Eastern District of Virginia
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Chinese national pleads guilty to narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and material support to terrorism in Homeland Security Task Force InvestigationRead the Press Release
A Honduras-based Chinese national extradited from Guatemala pled guilty today to conspiring to import cocaine into the United States, conspiring to launder money derived from drug trafficking, and to providing material support to a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, specifically the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).
According to court documents, Wenshen Xu, 52, used a transportation network and contacts in Latin America to smuggle multi-kilogram loads of cocaine into the United States. Xu’s transportation network included access to airstrips, airports, armored cars, couriers, and associates. On July 17, 2025, Xu and others agreed to arrange and facilitate the transportation of a multi-kilogram load of cocaine out of Cali, Colombia, on behalf of an individual who claimed to represent the CJNG. Xu and his co-conspirators imported over 450 kilograms of cocaine into the United States. Xu and his co-conspirators also coordinated the laundering of over $22 million dollars from the sale of cocaine and fentanyl by drug trafficking organizations. This money laundering network used a variety of concealment methods, including cryptocurrency money transfers, trade-based money laundering, and encrypted communications platforms.
Xu was arrested in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on July 17, 2025, at the request of the United States and was extradited to the United States on Jan. 30.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 15 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit is investigating the case, with assistance from DEA’s Office of Special Intelligence, Document and Media Exploitation Unit; DEA’s offices in Guatemala and Colombia; the Colombian National Police; and the Guatemalan National Police. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s arrest and extradition from Guatemala.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edgardo J. Rodriguez and Christopher M. Carter for the Eastern District of Viriginia and Trial Attorney Chelsea R. Rooney of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Washington, D.C., comprises agents and officers from the DEA; FBI; Homeland Security Investigations; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Diplomatic Security Service; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; Naval Criminal Investigative Service; Transportation Security Administration Federal Air Marshals Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Enforcement and Removal Operations; and Washington Baltimore HIDTA, with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
MNF’s mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.
MNF’s Money Laundering and Forfeiture Unit investigates and prosecutes sophisticated money laundering schemes involving financial facilitators, gatekeepers, and other individuals and entities laundering criminal proceeds, and litigates complex civil forfeiture cases to recover assets on behalf of victims.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-231.
Chinese National Pleads Guilty to Narcotics Trafficking, Money Laundering, and Material Support to Terrorism in Homeland Security Task Force InvestigationRead the Press Release
A Honduras-based Chinese national extradited from Guatemala pleaded guilty today to conspiring to import cocaine into the United States, conspiring to launder money derived from drug trafficking, and to providing material support to a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, specifically the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).
According to court documents, Wenshen Xu, 52, used a transportation network and contacts in Latin America to smuggle multi-kilogram loads of cocaine into the United States. Xu’s transportation network included access to airstrips, airports, armored cars, couriers, and associates. On July 17, 2025, Xu and others agreed to arrange and facilitate the transportation of a multi-kilogram load of cocaine out of Cali, Colombia, on behalf of an individual who claimed to represent the CJNG. Xu and his co-conspirators imported over 450 kilograms of cocaine into the United States. Xu and his co-conspirators also coordinated the laundering of over $22 million dollars from the sale of cocaine and fentanyl by drug trafficking organizations. This money laundering network used a variety of concealment methods, including cryptocurrency money transfers, trade-based money laundering, and encrypted communications platforms.
Xu was arrested in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on July 17, 2025, at the request of the United States and was extradited to the United States on Jan. 30.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 15 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Cindy Marx of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Special Operations Division made the announcement.
The DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit is investigating the case, with assistance from DEA’s Office of Special Intelligence, Document and Media Exploitation Unit; DEA’s offices in Guatemala and Colombia; the Colombian National Police; and the Guatemalan National Police. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s arrest and extradition from Guatemala.
Trial Attorney Chelsea R. Rooney of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edgardo J. Rodriguez and Christopher M. Carter for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
MNF’s mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.
MNF’s Money Laundering and Forfeiture Unit investigates and prosecutes sophisticated money laundering schemes involving financial facilitators, gatekeepers, and other individuals and entities laundering criminal proceeds, and litigates complex civil forfeiture cases to recover assets on behalf of victims.
United States Seizes Hundreds of Internet Domains Used to Illegally Stream World Cup MatchesRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice announced today the seizure of nearly 400 sites that were engaged in the unauthorized streaming of matches in the FIFA World Cup Finals in violation of U.S. copyright law.
“We have seized hundreds of domains, used to illegally stream World Cup matches for profit, to disrupt the international networks that profit from the global popularity of the World Cup,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This operation illustrates the Department’s respect for intellectual property rights and the responsibility of the United States as a host nation to protect the FIFA World Cup from criminals. The Criminal Division will continue to disrupt and, where appropriate, seek to prosecute these sites and the subjects responsible for this criminal activity.”
“The unauthorized broadcast of World Cup matches violates intellectual property rights and fuels criminal organizations,” said Director Ivan J. Arvelo of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center. “Through Operation Offsides and strong partnerships with law enforcement and the private sector, we identified and seized hundreds of domains, disrupting those who steal and distribute copyrighted content. Our ongoing efforts ensure that the excitement of the World Cup reaches fans through legitimate, secure channels.”
“When you open your network to illegal streaming sites, you’re taking a significant risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Eric Weindorf of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington Field Office. “These streamers not only violate copyright laws but also expose viewers to potential threats — including malware attacks and unsecure connections that can compromise personal and financial data. These website takedowns are a critical part of HSI’s strategy to uphold intellectual property laws, ensuring fans have a safe and authentic experience supporting their teams during the World Cup.”
According to an affidavit in support of a seizure warrant which was filed today in the Eastern District of Virginia, the seized domains were used to illegally offer users copyright-protected content in the form of real-time streams of 2026 World Cup matches as they are being played and first broadcast. In support of the application for seizure authority, HSI special agents confirmed that the seized domains were actively broadcasting World Cup matches without authorization. The seized domains were identified with assistance of FIFA, with further supporting information provided by beIN Media Group, NBC Universal, Motion Picture Association’s Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and Warner Brothers. FIFA is the international governing body of association football (soccer) and holds the exclusive rights to sanction and stage the FIFA World Cup 2026, which is being hosted in multiple cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Banner posted on seized sitesLaw enforcement actions targeting the illegal broadcast of FIFA World Cup matches was coordinated with international partners through the International Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (ICHIP) Network of U.S. prosecutors. ICHIP-trained officials took part in actions across multiple countries and involved the following:
- Servers and domains linked to illegal streaming of World Cup games were targeted in Peru and Bulgaria, two known centers of online piracy activity. Additional ICHIP-supported disruptions took place in Croatia, Romania, Poland and Colombia.
U.S. authorities provided leads to assist in identifying domains associated with illegal streaming of the World Cup.
The U.S. action is part of Operation Offsides, led by the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, targeting digital piracy domains associated with the World Cup. This operation is being conducted in coordination with HSI Washington, D.C., HSI Attaché offices, as well as private sector and law enforcement partners globally. This initiative focuses on disrupting illegal World Cup streaming and protecting intellectual property rights by identifying and seizing websites facilitating unauthorized broadcasts. Senior Counsel Brian Mund, Assistant Deputy Chief Adrienne Rose, and Acting Deputy Chief Christopher Merriam of the of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Mercer for the Eastern District of Virgina are assisting. The Justice Department’s ICHIP prosecutors based in Sao Paul, Brazil and Bucharest, Romania, and the ICHIP for Internet-Based Fraud and Public Health in Washington, D.C. also provided crucial support to this operation.
CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime and intellectual property (IP) crime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cybercriminals and IP criminals, and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds.
The Justice Department is providing intellectual property and cybercrime technical assistance to foreign law enforcement, prosecutorial, and judicial partners in other countries through the ICHIP program. The Criminal Division’s ICHIP Program is jointly administered by the Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) and the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section through partnership between the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
Stafford man sentenced to 25 years in prison for sexually abusing two women at an intelligence conferenceRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Stafford man was sentenced today to 25 years in prison following his conviction for sexual abuse, aggravated sexual abuse, abusive sexual contact, and making false statements.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, in July 2022, Michael A. Dillard, 63, who at that time was Deputy Director of Facilities for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and a retired U.S. Army Colonel, attended an intelligence conference at a U.S. government facility in Williamsburg in July 2022. On July 27, 2022, Dillard sexually abused a victim who worked for him after he instructed her to follow him to his hotel room and assaulted her while impeding her from leaving his room. After she was able to leave, she reported Dillard’s abuse to a work colleague. Base police encountered another victim in Dillard’s hotel room early the next morning during a welfare check after colleagues reported that she did not appear at the conference. The victim was taken to the base clinic for care.
In 2023, the victims each filed EEOC complaints based upon Dillard’s actions. Dillard denied the complaints against him and provided a written statement in which he falsely stated that he had no sexual contact at all with the victims and that there was no physical activity of a sexual nature.
The FBI’s Norfolk Field Office investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric M. Hurt prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-cr-47.
Springfield man convicted at trial of federal firearms and explosives chargesRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted a dual U.S.-Jordanian citizen today on charges of possession of an unregistered firearm and improper storage of explosive materials.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on March 18, 2025, deputies with the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) served a writ of eviction against Amer Taisir Zghailat Qaralleh, 42, at a residence in Springfield. Deputies observed several firearms in plain view. Deputies secured four firearms, including a sawed-off shotgun. When asked if there were any additional weapons inside the residence, Qarallah indicated there was another firearm in a backpack in the living room. Deputies located the backpack and found the firearm as well as four explosive devices.
