Eastern District of Virginia
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Uruguayan fugitive arrives in the United States to face charges of laundering proceeds of his drug-trafficking organizationRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An alleged cocaine trafficker from Uruguay made an initial appearance in federal court in Alexandria today on charges relating to his alleged role in a money laundering conspiracy.
As alleged in court documents, Uruguayan national Sebastian Enrique Marset Cabrera, 34, is the leader of a large-scale drug trafficking organization that distributed thousands of kilograms of cocaine, including as many as 10 tons at a time, from South America typically to Europe. The Marset drug trafficking organization allegedly traffics cocaine in Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, and elsewhere.
Marset’s close associate, Federico Ezequiel Santoro Vassallo, aka Capitan, was a Paraguay-based transnational money launderer for drug-trafficking organizations and facilitated the movement of millions of dollars of drug proceeds from various countries in Europe to South America and elsewhere. Santoro and his co-conspirators arranged for the collection of narcotics proceeds and utilized couriers and tokens to covertly deliver bulk illicit currency, typically in euros. Santoro’s co-conspirators specialized in placing the illicit currency into the global banking system. He then would direct the movement of the funds internationally, usually via bank wire transfer. Santoro typically directed that the funds be delivered in U.S. dollars and a correspondent bank in the United States would facilitate the transaction.
Santoro and, allegedly, Marset threatened violence to protect their drug-trafficking and money laundering activities.
In January 2021, Marset allegedly was owed more than €17 million from the proceeds of a single shipment of cocaine. Santoro arranged the collection and laundering of at least €5 million of those funds, the vast majority of which was laundered using the U.S. banking system.
Santoro pled guilty on May 21, 2025, and was sentenced on July 23, 2025, to 15 years in prison.
If convicted, Marset 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.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony T. Aminoff and Catherine Rosenberg are prosecuting the case.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit investigated this case. Significant assistance was provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, U.S. Embassy in Bolivia, U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) and Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), Bolivian Minister of Government, Bolivian National Police National Intelligence Unit, DEA New York Task Force, DEA Airwing, DEA Country Offices in South America including Lima, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Asunción, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and Europol.
In coordination with the Department of Justice, the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs announced in May 2025 a reward of up to $2 million under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP) for information leading to Marset’s arrest and/or conviction. This was in addition to a $100,000 reward in Bolivia announced in 2023.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 1:23-cr-143.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
marset_superseding_indictment_189113257979.pdf
AttachmentsVirginia Man Charged with Illegally Selling the Firearm Used in the Campus Shooting at Old Dominion UniversityRead the Press Release
Kenya Mcchell Chapman, 32, of Smithfield, Virginia, appeared in federal court today and was charged by criminal complaint with dealing in firearms without a license in connection with the March 12 shooting at Old Dominion University (ODU), and with three counts of making false statements during purchases of firearms. View complaint here. View affidavit here.
“The Biden Department of Justice declined to prosecute this man and let him off easy with a warning,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Left-wing soft-on-crime policies cost lives — but this Department of Justice doesn’t tolerate crime, we punish it.”
“Chapman allegedly stole a firearm and illegally sold it to a convicted terrorist, who murdered a decorated American veteran, and he will finally face the full weight of justice,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Thanks to the hard work of our dedicated ATF and FBI agents, in partnership with state and local law enforcement officers, we have arrested and charged this safety threat and removed him from the community.”
“If you steal firearms, lie on federal forms, and put weapons in the hands of convicted terrorists, this FBI will find you,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “I want to thank our Norfolk Field Office and partners who continue to work 24/7 to bring to justice those responsible for yesterday’s attack. In the meantime, we continue to keep the victims, their families, and the entire Old Dominion community in our prayers.”
On March 12, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36, committed a shooting at ODU in Norfolk during an Army Reserve Officer’s Training Corp (ROTC) class, killing one victim and wounding two more. Today, law enforcement searched Chapman’s residence and located ammunition consistent with the firearm recovered from the ODU shooting. Chapman allegedly stole the firearm from a vehicle in Newport News one year before the ODU shooting and sold it to Jalloh days before the ODU shooting.
Jalloh was convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia in 2016 of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. As a previously convicted felon, Jalloh could not legally purchase or possess firearms or ammunition.
In addition, according to court documents, in 2021, Chapman allegedly purchased three firearms that were recovered from crime scenes shortly afterward. Two were recovered from the scene of a homicide and another recovered from a drunk in public incident.
If convicted, Chapman faces a maximum penalty of 35 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 and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division are investigating this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Luke Bresnahan and Rebecca Gantt for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Chapman Complaint.pdf Chapman Affidavit.pdfSmithfield man charged with illegally selling the firearm used in the campus shooting at Old Dominion UniversityRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Kenya Mcchell Chapman, 32, of Smithfield, appeared in federal court today and was charged by criminal complaint with dealing in firearms without a license in connection with the March 12 shooting at Old Dominion University, and with three counts of making false statements during purchases of firearms. View complaint here. View affidavit here.
On March 12, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36, committed a shooting at Old Dominion University (ODU) in Norfolk during an Army Reserve Officer’s Training Corp (ROTC) class, killing one victim and wounding two more. Today, law enforcement searched Chapman’s residence and located ammunition consistent with the firearm recovered from the ODU shooting. Chapman allegedly stole the firearm from a vehicle in Newport News one year before the ODU shooting and sold it to Jalloh days before the ODU shooting.
Jalloh was convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia in 2016 of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. As a previously convicted felon, Jalloh could not legally purchase or possess firearms or ammunition.
In addition, according to court documents, in 2021, Chapman allegedly purchased three firearms that were recovered from crime scenes shortly afterward. Two were recovered from the scene of a homicide and another recovered from a drunk in public incident.
If convicted, Chapman faces up to 35 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 and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division are investigating this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Luke Bresnahan and Rebecca Gantt are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 2:26-mj-74.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Former Navy servicemember sentenced to two years in prison for defrauding a pandemic relief programRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A former Navy service member and Navy reservist was sentenced yesterday to two years in prison and $128,844 in restitution for wire fraud relating to a fraudulent loan received through a pandemic-era relief program.
According to court documents, on June 26, 2020, Tiara Jenee Bryant, then known as Tiara Washington, 36, incorporated the company Jovialistic-Spaces, LLC. On June 29, 2020, Bryant opened a business checking account in the name of the company, listing herself as the member and manager. On July 6, 2020, Bryant applied to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for a loan under the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, intended to enable small businesses to meet financial obligations and operating expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bryant fraudulently stated on the application that the alleged maid and cleaning service consisted of 11 employees and had gross revenues in 2019 of $250,000. There was no record of her alleged business prior to June of 2020.
On July 23, 2020, the SBA funded Bryant’s EIDL application for $115,000 and transferred the funds, minus a filing fee, to the Jovialistic-Spaces business checking account. On Aug. 28, 2020, Bryant wrote a check from the Jovialistic-Spaces business checking account for $119,395.03, made out to “cash,” and on Aug. 31, 2020, transferred the remaining money in the account to her credit union checking account, leaving a zero balance.
On Feb. 17, 2022, Bryant applied to the SBA for loan modification requesting the principal amount of the loan to be increased to $428,600. This application was declined by the SBA and flagged for suspected EIDL fraud. After being denied the loan modification, Bryant requested relief due to “financial hardship”, which was also subsequently denied.
As of Mar. 5, 2026, the total amount owed, including principal and accrued interest, was $128,844.56.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Norfolk Field Office investigated the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 2:25-cr-119.
Hampton man sentenced to 17 years in prison for production of child sexual abuse materialRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hampton man was sentenced today to 17 years in prison for production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court documents, on Jan. 15, 2023, Skylar James Duvall, 24, used a screen recording application that allowed him to create videos of what he was viewing on his computer screen to record a live streaming of a minor being sexually abused by her guardian. As the live stream was being recorded, Duvall chatted with the guardian to arrange a determined amount of time and payment to the guardian for certain sex acts to be committed against the victim.
Investigators found additional CSAM on Duvall’s electronic devices, including over 500 images and 700 videos of CSAM and thousands of files of potential CSAM and CGI/animated child exploitive videos and images.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., and the Hampton Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Devon E.A. Heath 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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 4:25-cr-25.
Victim Advisory- Divine Youth Case UpdatesRead the Press Release
CASE NAME: United States v. E’mon Ambers, et al., Crim. No. 3:26-cr-24; United States v. T’Aisya Squire, Crim. No. 3:26-cr-11
COURT: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division
CASE SUMMARY: In January and February 2026, charges were filed against four defendants who allegedly operated a scheme to defraud Medicaid through a mental health agency known as Divine Youth Counseling, LLC.
