District of Nebraska

United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Joshua Hecht, 26, of Waverly, Nebraska, was sentenced on July 6, 2026, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for transportation of child pornography and possession of child pornography. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Hecht to 135 months’ imprisonment for transportation of child pornography and 120 months’ imprisonment for possession of child pornography. The terms of imprisonment will be run concurrently to one another. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Hecht will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.

Beginning in October 2023, Hecht contacted Victim 1 over Snapchat. Victim 1 was a 16-year-old male residing outside of the United States. Hecht maintained contact with Victim 1 and used Victim 1 to create visual depictions of sexually explicit conduct over Snapchat video chat. Specifically, Hecht took screenshots of Victim 1 masturbating.

On January 26, 2024, Hecht flew from Omaha, to Chicago, Illinois, with the plan to fly to meet Victim 1 in person. HSI agents had previously become aware of Hecht’s intended travel and observed Hecht board the flight in Omaha and exit the flight in Chicago. Hecht was then contacted by HSI agents in the jetway, which is the functional equivalent of the border, as he was boarding his flight to leave the United States to meet Victim 1. The agents did a border search of Hecht’s phone and found the images of Victim 1 on Hecht’s phone. Agents then seized Hecht’s phone. Hecht’s phone was then extracted pursuant to a search warrant and reviewed. On Hecht’s phone, agents found multiple videos, depicting Victim 1 and Hecht masturbating on Facetime video calls. 

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 Homeland Security Investigations.

United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Keith McDougald, 46, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on June 25, 2026, in federal court in Omaha for methamphetamine distribution and two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced McDougald to 168 months’ imprisonment on each count to run concurrently. There is no parole in the federal system. After McDougald’s release from prison, he will serve a three-year term of supervised release. 

Between the dates of January 29, 2024, and September 4, 2024, an Omaha Police Department confidential source purchased methamphetamine and firearms from McDougald and firearms from his relative, Demetrius Hunter. At that time, both McDougald and Hunter were prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior felony convictions. McDougald had a conviction for attempted first-degree sexual assault. Hunter’s convictions were for operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest and possession of a firearm by a felon.

On January 29, 2024, McDougald sold the confidential source 114 grams of methamphetamine in a parking lot. On February 19, 2024, McDougald sold the source 392 grams of methamphetamine in another parking lot. On April 29, 2024, 

McDougald contacted the source and told the source that he and his nephew (Hunter) were available to meet near 30th and Lake streets to sell a firearm. They sold the source a Sig Sauer P220 .45 cal. handgun and magazine containing seven .45 cal. rounds. On May 14, 2024, McDougald brokered the sale of a Polymer 80 PFC940C 9mm handgun and a high-capacity drum magazine containing one live 9mm round, to the source, for Hunter. On May 22, 2024, McDougald brokered the sale of a Glock 26 9mm handgun and the three magazines, to the source, for Hunter. On May 27, 2024, McDougald and Hunter sold the source an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 multi-caliber pistol and an empty magazine. 

On June 3, 2024, Hunter was arrested and booked at the county jail for unrelated charges and while he was incarcerated, he arranged for the sale of a Norinco SKS 7.62x39 cal. rifle, which McDougald sold to the source on June 12, 2024. On July 25, 2024, McDougald sold the source a Cobrayo M11/9 9mm handgun. On August 31, 2024, after Hunter’s release from jail, he sold the source an AM-15 short-barreled rifle and a 60-round magazine, a 100 round drum magazine, and twenty live .223 cal. rounds.

Demetrius Hunter pleaded guilty to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm on November 25, 2025 and was sentenced to 92 months to be served concurrently and 3 years supervised release on both counts on March 12, 2026. 

United States Attorney Lesley Woods said, “I want to congratulate the Omaha Police Department and ATF for taking an armed registered sex offender off the street and out of our communities. Unfortunately, it appears this defendant refuses to make better life choices no matter how many convictions have stacked up for him at this point.  Nebraska is safer with McDougald behind bars. I am grateful to OPD and ATF for making this case and doing the community an invaluable service in the process.”

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. This case was primarily investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Omaha Police Department.

United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Emerson Reyes-Andrade, 32, of San Salvador, El Salvador, was sentenced on July 2, 2026, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Chief United States District Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Reyes-Andrade to 120 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Reyes-Andrade is released from prison, he will be deported as he is not a United States citizen and was in the country illegally. 

Reyes-Andrade was charged as a result of his involvement with a Mexico source of supply of methamphetamine who supplies the Omaha and Council Bluffs, Iowa, areas with methamphetamine via a local network of drug couriers. On September 4, 2024, a cooperating witness working with law enforcement contacted the Mexican source and ordered two pounds of methamphetamine. The source sent Reyes-Andrade who met the cooperator at an Omaha location where he delivered approximately two pounds of methamphetamine to the cooperator.