The shotgun Qaralleh possessed was not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as required by law.
Zghailat Qaralleh is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 6. He faces up to 10 years in prison for possession of an unregistered firearm and up to a year in prison for improper storage of explosive materials. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division investigated this case with assistance from FCSO.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas A. Durham and Robert Strange are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:26-cr-2.
Illegal alien sentenced for production of child sexual abuse materialRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Mexican national illegally residing in the United States was sentenced to 30 years in prison and lifetime supervised release for production of child sexual abuse material. He was also required to register as a sex offender.
According to court documents, on several occasions in February and March 2025, Samuel Flores de Dios, 36, brought the victim, who was under 13 years old, to a bedroom he rented in an apartment in Fredericksburg on several occasions. On at least four occasions, Flores de Dios sexually abused the victim and recorded the abuse on cellphones positioned around his bedroom. One of the cellphones belonging to Flores de Dios also contained videos of a second adult male abusing the victim.
Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C., investigated this case with assistance from the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas A. Garnett of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Angelica Carrasco of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from sexual predators, visit Know2Protect.gov.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-158.
Illegal Alien Sentenced for Production of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Samuel Flores de Dios, 36, an illegal alien from Mexico, was sentenced today to 30 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) after he placed a camera in his bedroom and recorded himself sexually abusing a victim who was under 13-years old. He was also required to register as a sex offender.
According to court documents, on several occasions between February 2025 and March 2025, Flores de Dios brought the minor victim to his residence in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where he sexually abused her. On at least four different occasions, Flores de Dios recorded the sexual acts using cellular telephones positioned around his bedroom. One of the cellular telephones belonging to Flores de Dios also contained videos of a second adult male abusing the victim.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Eric J. Weindorf of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington D.C. Field Office made the announcement.
This case was investigated by HSI with substantial assistance from the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Angelica Carrasco of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Garnett for the Eastern District of Virginia.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from sexual predators, visit Know2Protect.gov.
Former soldier sentenced to 18 years in prison for coercing minors to produce child sexual abuse materialRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A former U.S. Army soldier stationed at Joint Base Langley-Eustis was sentenced today to 18 years in prison for coercion and enticement of a child.
According to court documents, Isaac James Guinsler, 25, used Snapchat and Apple accounts to share child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and communicate with minor victims. On Guinsler’s electronic devices, investigators identified 297 CSAM images and three CSAM videos as well as voluminous sexually explicit messages exchanged with individuals who self-identified to Guinsler as minors. Investigators identified and interviewed two minor victims, aged 13 and 16. Guinsler coerced the victims to engage in sexual activity, exchanged sexually explicit images with them, and obtained CSAM from them.
Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, Washington Field Office, investigated this case with assistance from the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office
Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter G. Osyf prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:26-cr-7.
Fairfax felon found with firearm now returning to prisonRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Fairfax man was sentenced today to a year and five months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, on June 11, 2025, Basim Dauwd Jami, aka David Jackson, 64, possessed a handgun when law enforcement approached him to serve an outstanding warrant for an alleged probation violation. Jami attempted to flee on foot, but officers arrested him in a nearby parking garage.
In 1986, Jami broke into a home and sexually assaulted a 14-year-old victim. In 2005, he was convicted for driving under the influence. In 2007, Jami was found in possession of a concealed weapon, which officers discovered when they stopped Jami during a rape investigation. As a convicted felon, Jami cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and the City of Fairfax Police Department investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Clement prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:26-cr-17.
U.S. Attorney’s Office announces charges against three defendants in the Eastern District of Virginia as part of national health care fraud takedownRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced charges against three defendants in connection with alleged schemes to defraud Medicare and Medicaid. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.
The charges announced today are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims and significant patient harm, including death. Today’s Takedown represents a new era in federal, state, and international cooperation to combat health care fraud: cases in 56 federal districts and 45 U.S. states and territories, with 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units participating, the most in Department history. In addition, unprecedented international cooperation over the two-week Takedown resulted in the apprehension and return to the United States of the following health care fraudsters: one defendant in Kyrenia in connection with an over $3.7 billion scheme; two defendants in Estonia in connection with a previously charged $10.6 billion scheme; and, in the Philippines, one of FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters in connection with a previously-charged $1.2 billion telemedicine fraud scheme. The Takedown involves the cutting-edge use of data analytics to target the worst actors; the seizure of over $182 million in cash, luxury vehicles, jewelry, and other assets; and full-spectrum accountability for all criminal actors from doctor’s offices to corporate boardrooms.
Today’s coordinated enforcement action involves a whole-of-government approach, including:
Actions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to suspend 1,079 providers and revoke billing privileges for 1,403 providers.
48 Civil Monetary Payment settlements amounting to over $73 million, over 1,400 provider exclusions, and 25 actions by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) under the Civil Monetary Penalties Law seeking more than $10 billion in payments to the Medicare Trust Fund from payments that CMS caught and suspended before the funds were paid to the fraudulent providers.
Civil charges against 13 defendants for $14.8 million in health care fraud schemes, as well as civil settlements with 31 defendants totaling $23 million.
928 administrative cases by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seeking the revocation of authority to handle and/or prescribe controlled substances since Oct. 1, 2025.
The following individuals were charged in the Eastern District of Virginia:
Jair Barbour, 37, of Henrico, was charged by information with making false statements relating to health care matters in connection with fraudulently billing Medicaid for mental health services totaling $345,670.93. As alleged in the criminal information, Barbour, a qualified mental health provider, submitted hundreds of falsified progress notes describing mental health sessions that never occurred, dramatically overstated the number of hours she worked, and documented services that were impossible due to overlapping or conflicting times. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Day.
Mikia Noble, 37, of North Chesterfield, was charged by information with conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with a crisis mental health services fraud scheme on Virginia Medicaid. As alleged in the information, Noble, the Chief Operating Officer of Advancing Communities Everywhere, conspired with others to target low-income, often homeless, Medicaid recipients by purporting to provide those recipients with mental health services that the recipients did not receive and often did not need. Noble and others submitted approximately $49.6 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicaid, of which approximately $38.6 million was paid. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Day of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorneys Zachary H. Ray and Lauren Randell of the National Rapid Response Strike Force.
Abdul Rehman Sirhandi, 57, of Aldie, was charged by information with conspiring to make false statements in health care fraud matters in connection with a durable medical equipment (DME) fraud scheme. As alleged in the information, Sirhandi acted as the straw owner of a DME company, Pulse Medical Supply, and conspired with others in Texas and Pakistan to submit approximately $780,627 in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, of which approximately $313,233 was paid. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell L. Carlberg of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Zachary H. Ray of the National Rapid Response Strike Force.
The cases are being prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, Texas, and West Coast Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Middle District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Southern District of California, District of Colorado, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware, Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Georgia, District of Hawaii, District of Idaho, Northern District of Illinois, Northern District of Iowa, Southern District of Iowa, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of Nebraska, District of New Hampshire, District of New Jersey, District of New Mexico, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, Northern District of Ohio, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania, District of Puerto Rico, District of Rhode Island, District of South Carolina, District of South Dakota, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Vermont, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Northern District of West Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia, Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Western District of Wisconsin; and State Attorneys General Offices, through their MFCUs, in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. In addition, the MFCUs for Alabama, North Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Virigina participated in the investigation of federal cases announced today.
Descriptions of each case involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the Department’s website here.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
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.
Newport News man sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually exploiting a minor and posting a video of the abuse onlineRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News man was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court documents, in February 2024, Kemp Jermaine Nelson, 33, engaged in sex with a 15-year-old runaway, recorded his abuse of the victim, and then posted the resultant CSAM on social media. On Sept. 17, 2025, FBI agents searched Nelson’s residence. Nelson claimed to investigators that he was a “content creator” and “porn star.”
The FBI’s Norfolk Field Office investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter G. Osyf prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:25-CR-68.
Alexandria felon previously convicted in Potomac Mills shooting sentenced to four years for possessing a machinegunRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Alexandria man was sentenced today to four years in prison for possessing a machinegun.
According to court documents, on April 17, 2025, Jamarion Dawon Jackson, 23, was driving on the right shoulder of Interstate 95 at more than 100 miles per hour past heavy traffic in Fairfax County when he passed a Virginia State Trooper. The Trooper activated his emergency equipment and pursued Jackson, who subsequently crashed into a parked vehicle on the right shoulder and then struck two additional vehicles on the roadway. Jackson then fled on foot and unsuccessfully attempted to enter two vehicles. Jackson then tried to jump through the open passenger side window of a third vehicle, but the driver accelerated and Jackson was injured and apprehended.
During an inventory search of Jackson’s vehicle, a Trooper recovered a loaded handgun with a 31-round magazine and equipped with a machinegun conversion device, rendering the firearm capable of fully automatic firing.
In 2022, Jackson shot a victim at the Potomac Mills Mall and fled. Jackson pled guilty to unlawful discharge of a firearm within an occupied building, felony destruction of property, and carrying a concealed weapon and was sentenced to time served and an 11-year suspended sentence. As a previously convicted felon, Jackson cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas J. Patterson and Reed Sawyers prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:26-cr-22.
