Southern District of Texas
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Tax preparer imprisoned for tax fraud resulting in over half a million in lossesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A local tax business owner has been sentenced for aiding and assisting in the preparation and filing of false income tax returns, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Krystal Wright pleaded guilty April 17.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown has now ordered Wright to serve 24 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by one year of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay $525,404 in restitution. At the hearing, the court heard how her criminal history, the length of her scheme and the harm to the taxpayers warranted a prison sentence. In handing down that sentence, the court noted that he hoped Wright would learn from her actions.
Wright was the sole owner and only tax preparer at WW2F in Freeport for six years.
Most of Wright’s clients did not have a business nor did they discuss any business income or expenses with her. After Wright completed a tax return, she did not review the completed documents with clients and only provided them with the refund amount and first two pages of the return. This prevented her clients from identifying overstated or false items on their tax returns.
From 2017 through 2020, Wright prepared and filed approximately 83 federal income tax returns that contained false and fraudulent items. Some included qualified solar electric property costs, gifts by cash or check, business expenses, wages, salaries, tips and supplies.
The false and fraudulent filings resulted in a total sustained tax harm of $525,404.
She will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rodolfo Ramirez and James Hu prosecuted the case.
Local man convicted of recording himself while engaging in sexual intercourse with minorRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 29-year-old McAllen resident has entered guilty pleas to enticement of a minor and production of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Christian Hanks recorded himself with a minor victim in December 2023.
The investigation also revealed Hanks had engaged in conversation with another minor victim in the Western District of Louisiana to entice her to engage in sexual conduct with him. The investigation revealed he also engaged in sexual intercourse with the second minor victim.
U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez will impose sentencing Jan. 15, 2025. At that time, Hanks faces up to 30 years in federal prison for the production of child pornography and up to life for enticing the second minor victim.
He has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
Homeland Security Investigations in Texas and Louisiana conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cahal P. McColgan and Earl M. Campbell prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
Houston man guilty in $160M Medicare fraud schemeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON - A 59-year-old man has been convicted of all 15 counts as charged for heading a massive Medicare fraud scheme involving the fraudulent billing of expensive topical creams, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
The jury deliberated for less than five hours before convicting Mohamad Mokbel following a 10-day trial.
From 2014 through 2021, Mohamad Mokbel led a company called 4M Pharmaceuticals which operated 14 pharmacies with straw owners. The jury heard evidence that Mokbel illegally purchased thousands of Medicare beneficiaries, including their identification number, personal health and physician information. Mokbel targeted elderly diabetic patients who are dependent on diabetic testing supplies to manage their blood sugar levels. Mokbel paid $16 to $40 per Medicare beneficiary.
To maximize reimbursements and without regard for medical necessity, Mokbel then directed 4M employees to use the Medicare beneficiaries’ patient data to run insurance claims to determine if Medicare or other insurance plans would cover and reimburse at a high rate for the topical creams, Omega-3 pills and other medications that Mokbel intended to sell through 4M pharmacies.
At Mokbel’s direction, 4M employees would then fax pre-filled prescription requests to the patients’ doctors appearing to be for diabetic testing supplies with topical creams added at the bottom. They also included false representations that the patient was requesting a 4M Pharmacy fill their medications. In reality, Mokbel had previously purchased the patient’s personal information, the patient had not selected a 4M Pharmacy and the patient was often unaware the request was being made on their behalf.
Many doctors apparently took the representations in the fax at face value and did sign and send back the prefilled prescription requests to 4M. Mokbel’s call center in Houston and later in Egypt then contacted the patients and made false and misleading statements about the topical cream and their doctor’s order. Mokbel’s pharmacies then shipped out numerous topical creams, often on auto-refill, and excessively billed Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance plans.
Mokbel made over $200 million as a result of the scheme.
From 2015 through 2020, Mokbel also corruptly gave a series of bribe payments, ranging from $2,000 to $5,000 and totaling over $188,000 an employee of a pharmacy benefits manager - OptumRx - in exchange for favorable treatment for 4M pharmacies. They were credentialed and recredentialed with OptumRx which allowed them to enter into retail network agreements with OptumRx, participate in the Medicare Part D program and submit claims for prescriptions for Medicare beneficiaries. Mokbel also received information and advice about responding to audits and preventing and/or delaying OptumRX termination of many 4M pharmacies.
U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal accepted the verdict and set sentencing for Jan. 7, 2025. At that time, Mokbel faces up to 20 years for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and health care fraud, 10 years for each of five counts of health care fraud, each of six counts of money laundering and one count of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds as well as five years for
conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute and conspiracy to commit bribery. He could also be ordered to pay up to a total of $4 million in fines and possible restitution in excess of $160 million.
Previously released on bond, Mokbel was taken into custody pending sentencing.
The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration and the Texas Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Unit conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn Leigh Olson and Adam Laurence Goldman are prosecuting the case.
Drug trafficking mom imprisoned for smuggling meth across borderRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 41-year-old Dallas woman has been sentenced for possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of meth, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Alma Delia Rios pleaded guilty March 22, 2022.
U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez has now ordered Rios to serve a total of 145 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard that Rios imported narcotics from Mexico on behalf of Dallas drug traffickers. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Rios’ use of her minor daughter as a means to disguise the trip as a typical family vacation when is was a drug deal.
In October 2021, Rios attempted entry from Mexico into the United States via the Hidalgo Port of Entry. A K-9 alerted to narcotics in her vehicle’s gas tank and door panels. A subsequent search revealed approximately 12 kilograms of crystal meth in the door panels and approximately 28 kilos of liquid meth in the gas tank.
Law enforcement determined Rios drove her minor daughter along with several friends from Dallas to a hotel in Reynosa, Mexico. Rios then knowingly provided her vehicle to Mexican drug traffickers who hid the narcotics in the vehicle.
Just a few months prior, in June 2021, Rios made the same trip and successfully entered the port of entry undetected with narcotics hidden in the same vehicle.
Rios was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Garcia prosecuted the case.
More indicted in nationwide business email compromise schemeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A total of seven people in multiple states have been charged in a superseding indictment related to a large business email compromise (BEC) scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Authorities have now arrested Houston resident Amber Bush, 29. She is expected to make her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina A. Bryan Oct. 15 at 2 p.m.
The three-count superseding indictment also charges Houston residents Bolaji Okunnu, 30, and Philip Ogbeide Jr., 34, along with Ayodeji Okunnu, 25, Austin; Victor Rubio Jr., 27, and Bougar Robert Linares Soto, 42, both of Los Angeles, California.
Another Houston resident - Destini Godfrey, 30 – is considered a fugitive and a warrant remains outstanding for his arrest. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the FBI at 713-693-5000.
All are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
The BEC scheme involved deceiving victims into sending money to others and causing millions in losses, according to the charges.
Conspirators allegedly posed as legitimate businesses and fraudulently diverted money from victim bank accounts into accounts they controlled. According to the allegations, they gained access to business email accounts and spoofed email addresses to deceive victims into believing they were making legitimate payments.
The superseding indictment indicates fraudulently diverted payments from numerous victims throughout the United States, including a financial services company from Oregon, a township in New Jersey, a demolition company in Texas, a healthcare liability insurance company in Georgia and a nutrition products manufacturer outside Texas.
Conspirators allegedly used email accounts to request payment for services to be sent to new bank accounts that did not belong to the vendor, according to the charges.
They allegedly deceived victims into wiring millions to fraudulent bank accounts the conspirators opened instead of actually paying the vendor. The charges further allege conspirators laundered the funds in a manner designed to conceal the source, ownership and control of the funds by quickly transferring the money from the receiving account to other bank accounts they controlled.
They then withdrew the fraud proceeds incrementally in cash, according to the charges.
If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison on the conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy charges as well as five years for the money laundering and illegal money transmitting charge. Each charge carries a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
The FBI-Bryan Resident Agency and IRS-Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation with valuable assistance from the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office and the Edison Police Department in New Jersey and other law enforcement agencies and U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the United States. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Belinda Beek and James Hu are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Fraudulent developer imprisoned for spending over $500,000 of investor’s funds on vacations and mortgageRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 48-year-old Houston resident has been sentenced for wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Walter Salek pleaded guilty April 5 to his involvement in a fraudulent scheme to obtain more than $1 million and falsely informing an investor the funds would be used to develop real estate.
U.S. District Judge Sim Lake has now ordered Salek to serve 15 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. He must also pay the victim $571,000 in restitution. At the hearing, the court heard additional testimony from the victim that described how Salek portrayed himself as a successful real estate developer who flew around in private jets and was letting the victim in on investments that before had only been available to Salek’s family. The victim testified that the worst part was not the fraud, but that Salek betrayed his trust by taking his money when Salek knew the victim’s wife was dying and leaving him with three children to raise. In handing down the prison sentence, the court noted that Salek’s claim he engaged in the fraud during a “manic episode” could not be true because the fraud and cover-up went on for years.
“Walter Salek took money from a friend who was in the midst of a family tragedy,” said Hamdani. “Instead of investing the money, he used it to live an extravagant lifestyle that included things like traveling by private jet, a $100,000 family vacation to Scotland and mortgage payments on a brownstone in Boston and his multi-million dollar house here in Houston. Today’s sentence demonstrates that everyone, even people living like the top 1%, will be held accountable for their criminal conduct.”
“Walter Salek committed clear-cut fraud, lived a care-free life until he got caught and will now spend time in federal prison for his crime,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams of the FBI Houston field office. “Salek took advantage of a friend’s long-time trust and money to invest in his fraudulent property ventures. He let his personal greed supersede that friendship and any potential opportunity for lawful prosperity.”
At the time of the plea, Salek admitted between 2019 and 2021, he entered into agreements with an investor to develop real estate in the Houston area. As per the agreement, Salek was to contribute real estate and the investor was to provide cash to develop the properties. Once developed, properties were to be either leased or sold.
The investor believed the funds would be used for the developments and deposited over $1 million into business bank accounts that Salek controlled through use of interstate wire communications. However, Salek diverted at least $571,000 of the investment funds for his own personal use on mortgage payments and luxury vacations.
Salek was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Belinda Beek prosecuted the case.
Family members sent to prison for sex trafficking women in cantina backroomRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A Mexican national illegally residing in Houston and a relative have been sentenced following their convictions of several sex trafficking crimes, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Maria Botello-Morales, 57, and her son Edgar Adrian Botello, 31, Houston, pleaded guilty in 2023.
U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen has now imposed a 280-month-term of imprisonment for Botello-Morales, while Botello received a total of 180 months. Restitution will be determined at a later date. Not a U.S. citizen, Botello-Morales is expected to face removal proceedings following her imprisonment, while Botello will serve 15 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Both will also be ordered to register as sex offenders.
“Cantina cases shine a light on a unique form of trafficking where mostly undocumented women are sexually exploited for the financial benefit of the traffickers,” said Hamdani. “These individuals stole the American dream from the victims. This form of trafficking takes advantage of the fear these victims live in and we are grateful for the hard work of the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission (TABC) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in bringing them justice.”