On February 17, 2026, defendants E’mon Ambers, Armone’ Ambers, and TraQuan Brown were charged in a 12-count criminal indictment in Criminal Case No. 3:26-cr-24. Count One of the indictment charges the three defendants with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349; Counts Two through Four charge health care fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1347; Counts Five through Seven charge aggravated identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A; Counts Eight and Nine charge payment of illegal kickbacks, in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b)(2)(B); Counts Ten through Twelve charge transactional money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1957.
On Jan. 22, 2026, defendant T’Aisya Squire was charged in a single-count criminal information in Criminal Case No. 3:26-cr-11 with making false statements relating to health care matters, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1035(a)(2).
E’mon Ambers, Armone’ Ambers, Brown, and Squire each worked at Divine Youth and allegedly participated in the same scheme. According to court documents, between January 2022 and October 2025, Divine Youth submitted more than $11 million in fraudulent claims to Medicaid for mental health services known as Crisis Stabilization and Mobile Crisis. The scheme had two primary components.
The coconspirators allegedly falsely claimed that two mental health professionals simultaneously provided services to Medicaid recipients, when in truth, at most a single mental health professional was present for the service. The false claims that two professionals provided “Team Treatment” services caused millions of dollars of loss to Medicaid.
The coconspirators allegedly paid more than $470,000 in illegal kickbacks in the form of purchasing hotel rooms for Medicaid recipients. The coconspirators allegedly used the hotel rooms to incentivize recipients to obtain Medicaid services from Divine Youth, a practice the coconspirators knew and understood was wrong and unlawful.
Additional aspects of the scheme are set forth in the charging documents.
CASE STATUS: In United States v. E’mon Ambers, et al., Crim. No. 3:26-cr-24, the case is currently scheduled for a jury trial to begin on May 4, 2026. In United States v. T’Aisya Squire, Crim. No. 3:26-cr-11, Squire is scheduled to enter a guilty plea on March 16, 2026.
VICTIM RESPONSE: To ensure that members of the public, including potential victims of the alleged fraud scheme perpetrated through Divine Youth, are informed of developments in this ongoing case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has established a page on its website, available at the following link:
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/united-states-v-emon-ambers-et-al-crim-no-326-cr-24-united-states-v-taisya-squire-crim-no
The website currently includes a copy of the indictment and other pleadings filed in the cases. Victims with questions can call 1-866-DOJ-4YOU (1-866-365-4968) (TDD/TTY:1-866-228-4619; International 1-502-213-2767) and reference the above case names and docket numbers. Victim impact statements can be emailed to EDVA Victim Witness, or mailed to:
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Attn: Victim Witness
919 E Main St, Suite 1900
Richmond, VA 23219Contact
Victim/Witness Coordinator
United States Attorney’s Office
919 E Main St, Suite 1900
Richmond, VA 23219
(804)-819-7429
[email protected]Stafford man sentenced to life in prison for child sexual abuse crimes he committed while on supervised release for previous convictionsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Stafford man was sentenced today to life in prison for sexual exploitation of children after prior convictions, coercion and enticement of a minor, receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) after prior convictions, possession of CSAM after prior convictions, and commission of sexual exploitation of children offenses while a registered sex offender.
According to court documents, Nicholas Wayne Hanlon, 40, pled guilty on Nov. 5, 2013, in the District of Columbia, to two counts of receipt of CSAM and one count of travel with the intent to engage in sexually illicit conduct after he attempted to meet with a purported 12-year-old girl for sex. Hanlon was sentenced to eight years in prison and 10 years of supervised release and was required to register as a sex offender. His term of supervised release began on Feb. 14, 2020.
From November 2020 through July 2024, Hanlon used SnapChat and Instagram to engage in sexually explicit conversations with and request and receive CSAM from at least seven minors across multiple states. Throughout his conversations with the minor victims, Hanlon requested, at times on a near daily basis, that they send him videos and photographs of themselves engaged in sexually explicit activity. Hanlon mapped out where many of the minors lived, looking up driving directions in several instances. Hanlon told multiple victims that he was a teenager.
Investigators found approximately 150 child pornography images and 20 child pornography videos depicting Hanlon’s victims on his cellphone and numerous additional videos and images in his SnapChat and Instagram accounts.
The FBI Washington Field Office investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys April N. Russo and Vanessa K. Strobbe, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lyndi McVey 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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 1:25-cr-151.
Reston man who was previously convicted of threatening the President sentenced to over two years in prison for latest threatsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Reston man was sentenced today to two years and four months in prison for sending threats online to kill the President.
According to court documents, between Feb. 15, 2025, and May 15, 2025, Valeriy Kouznetsov, 41, made multiple threats toward the President of the United States, his family, and other government officials. Kouznetsov posted these threats on X (formerly Twitter), some of which he sent directly to the X accounts belonging to the President and other officials. For example, on March 28, 2025, Kouznetsov posted a message threatening the President with a “7/13 secret service repeat Philadelphia,” a reference to the July 13, 2024, attempted assassination of President Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. On April 17, 2025, Kouznetsov threatened, “you are a hopeless and helpless American (expletive) I will murder all of you filthy rats.” Two days later, he publicly posted “I murder all of you including (the President).”
Kouznetsov has a history of threatening the life of the President. In July 2020, Kouznetsov approached the Trump International Hotel in Washington, climbed over the bike rack fencing, and attempted to enter the facility. When he encountered hotel staff, Kouznetsov threatened to harm hotel employees and stab the President. Kouznetsov was arrested, convicted of threatening to kill or injure the President, and sentenced to two years and three months in prison and a three-year term of supervised release. On April 5, 2023, Kouznetsov was arrested on a supervised release violation after he entered the area around the White House. His supervised release was revoked, and he was sentenced to a year and a day in prison.
The U.S. Secret Service’s Washington Field Office investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Halper and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Mercer prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 1:25-cr-271.
Former Navy Chief Petty Officer sentenced to 35 years in prison for conspiring to sexually abuse childrenRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Water View man was sentenced today to 35 years in prison for conspiring to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.
According to court documents, after retiring as a Navy Chief Petty Officer, Cory Richard Hambley, 43, worked as a program analyst for the Missile Defense Agency, where he held a Top Secret security clearance. In November 2022, Hambley, who was married, contacted his former girlfriend, Grace Elizabeth Paradis, 43, of Virginia Beach. Hambley repeatedly encouraged Paradis to provide CSAM depicting Paradis abusing two minor children, ages five and nine.
Knowing that Paradis was struggling to pay her rent, Hambley leveraged Paradis’ financial situation as well as Paradis’ interest in a relationship with Hambley to induce 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. In March 2023, Hambley transferred nearly $4,000 to Paradis with the expectation that she would produce and provide CSAM. Paradis recorded the children’s abuse and provided the resultant CSAM to Hambley. Hambley also provided Paradis access to a Google Drive folder to facilitate her provision of CSAM to him.
During this time, Hambley was married to “CH.” Before they were married, CH introduced Hambley to a minor child. Afterward, Hambley, CH, and the child lived together. On Hambley’s electronic devices, investigators found CSAM files depicting the child that were created without the child’s knowledge. Investigators also found images of two adult victims, with whom Hambley had served in the U.S. Navy, that Hambley created without their knowledge.
Hambley also collected and shared other CSAM on the Internet. Investigators identified an additional 1,155 images and 142 videos of CSAM on Hambley's electronic devices.
Paradis pled guilty on Oct. 23, 2025, to conspiring to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM). She is scheduled to be sentenced on May 21 and faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison.
The Homeland Security Investigations Norfolk office investigated this case with assistance from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and the Virginia Beach Police Department.
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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 2:25-cr-44.
This release was revised on March 18, 2026, to more accurately reflect the defendant's position at the Missile Defense Agency.
Wholesale steel distributors settle Paycheck Protection Program false claimsRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – Seven Allied Crawford corporations who are wholesale steel distributors incorporated in seven separate states, including Virginia (Allied Companies), have agreed to pay $3,316,973.98 to settle civil False Claims Act (FCA) allegations arising from the submission of statements on their applications for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, specifically, that each of the Allied Companies falsely certified it was eligible to receive the loans.
The United States alleged that the Allied Companies received PPP loans of more than $2.7 million, which later were forgiven, after submitting statements on loan applications falsely certifying eligibility, and again on applications for forgiveness of the loans between February 2021 and October 2021.
The settlement began with a lawsuit, United States ex rel. GNGH2, Inc. v. Allied Crawford (Petersburg), Inc., filed under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims presented to the federal government and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. The whistleblower will receive a ten-percent share of the settlement. The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McIntosh.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Case records may be found on PACER under case number 3:25-cv-200.
The civil claims settled are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.
Richmond felon returning to prison for methamphetamineRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Chesterfield man was sentenced yesterday to seven years and eight months in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court documents, on July 19, 2024, Chesterfield County Police (CCPD) officers observed Hunter Brandon Orlowski, 34, who had multiple pending arrest warrants, leave a residence with a tan backpack on his shoulder. Officers blocked the driveway before Orlowski could get on a motorcycle and flee. The backpack contained a loaded pistol, 67 rounds of ammunition, 72 needles, a digital scale, a knife, 11 suboxone packets, 9.59 grams of cocaine and fentanyl, oxycodone, 2.08 grams of marijuana, four morphine tablets, 45 amphetamine tablets, 107 Xanax tablets, and 118.49 grams of methamphetamine.