Ten defendants convicted and sentenced in cross-country fentanyl conspiracy in Homeland Security Task Force caseRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Carlos Moctezuma Sandoval Romero, 26, was sentenced today to 11 years and three months in prison for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Sandoval Romero is the final defendant to be sentenced in a conspiracy investigated by the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) Washington, D.C.
According to court documents, beginning at least in November 2022, the conspirators obtained thousands of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl and distributed the pills in Virginia and elsewhere. Sandoval Romero sent the pills from California through the mail to co-conspirators in Virginia and Maryland. Co-conspirators Jonathan Ordoñez, 20, and Amir Jose Villalta, 24, paid Sandoval Romero, and Ordoñez collected money from co-conspirators.
Some of the conspirators possessed firearms in relation to their drug trafficking, and some of the conspirators were arrested while in possession of both firearms and fentanyl pills. Two of the conspirators, Haydee Giselle Barrera Serrano, 23, and Olivia Jade Bush, 24, straw purchased firearms for Ordoñez.
Ordoñez pled guilty on Oct. 18, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and using a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. On Feb. 20, 2025, he was sentenced to 16 years and three months in prison.
Villalta pled guilty on Oct. 30, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. On Feb. 27, 2025, he was sentenced to 11 years and eight months in prison.
Jose Eduardo Funes, 22, pled guilty on March 25, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and using a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. On July 10, 2025, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Younis Fakhrudin Abdulkadir, 20, pled guilty on March 19, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. On Aug. 21, 2025, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Raul Ernesto Bermudez, 21, pled guilty on June 18, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. On Oct. 2, 2025, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Steven Giovanny Santos-Bonilla, 21, pled guilty on Sept. 3, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and using a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. On Dec. 18, 2025, he was sentenced to 16 years and three months in prison.
Erik Venancio Turcios Benavides, 24, pled guilty on Oct. 28, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and using a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. On Feb. 19, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Barrera Serrano pled guilty on Oct. 21, 2025, to making false statements to a firearms licensee. On May 18, she was sentenced to one weekend in prison and three years of probation.
Bush pled guilty on Nov. 18, 2025, to making false statements to a firearms licensee. On March 27, she was sentenced to three years of probation.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division, FBI Washington Field Office, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division investigated this case with assistance from the Fairfax County Police Department, Arlington County Police Department, and Torrance (California) Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Catherine Rosenberg, James L. Trump, and Annie Zanobini prosecuted the case.
This case is part of the HSTF initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Washington, D.C., comprises agents and officers from the FBI; Homeland Security Investigations; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; Diplomatic Security Service; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; Naval Criminal Investigative Service; Transportation Security Administration Federal Air Marshals Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Enforcement and Removal Operations; and Washington Baltimore HIDTA, with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Illegal alien from El Salvador convicted at trial on federal immigration and child sexual exploitation chargesRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal judge convicted an illegal alien from El Salvador on charges of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, attempted sexual exploitation of a child, and illegally reentering the United States after removal subsequent to a felony conviction.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, pursuant to an order of removal, Mario Alexander Bonilla Canales, 50, previously was removed from the United States on at least three occasions.
In June of 2025, Bonilla Canales used Facebook to contact a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl, but who was actually an undercover law enforcement agent. Over three days, and directly after the undercover agent from the Fairfax County Police Department’s Child Exploitation Unit told him that she was 14, Bonilla Canales aggressively requested that she send him sexually explicit images and asked her to meet for sex. He eventually traveled to a park in Fairfax County to meet her for sex. When police attempted to stop him, he fled the scene, damaging two police vehicles and ignoring lights and sirens.
Bonilla Canales faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison when sentenced on Sept. 23. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Homeland Security Investigations, Washington, D.C., investigated this case with significant assistance from the Virginia State Police.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob Mercer and Colt Rainwater are prosecuting the case with assistance from Special Assistant United States Attorneys Lyndi McVey and Richard Krupczak.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case is also part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:26-cr-4.
Armed thief from Portsmouth sentenced to 14 years for robbing USPS mail carrier and possessing a machinegunRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Portsmouth man was sentenced today to 14 years in prison for unlawful possession of a machinegun, robbery of property, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to court documents, on July 11, 2024, a masked individual approached a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mail carrier on his route in Virginia Beach, brandished a handgun, and demanded the victim’s arrow key. An arrow key is a master key used to access a variety of mail repositories, including blue collection boxes, outdoor parcel lockers, and apartment mailbox panels in a given area. The masked individual fled to a car in which Cameron Hunter Brown, 29, was waiting, and Brown and the masked individual fled in the vehicle.
Law enforcement identified the vehicle and located it on July 17, 2024. While the vehicle was stationary in an ATM drive-thru lane, officers attempted a traffic stop and instructed Brown to turn off the vehicle. Instead, Brown reversed out of the drive-thru lane, struck the credit-union building, sped through an unoccupied ATM lane, and fled with police in pursuit.
During the pursuit, brown tossed a handgun from the driver-side window onto a sidewalk. The handgun, which was later recovered, was equipped with a machinegun conversion device (MCD), rendering it capable of fully automatic fire. The handgun had been reported stolen from Chesapeake.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C., investigated this case with assistance from the Hampton Police Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon E.A. Heath prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 4:24-cr-55 and 2:25-cr-16.
Seven people sentenced to prison for their roles in $31M coupon fraud schemeRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Sherise Williams, 40, of Palmetto, Florida, was sentenced today to three years and five months in prison for mail fraud. She is the final defendant to be sentenced for a multi-million-dollar fraudulent coupon scheme.
According to court documents, from at least April 2017 through May 2020, Lori Ann Talens, of Virginia Beach, used a computer to design, create, and produce a wide variety of counterfeit coupons in her Virginia Beach home, and used social media and apps to find groups of coupon enthusiasts and sell them the counterfeit coupons. These counterfeit coupons were often created with inflated values to receive items for free or at a greatly reduced price. Lori Ann Talens’ husband, Pacifico Talens Jr., 43, assisted in and profited from the operation.
Lori Ann and Pacifico Talens pleaded guilty to mail fraud, and Lori Ann also pleaded guilty to wire fraud and health care fraud for a separate scheme. Pacifico was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison. Lori Ann was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Williams and others purchased the counterfeit coupons from Lori Ann Talens in bulk quantities. For example, Williams purchased counterfeit coupons from Lori Ann Talens on 274 occasions for a total of $19,821.34. For every dollar paid to Lori Ann Talens, her customers received an estimated $50 in counterfeit coupons, at which ratio Williams caused an estimated total loss of $991,067 to retailers and manufacturers.
An analysis determined that the scheme caused a total loss of approximately $31,817,997 to retailers and manufacturers.
Amber Lynn Teague, aka Amber Johnson, 32, of Louisville, Kentucky, pled guilty on June 18, 2025, to mail fraud. On Dec. 16, 2025, Teague was sentenced to six months in prison.
Jennifer Irene Snyder, 38, of Lavon, Texas, pled guilty on July 11, 2025, to mail fraud. On Dec. 15, 2025, Snyder was sentenced to a year and three months in prison.
Melissa Kay Apodaca, 41, of Thornton, Colorado, pled guilty on June 30, 2025, to mail fraud. On Dec. 16, 2025, Apodaca was sentenced to a year and six months in prison.
Cindi Suzette Swindle, 56, of Jacksonville, Florida, pled guilty on Aug. 11, 2025, to mail fraud. On Dec. 11, 2025, Swindle was sentenced to a year in prison.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and FBI’s Norfolk Field Office investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph L. Kosky prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 2:24-cr-137 and 2:21-cr-39.
Newport News felon sentenced to four years in prison for firearm possession and gate crashing at Naval Station NorfolkRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News man was sentenced today to four years in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and unlawful entrance upon a naval installation.
According to court documents, during a traffic stop on Dec. 16, 2024, Newport News Police found Malik Rashun Hughes, 27, in possession of a stolen handgun loaded with a large-capacity magazine containing sixteen rounds of ammunition. As a previously convicted felon, Hughes cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
On July 19, 2025, Hughes stole a vehicle in Virginia Beach. He crashed into another vehicle near Naval Station Norfolk. As he fled the scene of the collision, Hughes illegally entered the installation, ignoring directions from a sentry at the entry control point. When police attempted to stop the vehicle, Hughes attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended in possession of an air soft gun and a half-consumed bottle of tequila.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division investigated this case with assistance from the Newport News Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mack Coleman prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:25-cr-55.
Mexican national sentenced for role in large-scale international cocaine trafficking offenseRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Mexican national was sentenced today to 14 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to import approximately 1,900 kilograms of cocaine into the United States.
According to court documents, Jesus Rauda-Avila was a member of a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) led by Marisela Flores-Torruco that was responsible for importing multi-hundred-kilogram quantities of cocaine into the United States.
The DTO, which had operations in New York, Texas, and elsewhere in the United States, sourced its cocaine from Colombia and provided logistical and financial support to coordinate the narcotics’ passage through Central America and Mexico and into the United States. During the investigation, law enforcement made several cocaine seizures, including approximately 971 kilograms of cocaine on April 21, 2017, and 500 kilograms of cocaine on May 10, 2017, nearly all of which was attributable to the DTO.