On November 21, 2024, a search warrant was executed on Reyes-Andrade’s Omaha residence revealing approximately seven grams of methamphetamine.  On that same date another search warrant was served on an Omaha residence where Reyes-Andrade had been seen frequenting, and approximately 110 pounds of methamphetamine were discovered.

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 HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, USPIS, the IRS-Criminal Investigation Division, and assistance of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska.

On Monday, July 6, 2026, United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced criminal charges against Dustin Weitzel, 46, of Fremont, Nebraska. Weitzel was charged by information with one count of wire fraud. The penalties for wire fraud are a maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment, a maximum $250,000 fine, both such imprisonment and a fine, a term of supervised release of not more than 3 years, and a mandatory special assessment of $100. Weitzel is scheduled to be sentenced before Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. on October 1, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.

The Dodge County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 17 (FOP17) was created in approximately 2006. It was a requirement for all Dodge County Sheriff’s Deputies to be members of FOP17. It was also required for all FOP17 members to pay dues which were collected via an automatic paycheck withdrawal. 

Weitzel has been employed by the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office since 1999. At some point prior to 2018, Weitzel became Treasurer for FOP17 and served as Treasurer until February 2023. Weitzel stopped serving as Treasurer for FOP17 upon his being elected Sheriff of Dodge County. The dues for FOP17 were used to pay for FOP17’s attorney, an annual golf tournament, training, and various charitable causes. Weitzel’s role as Treasurer was to oversee the collection of dues, maintain the bank accounts, and report on the status of FOP17 funds at the FOP17 meetings. FOP17 had three bank accounts at First State Bank and Trust Co.: a checking account, a golf funds account, and a savings account. At all relevant times in the Information, Weitzel was the only FOP17 member with online access to FOP17’s bank accounts. Weitzel was also a signer on all three accounts. 

From April 2018 through February 2022, while Weitzel was Treasurer for FOP17, he made 84 transactions between the FOP17 accounts at First State Bank and Trust Co. and Weitzel’s personal bank accounts at RVR Bank. These transactions were not authorized by the FOP17 Board and were not for FOP17 purposes. Many of the transfers from the FOP17 accounts into Weitzel’s personal accounts were to prevent overdrafts in Weitzel’s personal accounts. In total, $45,500 was wired from FOP17 accounts into Weitzel’s personal accounts. Weitzel in turn returned $40,750.01 in funds from his personal accounts to FOP17 accounts prior to detection. The remaining balance missing from FOP17 accounts is $4,749.99. 

As part of this scheme, on August 28, 2020, Weitzel initiated a wire transfer in the amount of $2,500 from the FOP17 checking account at First State Bank and Trust Co. to Weitzel’s personal checking account at RVR Bank. 

Weitzel was interviewed and admitted to this conduct. 

As part of his plea agreement, Weitzel agreed that he will surrender his law enforcement certification before the sentencing date in this case and that he will not work as a law enforcement officer in the future.  

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Michel Daiana Martinez-Gonzalez, 29, of Colombia, and Alfredo Manuel Zambrano-Hurtado, 26, of Venezuela, were each sentenced on July 6, 2026, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for their roles in sex trafficking of two minors. Martinez-Gonzalez was sentenced for two counts of sex trafficking of a minor by force and Zambrano-Hurtado was sentenced for two counts of sex trafficking of a minor. Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon sentenced Martinez-Gonzalez to 210 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Martinez-Gonzalez’s release from prison, she will begin a 5-year term of supervised release. Co-defendant Zambrano-Hurtado was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Zambrano-Hurtado’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release. Martinez Gonzalez and Zambrano-Hurtado entered the United States illegally in 2022. Senior Judge Bataillon ordered both to pay special assessments of $10,000 under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.

On January 6, 2025, the Omaha Police Department received a report of a theft. Responding officers identified indicia of sex trafficking. The Omaha Police Department-Homeland Security Investigations Human Trafficking Task Force immediately began investigating and recovered two minor females, aged 15 and 16, who had been transported to the AmericInn hotel in Omaha by Zambrano-Hurtado from out of state to be sold for commercial sex. 

The two minor females reported that Eduardo Jose Perdomo and Michel Martinez-Gonzalez were both advertising the minors online for commercial sex and arranging commercial sex acts with buyers. Zambrano-Hurtado admitted to transporting Perdomo and the victims to Nebraska and transporting one of the minors for commercial sex acts on at least two occasions. The evidence showed that Zambrano-Hurtado also assisted with keeping watch at the hotel. Martinez-Gonzalez admitted that she knew the victims were minors and knew that Perdomo had an arrangement with the hotel employees that they could have sex with the victims anytime they wanted in exchange for allowing them to stay at the hotel. Martinez-Gonzalez further admitted to paying a man in the Dominican Republic to rent two online commercial sex advertisements. Martinez-Gonzalez claimed that one page was intended for her own work in prostitution while the other she rented to Perdomo, but Martinez-Gonzalez got tired of commercial sex work and began utilizing the minors for commercial sex with the clients who responded to her page as well.

