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Thursday 28 May 2026
Fort Wayne Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited PersonRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – Kenneth Porter, 39 years old, of Fort Wayne, IN, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing a firearm after being convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.
Porter was sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
“A convicted robber and domestic batterer had no business possessing a firearm and will be going to prison for five years because he chose to do so. Thanks to the ATF, Fort Wayne Police Department, and AUSA Dawn Ransom, our streets are safer with him behind bars,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Mildred.
“The sentence imposed in this case demonstrates what is possible when federal law enforcement partners work with local law enforcement to keep firearms out of the hands of prohibited persons. ATF will continue to work with our partners to aggressively pursue those who unlawfully possess firearms and endanger our communities,” said ATF Chicago Field Division Special Agent in Charge Christopher Amon.
According to documents in the case, Porter was found to be in possession of a firearm despite being prohibited from possessing a firearm due to prior convictions for robbery and domestic battery.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Fort Wayne Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dawn R. Ransom.
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.
Former Suffolk County Corrections Officer Sentenced for COVID Unemployment and Loan FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Suffolk County Sherriff’s Department corrections officer was sentenced in federal court in Boston for submitting fraudulent information in order to obtain loans through CARES Act programs like the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
Christnel Orisca, 26, of Boston, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick to one year of supervised release. Orisca was also ordered to pay $54,700 in restitution and forfeiture. In November 2025, Orisca pleaded guilty to five counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to a financial institution, arising out of PUA, traditional Unemployment Insurance and PPP loan benefits obtained prior to his employment at the Suffolk County Sherriff’s Department. Orisca was arrested and charged in December 2024.
Orisca was a corrections officer with the Suffolk County Sherriff’s Department from late 2021 to December 2024. Orisca fraudulently applied for pandemic unemployment and small business loan benefits while working full-time, initially for a security company and later for a delivery company. While employed full-time, Orisca collected approximately $54,700 in unemployment benefits and small business loan funds.
In his PUA application, Orisca made fraudulent representations about his employment status and thereafter falsely claimed, on a weekly basis, that he did not work and did not receive any income during the prior week. In his PPP loan application, Orisca submitted false statements to SBA-approved lenders, including the income and/or payroll of his purported small businesses, in order to obtain his loan. He also made false representations on forms submitted to request that his PPP loans be forgiven.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Anthony D’Esposito, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D., Inspector General, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Police Department and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao, Chief of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit, prosecuted the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus and https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/combatingfraud.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/webform/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Former Kendall Bank Manager Sentenced to over 1 ½ Years for EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Sandra Campfield, 68, Kendall, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 21 months in federal prison and a $50,000 fine for embezzling money by a bank employee. The prison term will be followed by 2 years of supervised release. As part of her sentence, Campfield was ordered to pay $395,103.67 in restitution to the victims of her embezzlement. Campfield pleaded guilty to this charge on February 18, 2026.
Campfield previously worked as the long-time branch manager of a bank in Elroy, Wisconsin. Between September 2012 and August 2024, she used her position at the bank to steal approximately $351,344 from customer accounts. Campfield also took approximately $43,758 worth of foreign currency from the bank’s vault.
At Campfield’s sentencing, Judge Conley expressed concern over the length and depth of Campfield’s embezzlement scheme and her use of “sophisticated methods” to conceal the fraud. Judge Conley also found it aggravated that Campfield abused her management position to execute her embezzlement.
The charge against Campfield was the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Juneau County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Levins prosecuted the case.
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Former County Prosecutor Sentenced to 10 Years for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Adam J. Westbrook, 35, Neenah, Wisconsin, was sentenced last week by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 10 years in prison for distributing child pornography. The prison term will be followed by 20 years of supervised release. Westbrook pleaded guilty to this charge on September 16, 2024.
In early February 2024, law enforcement arrested a man in Kenosha County, Wisconsin for various sex crimes. They searched his phone and found several videos showing a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Evidence showed that Westbrook had sent the videos to the Kenosha County man.
Before sentencing, Judge Peterson reviewed a letter submitted by Westbrook. He found that Westbrook’s letter and statements at sentencing contained a mix of self-reflection and self-deception. Judge Peterson explained that while Westbrook demonstrated an acute awareness of the risk he posed, his self-deception made him an enormous risk to public safety.
Between his plea and Friday’s sentencing, Westbrook also attempted to withdraw his plea and filed a motion challenging the legality of the indictment. Judge Peterson found Westbrook’s actions inconsistent with accepting responsibility for his crime, which Judge Peterson concluded made Westbrook more dangerous.
The charge against Westbrook was the result of an investigation conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, the Kenosha County Sheriff's Office, and the Neenah and Lake Delton Police Departments, with assistance from the UK National Crime Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Louis Glinzak and Elizabeth Altman prosecuted this case.
This investigation was a part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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.
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Five Individuals Pleaded Guilty for Trafficking Migratory BirdsRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Five individuals pleaded guilty to violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
According to court documents, for the five defendants, all Puerto Rico residents, admitted to unjustly enriching themselves through the trafficking, taking, trapping, sale, and barter of migratory birds. The defendants captured and possessed migratory birds; illegally held them in temporary housing; offered the birds for sale on private internet chat groups; sold the birds to local purchasers; negotiated the price of the birds, paid for, and received payments for the trafficking of migratory birds in Puerto Rico and elsewhere. The migratory birds illegally trafficked included:
- Bahama Pintail ducks;
- Northern Pintail ducks;
- Black-bellied whistling ducks;
- Eastern spot-billed ducks;
- Blue-wing Teal;
- Canadian geese;
- Wood ducks; and
- White-crowned pigeons.
In criminal case 25-504 (PAD), defendant Héctor Rivera González pleaded guilty on May 22, 2026, to a violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. He will be sentenced on August 7, 2026, and faces up to two years in prison.
In criminal case 25-503 (ADC), the following defendants pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to violate the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Each defendant is pending sentencing up to 5 years in prison.
[1] Ricardo Morales-Colón: pleaded guilty on March 5, 2026, and his sentencing is scheduled for June 17, 2026;
[2] Derline Cordero-Galloza: pleaded guilty on March 26, 2026, and his sentencing is scheduled for June 29, 2026;
[3] Ezequiel Muñiz-Salas: pleaded guilty on March 5, 2026, and his sentencing is scheduled for June 17, 2026; and
[4] Edison Pérez-Collado: pleaded guilty on April 23, 2026, and his sentencing is scheduled for July 9, 2026.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico; in conjunction with the investigating agency, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Erbe, Chief of the Financial Fraud and Public Corruption Section is prosecuting the case.
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Felon Who Fled Police with a Stolen Sig Sauer Pistol Sentenced to 30 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON -- Kelon Von Dukes, 22, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 30 months in prison in connection with his unlawful possession of a loaded Sig Sauer 9mm pistol, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
“Dukes had already been convicted twice for carrying a pistol without a license. During this latest encounter with police, he was carrying a stolen gun, led the police on a chase, and ran into oncoming traffic to avoid them,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Repeat offenders like Dukes have really got to ask themselves if it’s all worth the serious federal consequences they face.”
Dukes pleaded guilty on May 29, 2025, before Judge Reggie B. Walton to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. In addition to the 30-month prison term, Judge Walton ordered Dukes to serve three years of supervised release. Federal prosecutors had requested a 46-month prison term.
According to court papers, on March 1, 2025, about 5:25 p.m., members of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Seventh District Special Missions Unit were on patrol in the 4700 block of South Capitol Street SE when they spotted Dukes smoking what appeared to be marijuana cigarette near a gas station. On noticing the officers, Dukes tossed his cigarette and a black bag and fled on foot toward the Maryland border.
Officers pursued Dukes on foot. During the chase, Dukes ran into the street through oncoming traffic, forcing vehicles to swerve to avoid him. Officers eventually detained Dukes on the 400 block of Southern Avenue SE and recovered a loaded Sig Sauer P365 9mm pistol from his jacket pocket. The firearm had one round chambered and eight additional rounds in the magazine. The pistol was later determined to have been stolen.
Officers also recovered the black bag Dukes had discarded, which contained marijuana, a digital scale, and cash.
Dukes was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to his two 2023 felony convictions for carrying a pistol without a license.
The investigation was conducted by the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Washington Field Office. The matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Ibanez.
This case was prosecuted under the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful initiative. Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful is a law enforcement initiative in support of President Trump’s Executive Order to crack down on gun violence, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties, and seek detention for federal firearms violators.
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Federal Jury Convicts Armed Multi-Convicted Felon in Explosive Arson and Counterfeit Oxy Fentanyl SchemeRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A federal jury in Fort Lauderdale convicted a multi-convicted felon who ignited a vehicle on fire, loaded with fentanyl disguised as oxycodone pills, crack cocaine, cash, and a firearm while law enforcement officers stood nearby during a Palm Beach County drug trafficking investigation.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Willie James Skipper, Jr., 42, of Boynton Beach, was under law enforcement surveillance on Oct. 31, 2025, after officers observed him engaging in suspected hand-to-hand narcotics exchanges in an area of Palm Beach County known for violent crime and open-air drug trafficking. A narcotics-detection K-9 later alerted to Skipper’s vehicle.
“This case shows the lethal mix we are confronting in South Florida: fentanyl disguised as prescription pills, crack cocaine, cash, firearms, and violence,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The evidence at trial showed that Willie James Skipper Jr., a multi-convicted felon, set fire to a vehicle loaded with drugs and a firearm while law enforcement officers stood just feet away. That explosion could have killed officers and innocent people nearby. Thanks to the courage of our federal, state, and local partners, this defendant was stopped, convicted, and now faces serious federal prison time.”
While officers waited for a tow truck to impound the vehicle, Skipper walked to a nearby gas station, purchased gasoline, returned to the vehicle, poured gasoline onto it, and ignited the vehicle, causing a major explosion while officers were positioned within feet of the vehicle. Skipper then fled on foot before being taken into custody.
A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed distribution quantities of fentanyl disguised as oxycodone pills, crack cocaine, large amounts of cash, and a loaded firearm concealed in hidden compartments.
During trial, expert witnesses and law enforcement officers testified regarding the dangers posed by fentanyl disguised as legitimate prescription medication, the violent nature of the vehicle fire, and the risk of catastrophic injury posed by nearby propane tanks. Additional testimony established that DNA evidence linked Skipper to both the narcotics and the firearm recovered from the vehicle.
The jury convicted Skipper of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and arson.
Skipper faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Certain remaining counts were severed by the Court and are pending. The defendant is presumed innocent of the pending charges unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones; Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Jason Stankiewicz of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division; and Sheriff Ric Bradshaw of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) made the announcement.
FBI Miami, ATF Miami Field Office, and PBSO are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shannon O’Shea Darsch and Brian Ralston are prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 26-cr-80049.
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Father and Son Contractors Admit Tax Evasion, Payroll Tax Fraud, and Fraudulently Obtaining a Loan Meant to Help Small Businesses During COVID-19 Pandemic and Related OffensesRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – An Elmer, New Jersey, businessman yesterday admitted to income tax evasion, failing to pay payroll taxes to the IRS, and fraudulently obtaining a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.
Zackary Sulpizi, 30, of Sewell, New Jersey, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court to an information charging him with income tax evasion, failing to collect, account for, and pay over payroll taxes, and bank fraud resulting from his fraudulent loan.