From 2016 to October 2017, in coordination with Flores-Torruco’s DTO, Rauda-Avila arranged and directed the transportation of funds, drivers, and vehicles from northern Mexico to southern Mexico to purchase and pick up cocaine, which was subsequently transported into the United States for distribution. Rauda-Avila conducted at least ten such narcotics purchases in partnership with Flores-Torruco’s DTO, each involving between 100 and 400 kilograms of cocaine.
Rauda-Avila pled guilty to conspiring to import cocaine to the United States. Two of Rauda-Avila’s and Flores-Torruco’ co-conspirators, Qiyun Chen, and Jose Francisco Mendoza-Gomez, have been convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia for their roles within the DTO, as have several individuals involved with the related Chinese money laundering network. Flores-Torruco pled guilty to possession, manufacture, or distribution of a controlled substance and was sentenced to 16 years and eight months in prison. Chen pled guilty to money laundering conspiracy and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Mendoza-Gomez pled guilty to conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit, investigated the case, with assistance from DEA’s offices in Cartagena (Colombia), Bogota (Colombia), Panama City, Mexico City, and Guatemala City. U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service provided substantial assistance in the investigation. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s arrest and extradition from Mexico.
Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher M. Carter and Edgardo J. Rodriguez for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Chelsea R. Rooney of the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Washington, D.C., comprises agents and officers from the FBI; Homeland Security Investigations; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; DEA; Diplomatic Security Service; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; Naval Criminal Investigative Service; Transportation Security Administration Federal Air Marshals Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Enforcement and Removal Operations; and Washington Baltimore HIDTA, with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section's (MNF) mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.
MNF’s Money Laundering and Forfeiture Unit investigates and prosecutes sophisticated money laundering schemes involving financial facilitators, gatekeepers, and other individuals and entities laundering criminal proceeds, and litigates complex civil forfeiture cases to recover assets on behalf of victims.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:17-cr-147.
Mexican National Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Role in Large Scale International Cocaine Trafficking OffenseRead the Press Release
A Mexican national was sentenced today to 14 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to import approximately 1,900 kilograms of cocaine into the United States.
According to court documents, Jesus Rauda-Avila, 46, was a member of a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) led by Marisela Flores-Torruco that was responsible for importing multi-hundred-kilogram quantities of cocaine into the United States.
“Jesus Rauda-Avila conspired with a drug trafficking organization to import almost 2,000 kilograms of cocaine into the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This level of Mexican DTO importation is the root of the injection of drugs and violence into our communities. Because of people like this defendant, countless Americans lives are ruined, and their families are left picking up the pieces. The Criminal Division will pursue drug traffickers at this level and remove them from our law-abiding society.”
“This case highlights DEA’s global reach and commitment to justice for those who threaten the safety and security of the United States,” said Special Agent in Charge Cindy Marx of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Special Operations Division. “The case against Rauda-Avila exposes the scope of international drug conspiracies, and today's sentence reflects what's possible when DEA, as part of HSTF, works hand-in-hand with our federal and international partners to dismantle the criminal organizations that threaten Americans."
The DTO, which had operations in New York, Texas, and elsewhere in the United States, sourced its cocaine from Colombia and provided logistical and financial support to coordinate the narcotics’ passage through Central America and Mexico and into the United States. During the investigation, law enforcement made several cocaine seizures, including approximately 971 kilograms of cocaine on April 21, 2017, and 500 kilograms of cocaine on May 10, 2017, nearly all of which was attributable to the DTO.
From 2016 to October 2017, in coordination with Flores-Torruco’s DTO, the defendant arranged and directed the transportation of funds, drivers, and vehicles from northern Mexico to southern Mexico to purchase and pick up cocaine, which was subsequently transported into the United States for distribution. The defendant conducted at least ten such narcotics purchases in partnership with Flores-Torruco’s DTO, each involving between 100 and 400 kilograms of cocaine.
Rauda-Avila pleaded guilty to conspiring to import cocaine to the United States. Three of the defendant’s co-conspirators — Marisela Flores-Torruco, Qiyun Chen, and Jose Francisco Mendoza-Gomez — have been convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia for their roles within the DTO, as have several individuals involved with the related Chinese money laundering network. Flores-Torruco pleaded guilty to possession, manufacture, or distribution of a controlled substance and was sentenced to 16 years and 8 months in prison. Chen pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Mendoza-Gomez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit, investigated the case, with assistance from DEA’s offices in Cartagena (Colombia), Bogota (Colombia), Panama City, Mexico City, and Guatemala City. U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service provided substantial assistance in the investigation. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s arrest and extradition from Mexico.
Trial Attorney Chelsea R. Rooney of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edgardo J. Rodriguez and Christopher M. Carter for the Eastern District of Viriginia prosecuted the case.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Washington, D.C., comprises agents and officers from the FBI; Homeland Security Investigations; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; DEA; Diplomatic Security Service; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; Naval Criminal Investigative Service; Transportation Security Administration Federal Air Marshals Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Enforcement and Removal Operations; and Washington Baltimore HIDTA, with the prosecution being led by the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
MNF’s mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.
MNF’s Money Laundering and Forfeiture Unit investigates and prosecutes sophisticated money laundering schemes involving financial facilitators, gatekeepers, and other individuals and entities laundering criminal proceeds, and litigates complex civil forfeiture cases to recover assets on behalf of victims.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Philadelphia man sentenced to 11 years in prison for trafficking methamphetamineRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Philadelphia man was sentenced yesterday to 11 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court documents, during four controlled purchases from July 2025 through November 2025, Darrell Lameer Carter, 35, distributed approximately 1,504 grams of pure methamphetamine. On Dec. 3, 2025, investigators arrested Carter and searched his vehicle and two residences.
From Carter’s vehicle, investigators recovered three cellphones, a dropper vial of suspected Gamma Butyrolactone (GBL), 26 pills containing methamphetamine, and a drug ledger which contained customer names and prices. From one of Carter’s residences, in which he resided with his young child and the child’s mother, investigators recovered approximately 2,770 grams of pure methamphetamine, 619 pills containing approximately 13 grams of methamphetamine, two scales, a semi-automatic handgun, a magazine loaded with 6 rounds of ammunition, $17,450.25, an additional cellphone, and a laptop computer.
USAO EDVAA review of Carter’s various devices revealed communications indicating that Carter purchased up to 20 pounds of methamphetamine per month for resale, as well as other controlled substances. Carter has a prior conviction for distribution of MDMA.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division investigated this case with assistance from the Arlington County Police Department, George Mason University Police Department, and Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office. Assistance was provided by the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) task force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren E. Hahn prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:26-cr-49.
Norfolk sailor sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually exploiting a minorRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Bailey Dwayne Burnett, 26, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for coercion and enticement of a minor.
According to court documents, in January 2023, Burnett, who was an active-duty U.S. Navy sailor stationed in Norfolk, began communicating with fellow sailor Zhane Tavern Elamin. Burnett exchanged multiple image and video files of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) with Elamin and discussed methods to engage minors.
On Aug. 20, 2025, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service seized Burnett’s cellphone. During a forensic examination, investigators identified 69 images of CSAM and numerous platforms and accounts, including two for file sharing service Mega NZ. Burnett’s Mega accounts contained 3,692 images and videos of CSAM, including the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers.
Investigators also identified communications between Burnett and a 14-year-old victim from Italy who moved to the United States. Using Facetime, imessage, and Discord, Burnett coerced the victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Bailey sent the victim sexually explicit photos and videos of himself and received sexually explicit photos and videos of the victim.
Burnett was separated from the Navy in December 2025 as a result of his conduct.
Elamin pled guilty on June 12, 2024, to the attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. On Oct. 21, 2024, Elamin was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigated this case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 2:25-cr-110 (Burnett) and 24-cr-33 (Elamin).
Newport News felon sentenced to two years in prison for illegally possessing a firearmRead the Press Release
A Newport News man was sentenced today to two years in prison followed by nine months of electronically monitored home confinement for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, on Feb. 8, 2023, Carl Henry Coleman III, 34, was driving recklessly in excess of 70 mph in a posted 45 mph zone and weaving in and out of traffic when Newport News Police (NNPD) observed him and performed a traffic stop. Because neither Coleman nor his passenger was licensed to drive, officers initiated the process to tow the vehicle and conducted an inventory search. In a backpack on the floorboard behind the driver seat was a loaded handgun, along with Coleman’s social security card and bank card.
Among other crimes, Coleman was prosecuted federally at age 21 for making false statements to law enforcement about the location of a discarded murder weapon that had been used in a gang-related double homicide. In 2016, he was convicted for threatening to kill and physically assault a victim. As a previously convicted felon, Coleman cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
The FBI’s Norfolk Field Office investigated this case with assistance from NNPD.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mack Coleman prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:25-cr-43.
Illegal alien from Guatemala sentenced to five years in prison for trafficking cocaineRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Guatemalan national was sentenced yesterday to five years in prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
According to court documents, from Aug. 27, 2025, to Sept. 17, 2025, law enforcement conducted three controlled transactions during which Mitre Vega Gonzalez, 47, sold cocaine. On Sept. 18, 2025, investigators searched Vega Gonzalez’s residence and recovered a handgun, a loaded magazine, $5,410, and at least 510 grams of cocaine.
USAO EDVAThe Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division investigated this case with assistance from Prince William County Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Clement and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Harvey prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:26-cr-43.