Perdomo is scheduled for sentencing in front of Senior Judge Bataillon on July 20, 2026.

“Not all prisons have bars on the doors.  Homeland Security Investigations freed these children from a physical and mental prison when they tore down this criminal organization and ripped them out of Nebraska’s streets and put real bars between these human traffickers and the innocent children they were preying on daily,” said U.S. Attorney Lesley Woods. “There is no greater evil than the kind of evil that financially profits from the sex trafficking of a child by force and from enslaving children in the commercial sex trade.  Martinez-Gonzalez exploited children in an unthinkable manner for her own selfish gain.  She illegally immigrated to the United States to commit the worst crimes imaginable against children in our country.  She deserves every second, minute, hour, and month of her federal prison sentence and more. Human traffickers are not welcome in Nebraska, and they would be wise to leave before we catch them because no mercy will be shown to them if we get to them first.”   

“HSI’s mission is to protect the most vulnerable members of our communities, and there is no greater priority than safeguarding children from exploitation,” said Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City Acting Special Agent in Charge Rick Sabatini. “The sentences handed down today reflect the seriousness of these crimes and the focused commitment of HSI and our partners to dismantle trafficking networks and bring predators to justice. Martinez-Gonzalez preyed on innocent children, inflicting unimaginable harm for her own profit. Thanks to the tireless work of our agents and the dedication of the prosecution team, these traffickers will spend years behind bars, unable to harm another child. HSI will continue to pursue those who exploit children with relentless determination, and we will not rest until every victim is rescued and every trafficker is held accountable.”

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 HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, USPIS, the IRS-Criminal Investigation Division, and assistance of the Omaha Police Department with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska.

Carlos Javier Padron, 36, an illegal alien from Venezuela, was sentenced yesterday to 78 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to deploy malware and steal millions of dollars from ATMs in the United States, a crime commonly referred to as “ATM jackpotting.” His co-defendant, Oddry Arnoldo Cabrera Torrealba, also known as “Luis Alejandro Berdugo Barraza,” 37, an illegal alien from Venezuela, was sentenced on June 11, to 78 months in prison for similar conduct.   

“Carlos Javier Padron and Oddry Arnoldo Cabrera Torrealba helped deploy sophisticated malware as part of a transnational criminal network that hacked ATMs across the United States and stole millions of dollars through a technique known as ATM jackpotting – which caused bank ATMs to dispense the cash inside of them,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Crimes like this undermine the security of our financial institutions and fuel the operations of violent transnational criminal organizations such as Tren de Aragua (TdA). This sweeping investigation with the District of Nebraska and our law enforcement partners has disrupted this network at all levels. We will protect our financial institutions from technology enabled fraud.”

“ATM jackpotting is TdA’s business plan and their assessed primary source of revenue to fund their terrorist activities that range from reprehensible forms of human trafficking to armed robbery, murder, and the general undermining of America’s national security by flooding our communities with controlled substances,” said U.S. Attorney Lesley Woods for the District of Nebraska. “We will use these prosecutions to put a chokehold on their funding pipeline.” 

“TdA is a violent terrorist organization relying on a range of criminal activities to generate revenue supporting their campaigns of violence and terror,” said Special Agent in Charge Euguene Cowel of the FBI Omaha Field Office. “As criminal enterprises change tactics, we surge resources and adapt accordingly to protect the American people. FBI Omaha will continue standing shoulder to shoulder with our local, state, and federal partners in the fight to dismantle and disrupt the activities of TdA locally and globally.” 

“These individuals participated in a crime that was both an attack on the American financial system, and an effort by Tren De Aragua to fund even more terror in our country,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Rick Sabatini of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Kansas City. “I’m proud of our agents and partners for working tirelessly to pursue justice and put consumers at ease, knowing their bank’s health is sound and not at risk of being damaged by violent, dangerous criminals.”

According to court documents, Padron and Torrealba were part of a sophisticated criminal network responsible for ATM jackpottings throughout the United States. The members of the network conspired to develop and deploy a variant of malware known as Ploutus, which was deployed on ATMs and used to permit the unauthorized withdrawal of currency. The conspiracy relied on individuals including Padron and Torrealba to deploy the Ploutus malware onto ATMs in person. Once installed and activated, the malware permitted the co-conspirators to issue commands to the cash dispensing module of the ATM in order to force unauthorized withdrawals of currency. The Ploutus malware also was designed to delete evidence of its existence to prevent financial institutions from detecting its use on ATMs. Padron and Torrealba were arrested by the Lincoln, Nebraska Police Department at the site of a jackpotting in October 2024. 

Padron and Torrealba both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank burglary and one count of computer fraud and intentional damage to a protected computer. At their respective sentencings, the Court also ordered both Padron and Torrealba to jointly pay $1,537,696 in restitution to the multiple victim banks.   