Previously, on April 1, 2026, Sulpizi’s father, William Brent Stephens, 58, appeared before Judge Williams and pleaded guilty to income tax evasion, failing to collect, account for and pay over payroll taxes, bankruptcy fraud, and providing false statements to the IRS.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Sulpizi was part owner of BZS Contracting Incorporated, which was doing business as Stephens Contracting Inc. in Elmer, New Jersey. Stephens Contracting provided landscaping and construction services. At times, Sulpizi helped his father run Stephens Contracting. Sulpizi also formed several other businesses, which were used to operate Stephens Contracting.
Sulpizi admitted that he opened business and personal bank accounts at several financial institutions and used those bank accounts to withdraw cash to pay biweekly cash payroll. Sulpizi deposited customer checks into his personal bank accounts and cashed business checks against those accounts to pay payroll.
Sulpizi admitted that for tax years 2019 through 2022, he paid his employees approximately $446,573 in cash wages and that he willfully failed to file payroll tax returns and failed to pay over $34,162 in employment taxes on behalf of his employees.
Sulpizi further admitted that for the years 2019 through 2022, when he filed his income tax returns with the IRS, he failed to report approximately $389,650 that he had received in income from his business. He also failed to report personal expenses paid by his business, as well as other income that he had received. As a result, Sulpizi failed to pay approximately $74,920 in taxes during this time period.
In addition to Sulpizi defrauding the IRS, Sulpizi also submitted a fraudulent application to a lender to obtain a PPP loan, resulting in bank fraud.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law enacted in March 2020 and was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of hundreds of billions of dollars in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through the Paycheck Protection Program. The CARES Act also authorized the Small Business Administration to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million to eligible small businesses that were experiencing substantial financial disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To obtain a PPP loan, a qualifying small business was required to submit an application and provide information about its operations, including the number of employees and expenses. In addition, businesses generally had to provide supporting documentation for their application.
In May 2021, Sulpizi submitted an application to obtain a PPP loan. In the application, he falsely represented to the lender that he had employees and payroll expenses. In further support of his application, Sulpizi submitted various IRS Forms to establish that he was paying compensation to his employees and various schedules showing gross receipts and profits. Those forms contained false information, and they were never actually submitted to the IRS, as Sulpizi had claimed; instead, the forms were only created and used for the purpose of securing the loan.
Based on Sulpizi’s misrepresentations, the lender approved the PPP loan and disbursed approximately $16,935 in federal COVID-19 emergency relief funds meant for distressed small businesses to Sulpizi.
The charges of income tax evasion and failing to collect, account for and pay over payroll taxes each carry a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. The charge of bank fraud carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of $1 million. As part of his guilty plea, Sulpizi agreed to make restitution to the IRS in the full amount of the taxes that he owes, and he also agreed to make restitution to the lender in the full amount of the PPP loan. Sulpizi’s sentencing is scheduled for October 19, 2026.
Sulpizi’s guilty plea came less than two months after his father, Stephens, admitted to committing tax and fraud crimes in connection with Stephens Contracting.
During his April 1, 2026 plea hearing, Stephens admitted that during 2019 through 2023, he owned Stephens Contracting LLC. At times his son, Sulpizi helped him run Stephens Contracting. Stephens also admitted to having an ownership interest in two massage parlors in New Jersey.
Stephens admitted that for years 2019 through 2022, he failed to report approximately $1,165,268 of income that he earned from his various businesses on his Income Tax Returns. Based on that income, Stephens admitted that he owes $288,297 in taxes to the IRS.
Stephens also admitted to running a cash payroll for his employees and failing to pay payroll taxes to the IRS. Between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2022, Stephens’ companies hired and paid employees to work on various landscaping and construction projects. Stephens paid his employees approximately $718,237 in wages. During this time, Stephens failed to collect and pay over to the IRS approximately $54,946 in employment taxes.
Stephens further admitted that, as part of his bankruptcy proceedings filed in the District of New Jersey, he deliberately concealed his assets, including the amount of income that he received from operating his contracting businesses, his income from the massage parlors, his unemployment insurance payments, and the sale of Stephens Contracting vehicles. He further admitted to lying to the IRS Special Agents when they interviewed him in January 2023 during their investigation into his business’s failure to pay over payroll taxes and his failure to pay income taxes.
The charges of income tax evasion and failing to collect, account for and pay over payroll taxes, bankruptcy fraud, and false statements, each carry a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. As part of his guilty plea, Stephens agreed to make restitution to the IRS in the full amount of the taxes that he owes. Stephens’ sentencing is scheduled for August 4, 2026.
U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents of the Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Jenifer L. Piovesan, Special Agent-in-Charge, New Jersey Field Office, with the investigation leading to yesterday’s guilty plea.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason M. Richardson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.
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Defense counsel: Christopher St. John, Esq., Marlton, N.J. for Zachary Sulpizi
Martin Isenberg, Esq., Gibbsboro, for William Brent Stephens
sulpizi.information.pdfEast Hills Resident Sentenced to Prison Following Third Conviction for Mail TheftRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court on May 26, 2026, to one count of mail theft and was sentenced to 27 months of incarceration on his conviction and corresponding violation of federal supervised release, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy imposed the sentence on Tyrone Mobley, 58, of the East Hills neighborhood of Pittsburgh.
According to information presented to the Court, Mobley stole a package from a resident of an apartment building in the Oakland/Shadyside area. The package had been shipped through the United States Postal Service and was stolen by Mobley from the mailbox receptacle area of the apartment building. This was the third time that Mobley, who was under federal supervision for a previous conviction at the time of the theft, has been federally charged and convicted for mail theft.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Hardy stated that mail theft is a very significant offense that is not only a personal invasion to the victim of the theft, but also erodes public trust in the postal system. Judge Hardy added that Mobley’s sentencing should send a message to other individuals who think about stealing mail that they could be imprisoned for such an offense.
Assistant United States Attorney Nicole A. Stockey prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.United States Attorney Rivetti commended the United States Postal Inspection Service for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Mobley.
Dual Iranian-Iraqi National Indicted for Providing Material Support to Terrorist OrganizationsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced an eight-count indictment charging Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national, with terrorism-related offenses for his activities as an operative of Kata’ib Hizballah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), two U.S. designated foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs), including his involvement in nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks throughout Europe and the United States.
“As alleged in this indictment, Al-Saadi has been directly involved in terrorist operations and military decisions to attack U.S. and Israeli interests across the world and conspired with others to plan deadly attacks on American soil,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Now that he has been removed from his perch as an alleged commander of Kata’ib Hizballah with close ties to the Iranian regime and its proxies around the world, we look forward to vigorously prosecuting him under American law in an American courtroom.”
“As alleged, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi worked with Iranian-backed terrorist organizations to direct successful attacks that targeted civilians and attempted to target civilians in the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York. “Al-Saadi claims to be part of the ‘resistance,’ a group that includes the IRGC, an Iran-based designated foreign terrorist organization. These organizations have a stated goal of destroying our society and our collective commitment to freedom, security, and a better world for our children. The IRGC’s claims are not just rhetoric, they are taking action around the world to undermine America and American values. All Americans should recognize that we have sworn enemies and when your enemies tell you something, and when they act, you should know that they mean it. For over 40 years, Iranian-backed groups, including the IRGC, have been committed to bringing terror to our shores, and our Office is proud to join with our colleagues across the Justice Department, the FBI, the NYPD, and many other partners to bring these groups to justice.”
“The FBI’s successful FTOC of Mohammad Al-Saadi, another high-value target responsible for mass global terrorism, is just the latest success in this administration’s historic work to bring terrorists to justice,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This was a righteous mission executed brilliantly by our agents, investigators, CIRG tactical units, interagency partners and our allies around the world who delivered yet again. This FBI will use our vast resources to detect and stop acts of terrorism and will work with our Justice Department partners to make sure those who engage in such actions are held accountable.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment and other public court filings, Al-Saadi, a longtime operative of Kata’ib Hizballah and the IRGC, has furthered the terrorist goals of those groups since at least in or about 2017. Al-Saadi allegedly has worked closely with senior leaders of both terrorist organizations and, following U.S. airstrikes killing certain of those terrorist leaders, has directed others to exact retribution by killing U.S. citizens and U.S. political and military leaders. In addition, as alleged, in recent months, Al-Saadi has helped plan and direct approximately 18 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe on behalf of those terrorist organizations (the “European Terrorist Attacks”). Those attacks were carried out in the name of a purportedly new terrorist group with the pseudonym Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, which is actually a front of Kata’ib Hizballah and other U.S. designated FTOs.
In addition, in or about March and April 2026, Al-Saadi attempted to carry out attacks in the United States, including against a synagogue in New York, New York. Most recently, on or about April 30, Al-Saadi tried to find someone in the United States who could carry out a terrorist attack and kill or injure individuals here. Specifically, that day Al-Saadi called an individual in the United States (SOI-1) and asked if SOI-1 knew someone who could “attack” in the United States, including by “burning, . . . or whatever he can,” including “killing.” The next day, however, Al-Saadi, who was based in Iraq, was detained while traveling abroad.
On or about May 14, Al-Saadi was transferred into the custody of the FBI and transported to the United States, where he was brought to the Southern District of New York. Several electronic devices that Al-Saadi had been traveling with, including an Apple iPhone (the “Al-Saadi Phone”), were also transferred into the custody of the FBI. While in FBI custody en route to the United States, Al-Saadi waived his Miranda rights and voluntarily made statements to U.S. law enforcement agents. Al-Saadi stated, in substance and in part, that he was a leader of “the resistance,” which he explained encompasses the IRGC and its proxies, including Kata’ib Hizballah, Hizballah, and the Houthis, all of which are U.S. designated foreign terrorist organizations. As part of his role in “the resistance,” Al-Saadi stated that he was in charge of media and psychological warfare, including against the United States, as well as strategy and military intelligence. Al-Saadi was also responsible for media for Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, as part of his role handling media for the “resistance.” Al-Saadi explained that the propaganda videos of the European Terrorist Attacks were part of the “psychological warfare” that “the resistance” was waging against the United States, designed to instill fear and terror in civilians.
Al-Saadi also described his close relationships with the current and former leadership of the IRGC. Al-Saadi said he was like a son of Qasem Soleimani, the longtime commander of the IRGC Quds Force (IRGC-QF) who was killed during a U.S. airstrike in or about 2020. According to Al-Saadi, prior to Soleimani’s death, Al-Saadi constantly traveled with him and was supposed to be driving Soleimani to meet Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, then the leader of Kata’ib Hizballah, the day that Soleimani and al-Muhandis were killed in a U.S. airstrike. Al-Saadi further stated that he was also close with Iran’s former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Al-Saadi explained that approximately three days before the current conflict with Iran began on or about Feb. 28 and Khamenei was killed, Al-Saadi met with Khamenei in Iran.
Al-Saadi’s social media accounts and the Al-Saadi Phone also contain evidence of Al-Saadi’s allegedly longstanding role supporting the IRGC, Kata’ib Hizballah, and Hizballah, as well as of his direct involvement in the planning, execution, and promotion of the European Terrorist Attacks.