Federal judge convicts sex offender on child sexual exploitation chargesRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A federal judge found a previously convicted sex offender guilty today on charges of production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), coercion and enticement of a minor, receipt of CSAM, and possession of CSAM.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Brian James Backues, 46, sent sexually explicit chats to entice an 11-year-old girl to produce a video of sexually explicit conduct and to commit sexual acts between February and March of 2025. Backues was previously convicted of child sex crimes in the City of Norfolk in 2020.
Backues faces a mandatory minimum of 35 years and up to life in prison when sentenced on Oct. 16. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI’s Norfolk Field Office investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Heck and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nikolas Nelson are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-136.
Norfolk cocaine dealer sentenced to 30 years in prison for drug-trafficking and firearms crimesRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk man was sentenced today to 30 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, in January 2025, law enforcement conducted several controlled purchases of cocaine from Maurice Owen Johnson, 38. At that time, Johnson was on federal supervised release for his prior felony convictions in the Eastern District of Virginia for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
In February 2025, Norfolk Police searched three Norfolk residences associated with Johnson, and recovered 11 firearms, ammunition and magazines, 87.8 grams of cocaine, 17.9 grams of cocaine base, 236.4 grams of marijuana, $313, a digital scale, and materials for the packaging and distribution of controlled substances. Police also found Johnson in possession of $4,236.
As a convicted felon, Johnson cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division investigated this case jointly with the Norfolk Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney E. Rebecca Gantt prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-73.
Mineral man sentenced to over four years in prison for COVID era unemployment insurance fraud schemeRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Mineral man was sentenced today to four years and three months in prison for an unemployment insurance (UI) benefit fraud conspiracy he ran while on state supervision for other crimes. This case is part of the Trump Administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government expanded and extended UI benefits for impacted workers. The Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) and the Maryland Department of Labor (MD DOL) administer UI compensation in their respective states.
According to court documents, from June 2020 to October 2021, Dashawn Hunter, 29, schemed to defraud the expanded unemployment eligibility by using the personal identifying information of prison inmates and others to file fraudulent claims for UI benefits, falsely attesting that the beneficiaries were ready, willing, and able to work and that they had lost their jobs due to COVID-19. Hunter frequently would file multiple applications for a single individual to multiple different state workforce agencies. Hunter also submitted weekly recertifications of unemployment status for these fraudulent claims to continue receiving UI benefits.
Relying on the false information submitted by Hunter, various state workforce agencies, including VEC and MD DOL, approved several fraudulent UI applications. Hunter received a total of $221,118 to which he was not entitled.
Hunter is currently incarcerated until approximately 2033 for a state conviction for armed robbery and other crimes. Today’s federal sentence will be served consecutive to his state sentence.
The Court also ordered that Hunter shall forfeit and pay restitution for the full amount of $221,118.
The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General investigated this case.
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Carla Jordan-Detamore and Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Joseph McGorman prosecuted the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-143.
Italian national pleads guilty to charges relating to a gate-crashing event at CIA HeadquartersRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Italian national pled guilty yesterday to disregarding a signal from a law enforcement officer to stop and driving under the influence of alcohol.
According to court records, on May 22, 2025, at approximately 3:38 a.m., Monia Spadaro, 28, drove into the restricted CIA Headquarters installation via the outbound traffic lane. When a CIA Police officer attempted to pull her over in a marked CIA Police vehicle with activated emergency lights, Spadaro failed to stop her vehicle and continued toward the main security gate. Spadaro made several reckless maneuvers, including changing lanes from outbound to inbound and back. An additional marked CIA Police vehicle stationed at the security gate also activated emergency lights and pursued.
Spadaro disregarded all attempts to stop her and increased her speed toward the main security gate, including driving towards a CIA Police officer standing on foot, who fired shots to protect himself and to prevent Spadaro from running the gate.
Spadaro’s blood alcohol content was over double the legal limit. Spadaro was convicted in Virginia in 2021 for driving while under the influence of alcohol and in 2022 for reckless driving, and in Washington, D.C., in 2023 for driving while under the influence of alcohol.
Spadaro faces up to five years in prison when sentenced on Aug. 13. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
CIA Police and the FBI Washington Field Office investigated this case.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Etchart and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Robeson are prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-173.
Illegal alien from the Bahamas sentenced to 27 years in prison for sexually exploiting an 11-year-old victimRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – An illegal alien from the Bahamas was sentenced today to 27 years in prison for sexually exploiting a child.
According to court documents, on July 15, 2025, Newport News Police officers responded to a report of suspected child sexual abuse. As they arrived at the home, they found Rian Wayne Johnson, 38, with the 11-year-old victim. An investigation revealed that from at least May 30, 2025, to July 15, 2025, Johnson sexually exploited the child, for whom he was a primary caregiver. Johnson recorded himself engaging in sexual acts with the victim and kept the recordings on his cellphone.
Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C., investigated this case with assistance from the Newport News Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa R. McKeel prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from sexual predators, visit Know2Protect.gov.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:25-cr-59.
Illegal alien from Bolivia sentenced to over a year in prison for illegally reentering the United States after deportation following a cocaine convictionRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An illegal alien from Bolivia was sentenced today to a year and three months in prison for illegally reentering the United States after removal subsequent to an aggravated felony conviction.
According to court documents, in February 2018, Favian Sejas Castellon, aka Alejandro Fernandez Paz, 34, was arrested for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. While that charge was pending, Sejas Castellon was arrested for and found guilty of assault and battery of a family member. In July 2018, he was convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. On July 11, 2022, pursuant to a final order of removal, Sejas Castellon was removed from the United States.
In 2024, Sejas Castellon unlawfully reentered the United States. On June 28, 2025, he was arrested for a DWI in Fairfax County. On Feb. 12, a federal grand jury indicted Sejas Castellon for illegal reentry after removal subsequent to a conviction for an aggravated felony, to which he pled guilty on March 10. Sejas Castellon remains subject to the previous order of removal.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated this case.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose M. Ortiz prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:26-CR-26.
Medicaid service providers sentenced for false statements resulting in overbillingRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Two sisters were sentenced to prison yesterday following their conviction at trial for false statements made in connection with mental health services billed to Medicaid.
According to court documents, Chenelle Wright, 45, of Moyock, North Carolina, owned and operated Community Counseling Resources (CCR), which had locations in Chesapeake and Portsmouth. Wright’s sister, Chaniece Winfield, 40, also of Mayock, was CCR’s clinical director. CCR was authorized to provide after-school mental health services to Medicaid recipients, including therapeutic day treatment (TDT), a type of individualized intervention for children and adolescents with mental, emotional, or behavioral illnesses with symptoms that cause significant functional impairments.
Most of the children in the afterschool TDT program were not dismissed from their schools until well after 2:00pm, with some remaining until as late as 3:55pm, and many did not arrive at CCR’s facilities until about 4:30pm. Wright and Winfield instructed and directed CCR employees to falsely claim in progress notes that children were receiving therapeutic services from 2:00pm to 7:00pm and provided progress note “templates” to CCR employees in which the start and end times of 2:00pm and 7:00pm were prefilled.
Wright was sentenced to three years and five months in prison. Winfield was sentenced to two years in prison.
The FBI’s Norfolk Field Office and the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony C. Mozzi and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nikolas Nelson prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-35.
Norfolk woman sentenced to over a year in prison for embezzling from her employer to pay gambling debtsRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk woman was sentenced today to a year and six months in prison for wire fraud relating to her embezzlement of over $123,000.
According to court documents, Katherine Louise Henderson, 55, was employed as the treasurer for a manufacturer of brake products in Norfolk and had access to the company’s financial records and accounts, including the ability to approve payroll. To cover losses incurred through online gambling and to support her shopping habit, Henderson embezzled funds from the company by issuing herself unauthorized payroll funds above her salary. She also created a payroll account for her husband despite the fact he never worked for the company and was unaware that Henderson had created a payroll account for him.
Henderson intercepted vendor payments and diverted them to her personal accounts, then changed the company’s records to make it appear the payments had been successfully deposited into company accounts. Henderson’s fraud was discovered in August 2023 while she was on vacation. During her absence, a company employee requested payment from a vendor. The vendor provided proof that the payment had already been made and an investigation revealed that the payment had been diverted to Henderson’s account.
In total, Henderson embezzled $123,104.42 from her employer.
The FBI’s Norfolk Field Office investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph L. Kosky prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:26-cr-14.
Illegal aliens from Mexico sentenced to prison for distributing counterfeit Adderall pills in Homeland Security Task Force caseRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Two illegal aliens from Mexico have been sentenced to prison for distribution of methamphetamine and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in a counterfeit Adderall conspiracy investigated by the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) Washington, D.C., and HSTF Dallas.
According to court documents, Venancio Martinez Antero, 35, and Cesar Adan Rojo-Ortiz, 35, participated in a conspiracy that began at least as early as April 2019 and used darknet marketplaces to advertise and distribute counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine. Once orders were placed, co-conspirators sent customer names, shipping addresses, and drugs to redistributors such as Martinez Antero and Rojo-Ortiz who manufactured and packaged drugs for shipment and distribution nationwide.
Law enforcement seized over five kilograms of counterfeit Adderall pills (approximately 13,692 pills) associated with the conspiracy. Between September 2019 and July 2025, law enforcement made 47 controlled purchases from the conspirators’ darknet vendor accounts and accounts on encrypted messaging applications for up to 3,000 counterfeit Adderall pills at a time.