Following the arrest of Padron and Torrealba, a comprehensive federal investigation identified a network of co-conspirators throughout the United States and abroad. Since the arrests of Padron and Torrealba, 96 other defendants have been indicted for their roles in this conspiracy for related offenses including 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. 

The investigation has established extensive direct and indirect links between the indicted co-conspirators and TdA. 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 ATM jackpotting to steal millions of dollars in cash.

FBI’s Omaha Field Office and HSI Omaha are 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 (USMS), 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,  Bluff City Police Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Lincoln Police Department, Gothenburg Police Department, Loudon Police Department, Alcoa 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, U.S. 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 Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska, and Joint Task Force Vulcan. The Justice Department’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 with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska.

Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV) was created in 2019 to eradicate MS-13 and now expanded at the direction of the Attorney General 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; Western District of Virginia; Southern District of Florida; Eastern District of Texas; Western District of Oklahoma; Northern District of Indiana; District of Nevada; and District of Arizona; as well as the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, and the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Criminal Division, and the Office of Judicial Attaché and DEA partners in Bogotá, Colombia. Additionally, the FBI, HSI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), USMS, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons are essential law enforcement partners with JTFV.

CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime and intellectual property (IP) crime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cyber and IP criminals, and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds.

United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Cody Bullman, 35, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced June 25, 2026, in federal court in Lincoln for attempted receipt of child pornography. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Bullman to 60 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Bullman’s release from prison, he will begin an 8-year term of supervised release. 

In March of 2024, a Facebook profile of an undercover officer, presenting themselves as a 13-year-old female, was sent a “friend request” from a Facebook profile determined to belong to Bullman. The undercover officer and Bullman communicated briefly. Then in May of 2024, Bullman asked the undercover officer, “you down to hook up?” The undercover officer responded, indicating to Bullman they were only 13 years old. Bullman said he was okay with that and told the undercover officer, “I just wanna [sic] say your [sic] attractive.” Later in the conversation Bullman sent a sexually explicit photo. Bullman then asked the undercover officer for sexually explicit images or videos of the minor, indicating he would not “do anything with your nudes. It’s for my viewing only.” 

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 the Nebraska State Patrol in conjunction with Homeland Security Investigations.

United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced the federal Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska has returned 13 unsealed Indictments charging 14 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. 

Kenneth Powers, age 68, of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged in a two-count Indictment.  Count I charges Powers with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine beginning on or about September 1, 2025, and continuing to on or about January 15, 2026.  The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $20,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Powers with being a felon in possession of a firearm on or about January 15, 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.       

Brian De Jesus-Garibaldi, age 20, of San Luis, Arizona, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine on or about April 30, 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.

William Finely, Sr., age 61, of Lincoln, Nebraska, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on or about March 3, 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. 

Jason D. McCain, age 46, of Grand Island, Nebraska, is charged with bank robbery on or about April 1, 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. 

Peere M. Shackelford, age 41, of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged with distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl resulting in death between about January 26, 2026, and January 30, 2026.  The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 20 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, a term of supervised release of not less than 3 years and up to life, and a $100 special assessment.

David J. Turner, age 63, of Lincoln, Nebraska, is charged in a three-count Indictment.  Count I charges Turner with possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute on or about March 12, 2026.  The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 25 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $20,000,000 fine, a 10-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Turner with possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute on or about March 12, 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 III charges Turner with possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute on or about March 12, 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. 

Daniel Ray Corter, age 48, of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged in a three-count Indictment.  Count I charges Corter with assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating and interfering with a federal officer with bodily injury on or about April 5, 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 Corter with assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating and interfering with a federal officer with physical contact on or about April 5, 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. Count III charges Corter with impeding, intimidating or interfering with a federal official by threat on or about April 5, 2026.  The maximum possible penalty if convicted is up to 6 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. 

Marissa Halterman, age 37, of Omaha, Nebraska, and Christopher Raudales, age 41, of Omaha, Nebraska, are charged with possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of fentanyl on or about April 27, 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.   

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: 

Allan Padilla-Sanchez, age 26

Darwin Flores-Sanchez, age 27

Jose Valenciano-Moreno, age 39

Jose Omar Murillo-Herrera, age 42 

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 an aggravated felony conviction 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 Caceres-Ascencio, age 49

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. 

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The Justice Department, along with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska, announced today charges against five men for an alleged plot to carry out an attack to kill government officials and others attending the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Freedom 250 event held at the White House last Sunday. 

The FBI launched an investigation into the plot and identified a group of conspirators who procured weapons and made plans to carry out the attack. The FBI made arrests over the weekend in Ohio, Missouri, Nebraska, and California. The investigation remains ongoing.

“The FBI, our law enforcement partners and our U.S. Attorneys did what they do every day to make America Safe through quick response and vigilance in investigating, disrupting, and dismantling this alleged plan before it could be carried out,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “We will take immediate and aggressive action to identify and prosecute those who incite and plan acts of violence.”