“TABC is proud to work with the Office of the U.S. Attorney and our other partners in the effort to end human trafficking in Texas,” said TABC Chairman Kevin J. Lilly. “We join our fellow Texans in denouncing this heinous crime and reaffirming our pledge to help free the victims of human trafficking.”
At the time of the pleas, Botello-Morales admitted to sex trafficking with force, fraud or coercion and conspiracy to do so as well as sex trafficking of a minor. Botello pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking with force, fraud or coercion, two counts of sex trafficking of adults as well as possession of child pornography.
In 2007, Botello-Morales recruited a minor female from Mexico. She caused the minor to engage in commercial sex and took payment directly from the commercial sex buyers.
Botello-Morales ran Puerto Algre with Botello and others from 2015 to 2020. Puerto Algre was a cantina where numerous females were forced to engage in commercial sex in backrooms built specifically for that purpose. Botello-Morales, Botello and others threatened and intimidated these victims with violence to manipulate them into engaging in commercial sex for their own financial benefits.
The victims reported they started at the bar as waitresses. However, Botello-Morales soon told them they had to engage in commercial sex. If they refused, she threatened them with violence.
Some witnessed violence and weapons at the bar and in the back area where the sex acts occurred. Each described how they had to take customers to the backrooms through a door and hidden from view of the bar. They were given a condom wrapped in a paper towel, were to spend no more than 15 minutes in the room and charge approximately $70. On the way out, they had to turn the money over to whoever was guarding the room.
During the investigation, one victim also explained when she refused to come to work, Botello-Morales sent someone to physically assault her.
The victims explained that Botello, who regularly carried a weapon, was the enforcer. He would also pass out the condoms and collect the money. During the execution of a search warrant at the home Botello-Morales and Botello shared, law enforcement found several loaded firearms in his room along with a computer containing child pornography.
Another co-conspirator, Esteban Toribio, 65, Houston, pleaded guilty June 17 and held the liquor license for the bar. Toribio reported the conduct to authorities in an attempt to help him gain control of the cantina. Also convicted in relation to the conspiracy was Arian Botello, 26, the nephew of Botello-Morales.
Both will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
TABC and HSI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department (HPD) as part of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA). Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Zack prosecuted the case.
HTRA law enforcement includes members of the HPD; FBI; HSI; Texas Attorney General’s Office; IRS-Criminal Investigation; Department of Labor (DOL); DOL – Wage and Hour Division; Department of State; Federal Air Marshals; TABC; Texas Department of Public Safety; Texas Rangers; Texas Parks and Wildlife; Social Security Administration – OIG; Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation; Texas Department of Family and Protective Services as well as police departments in Houston Independent School District (ISD), Conroe ISD and Missouri City; Harris County constables offices – Precincts one and four; sheriff’s offices in Harris, Montgomery, Fort Bend, Brazoria and Waller counties in coordination with District Attorney’s offices in Harris, Montgomery, Fort Bend and Galveston counties. They work in coordination with victim service providers such as YMCA, United Against Human Trafficking and Texas Forensic Nurse Examiners.
Established in 2004, the United States Attorney’s office in Houston formed HTRA to combine resources with federal, state and local enforcement agencies and prosecutors, as well as non-governmental service organizations to target human traffickers while providing necessary services to those that the traffickers victimized. Since its inception, HTRA has been recognized as both a national and international model in identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking and prosecuting those engaged in trafficking offenses.
Car battery cocaine conspiracy lands convictionRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 20-year-old Pharr resident has pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, announced Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Jesus Neftali Padilla directed drivers to travel north through Border Patrol (BP) checkpoints further into the United States. He admitted to directing the drug smuggling events and supplying cocaine. He also placed modified cocaine-filled batteries in hidden compartments to attempt to avoid detection.
One incident occurred Jan. 27, 2023, at the Sarita BP checkpoint when authorities encountered a vehicle with approximately four kilograms of cocaine hidden in its battery compartment.
Approximately two months later, a truck approached the same checkpoint, at which time law enforcement again found four kilograms of cocaine hidden in the same manner inside a truck.
The cocaine bundles were to be delivered to various locations including San Antonio and Houston.
Padilla admitted to coordinating both events.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos will impose sentencing Jan. 8, 2025. At the time, Padilla faces the rest of his life in prison and a possible $10 million maximum fine.
Padilla was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and BP conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Overman and Izaak Bruce are prosecuting the case.
Multiple pharmaceutical distributor executives, sales representatives and brokers charged in connection with unlawful sales of over 70M opioid pillsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON - Charges have been unsealed as part of a larger enforcement action related to the unlawful distribution of nearly 70 million opioid pills and over 30 million doses of other commonly abused prescription drugs to alleged Houston-area pill-mill pharmacies. Three Houston-area pharmacy operators were also charged for their role in the schemes. Nine individuals have pleaded guilty.
According to court documents, the opioids allegedly distributed - oxycodone, hydrocodone and hydromorphone - were available in numerous strengths and forms, but the distributors allegedly sold the drugs almost exclusively in their most abused, most powerful immediate-release pill forms, i.e., the ones that sold for the most money on the black market. The distributors also allegedly sold prescription drug potentiators such as alprazolam, carisoprodol and promethazine with codeine syrup known for their reputation of enhancing the high from the opioids. The distributors allegedly charged their Houston customers far more for the drugs than what a legitimate pharmacy could or would pay.
As alleged in the charging documents, the defendants mostly targeted pill-mill pharmacies in and around Houston - a nationally recognized “hot zone” for diversion of pharmaceutical opioids onto the black market. The distributors sought to thwart Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) oversight function in several ways, including by following what one defendant called a “blueprint” for avoiding detection: high prices, low purchasing limits for the controlled drugs and compliance measures that only served appearances. In addition, the distributors were all located outside Texas, far removed from their Houston-area pill-mill pharmacy customers and the communities ravaged by their alleged offenses.
“The distributors that sourced pills into the Houston area may be located across the country, but they targeted Houston, helping to make it a known ‘hot zone’ for drug diversion,” said Hamdani. “This office will always support the prosecution of individuals who are believed to have thwarted law enforcement and oversight by operating across state lines and posing as legitimate businesses, while poisoning our district by targeting pill mills with precisely the drugs at the heart of our country’s addiction crisis. These cases build on this district’s history of systematically dismantling pill-mill clinics, pharmacies and the often-violent drug-trafficking organizations responsible for selling these pills in our community.”
“The defendants, including pharmaceutical drug distributors, allegedly exploited the opioid crisis for profit — selling dangerous and addictive drugs to pill-mill pharmacies at above-market prices, knowing that the drugs would end up on the black market,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s (DOJ) Criminal Division. “These charges represent the Justice Department’s largest criminal enforcement action targeting executives, brokers, and alleged pill-mill pharmacy owners for unlawfully distributing opioids and other commonly abused drugs. Our message is clear: we will not hesitate in our pursuit of those involved in dumping addictive pharmaceutical drugs onto the streets.”
Those charged include Velencia Griffin, 42, Kendal Lyons, 29, and Andre Reid, 44, Houston; Sheldon Dounn, 71, and Jason Smith, 43, Plantation, Florida Plantation; Hernan Alvarez, 52, Phoenix, Arizona; Joshua Weinstein, 50, Miami, Florida; Eric Bailey, 59, St. Louis, Missouri; Joseph Pesserillo, 38, The Villages, Florida; Cassandra Rivera, 40, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Richard “Dick” Osbourne, 78, Memphis, Tennessee and Courtney Rotenberry, 45, Savannah, Tennessee.
For unlawful distribution-related count, those charged face up to 20 years in federal prison, while a conspiracy to defraud the United States carries a possible five-year prison term. Conspiracy to use a communications facility to further the commission of a drug felony has a maximum four-year possible prison term.
The DEA, Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General (DHHS-OIG), FBI, U.S. Postal Service - OIG, Food and Drug Administration - Office of Criminal Investigations and Texas Medicaid Fraud Control Unit conducted the investigation with assistance from the Department of Homeland Security, General Services Administration - OIG, Broward County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office, Houston Police Department and other federal and state law enforcement agencies.
DOJ Trial Attorneys Drew Pennebaker and Devon Helfmeyer are prosecuting the cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Fyffe is assisting with forfeiture. The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Southern District of Texas, Southern District of Florida, Eastern District of Missouri and Eastern District of North Carolina are assisting with the prosecution.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
An indictment, information or complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Inmate guilty of assaulting two correctional officersRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 31-year-old felon from Donna has been convicted of assaulting two correctional officers while housed at Coastal Bend Detention Center in Robstown, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has found Aaron Gutierrez guilty of two counts of assaulting or impeding a federal officer following a one-day bench trial that occurred Sept. 16.
On Aug. 25, 2023, Gutierrez and six other inmates escaped from a recreation area through an unlocked gate. They ran down a walkway to intercept another inmate belonging to a rival gang. Two correctional officers were escorting that inmate - who was in full restraints.
The seven escaped inmates attacked the defenseless other inmate as well as the correctional officers who were attempting to protect him. As a result, both officers suffered injuries and were transported to the hospital for treatment. One required surgery. Authorities also transported the victim inmate to the hospital for treatment.
Within a minute of the attack, multiple correctional officers converged on the attackers and restrained them.
Gutierrez attempted to convince the court that while he intended to join the fight, he never got the chance because he was the last one to leave the recreation yard. However, testimony revealed that every inmate participated in the attack. Judge Morales did not believe defense claims and found him guilty as charged.
Correctional officers at Coastal Bend Detention Center work on behalf of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) and are protected as federal officers when in the performance of their official duties.
Judge Morales will impose sentencing in January 2025. At that time, Gutierrez faces up to eight years in federal prison. He will remain in custody pending that hearing.
The other six inmates involved in the attack had previously pleaded guilty. Raul Valdez, 49, San Antonio, received 24 months, while Corpus Christi residents Benito Aguirre, 43, John Steve Espinoza, 31, Joe Isaac Espinoza, 27, and Adalberto Pena, 32, each received 18 months. Emilio Salinas, 34, Edinburg, is set for sentencing Oct. 17.
They all also remain in custody.
The FBI conducted the investigation with assistance from the USMS. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Dunn prosecuted the case.
HPL gang members sent to prison for attempting to sell machine guns to cartelRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – Two members of the Hermanos de Pistoleros Latinos (HPL) gang have been sentenced for unlawful possession of a machine gun, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Laredo residents and brothers Alberto Del Bosque, 24, and Anthony Del Bosque, 22, pleaded guilty Jan. 4, 2023, and Dec. 9, 2022, respectively. Alberto Del Bosque was also convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña has now imposed a total 120-month term of imprisonment for Alberto Del Bosque, while his brother received 63 months. Both must also serve three years of supervised release following their sentences. At the hearing, the court heard additional information about both men’s criminal histories as well as a recent shooting in another state where a machine gun similar to the ones the Del Bosque brothers were selling caused the death of four individuals and injured 22 others. In handing down the prison terms, Judge Saldaña noted the machine guns the brothers sold were very dangerous to the public.
