age 47, of Lincoln, Nebraska, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on or about March 4, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
Jacob Alan Brun, age 39, of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged with escape from custody between on or about April 18, 2026, and on or about April 21, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Jose Antonio Rivera Cruz, age 34, of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged with assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating and interfering with a federal officer, with physical contact on or about April 14, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 8 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Antoine Singleton, age 43, Elisha Andrea Pool, age 33, and Steven J. Gray, age 43, all of Lincoln, Nebraska, have been charged in a two-count indictment. Count I charges Singleton, Pool, and Gray with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl beginning on or about August 1, 2025, and continuing to on or about February 24, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Singleton, Pool, and Gray with possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl on or about February 24, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
Victor Gilberto Perez, age 27, of Ralston, Nebraska, is charged in a seven-count Indictment. Count I charges Perez with being a felon in possession of a firearm, an Alpha Maxx, 5.56 mm pistol, on or about April 29, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Perez with being a felon in possession of one or more rounds of ammunition on or about April 29, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Perez with being a felon in possession of a firearm, a model Ruger 5.7 mm pistol, on or about April 29, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count IV charges Perez with being a felon in possession of fourteen (14) rounds of .380 caliber of ammunition on or about April 29, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count V charges Perez with possession with intent to distribute cocaine on or about April 29, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count VI charges Perez with possession with intent to distribute marijuana on or about April 29, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 2-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count VII charges Perez with carrying or using a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime on or about April 29, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 5-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
The following individuals were charged with being an alien, who previously had been excluded, deported and removed from the United States and were found in the United States, without the Acting Attorney General of the United States or his designated successor having expressly consented to the defendant’s reapplication for admission into the United States:
Jose Miranda-Ramirez, age 44
Cruz Hernandez-Jacobo, age 38
Fernando Lugo-Tovar, age 41
Geovany Velasquez-Avila, age 30
The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 2 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a one-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Omaha Woman Sentenced to a Total of 292 Months for Production and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Joyce M. Beauchamp, 40, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on May 13, 2026, in federal court in Omaha, for Production of Child Pornography and Distribution of Child Pornography. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Beauchamp to 292 months’ imprisonment on the production count and 240 months’ imprisonment on the distribution count. The sentences will be served concurrently. There is no parole in the federal system. After Beauchamp’s release from prison, she will begin a five-year supervised release term.
On October 31, 2024, the FBI executed a search warrant at an Omaha residence and seized electronic devices for forensic examination. Investigators located numerous images and/or videos depicting child pornography and identified several individuals in the Omaha area who discussed and exchanged child pornography. The FBI identified Beauchamp as one of these individuals. In December 2022, Beauchamp took multiple nude photographs of two minor victims and sent them to another individual. The photos were sent in a text message string discussing the sexual abuse of children. In an additional message between Beauchamp and the individual, the individual sent Beauchamp an image depicting child sexual abuse material and Beauchamp explicitly described what a sexual encounter between Beauchamp, the individual, and the child might look like.
United States Attorney Lesley Woods said, “The children of Nebraska deserve protection from sexual predators like Beauchamp, and this office will spare no effort or resources in pursuing every threat to the children in our communities. There is no greater evil than the evil found in those who harm children in this unspeakable way.”
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 United States Attorney’s 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Omaha Man Sentenced to 138 Months for Firearms and Drug Trafficking CrimesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Muhammad Ali Hasan, 52, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on May 7, 2026, in federal court in Omaha for distribution of methamphetamine, possession of a firearm by a felon, and for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Hasan to 78 months’ imprisonment on the drug conviction and for possession of a firearm as a felon, each to run concurrently, and a consecutive 60 months’ imprisonment for the possession of a firearm during drug trafficking charge, for a total sentence of 138 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release.
On March 5 and March 6, 2024, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives special agents utilized a third-party buyer to purchase methamphetamine and firearms from Muhammad Ali Hasan, who had multiple prior felony convictions, including for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Both controlled buys occurred outside of or near Hasan’s apartment near 16th and Hickory streets in Omaha.
On March 5, 2024, Hasan sold the buyer 48 grams of actual methamphetamine, a Ruger AR-556 multi-caliber rifle, and two compatible, high-capacity magazines. Hasan then offered to sell another firearm and more methamphetamine at a later time. On the following day, Hasan sold the buyer 40 grams of actual methamphetamine, a DPMS Inc., Model A15 multi-caliber rifle, and a compatible high-capacity magazine containing .223 ammunition. The DPMS Inc. rifle had previously been reported stolen.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Nebraska United States Attorney Appointed to Serve on Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s Advisory CommitteeRead the Press Release
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has appointed U.S. Attorney Lesley A. Woods of the District of Nebraska to serve on the Administration’s inaugural Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys (AGAC) for a term of three years.
The Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC) is a select and prestigious body of United States Attorneys chosen by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to advise Department of Justice leadership on national law enforcement priorities. Acting Attorney General Blanche selected United States Attorney Lesley Woods to serve as the Eighth Circuit’s representative to his Advisory Committee.
Created in 1973, the AGAC is comprised of an exclusive group of 18 United States Attorneys and is designed to ensure broad geographic, operational, and subject-matter representation. Members work through subcommittees and working groups on issues including violent crime, national security, fraud, narcoterrorism, and other critical priorities as set by the President of the United States. The Committee plays a central role in ensuring that the experience of federal prosecutors in the field informs national Department of Justice strategy.
U.S. Attorney Woods is deeply honored at the opportunity to represent Nebraska and the interests of Nebraska and the Eighth Circuit on this committee and hopes to make her service impactful for both the District of Nebraska and the Department of Justice as a whole.
Prior to her appointment on the committee, U.S. Attorney Woods served as a JAG officer on active duty in the United States Air Force, an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Texas for approximately three years, the District of Nebraska for approximately seven years, and the District of Maryland in the Baltimore Office’s National Security Section for a short time while her husband was briefly assigned in the Washington, D.C. area. U.S. Attorney Woods also briefly served as a trial attorney for the Counterterrorism Section at Department of Justice Headquarters where she specialized in cases that combated international terrorism and served on a team of attorneys that were liaisons to the Department of Defense on matters of national security. U.S. Attorney Woods was grateful to return to Nebraska in her present role.
U.S. Attorney Woods and other members of the AGAC met with Acting Attorney General Blanche and other Department leadership earlier in May and the AGAC will hold the first substantive meeting next month where the committee will focus on establishing subcommittees individually focused on matters that will be top priorities, such as committees focused on combating violent and organized crime and increasing national security in all fifty states from foreign threats that include the cartels and the violent Tren de Aragua organization that has committed alleged crimes in Nebraska that include human trafficking and ATM jackpotting offenses. AGAC members typically chair these subcommittees which are staffed with United States Attorneys from around the nation.
AGAC membership is selected to represent various federal judicial districts, geographic locations, and various sized offices. The Committee is comprised of 18 United States Attorneys and First Assistant U.S. Attorneys. U.S. Attorney Woods will serve alongside the Committee’s Chairman Jay Clayton (Southern District of New York) and Vice-Chairwoman Leah Foley (District of Massachusetts), as well as U.S. Attorney Dan Bishop (Middle District of North Carolina), U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros (Northern District of Illinois), U.S. Attorney Scott Bradford (District of Oregon), U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine (District of Arizona), Acting U.S. Attorney Catherine Crosby (Northern District of Alabama), U.S. Attorney Michael Dunavant (Western District of Tennessee), First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bilal Essayli (Central District of California), U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon (Southern District of California), U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon (Eastern District of Michigan), Acting U.S. Attorney John Marck (Southern District of Texas), U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly (District of Colorado), U.S. Attorney David Metcalf (Eastern District of Pennsylvania), U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro (District of Columbia), U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones (Southern District of Florida), and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison (District of New Mexico).
Lincoln Woman Sentenced on Fentanyl Distribution Conspiracy and Possession ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Stephanie Marie Bartels, 32, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on Friday, May 8, 2026, in federal court Lincoln for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Bartels to 70 months’ imprisonment on each count to run concurrently. There is no parole in the federal system. After Bartels’s release from prison, she will begin a four-year term of supervised release. She will also forfeit any interest she has in $19,739.00 in U.S. currency.
Information provided to law enforcement indicated that between December of 2023 and June of 2024, Bartels and her co-defendant, Xavier Blanton, were involved in the distribution of fentanyl pills in the Lincoln area.
Between April and June of 2024, a confidential informant and an undercover officer working with the Lincoln Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force made six purchases of fentanyl pills from Bartels and Blanton. On June 27, 2024, a search warrant was executed at Bartels’s and Blanton’s Lincoln apartment. During the search, investigators found 107 grams of fentanyl pills, along with cocaine, marijuana, and a total of $19,739.00 in cash.
Blanton pleaded guilty on October 22, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana with a prior serious drug felony. His sentencing is scheduled for July 23, 2026.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Drug Task Force.
Lincoln Man Sentenced to More Than 12 Years for Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Da’Marsell Contrell Miller, 26, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on May 7, 2026, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, for one count of distribution/possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Miller to a total of 151 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Miller’s release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release. Miller will also forfeit $7,938.00 in U.S. currency to the United States of America.
Between March 3, 2025, and March 12, 2025, the Lincoln Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force, using a third party, made three purchases from Miller at his residence in Lincoln, totaling approximately eight ounces of a substance which pre-tested positive for methamphetamine. The third purchase on March 12, 2025, occurred in Miller’s car which was parked in the driveway of that residence. After the buy was completed, investigators followed Miller the residence to a convenience store parking lot where they contacted and detained him.
Investigators executed search warrants on his vehicle and the Lincoln residence. In his car, they found a 9mm pistol under the driver’s seat and the $800 cash used by law enforcement to buy methamphetamine on that date was found in the center console. During the search of Miller’s residence, law enforcement found approximately 4.75 pounds of methamphetamine, four additional firearms and ammunition, $7,938.00 in cash, and a digital scale.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Drug Task Force.
Lincoln Man Sentenced for Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Timothy Hinrichs, 44, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on May 8, 2026, in federal court in Lincoln for receipt of child pornography. He was found guilty on January 28, 2026, following a jury trial in front of United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis. Judge Bazis sentenced Hinrichs to 210 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
On June 10, 2022, an investigator for the Nebraska State Patrol was conducting an online investigation for offenders sharing child pornography. He noticed a computer at Hinrichs’s address was sharing child pornography files. He learned that Hinrichs was the subscriber for internet service at a Lincoln residence. He obtained a search warrant for electronic devices at Hinrichs’s residence.
On July 21, 2022, investigators executed the search warrant at Hinrichs’s residence. Hinrichs was home and was interviewed. He said he accidentally downloaded child pornography, found material he wasn’t expecting, that it happened a couple months ago, that it happened only one time, and that he had cleaned up or erased his computer since that time. He said he was looking up “teenager stuff.” Hinrichs admitted he used file-sharing software to obtain these files. He said he copied the files of child pornography onto a thumb drive. Investigators found the thumb drive in a desk near Hinrichs’s computer. Investigators searched the thumb drive and located 121 files containing child pornography. Additionally, Hinrichs’s desktop computer had files in the recycle bin with titles consistent with child pornography. Finally, a desktop computer that was not in use, but also found in Hinrichs’s residence, contained artifacts of child pornography dating back several years.