Orlowski was convicted in 2013 of possession of a controlled substance, in 2014 of distributing a controlled substance and of possessing ammunition as a convicted felon, in 2017 of possession of a controlled substance, in 2020 of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a controlled substance, in 2024 of receipt of stolen goods and eluding police, and in 2025 of conspiracy by a prisoner to possess marijuana or a schedule III controlled substance.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and CCPD investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellen H. Theisen 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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 3:24-cr-177.
Ghanaian national sentenced to prison for two years for $1M romance scamRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Ghanaian national was sentenced yesterday to two years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
According to court documents, from no later than March 2022 until at least July 2022, Emmanuel Gyasi, 29, and his co-conspirators ran a “romance scam” to induce a victim to send money by wire transfers. The conspirators created a fictitious profile on an online dating platform under the name “Jessica Morris” and used the profile to connect and begin a romantic relationship with the victim. The conspirators, pretending to be Morris, told the victim that Morris” had inherited gold bars worth $12 million and that Morris needed money to pay for various fees related to the sale of the gold bars.
The conspirators then introduced the victim to a second fictitious persona, “Steven Baggett,” who was supposedly Morris’ lawyer. The conspirators promised that, if the victim would lend money to pay for the fees related to the sale of the gold bars, Morris would repay the victim with interest.
Gyasi opened and controlled a bank account to which the conspirators directed the victim to transfer the money. Based on the conspirators’ false promises, the victim sent a total of approximately $1.1 million. Though the victim was able to recall some of the transferred funds, Gyasi and his co-conspirators received over $750,000.00 from the victim.
The FBI Washington Field Office investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Harvey prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 1:25-cr-280.
Woodbridge drug trafficker sentenced to over 21 years in prison for his role in fentanyl and cocaine conspiracyRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Woodbridge man was sentenced today to 21 years and five months in prison for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and fentanyl.
According to court documents, beginning in at least December 2020, Jorge Ariel Pereira, aka Jae Luca or Kevin Aguirre, 30, was a redistributor of narcotics including marijuana, fentanyl pills, and cocaine. The fentanyl pills were often blue and imprinted “30” to resemble legitimate 30 milligram oxycodone pills. Beginning in at least November 2021, Pereira conspired to sell fentanyl pills and other narcotics with Justice Ansah, 30, of Manassas, and Salvador Paredes Vasquez.
Ansah operated a stash house in Woodbridge. Ansah would often purchase narcotics, including fentanyl pills, from suppliers outside the local area and receive them by mail at addresses provided by Pereira. In December 2021, Pereira received approximately 20,000 fentanyl pills from Ansah to hold while Ansah moved narcotics to other locations. On Dec. 14, 2021, Ansah and Paredes were arrested, and law enforcement found approximately 70,000 fentanyl pills in the stash house and Ansah’s residence as well as 30,000 fentanyl pills en route to Paredes’ address.
After the arrests of Ansah and Paredes, Pereira continued to sell marijuana, fentanyl pills, and cocaine with new co-conspirators. Pereira distributed fentanyl pills and cocaine to Fernando Alexis Orellana Banegas, 25, of Woodbridge, and Dan Benedict Galvez, 25, of Manassas. Pereira used fraudulent identification cards to purchase or rent property, including residences and vehicles, used in his criminal activities. On Jan. 2, 2025, law enforcement arrested Pereira and searched his residence, recovering 608.03 grams of cocaine, a loaded handgun, and fraudulent identification cards used by Pereira. Pereira has previous convictions for, among other crimes, grand larceny, brandishing a firearm, and obtaining money by false pretenses. As a convicted felon, Pereira cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
On June 7, 2022, Ansah pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. On Sept. 14, 2022, he was sentenced to 21 years in prison.
On July 6, 2022, Vasquez was charged with conspiring to distribute fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He is currently a fugitive.
On May 8, 2024, Orellana Banegas pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to drug trafficking. On Oct. 31, 2024, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
On Aug. 20, 2025, Galvez pled guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. On Dec. 11, 2025, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division investigated this case with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division, Virginia State Police, and Prince William County Police Department. Additional assistance was provided by the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher M. Carter and Edgardo J. Rodriguez 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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 1:25-cr-208.
This release was revised on March 9, 2026, to properly credit the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA Task Force.
Sex offender sentenced to prison for distributing child sexual abuse material while on supervision for previous convictionRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News man was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court documents, on March 31, 2015, David Christopher Schaefer, 38, was convicted of possession of CSAM and was sentenced to over eight years in prison and a life term of supervised release. Among the conditions of supervision were a restriction to use only computers or cellular devices approved by the Probation Office. Schaefer was allowed to have a flip phone without access to the Internet and a laptop computer with installed monitoring.
Law enforcement notified Schaefer’s probation officer that Schaefer was issued a summons on March 21, 2025, in the City of Newport News for texting and driving. Probation officers searched Schaefer’s residence and located six unauthorized Internet-capable devices and three unreported storage drives. Among these were three smartphones, which Schaefer admitted to using to access, view, download, and exchange CSAM. On one of the phones, investigators found hundreds of images and videos of CSAM. Schaefer was attributed with over 25,000 CSAM images.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., investigated this case.
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. 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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 4:25-cr-51.
Richmond felon returning to prison for federal firearms convictionRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to five years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on July 10, 2024, a Richmond Police officer responded to a call reporting a subject who matched the description of a robbery suspect from earlier in the day. The officer arrived on the scene and called out to Waheed Richardson, 23, who fled on foot. During the pursuit, Richardson discarded a handgun and loaded firearm magazine, then laid down on the ground. The officer detained Richardson, who was still in possession of another loaded magazine and a baggie with counterfeit oxycodone "M-30" pills containing fentanyl. The officer then recovered the handgun and magazine Richardson had possessed. The handgun was equipped with a machinegun conversion device, rendering it capable of automatic fire and considered a machinegun.
In 2021, Richardson was convicted of malicious wounding and discharging a firearm from a vehicle. Richardson was released from prison on Feb. 12, 2024, five months before being arrested for the offense for which he was sentenced today. As a previously convicted felon, Richardson cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and the Richmond Police Department investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick J. McGorman 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 protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 3:24-cr-146.
Portsmouth man sentenced to over two years in prison for auto loan fraud schemeRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Portsmouth man was sentenced today to two years and six months in prison for bank fraud.
According to court documents, on July 23, 2021, Deviyon Nichols, 33, submitted an application to obtain an auto loan from a credit union to purchase a 2014 BMW X-5. Nichols used a fraudulent South Carolina driver's license under the name “Davyion Martin” as well as a false social security number to obtain the loan, as his felony criminal history and poor credit score would have made a loan unlikely. Based on his use of the false name and social security number, the credit union approved the loan and provided Nichols $31,718.24 to complete the purchase.
Nichols lost the vehicle when it was impounded after a traffic stop and the credit union lost money on the transaction. When Nichols was stopped, he attempted to flee. Inside the vehicle, police found narcotics and a firearm.
In April 2021, Nichols used the false name, ID, and social security number to obtain an auto loan from another bank to purchase a 2014 Honda Accord. Based on this false information, the bank approved the loan and provided Nichols $15,684.60 to complete the purchase. Nichols lost the vehicle when it was wrecked in a traffic accident and the bank lost money on the transaction.
The FBI’s Norfolk Field Office investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Kosky prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 2:25-cr-88.
Hampton felon sentenced to three years in prison for possessing a firearm while still on probationRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hampton man was sentenced yesterday to three years in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, on May 21, 2025, the Hampton Police Division (HPD) and Virginia State Police (VSP) attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Mouctar Balde, 25, pursuant to a search warrant. Balde fled at high speed, running several red lights and driving into oncoming traffic. Balde ultimately struck a curb, which disabled his vehicle, and fled on foot. During the foot pursuit, Balde discarded a firearm immediately before he was apprehended.
HPD promptly recovered the firearm, which had been stolen from the purchaser and was loaded with 16 rounds of ammunition, including one round in the chamber.
Balde previously was convicted of larceny, reckless handling of a firearm, obstruction, evading and eluding, and possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Balde was on probation for the marijuana conviction when he was arrested on May 21, 2025. As a previously convicted felon, Balde cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division, HPD, and VSP investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyson C. Yates prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 4:25-cr-70.
Florida man sentenced to over two years in prison for striking a U.S. Marine MP with his truckRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Florida man was sentenced today to two years and three months in prison for assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon.