For example, the Al-Saadi phone contains videos and photos of Al-Saadi meeting with the leadership of the IRGC, Kata’ib Hizballah, and the Houthis; images glorifying the IRGC and Hizballah; and videos and photos reflecting Al-Saadi’s own role as a commander in Kata’ib Hizballah, with access to machineguns and other dangerous weapons, including a video of Al-Saadi meeting with Soleimani (the former leader of the IRGC-QF) and Akram ‘Abbas al-Kabi (a U.S.-designated terrorist and one of the main operatives in Iraq of the IRGC-QF) in what appears to be an underground operations center. Below are screenshots from the video, showing (i) from left to right, al-Kabi, Soleimani, and Al-Saadi together, and (ii) other individuals in the same room dressed in military uniforms.
Another photo, shown below, from on or about Feb. 12, 2024, of Al-Saadi standing in front of an array of machineguns in a conference room that Al-Saadi, in his post-arrest interview, stated was located in a building that at the time was used for “military intelligence” for “the resistance.” The room has a map on the wall of what appears to be the United States accompanied by a list of “legitimate targets” (redacted here) identifying a number of prominent former and current U.S. officials.
Al-Saadi’s social media accounts and the Al-Saadi Phone also contain evidence of Al-Saadi’s role in the planning, execution, and promotion of the European Terrorist Attacks. Al-Saadi participated in FaceTime calls with attackers as they were carrying out certain of the European Terrorist Attacks in real time, filmed those attacks as they were being conducted, helped create and disseminate propaganda videos of the attacks, discussed with a Kata’ib Hizballah member the need to engage in “psychological warfare” and the timing for certain of the attacks, and warned the Kata’ib Hizballah member about an attacker who had been arrested.
For example, on or about April 14, Al-Saadi received on an encrypted messaging application videos of two men dressed in hazmat suits, with the Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya logo taped to each suit, and a drone that appears to have two vials of white powder attached to it. Screenshots from these videos are shown below. The content of these videos is consistent with the propaganda video that Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya posted on Telegram on or about April 16, 2026, in which it claimed that its members had attacked the Israeli Embassy in London using drones that were loaded with dangerous carcinogenic and radioactive materials.
A video from on or about April 18 — the day of one of the European Terrorist Attacks against a synagogue in London — of Al-Saadi and approximately three or four other men on a FaceTime video call. The video call is projected onto a large screen against the background of the Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyah logo. Al-Saadi is recording the attack through the call. In the video, one of the men, in English, instructs the individual on the other end of the call to execute the attack, directing that individual to take a lighter and “light one in your hand,” “light it” and “throw the fourth one.” Below is a screenshot from the video, with Al-Saadi, filming the attack, circled in red:
The Al-Saadi Phone also contains evidence that the European Terrorist Attacks were conducted on behalf of and in coordination with Kata’ib Hizballah and related terrorist organizations, and that Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya was just a front of those organizations. For example, one of Al-Saadi’s primary phone contacts is a member of Kata’ib Hizballah (the “Kata’ib Hizballah Contact”), with whom Al-Saadi was constantly in touch during the European Terrorist Attacks. Al-Saadi exchanged with the Kata’ib Hizballah Contact propaganda videos of certain of the European Terrorist Attacks, which Al-Saadi instructed the Kata’ib Hizballah Contact to post on news outlets. In doing so, Al-Saadi explained that “[t]he most important thing is that within the psychological warfare, they [referring to Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya’s messages] are useful,” and that “anything that distracts the enemy is useful.” For example, on or about April 29, 2026 — the day two Jewish men, including a dual U.S.-British citizen, were stabbed in London in one of the European Terrorist Attacks — Al-Saadi instructed the Kata’ib Hizballah Contact to “post it in the news[,] important,” referring to video footage of that attack, including a propaganda video that Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya posted on Telegram in which it claimed credit for that attack. That same day, Al-Saadi sent the following message to the Kata’ib Hizballah Contact: “If God grants us success tonight, there will be a shooting at a restaurant.” Al-Saadi, however, was detained shortly after he sent that message.
* * *
Al-Saadi, 32, of Iraq and Iran, has been charged with: (i) conspiring to provide material support to Kata’ib Hizballah, a foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; (ii) conspiring to provide material support to the IRGC, a foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; (iii) conspiring to provide material support for acts of terrorism, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison; (iv) providing material support for acts of terrorism, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison; (v) attempted acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, (vi) conspiring to bomb a place of public use, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison; (vii) attempted destruction of property by means of fire or explosive, which carries a minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; and (viii) financing terrorism, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
The statutory maximum and mandatory minimum penalties are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the NYPD, and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies, and the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterterrorism Division investigated the case. Assistance was provided by the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterterrorism Section, the Office of International Affairs of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the NYPD, and the New York State Police.
This prosecution is being handled by the National Security and International Narcotics Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey W. Coyle and Sarah L. Kushner for the Southern District of New York are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney James Donnelly of the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.
The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Dual Iranian-Iraqi National Indicted for Providing Material Support to Terrorist OrganizationsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, Acting Attorney General for the United States, Todd Blanche, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Kash Patel, Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the FBI, James C. Barnacle, Jr., and Assistant Director in Charge of the Washington Field Office of the FBI, Darren Cox, announced today an eight-count indictment charging MOHAMMAD BAQER SAAD DAWOOD AL-SAADI, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national, with terrorism-related offenses for his activities as an operative of Kata’ib Hizballah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (“IRGC”), two U.S. designated foreign terrorist organizations (“FTOs”), including his involvement in nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks throughout Europe and the United States. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon.
“As alleged, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi worked with Iranian-backed terrorist organizations to direct successful attacks that targeted civilians and attempted to target civilians in the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Al-Saadi claims to be part of the ‘resistance,’ a group that includes the IRGC, an Iran-based designated foreign terrorist organization. These organizations have a stated goal of destroying our society and our collective commitment to freedom, security, and a better world for our children. The IRGC’s claims are not just rhetoric, they are taking action around the world to undermine America and American values. All Americans should recognize that we have sworn enemies and when your enemies tell you something, and when they act, you should know that they mean it. For over 40 years, Iranian-backed groups, including the IRGC, have been committed to bringing terror to our shores, and our Office is proud to join with our colleagues across the Justice Department, the FBI, the NYPD, and many other partners to bring these groups to justice.”
“As alleged in this indictment, Al-Saadi has been directly involved in terrorist operations and military decisions to attack U.S. and Israeli interests across the world and conspired with others to plan deadly attacks on American soil,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Now that he has been removed from his perch as an alleged commander of Kata’ib Hizballah with close ties to the Iranian regime and its proxies around the world, we look forward to vigorously prosecuting him under American law in an American courtroom.”
“The FBI’s successful FTOC of Mohammad Al-Saadi, another high-value target responsible for mass global terrorism, is just the latest success in this administration’s historic work to bring terrorists to justice,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This was a righteous mission executed brilliantly by our agents, investigators, CIRG tactical units, interagency partners and our allies around the world who delivered yet again. This FBI will use our vast resources to detect and stop acts of terrorism and will work with our Justice Department partners to make sure those who engage in such actions are held accountable.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment and other public court filings:(1)
AL-SAADI, a longtime operative of Kata’ib Hizballah and the IRGC, has furthered the terrorist goals of those groups since at least in or about 2017. AL-SAADI allegedly has worked closely with senior leaders of both terrorist organizations and, following U.S. airstrikes killing certain of those terrorist leaders, has directed others to exact retribution by killing U.S. citizens and U.S. political and military leaders. In addition, as alleged, in recent months, AL-SAADI has helped plan and direct approximately 18 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe on behalf of those terrorist organizations (the “European Terrorist Attacks”). Those attacks were carried out in the name of a purportedly new terrorist group with the pseudonym Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, which is actually a front of Kata’ib Hizballah and other U.S. designated FTOs.
In addition, in or about March and April 2026, AL-SAADI attempted to carry out attacks in the United States, including against a synagogue in New York, New York. Most recently, on or about April 30, 2026, AL-SAADI tried to find someone in the United States who could carry out a terrorist attack and kill or injure individuals here. Specifically, that day AL-SAADI called an individual in the United States (“SOI-1”) and asked if SOI-1 knew someone who could “attack” in the United States, including by “burning, . . . or whatever he can,” including “killing.” The next day, however, AL-SAADI, who was based in Iraq, was detained while traveling abroad.
On or about May 14, 2026, AL-SAADI was transferred into the custody of the FBI and transported to the United States, where he was brought to the Southern District of New York. Several electronic devices that AL-SAADI had been traveling with, including an Apple iPhone (the “AL-SAADI Phone”), were also transferred into the custody of the FBI. While in FBI custody en route to the United States, AL-SAADI waived his Miranda rights and voluntarily made statements to U.S. law enforcement agents. AL-SAADI stated, in substance and in part, that he was a leader of “the resistance,” which he explained encompasses the IRGC and its proxies, including Kata’ib Hizballah, Hizballah, and the Houthis, all of which are U.S. designated foreign terrorist organizations. As part of his role in “the resistance,” AL-SAADI stated that he was in charge of media and psychological warfare, including against the United States, as well as strategy and military intelligence. AL-SAADI was also responsible for media for Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, as part of his role handling media for the “resistance.” AL-SAADI explained that the propaganda videos of the European Terrorist Attacks were part of the “psychological warfare” that “the resistance” was waging against the United States, designed to instill fear and terror in civilians.
AL-SAADI also described his close relationships with the current and former leadership of the IRGC. AL-SAADI said he was like a son of Qasem Soleimani, the longtime commander of the IRGC Quds Force (“IRGC-QF”) who was killed during a U.S. airstrike in or about 2020. According to AL-SAADI, prior to Soleimani’s death, AL-SAADI constantly traveled with him and was supposed to be driving Soleimani to meet Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, then the leader of Kata’ib Hizballah, the day that Soleimani and al-Muhandis were killed in a U.S. airstrike. AL-SAADI further stated that he was also close with Iran’s former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. AL-SAADI explained that approximately three days before the current conflict with Iran began on or about February 28, 2026, and Khamenei was killed, AL-SAADI met with Khamenei in Iran.
AL-SAADI’s social media accounts and the AL-SAADI Phone also contain evidence of AL-SAADI’s allegedly longstanding role supporting the IRGC, Kata’ib Hizballah, and Hizballah, as well as of his direct involvement in the planning, execution, and promotion of the European Terrorist Attacks.
For example, the AL-SAADI phone contains videos and photos of AL-SAADI meeting with the leadership of the IRGC, Kata’ib Hizballah, and the Houthis; images glorifying the IRGC and Hizballah; and videos and photos reflecting AL-SAADI’s own role as a commander in Kata’ib Hizballah, with access to machineguns and other dangerous weapons, including:
A video of AL-SAADI meeting with Soleimani (the former leader of the IRGC-QF) and Akram ‘Abbas al-Kabi (a U.S.-designated terrorist and one of the main operatives in Iraq of the IRGC-QF) in what appears to be an underground operations center. Below are screenshots from the video, showing (i) from left to right, al-Kabi, Soleimani, and AL-SAADI together, and (ii) other individuals in the same room dressed in military uniforms.