This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol, and 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 United States Attorney’s 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Falls City Man Sentenced for Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Darren Tracy, 55, of Falls City, Nebraska, was sentenced on May 8, 2026, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, for receipt of child pornography. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Tracy to 71 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution to victims.
In March of 2024, during an unrelated investigation, a Richardson County investigator discovered child pornography in the hidden photo album of Tracy’s cell phone. Investigators obtained a search warrant for the phone and associated iCloud account. Investigators located 910 files containing child pornography, including 419 images, 71 videos, and 420 duplicate images of child pornography. Metadata showed that the files were obtained between May 1, 2020, through December 31, 2023. Investigators interviewed Tracy, who admitted he downloaded the images from the internet.
This case was investigated by the Richardson County Sheriff’s Office, and 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 United States Attorney’s 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Bayard Man Sentenced to More Than 22 Years for Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Robert Crable, Jr., 60, of Bayard, Nebraska, was sentenced on May 14, 2026, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, for one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Crable, Jr. (Crable) to a total of 274 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Crable’s release from prison, he will begin a 7-year term of supervised release. Crable was additionally ordered to pay $15,000 which will contribute to funds established for victims of these types of cases.
Homeland Security Investigations arrested four separate individuals located in the Philippines who were engaged in human trafficking of minors. Each of these individuals were found to have recorded child sexual abuse material of children in their care and to have sold those files to paying customers worldwide. These individuals would additionally offer “shows” in which the children would engage in sexually explicit acts in livestream video or video chats for paying customers. The traffickers would request payment for this content. The phones and accounts belonging to these four traffickers were seized and reviewed. During the review, an account belonging to Crable was identified as communicating with each of the four traffickers as a customer on a video chatting application.
A search warrant for the account Crable used to communicate with traffickers revealed approximately 2,000 files of child sexual abuse material saved on the account. The account also revealed tens of thousands of lines of text conversations Crable had with traffickers from February 9, 2022, until March 13, 2025. The conversations included numerous instances of Crable purchasing child sexual abuse material from traffickers and Crable purchasing and directing livestreams or videochats in which a child was being sexually abused. Review of Crable’s financial records showed payments being made overseas consistent with these conversations and the purchase of child sex abuse material.
“For years this defendant and those he conspired with caused irreparable harm to the victims in this case. The diligence of the HSI case agents proves perpetrators of these repulsive crimes cannot hide and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Lesley Woods.
“Robert Crable committed horrific crimes that inflicted unconscionable trauma on children,” said HSI Nebraska Resident Agent in Charge Shane M. Gosnell. “I am extremely proud of our agents’ diligent work in putting him behind bars preventing other children from being abused. HSI works hard every day to find individuals like this who have no moral compass and exploit the weak and vulnerable who are unable to defend themselves.”
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 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 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
Arizona Woman Sentenced for Drug Conspiracy Following Homeland Security Task Force InvestigationRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Brandy Miller, 48, of Flagstaff, Arizona, was sentenced on May 13, 2026, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Miller to 140 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After completing her term of imprisonment, Miller will begin a five-year term of supervised release.
Miller was charged based on her involvement with a Mexico source of supply of methamphetamine known to supply the Omaha and Council Bluffs, Iowa, areas with methamphetamine via a local network of drug couriers.
On August 30, 2024, Homeland Security Task Force investigators utilized an individual who placed a drug order with the Mexican source, who instructed the individual to meet with a courier. Later that day, the individual met with Miller who delivered one pound of methamphetamine to the individual at an Omaha location. The buy was recorded, and Miller was arrested shortly thereafter. A search warrant on Miller’s phone revealed messages with the source and evidence of multiple prior deliveries.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Omaha comprises agents and officers from FBI, HSI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, USPIS, the IRS-Criminal Investigation Division, and assistance of the Nebraska State Patrol with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska.
Lincoln Man Sentenced to 188 Months’ Imprisonment for Methamphetamine ChargeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Jaden D. Reiman, 31, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on April 23, 2026, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Reiman to 188 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Reiman’s release from prison, he will begin a four-year term of supervised release.
This case involves a Mexican source of supply of methamphetamine who supplies the Omaha and Council Bluffs, Iowa, areas with methamphetamine via a local network of drug couriers. The conspiracy involves customers calling the source’s TextNow number and ordering drugs. The source then sends a courier to meet them and complete the transaction.
On August 23, 2023, investigators observed the Reiman meet with a known drug courier at an Omaha location and conduct a drug transaction. Investigators followed Reiman and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle he was riding in as a passenger. After a canine alerted to the odor of narcotics coming from within the vehicle, a search of the vehicle revealed approximately 174 grams of actual methamphetamine concealed in a water bottle. The investigation revealed Reiman had ordered the methamphetamine from his source of supply and received it from the courier who investigators had seen meet with Reiman. A search of Reiman’s phone revealed numerous contacts with the methamphetamine source. Reiman intended to distribute some or all of the methamphetamine found in his possession.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Guatemalan National Convicted by Jury of Conspiracy to Distribute and Possession of CocaineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that a federal jury in Lincoln, Nebraska, returned a guilty verdict on April 29, 2026, against Jose Garcia Jimenez, 35, of Grand Island, Nebraska. Garcia Jimenez was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing cocaine and one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing cocaine.
Garcia Jimenez, a legal permanent resident originally from Guatemala, faces a potential prison term of up to 40 years and a minimum of five years for each count. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis, who presided over the trial, set sentencing for August 6, 2026.
The evidence at trial established that between at least June 2024 and November 25, 2024, Garcia Jimenez and another individual were working together to sell cocaine out of their residence in Grand Island. In late November 2024, law enforcement intercepted a package in transit to Garcia Jimenez’s home that contained two kilograms of cocaine. After that seizure, a search warrant was applied for and granted for the residence. During the search of the residence and throughout the course of the investigation, investigators seized multiple cell phones, three firearms, a large amount of ammunition, scales, drug paraphernalia, psilocyn mushrooms, cash, and an additional half kilogram of cocaine. Garcia Jimenez and the other individual’s cell phones were downloaded, and they revealed communication consistent with drug transactions.
This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol Commercial Interdiction Unit in Omaha Nebraska and the TRIDENT and CODE Task Forces which are made up of law enforcement agencies throughout a 22-county area in west-central/southwest Nebraska and includes the North Platte Police Department, Lexington Police Department, Dawson County Sheriff’s Office, Ogallala Police Department, Nebraska State Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Kearney Man Sentenced to 6 1/2 Years for Transportation of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Jonathan Wagner, 27, of Kearney, Nebraska, was sentenced on April 23, 2026, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, for one count of transportation of child pornography. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Wagner to 78 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Wagner’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release. Wagner was additionally ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution.
Law enforcement discovered that Wagner was uploading files containing child pornography online. A federal search warrant was received for one of Wagner’s online accounts. The results revealed 97 image files and 100 video files of child pornography. The account also revealed 269 files depicting child erotica or age difficult files. A federal search warrant was received for Wagner’s residence on March 29, 2024. During the search, Wagner’s devices were seized. A review of those devices revealed 1,424 child pornography images and 15,484 images of child erotica or age difficult files. Wagner’s browser history on his cell phone also showed him accessing child pornography.
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 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 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska - April 2026Read the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced the federal Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska has returned 19 unsealed Indictments charging 21 defendants. Indictments are charging documents that contain one or more individual counts that are merely accusations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Manjot Singh, age 25, of Sacramento, California, is charged with possession of 5 kilograms or more of cocaine with intent to distribute on or about January 14, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a 5-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Rolando Jaimes, age 21, of Niobrara, Nebraska, is charged with sexual abuse of a minor in Indian Country on or about September 21, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
Brian Alexis Baldonado-Belmontes, age 25, of Bellevue, Nebraska, is charged with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition on or about March 22, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Harol Edwin Cruz Suarez, age 39, of Bellevue, Nebraska, is charged with possession of child pornography between on or about May 19, 2025, and on or about March 26, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
Harol Edwin Cruz Suarez, age 39, of Bellevue, Nebraska, is also charged in a separate indictment with possession of ammunition by a prohibited person on or about March 26, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not more than 3 years, and a $100 special assessment.
Gabriel Antonio Cordero-Reinoso, age 22, Yoskarlys Estefania Lopez-Guevara, age 22, Carlos Sabino-Parra, age 34, and Alfredo Jose Maita-Acienso, age 22, all of Omaha, Nebraska, have been charged in a two-count indictment. Count I charges Cordero-Reinoso, Lopez-Guevara, Sabino-Parra, and Maita-Acienso with conspiracy to commit bank fraud from at least in or around January 2024 through at least in or around February 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 30 years’ imprisonment, $1,000,000 fine, a 5-year term of supervised release, and $100 special assessment. Count II charges Cordero-Reinoso, Lopez-Guevara, Sabino-Parra, and Maita-Acienso with conspiracy to commit bank burglary and damage to a protected computer from at least in or around January 2024 through at least in or around February 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and $100 special assessment.
Justin A. Dueling, age 41, is charged in a three-count Indictment. Count I charges Dueling with production of child pornography between on or about December 1, 2023, and on or about November 10, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less 15 years’ and up to 30 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Dueling with receipt and distribution of child pornography between on or about November 8, 2024, and on or about November 10, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 5 years’ and up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Dueling with possession of child pornography between on or about November 8, 2024, and on or about March 17, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Edward Wayne Webster, age 71, of Winnebago, Nebraska, is charged with failure to register as a sex offender between on or about April 1, 2025, and continuing to on or about April 9, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
Rontea Gunn, age 48, is charged in a three-count Indictment. Counts I and II charge Gunn with being a felon in possession of firearms on or about April 7, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Gunn with trafficking firearms on or about April 7, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Howard Bassette, III, age 45, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charges Bassette with sexual assault by force or threat on or about April 6, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Bassette with sexual abuse by threat on or about April 6, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
Andrew L. Foster, age 41, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charges Foster with receipt of child pornography beginning on or about July 30, 2025, and continuing until on or about September 10, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 15 years’ and up to 40 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Foster with possession of child pornography beginning on or about July 30, 2025, and continuing until on or about September 10, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
Francisco Lopez-Perez, age 39, is charged in a three-count Indictment. Count I charges Lopez-Perez with false representation of a social security number on or about July 10, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Lopez-Perez with false claim to United States citizenship on or about July 10, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Lopez-Perez with illegal reentry of a removed alien on or about April 8, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 2 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 1-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
The following individuals were charged with being an alien, who previously had been excluded, deported and removed from the United States and were found in the United States, without the Acting Attorney General of the United States or his designated successor having expressly consented to the defendant’s reapplication for admission into the United States:
Gustavo Figueroa Arista, age 39
Sebastian Calel-Conoz, age 54
Artemio Avila-Galicia, age 39
Hexbin Carlos Bernal-Sabino, 41
Hugo Lepe-Mora, 39
Gustavo Cruz-Bejines, 40
The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 2 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a one-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
The following individual was charged with being an alien, who previously had been excluded, deported and removed from the United States following a felony conviction and was found in the United States, without the Acting Attorney General of the United States or his designated successor having expressly consented to the defendant’s reapplication for admission into the United States:
Israel Gaytan-Cruz, age 45
The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
California Man Sentenced in Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Jason Arias, 42, of Canyon Country, California, was sentenced on April 16, 2026, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, for Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. United States District Judge Susan Bazis sentenced Arias to 63 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Arias’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
Investigators with the Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force learned that Arias was helping mail packages of methamphetamine to at least two people in Nebraska. Investigators intercepted a package that was delivered to the post office in Ulysses, Nebraska, on May 13, 2022. Through their investigation, the Task Force investigators learned that the package contained methamphetamine and that it had been shipped by Trevor Sands, Arias’s co-conspirator in California. Investigators opened the package and found a half pound of methamphetamine. Investigators found a fingerprint on the package belonging to Arias. The investigation showed that Arias and Sands worked together to ship packages of methamphetamine from California to Nebraska.