United States Attorney Lesley Woods said, “The complete disruption of this evil plot in record time demonstrates how foolish it is to engage in terrorist plots of this kind from the District of Nebraska.  The FBI and its state and local law enforcement partners swiftly and effectively neutralized this threat before it had any chance of success.  Federal prosecutors and agents worked tirelessly to take the necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of our nation’s leaders.” 

“On June 10, FBI and our law enforcement partners became aware of a potential threat to the UFC America 250 event in Washington, D.C. involving individuals outside of the National Capital Region — and thanks to the rapid action of this FBI, our partners, and the Department of Justice in a multi-state operation, multiple individuals are now in custody and allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “While the result represented the best of investigative work, it was also nothing out of the ordinary for this law enforcement team — we are built to detect, respond to, and bring to justice those who threaten the lives of American citizens — particularly during large gatherings like the historic UFC 250 fight. That’s exactly what we did here. I want to thank our great agents and partners, this work remains ongoing and we will continue to update the public as permitted.”

“Protecting the President of the United States and the White House grounds is priority number one for the U.S. Secret Service,” said Director Sean M Curran of the U.S. Secret Service. “The landscape has changed, and as a result we have seen a dramatic rise in threats against our protectees. I am proud of the men and women of the Secret Service that vigorously monitor, investigate, and arrest those that plot to interfere with our protective mission. We are grateful for our extraordinary partnerships we share with DHS, DOJ, Acting Attorney General Blanche, FBI-JTTF, Park Police, and DC Police.”

“From his home here in Nebraska, Alvarez allegedly directed and recruited others across the country to conduct a horrific attack against government officials in a mass casualty event. Our team worked around the clock to locate and apprehend Alvarez, take him into custody, and collect crucial evidence,” said Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel of FBI Omaha Field Office. “The local partnerships forged in our FBI Omaha Joint Terrorism Task Force were critical in mitigating the threat posed by Alavarez and others. We are incredibly thankful for the support of the Nebraska State Patrol, Omaha Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Council Bluff’s Police Department, and Saline County Sheriff’s Office in our continued efforts to identify and thwart violent attacks against the U.S.”

According to the charges, Tycen C. Proper, 19, of Danville, Ohio; Bryan Omar Roa, 24, of Calimesa, California; Michael Alan Thomas, 32, of Pinon Hills, California; Daniel K. Eskridge, 32, of Kidder, Missouri; and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Omaha, Nebraska, conspired to plan and execute a mass casualty event targeting U.S. officials in attendance at UFC Freedom 250 hosted on the White House grounds. The conspirators allegedly planned to deploy drones armed with explosives in and around the UFC Freedom 250 event in order to force an evacuation of the event and then planned to deploy snipers to fire upon “high value targets” within the fleeing crowd.

Abraham Alvarez

According to the charges filed in Nebraska, the FBI identified Alvarez as the individual using the name “Shepherd” in an encrypted chat app that was used to plan an attack on the UFC Freedom 250 event scheduled to be held at the White House on June 14. The FBI assessed that Alvarez, also known as “Shepherd,” was responsible for planning, organizing, and directing the planned attack, based on conversation excerpts in June when Shepherd posted, “This is the best action I see. Position your teams in the purple dots (counter sniper and drones) Long range (circled area) (great shot) Easy out into the river.” Shepherd also allegedly posted other messages including replying to another member on making drones with explosives, “As many and as deadly as we can get.”; that he was working on drones; and had one drone and was working on more.

The complaint further alleges that Shepherd provided a picture and directions for a safe zone at an old church in Nebraska. He instructed the other members to take back roads or the river down to the “pick up location.” Later that same evening, Shepherd also provided locations in the area for drone launch points and sniper positions.

Tycen Proper

According to filed complaints in the Southern District of Ohio, the Western District of Missouri, the District of Nebraska, and the Central District of California, investigators interviewed Proper at a medical facility on June 11. During the interview, he allegedly said he had planned with others a coordinated attack against the U.S. government during the UFC event at the White House. He said members of the group who wanted to participate in the attack began communicating with each other around March. More serious members of the group, including Proper, moved their communications to an encrypted chat app. They planned to fly small drones with explosives to detonate over the north side of the UFC arena, forcing high value targets to evacuate the premises; the group would then act as snipers and shoot these individuals. Before executing the plan, Proper and other conspirators allegedly planned to rendezvous in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Proper allegedly amassed firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and tactical gear at his home in Ohio, and he identified potential targets, including multiple members of Congress. 

Bryan Roa

According to the complaint filed in the Central District of California, law enforcement executed a search warrant of Roa’s residence and vehicle where they allegedly seized a rifle, handgun, tactical belt, ammunition and a rifle magazine, a two-way radio, and an infrared laser target pointer. A search of Roa’s phone allegedly found messages in a group with Thomas, Proper, and others discussing an attack at the UFC event at the White House, with some users discussing using drones rigged with explosives to initiate the attack, with rooftop snipers killing individuals. Law enforcement also allegedly found Instagram videos Roa had posted of himself shooting guns.