Law enforcement searched a garage that was controlled by Martinez Antero and Rojo-Ortiz and seized, among other items, $2,900, a blender, 2.8 kilograms of methamphetamine, an additional 12.5 kilograms of binding material, and an industrial pill press fitted with attachments to manufacture counterfeit Adderall pills.
USAO EDVAMartinez Antero was sentenced on May 21 to 11 years and three months in prison. Rojo-Ortiz was sentenced today to seven years and six months in prison.
The FBI Washington Field Office investigated this case with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather D. Call and Lauren E. Hahn prosecuted the case.
This case is part of the HSTF initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Washington is comprised of agents and officers from the FBI; HSI; ATF; DEA; the Diplomatic Security Service; USMS; the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service; the Naval Criminal Investigative Service; the Transportation Security Administration Federal Air Marshals Service; CBP; Enforcement and Removal Operations; and Washington Baltimore HIDTA. Prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 1:25-CR-331 (Rojo-Ortiz) and 1:25-CR-312 (Martinez Antero).
American citizen pleads guilty to working as an agent for the PRCRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Thomas Weir Pauken II, 50, an American citizen who lived and worked in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), pled guilty today to acting as an agent of a foreign government within the United States.
According to court documents, from at least 2019 until February 2026, Pauken worked at the direction and control of people he knew worked for the PRC, including a person he met in 2017 identified as “Cathy.” Cathy provided Pauken with taskings, including meeting with potential intelligence assets, providing them with devices such as a laptop and cellphone to communicate with Cathy, providing taskings for the assets on what information was required, and providing Cathy with reports from the assets.
Pauken received at least $100,000 for his work with Cathy. Cathy also paid for Pauken to travel several times between 2019 through 2025 from China to meet with individuals in the United States who could provide Pauken, and ultimately Cathy and the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS), with information.
Pauken worked for two other people in China whom he met in 2017 and knew as “Richard” and “William.” They told Pauken that reports he wrote for them went to Japan, but Pauken believed they worked for the PRC government.
Pauken also sold reports to a group of Chinese individuals from Wuhan who sought information about technology and the U.S. Department of Justice. The Wuhan clients wanted Pauken to find an expert to help them engage in cyber espionage.
Pauken is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 1 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Philadelphia Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gavin R. Tisdale the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Elis Ross of the Counterintelligence & Export Control Section of the National Security Division are prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:26-cr-103.
American Citizen Pleads Guilty to Working as an Agent for the People's Republic of ChinaRead the Press Release
Thomas Weir Pauken II, 50, an American citizen who lived and worked in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), pleaded guilty today to acting as an agent of a foreign government within the United States.
“In effect, Pauken admitted to being part of a conspiracy to obtain sensitive information from the U.S. government for the PRC,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “His actions are a betrayal of this Nation and pose an unacceptable risk to our national security. NSD remains committed to safeguarding information essential to our national security, including through appropriate prosecution.”
“By his own admission, not only did Thomas Pauken attempt to infiltrate U.S. political circles at the direction of China’s Ministry of State Security, but he gathered intelligence on his American targets and reported it back to his Chinese intelligence handlers,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. “This case illustrates the lengths to which the Chinese Communist Party will go to undermine our democratic institutions and degrade our political freedoms, but it also demonstrates the FBI’s resolve to defend the homeland from threats to our national security. Let this plea serve as a clear warning: If you attempt to help a foreign adversary as an unregistered agent in the U.S., the FBI will find you and bring you to justice.”
According to court documents, from at least 2019 until February 2026, Pauken worked at the direction and control of people he knew worked for the PRC, including a person he met in 2017 identified as “Cathy.” Cathy provided Pauken with taskings, including meeting with potential intelligence assets, providing them with devices such as a laptop and cellphone to communicate with Cathy, providing taskings for the assets on what information was required, and providing Cathy with reports from the assets.
Pauken received at least $100,000 for his work with Cathy. Cathy also paid for Pauken to travel several times between 2019 through 2025 from China to meet with individuals in the United States who could provide Pauken, and ultimately Cathy and the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS), with information.
Pauken worked for two other people in China whom he met in 2017 and knew as “Richard” and “William.” They told Pauken that reports he wrote for them went to Japan, but Pauken believed they worked for the PRC government.
Pauken also sold reports to a group of Chinese individuals from Wuhan who sought information about technology and the U.S. Department of Justice. The Wuhan clients wanted Pauken to find an expert to help them engage in cyber espionage.
Pauken is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 1 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Philadelphia Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Trial Attorney Eli Ross of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gavin R. Tisdale for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
Note: The Assistant Attorney General's quote has been updated from the previous version
McLean man sentenced to over a year in prison for threating to kill a public officialRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A McLean man was sentenced today to a year and three months in prison for transmitting threats in interstate commerce.
According to court documents, on Dec. 23, 2025, Scott Allen Bolger, 33, used Google Voice, which allows users to send text messages to others while obfuscating their phone numbers, to send a threatening message to a public official. In his message, Bolger threatened to put a bullet in the official’s head. Prior to sending the threat, Bogler researched the official’s personal phone number and made contact with him prior to sending the text message.
When federal investigators arrived at Bolger’s residence to investigate the threat, they identified themselves as federal law enforcement officers, and Bolger falsely identified himself as Brian Black. Bolger told them he did not know anyone by the name of Scott Bolger.
During his plea, Bolger also admitted to sending threatening and harassing messages to a second victim (Victim-2) who is not a public official. From at least October 2022, Bolger created multiple fictious accounts on X and Proton Mail to harass Victim-2, and researched Victim-2 on the internet through at least November 2025. Bolger sent Victim-2 private indecent images of Victim-2, and on at least one occasion, made a public facing profile with indecent images of Victim-2.
The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force Washington Field Office investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob Mercer and Russell L. Carlberg prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:26-cr-8.
Richmond man pleads guilty to federal drug chargeRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man pled guilty today to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl.
According to court documents, on Sept. 11, 2025, law enforcement searched two residences associated with Drequan Keymontay Peoples, 34. As investigators approached one of the residences, Peoples fled in a vehicle. Virginia State Police Troopers followed and ultimately apprehended Peoples. Peoples possessed a backpack that contained $42,290, 23 oxycodone pills, 20 Alprazolam pills, and two cellphones.
During the searches of the residences, investigators recovered approximately 958 grams of suspected cocaine, 252 grams of suspected heroin/fentanyl, marijuana, 340 grams of suspected liquid THC, 102 grams of suspected mushrooms, $2,429, nine firearms, and ammunition.
Peoples is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 29. He faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Virginia State Police 1T Tri-County Drug Task Force investigated this case with assistance from the Henrico County Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys John C. Blanchard and Katherine E. Groover are prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:26-cr-27 .
Texas man pleads guilty to making threats against a company over his debtRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Texas man pled guilty yesterday to sending threatening interstate communications.
According to court documents, a Norfolk-based collection agency sent a message to Taylor Bullard, 35, of Houston, regarding a debt he owed. Bullard sent a signed response threatening to show up at one of the company’s locations with a machete and gasoline to “do things that are unforgivable” and “make your executive team question their life choices.”
Bullard is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 2 and faces up to five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI’s Norfolk Field Office investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton D. LaForge is prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-CR-5.
Norfolk sailor sentenced to five years in prison after he was found with thousands of files of child sexual abuse materialRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A U.S. Navy sailor stationed in Norfolk was sentenced today to five years in prison for receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court documents, on May 15, 2023, Sergio Octavio Garcia, 30, used PayPal to purchase CSAM from an international user for $80. On April 21, 2024, on board the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, agents with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) interviewed Garcia and seized his electronic devices. A digital forensics expert found 2,716 images and 3,109 videos of CSAM on Garcias devices, including the abuse of infants and toddlers.
The NCIS Norfolk Field Office investigated this case.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nikolas Nelson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-131.
This release was edited on June 1, 2026, to correct a misspelling.
Illegal aliens from Romania sentenced to over three years in prison for card skimmer conspiracyRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Two Romanian nationals were sentenced on May 27 to three years and three months in prison for conspiracy to commit access device fraud and aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, from at least Nov. 29, 2024, to Nov. 19, 2025, Adrian Vasile Marin, 36, Sorin Postolache, 37, and their co-conspirators used “skimmer” devices to capture the credit and debit card information and personal identification numbers from unsuspecting victims at point-of-sale terminals and automated teller machines (ATMs). The conspirators then used the stolen credit and debit card information to create counterfeit cards to fraudulently withdraw funds from the victims’ bank accounts.
Marin and Postolache used fake passports and identity cards to rent mailboxes to receive equipment, often from overseas, to construct skimmers. Their home and storage unit were used to store numerous partially assembled and fully assembled skimmers, skimmer components, pinhole cameras, parts and facias of ATMs to which skimmers and pinhole cameras could be attached, parts of point-of-sale terminals, and stickers of store logos. Those locations also contained $100,377 in cash, 2,881 stolen card numbers or access devices, and numerous computers, cell phones, SD cards, and thumb drives capable of storing credit card, debit card, and PIN information.
The U.S. Secret Service’s Criminal Investigative Division and the FBI Washington Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the New York City Police Department.