Between May and September 2022, investigators intercepted three additional packages of methamphetamine mailed from California. Post office surveillance video captured Sands and Arias mailing packages from California. The Nebraska State Patrol Crime Lab confirmed the presence of methamphetamine in each of the packages, which weighed between one-quarter pound to one pound.
On February 8, 2023, investigators executed a search warrant at Sands’s residence in Culver City, California. Investigators located methamphetamine in the residence. Sands admitted to distributing methamphetamine and working with others to mail packages of methamphetamine to Nebraska. Arias was also interviewed, and he admitted to helping mail packages of methamphetamine, some of which were sent to Nebraska.
Sands was sentenced on May 1, 2025 to 57 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Drug Task Force, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Los Angeles Police Department.
Chinese National Arrested at JFK International Airport on Federal Charges for Illegally Photographing Military Aircraft at Nebraska Air Force BaseRead the Press Release
Tianrui Liang, 21, of China, was charged by complaint for conduct related to illegally documenting Air Force planes located at Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Nebraska, announced United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods and Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.
Offutt Air Force Base is a key base in the Air Force’s Strategic Command. Liang was allegedly present at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota in the days leading up to his visit to the Air Force installation in Nebraska. Liang crossed the Canadian-United States border on March 28, 2026, from Vancouver, Canada, to Washington on a valid B1/B2 visa.
A complaint affidavit filed in the District of Nebraska alleges that Liang drove to New York after being confronted by the FBI in Nebraska. The FBI obtained an arrest warrant for Liang who was subsequently arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
Following Liang’s arrest on April 7, Liang appeared in a federal magistrate court for the Eastern District of New York on the Nebraska federal charge. The magistrate judge released Liang and refused a government request for a stay to allow federal prosecutors in Nebraska to appeal the release to a federal judge in the District of Nebraska. Federal prosecutors in Nebraska then successfully appealed Liang’s release and he was then taken back into federal custody on April 10, 2026, by order of the Chief District Court Judge for the District of Nebraska. Liang is presently in the custody of the United States Marshals Service and is being brought to the District of Nebraska for further proceedings in the case.
“Any individuals who unlawfully attempt to acquire sensitive information about military aircraft located in the District of Nebraska will be held maximumly accountable under federal law,” said U.S. Attorney Lesley Woods.
The criminal complaint is only a charge. Liang has not been convicted and is presumed innocent until proven guilty. If convicted, he is subject to a term of imprisonment of up to 1 year. The investigation into whether more serious charges are implicated by the facts in this case is ongoing. The arrest warrant was pursued to prevent Liang fleeing the country while the investigation was ongoing.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Donald Kleine and Matt Lierman with valuable assistance provided by Trial Attorney Brendan P. Geary of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Chinese National Arrested at JFK International Airport on Federal Charges for Illegally Photographing Military Aircraft at Nebraska Air Force BaseRead the Press Release
Tianrui Liang, 21, of China, has been charged by complaint for conduct related to illegally documenting Air Force planes located at Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Nebraska, announced United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods and Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.
Offutt Air Force Base is a key base in the Air Force’s Strategic Command. Liang was allegedly present at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota in the days leading up to his visit to the Air Force installation in Nebraska. Liang crossed the Canadian-United States border on March 28, 2026, from Vancouver, Canada, to Washington on a valid B1/B2 visa.
A complaint affidavit filed in the District of Nebraska alleges that Liang drove to New York after being confronted by the FBI in Nebraska. The FBI obtained an arrest warrant for Liang who was subsequently arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
Following Liang’s arrest on April 7, Liang appeared in a federal magistrate court for the Eastern District of New York on the Nebraska federal charge. The magistrate judge released Liang and refused a government request for a stay to allow federal prosecutors in Nebraska to appeal the release to a federal judge in the District of Nebraska. Federal prosecutors in Nebraska then successfully appealed Liang’s release and he was then taken back into federal custody on April 10, 2026, by order of the Chief District Court Judge for the District of Nebraska. Liang is presently in the custody of the United States Marshals Service and is being brought to the District of Nebraska for further proceedings in the case.
“Any individuals who unlawfully attempt to acquire sensitive information about military aircraft located in the District of Nebraska will be held maximumly accountable under federal law,” said U.S. Attorney Lesley Woods.
The criminal complaint is only a charge. Liang has not been convicted and is presumed innocent until proven guilty. If convicted, he is subject to a term of imprisonment of up to 1 year. The investigation into whether more serious charges are implicated by the facts in this case is ongoing. The arrest warrant was pursued to prevent Liang fleeing the country while the investigation was ongoing.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Donald Kleine and Matt Lierman with valuable assistance provided by Trial Attorney Brendan P. Geary of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Department of Justice Reaches a Proposed Consent Decree with Nebraska to Enjoin the State from Enforcing its Unconstitutional In-State Tuition and Scholarship Programs for Illegal AliensRead the Press Release
Today, the United States filed a complaint against Nebraska and joined with the State in filing a proposed consent decree to permanently enjoin Nebraska laws that provide in-state tuition and financial assistance for illegal aliens.
The proposed consent decree, which must still be approved by the court, would resolve the Department’s claims that Nebraska’s laws unconstitutionally discriminate against American citizens in favor of illegal aliens. Specifically, Nebraska’s challenged laws grant reduced tuition to illegal aliens over U.S. citizens, which not only violates federal law but also incentivizes illegal immigration and rewards illegal immigrants with scholarship benefits that U.S. citizens are not eligible for.
“For two decades, the Nebraska legislature gave preferential treatment to illegal aliens over American citizens,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. “We encourage all States to follow the commonsense correction of Attorney General Hilgers, ceasing any policy that rewards illegal entry into our nation with educational opportunities not available to U.S. citizens.”
“Nebraska’s unconstitutional and un-American laws should never have been passed in the first place and are prohibited by federal law,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department of Justice has won on this exact issue in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kentucky, and we will take this fight to any states that fail to put American citizens first.”
“This proposed consent decree demonstrates the quality of partnership between Nebraska state leaders and the Department of Justice for the shared purpose of ensuring that federal tax dollars are not used to discriminate against Nebraska’s lawful citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Lesley Woods for the District of Nebraska.
“Nebraskans expect that illegal aliens won’t get the benefit of in-state tuition and financial aid, and federal law forbids it,” said Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen. “Outdated Nebraska laws to the contrary are deeply misguided and unconstitutional, and I am grateful for the combined efforts of President Trump’s Department of Justice and Attorney General Hilgers to deliver this long-overdue correction. This is the latest example of the tremendous partnership between the State of Nebraska and the Trump Administration.”
“This Nebraska law is unconstitutional as it unlawfully extended benefits to illegal immigrants which were not available to American citizens,” said Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers. “We filed the joint motion with the Department of Justice in order to ensure that this unconstitutional law was permanently enjoined.”
The motion came just hours after the Justice Department filed a complaint in the District of Nebraska, Omaha Division, against the state of Nebraska seeking to enjoin the state from enforcing laws that require colleges and universities to provide in-state tuition rates to all aliens who maintain Nebraska residency, regardless of whether those aliens are lawfully present in the United States. Additionally, the complaint seeks to enjoin Nebraska from enforcing state laws that afford financial assistance and scholarships to illegal aliens.
This is the 8th lawsuit in a series of actions the department has filed to fulfill President Trump’s commitment to ensure that illegal aliens are not obtaining taxpayer benefits or preferential treatment. These efforts have already delivered wins for the American people, as three similar lawsuits in Texas, Kentucky, and Oklahoma have resulted favorable orders permanently enjoining and declaring unconstitutional analogous laws that gave reduced tuition to illegal aliens. Lawsuits against other states that similarly put illegal aliens ahead of U.S. citizens are pending across the country in Illinois, Minnesota, Virginia, and California.
Omaha Man Sentenced to 22 Years for Distribution of Fentanyl Causing DeathRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Paul “Tony” Billingsley, 66, of Omaha, was sentenced on April 17, 2026, in federal court in Omaha for distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and distribution of fentanyl. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Billingsley to 264 months’ imprisonment for distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and 60 months’ imprisonment for distribution of fentanyl. The sentences were ordered to be served concurrently. There is no parole in the federal system. After Billingsley’s release from prison, he will begin a three-year term of supervised release.
Evidence at Billingsley’s January trial revealed that on May 6, 2024, Billingsley sold fentanyl to co-defendant Elissa Larson. Within the hour, Larson distributed the fentanyl to a victim who overdosed and died. A family member later found the victim. Following the victim’s overdose death, law enforcement utilized a confidential informant to conduct a controlled purchase of fentanyl from Billingsley on May 24, 2024. Law enforcement arrested Billingsley on June 3, 2024, and located more fentanyl in Billingsley’s possession.
Co-defendant Larson has pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and was sentenced on March 27, 2026, to 132 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the Overdose Drug Taskforce comprised of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Nebraska State Patrol, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, and the Omaha Police Department.
Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced for Attempted Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Bryon Greco, 39, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on April 16, 2026, in federal court in Lincoln for attempted production of child pornography. United States District Court Judge Susan Bazis sentenced Greco to 420 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Greco’s release from prison, he will begin a 10-year term of supervised release.
In November 2024, an online moderator for a Minecraft server reported a tip to the FBI National Threat Operations Center that Greco was involved in the sexual exploitation of a minor child using Discord. Investigators found that Greco began communicating with a minor child through Discord in 2023. Greco requested and encouraged the victim to take nude photos and videos of herself and send the sexually explicit content to Greco. Greco also sent sexually explicit images and videos of himself to the minor. Greco is a convicted sex offender out of Gage County, Nebraska.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Mexican Man Charged with Unlawfully Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that on March 31, 2026, Brian Alexis Baldonado Belmontes, a Mexican citizen, was charged in a criminal complaint in the District of Nebraska for unlawfully possessing a firearm while illegally being in the United States. He is currently being held in federal custody on the charge.