Michael Thomas

According to the complaint filed in the Central District of California, Thomas allegedly participated in a group chat planning an attack at the UFC event at the White House. In a group chat, on June 7, he allegedly wrote “$1300 gets us the drones and the charges. Yes we should all pitch in and we need it asap…” 

In another group chat, Thomas, under a pseudonym, allegedly described “tiers” of operators within their anti-government group, with tier 1 being operators on the ground, tier 2 being drivers and drone operators, tier 3 being logistical suppliers, and tier 4 being social media influencers. “Tier one status is not something to take lightly. … We will make sure they have…All the tier 2 support we can provide. We will try to break them out of jail if we need to.” In the same group chats, Thomas discussed meeting with Roa in person in Southern California in order to conduct “marksmen training” and reflected that the group needed to train for “gorilla style warfare.”

In a June 13 search warrant, FBI agents allegedly seized from Thomas’ residence a rifle, 30-round extended magazines for the rifle, 180 rounds of ammunition, and a pistol. 

Daniel Eskridge

Eskridge was charged with conspiracy to commit murder on White House grounds. According to an affidavit filed in the Western District of Missouri, the FBI identified Eskridge while reviewing electronic communications on Proper’s cell phone. The co-conspirators had electronic chats on encrypted social media platforms. In those chats, members of the group allegedly discussed assassinating several U.S. Senators, Representatives, and prominent business executives. Members of the group targeted some legislators based on the group’s perceived belief that the legislators accepted money from pro-Israel lobbies. When discussing potential targets, Eskridge indicated that the target was “big and someone a majority of the country knows.” In the discussions, power grids were also identified as potential targets. On May 22, Eskridge distributed a picture of tactical equipment, including a rifle, helmet, and ballistic vest. The photograph is below.

Also according to the affidavit, in a separate chat group, a conversation took place in early June when Eskridge and some of the other chat group members discussed their plan to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event. Specifically, Thomas stated, “Pensilvania [sic] avenue.” Eskridge said the group should obtain $1,300 in U.S. currency and they needed “5 teams of 3 each team consisting of 1 sniper, 1 tier one operator as support/ look out, [and] one drone operator.” Eskridge said the money would provide them the funding to purchase “drones and charges,” and encouraged the group to all “pitch in.” On June 13, law enforcement officials executed a federal search warrant of Eskridge’s residence. Agents recovered rifles, a shot gun, pistol, and other tactical gear. 

If convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. Conspiracy to commit violence on White House grounds carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

A criminal complaint merely contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

A U.S.-based technology company, Vercel Inc., agreed today to a enter a Stipulated Dismissal with the United States to resolve civil contempt proceedings related to Vercel’s failure to comply with a federal search warrant issued under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. According to court documents, Vercel Inc., failed to comply with its obligation to disclose information as required by a federal search warrant issued out of the District of Nebraska, until a federal magistrate judge made a preliminary finding that Vercel was in contempt of court. 

“When a federal court issues a search warrant, it is not a suggestion, but a mandatory directive, essential to the pursuit of justice, that a recipient company must comply with,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Criminal Division pursues technology companies who fail to uphold their lawfully mandated obligations. We are pleased Vercel has belatedly complied and accepted responsibility for the unnecessary costs incurred by the Government in this matter.” 

“A private company withheld evidence in a federal investigation, and that poor choice landed them in federal court in Nebraska,” said U.S. Attorney Lesley Woods for the District of Nebraska. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will not stand for failure to comply with judicially authorized search warrants. We will protect our federal investigations to the fullest extent of the law. We are grateful to our partners at the Criminal Division who helped us recover this critical evidence.”

“While leading a high priority investigation with national and international impact, FBI Omaha and our partners served a lawfully predicated federal search warrant on Vercel Inc.,” said Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel of the FBI Omaha Field Office. “Vercel Inc.’s failure to comply with a lawful court order forced investigators and prosecutors to divert valuable time and resources away from primary investigative matters. To fulfill our mission of protecting the American People and upholding the Constitution with the speed and agility the public expects of us, we rely on companies promptly and completely providing evidence in response to lawful court orders. We will continue working with our Department of Justice partners to aggressively pursue accountability for organizations that fail to uphold their legal responsibilities.” 

On Aug. 11, 2025, U.S. Magistrate Judge Ryan Carson issued a search warrant requiring Vercel to disclose the contents of a specified user account in its possession, custody, and control. Three days after Vercel received the search warrant, but prior to Vercel taking any action to execute the warrant, the user deleted the account. Although the deleted information was still located in Vercel’s servers in a deletion queue, Vercel did not recover that information and only provided the Government with some records associated with the account. Vercel failed to meet its obligations to produce the entire contents of the account, believing and representing to the court that the records had been deleted.