A photo, shown below, from on or about February 12, 2024, of AL-SAADI standing in front of an array of machineguns in a conference room that AL-SAADI, in his post-arrest interview, stated was located in a building that at the time was used for “military intelligence” for “the resistance.” The room has a map on the wall of what appears to be the United States accompanied by a list of “legitimate targets” (redacted here) identifying a number of prominent former and current U.S. officials:
AL-SAADI’s social media accounts and the AL-SAADI Phone also contain evidence of AL-SAADI’s role in the planning, execution, and promotion of the European Terrorist Attacks. As described further below, AL-SAADI participated in FaceTime calls with attackers as they were carrying out certain of the European Terrorist Attacks in real time, filmed those attacks as they were being conducted, helped create and disseminate propaganda videos of the attacks, discussed with a Kata’ib Hizballah member the need to engage in “psychological warfare” and the timing for certain of the attacks, and warned the Kata’ib Hizballah member about an attacker who had been arrested.
For example, on or about April 14, 2026, AL-SAADI received on an encrypted messaging application videos of two men dressed in hazmat suits, with the Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya logo taped to each suit, and a drone that appears to have two vials of white powder attached to it. Screenshots from these videos are shown below. The content of these videos is consistent with the propaganda video that Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya posted on Telegram on or about April 16, 2026, in which it claimed that its members had attacked the Israeli Embassy in London using drones that were loaded with dangerous carcinogenic and radioactive materials.
A video from on or about April 18, 2026—the day of one of the European Terrorist Attacks against a synagogue in London—of AL-SAADI and approximately three or four other men on a FaceTime video call. The video call is projected onto a large screen against the background of the Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyah logo. AL-SAADI is recording the attack through the call. In the video, one of the men, in English, instructs the individual on the other end of the call to execute the attack, directing that individual to take a lighter and “light one in your hand,” “light it” and “throw the fourth one.” Below is a screenshot from the video, with AL-SAADI, filming the attack, circled in red:
The AL-SAADI Phone also contains evidence that the European Terrorist Attacks were conducted on behalf of and in coordination with Kata’ib Hizballah and related terrorist organizations, and that Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya was just a front of those organizations. For example, one of AL-SAADI’s primary phone contacts is a member of Kata’ib Hizballah (the “Kata’ib Hizballah Contact”), with whom AL-SAADI was constantly in touch during the European Terrorist Attacks. AL-SAADI exchanged with the Kata’ib Hizballah Contact propaganda videos of certain of the European Terrorist Attacks, which AL-SAADI instructed the Kata’ib Hizballah Contact to post on news outlets. In doing so, AL-SAADI explained that “[t]he most important thing is that within the psychological warfare, they [referring to Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya’s messages] are useful,” and that “anything that distracts the enemy is useful.” For example, on or about April 29, 2026—the day two Jewish men, including a dual U.S.-British citizen, were stabbed in London in one of the European Terrorist Attacks—AL-SAADI instructed the Kata’ib Hizballah Contact to “post it in the news[,] important,” referring to video footage of that attack, including a propaganda video that Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya posted on Telegram in which it claimed credit for that attack. That same day, AL-SAADI sent the following message to the Kata’ib Hizballah Contact: “If God grants us success tonight, there will be a shooting at a restaurant.” AL-SAADI, however, was detained shortly after he sent that message.
* * *
AL-SAADI, 32, of Iraq and Iran, has been charged with: (i) conspiring to provide material support to Kata’ib Hizballah, a foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; (ii) conspiring to provide material support to the IRGC, a foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; (iii) conspiring to provide material support for acts of terrorism, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison; (iv) providing material support for acts of terrorism, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison; (v) attempted acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, (vi) conspiring to bomb a place of public use, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison; (vii) attempted destruction of property by means of fire or explosive, which carries a mandatory minimum term of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; and (viii) financing terrorism, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
The statutory maximum and mandatory minimum penalties are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the NYPD, and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies, and the FBI Washington Field Office, Counterterrorism Division, as well as the assistance of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterterrorism Section, the Office of International Affairs of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the NYPD, the New York State Police, and the Department of State.
This prosecution is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey W. Coyle and Sarah L. Kushner are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney James Donnelly of the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
^
As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
District Man Sentenced in Illegal Possession of a Machine Gun Inside a Charter High SchoolRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – James Adrian Brewer, 20, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 16 months in prison in connection with his possession of a machine gun on the grounds of a Northwest charter school, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Brewer pleaded guilty on Feb. 12, 2026, before Judge Jia M. Cobb to one count of unlawful possession of a machine gun. In addition to the 16-month prison term, Judge Cobb ordered Brewer to serve two years of supervised release. Federal prosecutors had requested a sentence of 27 months in prison.
“Bringing a machine gun onto school grounds is an act that puts students, staff, and the entire community at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Schools must be safe spaces where students can learn without fear. Today’s sentence reflects our commitment to holding accountable those who endanger the public.”
According to court documents, Brewer was attending the Goodwill Excel Center Adult Charter School in Northwest Washington on Sept. 3, 2025, when a school administrator observed Brewer with what appeared to be a firearm tucked into his waistband. When confronted, Brewer surrendered the pistol to the administrator, who then turned it over to Metropolitan Police Department officers.
The firearm was later determined to be a Glock 19 9mm pistol that previously had been reported stolen. The Glock was loaded with 23 rounds of ammunition and outfitted with a switch-style machine gun conversion device (MCD) which allowed it to function as a fully automatic weapon.
As part of his plea, Brewer admitted to possessing the handgun at the school. He further admitted to knowing that the MCD converted the pistol into a machine gun. When asked if he knew what an MCD did, Brewer stated that it made the firearm “fun” and shoot quickly.
This case was investigated by the MPD with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyssa Levey-Weinstein and former Assistant U.S. Attorney James B. Nelson.
The Glock 19 9mm pistol that previously had been reported stolen.
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Department of Justice Accuses States of Undermining the Constitution and Putting Public Safety at RiskRead the Press Release
On Wednesday, May 27th, the Department of Justice filed lawsuits against the states of Maine, Washington, Oregon, and Massachusetts, challenging their policies that deny confidential license plates to federal agents. These lawsuits come after each state refused to rescind their policies in response to a letter from the Department explaining the policies’ illegality on constitutional grounds.
As alleged in the complaint, these policies are unconstitutional and threaten operational effectiveness and agent and public safety at a time where federal law enforcement agents are facing harassment and heighted tensions with portions of the communities they serve. If federal agents cannot use confidential plates, criminals can track and evade law enforcement and disrupt critical intelligence and takedown operations that result in the removal of drug smugglers, human traffickers, pedophiles, and other very violent criminals from our communities. There is no justification for states to deny confidential license plates to federal agents, and doing so unnecessarily increases safety risks.
“This Department of Justice will exercise any and all lawful authorities to support the brave men and women of law enforcement,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Law enforcement officers risk their lives every day to keep Americans safe and must be able to carry out their duties effectively. By denying undercover license plates to DHS components, including ICE, while issuing them to their own state agencies, these governors are pursuing discriminatory and obstructionist policies against federal law enforcement. These actions undermine federal immigration enforcement, allow dangerous criminals to escape justice, and terrorize American communities.”
“I’m grateful to represent our law enforcement partners in this lawsuit to protect their ability to safely and effectively do their jobs. This lawsuit has one single goal: ensure that these brave men and women can remove the worst of the worst from our community without unnecessarily jeopardizing their own safety and public safety,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Pete Serrano.
Acting Attorney General Blanche has instructed the Department’s Civil Division to identify state and local laws, policies, and practices that facilitate violations of federal laws or impede lawful federal operations. This lawsuit is the latest in a series of lawsuits brought by the Civil Division targeting illegal policies designed to thwart federal law enforcement across the country.
Culver City Restauranteur Sentenced to Nearly 3½ Years in Federal Prison for Fraudulently Obtaining over $4 Million in COVID Business LoansRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A Culver City restauranteur who owns a hospitality company that has developed restaurants and hotels in California, Tennessee, and Kentucky was sentenced today to 41 months in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining more than $4 million COVID-19 economic-relief loans.
Philip Frederick Camino, 46, was sentenced by United States District Judge Fred W. Slaughter, who also ordered him to pay $4,365,667 in restitution. At the conclusion of today’s hearing, Camino was remanded into federal custody.
Camino pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
During the spring of 2020, Congress created two federal programs to provide financial assistance to Americans and businesses suffering economic harm because of the COVID-19 pandemic: Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL).
From April 2020 to April 2021, Camino, who owned several companies based in Hollywood, Westwood, Studio City, and Beverly Hills as well as in Arizona, submitted and caused to be submitted false and fraudulent applications to the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) and banks for PPP and EIDL loans.
In these applications, Camino made false statements, including inflating the number of employees, providing fictitious federal tax forms that were never filed with the IRS, and falsely certifying that the loan proceeds would be used for permissible business purposes. In total, Camino submitted more than 20 fraudulent loan applications from which he obtained more than $4 million.
Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Chief Assistant United States Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Division Jennifer L. Waier prosecuted this case.
Criminal Illegal Alien from Mexico Sentenced for Illegally Reentering the CountryRead the Press Release
Pensacola, Florida – Jose Perez-Perez, also known as “Luis Zavaleta-Cruz” and “Luis Angel Torres Arcos,” 42, of Mexico, was sentenced to twelve months in federal prison after pleading guilty to illegal reentry of a removed alien. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This violent criminal alien was previously deported after a felony conviction, but thought he could illegally return to our country without consequence. Wrong. Our nation’s immigration laws are not mere suggestions, they are in place to keep our communities safe from criminals like this defendant. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute criminal illegal aliens to send them to federal prison before deporting them back to wherever they came from.”
According to court records, the defendant was deported from the United States in 2023 after being convicted of driving under the influence, battery, resisting arrest, and illegal reentry into the United States. He illegally returned to the United States and was found in Escambia County, Florida, in December 2025 after providing a fake identification card to law enforcement.
Deportation proceedings against him will commence following the conclusion of serving his federal sentence.
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant United States Attorney Brooke DiSalvo is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Coos Bay Woman Charged with Embezzlement of Approximately $1.9 Million from BankRead the Press Release
EUGENE, Ore.—A federal grand jury in Eugene returned an indictment charging a Coos Bay, Oregon, woman after she allegedly embezzled money while working as a bank manager.
Heather Lynn Casas, 44, has been charged with bank theft, embezzlement, or misapplication by a bank officer or employee.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from August 2024 through December 2024, Casas, while working as a bank manager for a bank in Coos Bay, stole approximately $1.9 million from the bank.
Casas made her initial appearance in federal court today before a U.S. magistrate judge. She was arraigned, pleaded not guilty, and ordered released pending a jury trial scheduled to begin on August 24, 2026.
If convicted, Casas faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison, 5 years of supervised release, and a fine of $1,000,000.
U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon made the announcement.
The FBI is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Huynh is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Conway Felon Sentenced to Nearly 12 Years in Federal Prison for Weapon ViolationRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Brian Justin Canty, 37, of Conway, was sentenced to nearly 12 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Evidence presented in court showed that Canty possessed guns and drugs during two separate traffic stops in 2023.On March 1, 2023, Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office deputies stopped a vehicle in Georgetown. Canty was in the front passenger seat. During a search of the vehicle, deputies found a red backpack beneath Canty’s feet. The backpack contained a loaded 9mm pistol with 17 rounds of ammunition, packaged marijuana, and a digital scale.