Per the criminal complaint, on March 22, 2026, a detective with the Omaha Police Department was monitoring a social media account of a juvenile born in 2008. The video appeared to show the juvenile firing a .22 caliber AR-style rifle in the air approximately 20 times. Law enforcement later located the area of the shooting—the 5200 block of South 38th Street in Omaha. Officers went to the scene and found approximately 23 spent .22 caliber cartridge cases and two live .22 caliber rounds. They also found a vehicle that had been struck by bullets with approximately six defects. While processing the scene, the juvenile and Baldonado Belmontes approached officers and admitted to shooting the truck. Baldonado Belmontes later provided additional information to law enforcement, including advising where the rifle used in the shooting was located. Officers went to that location and recovered a Smith and Wesson, M&P 15-22, .22 caliber rifle.
Baldonado Belmontes admitted that he crossed into the United States illegally. According to the Department of Homeland Security, he is a foreign national and a citizen of Mexico. He illegally entered the United States at an unknown date and location.
This case is being investigated by the Omaha Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Homeland Security Investigations.
A complaint is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted, he is subject to a term of imprisonment of up to 15 years.
Omaha Man Sentenced to 5 Years’ Probation for Making a False Statement to the Small Business AdministrationRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that M.A. Yah, 64, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on March 25, 2026, in federal court in Omaha for making a false statement to the Small Business Administration. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr., sentenced Yah to 5 years’ probation. As a condition of his probation, Yah was ordered to pay $111,723.07 in restitution.
Starting in 2020, the Small Business Administration (SBA) guaranteed Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans made by participating lenders to small businesses. To obtain a loan, the representative of the applicant business had to certify that the business was in operation as of February 15, 2020, that it had a certain number of employees as of the date of the application, that it had a specified average monthly payroll, and that it would use the funds for payroll and other specified business purposes. The amount of the PPP loan depended on the business’s average monthly payroll. A business was eligible for a loan equal to 2 ½ times its monthly payroll. The greater the business’s average monthly payroll, therefore, the larger the loan the business could obtain, subject to a cap. Financial institutions and other private lenders received and processed applications, forwarded information to the SBA so the funds could be earmarked, and funded the PPP loans with their own money.
M.A. Yah is the director of The Heartland News. The Heartland News is a non-profit domestic corporation that was incorporated in the State of Nebraska in 2010. The Heartland News is a non-profit newspaper that is focused on doing work with and for the homeless.
On May 1, 2020, Yah applied for a PPP loan in the amount of $100,800 through Financial Institution 1. As part of his loan application, Yah certified that The Heartland News had paid the applicable payroll taxes for its purported employees, when Yah knew that The Heartland News had not paid payroll taxes.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Jury Convicts Omaha Man of Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that on April 1, 2026, a federal jury found Fernando Hernandez, 46, of Omaha, Nebraska, guilty of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine. The verdict followed a three-day trial in front of Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. Hernandez was part of a 12-person indictment filed in April 2024. All other defendants pleaded guilty and have been sentenced or are pending sentencing.
The evidence at trial established that Hernandez was involved with a Mexican source of methamphetamine supplying the Omaha and Council Bluffs, Iowa, areas. In late 2023, Hernandez served as a courier distributing the source’s methamphetamine. On October 2, 2023, law enforcement utilized a cooperating witness who ordered one pound of methamphetamine from the Mexican source. The Mexican source sent the cooperator to an Omaha location where Hernandez delivered one pound of methamphetamine to the cooperator. After the delivery, officers surveilled Hernandez and saw him meet with two codefendants who were later stopped and found in possession of one pound of methamphetamine and $4,000. The money was forfeited as part of the investigation.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 10, 2026. Hernandez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life imprisonment. He was previously convicted federally of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. He was released from prison in 2017 after serving nearly nine years for the previous conviction.
Thisinvestigation and prosecution are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Omaha comprises agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local and state law enforcement agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska. Agents and officers with the FBI, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the Nebraska State Patrol, the Bellevue Police Department, and Lincoln Police Department testified at trial. More local and state agencies were involved in the investigation.
Hastings Woman Sentenced to More Than 26 Years for Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances and Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Sonia Martinez, 41, of Hastings, Nebraska, was sentenced on April 2, 2026, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, for one count of conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine and one count of using, carrying, or possessing a firearm during and in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Martinez to a total of 322 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Martinez’s release from prison, she will begin a 10-year term of supervised release.
Between January 24, 2024, and March 23, 2024, CODE and TRIDENT task forces coordinated eight controlled buys of methamphetamine from Martinez and Andrew Juarez. Four of the controlled buys also involved purchasing 6 firearms. The controlled buys were coordinated by a third party and an undercover officer. The State Patrol Crime Lab confirmed at least 470 grams of methamphetamine actual and at least 450 grams of methamphetamine mixture from the eight controlled buys in total.
Co-defendant Jaurez was sentenced to a total of 230 months’ imprisonment and a 5-year term of supervised release on January 8, 2026, by United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis.
This case was investigated by the TRIDENT and CODE Task Forces which is made up of law enforcement agencies throughout a 22-county area in west-central/southwest Nebraska and includes the North Platte Police Department, Lexington Police Department, Dawson County Sheriff’s Office, Ogallala Police Department, Nebraska State Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Seattle Man Sentenced for Mailing Fentanyl Pills to OmahaRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Alvin Mitchell, 38, of Seattle, Washington, was sentenced on March 20, 2026, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr., sentenced Mitchell to 15 years in prison. There is no parole in the federal system. After Mitchell’s release from prison, he will begin a 10-year term of supervised release.
In November 2024, an FBI task force began investigating co-defendant Duane Walker Jr. as a fentanyl pill dealer in Omaha. On February 3, 2025, investigators seized a USPS package destined for an address in Omaha, which was later determined to belong to Walker’s grandmother. Investigators searched the package pursuant to a warrant and found almost 5,000 fentanyl pills inside.
A postal inspector determined the package was mailed from Seattle by Mitchell. Postal records uncovered seven earlier packages that were mailed from Seattle to the same address in Omaha dating back to October 2024. Cell phone evidence secured pursuant to search warrants uncovered text message conversations between Walker and Mitchell about the packages. At sentencing, Mitchell was held responsible for a drug weight equivalent to approximately 29,000 fentanyl pills based off the weights of the earlier packages. The cell phone evidence also showed Mitchell had mailed packages of similar weights to Utah and Missouri.
Mitchell faced a mandatory minimum sentence enhancement because of a prior federal drug trafficking conviction from 2013 involving thousands of Percocet pills.
Walker, 29, of Omaha, was sentenced on March 12, 2026, to 235 months’ imprisonment. Almost $50,000 cash seized from Walker will be forfeited to the United States as proceeds of drug trafficking.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Omaha Police Department, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Omaha Man Sentenced for Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Officer Involving the Intent to Commit Another FelonyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Osmar Lorenzo-Genchi, 20, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on March 18, 2026, in federal court in Omaha for assaulting, resisting, or impeding officer involving the intent to commit another felony. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Lorenzo-Genchi to 22 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Lorenzo-Genchi is released from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release. Lorenzo-Genchi was also ordered to pay $2,284.40 in restitution.
On June 10, 2025, law enforcement encountered Osmar Lorenzo-Genchi at Glenn Valley Foods in Omaha, while executing a civil search warrant. After accounting for all employees, Homeland Security Investigations special agents interviewed them and collected biometrics to verify their legal work status in the United States. Lorenzo-Genchi was identified as a U.S. citizen, his name logged, photograph taken, and he was escorted off the property and released.
Once all identifications were completed, a Deputy United States Marshal driving a law enforcement vehicle, accompanied by two others, attempted to leave the area eastbound on J Street in Omaha. Several members of the public, including Lorenzo-Genchi, obstructed the vehicle’s path by standing in the street and moving in front of the vehicle as it tried to maneuver around them.
The Deputy Marshals stopped their vehicle and got out to clear pedestrians from the roadway. One Deputy Marshal pushed Lorenzo-Genchi to the edge, but he quickly returned to the road and struck the driver’s side mirror of the law enforcement vehicle with his fist, damaging it. When the vehicle tried to leave, Lorenzo-Genchi grabbed the rear windshield wiper and bent it, rendering it unusable. A Deputy Marshal then pushed him away. In response, Lorenzo-Genchi turned and spat on the Deputy Marshal.
Lorenzo-Genchi walked west away from the Deputy Marshal and toward departing federal law enforcement. He started throwing rocks and debris at law enforcement vehicles, hitting at least seven in total. One rock shattered the rear passenger side window of an occupied vehicle. Officers exited their vehicles to apprehend him, but the increasing crowd of individuals made it unsafe to do so. Lorenzo-Genchi was later arrested on the federal warrant.
At the time of the assault, the federal law enforcement officers were doing what they were employed by the federal government to do.
U.S. Attorney Lesley Woods said, “Any assault on federal law enforcement officers who are simply carrying out their official duties and following orders to keep our communities safe will result in federal charges. Deputies who serve in the United States Marshals Service like those who were targeted here are an invaluable part of the federal law enforcement community. They apprehend some of the nation’s most dangerous fugitives, and they enforce the federal sex offender registry. These assaults on their deputies cannot be tolerated because it jeopardizes their ability to carry out these critical public safety missions. Justice was done with this conviction and sentence.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
Nebraska Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Carlos Lopez Montoya, 32, of Grand Island, Nebraska, was sentenced on March 18, 2026, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl resulting in death. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Lopez Montoya to 240 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Lopez Montoya is released from prison, he will begin a three-year term of supervised release.
On March 5, 2024, the victim was found unresponsive in an Omaha residence. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s overdose task force investigated the case and was able to track how the fentanyl pills came into the possession of the victim as follows: a co-defendant located in California, sold the pills to Lopez Montoya in Grand Island; who then sold them to co-defendant, Ventura Montoya Gonsalez; who sold them to co-defendant, Asia Blackburn, in Omaha; who sold them to Deyon Downing; who finally sold the pills to the victim before the victim died. The victim’s cause of death was acute acetyl fentanyl, fentanyl fluorofentanyl, paroxetine, and quetiapine intoxication. All the parties were in agreement to distribute fentanyl.
Asia Blackburn pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 320 months’ imprisonment. Ventura Montoya Gonsalez and Deyon Downing were each sentenced to 240 months’ imprisonment. An arrest warrant for one co-defendant remains active.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration Overdose Task Force.
Lincoln Man Sentenced on Methamphetamine and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Michael Lee Gragg, 52, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on March 19, 2026, in federal court in Lincoln for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine and use, carry, and possession of a firearm during and in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Gragg to 120 months’ imprisonment on the conspiracy charge to be followed by 60 months’ imprisonment on the firearm charge. There is no parole in the federal system. After Gragg’s release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release.