According to court documents, on May 15, 2024, Roger Pierre Laberge, 69, approached Gate 1 at Marine Corps Base Quantico driving a pickup truck with a tow-trailer. At the checkpoint, Laberge explained to two U.S. Marine Corps Police Officers (MPs) that he did not have a driver’s license or vehicle registration. The MPs determined that Laberge did not have authorization to enter the base and directed him to drive his truck into a nearby turnaround zone, which was enclosed by traffic barriers. One of the MPs moved a barrier, allowing Laberge to drive into the designated turnaround zone, then repositioned it to secure the enclosure.
The MP informed Laberge that he would need to run a check of the truck’s license plates before he would be permitted to leave the Quantico base. As the MP indicated that he was about to move the traffic barrier for Laberge and stepped in front of Laberge’s vehicle, Laberge accelerated the truck forward. Laberge slammed on the brake, narrowly avoiding hitting the MP with the vehicle.
The MP extended his arm and hand as a signal to stop and loudly called for Laberge to stop. In response, Laberge yelled, “I’m going!” and accelerated his vehicle forward, striking the MP with his truck, and continued through the traffic barrier. As Laberge continued accelerating, he made a sharp turn towards the nearest exit and slammed his vehicle into a curb, which momentarily flipped the trailer onto its side causing objects to fall out onto the street. Laberge then fled the scene of the incident, disregarding the MP’s commands to stop.
Among other previous convictions, Laberge was convicted in 1996 of aggravated fleeing to elude and resisting an officer with violence; in 2016 for fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer; and in 2024 for fleeing with disregard of safety to persons or property and driving while suspended for a third time or more.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service Washington D.C. Field Office investigated this case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jake Drucker and Richard Krupczak and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin S. Starr prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 1:25-cr-205.
Tidewater narcotics trafficker sentenced to over 10 years in prisonRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News man was sentenced yesterday to 10 years and three months in prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
According to court documents, in 2025, Kenneth Matthews, 48, was receiving narcotics in Maryland and selling large quantities in the Tidewater area. On July 12, 2025, the Virginia State Police (VSP) located Matthews and conducted a traffic stop on his vehicle. A search of the vehicle was conducted after a narcotics canine alerted to the presence of narcotics. Investigators located more than 300 grams of fentanyl divided into distributable quantities, as well as a handgun and approximately $1,000.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., and VSP investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric M. Hurt 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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 4:25-cr-54.
Sandston business owner pleads guilty to filing false tax returns and fraudulent pandemic relief applicationsRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Sandston man pled guilty today to subscribing to a false tax return and wire fraud.
According to court documents, Kevin Alphonso Starlings, 40, was the sole owner and operator of several businesses, including Jeremiah Enterprises, Starlings Enterprises, The Service Sharks, ProSource Property Solutions, and Jeremiah Entertainment LLC. Starlings issued Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statements from his five businesses to himself, purportedly reflecting the wages, tips, and other compensation he was paid, and the trust fund taxes and federal income tax that were purportedly withheld and paid over to the IRS on his behalf.
For calendar years 2016 through 2022, Starlings filed false Forms 1040 falsely reporting, among other things, that his companies had withheld hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal tax from his income and that he had paid those funds to the IRS. In total, for years 2016 through 2022, Starlings falsely reported that he had withheld and paid to the IRS $827,290. None of Starlings’ companies made any withholding or payment of federal taxes to the IRS on Starlings’ behalf for those years.
From April 2020 through at least September 2021, Starlings fraudulently obtained COVID-19 relief funds by submitting false and misleading applications to the Small Business Administration (SBA), Virginia Employment Commission (VEC), and North Carolina Division of Employment Security (DES).
For example, despite owning and operating his companies and reporting on his tax return that he earned $628,450 in wages in 2020, Starlings filed unemployment applications with the VEC and DES falsely claiming that he was laid off, terminated, or separated from his employment on March 20, 2020. Unaware of Starlings’ fraud, the VEC and DES approved the fraudulent applications and Starlings received approximately $61,726 in unemployment funds.
Starlings also submitted fraudulent applications SBA for loans through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, intended to enable small businesses to meet financial obligations and operating expenses during the pandemic. Starlings submitted 11 EIDL applications for his businesses with misrepresentations including false gross revenue and costs and inflated or fabricated employee counts. Most of Starlings’ EIDL applications were rejected by the SBA, but one application was approved causing the agency to disburse $15,000 to Starlings.
Starlings is scheduled to be sentenced on July 16. He faces up to 30 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
IRS Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carla Jordan-Detamore is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 3:26-cr-21.
Fort Eustis woman pleads guilty to neglecting children, assaulting husbandRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A woman residing on Fort Eustis pled guilty today to assault, driving under the influence of alcohol, and felony child neglect.
According to court documents, Rachel Lorane Pendergrast, 30, lived with her husband and children in military housing on Fort Eustis. On Dec. 3, 2025, she was responsible for the care of her three minor children while her husband was away from the home; the oldest child was at school/childcare and the younger two children were home with Pendergrast. Pendergrast began drinking vodka that morning. When she left her house to pick up her oldest child, she took her one-year-old with her and left her three-year-old alone at home.
Law enforcement received a call from Pendergrast’s neighbor reporting that the three-year-old was standing at the edge of the roadway near the home, crying, and attempting to cross the street. The outside temperature was 48℉ and the child was wearing only a diaper and a t-shirt. Approximately 10 minutes later Pendergrast arrived with the other two children in the vehicle. When law enforcement arrived, they noted that she seemed disoriented and had glossy eyes and a strong smell of alcohol. Two preliminary breath tests registered .304 and .298 for Pendergrast’s blood alcohol concentration. A test performed approximately five hours after driving showed Pendergrast’s blood alcohol level was still .18.
On the morning of June 17, 2025, Pendergrast repeatedly struck her husband in the immediate presence of their five-year-old. The incident was captured on video. When responding officers arrived at the home, Pendergrast was passed out on the couch, intoxicated.
Pendergrast is scheduled to be sentenced on June 10 and faces up to seven years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division Washington Field Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Black is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 4:26-cr-6.
Vienna man sentenced to over 18 years in prison for travelling to Colombia for commercial sex with a minorRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Vienna man was sentenced today to 18 years and four months in prison following his conviction for sex trafficking a child and engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on Nov. 1, 2024, Michael Jamie Inofuentes, 45, a U.S. citizen with residences in Virginia and Colombia, flew into Miami International Airport on a return flight from Colombia, where he was flagged for secondary inspection based on suspicious payments he made to an individual suspected of involvement in child sex trafficking in Colombia. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) conducted a border search of Inofuentes and his belongings. During an inspection of his cellphones, agents identified messages between Inofuentes and a 15-year-old Colombian girl showing he had solicited the victim for commercial sex. Inofuentes, who knew the victim was a minor and was frequently hungry and at risk of homelessness, solicited and paid the victim for sex on at least three occasions in 2024.
When interviewed by law enforcement, Inofuentes initially denied having sex with the victim but later admitted to having a sexual relationship with her. Inofuentes also admitted that he has children in Colombia and the mother was a minor when he impregnated her. Inofuentes was allowed to return home after the interview. On Nov. 4, 2024, while attempting to board a flight at Dulles International Airport bound for Colombia, Inofuentes was stopped on the jet bridge and taken to secondary inspection. He admitted that he offered the victim money for sex at a hotel.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., investigated this case with valuable assistance from the HSI Miami Field Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Halper and Laura D. Withers 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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 1:25-cr-5.
McLean man pleads guilty to sending threatening messagesRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A McLean man pled guilty today to 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.
Bolger will remain detained pending sentencing, scheduled for May 20. He 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 Joint Terrorism Task Force Washington Field Office investigated this case.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Mercer and Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell L. Carlberg are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 1:26-cr-8.
Federal jury convicts Richmond drug trafficker for attempting to receive shipments of cocaine and methamphetamineRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Richmond man yesterday on charges of attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on Feb. 8, 2023, law enforcement intercepted a parcel containing approximately 2.3 kilograms of methamphetamine and 1.1 kilograms of cocaine. The parcel was addressed to an individual who had agreed to receive it on behalf of Alexander Michael Martinez, aka Rambo, 34. On Feb. 10, 2023, law enforcement intercepted another package containing approximately the same quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine as the earlier package. The intended recipient of that package identified Martinez as their marijuana dealer.
In July 2023, law enforcement in Fresno, California, interdicted a package containing approximately 85 pounds of methamphetamine and 1 kilogram of cocaine intended for delivery to Richmond. Agents replaced the seized controlled substances with “sham” narcotics and conducted a controlled delivery to Martinez at an arranged location at a truck stop in Ashland. When Martinez arrived, two boxes of sham narcotics were placed into the rear seat of Martinez’s vehicle. When law enforcement attempted a traffic stop, Martinez fled. After crashing his vehicle, Martinez attempted to flee on foot but was taken into custody.
Martinez faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison when sentenced on July 15. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Richmond District Office, DEA’s Fresno District Office, and the Virginia State Police investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen E. Anthony is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 3:23-cr-144.