On April 28, 2023, less than two months later, the South Carolina Highway Patrol stopped another vehicle in Myrtle Beach. Canty was again in the front passenger seat. Officers found a stolen pistol under Canty’s seat. They also found approximately 133 grams of marijuana, 100 dosage units of MDMA, and a hydrocodone pill.
Canty is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he has previous felony convictions, including multiple drug distribution offenses and firearms offenses.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
United States District Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks sentenced Canty to 141 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Lietzow prosecuted the case.###
Convicted Sex Offender from Berks County Pleads Guilty to Enticing Minors to Engage in Sexual ConductRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Carlos Rivera-Smith, 38, of Reading, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Judge Catherine Henry to four counts of use of an interstate commerce facility to entice a minor, and attempt to entice a minor, to engage in sexual conduct, and one count of commission of a felony offense by an individual required to register as a sex offender.
The defendant has been detained in federal custody since January 14, following his arrest on a criminal complaint and warrant. He was charged by information last month; with today’s plea, he has waived prosecution by indictment.
As detailed in court filings and statements, Rivera-Smith directed four minor children with whom he had communicated over a social media app and paid money to via cash apps to produce sexually explicit images at his direction and to entice them to perform sex acts with him. Records obtained by law enforcement show that he did so multiple times over more than two years, beginning in 2022, paying the children hundreds of dollars for them to sexually exploit themselves.
The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on September 9 and faces a maximum possible term of life imprisonment.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by the Reading Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey Dimmig.
Convicted Felon Who Illegally Possessed 15 Firearms, over 1,600 Fentanyl Pills and Other Drugs Sentenced to 22 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A previously convicted felon who illegally possessed 15 firearms and more than 1,600 fentanyl pills, over 800 grams of methamphetamine, and cocaine was sentenced to 22 years in prison today, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. John Anthony Barreiro, 44, of Murphy, North Carolina, was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release.
“Drug trafficking and illegal firearms and violence go hand-in-hand—and this case is proof,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “It is vitally important that we remove lethal drugs and illegal firearms from our community, and in this case we did both by securing a 22-year sentence.”
According to court documents and court proceedings, on December 4, 2023, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop of Barreiro’s vehicle in Murphy. Rather than heed the officer’s blue lights, Barreiro fled, and a vehicle pursuit ensued. Court documents show that while fleeing from officers, Barreiro threw a Glock 9mm pistol out of the passenger side window of the car. Later, Barreiro also threw a bag containing over 300 grams of methamphetamine, fentanyl tablets, fentanyl powder, and cocaine out of the passenger side window. Both the firearm and drugs were later recovered by law enforcement.
After tossing the firearm and the drugs out of the vehicle, Barreiro pulled over and was arrested. In the vehicle and on his person, Barreiro had additional clear baggies with suspected fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Barreiro also had $7,840 in cash, marijuana, a loaded Glock 30-round capacity magazine, and a bag containing multiple loose rounds of 9mm ammunition in the vehicle.
Later the same day, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at a home in Murphy where Barreiro was known to reside. Law enforcement seized 14 firearms, 1,450 fentanyl tablets, fentanyl powder, cocaine, and almost 500 grams of methamphetamine. Barreiro has prior convictions that prohibited him from possessing firearms.
On September 26, 2024, Barreiro pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine, and possession of a firearm by a felon. He remains in federal custody until he is transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of the case.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Annabelle Chambers prosecuted the case. Ms. Chambers is a state prosecutor with the 43rd Prosecutorial District and was assigned by District Attorney Ashley Welch to serve as a SAUSA with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville. Ms. Chambers is sworn in to practice in both state and federal courts. The SAUSA position reflects the partnership between the 43rd Prosecutorial District and the United States Attorney’s Office. The SAUSA position helps ensure the effective and vigorous prosecution of federal court cases that impact the counties within the 43rd Prosecutorial District.
Columbia Man Sentenced to 8 Years for Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Columbia, Mo., man was sentenced today in federal court for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Lajuan Marquis Martin, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 96 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Martin pleaded guilty on Nov. 14, 2025, to possessing a firearm in Columbia, Mo. on Oct. 16, 2025, despite his prior felony convictions.
According to court documents, Martin was arrested by Columbia, Mo. police officers for driving with a suspended license. When he was brought to the Columbia, Mo. Police Department for fingerprinting and processing, Martin was searched. Pills and bags of white powder fell out of his pant legs, and a Taurus, model PT 738, .380 caliber firearm was discovered in Martin’s shoe. Martin is prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior felony convictions, including a prior conviction in federal court for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren E. Kummerer. It was investigated by the Columbia, Missouri Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Operation Take Back America
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Columbia Man Sentenced for Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Columbia, Mo., man was sentenced yesterday in federal court to 57 months’ imprisonment for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Gerrell Eugene Lawrence, 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 57 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Lawrence pleaded guilty on Feb. 3, 2026, to possessing a Glock 27, .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun in Columbia.
According to court documents, Lawrence was encountered by a Columbia Police officer on Oct. 1, 2025, and the officer later recovered a firearm, additional ammunition, and almost five grams of suspected cocaine from the vehicle Lawrence had been driving. Lawrence has a prior felony conviction for second-degree assault and is not permitted to possess a firearm.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren E. Kummerer. It was investigated by the Columbia, Missouri Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Operation Take Back America
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Columbia Man Connected to Nihilistic Violent Extremist (NVE) Group Indicted for Sexual Exploitation of a MinorRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – An indictment was unsealed today charging Zachary Sweeney, 30, of Columbia, Tennessee, with multiple counts of child sexual exploitation, announced United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Braden H. Boucek. According to court documents, Sweeney has been connected to Nihilistic Violent Extremist (“NVE”) groups similar to “764”.
“Violent extremists who victimize vulnerable children online are among the worst predators in our community and across the country,” said United States Attorney Braden H. Boucek. “Our office and our law enforcement partners will do whatever it takes to stop these predators from harming more children and hold them accountable for the damage they have already caused.”
“This operation puts every child predator on notice: the FBI will hunt you down and bring you to justice," said Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “Removing violent extremists from our streets protects our most innocent and vulnerable members of society. The FBI will continue to work with our partners across the state of Tennessee to aggressively investigate those who seek to exploit or harm them."
According to court documents, Sweeney has an extensive history of engaging in criminal conduct related to the exploitation of minors, including conduct related to NVEs. NVEs are individuals who engage in criminal conduct within the United States and abroad, in furtherance of political, social, or religious goals that derive primarily from a hatred of society at large and a desire to bring about its collapse by sowing indiscriminate chaos, destruction, and social instability.
According to court documents, investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation into Sweeney’s conduct revealed multiple allegations of victimization of minors by Sweeney from at least 2022 until 2025. Sweeney has on numerous occasions, groomed and coerced minors into producing Child Sexual Abuse Material (“CSAM”), distributed and in some cases sold this material, and traveled to meet with minor victims during which time he is alleged to have drugged, raped, and filmed sexual acts with the minors. Additionally, Sweeney has committed these acts for, and engaged in others consistent with, the group 764 and its affiliates. These include coercing minors to self-harm, sending them drugs to take and stream themselves committing sexual acts and acts of self-harm online, and making threats of swatting and doxxing.
One prior victim alleged that she began interacting with Sweeney around the age of 16 or 17. She reported to investigators that Sweeney requested sexual images and videos of her and convinced her to make fan signs, specifically directing her to cut or carve his nickname into herself or use her blood to write it on herself. The victim reported that Sweeney was part of a group of people she described as friends of his in “the Com.” In these servers, the victim participated in virtual self-harm group video calls with members of the server in which she would do a variety of degrading things to herself for the members of the server. Some of these things included cutting herself, drinking toilet water, and smearing blood all over herself while on live stream. She did these activities while she was naked and members of the group, including Sweeney, would record videos of her actions. The victim reported being aware of other underage females that Sweeney had victimized and of whom he possessed “collections” of nudes and blackmail material. The victim further reported that Sweeney occasionally shared his screen with her and showed her these “collections,” including files with folders that were identified by the username of the alleged underage female victim. This victim later died of an overdose. Another witness confirmed that Sweeney had live streamed a sexual assault of the victim online.
NVEs, both individually and as a network, systematically and methodically target vulnerable populations, which often include minors, across the United States and the globe, frequently using social media communication platforms. NVEs frequently conduct coordinated extortions of individuals by blackmailing them so they comply with the demands of the network. These demands vary and include, but are not limited to, self-mutilation, online and in-person sexual acts, harm to animals, sexual exploitation of siblings and others, acts of violence, threats of violence, suicide, and murder.
NVEs networks have adopted various monikers to identify themselves. The networks have changed names over time, which has led to the creation of related networks. Although the networks change names and use a variety of different social media platforms, the core members and goals remain consistent and align with the overarching threat of NVE.
“764” and related groups (“764”) are NVEs who engage in criminal conduct within the United States and engage with other extremists abroad. The 764 network’s accelerationist goals include social unrest and the downfall of the current world order, including the United States Government. Members of 764 work in concert with one another towards a common purpose of destroying civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations, including minors.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katy Risinger and Zachary T. Hinkle are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Clinic Manager Convicted of $8M Medicare Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A federal jury in the Eastern District of New York convicted a New York woman today for her role in an $8 million health care fraud conspiracy.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Olga Popovych, 43, of New York, New York, was an office manager of several physical therapy clinics that paid cash kickbacks to ambulette drivers who recruited Medicare patients to bring to the clinics. As the evidence at trial showed, the defendant was personally involved with paying the ambulette drivers cash kickbacks. She also falsified medical records to indicate that physical therapists who were not actually at the clinic treated the patients. Between 2018 and 2020, Medicare paid these clinics over $8 million.
Witnesses testified at trial that the defendant exchanged text messages with her co-conspirators that discussed the payment of kickbacks through the use of code words. The evidence also showed that the defendant suspected that the clinics were being watched by law enforcement and took steps to conceal the scheme.
The jury convicted Popovych of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to make false statements relating to health care matters, 4 counts of health care fraud, and 3 counts of making false statements relating to health care matters. She faces a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years for each health care fraud conviction and 5 years for each false statements conviction. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division; U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr. for the Eastern District of New York; Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); and Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle for the FBI New York Field Office made the announcement.
HHS-OIG and FBI investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Patrick J. Campbell and John Howard of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case. Trial Attorney Miriam Glaser Dauermann assisted in the prosecution.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
The Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since 2007. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Clinic Manager Convicted of $8 Million Medicare Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BROOKLYN, NY – Today, Olga Popovych was convicted by a federal jury in Brooklyn for her role in an $8 million health care fraud conspiracy. Popovych was an office manager of several physical therapy clinics in Brooklyn that paid cash kickbacks to ambulette drivers who recruited Medicare patients to transport to clinics. The verdict was returned after a one-week trial before United States District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Colin M. McDonald, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, Naomi Gruchacz, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the verdict.
As proven at trial, Popovych was personally involved with paying ambulette drivers cash kickbacks. She also falsified medical records to indicate that physical therapists who were not actually at the clinic treated the patients. Between 2018 and 2020, Medicare paid these clinics over $8 million.