Information provided to law enforcement indicated that between November of 2024 and January of 2025, Gragg was involved in the distribution of methamphetamine with other persons in the Lincoln area. In November of 2024, the Lincoln Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force facilitated the purchase of one-ounce quantities of methamphetamine on two occasions from Gragg. In December of 2024, two purchases were made of methamphetamine, totaling approximately ¾ ounce, from Gragg in one day. During the second purchase, Gragg also sold a 9mm pistol. On January 7, 2025, investigators followed Gragg to Omaha where Gragg met with his suspected source and drove to a house where they met with a third person. Gragg and his source then drove back to Lincoln in their respective vehicles. Gragg was contacted after he returned to Lincoln. During a search of his pickup, investigators found just under one pound of methamphetamine. Gragg admitted he and his source had just obtained that methamphetamine in Omaha. Gragg had agreed to drive it back to Lincoln where he and his source planned to divide it up.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Drug Task Force.
Lincoln Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Bernie Charles Campbell, 56, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on March 19, 2026, in federal court in Lincoln for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine mixture with a prior serious felony drug trafficking conviction. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Campbell to 130 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Campbell’s release from prison, he will begin an eight-year term of supervised release. He was also ordered to forfeit a total of $4,840.00 in U.S. currency seized from Campbell and his Lincoln residence on August 12, 2024.
Information provided to law enforcement indicated between June and August of 2024, Campbell was involved in the distribution of methamphetamine in the Lincoln area. On August 10, 2024, a search warrant was obtained for Campbell’s Lincoln residence. Prior to the execution of the search warrant, investigators saw Campbell leave his residence with a small child. They were followed to the parking lot of a Lincoln restaurant where Campbell was detained while the search warrant was served at his house. Investigators found a homemade explosive device and $1,300 cash in the car. During the search at Campbell’s house, investigators found a safe containing at least 200 grams of methamphetamine in a safe in a bedroom shared by Campbell, the child, and the child’s mother. Marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and additional cash were also found in that room.
Campbell had a prior conviction for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine from Lancaster County, Nebraska, for which he was sentenced to 6-12 years in prison in 2009.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Drug Task Force.
Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska-March 2026Read the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced the federal Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska has returned 14 unsealed Indictments charging 16 defendants. Indictments are charging documents that contain one or more individual counts that are merely accusations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Charlie Red, age 57, of Hialeah, Florida, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on or about November 18, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 15 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $20,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 10 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
Jeffrey T. Ehlers, age 66, of Lincoln, Nebraska, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charges Ehlers with receipt of child pornography following a prior conviction beginning at least on or about September 1, 2025, until on or about December 16, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 15 years’ and up to 40 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Ehlers with possession of child pornography following a prior conviction on or about December 16, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
Giovany Alberto Gomez Aguilar, age 45, of Colleyville, Texas, is charged with aiding and abetting the sale or receipt of stolen vehicles between on or about February 1, 2026, and February 13, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Pedro Jose Serpa, age 54, of Lincoln, Nebraska, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on or about January 2, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 25 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $20,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 10 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
Teon Wayne Patterson, age 42, of Lincoln, Nebraska, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on or about December 28, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
Victor Henderson a/k/a “Whodi”, a/k/a “Wop”, a/k/a “Don”, age 26, Cedric Glover a/k/a “Ced”, age 29, and Christopher Grutel a/k/a “22”, a/k/a “Twenty Two”, a/k/a “Creep”, a/k/a “Gunner”, age 25, all of Omaha, Nebraska, have been charged in an three-count indictment. Count I charges Henderson, Glover, and Grutel with conspiracy to knowingly possess firearm in furtherance of crimes of violence between on or about January 1, 2023, and on or about October 31, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and $100 special assessment. Count II charges Henderson, Glover, and Grutel with conspiracy to traffic in firearms between on or about July 29, 2023, and on or about July 30, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 15 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and $100 special assessment. Count III charges Henderson, Glover, and Grutel with use, carry, and discharge of a firearm, during in relation to a crime of violence on or about July 30, 2023. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and $100 special assessment.
Juan Us-Ralios, age 41, is charged in a three-count Indictment. Count I charges Us-Ralios with false representation of a social security number on or about December 3, 2024. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Us-Ralios with false claim to U.S. Citizenship on or about December 3, 2024. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Us-Ralios with illegal reentry of a removed alien on or about March 4, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 2 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 1-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Alberto Avitia-Esparza, age 54, of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged in a four-count Indictment. Count I charges Avitia-Esparza with distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on or about March 17, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Avitia-Esparza with distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on or about April 9, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Avitia-Esparza with distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on or about July 28, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count IV charges Avitia-Esparza with reentry of a removed alien after having been convicted of a felony on or about July 29, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Nathanial Condon, age 40, of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on or about November 21, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
Deron Lewis-Payne, age 23, of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charges Lewis-Payne with bank robbery on or about February 10, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Lewis-Payne with use, carry and brandish a firearm during a crime of violence on or about February 10, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 7 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 5-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
The following individual was charged with being an alien, who previously had been excluded, deported and removed from the United States and were found in the United States, without the Attorney General of the United States or her designated successor having expressly consented to the defendant’s reapplication for admission into the United States:
Juan Rivera-Flores, age unknown
The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 2 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a one-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
The following individuals were charged with being an alien, who previously had been excluded, deported and removed from the United States following a felony conviction and were found in the United States, without the Attorney General of the United States or her designated successor having expressly consented to the defendant’s reapplication for admission into the United States:
Martin Trujillo-Munoz, age unknown
Mateo Abarca-Uriostegui, age 52
The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
The following individual was charged with being an alien, who previously had been excluded, deported and removed from the United States following an aggravated felony conviction and were found in the United States, without the Attorney General of the United States or her designated successor having expressly consented to the defendant’s reapplication for admission into the United States:
Cresencio Lorenzo-Garcia, age 50
The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
California Man Sentenced to 180 Months for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Jamal Tatum, 45, of Glendale, California, was sentenced on March 18, 2026, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for production of child pornography. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Tatum to 180 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Tatum’s release from prison, he will begin a seven-year term of supervised release.
On June 26, 2024, the FBI National Threat Operations Center received an online tip regarding a user of the Kik platform soliciting sexually explicit videos from a minor (Minor Victim 1). The tip advised the user was 44 years old and resided in Topanga Canyon, California. Minor Victim 1, who resided in Scribner, Nebraska, indicated she began communicating with “Jamal Mutat” in a Kik chatroom and eventually the two communicated via direct messaging on Kik. Between June 25 and June 28, 2024, Minor Victim 1 and “Jamal Mutat” exchanged 404 messages, which included pictures and videos. “Jamal Mutat” sent Minor Victim 1 pictures of his penis and asked Minor Victim 1 to send pictures of herself. “Jamal Mutat” told Minor Victim 1 he wanted to meet her and have sex with her. Using Kik’s recording option on her cell phone, Minor Victim 1 made two videos showing her vagina and sent both videos to “Jamal Mutat.” Minor Victim 1’s Kik profile indicated she was 16 years old. Based on Minor Victim’s descriptions of pictures and videos sent in the Kik conversation, FBI special agents were able to identify Kik user “Jamal Mutat” as Jamal Tatum of Topanga Canyon, California.
On August 1, 2024, FBI agents obtained a search warrant for Minor Victim 1’s Kik account. In those records, agents located the messages exchanged between Minor Victim 1 and Tatum. In one message, Minor Victim 1 tells Tatum she lives in the Midwest, is 16, and provides her date of birth. Tatum describes what he would like Minor Victim 1 to do, and after this message, Minor Victim 1 sends the two videos to Tatum.
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 United States Attorney’s 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Violent Felon Sentenced after Escaping from Federal CustodyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Jackson Williams, 41, of Omaha, Nebraska was sentenced on March 13, 2026, in federal court in Omaha for escaping from federal custody. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr., sentenced Williams to 40 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Williams’s release, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release. Williams was convicted by a federal jury on December 3, 2025.
Williams was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and sentenced to serve a 90-month custodial sentence with the United States Bureau of Prisons followed by three years of supervised release. While housed at United States Penitentiary Florence in Florence, Colorado, Williams applied for a furlough that was approved on December 18, 2024.
The furlough required Williams to sign, date, and place a thumbprint on the document to acknowledge its terms and conditions. One condition required Williams to admit that he remained in the custody of the United States Attorney General. Another condition required Williams to acknowledge that he could be charged with escape if he failed to abide by the explicit instructions provided by the furlough.
The furlough specified that Williams would be transferred from USP Florence in Colorado to Residential Reentry Center Dismas Charities in Omaha. Williams was to travel unaccompanied from Florence, Colorado, to Omaha using public transportation paid for by USP Florence. Once in Omaha, Williams was directed to taxi from the bus terminal to Dismas Charities, but Williams never showed up to Dismas Charities.
On January 10, 2025, USP Florence filed a notice of escape on Williams. According to the notice, Dismas Charities informed USP Florence at 3:14 pm on January 9, 2025, that Williams never reported and that he had not contacted anyone from Dismas or USP Florence about his arrival, and that his whereabouts were unknown.
On July 1, 2025, Deputy United States Marshals investigated a lead that Williams had been spotted near Sienna Francis House in late June 2025. On July 28, 2025, Omaha Police Officers were patrolling the area of 28th and Pinkney streets in Omaha having received information that a wanted federal fugitive was living in the tree line adjacent to a nearby park.
There they observed Williams standing at the northeast corner of the park near a picnic table. When officers approached, Williams acknowledged he was Jackson Williams at which time he was advised that he had an active warrant. He was taken into custody without incident.
Williams had a phone in his hand. On the picnic table in front of him was another phone, a cigarette box, and brown cross-body bag. Williams said everything on the picnic table was his except the bag. Officers searched the bag and found a second pack of cigarettes matching the brand on the picnic table, credit cards, a federal prison identification card with Williams’s name and photo, two small baggies of methamphetamine weighing .5 and .7 grams, and a drug pipe.
This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service with assistance from the Omaha Police Department.
Omaha Man Sentenced to 235 Months for Fentanyl Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Duane Walker, Jr., 29, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on March 12, 2026, in federal court in Omaha for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr., sentenced Walker Jr. to 235 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Walker’s release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release.
In November 2024, an FBI task force began investigating Walker as a fentanyl pill dealer in Omaha. In January 2025, law enforcement facilitated purchases of fentanyl pills from Walker three times. On February 3, 2025, investigators seized a USPS package destined for an address in Omaha, which was later determined to belong to Walker’s grandmother. Investigators searched the package pursuant to a warrant and found almost 5,000 fentanyl pills inside. Walker was arrested on an unrelated warrant with a backpack containing $49,688 in cash.
A postal inspector determined the package was mailed from Seattle by co-defendant Alvin Mitchell. Postal records uncovered seven earlier packages that were mailed from Seattle to the same address in Omaha dating back to October 2024. Cell phone evidence secured pursuant to search warrants uncovered text message conversation between Walker and Mitchell about the packages. At sentencing, Walker was held responsible for a drug weight equivalent to approximately 29,000 fentanyl pills based off the weights of the earlier packages.