Portsmouth fentanyl dealer sentenced to five years in prisonRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Portsmouth man was sentenced yesterday to five years in prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents, in February and March of 2025, law enforcement conducted four controlled purchases during which Saah Kinte Mills, 43, sold approximately 11 grams of fentanyl, 11 grams of a mixture of fentanyl and heroin, and 2.41 grams of a mixture of heroin, fentanyl, and xylazine.
On April 11, 2025, narcotics detectives arrested Mills in Portsmouth, at which time Mills possessed nearly 11 grams of cocaine. Investigators then searched Mills residence in Portsmouth and recovered a box of ammunition, 31.21 grams of powder containing fentanyl, and 29 grams of powder containing para-fluorofentanyl, heroin, and fentanyl, as well as various indicia of drug trafficking.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., and the Chesapeake Police Department investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Darryl J. Mitchell prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 2:25-cr-117.
Navy Chief Petty Officer sentenced to 25 years in prison for creating child sexual abuse materialRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Navy Chief Petty Officer was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court documents, in December 2023, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that Shane Matthew Harlacher, 39, used Facebook Messenger to send CSAM to another Facebook user. An investigation revealed that Harlacher, who was stationed in Gaeta, Italy, and previously lived in Virginia Beach, had used Facebook to share videos of bestiality and other sexually explicit images.
In April 2024, NCIS searched Harlacher, his residence in Italy, and his workspace and berthing aboard the USS Mount Whitney. In his immediate possession was a cellphone containing approximately 112 video files and 32 image files of CSAM, including a video of a toddler being sexually assaulted. It also contained numerous video and image files depicting surreptitious recordings of a 13-year-old victim, Jane Doe. Harlacher created these recordings of Jane Doe at the bathroom of his home in Virginia Beach.
NCIS seized three MicroSD cards from Harlacher's residence in Italy in April 2024 that contained surreptitious videos of Jane Doe recorded in the bathroom. Investigators seized another cellphone that contained the same videos of Jane Doe found on the other devices. NCIS also seized a one terabyte flash drive that contained CSAM, which Harlacher had transported from Virginia Beach to Italy.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Gantt 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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 2:25-cr-63.
Director of Richmond homeless shelter sentenced to three years in prison for stealing funds designated for the shelterRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond woman was sentenced today to three years in prison for wire fraud in connection with her operation of a homeless shelter focused on women and children.
According to court documents, Kia A. Player, 41, won a grant to operate an inclement weather shelter for homeless women and children in the Richmond metropolitan area, named RVA Sister’s Keeper. RVA Sister’s Keeper obtained over $995,000 in governmental funding from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the City of Richmond to implement and operate the shelter. From August 2022 through April 2023, Player, RVA Sister’s Keeper’s director, fabricated and falsified at least 35 separate invoices for costs purportedly paid for the benefit of RVA Sister’s Keeper and its homeless residents, even though Player never made corresponding expenditures on RVA Sister’s Keeper’s behalf. Player submitted these fraudulent and inflated invoices for reimbursement to the City of Richmond, causing the city to improperly disburse funds to her.
For example, Player submitted at least 21 separate inflated invoices claiming RVA Sister’s Keeper made payments to an entity called “VCM Catering Services” to provide breakfast and dinner at the homeless shelter. VCM Catering Services was a fictitious business, however, and Player had hired a family member to provide breakfast and dinner for the homeless residents. This family member was a cafeteria manager at a Richmond City public school and occasionally provided RVA Sister’s Keeper residents with food taken from the school’s cafeteria – food that had already been procured with other public funds and was in some cases expired.
Player fabricated an invoice purporting to show that RVA Sister’s Keeper paid for repairs to the shelter’s roof, submitting the invoice to the City of Richmond. Player then stole the corresponding money the City of Richmond provided for the roof repairs, though the roof had multiple leaks. Player fabricated documentation purporting to show that RVA Sister’s Keeper paid a laundry company for wash and fold services on ten different occasions, though the company only provided services on three occasions and homeless residents sometimes received used blankets. Player also fabricated invoices for other services, such as bed bug treatment, that were never provided.
Player’s inflated invoice scheme caused $199,163 in actual losses to HUD and the City of Richmond. Player spent the fraud proceeds on personal expenses, including on a tattoo, airline tickets, a luxury Caribbean ferry ride in Miami Beach, furniture, and items at an antiques store.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Avi Panth prosecuted the case. The City of Richmond provided substantial assistance in the prosecution of this case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 3:25-cr-146.
Canadian who traveled to Virginia intending to meet a minor for sex sentenced to 10 years in prisonRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Canadian man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.
According to court documents, on May 9, 2025, Tommy Varesh, 54, of Toronto, used a publicly-viewable online discussion platform to contact a person he believed to be a 15-year-old girl in the Washington area, but who was actually an undercover law enforcement officer (UC). Varesh indicated he was from New York and willing to travel to meet the UC for sex. Varesh asked the UC if she used birth control and told her he would buy emergency contraception. Varesh sent graphic sexual images of himself and persistently requested sexual images from the UC even though the UC expressed reluctance.
Varesh often reiterated the need for his relationship with the UC to remain a secret, especially from the UC’s mother and other adults and to ensure their communication was private. He also attempted to hide his intentions by moving their conversations to a platform from which messages were automatically deleted while also sending false messages to the original platform deceptively stating that he and the UC would not engage in sex.
On June 16, 2025, Varesh traveled to Virginia to meet the UC for sex. When he was arrested, he was carrying black lingerie and emergency contraception.
The FBI Washington Field Office and the Fairfax County Police Department investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Halper and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoe Bedell 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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 1:25-cr-306.
Richmond man sentenced to over 10 years in prison for armed robbery committed while on probation for previous firearms convictionsRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to 10 years and 10 months in prison for robbery and using a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to court documents, on Oct. 13, 2022, Jarviontae Tykee McLaurine, 26, and two accomplices robbed a Dollar General store and people inside the store. Each of the robbers entered the store armed with a firearm and wearing a mask. One of the robbers ordered the clerk to open the register and get on the floor. Another robber ordered a customer to lie on the floor, and another customer was ordered to the front of the store at gunpoint.
The robbers held the store manager at gunpoint and ordered the manager to open the register. Two of the robbers then forced the manager and the clerk to accompany them to the back office where they attempted to gain access to more money. McLaurine and his accomplices then fled the store.
In June 2023, Mclaurine was convicted in Richmond Circuit Court of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In August 2023, Mclaurine was convicted in Hanover Circuit Court of making a false statement on a criminal history consent form and attempting to possess a firearm as a convicted felon. Two months later, Mclaurine was arrested again and on Feb. 1, 2024, was convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Mclaurine was on supervised probation for two convictions when he robbed the Dollar General store.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and the Richmond Police Department investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen E. Anthony and Janet Jin Ah Lee 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 protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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. 3:23-cr-164 and 3:25-cr-97.
Fort Eustis soldier sentenced for coercion of minorsRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A soldier at Fort Eustis was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for coercion and enticement of a child.
According to court documents, Brady Beck Fant, 32, used social media platforms to engage in sexually graphic conversations with minor girls. In addition to those conversations, Fant received sexually graphic images and videos of the victims and sent sexually graphic images and videos of himself to at least one victim.
After the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) taskforce identified Fant, law enforcement seized his electronic devices on which investigators found child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
An Other Than Honorable Discharge from the United States Army is currently pending.
This case was investigated by the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Washington Field Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon E.A. Heath 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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 4:25-cr-58.
CarMax to pay nearly $500,000 to remedy illegal repossessions of U.S. servicemembers’ vehiclesRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The Justice Department today announced that it has reached a settlement with CarMax, Inc., the nation’s largest retailer of used cars, to resolve allegations that CarMax violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by illegally repossessing motor vehicles owned by members of the military. As part of the settlement, CarMax will pay at least $420,000 in damages to servicemembers and a civil penalty of $79,380 to the United States.
The Department alleges that CarMax repossessed servicemember vehicles without obtaining court orders as required by federal law, as well as repossessed some vehicles even after owners told CarMax that they were in military service. CarMax also allegedly failed to extend SCRA protections to reservists who had received orders to report for active duty. In addition to paying a civil penalty and compensation to harmed individuals, CarMax will revise its policies and procedures to ensure that the rights of U.S. servicemembers are protected in the future.
The SCRA is a federal law that provides legal and financial protections for servicemembers and their families. The law prevents an auto finance or leasing company from repossessing a servicemember’s vehicle without first obtaining a court order, as long as the servicemember made at least one payment on the vehicle before entering military service. For members of a reserve component, the protections begin on the date the member receives orders to military service.
This case was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section. Since 2011, the Department has obtained over $484 million in monetary relief for over 149,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. For more information about the department’s SCRA enforcement efforts, please visit www.servicemembers.gov.