“A small piece of plastic produced quickly and at a low cost on a 3-D printer can convert a legal firearm into a machine gun that sprays bullets indiscriminately,” said Hamdani. “The Del Bosque brothers manufactured these pieces of plastic, known as machine gun conversion devices (MCDs) and sold them to a purported cartel associate, which shows a total disregard for human life. This prosecution demonstrates my office’s commitment to disrupting MCD manufacturers and protecting the public by taking gang members, like the Del Bosque brothers, off the streets and into prison cells.” said Hamdani.
On July 5, 2022, law enforcement discovered Alberto Del Bosque was selling firearms and arranged to purchase one. He sold a Draco Nova Modul NAK9, 9mm AK pistol with 12 rounds of ammunition. As a convicted felon, Alberto Del Bosque is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition per federal law.
During August and September 2022, the Del Bosque brothers were also selling 3D-printed drop in auto sears and privately made AR-15s with drop in auto sears. The purchaser of the drop in auto sears and privately made AR-15s claimed to be a procurer of firearms for the Cartel Del Noreste.
A drop in auto sear aka MCD turns a semi-automatic firearm into a machine gun.
On Oct. 6, 2022, authorities executed a search warrant on Anthony Del Bosque’s residence and located a 3D printer with an MCD in the printer, a paper diagram of an AR-15 drop in auto sear, numerous MCDs, multiple calibers of ammunition, AR-15 and 9mm magazines, $18,071 in U.S. currency and a device for making AR-15 lowers.
The HPL translates to Brotherhood of Latin Gunmen. HPL members maintain ties to the cartels and have involvement in the trafficking of controlled substances into the United States.
The Del Bosque brothers have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Border Patrol and Laredo Police Department conducted the investigation. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Former (AUSA) Angel Moreno and AUSA Steven Chamberlin prosecuted the case.
Young man sent to prison for attempted murder-for-hire plotRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 23-year-old Mexican national residing in Houston has been sentenced following his conviction of murder-for-hire using interstate and foreign commerce facilities, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Alejandro Cardona-Rodriguez pleaded guilty May 11, 2023.
U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana has now ordered Cardona-Rodriguez to serve the statutory maximum of 10 years in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard about his assaultive conduct against another inmate while pending sentencing. In handing down the sentence, the court noted his continued propensity for violence and the seriousness of the offense that involved negotiating with someone to kill another human being.
Cardona-Rodriguez came to the attention of law enforcement around January 2023. He had been in communication with someone via Facebook as well as WhatsApp text and voice messages negotiating a fee for the murder of one of his ex-girlfriend’s boyfriends. He also provided the location and photos of where the potential victim could be found.
At the time of his plea, Cardona-Rodriguez admitted to using interstate and foreign facilities with the intent to commit murder and promise or agreement to pay for the murder.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI and the Laredo Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary Ellen Smyth and Mike Makens prosecuted the case.
Young Houstonians admit to carjacking in failed smuggling attemptRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A second man has now pleaded guilty to carjacking a McAllen resident, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Jesus Rodriguez, 19, entered his plea Sept. 23, admitting he had recruited Christian Hardy, 18, to accompany him from Houston to the Rio Grande Valley to smuggle two people because he didn’t have a driver’s license. He also claimed the vehicle they were driving had mechanical problems, and they needed to steal a car. Hardy has now also admitted to his role in the crime.
While in McAllen May 19, Rodriguez and Hardy approached a male victim outside his car at a Stripes gas station near a mechanic shop. Rodriguez asked to use the victim’s phone, while Hardy got into the driver’s seat.
The victim attempted to stop the theft and jumped into the passenger side, pushed Hardy out of the vehicle and managed to move into the driver seat. However, Rodriguez then got into the passenger seat, pointed a firearm at the victim and said the vehicle was not worth his life.
The victim got out of the car, at which time both men fled. Rodriguez still had the victim’s phone, which he later tossed out of the vehicle so the victim would not be able to call authorities. Hardy and Rodriguez then picked up two non-U.S. citizens from a stash house in McAllen and proceeded to the Falfurrias Border Patrol Checkpoint.
After witnessing nervous behavior, law enforcement referred them to secondary inspection where they found the two undocumented people hiding in the trunk of the vehicle.
Upon their arresting Hardy and Rodriguez, authorities discovered a firearm in Rodriguez’s waistband. The investigation also led to the discovery that the car Hardy was driving had been stolen out of Hidalgo County.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzalez Ramos will impose sentencing Jan. 28, 2025. At that time, the pair face up to 15 years in federal prison.
Hardy was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing, while Rodriguez is in custody.
Homeland Security investigations conducted the investigation with assistance from the Edinburg Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Dunn is prosecuting the case.
Brownsville resident heads to prison for trafficking cocaine in hidden compartmentRead the Press Release
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 51-year-old man has been sentenced following his conviction for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Rosalio Mendoza pleaded guilty May 1.
U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera has now ordered Mendoza to serve 120 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the severity of drug case punishments and admonished Mendoza that should he ever return to the drug business, he could be facing potential life in federal prison.
On Jan. 26, Mendoza applied for entry into the United States at the Veteran’s Port of Entry in Brownsville, at which time authorities referred him to secondary inspection.
There, a K-9 alerted law enforcement to the driver’s side door and eventually to the center console in the vehicle. Law enforcement removed the console and found a hidden compartment containing 14 packages that tested positive for cocaine.
The drugs had a combined weight of 12.42 kilograms with an estimated street value of $155,250.
Mendoza will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Arreola prosecuted the case.
Previously extradited Nigerian national sent to prison for role in multimillion-dollar business email compromise schemeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 45-year-old dual citizen of Nigeria and the United Kingdom has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction in a wire fraud conspiracy involving two districts, announced U.S. Attorneys Alamdar S. Hamdani and Dena J. King for the Southern District of Texas (SDTX) and Western District of North Carolina (WDNC), respectively.
Oludayo Kolawole John Adeagbo aka John Edwards and John Dayo arrived in the United States in August 2022 following his extradition from the United Kingdom to face criminal charges filed in SDTX and WDNC. He pleaded guilty April 8 for his criminal conduct in both cases.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell of the Western District of North Carolina has now ordered Adeagbo to serve a total of 84 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by one year of supervised release. The court also ordered him to pay $942,655.03 in restitution to the victims.
“Adeagbo ran a sophisticated 21st century cyber-criminal operation hiding behind fake email accounts and anonymous internet addresses to steal from the innocent, a crime as old as time itself,” said Hamdani. “Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams have become an epidemic with individuals and businesses suffering debilitating financial losses, while eroding society’s trust in digital communications and undermining overall economic stability. That’s why prosecutors and agents in two jurisdictions worked tirelessly to identify Adeagbo and reach across the Atlantic to bring him to justice.”
“BEC schemes, like the one perpetrated by Adeagbo and his co-conspirators, are sophisticated and devastating crimes that target the trust businesses and institutions place in their daily operations,” said King. “By exploiting this trust, fraudsters steal millions of dollars from unsuspecting victims. This case demonstrates the commitment of my office and our law enforcement partners to pursue justice for those impacted by these schemes and to hold cybercriminals accountable, regardless of where they are operating from.”
"Oludayo Adeagbo and his coconspirators perpetrated transnational cyber-enabled fraud schemes that targeted schools, government entities, and companies across the United States, and caused millions of dollars in losses,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Adeagbo’s extradition, plea, and sentencing underscore the Criminal Division’s commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to pursue cybercriminals who target American victims, no matter where that pursuit leads. We are especially grateful to the Government of the United Kingdom for its assistance in this case.”
"Oludayo Adeagbo thought he was pretty slick stealing other people’s money via this scam. His victims, however, strongly disagreed,” said FBI Executive Assistant Director Michael Nordwall. “Instead of enjoying the fruits of his illegal labors, Adeagbo will now be spending time in a federal prison. The BEC is one of the fastest growing and most costly scams and the only way to fight it is through cooperation, often international cooperation, and this case is a prime example of partnerships working.”
A BEC scheme, also referred to as “cyber-enabled financial fraud,” is a sophisticated scam that often targets individuals, employees or businesses involved in financial transactions or that regularly perform wire transfer payments. Fraudsters are usually part of larger criminal networks operating in the United States and abroad.
There are many variations of BEC scams. Generally, the schemes involve perpetrators gaining unauthorized access to legitimate email accounts or creating email accounts that closely resemble those of individuals or employees associated with the targeted businesses or involved in business transactions with the victim businesses. The scammers then use the compromised or fake email accounts to send false wiring instructions to the targeted businesses or individuals, to dupe the victims into sending money to bank accounts controlled by perpetrators of the scheme. Generally, the money is quickly transferred to other accounts in the United States or overseas.
The Texas BEC Scheme
From November 2016 until July 2018, Adeagbo conspired with others to participate in multiple cyber-enabled business email compromises in an attempt to steal more than $3 million from victim entities in Texas, including local government entities, construction companies and a Houston-area college. Adeagbo and his co-conspirators registered domain names that looked similar to legitimate companies. They then sent emails from those domains pretending to be employees at those companies to clients or customers of the companies they impersonated and deceived those customers into sending wire payments to bank accounts the co-conspirators controlled.
The North Carolina BEC Scheme
From Aug. 30, 2016, to Jan. 12, 2017, Adeagbo and others defrauded a North Carolina university of more than $1.9 million via a BEC scheme. Adeagbo and his co-conspirators obtained information about significant construction projects occurring throughout the United States, including an ongoing multimillion-dollar project at the victim university. To execute the scheme, Adeagbo and others registered a domain name similar to that of the legitimate construction company in charge of the university’s project and created an email address that closely resembled that of an employee of the construction company. Using the fake email address, the fraudsters deceived and directed the university to wire a payment of more than $1.9 million to a bank account someone working under the direction of Adeagbo and his co-conspirators controlled. Upon receiving the payment, Adeagbo and his co-conspirators laundered the stolen proceeds through a series of financial transactions designed to conceal the fraud.
Co-conspirator Donald Ikenna Echeazu, 42, a dual citizen of Nigeria and the United Kingdom extradited to the United States, was previously sentenced to 18 months in prison followed by a year of supervised release and was ordered to pay $655,408.87 in restitution for his role in the conspiracy.
Adeagbo will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI’s Houston Cyber Task Force and Charlotte Field Office conducted the investigation with assistance of the FBI’s Cyber and Criminal Investigative Divisions. The United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, Metropolitan Police Service, City of London Police and Crown Prosecution Service also provided substantial assistance. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs helped secure the arrest and extradition.
SDTX Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Rodolfo Ramirez prosecuted the case along with WDNC AUSA Graham Billings and Trial Attorney Brian Mund of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.
If you suspect you are a victim of a BEC scheme, you can file a complaint online with the FBI’s Internet Complaint Crime Complaint Cetner (IC3) at bec.ic3.gov. The IC3 staff reviews complaints to detect patterns or other indicators of significant criminal activity for potential criminal prosecution.
Houston felon admits to three gunpoint robberiesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 28-year-old Houston man has pleaded guilty to multiple counts of robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
In November and December 2023, Josue Castro-Gomez robbed two gas stations and one Houston-area smoke shop at gunpoint.