On Feb. 2 upon motion from the government and following a hearing as to why Vercel should not be held in civil contempt for failure to comply with the warrant, Magistrate Judge Carson issued an order finding that the Government had established a prima facia case of civil contempt and certified the case to a U.S. District Judge for further proceedings. Only after this finding, on Feb. 5 did Vercel fully comply with the warrant by turning over files it previously believed it did not possess and previously could not locate. 

As part of the Stipulated Dismissal, Vercel admitted that at the time it received the search warrant, Vercel’s legal process response tools were inadequate in two ways, which together caused their failure to timely comply with the warrant. First, the tools were not designed in a way that permitted members of Vercel’s Trust and Safety team to locate, preserve, and produce certain content. Second, they were not designed in a way that permitted members of Vercel’s Trust and Safety team to locate, preserve, and produce content that resided in a deletion queue. Vercel has since updated its legal process response tools and procedures to enable the preservation and production of certain content associated with customer accounts, including content that is held in a deletion queue. Vercel has also agreed to pay the Government for the costs it incurred in litigating this matter.

FBI’s Omaha Field Office sought and obtained the original search warrant issued to Vercel as part of an ongoing investigation. Vercel is not and never was a target of the underlying criminal investigation. The warrant was served under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which allows law enforcement to use a search warrant to compel providers to disclose the contents of specified user records.

Senior Counsel Michael J. Christin of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean P. Lynch and Daniel D. Packard for the District of Nebraska are litigating the case. 

CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime and intellectual property (IP) crime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cyber and IP criminals, and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds.

Stipulation of Dismissal here.

United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Jonas D. Saunders, 22, of Vernal, Utah, was sentenced on June 4, 2026, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, for one count of cyberstalking and one count of using a telecommunications device to abuse, threaten, and harass. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Saunders to a total of 24 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Saunders’ release from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.

Saunders met Victim 1 in the fall of 2021 when they were both freshman at the same university. A falling out occurred and Saunders eventually transferred schools. In February of 2025, after seeing Victim 1 was in a new relationship, Saunders began threatening and harassing Victim 1 online and through other methods of communication. Saunders’s threats and harassment extended to several of Victim 1’s family members and boyfriend whom he also directly threatened. Many of the threats involved threats to kill Victim 1 and her loved ones using extreme methods. 

Saunders’s actions included threats made on Instagram and X, through emails, and repeated calls to Victim 1 and her family. Further harassing actions of Saunders included seeking the assistance of a “hacker” to break into Victim 1’s accounts; sending a mass email to college students at Victim 1’s university exclaiming that Victim 1 was promiscuous and listing her email address; encouraging others on social media to contact Victim 1 and harass her further; and creating a website about her all with the intent to degrade, abuse, and harass her. Saunders’s conduct did not stop until police departments in both Victim 1’s and Saunders’s locations became involved. 

United States Attorney Lesley Woods said, “Cyberstalking terrorizes its victims and traps them in a living nightmare. Cyberstalkers can reach their victims anytime, day or night, and they are relentless in their harassment of victims.  The United States Attorney’s Office will be equally relentless in its prosecution of these offenders.” 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

On May 29, 2026, the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska entered a default judgment for the United States totaling $3,423,389.84 against Joan Kicken and AME P.C. d/b/a Campbell Drug, for violations of the False Claims Act. The court entered this judgment after Kicken and AME failed to defend against the United States’ allegations. 

In its complaint, filed on October 31, 2025, the United States alleged that Kicken owned and operated AMC P.C. d/b/a Campbell Drug in Oshkosh, Nebraska, and sought to unjustly enrich herself by submitting fraudulent billing to Medicare and Medicaid. The complaint alleged that Kicken sought reimbursement from Medicaid for prescription drugs for which valid prescriptions were never issued, billed Medicaid for prescription drugs that were never dispensed, and billed Medicare and Medicaid for name-brand medications (with higher reimbursement rates) when Kicken dispensed generic versions of the same medications.  It was further alleged that Kicken knew such actions and billing methods were improper, but she continued to do so for monetary benefit.   

“Medicaid and Medicare exist to ensure that every American has access to the care they need. Fraud against these programs is an attack on that promise,” said the United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods. “This case demonstrates that we will pursue healthcare fraud aggressively and without hesitation because protecting the integrity of our public health system is protecting the public itself.”

“Those who defraud Medicaid and Medicare will be held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Linda T. Hanley, Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS/OIG). “HHS OIG will not hesitate to investigate, expose, and pursue individuals who knowingly steal from federal healthcare programs. When providers refuse to follow the law, we will take decisive action—alongside our federal and state partners—to protect these programs and the people they serve.”

Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers said, “Medicaid funds are provided by hardworking taxpayers. Stolen Medicaid funds harm Nebraska’s most vulnerable citizens. Thanks to the partnership of the Medicaid Fraud Unit, USAO, and OIG, the stolen funds were recovered and will be returned to those who truly need them.”