Former Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katlin O'Brien and Zachary Ray prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 1:26-cr-32 (Marin) and 1:26-cr-33 (Postolache).
Conspirators sentenced to prison for using darknet marketplace to distribute dangerous counterfeit pills in Homeland Security Task Force caseRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Four Massachusetts men have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a conspiracy to manufacture counterfeit pills and distribute them across the United States.
According to court documents, from at least May 2022 to June 2025, Daniel John Blaney, 28; Kenneth Emmanuel Lora, 27; David Robert Kable Jr., 27; and Javier Alexander Bermudez, 31, all from Lynn, Massachusetts, engaged in a massive conspiracy to manufacture and distribute counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, N-pyrrolidino etonitazene (Pyro), methamphetamine, and Bromazolam. The conspirators transported the pills in kilogram quantities from the Northeast to a redistributor in New York and then distributed them primarily via darknet marketplaces and the U.S. Postal Service to customers nationwide.
Blaney was sentenced today to 18 years and 4 months in prison. Kable was sentenced on April 29 to 12 years in prison. Bermudez was sentenced March 18 to 12 years in prison. Lora was sentenced on Dec. 17, 2025, to 15 years in prison. The defendants previously pled guilty: Blaney on Jan. 7; Kable on Dec. 2, 2025; Bermudez on Dec. 9, 2025; and Lora on Aug. 27, 2025.
The conspirators used industrial pill presses to manufacture counterfeit Oxycodone, Adderall, and Xanax pills. Instead of the pharmaceuticals’ normal content, however, the conspirators’ pills contained differing substances depending on the batch. For example, the conspiracy’s counterfeit oxycodone pills contained a number of substances, including fentanyl and Pyro. Counterfeit Adderall pills typically contained methamphetamine, while counterfeit Xanax pills typically contained Bromazolam, a synthetic benzodiazepine.
The conspirators typically received payment from customers in the form of cryptocurrency. Estimates of the conspiracy’s reach show that the conspiracy was responsible for at least 9,000 sales of pills containing methamphetamine, fentanyl, and/or Pyro.
Pyro is in the Nitazene class of synthetic opioids commonly sourced from China and mixed into other drugs. The most common Nitazenes are approximately five times the strength of fentanyl. The Pyro in this case is approximately 20-40 times stronger than fentanyl. Over a dozen fatal overdoses were related to the conspiracy’s pills.
On June 4, 2025, Lora was arrested in New York. During a search of his drug premise, investigators recovered over 39 kilograms of controlled substances.
USAO Eastern District of Virginia USAO Eastern District of Virginia USAO Eastern District of VirginiaOn June 17, 2025, law enforcement searched a storage unit maintained by Bermudez and Blaney and recovered five industrial pill presses, pill press attachments used to imprint counterfeit pharmaceutical brandings onto pills, over 33 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 41 kilograms of binding material, and manufacturing paraphernalia.
USAO Eastern District of VirginiaOn July 12, 2025, Blaney fled through Canada and ultimately to Thailand in an attempt to avoid prosecution. In advance of his flight, he fraudulently obtained a rush U.S. Passport. Blaney was expelled from Thailand and taken into federal custody on August 25, 2025.
The case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service New York Division, New York City Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Homeland Security Investigations. Significant investigative assistance was provided by the FBI Boston Field Office, DEA New England Division, and the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather D. Call and Christopher M. Carter prosecuted the case.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in Blaney’s return to the United States.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Manassas is comprised of agents and officers from the FBI; Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); DEA; the Diplomatic Security Service; USMS; the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service; the Naval Criminal Investigative Service; the Transportation Security Administration Federal Air Marshals Service; CBP; Enforcement and Removal Operations; and Washington Baltimore HIDTA. Prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
This case is also part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 1:25-CR-221 (Blaney), 1:25-CR-227 (Lora), 1:25-CR-317 (Kable), and 1:25-CR-322 (Bermudez).
Members of transnational money laundering organization charged with laundering cartel fundsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An indictment returned in the Eastern District of Virginia was unsealed yesterday charging Ruhuan Zhen and Hongce Wu, both Chinese nationals, with conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with transnational criminal organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel and the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación.
According to court documents, beginning in at least November 2016 and continuing to April 2025, Zhen, Wu, and their co-conspirators are alleged to have used a variety of secretive and clandestine methods, including mirror transfers, foreign bank accounts , encrypted communications applications, a serial-number verification system, and trade-based money laundering, to launder substantial volumes of narcotics proceeds and funds represented to be narcotics proceeds on behalf of transnational criminal organizations. The conspiracy is alleged to span the course of years with co-conspirators operating across the United States, Mexico, Latin America, China, and elsewhere, and involve drug proceeds stemming from the importation and sale of illicit narcotics, including cocaine and fentanyl.
Zhen and Wu were indicted on April 24, 2025, by a federal grand jury empaneled in Alexandria, Virginia, and remain at large.
If convicted of the offense, Zhen and Wu each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit investigated the case, with assistance from DEA’s Office of Special Intelligence, Document and Media Exploitation Unit, and DEA’s offices in Memphis Resident Office (RO), Lexington RO, Chicago Field Division (FD), New York FD, Washington FD, Charleston RO, Atlanta FD, Charlotte District Office, Bogota Country Office (CO), and Dubai CO.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Edgardo J. Rodriguez for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Chelsea R. Rooney of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF) are prosecuting the case. MNF Trial Attorney Caylee E. Campbell provided substantial assistance throughout the investigation.
MNF’s mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.
MNF’s Money Laundering and Forfeiture Unit investigates and prosecutes sophisticated money laundering schemes involving financial facilitators, gatekeepers, and other individuals and entities laundering criminal proceeds, and litigates complex civil forfeiture cases to recover assets on behalf of victims.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Illegal alien from Honduras sentenced to over three years in prison for illegally reentering the United States after multiple deportations and drug convictionsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Honduran national was sentenced on May 20 to three years and four months in prison for illegally reentering the United States after previously being removed from the country twice.
According to court documents, in 1997, Franklin Geovany Alvarez-Villanueva, 54, was convicted of assault and possession of a controlled substance in Fairfax County. In 2000, Alvarez-Villanueva was convicted of grand larceny and distribution of controlled substances in Fairfax County. Alvarez-Villanueva was removed from the United States on Oct. 18, 2002.
Alvarez-Villanueva illegally reentered the United States and in 2013 was convicted for possession with intent to manufacture or sell cocaine. In 2015, Alvarez-Villanueva was convicted of unlawful reentry after removal subsequent to the conviction of an aggravated felony. He was removed from the United States again on June 30, 2017.
Alvarez-Villanueva again illegally reentered the United States and, in 2025, was convicted of possession of cocaine in Fairfax County. On Feb. 18, Alvarez-Villanueva pled guilty in the Eastern District of Virginia to illegally reentering the United States. He remains subject to the previous order of removal.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Washington, D.C., investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob A. Mercer prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:26-cr-3.
Arlington detective is Hometown Hero for the Eastern District of VirginiaRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced Detective John Bamford of the Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) as the district’s 2026 Hometown Hero Award recipient.
The Hometown Hero Award is sponsored by the Department of Justice in honor of the United States of America’s 250th year of celebrating its independence. The Hometown Hero award recognizes one of our law enforcement partners who best embodies the spirit upon which our Nation was founded and reflects a steadfast commitment to the enduring ideals of liberty, service, and civic responsibility.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office recognizes Detective Bamford for his numerous contributions to the community not only as a detective for Arlington County but also as an FBI Task Force Officer with the Washington Field Office. Detective Bamford’s efforts have resulted in the identification and rescue of hundreds of child and adult victims.
USAO Eastern District of VirginiaDetective Bamford’s efforts recently led to the identification and takedown of a notorious cybercriminal forum in South Africa and the arrest of its administrators. Prior to its shutdown, this forum sold hundreds of thousands of illicit images to customers in the United States and elsewhere. South African authorities, working with Detective Bamford, recovered over 37 terabytes comprising approximately 10 million images of sexually explicit material depicting minors from electronic devices during a search warrant. Detective Bamford was instrumental in the identification and successful prosecution for numerous egregious child exploitation offenses of a user whose collections were some of the worst of those featured on the forum.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia proudly recognizes Detective Bamford for all his hard work and efforts. Detective Bamford is the consummate law enforcement partner. As the above example demonstrates, his work reflects what can be achieved when federal and state law enforcement agencies work hand in hand. Without Detective Bamford’s steadfast dedication to the protection and safety of the people of the Eastern District of Virginia, many victims would not see justice.
Detective Bamford has been a police officer with ACPD since 2008. He currently investigates cyber crime as a member of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Cyber Task Force, while also teaching ACPD legal courses. He is a current member of ACPD’s Emergency Response Team’s Tactical Operations Center. Prior to his current role, Detective Bamford served as a detective in ACPD’s Economic Crimes Unit, a Field Training Officer, a Crime Scene Agent, and a member of ACPD’s Civil Disturbance Unit.
Detective Bamford received his Bachelor’s Degree from Siena College in 2006 and his Juris Doctor in 2010 from George Mason University Law School, now the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University.
Virginia Beach woman sentenced to over 28 years in prison after recording her sexual abuse of two childrenRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Grace Elizabeth Paradis, 43, was sentenced today to 28 years and four months in prison for conspiring to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court documents, Paradis abused two minor children, ages five and nine, which she recorded, and then provided the resultant CSAM to her former boyfriend, Cory Richard Hambley, 43, of Water View.