Servicemembers and their dependents who believe that their rights under the SCRA may have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations can be found at legalassistance.law.af.mil.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The civil claims settled are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.
CarMax to Pay Nearly $500,000 to Remedy Illegal Repossessions of U.S. Servicemembers’ VehiclesRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced that it has reached a settlement with CarMax Inc., the nation’s largest retailer of used cars, to resolve allegations that CarMax violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by illegally repossessing motor vehicles owned by members of the military. As part of the settlement, CarMax will pay at least $420,000 in damages to servicemembers and a civil penalty of $79,380 to the United States.
“Federal law prohibits businesses from repossessing service members’ vehicles without a court order,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice is proud to defend the rights of those who serve in our military and will continue to vigorously enforce the laws that protect them.”
The Department alleges that CarMax repossessed servicemember vehicles without obtaining court orders as required by federal law, as well as repossessed some vehicles even after owners told CarMax that they were in military service. CarMax also allegedly failed to extend SCRA protections to reservists who had received orders to report for active duty. In addition to paying a civil penalty and compensation to harmed individuals, CarMax will revise its policies and procedures to ensure that the rights of U.S. servicemembers are protected in the future.
The SCRA is a federal law that provides legal and financial protections for servicemembers and their families. The law prevents an auto finance or leasing company from repossessing a servicemember’s vehicle without first obtaining a court order, as long as the servicemember made at least one payment on the vehicle before entering military service. For members of a reserve component, the protections begin on the date the member receives orders to military service.
This case was handled by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Since 2011, the Department has obtained over $484 million in monetary relief for over 149,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. For more information about the department’s SCRA enforcement efforts, please visit www.servicemembers.gov.
Servicemembers and their dependents who believe that their rights under the SCRA may have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations can be found at legalassistance.law.af.mil.
Richmond recidivist sentenced to 10 years in prison for illegally possessing a firearmRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on Feb. 23, 2025, Henrico County Police observed Tajon Rasheed Baskerville, 35, rummaging through a purse, which had been taken from a nearby vehicle earlier. As an officer performed a pat-down of Baskerville, the officer felt a firearm in a holster on Baskerville’s hip. Baskerville pulled away from and struck the officer. The officer fell, at which time Baskerville drew his firearm and, in response, the officer drew his service weapon. Baskerville tossed his firearm and attempted to flee on foot. The officer recovered the firearm and Baskerville was apprehended.
Investigators found items that had been taken from the purse in Baskerville’s pockets. They also found a wallet, which had been in the purse, in Baskerville’s shirt.
At the time of the offense, Baskerville had previously been convicted for possession of a controlled substance (2010 and 2012), felony probation violation (2012, 2014, and twice in 2017), grand larceny (2015 and 2018), and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (2022). As a previously convicted felon, Baskerville cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and the Henrico County Police Division investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick J. McGorman and Stephen E. Anthony 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 protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 3:25-cr-79.
Former police officer sentenced to three years in prison for inheritance scamRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Belle Haven man was sentenced today to three years in prison for wire fraud and money laundering relating to a scam involving an inheritance claim.
According to court documents, former Eastville Police officer Jerry Keith Brady Jr., 38, concocted a scheme to convince at least 13 people to loan him money needed to pay fees related to a purported inheritance he claimed was due. Brady solicited loans from friends, acquaintances, and colleagues to pay for attorney fees, taxes, or other related costs that Brady claimed were necessary to receive an inheritance or life insurance proceeds he was due from a deceased relative.
Some victims had Brady sign a written contract or promissory note agreeing that he would repay the money. When the due date passed without repayment, Brady told victims that without more money he would lose the inheritance entirely, and in many instances the victims provided Brady additional funds. Brady defrauded his victims of hundreds of thousands of dollars in 33 transactions. Brady wasted most of the money gambling in casinos, through online sports betting apps, and at slots-style gambling machines in convenience stores.
The IRS Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Field Office investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph L. Kosky prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 2:25-cr-101.
Chesapeake man sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempting to receive a meth deliveryRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Chesapeake man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court documents, on March 18, 2025, law enforcement intercepted a parcel containing 2,618 grams of methamphetamine addressed to a residence on Rystrom Run in Chesapeake. After intercepting the package, investigators replaced the meth with sham narcotics and conducted a controlled delivery. The package was brought into the residence by a child. Geno Cassell Smith, 64, later entered the residence and opened the package.
Soon afterward, investigators entered the residence and executed a search warrant. The investigators found the sham narcotics as well as a handgun with two magazines. Smith previously was convicted of marijuana possession and distribution and assault and battery on a family member. As a previously convicted felon, Smith cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division, Virginia Beach Police Department, and Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of K9 “Pablo” investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda L. Cheney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Anne Cournoyer 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 protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 2:25-cr-104.
California man sentenced to nine years in prison for trafficking victims in prostitutionRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A California man was sentenced today to nine years in prison for coercion and enticement to travel in interstate for prostitution, which involved two adult women.
According to court documents, in August 2023, Demarco Raushi Coney-Jones II, 31, of Merced, coerced a victim to travel from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Alexandria, Virginia, to engage in prostitution. Between Oct. 2 and Oct. 8, 2023, Coney-Jones coerced another victim to travel to Alexandria, this time from California, to engage in prostitution.
Coney-Jones committed part of this offense while detained on charges stemming from his alleged involvement in the theft of jewelry valued at more than $3 million from a sex buyer of one of his trafficking victims. Despite a prior conviction for possessing an unregistered firearm, Coney-Jones possessed a stolen handgun and an AK-47 assault rifle with an obliterated serial number at the time of his arrest.
The FBI Washington Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the FBI Baltimore Field Office and the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alessandra Serano and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith J. Edwards prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 1:24-cr-176.
This release was revised on February 27, 2026, to recognize the assistance of the FBI Baltimore Field Office and the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office.
Washington area airbag thieves sentenced to prisonRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Three men have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a conspiracy to engage in interstate transportation and sale of stolen goods involving an airbag theft ring in the metro Washington area.
According to court documents, in August 2022, Chinese national Yuchen Zhang, 28, and Adisorn Damrongchai, 47, of Alexandria, began stealing airbags from vehicles in Virginia and transporting them to Maryland to sell them to Keith William Smith, 45, of Severn, Maryland, who sold used car parts, including stolen airbags.
On November 13, 2022, Zhang and Damrongchai were arrested in Arlington County just after they had stolen several airbags. Zhang and Damrongchai were in possession of window punches, screwdrivers, pliers, and a hand-held flashlight as well as six stolen airbags.
After their arrest, Zhang and Damrongchai resumed stealing airbags and selling them to Smith. On Sept. 20, 2024, Zhang drove to Silver Spring, Maryland, stole an airbag, and returned to Virginia with it. On Oct. 4, 2024, Zhang picked up Damrongchai from his residence and traveled to neighborhoods in Fairfax and Herndon where they stole airbags from multiple vehicles. Later that day, law enforcement searched Zhang’s residence and vehicles and Damrongchai’s residence and recovered 14 airbags, some of which had been stolen earlier that morning.
Smith paid Damrongchai a total of $47,170 and Zhang a total of $37,220 for stolen airbags. Together, the three men were responsible for hundreds of stolen airbags across northern Virginia.
Zhang pled guilty in Arlington to grand larceny and destruction of property valued in excess of $1,000. On Dec. 18, 2024, he pled guilty in the Eastern District of Virginia to conspiracy to engage in interstate transportation of stolen property and was sentenced on March 7, 2025, to three years and two months in prison. In 2020, Zhang was convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in a $1.1 million fraud scheme involving gift cards. For that conviction, Zhang was sentenced to seven months in prison.
Smith pled guilty on March 10, 2025, and was sentenced on May 28, 2025, to six months in prison.
On February 21, 2025, Damrongchai was convicted in Arlington of tampering with a vehicle, destruction of property, two counts of destruction of property greater than $1000, sale of stolen property greater than $1,000, and possession of burglarious tools. Damrongchai pled guilty in the Eastern District of Virginia on Dec. 3, 2025, to conspiracy to engage in interstate transportation and sale of stolen goods. Damrongchai was sentenced to a total of two years and nine months in prison.
The FBI Washington Field Office, Alexandria Police Department, and Fairfax County Police Department investigated this case with valuable assistance from the Arlington County Police Department, Howard County Police Department, and Manassas City Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Rumbaugh and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lyndi McVey prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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. 1:24-CR-261 (Zhang), 1:25-CR-58 (Smith), and 1:25-cr-199 (Damrongchai).
Newport News man pleads guilty to stealing Social Security funds from his deceased neighbor’s accountRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News man pled guilty yesterday to theft of government property.
According to court documents, beginning on July 5, 2018, Alonzo Darren McClary, 62, held power of attorney to make decisions for his elderly neighbor in the event the neighbor was incapacitated or passed away. McClary occasionally withdrew funds from the neighbor’s bank account to assist the neighbor as needed.