There was witness testimony that Popovych exchanged text messages with her co-conspirators that discussed the payment of kickbacks through the use of code words. The evidence also showed that Popovych suspected that the clinics were being watched by law enforcement and took steps to conceal the scheme.
Popovych was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to make false statements relating to health care matters, four counts of health care fraud, and three counts of making false statements relating to health care matters. When sentenced, she faces a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each health care fraud conviction and five years in prison for each false statements count.
HHS-OIG and FBI investigated the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
The Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since 2007. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Trial Attorneys Patrick J. Campbell and John Howard of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Trial Attorney Miriam Glaser Dauermann.
The Defendant:
OLGA POPOVYCH
Age: 43
New York, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 20-CR-373 (LDH)
Centre County Man Sentenced to 97 Months in Prison for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jeffrey Stormer, age 64, of State College, PA, was sentenced yesterday to 97 months of imprisonment to be followed by ten years of supervised release on charges of distribution and possession of child pornography. Stormer was also ordered to pay $9,000 of total restitution to child victims depicted in the images.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, Stormer pleaded guilty on December 22, 2025, to charges of distributing child pornography on January 5, 2023, and possessing child pornography from April 2022 to February 2023. Following an investigation, a search warrant was executed at Stormer’s residence, and several electronic devices were seized. A forensic analysis of the devices revealed that Stormer had “shareable folders” on one of his computers depicting child pornography that was transmitted on an online platform over 900 times. These files included approximately 8,000 images and 250 videos of minor children posed in sexually explicit positions or engaged in sexual acts.
The Department of Homeland Security investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Alisan V. Martin 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 the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
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Cedar Lake Woman Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Bank FraudRead the Press Release
HAMMOND – Katie M. Tristan, 41 years old, of Cedar Lake, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Gretchen S. Lund after pleading guilty to bank fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Adam L. Mildred.
Tristan was sentenced to 15 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release. Tristan was also ordered to pay $125,157.67 in restitution to the victims of the offense. Of that amount, which was paid in full at sentencing, $123,192.22 will be returned to the Hanover Community School District.
According to documents in the case, between October 2020 and June of 2023, Tristan used her leadership positions in the parent-teacher organizations (PTOs) at two Cedar Lake elementary schools to embezzle over $107,000 in funds that had been donated to support extracurricular programming. For a period of over two years, Tristan used the PTO debit cards for personal expenses including car rentals, travel and entertainment, utility payments, and retail shopping. Once Tristan had exhausted the PTOs’ funds, she executed a series of fraudulent check transactions to falsely inflate the balances of the PTO bank accounts and prolong the fraud.
When school administrators and the Cedar Lake Police Department began investigating the missing PTO funds, Tristan obstructed those investigations by forging bank documents and using fake email accounts to impersonate other PTO volunteers. In September 2023, Tristan used a fake email account to impersonate the Cedar Lake Police detective handling the investigation, enabling her to manipulate the detective’s communications with a key witness.
“By stealing from her parent-teacher organization (PTO), Katie Tristan stole from the children that she had supposedly volunteered to help,” said U.S. Attorney Mildred. “Money meant to support their education and personal growth was diverted to funded her personal wants and expenses to the tune of $107,000. She compounded her crime through blatant fraud and obstruction designed to hide the fact that she was a thief. Thankfully, the law enforcement professionals from the FBI, Cedar Lake Police Department, and our office saw to it that justice was served. While Tristan failed to honor her duties as a PTO volunteer, her example can at least serve to teach other would-be fraudsters a valuable lesson—if you steal from Hoosier students, you will be held accountable.”
“Tristan sought out and obtained a position of trust in the Cedar Lake elementary schools and then violated the trust the community placed in her,” said Timothy J. O’Malley, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis Office. “The FBI is proud to have worked this investigation with the Cedar Lake Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to help protect a local Indiana community.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cedar Lake Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zachary D. Heater.
Canton woman convicted of embezzling nearly $600,000 from her employerRead the Press Release
DETROIT – A small business’s former financial controller, who engaged in a five-year pattern of embezzling funds from her employer, pleaded guilty today, announced United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr.
Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Jared Murphey, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations - Detroit.
Deborah Beaudoin, age 56, from Canton, Michigan, was convicted of wire fraud for orchestrating a scheme that caused over $598,000 in losses to the business where she worked.
At the hearing, Beaudoin admitted to devising and executing a scheme to order and obtain unauthorized company debit cards linked to the company’s bank account. Beaudoin made repeated false and fraudulent entries on company ledgers to make the withdrawal of money using these cards appear legitimate. Once Beaudoin obtained the cards, she withdrew the money at local ATMs and deposited a portion of those funds into her personal bank accounts. Over the five-year scheme, Beaudoin obtained at least $598,000 in fraudulent funds.
Sentencing before United States District Judge Judith Levy will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Beaudoin faces a possible maximum sentence of not more than 20 years’ imprisonment without the possibility of parole, a fine of not more than $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jason Dorval Norwood.
Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Canadian Company That Sought to Purchase Protective Surgical Masks at Outset of Covid-19 PandemicRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Julie Dotton pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud a company seeking to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The proceeding was held before United States District Judge Gary R. Brown. When sentenced, Dotton faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment as well as restitution of at least $8.2 million in addition to $8.2 million in criminal forfeiture.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) announced the guilty plea.
“The defendant took advantage of a provider’s need for life-saving personal protective equipment to line her own pockets,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Our Office will continue to vigorously prosecute defendants who shamefully seek to profit from global health emergencies and crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“Julie Dotton deprived a personal protective equipment provider of critical supplies during a global pandemic, stealing more than $8 million for her own benefit. The FBI continues to track down those who exploited the COVID-19 crisis and ensure they face the consequences for their selfish greed,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.
According to court filings, between March 2020 and October 2020, Dotton misrepresented her ability to obtain PPE to a Canadian company that was an official provider of PPE to two Canadian provinces during the earliest stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a nominal entity she controlled, Dotton entered into a contract with the company to provide approximately 12 million face masks for $8.2 million. Dotton then caused the company to wire the $8.2 million payment to a purported third-party escrow agent’s bank account. After a superficial attempt to purchase PPE, and rather than use the funds to procure the PPE as promised, Dotton directed others to disburse the funds to various third parties for her benefit. After Dotton failed to procure the agreed upon PPE for the company, and the company demanded delivery of the PPE or a refund, Dotton strung them along with excuses for several months, all the while continuing to have the money disbursed for her benefit.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Adam R. Toporovsky and Joshua Dugan are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Timothy Migliaro.
The Defendant:
JULIE DOTTON
Age: 53
Orchard Park, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-394 (GRB)
Blood Test Lab Owner Sentenced to More Than 4 Years in Federal Prison for Using Shill to Collect Medicare Payments to Evade $11.2 Million in TaxesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Burbank man was sentenced today to 51 months in federal prison for evading the payment of more than $11.2 million in federal taxes by using a shill to illegally collect Medicare reimbursement payments made to his blood-testing company, and to fraudulently obtaining nearly $100,000 in taxpayer-funded COVID-19 business relief.
Armen Muradyan, 60, was sentenced by United States District Judge John A. Kronstadt, who also ordered him to pay $15,158,033 in restitution.
Muradyan pleaded guilty in August 2025 to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, one count of wire fraud, and one count of tax evasion.
Muradyan owned and operated a Burbank-based blood testing laboratory called Genex Laboratories Inc. Medicare and bank records showed that Medicare paid millions of dollars in reimbursements to Genex for blood testing. The reimbursements were wired to bank accounts in the name of an individual identified in court documents as “L.S.” – Muradyan’s long-time friend to whom Muradyan had offered to pay $2,000 per month to pretend to be Genex’s owner.
Muradyan told L.S. that he needed him to submit Medicare enrollment papers to Medicare on Genex’s behalf because Medicare had banned Muradyan from submitting claims.
L.S. and Muradyan opened bank accounts for Genex in L.S.’s name, but which Muradyan controlled. L.S. neither owned nor operated Genex and visited the company’s Burbank office to collect his $2,000 monthly payment and to sometimes sign documents at Muradyan’s direction. Muradyan used the proceeds from the health care fraud conspiracy to pay the mortgage on a property he owned as well as to support his gambling habit and to pay personal expenses.
For the tax years of 2015 through 2023, Muradyan instructed L.S. to report Genex’s financial activity on L.S.’s personal income tax returns using documents that L.S. provided to his own tax preparer. The documents purportedly showed that Genex had minimal net profit or was operating at a loss, meaning the company had little or no income tax liability.
For the same period, Muradyan submitted income tax returns that reported none of Genex’s financial activity as his own and that he averaged an income of $40,000 per year. In fact, Muradyan personally received and used millions of dollars in Medicare reimbursements to support his own expensive lifestyle.
Muradyan also did not file tax returns for the years 2021 through 2023.
In total, Muradyan’s unreported federal taxable income was approximately $23,915,762, resulting in a total federal income tax due and owing by him of approximately $11,236,356 plus prejudgment interest of $3,921,677.
In July 2020, Muradyan wired a false and fraudulent application for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) that was funded by federal taxpayers. On the application, Muradyan falsely stated that an entity, GenMed, employed multiple people and generated $800,000 in income for the year 2019. In fact, Muradyan knew GenMed employed no one and generated zero income for that year. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) wired $99,900 to a bank account Muradyan controlled. He then used the money for personal expenses not permitted under the terms of the EIDL. Muradyan admitted he acted with the intent to deceive and cheat the SBA.
IRS Criminal Investigation, the FBI, and the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Mark Aveis of the Major Frauds Section and Trial Attorney Mahana K. Weidler of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division prosecuted this case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Berkeley County Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Distribution of Fentanyl that Resulted in DeathRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Levi Phillip Miles, 48, of Goose Creek, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and oxycontin, and distribution of fentanyl, resulting in the death of a local lawyer.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that from at least January 2022 to January 2023, Miles regularly distributed prescription pain pills to his employer and cousin, David Aylor. By the summer of 2022, Miles could no longer obtain legitimate prescription pain pills from his suppliers. Nevertheless, in December 2022, the victim continued to request pain pills, causing Miles to seek pills for an alternate source.
On Jan. 1, 2023, Miles obtained what he believed to be legitimate pain pills but were illicit pills laced with fentanyl. Miles distributed the pills to Aylor that afternoon. The victim was found dead in his home on Jan. 2, 2023. An autopsy of the victim revealed the presence of fentanyl in his system, and subsequent investigation confirmed that the fentanyl was present in the pills the victim received from Miles on Jan. 1. As part of his guilty plea, Miles agreed not to contest the fact that the victim’s death was caused by the controlled substances that he distributed.
“This case is yet another example of the tragic realities of fentanyl in our communities. Let this be a reminder that one pill can kill,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “Our office will continue to aggressively prosecute those who funnel this poison into our communities. We send our condolences to the loved ones of Mr. Aylor and hope this sentence brings a sense of closure.”
United States District Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks sentenced Miles to 60 months' imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. The court also imposed a $40,000 fine. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Whit Sowards and Emily Limehouse prosecuted the case.###
Beaumont felon guilty of drug trafficking and firearms violations following Homeland Security Task Force investigation in the Eastern District of TexasRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Beaumont convicted felon has pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking and firearms violations following a Homeland Security Task Force investigation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Micheal Corbin, 48, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of a firearm before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zack Hawthorn on May 28, 2026.