On Nov. 25, 2023, Castro-Gomez entered a Korner Food Mart located in Houston, brandished a firearm and demanded the store clerk give him cash from the register. He proceeded to discharge the firearm, shooting above the clerk’s head, but fled from the scene without taking any money.
On Dec. 11-12, 2023, Castro-Gomez went to a Circle K gas station and a Vape City, respectively, and demanded cash from the register. He received money on both occasions and fled the scenes.
On Dec. 12, law enforcement located Castro-Gonzalez and found him to be in possession of a .32 caliber handgun.
During the investigation, authorities matched a spent shell casing from the Nov. 25 robbery to the firearm in Castro-Gonzalez’s possession at the time of his arrest through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network.
Castro-Gonzalez has prior felony convictions from 2015 and 2017 for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and possession of a controlled substance, respectively. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition per federal law.
U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. will impose sentencing Dec. 11. At that time, Castro-Gonzalez could receive up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine for each of two counts of robbery. For brandishing a firearm while committing a crime of violence, he faces another possible seven years in prison which he must serve consecutively to any other prison term imposed.
He has been and will remain in custody pending sentencing.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with assistance from the Houston Police Department and Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco J. Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.
Donna drug trafficker convicted of possessing firearmRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 28-year-old man has pleaded guilty to utilizing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking activity, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
On July 24, authorities conducted a search warrant at the residence of Roberto Segura Jr. At that time, they discovered marijuana, over 400 grams of cocaine, and body armor within the home.
Authorities also found a firearm in Segura’s bedroom next to the body armor. Segura admitted he was in possession of the firearm to protect himself during his drug trafficking activity.
U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton has set sentencing for Jan. 7, 2025. At that time, he faces a minimum of five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Segura will remain in custody pending sentencing.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Alamo Police Department conducted the joint investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cahal P. McColgan is prosecuting the case as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. In May 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a new effort to reduce violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. Integral to that effort was the reinvigoration of PSN, a two-decade old, evidence-based and community-oriented program focused on reducing violent crime. The updated PSN approach, outlined in the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results of our efforts. The fundamental goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions.
Laredo man imprisoned for producing child pornography, including sexual assault of minor relativeRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 25-year-old man has been sentenced for sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child sexual abuse material, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Aaron Hernandez pleaded guilty May 29.
U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña has now sentenced Hernandez to 360 and 240 months for the production and possessing of child pornography convictions, respectively. They will run partially concurrent for a total 420-month term of imprisonment. At the hearing, the court also heard from the victim’s father detailing how Hernandez’s conduct greatly affected the family and that children do not deserve this harm. Additionally, Hernandez self-described himself as a monster, an animal and a pig. In handing down the prison terms, the court noted this was one of the most egregious forms of conduct she has seen and how his conduct destroyed the lives of the victim and her family and how there is nothing Hernandez can do or say that will make it better. Hernandez was further ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to a known victim and will serve 10 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Hernandez will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
The investigation began after law enforcement learned of a person in Laredo sharing child pornography through a WhatsApp account linked to Hernandez.
On Oct. 30, 2023, authorities executed a search warrant at Hernandez’s home and seized his electronic devices.
Hernandez admitted to sending a video containing child pornography on WhatsApp and possessing videos containing child pornography on his computer. Hernandez also confessed to touching two minor relatives inappropriately.
Authorities found 11 videos and 10 pictures containing child pornography in Hernandez’s devices. Of all the files, 11 included self-produced content of him sexually assaulting a minor relative on two different occasions.
“A home should be a sanctuary for every child, not a place where their innocence is exploited by those who are meant to protect it,” said Hamdani. “Today’s sentence sends a clear message: those who commit unthinkable acts against children, especially those entrusted with their care, will be held accountable. We will continue to relentlessly pursue justice for victims and fight to protect them.”
“Children deserve to live in a safe environment - free from child predators. This is especially true when they are with members of their own families,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp of the FBI’s San Antonio field office. “Aaron Hernandez stole that safety from every child who was exploited by his actions. The FBI and the Laredo Child Exploitation Task Force continue to work tirelessly to bring anyone who would harm a child to justice.”
Hernandez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI conducted the investigation with assistance from the Laredo Child Exploitation Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine A. Cortez prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
Houston “Problem Gang” member heads to prison for possessing machine gunRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 21-year-old man has been sentenced for illegal possession of a machine gun, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Latravion Knighten aka pg_tray pleaded guilty on April 29.
U.S. District Judge Sim Lake has now ordered Knighten to serve 33 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court observed social media posts where Knighten bragged about the sound of his “switch” and appeared armed. In handing down the sentence, the court noted that a sentence at the higher end of the guidelines consecutive to his state court probation violation was appropriate in this case.
On May 10, 2023, law enforcement conducted surveillance on Knighten, a documented Problem Gang member, who was staying at an AirBNB location and had a warrant for his arrest. They witnessed flashes from a green light, akin to the type used as laser sights on firearms, on the wall within the back porch of the residence.
The next day, law enforcement saw Knighten leave the location and enter a silver Pontiac Grand Prix with a handgun in the waistband of his pants. As authorities began surveilling the vehicle, the Pontiac proceeded to make what appeared to be “heat runs,” signaling to law enforcement that the occupants of the vehicle noticed their mobile surveillance.
Authorities observed Knighten exit the vehicle and run to the side of the street where they saw him concealing something in an overgrown area around a tree. Knighten suddenly turned and ran into the path of the oncoming surveillance vehicle. The vehicle struck him, causing his feet to go over his head. Despite being hit, Knighten immediately stood up and approached authorities, proclaiming his innocence.
After placing him under arrest, law enforcement returned to the tree and found a .40 caliber Glock model 23 with a machine gun conversion device with attached green laser sight. Authorities also seized an extended magazine capable of accepting 17 rounds of ammunition.
They test fired the firearm and confirmed it met the definition of a machine gun.
Knighten has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Houston Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Hanes and Kelly Zenon-Matos prosecuted the case.
This case was investigated as part of the Houston Law Enforcement Violent Crime Initiative, which combines personnel and resources from numerous federal, state and local agencies to include the Harris County District Attorney’s Office referring violent offenders released on state bonds to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for possible federal prosecution. The goal is to reduce violent crime across the Greater Houston area by targeting the region’s most violent offenders, augmenting investigative and prosecutorial efforts and enhancing training, public awareness and education. It stems from the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Under the PSN umbrella, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN partners focus enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and work with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Houston sex trafficker convicted of luring minor through social mediaRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 25-year-old man has pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Michael Ramone Hooks, Houston, admitted to recruiting the 16-year-old victim to engage in prostitution via Instagram, text messages and video calls.
He communitated via cell phone with the minor and lured her away from a known sex trafficker, Antonio Dario Osario-Avelar aka Pressure. Prior to Hooks’ attempt to lure the minor victim away to work for him, Osario-Avelar had caused to her to engage in commercial sex.
Hooks knew the victim was a minor. Law enforcement discovered text messages revealing that they discussed her age. The victim agreed to pay Hooks a “choosing fee,” which is a fee the victim pays a trafficker for them to be their “pimp.”
In August 2023, authorities arrested Hooks and recovered the minor victim before she could join up with him.
Osario-Avelar was previously sentenced to 375 months in federal prison for his conduct in a separate case before U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks.
U.S. District Judge Sim Lake accepted the plea and has set sentencing for Dec. 20. At that time, Hooks faces up to life imprisonment and a possible $250,000 fine maximum fine.
He has been and will remain in custody pending sentencing.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA) and Houston Police Department (HPD).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri Zack is prosecuting the case.
HTRA law enforcement includes members of HPD, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Texas Attorney General’s Office, IRS Criminal Investigation, Department of Labor (DOL), DOL – Wage and Hour Division, Department of State, Texas Alcoholic and Beverage Commission, Texas Department of Public Safety, Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General (OIG), Social Security Administration – OIG and Sheriff’s Offices in Harris and Montgomery counties in coordination with District Attorney’s offices in Harris, Montgomery and Fort Bend Counties.
Established in 2004, the United States Attorney’s office in Houston formed HTRA to combine resources with federal, state and local enforcement agencies and prosecutors, as well as non-governmental service organizations to target human traffickers while providing necessary services to those that the traffickers victimized. Since its inception, HTRA has been recognized as both a national and international model in identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking and prosecuting those engaged in trafficking offenses.
Bissonnet sex trafficker “Mumbles” sent to prison for forcing teenage girls to engage in sex actsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 27-year-old Houston resident has been sentenced for sex trafficking of a young woman, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Michael Anthony Gonzalez aka Mumbles pleaded guilty June 27.
U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. has now ordered Gonzalez to serve 240 months in federal prison. In handing down the prison term, the court noted the things Gonzalez had done, the attitudes he had displayed and the people he had hurt. Gonzalez will also serve 10 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
From April 2019 to February 2020, Gonzalez and his co-conspirators worked to recruit young teenage girls and force them to engage in sex acts with “clients” for money in cars and hotels around the Bissonnet “blade.”
The blade or “track” is an area near I-59 Southwest Freeway and Bissonnet Street in Houston where pimps and traffickers commonly place their victims to engage in commercial sex.
The co-conspirators passed around or reassigned victims amongst one another, taught each other “the pimp game” and forced young girls to walk the blade while they kept the proceeds.
To switch between pimps, the young girls had to pay an exit fee or get “beat out.” Some traffickers required daily quotas each night from their victims. If the victims failed to meet their daily quotas, they were severely punished through beatings and humiliation.
Co-conspirators Jerreck Michael Hilliard aka Jmoney, 35, and Javon Yaw Opoku aka Glizzy, 23, were previously sentenced to 292 and 365 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in the sex trafficking conspiracy.
The Houston Police Department initiated the investigation with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office as a part of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA). Established in 2004, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Houston formed HTRA to combine resources with federal, state and local enforcement agencies and prosecutors, as well as non-governmental service organizations to target human traffickers while providing necessary services to those that the traffickers victimized. Since its inception, HTRA has been recognized as both a national and international model in identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking and prosecuting those engaged in trafficking offenses.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate Suh and Anthony Franklyn prosecuted the case.
Victoria contractor admits to defrauding investors of millions in material schemeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 61-year-old man has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Michael Wayne Galvan, operating as a high-end contractor under MWG Ventures LLC dba MGB Builders, fraudulently obtained over $2.8 million from at least six private investors. In some cases, Galvan found future victims when he worked as a vice president of the Houston Livestock and Rodeo Organization.
From February 2016 to March 2018, Galvan used his position with the rodeo to find victims, many of whom were in leadership positions. He solicited short-term loans by offering opportunities to earn 10 to 12 percent interest through his contracting business. Galvan falsely represented he would use the money to purchase exotic tiles and granite from China and other overseas countries for his construction business.
As part of his plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Rick Bennett, Galvan admitted he did not use the money for its intended purpose. The scheme unraveled when he ran out of victims and money. In total, he defrauded multiple victims of approximately $2.8 million.
U. S. District Judge Charles Eskridge will impose sentencing Dec. 5. At that time, Galvan faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine as well as full restitution to his victims.
He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
The FBI conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christian Latham and Thomas Carter are prosecuting the case.