After the neighbor passed away on Feb. 20, 2020, the Social Security Administration (SSA) continued to pay benefits into the neighbor’s bank account. Rather than inform SSA that the neighbor had passed, McClary continued to withdraw money from the neighbor’s bank account. McClary caused a benefit overpayment of $62,957.92 from which he stole for his personal use.
McClary is scheduled to be sentenced on May 19 and faces up to 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 SSA Office of Inspector General investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mack Coleman is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 4:25-cr-81.
Woodbridge man sentenced to three years in prison for obstructing the IRS and failing to file tax returnsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Woodbridge man was sentenced today to three years in prison for obstructing the IRS and willfully failing to file personal tax returns.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Omini Tete Riman, 60, earned income as an information technology specialist and landlord. Riman filed false individual tax returns with the IRS for the years 2013 and 2014, which resulted in him receiving refunds for both years that he was not entitled to receive.
After the IRS paid out the refunds, Riman obstructed the IRS’s subsequent efforts to recoup the money. Riman transferred his property to a trust to hide it from the IRS, opened bank accounts in the name of the trust and directed his income to be deposited there, and submitted false documents claiming that the IRS collections officer handling his case had personally received over $600,000 from Riman, which, if accepted by the IRS, would have jeopardized the IRS officer’s job and increased the officer’s personal tax liability.
Riman also stopped filing tax returns for the years 2018 through 2023, even though he received a total of more than $854,000 during that period and was required to file each year. In total, Riman caused a tax loss to the IRS exceeding $500,000. Riman was convicted by a jury in November 2025.
IRS Criminal Investigation and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Harvey for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Daniel Lipkowitz of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 1:25-cr-99.
Virginia Landlord Sentenced to Prison for Obstructing the IRS and Willfully Failing to File Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
A Woodbridge man was sentenced today to three years in prison for violating criminal tax laws.
In November 2025, a federal jury convicted Omini Tete Riman of obstructing the IRS and willfully failing to file tax returns. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Riman was an information technology specialist and landlord, who filed false tax returns with the IRS for 2013 and 2014 and received refunds for both years that he was not entitled to receive. When the IRS attempted to recoup the refunds, Riman obstructed that effort – he transferred his property to a trust, opened a bank account in the name of the trust and directed his income to be deposited into the trust account to hide it from the IRS. Riman also submitted false documents claiming that the IRS collections officer handling his case had personally received over $600,000 from Riman, which, if accepted by the IRS, would have increased the officer’s own tax liability. In addition, Riman stopped filing tax returns for the years 2018 through 2023, even though he received a total of more than $854,000 during that period and was required to file each year. In total, Riman caused a tax loss to the IRS exceeding $500,000.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Daniel Lipkowitz of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Harvey for the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case.
Mexican National Sentenced for Role in Large Scale International Cocaine Trafficking OffenseRead the Press Release
A Mexican national was sentenced today to 10 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, the defendant, Jose Francisco Mendoza-Gomez, 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 for years. The DTO also engaged in bulk cash smuggling, bribery of Mexican officials and attempted kidnappings related to rival traffickers.
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.
In addition to cocaine trafficking, the DTO transported substantial illicit proceeds earned from its operations back to Mexico and elsewhere. DTO members engaged in bulk money transfers with cocaine suppliers and utilized a Chinese money laundering network to repatriate bulk narcotics proceeds out of the United States. The DTO also engaged in bribery of Mexican officials, including to gain access to information useful to its cocaine trafficking operations, and planned and attempted to execute multiple kidnappings related to rival drug traffickers and in efforts to secure outstanding debts.
Mendoza-Gomez assisted in coordinating and transporting cocaine for distribution in the United States, handled hundreds of thousands worth of narcotics proceeds, provided advice to the DTO’s leader and participated in the DTO’s efforts to plan kidnappings and obtain information from corrupt Mexican officials.
On Aug. 12, 2025, Mendoza-Gomez, along with 25 other fugitives, were transferred from Mexico to the United States. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs coordinated the transfers.
Two of the defendant’s co-conspirators, Marisela Flores-Torruco and Qiyun Chen, have been convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia for their roles within the DTO, as have several individuals involved in 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.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit, 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.
Trial Attorney Caylee E. Campbell of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher M. Carter and Edgardo J. Rodriguez for the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case.
Virginia company, owner, and senior employee sentenced for illegally exporting millions of dollars of U.S. technology to RussiaRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Eleview International Inc., Oleg Nayandin, 54, of Fairfax, Virginia, and Vitaliy Borisenko, 39, of Vienna, Virginia, were sentenced today for conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act.
According to court records, between approximately February 2022 and June 2023, Eleview International Inc., a Virginia-based company that operated a freight consolidation and forwarding business; Nayandin, the owner, president, and CEO of Eleview; and Borisenko, who oversaw the day-to-day operations of Eleview’s freight forwarding business, conspired to illegally export goods and technology from the United States to Russia by transshipping them through three countries bordering or near Russia.
Eleview, Nayandin, and Borisenko operated an e-commerce website that allowed Russian customers to order U.S. goods and technology directly from U.S. retailers, who shipped the items to Eleview’s warehouse in Chantilly. They then consolidated the packages before shipping them to the Russian customers, often using other freight forwarders as intermediaries. After the Department of Commerce imposed stricter export controls in response to Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Nayandin and Borisenko, on behalf of Eleview, coordinated shipments of items to purported end users in Turkey, Finland, and Kazakhstan that were ultimately destined for end users in Russia. To facilitate these illegal exports, they made numerous false statements to other freight forwarders about the end users and ultimate consignees of the items in these shipments.
In the Turkey scheme, Eleview exported 23 shipments of telecommunications equipment to a false end user in Turkey that was intended for a Russian telecommunications company that supplied the Russian government, including the Federal Security Service. The telecommunications equipment that Eleview exported illegally as part of the Turkey scheme had military applications, including use by the Russian military to create and expand communication networks.
In the Finland scheme, Eleview exported 83 shipments of goods to Russia through Eleview’s e-commerce website to a false end user in Finland that neither purchased nor sold goods. Before consolidating the packages into larger pallets for shipment to Finland, Eleview affixed to each package a label with a Russian postal service tracking number so that the Russian postal service could easily ship the package to the customer in Russia. The goods Eleview exported illegally as part of the Finland scheme included items that the Department of Commerce has identified as particularly significant to Russian weaponry, including the same type of electronic component found on Russian “suicide” drones used to destroy Ukrainian tanks and jets.
In the Kazakhstan scheme, Eleview exported approximately 52 shipments of goods to Russia through an entity in Kazakhstan that advertises its ability to deliver goods to Russia. The goods that Eleview exported illegally as part of the Kazakhstan scheme included controlled, dual-use items.
Eleview was ordered to pay a fine of $125,000 and sentenced to three years of probation that included requirements to submit biannual compliance reports and mandate export-control training for its employees. Nayandin was sentenced to three years in prison. Borisenko was sentenced to a year in prison.
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gavin R. Tisdale and Sehar F. Sabir and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda St. Cyr and Dave Peters for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Garrett Coyle of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 1:25-cr-46.
Chester man sentenced to four years in prison for federal firearms violationRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Chester man was sentenced yesterday to four years in prison for possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle.
According to court documents, on May 9, 2025, law enforcement searched the vehicle and residence of Christopher Michael Collius, 53, in connection with an investigation relating to firearms trafficking. During the search, law enforcement recovered dozens of firearms and hundreds of pieces of other evidence. Among other items, investigators found numerous privately made firearms, together with parts and kits; two short-barreled rifles, including one without a serial number and another equipped with a silencer; six additional silencers, including one attached to a shotgun; two converted lower receivers modified to install machinegun conversion devices, qualifying them as machineguns; a destructive device; and numerous rounds of ammunition of various calibers.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and the Chesterfield County Police Department investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Podlesni 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 protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 3:25-cr-139.
Praetorian Group International CEO sentenced to 20 years in prison for $200M bitcoin Ponzi schemeRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The Chief Executive Officer of a multi-level marketing and bitcoin trading firm was sentenced today to 20 years in prison following his conviction on wire fraud and money laundering charges for operating a Ponzi scheme that defrauded over 90,000 investors worldwide.
According to court documents, Ramil Ventura Palafox, 61, a dual citizen of the United States and the Philippines, owned and operated Praetorian Group International (PGI) and served as PGI’s Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and chief promoter. Palafox falsely claimed that PGI was engaged in bitcoin trading, and he promised daily returns of 0.5 to 3%. PGI was not trading bitcoin at a scale capable of making the promised returns, however, and Palafox was paying the investors back with their own money or with funds received from other investors.
From December 2019 to October 2021, at least 90,000 investors worldwide invested more than $201,000,000 in PGI, including at least $30,295,289 in fiat currency and at least 8,198 bitcoin worth $171,498,528. As a result of Palafox’s actions, investors suffered losses totaling at least $62,692,007.