According to information presented in court, in April of 2025, law enforcement began investigating Corbin, a drug trafficker and convicted felon in Beaumont. As the investigation progressed, it was determined that Corbin was supplying other drug traffickers with methamphetamine to be distributed throughout the area. In total, law enforcement seized more than 8 kilograms of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine from Corbin, who was also found in possession of a firearm. As a previously convicted felon, Corbin is prohibited by federal law from owning or possessing firearms.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Houston comprises agents and officers from the FBI; U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations - Houston (ICE-HSI); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI); and U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Eastern District of Texas; Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office; Beaumont Police Department; Texas Department of Public Safety; Nederland Police Department; Jasper Police Department; and San Augustine County Sheriff’s Office with the prosecution being led by Eastern District of Texas Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan C. Lee.
Corbin faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison at sentencing. The actual sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
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Bank Insider Pleads Guilty to Facilitating Fraud Schemes at Two Financial InstitutionsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A New York-based former employee of TD Bank N.A., Cheungkin Lam, also known as “Kelvin Lam,” pleaded guilty yesterday to defrauding TD Bank customers and bribing an employee at another financial institution to falsify bank records, which, in total, facilitated more than $3.4 million of fraud, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.
Lam, 28, pleaded guilty yesterday before the Honorable Esther Salas in Newark to a two-count Information charging him with conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution and making false bank entries or reports. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 15, 2026.
“Lam leveraged his and a co-conspirator’s insider positions at two different financial institutions to facilitate millions of dollars of fraud in exchange for bribes. We expect bank employees to help root out fraud, not enable it. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to hold financial institutions and their employees accountable when they break the law and undermine the integrity of the financial system.”
- U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer
“Lam abused his position as a bank employee to help fraudsters steal money from unwitting customers and bribed another bank employee to do the same,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Bank employees are the first line of defense against money laundering, fraud, and other financial crimes. When bank employees violate the public trust by using their positions to enrich themselves through financial crime, the Criminal Division will investigate and prosecute them.”
“Cheungkin Lam’s conduct represents a grave breach of the trust placed in financial professionals. By exploiting his access to sensitive customer information, Lam facilitated a significant fraud and compromised the integrity of the financial system and the security of innocent victims,” stated Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan, IRS Criminal Investigation, Newark Field Office. “IRS-CI remains firmly committed to working with our law enforcement partners to identify and hold accountable those who abuse positions of trust for personal gain.”
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in Court:
From January 2021 through May 2021, Lam accepted bribes and leveraged his position at TD Bank to identify bank accounts with large balances and steal confidential customer information. Lam shared that information with outside co-conspirators, who used it to defraud customer accounts. Separately, from May 2022 through August 2022, Lam engaged in a scheme to bribe a co-conspirator employed at another financial institution to falsify bank records in opening a bank account for use in various fraud schemes by Lam’s co-conspirators. In total, Lam received at least $155,000 in bribes and facilitated $3,433,989.07 in fraud losses.
The charge of conspiring to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of $1,000,000 or twice the amount involved in the offense or lost by a victim of the offense, whichever is greater. The charge of making false bank entries carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of $1,000,000 or twice the amount involved in the offense or lost by a victim of the offense, whichever is greater.
U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents and task force officers of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG), New York Region, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Patricia Tarasca, with the investigation. U.S. Attorney Frazer also thanked the Morristown Police Department for its assistance with the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marko Pesce, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division for the District of New Jersey and Trial Attorneys D. Zachary Adams and Chelsea Rooney of the Bank Integrity Unit of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section are prosecuting the case.
MNF’s Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes banks and other financial institutions, including their officers, managers and employees whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system.
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Defense counsel: Eric Jaso, Esq.
lam.information.pdfBank Insider Pleads Guilty to Facilitating Fraud Schemes at Two Financial InstitutionsRead the Press Release
A New York-based former employee of TD Bank N.A., Cheungkin Lam, also known as Kelvin Lam, pleaded guilty yesterday to defrauding TD Bank customers and bribing an employee at another financial institution to falsify bank records, which, in total, facilitated more than $3.4 million of fraud.
According to court documents, from January 2021 through May 2021, Lam, 28, of Queens, New York, accepted bribes and leveraged his position at TD Bank to identify bank accounts with large balances and steal confidential customer information. Lam shared that information with outside co-conspirators, who used it to defraud customer accounts. Separately, from May 2022 through August 2022, Lam engaged in a scheme to bribe a co-conspirator employed at another financial institution to falsify bank records in opening a bank account for use in various fraud schemes by Lam’s co-conspirators. In total, Lam received at least $155,000 in bribes and facilitated $3,433,989.07 in fraud losses.
“Lam abused his position as a bank employee to help fraudsters steal money from unwitting customers and bribed another bank employee to do the same,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Bank employees are the first line of defense against money laundering, fraud, and other financial crimes. When bank employees violate the public trust by using their positions to enrich themselves through financial crime, the Criminal Division will investigate and prosecute them.”
“Lam leveraged his and a co-conspirator’s insider positions at two different financial institutions to facilitate millions of dollars of fraud in exchange for bribes,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer for the District of New Jersey. “We expect bank employees to help root out fraud, not enable it. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to hold financial institutions and their employees accountable when they break the law and undermine the integrity of the financial system.”
“Cheungkin Lam’s conduct represents a grave breach of the trust placed in financial professionals,” said Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Newark Field Office. “By exploiting his access to sensitive customer information, Lam facilitated a significant fraud and compromised the integrity of the financial system and the security of innocent victims. IRS-CI remains firmly committed to working with our law enforcement partners to identify and hold accountable those who abuse positions of trust for personal gain.”
“Lam abused his trusted position as an employee of TD Bank to engage in bribery and perpetrate fraud that resulted in financial losses to unknowing bank customers,” said Special Agent in Charge Patricia Tarasca of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC OIG) New York Region. “The FDIC OIG stands firm in its commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable bank insiders who exploit their positions for their own gain and threaten the safety and soundness of our Nation’s financial institutions.”
Lam pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution and making false bank entries or reports. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 15 and faces a maximum penalty of 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-CI and FDIC-OIG are investigating the case. The Department also thanks the Morristown Police Department for its assistance with the investigation.
Trial Attorneys D. Zachary Adams and Chelsea Rooney of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Marko Pesce, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division for the District of New Jersey, are prosecuting the case.
The Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section’s (MNF) mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.
MNF’s Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes banks and other financial institutions, including their officers, managers and employees whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system.
Austin Man Indicted for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Shadow Hawk Mallan, age 28, of Austin, Minnesota, was arraigned on an indictment charging him with three counts of Production of Child Pornography, one count of Interstate Communications with Intent to Extort, one count of Receipt of Child Pornography, one count of Possession of Child Pornography, and one count of Commission of a Felony Offenses Involving a Minor when Required to Register as a Sex Offender, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.
According to state and federal court documents, Mallan owned multiple Snapchat, Discord, and other social media and email accounts that he used to solicit minor victims across the world to receive sexually explicit photographs and videos from them. Mallan also engaged in live video chats with the minor victims, which he recorded and saved. Mallan then threatened the minor victims if they refused to continue sending him sexually explicit material, including threats of physical violence and to distribute the sexually explicit material to their friends and families. To date, evidence shows that Mallan solicited hundreds of minors online over several years. Law enforcement has identified approximately thirteen minor victims. Mallan was previously convicted of Solicitation of a Child to Engage in Sexual Conduct in 2020 in Mower County, Minnesota and was required to register as predatory offender throughout the time of his charged offense.
“As alleged in this indictment, Shadow Hawk Mallan was a registered sex offender who used the worldwide reach of the Internet to continue sexually exploiting children, even after a prior conviction," said FBI Minneapolis Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson. "Not satisfied with the harm caused by the sexual exploitation of children, Mr. Mallan allegedly deepened the psychological damage caused by threatening to distribute child sexual abuse material depicting his child victims to their friends and family. The FBI and our state and local law enforcement partners work diligently every day to protect child victims and bring child predators to justice.”
Mallan made his initial appearance in District Court and was ordered detained pending trial.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Austin Police Department.
Investigators believe there may be other victims relevant to this investigation. As alleged in the indictment and elsewhere, the defendant used Snapchat ID “ps4programer420,” Discord ID “kushklouds420,” and several other online accounts to commit the alleged offenses. If you or your child believe you have been a victim of Shadow Hawk Mallan, we encourage you to contact 800-CALL-FBI or report to tips.fbi.gov.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Torrie J. Schneider is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Armed Career Criminal Sentenced to 180 Months in Prison for Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Memphis man was sentenced to 180 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon.
According to court documents, on October 29, 2023, a Loxley Police Officer initiated a traffic stop on a white sedan for improper lane change. Marshall BRATCHER, 40, was identified as the driver. Other passengers included an adult female and three juveniles. Following the admission of possession of marijuana by Bratcher, LPD officers conducted a search of the vehicle. During the search, a stolen Ruger, Model P89 pistol was recovered under the driver’s seat. Further investigation uncovered that Bratcher used the firearm to kidnap the female passenger, force her to gather the juvenile passengers into the vehicle, and ultimately leave with him. Witness accounts revealed Bratcher drove erratically with the firearm in his lap until he was stopped by law enforcement.
Bratcher is an Armed Career Criminal under 18 U.S.C. § 924(e) because of his prior violent felony and serious drug offense convictions. Bratcher’s prior felony convictions include three separate convictions for Aggravated Assault, and convictions of Aggravated Burglary and Conspiracy to Violate the Uniform Controlled Substance Act, among other felony convictions. As a convicted felon, Bratcher is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Bratcher was indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm and pleaded guilty to the charge. United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer sentenced Bratcher to 180 months in prison to be followed by a 5-year term of supervised release for illegally possessing the firearm.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Loxley Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Terrill prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Another Venezuelan Gang Member Sentenced for "Jackpotting"Read the Press Release
OXFORD, MS – A second Venezuelan man with ties to the Tren de Aragua (TdA) international gang was sentenced today for conspiracy to commit bank fraud by United States District Judge Michael P. Mills. Winder Alexander Canelon-Tiapa, 26, living as an illegal alien in Dallas, Texas, was sentenced today to ten months with three years of supervised release. Additionally, he is to pay the victim $47,250 in restitution.
According to court documents, upon release of this prison sentence, the defendant will be surrendered to the custody of ICE for removal from this country..
Commonly known as “Jackpotting,” Canelon-Tiapa, and his co-defendant, Darrin Daza-Segura, travelled throughout Mississippi and reprogrammed bank ATMs to disperse large amounts of cash. They successfully stole $47,000 from ATMs at Mississippi banks and attempted to steal much more. ATM Jackpotting is a significant problem throughout the country and is a known crime commonly perpetrated by members of the Tren de Araqua gang from Venezuela.
Darrin Daza-Segura was previously sentenced to ten months with three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay the victim $47,250 in restitution by Judge Mills.
U.S. Attorney Scott Leary stated, “This administration has dedicated significant assets to identifying and prosecuting dangerous foreign gangs that have infiltrated our society. Tren de Aragua, originated in Venezuela, has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization. The fruit of this aggressive approach to gang activity is starting to pay off. Foreign gang members that enter our state and steal from our citizens will pay for their crimes and then be sent home. Thank you to the Mississippi Attorney General’s Cyber Crime Division and the Secret Service. The citizens of Mississippi are receiving dedicated work and cooperation from federal and state law enforcement officers.”