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars.  Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to HHS at 800 HHS TIPS (800-447-8477). 

HHS-OIG and the State of Nebraska’s Medicaid Fraud and Patient Abuse Unit provided investigative support.

United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Charles Aldrich, 18, of the Omaha Nation Indian Reservation, was sentenced on May 27, 2026, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for assault with a dangerous weapon with the intent to do bodily harm and using, carrying, or brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Aldrich to 37 months’ imprisonment for the assault charge and a consecutive 84 months’ imprisonment for the use of a firearm during his crime of violence, for a total sentence of 121 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 August 25, 2025, Omaha Nation Law Enforcement Services received a call regarding a shooting on Skunk Hollow, a location in the Omaha Nation Indian Reservation, and determined that a victim had been shot.

Before the shooting, Aldrich became involved in an argument with his next-door residents.  Aldrich retrieved a handgun from a car that pulled up to the street. The argument continued, and Aldrich fired three shots from his driveway toward the next-door residents as they fled. Aldrich pursued and fired five more rounds at them. One was struck by gunfire.

Aldrich returned to his residence and remained there until he subsequently surrendered to law enforcement. Law enforcement searched the residence and recovered the handgun that had been used.

This case was investigated by the Omaha Nation Law Enforcement Services and Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Brian T. Smith, 52, and Myria K. Phaisan, 50, both of Omaha, Nebraska, were sentenced in federal court in Omaha for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon sentenced Smith on May 18, 2026, to 27 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Smith’s release from prison, he will begin a three-year term of supervised release. Smith was also ordered to pay $455,707.81 in restitution. 

Senior Judge Bataillon sentenced Phaisan on May 26, 2026, to a five-year term of supervised release. Phaisan was also ordered to pay $228,402.65 in restitution. 

Smith and Phaisan’s co-defendant, Syed Hussain, has not yet been apprehended by law enforcement. Hussain is charged by Indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, five counts of wire fraud, one count of identity theft, one count of misuse of a social security number, and one count of aggravated identity theft. An Indictment is a charging document that contains one or more individual counts that are merely accusations. Hussain is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. 

Smith and Phaisan participated in a scheme using interstate wire communications to defraud various government benefit programs that had been instituted by the United States government in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Specifically, members of the conspiracy fraudulently applied for funds from the Housing Assistance Fund and Emergency Rental Assistance as well as applying for Paycheck Protection Program loans. The conspirators registered internet domains that were variations in spellings or nomenclature of legitimate mortgage companies or financial institutions in order to further their fraudulent activities. The conspirators also acquired names and personal identifying information of individuals to create fraudulent identity documents, such as driver’s licenses, or other documents, to include W-9s, mortgage statements, and rental agreements in support of fraudulent applications. Hussain is alleged to have participated in the same acts as Smith and Phaisan.

As a result of this scheme, the conspirators caused a loss across all programs at issue totaling $1,187,860.90 and an additional intended loss of $42,334.37.

On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars.  Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs. 

This case was investigated by the Office of Inspector General – U.S. Department of the Treasury.

United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Kavankumar Patel, 27, of Gujarat, India, was sentenced on May 26, 2026, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for two counts of sex trafficking of a minor. Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon sentenced Patel to 10 years’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Patel’s release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release. However, Patel is in the United States illegally and faces deportation after completing his prison sentence.

On January 6, 2025, the Omaha Police Department received a report of a theft. Responding officers identified indicia of sex trafficking. The Homeland Security Task Force and the Omaha Police Department immediately began investigating and recovered two minor females, aged 15 and 16, who had been brought to the AmericInn hotel at 2920 S. 13th Court in Omaha from out of state to be sold for commercial sex. 

The two minor females reported that their traffickers had instructed that the minors must engage in sex with hotel staff for a reduced room rate or they would be kicked out of the hotel. Two hotel employees paid the trafficker to have sex with one of the minors and a third hotel employee had sex with the other minor. Patel, an employee at the AmericInn, admitted that he used money from the hotel till to pay the traffickers to have sex with one of the minors at the hotel. Hotel employees then permitted the traffickers and minors to remain at the hotel for multiple days. The traffickers would post online advertisements for commercial sex and arrange commercial sex acts involving the minor victims. The minors reported having little food and feeling like they had no choice but to engage in sex acts as directed.

“The United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will never tire of working as hard as we need to work to protect the most vulnerable victims in our communities,” said United States Attorney Lesley Woods. “The Homeland Security Task Force rescued these children from a living nightmare, and anyone with knowledge or suspicion of human trafficking in our communities should reach out to state or federal law enforcement immediately to report those concerns and to be part of the effort to free all of Nebraska’s victims of human trafficking.” 

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 HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, USPIS, the IRS-Criminal Investigation Division, and assistance of the Omaha Police Department with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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).

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

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.