Tamaulipas man sentenced for importing 25 kilograms of cocaine into the United StatesRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 58-year-old man has been sentenced for importing 25 kilograms of cocaine into the United States from Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Fidel Aguirre-Montalvo pleaded guilty June 6, 2023.
U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton has now ordered Aguirre to serve 46 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.
On April 25, Aguirre arrived in a vehicle at the Pharr Port of Entry from Mexico. Authorities then referred him for secondary inspection where they discovered 24 bundles of cocaine hidden in the floor area of the vehicle. Aguirre admitted to attempting to bring narcotics into the country in return for an undisclosed amount of money.
The cocaine weighed approximately 25 kilograms.
Aguirre will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cahal P. McColgan prosecuted the case.
RGV tax preparers sent to prison for $3M tax fraud schemeRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – Three local sisters have been sentenced for their roles in a conspiracy to aid and assist in the preparation of filing fraudulent tax returns to the IRS, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Maria Lourdes Campos and her sisters Elizabeth Romo and Gloria Romo pleaded guilty May 2.
U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton has now imposed a 42-month term of imprisonment for Campos, while Elizabeth Romo received 36 months and Gloria Romo received a one-year term of supervised release. Campos, Elizabeth Romo and Gloria Romo were ordered to pay $151,741, $119,793 and $9,528 in restitution, respectively. Campos and Elizabeth Romo were also ordered to serve three years of supervised release following their sentences. At the hearing, the court heard additional testimony that included details about the systemic nature of the tax fraud at Campos Tax Service where employees, without explicit instruction, perpetuated inflated and fraudulent tax returns as part of the business model. Throughout the years that Maria Campos orchestrated this scheme, she enjoyed the financial spoils, including purchasing luxury vehicles and expanding her business to three locations.
“These sentencings stand as a resolute warning – the Southern District of Texas is unwavering in its commitment to eradicating financial crimes that plague the South Texas border,” said Hamdani. “To those who think they can exploit or perpetuate financial crimes in the Rio Grande Valley, it’s not a matter of if, but when you will face the full force of the Department of Justice. It is our duty and profound obligation to ensure that justice is not just an ideal, but a reality that resonates through every corner of our community.”
“The Campos and Romo sisters turned their family business into a large-scale tax fraud operation, expanding their scheme across multiple locations to drastically increase the number of fraudulent tax returns submitted to the IRS. Through their actions, they amassed millions of dollars in illegal tax refunds. This is a clear demonstration of criminal intent, driven by greed,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Lucy Tan of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Houston Field Office. “Their business model was not just about financial gains, but also undermined the public’s trust in the integrity of tax preparers, who are relied upon to submit honest and accurate tax returns.”
Campos was the owner and operator of Campos Tax Service (CTS) located in the Rio Grande Valley for over 10 years. Employed at Campos Tax Service were Campos’s two sisters, Elizabeth Romo and Gloria Romo.
With the sisters’ assistance, most CTS clients fraudulently applied for and claimed either residential energy credits, business expenses or childcare credits. CTS employees did this to earn larger tax refunds for its clients. Once CTS employees completed the tax returns, they did not review the completed documents with their clients and only provided them with refund amounts or incomplete documents.From 2018 to 2020, Campos Tax Service filed approximately 6,501 federal income tax returns which included over $5 million of residential energy credits.
The false and fraudulent filings between Campos, Elizabeth Romo and Gloria Romo resulted in a total sustained tax harm of $3,672,472.
All were permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric D. Flores and Cahal P. McColgan prosecuted the case.
Repeat offender imprisoned for having over 6,000 child pornography imagesRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 43-year-old McAllen resident has been sent back to prison for possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Rene Javier Sarmienta pleaded guilty March 20, 2023.
U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Sarmienta to serve 120 months in federal prison. In handing down the prison term, the court noted it was unfortunate Sarmienta relapsed and needs therapy. Sarmienta was further ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to each of 12 victims and will serve five years on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. The court also noted his previous conviction of possessing child pornography in 2002 and that he would be spending another significant amount of his life in prison.
The investigation began when law enforcement discovered Sarmienta had been purchasing child pornography using a PayPal account. He also failed to report having several social media accounts to local authorities as required due to status as a sex offender.
A forensic examination of Sarmienta’s cell phone revealed 6,300 images of child pornography. Several of the images included prepubescent minors and sadomasochistic conduct.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the McAllen Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys M. Alexis Garcia and Tyler Foster prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
Hidalgo resident imprisoned for conspiring to import 13 kilograms of cocaine into United StatesRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas - A 45-year-old man has been sentenced for his role in a conspiracy to import cocaine from Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Jesus Andres Tijerina pleaded guilty June 4.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Tijerina to serve 120 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence regarding Tijerina’s supervisory role in the drug trafficking organization.
On Jan. 21, 2020, Tijerina’s co-conspirator, Simon Salazar, arrived in a vehicle at the Anzalduas Port of Entry from Mexico. Law enforcement referred the vehicle for secondary inspection where they discovered 13 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside the vehicle and wrapped in bundles.
Upon further investigation, authorities discovered Tijerina was providing instructions for where Salazar should go in Mexico and how to deliver the narcotics once in the United States.
Salazar, 36, previously pleaded guilty and received 25 months in federal prison for his role in the conspiracy.
Tijerina will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cahal P. McColgan prosecuted the case.
RGV man receives consecutive sentences after trafficking meth on multiple occasionsRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 31-year-old Mission man has been ordered to federal prison following his convictions of two counts of possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of meth, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Esteban Almentor-Lopez faced two separate narcotics charges and pleaded guilty March 1, 2021, and Dec. 20, 2022.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Almentor-Lopez to serve 70 months in federal prison for the initial drug trafficking as well as a consecutive 50 months for his subsequent conviction. His total 120-month sentence will be immediately followed by four years of supervised release.
In November 2020, law enforcement conducted an operation involving communication with a Mexican drug source of supply. The organization was to deliver kilogram quantities of meth in the Rio Grande Valley for transport to Chicago, Illinois.
On two occasions in November 2020, Almentor-Lopez transported and delivered a total of 40 kilograms of meth in Mission. He was arrested but granted bond pending further proceedings.
On March 1, 2021, Almentor-Lopez pleaded guilty to those charges.
However, the next day, authorities again apprehended him transporting and delivering an additional 20 kilograms of meth on behalf of the same drug organization.
The approximately 60 kilograms of meth Almentor-Lopez trafficked showed a purity level of 100%.
Almentor-Lopez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Garcia prosecuted the case.
Local felon convicted of sexual exploitation of pregnant minorRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 30-year-old Laredo man has pleaded guilty to production of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
On April 5, law enforcement encountered Luis Andres Serna after he picked up an undocumented non-citizen from downtown Laredo and transported him to an apartment building. At that time, a 16-year-old pregnant minor was also his passenger.
Later that day, authorities discovered 37 undocumented people and approximately 1,032 kilograms of marijuana within several apartments linked to Serna and others. This eventually led to his arrest for drug trafficking and conspiracy to transport and harbor undocumented individuals.
While in federal custody for the pending charges, he gained access to a tablet video system and contacted the same pregnant girl. The investigation revealed Serna provided the minor’s name and a phone number to initiate video calls but did not disclose she was a minor.
The facility’s communication system automatically records the displays of both parties during every video call. Law enforcement reviewed several hundred telephone calls and tablet video visits Serna initiated while detained.
The investigation revealed he was in regular video communication with the minor victim.
On June 24, 2022, he had her perform sexual acts while he watched. The minor victim used her personal cellphone to record herself performing the acts and played the video for Serna over the course of several days.
“Protecting our children from sexual predators is one of my office’s most sacred responsibilities,” said Hamdani. “Serna is an especially reprehensible predator--a human smuggler and drug trafficker who exploited a pregnant child for his own sexual gratification adding the label “child pornographer” to his resume of crimes. This prosecution and conviction will help insure that Serna can no longer victimize Laredo’s citizens, especially its children.”
Serna also later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport over 1000 kilograms of marijuana and the human transportation conspiracy.
U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña accepted the plea and will impose sentencing at a later date. At that time, Serna faces up to 30 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine for the sexual exploitation conviction as well as a maximum of 10 years and up to life, respectively, for the alien smuggling and drug trafficking charges.
Serna has been and will remain in custody pending sentencing.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, Border Patrol and other private companies.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSA) Homero Ramirez and Michael Makens are prosecuting the case along with the assistance from Special AUSA Terence A. Check Jr. and former AUSA April Ayers-Perez, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
Former FBI agent convicted for stealing from citizens’ homesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A former federal agent has admitted to theft of personal property and providing false statements, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
From March 2022 to July 2023, Nicholas Anthony Williams, 37, Houston, stole money and property from multiple residences while executing search warrants in his official capacity.
Specifically, the plea agreement lists several instances in which Williams stole cash totaling nearly $10,000 as well as several silver bars which he had attempted to sell to another individual.
Williams proceeded to retain the money or property for his personal use. He used some of the money to purchase guns and related items.
In addition, Williams admitted to providing false statements with regard to several fraudulent charges on his government-issued credit card, making it appear they were case-related expenses, when they were not. He also took some legitimate FBI-purchased property and pawned for cash.
“Founded on a legacy of steadfast duty since 1908, FBI agents uphold society's trust by relentlessly pursuing justice and protecting citizens with unwavering integrity,” said Hamdani. “Nicholas Williams betrayed that legacy and the community’s trust when he decided to pad his own pockets at the expense of a citizen’s rights. Because no one is above the law, the system of justice that he once swore to protect will now seek to hold him to account for breaking that oath.”
Since 2019, Williams worked as an FBI special agent in the Houston field office. He served on both the criminal violent gang and counterterrorism squads.
U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen will impose sentencing Jan. 13, 2025. At that time, Williams faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Williams was permitted to remain on bond pending sentencing.
The Department of Justice - Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura Garcia and Sarina DiPiazza are prosecuting the case.
‘We knocked her out with some gummies:’ coordinator in unaccompanied child smuggling ring admits to conspiring to smuggle toddler from MexicoRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 23-year-old Laredo woman has pleaded guilty to smuggling a young child into the United States for financial gain, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
From August to September 2023, Vanessa Valadez and other family members operated a child smuggling ring working to bring young non-citizen children from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, into the United States. All the children were under the age of five.
On the night of Sept. 19, 2023, members of the smuggling ring retrieved a young girl from a stash house which the organization members operated. The co-conspirators smuggled the girl across the border and delivered her to Valadez in downtown Laredo. Co-conspirators then took the child further into the United States and delivered her to unknown people.
On Sept. 21, 2023, members of the smuggling ring attempted to transport another young girl. However, law enforcement intercepted them following a routine border inspection at the Juarez Lincoln Bridge in Laredo. To carry out their scheme, co-conspirators had sedated the girl with melatonin gummies and used an unlawfully obtained birth certificate to deceive authorities into believing the girl was a family member.