Mitchell, 38, of Seattle, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison at sentencing, scheduled for March 20, 2026. The cash seized from Walker will be forfeited to the United States as proceeds of drug trafficking.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Omaha Police Department, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Honduran Man Sentenced for Assaulting a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Marvin Aleman Zepeda, 37, originally of Honduras, was sentenced on March 13, 2026, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, following his December 16, 2025, jury trial conviction for forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, or interfering with a federal officer. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr., sentenced Zepeda to imprisonment for a term of 14 months. There is no parole in the federal system. Zepeda will be removed to Honduras by immigration authorities after he completes his sentence.
Despite the defendant requesting a time-served sentence at the hearing Friday, Chief Judge Rossiter issued the 14-month sentence.
Evidence at trial established that on June 10, 2025, law enforcement, including Deputy United States Marshals, were assisting with the execution of a court-authorized civil search warrant at Glenn Valley Foods in Omaha when they encountered Zepeda hiding in a crawl space. Despite receiving repeated commands from law enforcement to come out and surrender, Zepeda refused to comply. After more than 30 minutes of Zepeda failing to comply with law enforcement commands, two Deputy United States Marshals entered the crawl space to secure Zepeda. As the Deputy United States Marshals approached Zepeda, giving him commands to show his hands, Zepeda instead armed himself with a box cutter, or utility knife, with an open blade.
Additional attempts were made to secure Zepeda’s compliance, including the presence of a K9 officer and a K9. All told, it took nearly 90 minutes for law enforcement to ultimately secure Zepeda into custody.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Marshals Service, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement, and Douglas County Sheriff’s Office assisted in securing Zepeda.
Former Bank CFO Convicted at Trial of Bank Fraud Scheme Involving a Columbus Car Wash and Undisclosed Debts in $4.3 Million Loan FraudRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that a federal jury in the District of Nebraska convicted Aaron T. Luneke, 44, of Columbus, Nebraska, on both counts of a federal indictment charging him with bank fraud and attempted bank fraud. The jury returned its verdict on Friday, March 6, 2026, following a two-week trial before the Honorable Brian C. Buescher, United States District Judge, in Omaha, Nebraska.
Luneke, who served as the Chief Financial Officer of Bank of the Valley in Columbus, from July 2018 through May 2022, was found guilty of one count of bank fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1344 (Count II) and one count of attempted bank fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1344 and 2 (Count I).
The evidence at trial established that from approximately February 2021 through June 2021, Luneke devised and executed a scheme to defraud two federally insured financial institutions in connection with Legacy Express Wash, a car wash construction project in Columbus.
As to the attempted bank fraud, the jury found that Luneke attempted to defraud Stearns Bank, located in St. Cloud, Minnesota, by using fraudulent and inflated contractor invoices to artificially inflate the valuation of the car wash property in pursuit of a $3.5 million refinancing loan. The evidence further established that Luneke failed to disclose significant personal debts owed to family members in connection with the Stearns Bank loan application.
As to the bank fraud, the jury found that Luneke defrauded Bank of the Valley by submitting fraudulent and inflated invoices from contractors as the basis for additional construction loan proceeds, obtaining two loans totaling approximately $4,320,000. The evidence showed that Luneke, who was the bank’s own CFO at the time, exploited his position to facilitate the fraud from the inside.
Trial testimony from witnesses including Bank of the Valley’s president, its former chief credit officer, and compliance personnel revealed the extent of Luneke’s scheme. The government presented evidence that Luneke orchestrated a pattern of inflated invoices, and undisclosed financial obligations to deceive both lending institutions into advancing funds and approving loans they otherwise would not have approved. The evidence also showed that Luneke relied on a series of corporate shell entities to conceal that additional individuals were benefiting from his ownership interest in the car wash.
Luneke faces a maximum penalty of 30 years’ imprisonment on each count, as well as fines of up to $1,000,000 per count. Sentencing is scheduled for June 10, 2026.
“Mr. Luneke exploited his position of power to conceal a pattern of deception that defrauded his employer. Financial crimes erode public trust and confidence in our country’s economy, so we will remain steadfast in our efforts to investigate those using illegal means to enrich themselves for personal gain. The FBI is thankful for the investigative work by our partners that led to the conviction of Mr. Luneke,” said Eugene Kowel, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Omaha Field Office.
“This case highlights the risk that trusted bank insiders will abuse their position to perpetrate fraud, and in this instance obtain millions of dollars from financial institutions,” said Special Agent in Charge Justin R. Bundy of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC OIG), Kansas City Region. “The FDIC OIG stands firm in its commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to investigate and bring to justice individuals who seek to threaten the safety and soundness of our Nation’s financial institutions, especially those who exploit their positions to do so.”
“The Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General (FHFA-OIG) will continue to relentlessly investigate and pursue the prosecution of those who defraud financial institutions, particularly the Federal Home Loan Bank and its members, no matter who commits the crimes. Officers of financial institutions who have a duty to conduct honest business must be held accountable. We are proud to have partnered with the United States Attorney’s Office along with our colleagues with the FRB-OIG, FDIC-OIG, and the FBI,” said Acting Inspector General Chris Schrank.
“Aaron Luneke abused his position as a bank executive to orchestrate a fraud scheme for his own personal gain and has now been brought to justice for his actions,” said Michael E. Horowitz, Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. “We are proud to have worked alongside our federal law enforcement partners to achieve this result.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Omaha Field Office; the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of Inspector General; the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General; and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Office of Inspector General.
The case was investigated and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sean Lynch and Sarah Hinrichs and tried with the assistance of Special Assistant United States Attorney Alejandro A. Abreu.
Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska-February 2026Read the Press Release
Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced the federal Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska has returned 15 unsealed Indictments charging 17 defendants. Indictments are charging documents that contain one or more individual counts that are merely accusations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Melvin M. Dortch, age 33, of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm on or about February 5, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Adrien M. Goodall, age 19, of Papillion, Nebraska, is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm on or about December 13, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Jose Luis Guzman, age 45, of New Virgina, Iowa, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 50 grams of methamphetamine on or about September 30, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
Wes L. Nunn, age 21, of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charges Nunn with being a felon in possession of a firearm on or about July 18, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Nunn with being a felon in possession of a firearm on or about November 12, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Vershan Collins, age 34, of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm on or about January 20, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Rosemary Hart, age 34, of Lincoln, Nebraska, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 50 grams of methamphetamine mixture on or about February 6, 2026. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 5 years’ and up to 40 years’ imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 4 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
Chase Larsen, age 35, of Lincoln, Nebraska, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 50 grams of methamphetamine on or about December 23, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
Avankeene Perry a/k/a Avonkeene Perry, age 48, of New Jersey, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 400 grams or more of fentanyl on or about August 30, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.
Shane Martin, age 38, of Kearney, Nebraska, is charged in a two-count indictment. Count I charges Martin with disposing of or selling a firearm to a felon on, about, or between March 11, 2024, and July 18, 2024. Count II charges Martin with disposing of or selling a firearm to a felon on, about, or between July 7, 2024, and July 18, 2024. The maximum possible penalty for Counts I and II if convicted are 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Miles Bohac, age 46, Matthew House a/k/a Cheyenne House, age 25, and Justin Ericson, age 42, all of Lincoln, Nebraska, have been charged in an eight-count indictment. Count I charges House with straw purchasing a firearm, on or about August 21, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 15 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and $100 special assessment. Count II charges House and Bohac with making a false statement during the acquisition of a firearm on or about August 21, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and $100 special assessment. Count III charges House with straw purchasing a firearm, on or about September 11, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 15 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and $100 special assessment. Count IV charges House and Bohac with making a false statement during the acquisition of a firearm on or about September 11, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and $100 special assessment. Count V charges House with straw purchasing a firearm, on or about October 17, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 15 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and $100 special assessment. Count VI charges House and Bohac with making a false statement during the acquisition of a firearm on or about October 17, 2025. Count VII charges Bohac with being a felon in possession of a firearm on or about December 12, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 15 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and $100 special assessment. Count VIII charges Ericson with being a felon in possession of a firearm on or about December 12, 2025. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 15 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and $100 special assessment.
The following individuals were charged with being an alien, who previously had been excluded, deported and removed from the United States and were found in the United States, without the Attorney General of the United States or her designated successor having expressly consented to the defendant’s reapplication for admission into the United States:
Victor Rodriguez-Ramirez, age 46
Carlos Alonzo-Coc, age 45
The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 2 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a one-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
The following individuals were charged with being an alien, who previously had been excluded, deported and removed from the United States following a felony conviction and were found in the United States, without the Attorney General of the United States or her designated successor having expressly consented to the defendant’s reapplication for admission into the United States:
Marlon Meza-Romero, age 43
The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
The following individuals were charged with being an alien, who previously had been excluded, deported and removed from the United States following an aggravated felony conviction and were found in the United States, without the Attorney General of the United States or her designated successor having expressly consented to the defendant’s reapplication for admission into the United States:
Jose Erives Rios, age 36
Erick Hernandez-Hernandez, age 40
The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Contact Amy Donato at 402-661-3700 for further information.
Six More Defendants Charged in International “ATM Jackpotting” SchemeRead the Press Release
Note: Learn about digital and physical indicators of ATM jackpotting, along with FBI recommended mitigations here.
A federal grand jury in the District of Nebraska returned an indictment Wednesday charging six individuals for their roles in a large conspiracy to deploy malware and steal millions of dollars from ATMs in the United States, a crime commonly referred to as “ATM jackpotting.” Eighty-seven others have already been charged bringing the total to 93 charged defendants. Wester Eduardo Dugarte Goicochea, 43; Mauro Angel Briceno Caldera, 37; Henry Rafael Gonzalez-Gutierrez, 37; and Giovanny Miguel Ocanto Yance, 26, Venezuelan nationals residing in the Houston area were charged, in addition to Jelfenson David Bolivar Diaz, 38, and Arlinzon Jose Reyes Villegas, 21, both Venezuelan nationals, were charged. This indictment alleges five counts including conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank burglary and computer fraud, bank fraud, bank burglary, and damage to computers.
The most recent indictment follows a previous one returned on Dec. 9, 2025, that alleged that Tren de Aragua (TdA), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, conducted jackpotting attacks across America. The Dec. 9 indictment charged 22 individuals with offenses for their roles in the conspiracy: 13 individuals are charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, 10 with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, 10 with conspiracy to commit bank burglary and fraud and related activity in connection with computers, and 22 with conspiracy to commit money laundering. The indictment also alleges that TdA used jackpotting to steal millions of dollars in the United States and then transferred the proceeds among its members and associates to conceal the illegally obtained cash. The indictment alleged a national conspiracy to commit these offenses with crimes committed all over the United States in furtherance of these conspiracies that generated millions in illegal proceeds for the combined defendants and the TdA organization.
A related indictment returned on Oct. 21, 2025, charged 32 individuals and alleged 56 counts including one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit bank burglary and computer fraud, 18 counts of bank fraud, 18 counts of bank burglary, and 18 counts of damage to computers. An additional indictment returned on Jan. 21 charged 31 individuals and alleged 32 counts including one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit bank burglary and computer fraud, 10 counts of bank fraud, 10 counts of bank burglary, and 10 counts of damage to computers. The loss to victim financial institutions was in excess of $100,000 per jackpotting attempt. The overall loss to the victim financial institutions is over $6 million, with at least an additional $1.74 million attempted.