In November 2022, Hambley, who was married, contacted Paradis and repeatedly encouraged her to provide CSAM. Hambley provided Paradis with a camera to be hidden and used to surreptitiously record images of the children, including Paradis sexually abusing them. Paradis leveraged Hambley’s desire for CSAM to negotiate for Hambley, who was married at the time, to commit to marrying her and assisting her with a rent payment. Paradis prepared a “contract” outlining the grooming and sexual abuse she and Hambley would inflict on future children.
Hambley was sentenced on March 11 to 35 years in prison for conspiring to produce CSAM and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.
The Homeland Security Investigations Norfolk office investigated this case with assistance from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), Virginia Beach Police Department, and Middlesex Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Gantt and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Marek prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from sexual predators, visit Know2Protect.gov.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-44.
Chesapeake man sentenced to over seven years in prison for trafficking guns and cocaineRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Chesapeake man was sentenced yesterday to seven years and six months in prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, from Oct. 17, 2023, to Nov. 14, 2023, Deionte Deard Bratton, 44, sold cocaine, fentanyl, and four firearms in a series of four controlled purchases conducted by law enforcement. During the Nov. 14 transaction, Bratton received fentanyl from Kenyon Thomas, 43, of Norfolk, which Bratton then sold.
Following the Nov. 14 transaction, in December 2023 and November 2024 law enforcement conducted four controlled purchases of a total of over 56 grams of fentanyl and the purchase of one firearm from Thomas. On Jan. 13, Thomas pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. On April 15, Thomas was sentenced to eight years and seven months in prison.
Bratton and Thomas have previous felony convictions and cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division investigated this case with assistance from the Norfolk Police Department.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nikolas Nelson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Darryl J. Mitchell prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-132.
Dual U.S.-Nigerian citizen sentenced to over six years in prison for his role in a money laundering conspiracyRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A dual U.S.-Nigerian citizen residing in both Irvington, New Jersey, and the Federal Republic of Nigeria, was sentenced today to six years and six months in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to court documents, Eseosa Brigut Omoruyi, 36, was the sole owner and operator of Peller Goods, LLC, a business he created in July 2019 in New Jersey. From at least March 2020 through November 2024, Omoruyi participated in a money laundering scheme to receive funds from another conspirator through Peller Goods’ bank accounts in exchange for a percentage of each transaction. Omoruyi recruited Wilvert Telfo, 31, of Bayonne, New Jersey, to join the conspiracy and launder funds through his business, Royal Skoob Productions, LLC.
Over the course of the conspiracy, Omoruyi was involved in laundering approximately $3,442,230. Telfo was involved in laundering approximately $1,042,361. Among the money laundered by Omoruyi and Telfo were funds from a fraudulently obtained $174,400 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) from the U.S. Treasury Department to MediPro Corporation in Newport News. On July 3, 2020, the owner and operator of MediPro Corporation wired $70,000 of the EIDL funds to Royal Skoob Productions. At Omoruyi’s direction, on July 6, 2020, Telfo transferred $25,421.45 of the funds via cashier's check to another company, and on July 8, 2020, withdrew $25,905, which he further transferred.
Telfo pled guilty on March 23, 2023, to conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was sentenced on Aug. 9, 2023, to two years and six months in prison.
The FBI’s Norfolk Field Office and the IRS Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Field Office investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mack Coleman prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:25-cr-66.
Previously convicted child sex offender sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempting to access child sexual abuse materialRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for attempting to access and view child sexual abuse material (CSAM) while on supervised release for a previous conviction.
According to court documents, on Jan. 22, 2010, Jesse Lee Wise, 42, was sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison followed by a life term of supervised release following a conviction for attempted enticement of a minor. Wise was released from prison on April 18, 2025, and began his term of supervised release, which included the condition that Wise was only permitted to have access to a flip phone and was not permitted access to any computers, smartphones, or other internet-capable devices.
On August 13, 2025, officers of the U.S. Probation Office (USPO) found Wise in possession of two unauthorized smartphones that Wise had used to attempt to access websites involved with CSAM. A forensic analysis of the devices conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) confirmed that Wise entered CSAM related search terms with the intent to view CSAM videos and images.
HSI Washington, D.C., investigated this case with assistance from USPO.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph L. Kosky prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from sexual predators, visit Know2Protect.gov.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-143.
Northern Virginia duo pleads guilty to defrauding pandemic relief programsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Teresita Tiongson, 81, of Springfield, and Chung K. Shih, 39, of Sterling, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for their roles in submitting fraudulent loan applications through pandemic relief programs. This case is part of the Trump Administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, on March 27, 2020, Congress passed and the President signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Among other relief measures, the law authorized the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program. PPP was intended to provide loans backed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to certain businesses, nonprofit organizations, and others to help them remain afloat during the pandemic. The EIDL program was intended to enable small businesses to meet financial obligations and operating expenses during the pandemic.
According to court documents, prior to April 2020, Tiongson owned and operated a home health services company called Alpha Health Resource, LLC (AHR). In March 2020, AHR closed for reasons unrelated to the pandemic.
On May 4, 2020, Shih prepared and electronically submitted a PPP loan application for $57,143 on behalf of AHR, with the knowledge, consent, and assistance of Tiongson. The application falsely stated that AHR had 25 employees and an average monthly payroll of over $22,000. On May 7, 2020, $57,143 of PPP loan funds were deposited into an AHR bank account. On April 27, 2021, Shih prepared and submitted and Tiongson signed a second PPP loan application for $75,616 on behalf of AHR, falsely stating that AHR had seven employees and an average monthly payroll of $40,000. On May 3, 2021, $75,616 of PPP loan funds were deposited into an AHR bank account.
On Sept. 28, 2020, Shih prepared and submitted and Tiongson signed an EIDL application for $150,000 on behalf of AHR, falsely stating that AHR was an operating business. On Oct. 2, 2020, the SBA deposited $149,900 of EIDL funds into an AHR bank account. On July 13, 2021, Shih prepared and submitted and Tiongson signed an EIDL increase application for $350,000 on behalf of AHR. On July 19, 2021, the SBA deposited $350,000 of EIDL funds into an AHR bank account.
Shih prepared and submitted each application with Tiongson’s knowledge, consent, and assistance. After the funds from each loan were received, Tiongson and Shih engaged in numerous financial transactions to split the funds between them and used the funds for personal expenses. In total, Shih and Tiongson fraudulently received $632,659 in pandemic assistance loans to which they were not entitled.
Shih is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 3 and faces up to 20 years in prison. Tiongson is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 27 and faces up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Washington Field Office investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Harvey is prosecuting the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 1:26-cr-87 and 1:26-cr-96.
Chesapeake man sentenced to 17 years in prison after traveling to the Philippines to have sex with a minorRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Chesapeake man was sentenced today to 17 years in prison for travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual activity.
According to court documents, through an online dating site, Dylan Joseph Knauer, 32, met a minor victim who resided in the Philippines, and began chatting, video calling, and “sexting” with the minor. Knauer traveled to the Philippines in April and May of 2025 and had sex with the victim, who was 14 years old.
On Oct. 22, 2025, Knauer asked the victim to make a sexually explicit video of herself. On Oct. 23, 2025, law enforcement learned that Knauer was scheduled to travel from Norfolk to Denver to Japan with a final destination of the Philippines. After boarding his flight from Denver to Japan, Knauer was removed from the aircraft.
The FBI’s Norfolk Field Office investigated this case with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Air Marshals Service, Customs and Border Protection, and the Denver Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen S. Taylor prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:26-cr-1.
Administrator of charity program for Virginia state employees sentenced for stealing over $1.5MRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Texas woman was sentenced today to four years in prison for stealing more than $1.5 million from the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign (CVC), the officially sanctioned non-profit charity fundraising program for Virginia’s more than 120,000 state government employees. This case is part of the Trump Administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
According to court documents, from 2017 through 2023, the Virginia Department of Human Resources Management employed Linda Natelle Brown, 43, of Houston, to administer the CVC. The CVC promised that Virginia state government employees could safely and easily donate to their preferred causes throughout the year via credit card payments, mailed checks, and by payroll remittances deducted directly from employee paychecks. Brown was supposed to steward these funds and make corresponding payments to charities designated by donors.
Between January 2019 and August 2023, Brown embezzled more than $1.5 million of the over $5.3 million donated by state government employees. Instead of paying the charities designated by donors, Brown stole this money for personal spending.
For example, Brown paid $10,400 in fraud proceeds for a plastic surgery procedure. Brown also used stolen charity funds to pay for a “fish pedicure” spa in Las Vegas. She fraudulently used charity funds for multiple flight tickets to destinations around the country, stays at luxury hotels, a luxury apartment in Houston, designer clothing and shoes, beauty and cosmetic products, and food and alcohol.
Brown also concealed her embezzlement from the CVC by attempting to replenish the funds she had stolen with a $494,469 U.S. Small Business Administration-backed business loan, which Brown obtained by making false statements to the lender.
The Court entered a money judgment forfeiture order of $1,581,161.
The IRS Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Field Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division, and Office of the Inspector General of Virginia investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Avi Panth prosecuted the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Kashan K. Pathan assisted the prosecution.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division ('Fraud Division'). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-141.