According to one of the conspirators, the smuggling ring had attempted to similarly transport at least four girls into the United States, three of whom remain unidentified, and their whereabouts are unknown. Members of the smuggling ring obtained birth certificates of U.S. citizen children to pose as a family unit at ports of entry to the United States. At times, members of the smuggling ring used melatonin gummies to sedate at least one child to ensure a successful smuggling attempt.
The investigation revealed one of the co-conspirators sent a text message and an image depicting an unconscious child and a caption, “La noquiamos con unas gomitas,” translated in English as “we knocked her out with some gummies.”
“This smuggling case ranks among the most chilling we’ve ever seen - involving the systematic trade of transporting young children to unknown final destinations,” said Hamdani. “Let this prosecution serve as a stark warning to all those parents who might consider entrusting a precious child to the care of a criminal organization bent on making money by smuggling vulnerable children - your child could be sedated or drugged . . . or worse.”
Co-conspirators Ana Laura Bryand, 47, Dallas; her niece Kayla Marie Bryand, 20, Laredo, Jose Eduardo Bryand, 43, Laredo; Nancy Guadalupe Bryand, 44, all of Laredo; and Lizeth Esmeralda Bryand Arredondo, 32, Mexico, previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo will impose sentence Jan. 8, 2025. At that time, Valadez faces up to 10 years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance from Border Patrol, Laredo Police Department, Department of Health and Human Services - Office of the Inspector General and FBI. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) Terence A. Check Jr. is prosecuting the case with the assistance of AUSA Michael Makens.
Eight sentenced in Laredo drug trafficking conspiracyRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – Multiple people have been sentenced for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and meth, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Hector Flores, 53, Aaron Elezar Pachuca, 30, Lauro Alberto Garcia, 31, Matthew Aaron Arce, 31, Javier Hernandez-Barajas, 71, Vincent Castro, 35, Jose Moises Cruz, 39, all of Laredo; and Ernesto Diaz-Velazquez, 41, Forney, had all previously pleaded guilty.
U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana has now ordered Flores to serve a total of 171 months in federal prison. Castro and Pachuca both received 120-month terms of imprisonment, while Hernandez-Barajas, Cruz, Diaz-Velazquez, Garcia and Arce received 135, 130, 63, 70 and 70 months, respectively. Arce must serve three years of supervised release while the other seven were ordered to serve five-year terms.
At the hearings held Sept. 19 and 20, the court heard additional evidence including information about the organization’s drug importation and smuggling operation.
The investigation revealed Flores and other organization leaders sourced drugs from a Mexican supplier. They brought the drugs to a stash house in Laredo that Flores owned, then separated and re-packaged the drugs and distributed them to various couriers in order to move the drugs into the interior of the United States.
Authorities seized over 14 kilograms of meth, 12 kilograms of heroin, 10 kilograms of cocaine, seven kilograms of fentanyl and $8,000 in drug proceeds throughout the investigation.
Additionally, the United States ordered the forfeiture of the stash house used to traffic the narcotics.
Arce and Garcia were allowed to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future, while the remaining six have been and will remain in custody.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of Border Patrol; Customs and Border Protection Air & Marine Operations; Homeland Security Investigations; Texas Department of Public Safety; Webb County District Attorney’s Office; sheriff’s offices in Webb and Zapata Counties; police departments in Laredo, Texas A&M International University and United Independent School District; Webb County Precinct 4 Constables Office and Ohio State Highway Patrol.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony J. Evans prosecuted the case.
San Juan resident convicted of possessing grenades and firearmRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 26-year-old man has entered a guilty plea for possessing destructive devices and utilizing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking activity, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
On Aug. 1, Jamez Aaron Sandoval bought two grenade-style destructive devices which led to his arrest. Authorities conducted a search of his residence and discovered cocaine, marijuana, drug dealing paraphernalia as well as a firearm.
Further investigation revealed Sandoval used the firearm for protection during the commission of drug trafficking activities.
Chief U.S District Judge Randy Crane accepted the plea and set sentencing for Dec. 3. At that time, Sandoval faces up to 10 years in federal prison to be immediately followed by a minimum of five additional years and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Sandoval has been and will remain in custody pending his sentencing.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Texas Department of Public Safety and Alamo Police Department conducted the joint investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cahal P. McColgan is prosecuting the case as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. In May 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a new effort to reduce violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. Integral to that effort was the reinvigoration of PSN, a two-decade old, evidence-based and community-oriented program focused on reducing violent crime. The updated PSN approach, outlined in the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results of our efforts. The fundamental goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions.
Roma man tries to escape drug house through attic vent – lands in federal prisonRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 35-year-old local man has been ordered to prison for trafficking $33 million in marijuana, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Adan Ontiveros Jr. pleaded guilty April 24 to conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute nearly 2,500 kilograms of marijuana.
U.S. District Chief Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Ontiveros to serve 180 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by 10 years of supervised release.
On July 16, 2020, law enforcement was conducting surveillance at a suspected drug house in Roma. There, they saw a man - Ontiveros - attempting to discretely exit the residence. He was trying to escape via an attic vent. However, authorities quickly took him into custody.
They obtained a search warrant and ultimately discovered several hundred bundles of marijuana. The total weight was 2,477 kilograms with an approximate value of more than $33 million.
He admitted he was aware there was marijuana inside the stash house.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Texas Department of Public Safety and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Phelps and Roberto Lopez Jr. are prosecuting the case.
McAllen man sentenced for receiving images of child pornographyRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 27-year-old local man has been sentenced for receiving images and video files containing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Gabriel Alejandro Morales pleaded guilty March 22, 2023.
Chief U.S. District Judge Crane has now ordered Morales to serve 120 months in federal prison. At the hearing, the court heard additional information that Morales not only received child pornography but also engaged in the distribution of child pornography. In handing down the prison term, the court noted that engaging in the consumption of child pornography increases the demand, often leading to the production of new child pornography. Morales was further ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to a known victim and will serve five years on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Morales will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
In January 2022, law enforcement learned of a group chat on a third-party messaging application that was identified as sharing child pornography. Morales had engaged in the receipt and distribution of approximately nine videos of child pornography on that site.
Morales admitted to the use of the third-party messaging application on his cellular phone to engage in the receipt and distribution of child pornography. He further acknowledged possessing additional child pornography on other electronic devices.
The images included sadistic/masochistic content and the depiction of prepubescent children engaged in sexual acts. Authorities ultimately found a total of 77 video files of child sex abuse materials, an additional 52 video files and 11 images attributable to Morales.
Morales will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cahal P. McColgan and Alexa D. Parcell prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
Houston rapper gets life for sex trafficking teenagersRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 29-year-old man residing in the Houston and Austin areas has been sentenced for sex trafficking three minors and an adult, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
A federal jury deliberated for less than two hours before returning the guilty verdict April 19 against Jacorey Nathaniel Anderson aka Slando Kareem following a five-day trial.
U.S. District Judge David Hittner has now sentenced Anderson to life imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard from one of the minor victims detailing how Anderson’s actions took away her childhood and the negative impact it has had on all of her relationships. In handing down the prison term, the court noted that Anderson knowingly trafficked the teenage girls. Two of those teenage girls were only 15 years of age.
“This case exemplifies how art sometimes imitates life. Anderson, a rap musician, performed vile songs glorifying the pimp/prostitute relationship,” said Hamdani. “Unfortunately, for several young girls, he breathed life into his poorly crafted lyrics – providing drugs, starving and trafficking them for his own financial gain. Despite the trauma they suffered, the victims in this case bravely testified against him at trial which secured his convictions…and thanks to their bravery, Anderson’s glorification of commercial sex, his human trafficking and his misogyny ends, both in art and in real life.”
“Through the efforts of our special agents and law enforcement partners, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has taken another violent sex trafficker off our city streets,” said acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI Dallas Travis Pickard. “The victims’ this defendant abused can now began their process of healing with this criminal behind bars for the remainder of his life.”
At the trial, the jury saw two of Anderson’s rap videos. In one of the videos, a female victim’s hands and feet are bound while duct tape covers her mouth. Anderson then physically assaults the victim, slapping and choking her multiple times and warning her to close her mouth.
Anderson lured three minors and an adult to the Austin area from Houston via social media and text messages. Co-conspirator Lelonnie Stephon Jackson provided his Mercedes SUV, while another co-conspirator, Thomas Jarrett Barraza, drove the victims to an Austin-area hotel.
There, the victims received instruction to walk the “track,” an area known for prostitution, and posted sexually explicit advertisements for commercial sex online. Within another 24 hours, the adult victim escaped.
Over the course of three days, the co-conspirators transported the minor female victims to a hotel in Stafford. At that time, Jackson and Barraza left Anderson and the three minor victims at the hotel and returned to the Austin area. Anderson caused the minors to post ads and engage in commercial sex at the hotel.
Within 24 hours of arrival at the hotel in Stafford, two of the minor females were able to escape. The last minor remained with Anderson for a few more weeks while he caused her to continue to engage in commercial sex.
Throughout the process, Anderson starved the victims, provided them with drugs and took all the proceeds from the commercial sex.
At the time of the trial, evidence revealed Anderson was arrested in Dallas for attempting to traffic whom he believed was a minor. However, the individual was actually an undercover officer.
The arrest led to the examination of Anderson’s phone which allowed law enforcement to the identify the minor victims.
Additionally, Jackson, 33, Big Spring, previously pleaded guilty to his role in the criminal enterprise and received 60 months in prison. Barraza, 37, Austin, also pleaded guilty to his role and will remain on bond pending sentencing Nov. 12.
Anderson and Jackson have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
HSI - Dallas and the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA) including FBI Houston and Houston Police Department (HPD) conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sherri L. Zack and Kimberly A. Leo prosecuted the case.
HTRA law enforcement includes members of the HPD, FBI, HSI, Texas Attorney General’s Office, IRS Criminal Investigation, Department of Labor (DOL), DOL – Wage and Hour Division, Department of State, Texas Alcoholic and Beverage Commission, Texas Department of Public Safety, Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General (OIG), Social Security Administration – OIG and Sheriff’s Offices in Harris and Montgomery counties in coordination with District Attorney’s offices in Harris, Montgomery and Fort Bend Counties.
Established in 2004, the United States Attorney’s office in Houston formed HTRA to combine resources with federal, state and local enforcement agencies and prosecutors, as well as non-governmental service organizations to target human traffickers while providing necessary services to those that the traffickers victimized. Since its inception, HTRA has been recognized as both a national and international model in identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking and prosecuting those engaged in trafficking offenses.
Former Mexican law enforcement official imprisoned for hiring drivers to transport loads of deadly narcoticsRead the Press Release
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 56-year-old Mexican citizen residing in the Brownsville area has been sentenced following his conviction for conspiracy with intent to deliver cocaine, heroin and fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
A federal jury convicted Gilberto Almaraz-Muniz April 26 on one count of conspiracy and three counts of possession with intent to distribute various controlled substances following a five-day trial.
U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera has now ordered him to serve 250 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional information detailing the extensive elements of the conspiracy Almaraz-Muniz lead. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Almaraz-Muniz specifically made use of younger individuals to carry out the transportation of the drugs.
Law enforcement conducted a narcotics seizure in Klegberg County March 10, 2022. At that time, authorities arrested co-conspirator Pedro Venegas Jr., 24, in Brownsville.