If convicted, the defendants face maximum penalties of between 20 and 335 years in prison.
The following photographs depict just a few of the alleged ATM jackpotting scheme in progress and equipment used:
According to court documents, TdA is a violent transnational criminal organization that originated as a prison gang in Venezuela in the mid-2000s. TdA has expanded its criminal network throughout the Western Hemisphere and established a presence in the United States. TdA’s criminal activities range from drug trafficking and firearms trafficking, to commercial sex trafficking, kidnapping, robbery, theft, fraud, and extortion. TdA members also commit murder, assault, and other violent acts to advance the organization’s criminal activities. TdA has also developed an additional source of revenue stream through financial crimes that target financial institutions throughout the United States, including using jackpotting to steal millions of dollars in cash.
In the past six months, the Justice Department has secured charges against a total of 93 TdA members and leaders with a range of federal offenses that include material support to a designated foreign terror organization, bank burglary, money laundering, damage and unauthorized access to protected computers, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit the same offenses.
FBI’s Omaha Field Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Omaha is investigating the case, with assistance from FBI’s Denver, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, Oklahoma, Sacramento, Seattle, and Springfield Field Offices, and the United States Secret Service, U.S. Marshals Service, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of the Inspector General, Financial Deposit Insurance Corporation, Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Appanoose County Sheriff’s Office, Bates County Sheriff’s Office, Sheridan Police Department, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Leesburg Police Department, Sterling Heights Police Department, Kearney Police Department, Warrant Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Colombus Police Department, Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Nebraska State Patrol Crime Laboratory, Bluff City Police Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Lincoln Police Department, Gothenburg Police Department, Loudon Police Department, Alcoa Police Department, Kearney Police Department, Milford Police Department, Grand Island Police Department, Nebraska State Patrol, Papillion Police Department, Central City Police Department, Holdrege Police Department, New York State Police, Berkeley Police Department, Cook County Electronic Monitoring Unit, Aurora Police Department, Austin Police Department, United States Capitol Police, Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office, City of Rome Police Department, Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, McCook Police Department, Nebraska DMV Crime Analysts, Rantoul Police Department, Olathe Police Department, North Platte Police Department, Walla Walla Police Department, Milton-Freewater Police Department, Missoula Police Department, Omaha Police Department, Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, Sidney Police Department, Denver Police, Howard County Sheriff’s Office, St. Paul Police Department, Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office, Glendale Police Department, Columbia Police Department, Brookfield Police Department, Wauwatosa Police Department, Mount Pleasant Police Department, Grafton Police Department, South Milwaukee Police Department, Dubuque Police Department, Fargo Police Department, and Paducah Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska, and Joint Task Force Vulcan. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Western District of Washington, Eastern District of California, Southern District of New York, Northern District of Illinois, Central District of Illinois, Eastern District of Oklahoma and Eastern District of Wisconsin, as well as the Larimer County Attorney’s Office, Colorado Attorney General’s Office, Tennessee 9th District Attorney General’s Office, Tennessee 5th District Attorney General’s Office, the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center, East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, and Louisiana State Police have provided significant assistance.
This Operation 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 U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Omaha comprises agents and officers from the FBI and HSI.
Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV) was created in 2019 to eradicate MS-13 and has now expanded to target TdA. JTFV is comprised of U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country, including Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; Eastern and Western Districts of North Carolina; Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia; Southern District of Florida; Eastern District of Texas; Western District of Oklahoma; Northern District of Indiana; and the District of Nevada, as well as the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, and the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and Criminal Division. Additionally, the FBI, DEA, HSI, ATF, USMS, and the Bureau of Prisons are essential law enforcement partners with JTFV.
An indictment or a complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law
Six More Defendants Charged in International “ATM Jackpotting” SchemeRead the Press Release
[UPDATED] OMAHA — A federal grand jury in the District of Nebraska returned an indictment Wednesday charging six individuals for their roles in a large conspiracy to deploy malware and steal millions of dollars from ATMs in the United States, a crime commonly referred to as “ATM jackpotting.” Eighty-seven others have already been charged, bringing the total to 93 charged defendants. Wester Eduardo Dugarte Goicochea, 43; Mauro Angel Briceno Caldera, 37; Henry Rafael Gonzalez-Gutierrez, 37; and Giovanny Miguel Ocanto Yance, 26, Venezuelan nationals residing in the Houston area were charged, in addition to Jelfenson David Bolivar Diaz, 38, and Arlinzon Jose Reyes Villegas, 21, both Venezuelan nationals, were charged. This indictment alleges five counts including conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank burglary and computer fraud, bank fraud, bank burglary, and damage to computers.
The most recent indictment follows a previous one returned on December 9, 2025, that alleged that Tren de Aragua (TdA), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, conducted jackpotting attacks across America. The December 9, 2025 indictment charged 22 individuals with offenses for their roles in the conspiracy: 13 individuals are charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, 10 with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, 10 with conspiracy to commit bank burglary and fraud and related activity in connection with computers, and 22 with conspiracy to commit money laundering. The indictment also alleges that TdA used jackpotting to steal millions of dollars in the United States and then transferred the proceeds among its members and associates to conceal the illegally obtained cash. The indictment alleged a national conspiracy to commit these offenses with crimes committed all over the United States in furtherance of these conspiracies that generated millions in illegal proceeds for the combined defendants and the TdA organization.
A related indictment returned on Oct. 21, 2025, charged 32 individuals and alleged 56 counts including one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit bank burglary and computer fraud, 18 counts of bank fraud, 18 counts of bank burglary, and 18 counts of damage to computers. An additional indictment returned on January 21, 2026, charged 31 individuals and alleged 32 counts including one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit bank burglary and computer fraud, 10 counts of bank fraud, 10 counts of bank burglary, and 10 counts of damage to computers. The loss to victim financial institutions was in excess of $100,000 per jackpotting attempt. The overall loss to the victim financial institutions is over $6 million, with at least an additional $1.74 million attempted.
If convicted, the defendants face maximum penalties of between 20 and 335 years in prison.
The following photographs depict just a few of the alleged ATM jackpotting scheme in progress and equipment used:
According to court documents, TdA is a violent transnational criminal organization that originated as a prison gang in Venezuela in the mid-2000s. TdA has expanded its criminal network throughout the Western Hemisphere and established a presence in the United States. TdA’s criminal activities range from drug trafficking and firearms trafficking, to commercial sex trafficking, kidnapping, robbery, theft, fraud, and extortion. TdA members also commit murder, assault, and other violent acts to advance the organization’s criminal activities. TdA has also developed an additional source of revenue stream through financial crimes that target financial institutions throughout the United States, including using jackpotting to steal millions of dollars in cash.
In the past six months, the Justice Department has secured charges against a total of 93 TdA members and leaders with a range of federal offenses that include material support to a designated foreign terror organization, bank burglary, money laundering, damage and unauthorized access to protected computers, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit the same offenses.
FBI’s Omaha Field Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Omaha is investigating the case, with assistance from FBI’s Denver, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, Oklahoma, Sacramento, Seattle, and Springfield Field Offices, and the United States Secret Service, U.S. Marshals Service, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of the Inspector General, Financial Deposit Insurance Corporation, Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Appanoose County Sheriff’s Office, Bates County Sheriff’s Office, Sheridan Police Department, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Leesburg Police Department, Sterling Heights Police Department, Kearney Police Department, Warrant Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Colombus Police Department, Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Nebraska State Patrol Crime Laboratory, Bluff City Police Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Lincoln Police Department, Gothenburg Police Department, Loudon Police Department, Alcoa Police Department, Kearney Police Department, Milford Police Department, Grand Island Police Department, Nebraska State Patrol, Papillion Police Department, Central City Police Department, Holdrege Police Department, New York State Police, Berkeley Police Department, Cook County Electronic Monitoring Unit, Aurora Police Department, Austin Police Department, United States Capitol Police, Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office, City of Rome Police Department, Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, McCook Police Department, Nebraska DMV Crime Analysts, Rantoul Police Department, Olathe Police Department, North Platte Police Department, Walla Walla Police Department, Milton-Freewater Police Department, Missoula Police Department, Omaha Police Department, Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, Sidney Police Department, Denver Police, Howard County Sheriff’s Office, St. Paul Police Department, Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office, Glendale Police Department, Columbia Police Department, Brookfield Police Department, Wauwatosa Police Department, Mount Pleasant Police Department, Grafton Police Department, South Milwaukee Police Department, Dubuque Police Department, Fargo Police Department, and Paducah Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska, and Joint Task Force Vulcan. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Western District of Washington, Eastern District of California, Southern District of New York, Northern District of Illinois, Central District of Illinois, Eastern District of Oklahoma and Eastern District of Wisconsin, as well as the Larimer County Attorney’s Office, Colorado Attorney General’s Office, Tennessee 9th District Attorney General’s Office, Tennessee 5th District Attorney General’s Office, the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center, East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, and Louisiana State Police have provided significant assistance.
This Operation 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 U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Omaha comprises agents and officers from the FBI and HSI.
Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV) was created in 2019 to eradicate MS-13 and has now expanded to target TdA. JTFV is comprised of U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country, including Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; Eastern and Western Districts of North Carolina; Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia; Southern District of Florida; Eastern District of Texas; Western District of Oklahoma; Northern District of Indiana; and the District of Nevada, as well as the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, and the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and Criminal Division. Additionally, the FBI, DEA, HSI, ATF, USMS, and the Bureau of Prisons are essential law enforcement partners with JTFV.
An indictment or a complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Winnebago Man Sentenced to 30 months in Prison for Assault with a Dangerous WeaponRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Anthony Masquat, 20, of Winnebago, Nebraska, was sentenced on February 18, 2026, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for assault with a dangerous weapon with the intent to do bodily harm. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Masquat to 30 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Masquat’s release from prison, he will begin a three-year term of supervised release.
In the early morning hours of April 5, 2025, within the exterior boundaries of the Winnebago Indian Reservation, Masquat approached a victim seated in a vehicle at an apartment complex parking lot listening to music. Masquat pointed a knife at the victim and told him to get out. The victim got out with his hands up and then tried to disarm Masquat by pushing him against the vehicle. As victim pushed Masquat, Masquat began repeatedly stabbing the victim.
The victim ultimately disarmed Masquat and restrained him until police arrived, but the victim suffered multiple stab wounds which required medical attention, including stitches.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Winnebago Police Department.
Omaha Man Sentenced to a Total of 262 Months for Production and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Steven Jones, 46, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on February 18, 2026, in federal court in Omaha for production of child pornography and distribution of child pornography. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Jones to 262 months’ imprisonment on the production count and 240 months’ imprisonment on the distribution count. The sentences will run concurrent to each other. There is no parole in the federal system. After Jones’s release from prison, he will begin a seven-year term of supervised release.