Palafox created a PGI website for investors to review their purported investment performance. From 2020 through 2021, Palafox caused the online portal to consistently and fraudulently misrepresent that victims’ investments were gaining value, misleading them to believe that their investments were profitable and secure.
Palafox spent money on expenses that served both personal purposes and to promote the fraudulent scheme. He spent approximately $3 million on 20 luxury vehicles, including automobiles by Porsche, Lamborghini, McClaren, Ferrari, BMW, Bentley, and others. Palafox spent approximately $329,000 on penthouse suites at a luxury hotel chain and purchased four homes in Las Vegas and Los Angeles worth more than $6 million. Palafox spent another $3 million of investors’ money to buy clothing, watches, jewelry, and home furnishings at luxury retailers, including Louboutin, Neiman Marcus, Gucci, Versace, Ferragamo, Valentino, Cartier, Rolex, and Hermes, among others. He transferred at least $800,000 in fiat currency, plus an additional 100 bitcoin, then valued at approximately $3.3 million, to one of his family members.
The FBI Washington Field Office and the IRS Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jack Morgan and Annie Zanobini and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoe Bedell prosecuted the case.
Victims of PGI may be entitled to restitution payments. Information about how to submit a restitution claim can be found here.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 1:25-cr-5.
Virginia Beach man sentenced to over five years in prison for latest felony convictionRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man was sentenced today to five years and six months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on May 25, 2024, Virginia Beach Police (VBPD) officers observed Khyri Jamar Whitehead, 33, remove a handgun from the trunk of a vehicle, place it in the front of his waistband, and then conceal it with his shirt. Officers continued watching Whitehead until he entered another vehicle as a passenger. VBPD then conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle, removed Whitehead from the vehicle, and recovered the handgun.
Whitehead, a member of the Bounty Hunter Watts gang, has 18 previous felony convictions. As a convicted felon, Whitehead cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and the Virginia Beach Police Department investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke Bresnahan and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc W. West 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 protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 2:25-cr-120.
Guatemalan national who attempted to kill his wife sentenced for illegally reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Guatemalan national was sentenced today to eight years and 10 months in prison in addition to the two and a half years he has already served for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and unlawfully reentering the United States following a previous removal.
According to court documents, Joel Guerra Eraso, 41, was removed from the United States in 2013, after which he unlawfully reentered the United States.
On August 30, 2023, Guerra Eraso wanted to engage in sex with his wife, but she was unable due to pain in her back. Guerra Eraso became angry, held his wife down so she could not escape, and battered her. Guerra Eraso placed a firearm to his wife’s head and pulled the trigger twice, but the firearm did not discharge. Guerra Eraso then pointed the gun at a pillow and pulled the trigger, firing the weapon and striking his wife’s phone.
Guerra Eraso later violated a protective order by contacting her through other inmates while he was incarcerated. Guerra Eraso pled guilty on July 22, 2024, in Northampton County to attempted first degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a violent felony, maliciously shooting in a dwelling, assault and battery of a family or household member, brandishing a firearm, reckless handling of a firearm, and misdemeanor destruction of property.
Guerra Eraso was previously convicted of possession of cocaine, as well as reckless handling of a firearm for an incident in which he was intoxicated and fired a gun multiple times inside a residence while his wife hid in a closet.
Guerra Eraso remains subject to removal from the United States.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Washington, D.C. investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton D. LaForge 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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 2:24-cr-40.
Convicted murderer sentenced to over three years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearmRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced yesterday to three years and 10 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on Jan. 11, 2025, a Richmond Police officer encountered Raheem Bennie Smith, aka Too-Too, 44, asleep at the wheel of a vehicle at an intersection in Richmond. The vehicle was running and still in gear. The officer awakened Smith by tapping on his window and asked Smith to put the vehicle in park.
While speaking with Smith, the officer observed a firearm in the front passenger seat and instructed Smith not to reach for it. Another officer opened the passenger door and recovered the loaded handgun and Smith was arrested. The officers also found cocaine in Smith’s pants.
At the time of his arrest, Smith previously had been convicted of, among other crimes, possession of cocaine, eluding the police, continuously driving with a suspended or revoked license, and second degree murder. As a convicted felon, Smith cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and the Richmond Police Department investigated this case.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Groover, an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney with the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, 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 protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 3:25-cr-112.
Chesterfield woman pleads guilty to defrauding numerous COVID-19 programs and tax chargesRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Chesterfield woman pled guilty today to making false statements to steal from multiple COVID-19 relief programs.
According to court documents, from approximately May 12, 2020, through at least March 18, 2021, Sheila C. Bynum-Coleman, 54, filed for and received at least nine fraudulent COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans totaling over $225,000 on behalf of eight different businesses she and her husband, Rashad H. Coleman, 48, purportedly operated. To obtain these PPP loans, Bynum-Coleman made numerous false certifications, including that each business had significant annual sales and revenue. Bynum-Coleman inflated and manufactured annual sales and revenue figures to inflate the amount of PPP funds for which the business could qualify. Additionally, with each PPP application, Bynum-Coleman fabricated Internal Revenue Service (IRS) income tax return documents to falsely support the inflated business sales and revenue figures.
For instance, though Bynum-Coleman submitted excerpts of a 2020 income tax return as part of multiple PPP loan applications, neither Bynum-Coleman nor her husband filed any income tax returns in 2020. Bynum-Coleman and Coleman also pled guilty to failing to file 2020 income tax returns.
Though Bynum-Coleman represented to financial institutions in PPP applications that she and her husband were operating numerous businesses in 2020, Bynum-Coleman represented to the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) that she was unemployed from March 15, 2020, through February 13, 2021, to obtain pandemic unemployment benefits. Bynum-Coleman falsely certified to the VEC that she had not applied for or received PPP funds for the same time period she was seeking pandemic unemployment benefits. Bynum-Coleman made false statements to the U.S. Small Business Administration to defraud a separate COVID-19 program, the Emergency Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program.
Bynum-Coleman routinely spent fraudulently obtained PPP funds on paying down her home loan, luxury clothing, paying down credit card bills, and other personal spending. Moreover, on May 29, 2020, about a week after receiving $62,500 in PPP loans, Bynum-Coleman transferred $10,000 of fraudulently obtained PPP funds into a bank account in the name of “Friends of Sheila for Delegate,” an account for Bynum-Coleman’s political campaign for the Virginia House of Delegates.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Avi Panth and Thomas A. Garnett prosecuted the case.
The Department of Justice Office of Inspector General Mid-Atlantic Region and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Field Office investigated the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 3:25-cr-44.
Yorktown drug trafficker sentenced to five years in prison for firearm possessionRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Yorktown man was sentenced today to five years in prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, on Feb. 3, 2025, law enforcement conducted a controlled purchase of an ounce of methamphetamine, which was supplied by Jonathan Michael Jenkins, aka JHood, 42. On March 3, 2025, the investigative team searched two residences associated with Jenkins. From the first residence, investigators recovered methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and crack cocaine as well as a loaded handgun. From the second residence, investigators recovered additional indicia of drug trafficking and use.
Jenkins previously was convicted of 15 crimes and 17 probation violations as an adult.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division investigated the case with significant assistance from the Virginia State Police Tri-Rivers Task Force, Gloucester County Sheriff’s Office, Mathews County Sheriff’s Office, and York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon 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 protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 4:25-cr-16.
McLean executive convicted at trial for $1.5M precious metals Ponzi schemeRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted the owner and operator of an Alexandria-based precious metals investment firm yesterday on charges of wire fraud and violating the Travel Act relating to a precious metals Ponzi scheme.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, beginning in November 2021, Warith Deen Muhammad, 39, of McLean, falsely told more than a dozen investors that if they invested with him and his business, Niagara Gold and Silver LLC, he would use their money to buy, trade, and sell precious metals. Muhammad guaranteed profits of five to ten percent and told investors that they would receive their principal plus interest back, typically within 30 days.
To mask the fraud, Muhammad used new investors funds to pay prior investors, leading investors to believe that their investment had been “successful,” inducing them to invest more money and to recruit others to invest. In total, from November 2021 through June 2023, Muhammad used fraudulent representations to induce more than 12 investors to send him over $1.5 million.
In addition to spending investor money to pay prior investors, Muhammad also used investor funds to finance his lavish lifestyle. He leased high-end sports cars, including a Ferrari FF, Bentley, and Dodge Challenger Demon. He paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to rent luxury properties, and he spent tens of thousands of dollars at retailers, including Neiman Marcus, Tiffany’s, and Chanel, among others.
Muhammad faces up to 20 years in prison for count of wire fraud and up to 10 years in prison for Travel Act violation when sentenced on May 6. 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. Attorneys Jack Morgan and Zoe Bedell are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office 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 No. 1:25-cr-284.