Once law enforcement noticed tampering within the engine, they took his truck to a secure location to remove the engine’s manifold and other components. The exposed internal workings of the engine revealed 23 bundles of heroin, cocaine and fentanyl. The truck’s 6-cylinder engine had modifications to appear as an 8-cylinder to keep the drugs hidden within those areas.
Further evidence showed co-conspirator Jetzrael Saldana, 26, Brownsville, recruited Venegas as driver on behalf of Almaraz-Muniz who was a law enforcement official in Mexico and operated as the drug supplier.
During the trial, witnesses testified that Almaraz-Muniz would ask Saldana to recruit drivers to take drug loads past the immigration checkpoint for distribution in Houston and other areas. Almaraz-Muniz would then arrange for the vehicles to be titled in the drivers’ names and have them do “dry runs,” crossing the port of entry several times before hiding drugs within the vehicle.
At the time of the trial, the jury heard additional evidence about two other drug seizures during which Almaraz-Muniz hired drivers to deliver narcotics. The seizures included 83 kilograms of liquid meth at the Gateway International bridge in Brownsville on July 17, 2022, and a 24-kilogram seizure of black tar heroin in Robstown Sept. 26, 2022.
Almaraz-Muniz has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with the assistance of the South Texas Narcotics Task Force in Kingsville and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Oscar Ponce and Victoria Aranda prosecuted the case.
Woman admits to submitting false disaster relief applications resulting in $620,000 lossRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 34-year-old former Houston resident has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
From March 2020 until March 2021, Cora Chantail Custard conspired with others to submit false and fraudulent loan applications for financial assistance both personally and on behalf of others.
The co-conspirators submitted false applications to the Small Business Administration (SBA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and multiple state unemployment insurance agencies.
Over the course of the conspiracy, Custard resided in both Houston and San Antonio.
As part of her plea, Custard admitted to using her Facebook account to advertise her services to file fraudulent disaster relief applications. Custard’s posts repeatedly described the scheme to her social media followers as “doing apps,” with the ability to obtain between $6,000 and $8,000 for an application within four to seven days of filing.
Custard submitted or caused the submission of over 100 fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications, at least 36 of which resulted in advance payments totaling $345,000.
Further investigation revealed Custard filed at least 30 fraudulent FEMA Disaster Benefit applications related to Hurricane Laura in August 2020 and Hurricane Sally in September 2020. At least 16 of those fraudulent applications resulted payouts totaling approximately $75,000.
Additionally, Custard committed several other fraudulent acts like filing over 100 false unemployment insurance applications in Michigan, Illinois and several other states for her own and others’ benefits. At least 20 of those fraudulent applications resulted in payments totaling approximately $200,000.
Due to her actions, multiple agencies lost a total of $620,000.
U.S. District Judge David Hittner will impose sentencing in January 2025. At that time, Custard faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
She was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
The Department of Homeland Security-Office of Inspector General (OIG), IRS-Criminal Investigation, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Social Security Administration-OIG, SBA-OIG and Department of Labor-OIG conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen M. Lansden is prosecuting the case.
Weslaco man sentenced for attempting to import shoebox of crystal methRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 23-year-old man has been sentenced for drug trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Jesse James Gonzalez pleaded guilty Sept. 27, 2023.
U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez has now ordered Gonzalez to serve 120 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional information about how Gonzalez’s criminal history was repetitive and warranted a lengthy sentence. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the societal harms of trafficking in narcotics and the destruction in communities that it occurs.
On Nov. 29, 2022, Gonzalez attempted to make entry into the United States through the Donna Port of Entry. Gonzalez was carrying a shoebox containing two packages of white crystal meth.
Authorities discovered the meth during the inspection process and Gonzalez subsequently admitted he had “ice” in the shoebox.
Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Devin V. Walker prosecuted the case. AUSA Ted Parran handled the sentencing hearing.
Two charged with fentanyl traffickingRead the Press Release
LAREDO, TEXAS – Two Texas men are charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and conspiracy to do so, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
A federal grand jury has returned a two-count indictment against Hernan Cortez, 40, Houston, and Daniel Elizondo, 37, Laredo. Previously in custody upon the filing of a criminal complaint Aug. 30, they are expected to make an appearance on the indictment before a U.S. magistrate judge in the near future.
According to the charges, Cortez transported approximately a half of a kilogram of fentanyl from Houston to Laredo Aug. 28. He allegedly intended to sell the drugs in Laredo with Elizondo’s assistance.
On Aug. 29, Cortez brought the fentanyl to a stash house where Elizondo was located, according to the complaint. Elizondo allegedly exited the stash house wearing a black satchel bag and walked into an alleyway connected to an adjoining property. Soon thereafter, he no longer had the bag, according to the charges.
The complaint alleges authorities executed a search warrant and found 508 grams of fentanyl hidden in a tire wheel in the alleyway where Elizondo had been.
If convicted, Cortez and Elizondo face up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $10 million maximum fine.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations, Webb County Precinct 1 Constables Office, Webb County Sheriff’s Office and the Laredo Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew P. Hakala-Finch is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Gunpoint extortion of migrants leads to 38-year prison sentenceRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 26-year-old McAllen man has been sentenced on multiple counts of hostage taking, smuggling and weapons charges, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
A federal jury deliberated for less than an hour before returning the guilty verdict Nov. 8, 2023, on all counts against Heriberto Mendez-Lozano following a three-day trial.
U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez has now ordered Mendez-Lozano to serve 360 months in federal prison for committing hostage taking and human smuggling. He also received 160 months for being a felon in possession of a firearm which must be served in part consecutively to the other sentence imposed. The total 460-month prison term will be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that detailed how the violent threats and coercion of the vulnerable migrant victims has had a lasting impact on their lives. In handing down the sentence, the court noted that Mendez-Lozano’s violent criminal history, coupled with his violent threats and actions in this case, warranted a significant sentence.
“After illegally navigating vulnerable migrants across the Southern border, human smugglers, like Mendez-Lozano, tend to graduate to hostage-taking,” said Hamdani. “He and others asserted control over the migrants and held them at gunpoint, subjecting them to trauma and terror over the course of several days. They used fear to force the migrants’ families to pay money for their release. Today, some small measure of justice has been secured for these heinous acts as Mendez-Lozano goes from former hostage-taker to current federal prisoner.”
“Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) vehemently condemns human smugglers who exploit the vulnerabilities of migrants with threats and acts of violence,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee, HSI San Antonio. “HSI is at the forefront of investigating these human smugglers who attempt to plague the southwest border. We remain committed to bringing to justice the criminal organizations who prey on the vulnerable with no regard for the well-being of the people they smuggle.”
During the trial, the jury heard evidence that on Sept. 29, 2022, Mendez-Lozano and others to include Lorenzo Campbell and Heriberto Aguirre were engaged in smuggling migrants from near the Rio Grande River further into the United States.
On that date, the group was harboring five undocumented aliens. Instead of transporting the aliens further into the United States, Mendez-Lozano and his co-conspirators held the aliens against their will at a location in Donna.
There, Mendez-Lozano and Aguirre brandished firearms, held guns to the heads and ribs of hostages, threatened the hostages and forced them to call family members to demand money for their release.
The investigation led law enforcement to the location in Donna where they arrested Mendez-Lozano, who had a pending warrant for aggravated robbery, along with Campbell. Authorities also rescued the hostages from the scene. Aguirre was arrested at a nearby motel.
Judge Alvarez previously sentenced Campbell, 23, Pharr, to 18 months in federal prison, while Aguirre, 25, Mission, received a 240-month-term of imprisonment. Both will be required to serve two years of supervised release following their respective prison terms.
Mendez-Lozano will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
HSI conducted the investigation with the assistance of Border Patrol (BP), U.S. Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hidalgo County Sherriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colton Turner and Theodore Parran prosecuted the case as part of the Human Smuggling Prevention Program (HSPP). The primary goal of HSPP is to disrupt and dismantle human smuggling organizations on our Southwest Border through close cooperation with HSI, BP, Customs and Border Protection – Office of Field Operations and local law enforcement partners.
Crack distributor heads to prisonRead the Press Release
GALVESTON, Texas – A 44-year-old La Marque resident has been sentenced for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and cocaine base, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Smith Henry Jones pleaded guilty Feb. 17, 2022.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown has now ordered Jones to serve 144 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. The court also issued a final order of forfeiture for $60,000 in cash and a residential house with lot valued at approximately $250,000.
Between February 2017 and February 2019, Jones managed a group of persons who distributed cocaine base or “crack” in the La Marque and Texas City areas.
Jones will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI’s Safe Streets and Violent Crimes Task Force and the La Marque Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth A. Cusick and Mary Ellen Smyth prosecuted the case.
SDTX initiates whistleblower non-prosecution pilot programRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas (SDTX) will immediately begin implementation of a pilot program to encourage early voluntary disclosure of previously unknown criminal conduct and to help identify and prosecute individuals most culpable for that misconduct, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
In exchange for self-disclosure and cooperation against others involved in the criminal conduct, SDTX will enter into a non-prosecution agreement where certain specified conditions are met.
“Rooting out fraud and corruption in the government and private sectors has always been a priority of the SDTX whether that corruption exists in the Rio Grande Valley’s smallest towns or in and around Houston, the nation’s fourth largest city,” said Hamdani. “Those cases often rely on whistleblowers, individuals who witness wrongdoing and want to do the right thing by coming forward to law enforcement. This office’s new policy is my way of encouraging those whistleblowers to come forward to assist our mission to expose and eliminate corruption throughout the district.”
The hope is to incentivize individuals and their counsel to provide actionable and timely information by providing clarity on the requirements and benefits of self-disclosure. This could potentially help the office bring more misconduct to light and better protect the communities within the SDTX.
Reporting parties can be an individual or business, but must disclose criminal conduct of public or private companies, exchanges, financial institutions, investment advisers or investment finds. The disclosed criminal conduct may involve fraud, corporate control failures, affects on market integrity, criminal conduct involving state or local bribery and fraud relating to federal, state or local funds.
To be considered, reporting parties and their related information must meet certain key sets of conditions:
- The misconduct is not already public and known to the office, any Department of Justice component or federal law enforcement agency.
- The individual or organization discloses the criminal conduct voluntarily (e.g., not in response to a government inquiry, reporting obligation, existing agreement to report or prior to imminent threat of disclosure.)
- The individual or organization can provide substantial assistance and is prepared to fully cooperate in the investigation and prosecution of the disclosed conduct and recovery of any related criminal proceeds.
- The individual or organization truthfully and completely discloses all criminal conduct they know of or in which they have participated.
- The individual must not be a federal, state or local elected or appointed official; an official or agent of a federal investigative or law enforcement agency; expected to become of major public interest; the highest-ranking person within the organization or the person who exercises primary control over the organization’s operations where the misconduct occurred.
- The individual did not lead or originate the alleged misconduct or illegal activity.
- The individual has not engaged in any criminal conduct involving the use of force or violence; any sex offense involving fraud, force or coercion of a minor; any offense involving terrorism or national security and does not have a conviction of any kind for conduct involving fraud or dishonesty.