On October 31, 2024, the FBI executed a search warrant at an Omaha residence and seized electronic devices for forensic examination. Investigators located numerous images and/or videos depicting child pornography and identified several individuals in the Omaha area who discussed and exchanged child pornography. Jones was one of the individuals the FBI identified. In September 2022, Jones sent another individual multiple voyeuristic photos of a female child between six to nine years old. The photos were sent in a text message string discussing the sexual abuse of children. Jones took additional voyeuristic photos depicting Minor Victim 1, who was seven years old at the time, unclothed and sent those photos to another individual in the context of a text message string discussing the sexual abuse of children.
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 United States Attorney’s 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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New York Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Check Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Brian S. Castillo, 25, of Bronx, New York, was sentenced on February 13, 2026, for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and mail fraud based on his role in a check fraud scheme affecting thousands of victims and causing more $1.8 million in losses. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Castillo to 10 years’ imprisonment for each count to be served concurrently. Chief Judge Rossiter ordered Castillo to pay restitution in the amount of $1,852,532.98. After Castillo is released from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release.
Between on or about January 3, 2023, and July 30, 2024, Castillo executed a scheme in which co-conspirators obtained legitimate checks—often by theft and unlawful means—and provided them to Castillo, who “cooked” the checks to create counterfeit and fraudulent checks payable to co-conspirators. By altering information on the checks, including the payee and check amount, individuals were able to cash the fake checks. Castillo mailed the cooked checks to co-conspirators using the United States Postal Service or he sent them as PDFs. To perpetrate the scheme, Castillo communicated via Telegram—an end-to-end encrypted messaging platform—with co-conspirators, including one in Nebraska. Castillo received more than $800,000 in Bitcoin for his role in the scheme.
The sentencing hearing highlighted the significant scope of the conspiracy. As part of an August 2024 search warrant for Castillo’s New York residence, law enforcement obtained Castillo’s cell phone. Forensics revealed approximately 30,000 PDFs of checks on Castillo’s cell phone that had been altered and/or counterfeited. The total amount of the checks was approximately $496 million. Law enforcement located at least 5,000 individuals and businesses who were potentially victims of the scheme. In imposing the sentence, Chief Judge Rossiter. recognized that Castillo “played a big role” in the scheme and that he had seen “nothing to this level” before.
“The United States Postal Inspection Service is to be commended for the exceptional investigative effort that led to this just result. The sentence fairly and justly adjudged in this case is an accurate reflection of the financial harm that resulted from this deliberate and insidious scheme that harmed thousands of innocent victims,” said U.S. Attorney Woods.
“One of the missions of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is to safeguard the U.S. Mail from criminals. Mr. Castillo executed a sophisticated check fraud scheme that resulted in almost two million dollars in losses from victims across the country. Last week’s sentencing shows the commitment of postal inspectors to aggressively investigate and pursue individuals who exploit the nation’s mail system for their criminal activities and to safeguard the U.S. Mail,” said Bryan Musgrove, Inspector in Charge of the Denver Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Mexican National Sentenced to 15 Years for Methamphetamine PossessionRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Octavio Zamora-Chona, 39, a Mexican citizen living in Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on February 13, 2026, in federal court in Omaha for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr., sentenced Zamora-Chona to 180 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Zamora-Chona’s release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release.
On November 21, 2024, DEA agents and local law enforcement executed a search warrant at Zamora-Chona’s residence in Omaha. They recovered more than 30 pounds of methamphetamine, five firearms, and more than $19,000 in cash. One of the firearms was a short-barreled rifle. Review of extracted data from Zamora-Chona’s seized cell phone showed his involvement in methamphetamine dealing.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Agency with assistance from the Omaha Police Department, Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office, and Saunders County Sheriff’s Office.
Mexican National Sentenced to 108 Months’ Imprisonment for Methamphetamine ChargeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Jose Rodrigo Alejandro Muniz, 27, of Mexico City, Mexico, was sentenced on February 13, 2026, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Alejandro Muniz to 108 months’ imprisonment. After his release from prison, he will begin a two-year term of supervised release.
This case involves a Mexican source of supply of methamphetamine who has been supplying the Omaha and Council Bluffs, Iowa, areas through a local network of drug couriers since 2021. Customers will call the source and order the drugs, who will then send a courier to meet them and complete the transaction.
Alejandro Muniz was the main drug courier for the Mexican source of supply starting in June of 2023. On June 15, 2023, law enforcement utilized a cooperating witness who purchased one pound of methamphetamine from the Alejandro Muniz at an Omaha location. Phone messages confirmed he was working for and being directed by the Mexican source of supply.
On September 26, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant on the Alejandro Muniz’s Council Bluffs apartment and discovered approximately 3.9 pounds of methamphetamine and $2,750 in U.S. currency. During a post-Miranda interview, the defendant admitted to distributing at least 25 pounds of methamphetamine in last six months. The investigation revealed that he distributed most of the methamphetamine in the Omaha area.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Lincoln Man Sentenced for Felon in Possession of a Firearm and a Supervised Release ViolationRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Cleophus Collier, 35, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on February 12, 2026, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Collier to 45 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Collier is released from prison, he will begin a three-year term of supervised release. Additionally, Collier was sentenced for a violation of supervised release to a term of 12 months and one day imprisonment to run consecutive to the 45-month sentence.
Collier was located by law enforcement who had a warrant for his arrest in relation to a federal supervised release violation. As law enforcement approached, Collier removed a backpack from his body and placed it on the ground next to him. Located in the bag was a loaded Springfield XDS and seven rounds of .45 ammunition. The firearm was found to be stolen out of Omaha in 2016.
Collier is a three-time convicted felon and was prohibited from the possession of firearms and ammunition.
This case was investigated by the Metro Fugitive Task Force and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Wisconsin Man Sentenced for Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Tyler James Martinez, 35, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, was sentenced on February 11, 2026, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska for two counts of bank robbery. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Martinez to 96 months’ imprisonment for each count to be served concurrently. Additionally, Martinez’s sentence was ordered to run consecutively to a sentence that Martinez is currently serving in Wisconsin bringing his total sentence to 192 months. There is no parole in the federal system. After Martinez’s release from prison, he will begin a three-year term of supervised release.
On or about March 11, 2022, Martinez entered the Centris Federal Credit Union at 343 North 114th Street in Omaha. Martinez approached the teller and displayed a note that stated, “This is a hold up. No GPS. No dye. Don’t make a scene. Give me the money. Stay quiet. Don’t sound the alarm. Don’t get the manager.” The teller gave Martinez $1,000 and he told the teller, “Have a nice day,” and left the credit union. The Centris Federal Credit Union was insured by the National Credit Union Administration.
On March 15, 2022, Martinez entered the Mabrey Bank at 2525 E. 21st Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Martinez approached the teller. Martinez handed the teller a note that read, “No Alarm’s. Give me All the money in the till/Drawer. I want $2,500 or Better. No Dye packs. No GPS. Do not look at anyone. Stay calm. Give me my money now!! You can hit Alarm after I leave.” The teller gave Martinez $2,500 and Martinez left. The Mabrey Bank was insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Omaha Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Illegally Possessing a Machine Gun and Felon in PossessionRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Tyler Webster, 28, of Omaha, Nebraska was sentenced on February 6, 2026, in federal court in Omaha for illegally possessing a machine gun and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Webster to 120 months’ imprisonment on each count to run concurrently. There is no parole in the federal system. After Webster’s release, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release on each count to run concurrently.
On November 13, 2023, Omaha Police officers dispatched to an apartment near 61st and Spencer streets in Omaha where a tenant reported that a male wearing a ski mask, later identified as Tyler Webster, had broken into her apartment and was holding a hammer. Officers arrived and took Webster into custody and found a high-capacity handgun magazine in his pocket. On November 15, 2023, the tenant found a 9mm Polymer 80 handgun concealed in a plastic bin in her apartment that Webster had discarded while hiding. The handgun was equipped with a ‘Glock switch’ machine gun conversion device making it capable of fully automatic fire, and a machine gun as defined in federal law.
On January 29, 2024, at 3:28 am, while patrolling Leavenworth Street near South 31st Avenue, Omaha Police officers heard gunshots coming from a Chevy Equinox travelling eastbound, leaving behind .45 ACP caliber shell casings. Officers attempted a traffic stop but the Equinox led them on a high-speed.
The Equinox eventually came to a stop near a construction site on 13th and Farnam streets where Webster, the vehicle’s front passenger, threw a stolen Springfield .45 ACP caliber handgun from the window into a construction site before continuing their flight onto I-80, into Iowa.
Iowa law enforcement continued the pursuit and eventually punctured the Equinox’s tires with stop sticks, causing it to stop near Shelby, Iowa. The driver remained with the vehicle, surrendered, and was ultimately taken into custody. Webster fled through a field on foot and escaped arrest. He was arrested later that day at a residence in Omaha.
Webster has the following prior felony convictions punishable by more than one year of incarceration: Criminal Conspiracy, a Class II Felony, and Robbery, a Class II Felony, both in the District Court of Douglas County, Nebraska (CR l7-406, November 9, 2017).
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Omaha Police Department.
Omaha Jury Convicts Barndominium Builder of Three Counts of Wire FraudRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Bryce A. Nolde, 37, of Waverly, Nebraska, was convicted of three counts of wire fraud by a federal jury in Omaha, Nebraska, on February 4, 2026.
Nolde operated BV Builders, which billed itself as a construction company specializing in barndominiums and shouses. The term barndominium or shouse (shed-house) typically refers to a large, open-concept building constructed with metal or wood framing and clad in metal siding and roofing. These structures are used for residential purposes and can incorporate a workshop, garage, or room for animals.
Evidence at trial showed that between July 2022 through early 2024, BV Builders advertised that it could build customers the house of their dreams. The company would get a large downpayment or draw a large amount from a customer’s construction loan and then represent that the money was going to pay subcontractors and suppliers for their work on the customer’s build. Instead, the money went to fund Nolde’s personal interests or other purposes. The customers were left with no dream houses, and often with construction liens on their property, because the subcontractors and suppliers did not get paid for the work they provided. Dozens of victims testified at trial to the devastating financial crimes.
The jury deliberated for slightly more than two hours before returning a guilty verdict for each of the three counts for which Nolde was charged.
United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher, who presides over the case, set Nolde’s sentencing on May 13, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. Each of the wire fraud counts carry a possible penalty of up to 30 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Nolde could also be ordered to pay restitution to the victims of his crimes.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Office of Inspector General Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Office of Inspector General Federal Housing Finance Agency, the Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Nebraska State Patrol.
Omaha Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Ricky Allen Kane, 47, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on February 5, 2026, in federal court in Omaha for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Kane to 162 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Kane is released from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
An investigation into the 2022 death of a man from a fentanyl overdose led investigators to a suspected source of supply of fentanyl in the Omaha area. The DEA executed a search warrant on November 14, 2022, on the residence of Michele Waters, Kane’s co-defendant. Both Waters and Kane were present. Law enforcement seized two baggies: one contained 86 grams of actual methamphetamine, and one contained 11 grams of actual methamphetamine. The 86 grams of actual methamphetamine were found between the armrest and seat of the chair in the living room. Numerous items of drug paraphernalia were seized, including scales and baggies.
Michele Waters pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine. On October 17, 2024, she was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.