- The individual must agree to forfeit any proceeds from the disclosed criminal wrongdoing and pay restitution to victims consistent with their role in the offense.
This policy does not apply to individuals or organizations providing information regarding violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, violations of federal or state campaign financing laws, federal patronage crimes, corruption of the electoral process, bribery of federal officials, federal tax offenses or federal environmental crimes.
The SDTX has sole discretion to determine whether an individual has satisfied each of the conditions necessary to consider a non-prosecution agreement.
Individuals or businesses who do not meet the above requirements may still be considered for a non-prosecution agreement on a discretionary basis in exchange for their cooperation after consideration of multiple factors.
Those who qualify for the Whistleblower Pilot Program are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to come clean, cooperate throughout the legal process and get on the right side of the law.
Individuals (including through counsel) seeking to be considered for the SDTX Whistleblower Pilot Program may use this WBP intake form to begin the process of disclosing criminal misconduct. Send completed document to the office at [email protected].
This policy does not apply to any other U.S. Attorney’s Office or any other litigating component of the Justice Department. It also does not supersede any provision of the Justice Manual.
Special education teacher posing as teen heads to prison for exploiting minor he met onlineRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 43-year-old Mission resident has been sentenced for coercion and enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Juan Carlos Munoz pleaded guilty March 29.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now sentenced Munoz to serve 168 months in prison immediately followed by five years of supervised release. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender. At the hearing, the court heard how Munoz would not only solicit photos and videos from minor children but would share and exchange those sexually explicit photos with another adult male child predator. In handing down the prison term, the court noted its concern for the safety of our school children.
“Munoz is a predator who hid within the walls of a local school and behind fake personas,” said Hamdani. “This sentence should show this family and all families that justice will bring child predators out of the shadows and placed behind bars where they belong.”
“Mr. Munoz abused his position of public trust as a special education teacher to prey on those he was entrusted to protect,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “The sexual exploitation of children is among the most egregious crimes HSI investigates, and today’s sentencing serves as a reminder that our agency will work tirelessly to protect children from coercion and enticement of minors.”
In November 2022, law enforcement in South Carolina met with a family who discovered their 14-year-old girl was communicating with an individual who was soliciting nude photos and videos. The girl met the individual who claimed to be a 19-year-old teenage boy on a social media/video chat site. Law enforcement uncovered numerous conversations and successfully traced the perpetrator’s phone number to the Rio Grande Valley. They determined his true identity was 41-year-old Munoz, a high school special education teacher.
In December 2022, Texas authorities located Munoz at the school where he was employed. He admitted to communicating with approximately 50 minor children and requesting sexually explicit photos and videos.
Munoz will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
HSI-Rio Grande Valley Child Exploitation Task Force conducted the investigation with the assistance of York County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Garcia prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
Licensed professional counselor indicted in $2 million health care fraud schemeRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 46-year-old resident of Mission has been taken into custody on charges of health care fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with a scheme to defraud the Texas Medicaid Program, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Juan Martin Flores, 46, is set to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker at 9 a.m.
The indictment, returned Aug. 7 and unsealed upon his arrest Sept. 12, alleges he submitted or caused the submission of over 15,000 fraudulent claims to Medicaid for services that were never provided. Between 2018 and 2022, the claims resulted in approximately $2 million in Medicaid payments, according to the charges. The indictment further alleges Flores used the personal information of Medicaid beneficiaries without their consent to facilitate the fraudulent billing scheme.
According to the charges, Flores submitted claims under his national provider identifier number, representing that he provided counseling services at his office in Brownsville. However, he allegedly never actually rendered those services. The indictment details multiple instances in which he unlawfully used Medicaid beneficiaries' identities in the fraudulent claims.
Flores is charged with 10 counts of health care fraud, each carrying a possible 10-year-maximum sentence and up to a $250,000 fine. He is also facing three counts of aggravated identity theft. If convicted, he faces a mandatory two years in federal prison which must be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed.
The FBI, Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General and Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew R. Swartz and Eric D. Flores are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Pharr resident receives max for smuggling over 100Read the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 21-year-old man has been sentenced for transporting undocumented individuals, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Isaac Jake Gonzalez pleaded guilty March 30, 2023.
U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now ordered Gonzalez to serve 60 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard evidence that while on bond, Gonzalez continued to smuggle undocumented individuals and allegedly trafficked a 15-year-old girl for sex which resulted in a revocation of his bond. The court also heard Gonzalez was responsible for smuggling unaccompanied minors and that, in some cases, the undocumented people were locked in trailers where the refrigeration was not working.
Beginning in summer 2021, authorities initiated an investigation into an organization responsible for smuggling thousands of undocumented aliens in tractor-trailers. Law enforcement ultimately identified Gonzalez and his brother-in-law, Anthony Williams, as coordinators responsible for recruiting drivers.
On Dec. 6, 2022, authorities arrested Gonzalez and three other co-conspirators. Law enforcement discovered that members had delivered six undocumented migrants to a warehouse where a tractor-trailer was waiting to smuggle them north.
Through the investigation, Gonzalez was found responsible for smuggling approximately 115 undocumented individuals.
Williams, 27, Pharr, was previously sentenced to 96 months in federal prison.
Gonzalez will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Border Patrol and Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara J. De Peña prosecuted the case.
City officials indictedRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – The mayor pro-tem and city manager of Edcouch have both been taken into custody on public corruption charges, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Victor Hugo De La Cruz, 40, and Rene Flores, 60, both of Edcouch, are set to make their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker at 9 a.m. Sept. 13.
A federal grand jury returned the four-count indictment under seal Sept. 2 which was unsealed upon their arrests.
The indictment alleges that from June to September 2019, De La Cruz, city manager, and Flores, mayor pro-tem, solicited bribe payments from the owner of a Brownsville business that provides marketing services throughout the Rio Grande Valley. The business owner allegedly received two separate $3000 payments for marketing work he was allegedly performing for the city of Edcouch. In return, he made two $1000 kickback payments to Flores, according to the charges.
De la Cruz and Flores are charged with conspiracy, bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds and use of a facility in interstate commerce in furtherance of bribery.
If convicted, they both face up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine on the bribery charge and five years for the conspiracy and use of a facility in interstate commerce.
The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert S. Johnson and K. Alejandra Andrade are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Third member of smuggling scheme found guiltyRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A federal jury has convicted a 49-year-old Cuban national for conspiring to unlawfully transport non-U.S. citizens, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
The jury deliberated for less than one hour before finding Deivis Reinaldo Rodriguez-Ramirez guilty following a two-day trial.
The jury heard evidence that Rodriguez-Ramirez was part of a group of three men conspiring to conceal undocumented individuals inside a tractor-trailer.
On Aug. 21, 2023, Daikiel Perdomo-Castro drove the tractor-trailer into the Border Patrol checkpoint near Falfurrias with no visible occupants. There, authorities asked Perdomo-Castro to drive the vehicle through an X-ray inspection.
Law enforcement discovered Rodriguez-Ramirez, who had moved into the passenger seat, and eight individuals illegally present and attempting to hide in the sleeper compartment of the tractor. A third co-conspirator, Macdiel Labrada-Martin, was also found in the sleeper compartment.
During the trial, the defense attempted to convince the jury that even though Rodriguez-Ramirez was in the tractor with the other two-conspirators and the eight undocumented aliens, he had no part in the offense. They did not believe those claims and found Rodriguez-Ramirez guilty as charged.
Perdomo-Castro, 40, and Labrada-Martin, 32, both of Louisville, Kentucky, previously pleaded guilty and received sentences of nine and 15 months in federal prison, respectively.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales-Ramos presided over the trial and set sentencing for Dec. 4. At that time, Rodriguez-Ramirez faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine.
He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Young Burkett and Ashley Martin are prosecuting the case.
Jury convicts RGV man for illegally transporting non-U.S. citizenRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 45-year-old Pharr resident has been convicted of unlawfully transporting an undocumented alien, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
The jury deliberated for approximately one hour before finding Benjamin Ramirez guilty following a one-day trial.
The jury heard that Ramirez drove to the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint with a passenger in the front seat. Law enforcement conducted a routine immigration inspection and determined the passenger was illegally present in the United States.
At trial, Ramirez claimed that he had no idea the passenger was illegally in the country and that they were traveling to perform mechanical work in San Antonio. The jury did not believe defense claims and found Ramirez guilty as charged.
U.S. District Judge David S. Morales presided over the trial and set sentencing for Dec. 4, at which time Ramirez faces up to five years in federal prison.
He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Lamont and Liesel Roscher prosecuted the case.
Firearms straw purchaser convictedRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A federal jury has returned a guilty verdict against a woman with ties to the Houston area on one count of conspiracy and seven counts of making false statements to licensed firearms dealers, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
The jury deliberated for less than three hours before finding Karina Deluna, 37, guilty after a four-day trial.
From approximately Sept. 29, 2018, through at least Aug. 11, 2022, Deluna conspired with others to knowingly make false written statements to licensed firearms dealers aka straw purchasing.
Deluna and her co-conspirators conducted straw purchases of at least 13 firearms, including multiple AR-15 style rifles, 9 mm handguns and a .50-caliber rifle. Testimony revealed Deluna’s co-conspirators intended to export the illegally obtained firearms to Mexico.
The jury also heard that on Aug. 11, 2022, law enforcement discovered that conspirators were picking up a straw purchased Barrett, .50-caliber rifle from a federal firearms licensee in Houston. Authorities quickly responded and seized the $9,000 firearm from Deluna and others. The investigation revealed it had been destined for Mexico.
During trial, the jury also heard from experts regarding the regulations and various licensing requirements necessary for exporting firearms to Mexico.
The jury also saw the straw purchased .50-caliber rifle.
U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks presided over the trial and set sentencing for Nov. 19. At that time, Deluna faces up to 40 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. Previously released on bond, Deluna was taken into custody following the guilty verdicts where she will remain pending sentencing.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation with the support of Homeland Security Investigations and the departments of Commerce and State. ATF Mexico provided substantial assistance in recovering some of the straw purchased weapons. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Smith and Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron Black are prosecuting the case.
Finance director of prominent aviation provider indicted for $1.2 million mail fraud schemeRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against a 57-year-old resident of Mission for engaging in a sophisticated scheme to defraud her employer, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Elizabeth Batten has turned herself into authorities and is expected to make her initial appearance at 9 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker.
According to the indictment returned Sept. 4, Batten was the director of financing at McCreery Aviation in the Rio Grande Valley from 2019 to 2023. While serving in that role, she allegedly diverted company funds to pay for her personal expenses. She used signed blank company checks, intended for legitimate business purposes, to settle her personal credit card accounts, according to the charges. She allegedly concealed her actions by sending the fraudulent payments through the U.S. Postal Service.
In late 2023, a McCreery Aviation employee noticed irregularities in the handling of company checks. A subsequent investigation allegedly uncovered the full extent of the financial damage Batten’s actions caused.
The indictment charges Batten with 10 counts of mail fraud. If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine.
The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric D. Flores is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.