The Cyber Crime Division of the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office investigated the case.
“Thanks to the diligent work of our Cyber Fraud Task Force, we were able to prevent nearly $180,000 in losses, deprive TdA gang members of money to fund their crimes, and set up the deportation of two criminal illegal aliens," said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. "We are proud to stand with our local, state, and federal partners to stop this criminal scheme in its tracks."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton A. Dabbs is prosecuting the case.
Aguadilla Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Child ExploitationRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On May 27, 2026, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Raúl Arias-Marxuach sentenced Leonardo Román-Domenech, age 40, of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, to 14 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for the transportation of child exploitation material, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. Román-Domenech was indicted on April 3, 2025, arrested on April 9, 2025, and pleaded guilty on February 2, 2026.
According to court documents, from July through October 2021, Leonardo Román-Domenech, used a cellphone device with internet capabilities to knowingly transport images of a 15-year-old female minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico and Carlos Goris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI and the Puerto Rico Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emelina Agrait Barreto of the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.
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Wednesday 27 May 2026
Zuni Man Charged with Sexual Abuse of a MinorRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Zuni man has been charged in federal court for allegedly sexually abusing a minor.
According to court documents, between March 2013 and March 2015, Anthony Kaamasee, 40, an enrolled member of the Zuni Pueblo, engaged in sexual acts with a minor who had not then attained the age of 12 years.
Kaamasee is charged with aggravated sexual abuse and will remain in custody pending trial which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, Kaamasee faces not less than 30 years in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Zuni Pueblo Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Mondragon is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Wilmington Felon Sentenced to over 7 Years for Possessing a GunRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced Quashon Nixon, 32, to over 7 years in federal prison. Nixon pleaded guilty on February 26, 2026, to possessing a gun as a convicted felon.
“We thank our dedicated federal and local law enforcement partners for keeping violent gun-toting felons away from our citizens. This guy knew he should not have a gun; hopefully, he learns his lesson this time.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle.
On October 2, 2024, the FBI, along with local officers, searched for Nixon to serve him with outstanding warrants for violent crimes. Officers located Nixon walking near a housing complex in Wilmington. When Officers took Nixon into custody, they found a loaded stolen gun stuffed in Nixon’s waistband. The officers also found crack cocaine, marijuana, and hatchet inside of his book bag.
Nixon is a convicted felon and member of the Bloods street gang. His most recent conviction was for robbery with a dangerous weapon in 2015, felony assault causing physical injury to a law enforcement, probation, or parole officer in 2016, and felony assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury in 2018.
Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III imposed the sentence. The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, Wilmington Police Department, and the FBI investigated the case. Former-Assistant United States Attorney Jermaine Sellers and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaren Kelly prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:25-CR-44-D.
Wichita bank robber sentenced to prisonRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced to 21 years in prison for using a firearm to rob three banks during which he pointed the gun at employees.
According to court documents, Zane Tilcock, 21, of Wichita pleaded guilty to one count of brandishing and using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence and to two counts of bank robbery.
• On December 11, 2024, Tilcock entered Intrust Bank on South Webb Road in Wichita wearing a black mask and carrying a semi-automatic handgun. He pointed the firearm at bank employees and demanded money. They handed him money, and he left.
• On December 16, 2024, Tilcock entered Emprise Bank on East Harry Street in Wichita with a handgun and pointed it at the tellers. He told them to put their hands in the air and give him all the money. Tilcock asked for large bills and no dye packs or bait money. The tellers removed cash from their drawers and handed it to Tilcock.
• On December 27, 2024, Tilcock, entered Sunflower Bank in Junction City carrying a silver handgun. He pointed the firearm at customers and ordered them to stand to the side of the lobby. He then pointed the gun at tellers and demanded they empty their cash drawers. The money Tilcock took included bait bills.Law enforcement determined through investigation that the vehicle used in the crimes to be a gray Volkswagen Jetta belonging to Tilcock’s girlfriend.
On December 28, 2024, investigators conducting surveillance observed Tilcock shopping and using a large amount of cash. Days later, investigators followed Tilcock to the Sedgwick County Tag Office where Tilcock paid for a tag in cash. Investigators obtained the money he spent at the Tag Office and identified three of the bills as bait bills taken during the Sunflower Bank robbery. Tilcock was arrested and admitted to the bank robberies. Investigators found additional evidence while executing search warrants on the Jetta and the apartment where Tilcock lived.
“This case sounds like something out of the 1930s with these repeated and unhinged, dangerous bank robberies. Mr. Tilcock robbed banks to get fast cash until he was stopped by law enforcement. Nonetheless, during his crime spree, he inflicted terror by pointing a gun at innocent people who unlike himself were simply trying to make an honest living.” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser.
“Yesterday, victims stood in a federal court room and delivered powerful testimony on the impact of the violent nature of these crimes. Mr. Tilcock has received a lengthy prison sentence because of the brave work of the victims, the prosecutors and the men and women in law enforcement who are committed to ensuring justice in these matters. The public should know it takes a dedicated team to see these cases to their resolution, and the FBI is fully invested in securing justice for victims of these crimes," said Jeff Berkebile, FBI Kansas City Acting Special Agent in Charge.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Wichita Police Department, Junction City Police Department, and the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kari Burks and Aaron Smith prosecuted the case.
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Webster Groves Man Sentenced to 150 Months in Prison on Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a Webster Groves man to 150 months in prison for sending and receiving child sexual abuse material online.
Joseph A. Seiffertt, 44, possessed images and videos containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on his cell phone, as well as AI-powered apps that he used to depict clothed individuals, including minors, in the nude. Seiffertt also discussed the sexual abuse of minors with someone online and shared and received CSAM via the Kik Messenger app.
Seiffertt pleaded guilty in December to one count of possession of child pornography After his release from prison, Seiffertt will be on supervised release for life.
The FBI and the St. Louis County Special Investigations Unit investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.
United States Attorney Andrew S. Boutros Announces Sweeping Reforms to Internal Grand Jury Practices and Disclosures; Remediation Plan Includes Most Substantial and Significant Changes in DecadesRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, today announced a series of sweeping internal reforms to the Office’s grand jury practices and disclosures that took effect yesterday. The remediation plan, which represents the most substantial and significant internal changes to the Office’s grand jury procedures in decades, will streamline the Office’s grand jury processes and disclosures. The new process moving forward will be more transparent, effective, and impactful while greatly reducing the likelihood of mistakes and errors.
The important reforms, which took effect yesterday for all grand jury presentations in the Northern District of Illinois, establish clear and unequivocal expectations and rules for federal prosecutors related to grand jury disclosures and the timing of those disclosures. Among the many changes in the remediation plan are increased and expanded education about grand jury presentations, including extensive, deep-dive training from national experts outside the Office. U.S. Attorney Boutros and the Department of Justice have also taken swift action related to internal personnel matters.
“One of the benefits of being the first Chicago U.S. Attorney to have previously been Chair of White Collar in private practice is that I have represented and advised as my own personal clients some of the largest public and other companies and their audit committees, boards, C-suite executives, and others in highly sensitive and bet-the-company government and internal investigations,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “Everybody who has handled high-stakes corporate cases knows that in addition to the importance of thorough, honest, and objective investigations, there must also be remediation, reforms, and process improvements to allow organizations to accept responsibility and make sure that the same mistakes don’t happen again. What I have formulated and thereafter implemented on Tuesday of this week are among the most sweeping reforms to address root-cause issues in the Northern District of Illinois’s federal prosecutorial practices and procedures, especially as they relate to the grand jury and grand jury disclosures. They also make the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office among, if not the leading district in the country on grand jury disclosures. These remediations should also be deeply curative and put to rest once and for all the divergent practices that have existed across the Office for decades, including from one Assistant U.S. Attorney to another as well as from one generation to the next. That’s because these are clear, bright line rules that everyone must abide by, which should streamline and simplify the decision-making and disclosure process, as opposed to bedevil it. It also should all but eliminate points of contention between federal prosecutor and defense counsel as it relates to these grand jury issues.”
After learning of certain conduct by the government in the grand jury during a recent case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office immediately moved to dismiss the indictment in that case and proactively initiated an immediate review of other grand jury presentations that could have been impacted in a similar fashion. The inquiry has included both a root cause analysis into the Office’s practices and procedures generally, as well as an exam of any cases by the AUSAs who went into the grand jury in that case that could have been impacted by similar conduct. The Office’s review is far along but remains ongoing. In addition, the Office has proactively reached out to the defendants’ attorneys in other cases handled by those AUSAs and has agreed to give them the “minutes” from the grand jury sessions in those cases. “Minutes” from a grand jury session include the highly secretive portion where AUSAs, as legal advisor to the grand jury, speak to grand jurors about the law—and sometimes the application of the law to the facts—without a witness present.
The reforms announced today, many of which are being implemented for the first time anywhere in the country, will transform and modernize the Office’s procedures, while continuing to adhere to the longstanding tradition that a prosecutor serves as “one of the most beneficent forces in our society,” as then-Attorney General (and later Supreme Court Justice) Robert H. Jackson shared in his seminal 1940 address, “The Federal Prosecutor.” Attorney General Jackson remarked that the prosecutor’s “powers have been granted to our law-enforcement agencies because it seems necessary that such a power to prosecute be lodged somewhere. This authority has been granted by people who really wanted the right thing done—wanted crime eliminated—but also wanted the best in our American traditions preserved.”
In announcing his reforms to the Office, U.S. Attorney Boutros thanked the Office’s Assistant U.S. Attorneys for all that they do for the people of the Northern District of Illinois: “Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for being on the front lines keeping our communities safe, making sure our victims are heard, protecting the public fisc, and working to hold accountable those defendants who commit serious crimes, all while doing so in the very best traditions of the Office and the Department. After all, the motto of the Department is ‘Qui Pro Domina Justitia Sequitur,’ meaning, ‘Who prosecutes on behalf of Justice.’”
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This statement is not intended to, does not, and may not be relied upon to create any rights, substantive or procedural, that are enforceable at law by any party, in any criminal, civil, or administrative matter. This statement does not purport to offer legal advice nor is it intended to substitute for the advice of legal counsel. It does not in any way limit the enforcement intentions or litigating positions of the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, or any other U.S. Attorney’s Office or component of the Department, or any other U.S. government agency or department.
Undocumented worker pleads guilty to possessing a forged immigration documentRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Mexican national who had previously been deported and was living in the country illegally with a forged permanent resident card admitted to charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.
The defendant, Isaias Martinez Araiza, 48, pleaded guilty today to one count of possessing a fraudulent immigration document and one count of illegal reentry into the country. Araiza faces up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release for each count.
U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for July 8, 2026, in Great Falls. Araiza remained detained pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that in early April 2026, Araiza was living in Great Falls with a Permanent Resident Alien card containing another person’s alien number that he illegally obtained. Araiza had previously been deported from the United States in May 2017 after authorities discovered he had a felony conviction on his record from June 2003.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. Homeland Security conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
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U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana Celebrates “Freedom 250” with Hometown Hero Award and Office Charity DriveRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, LA – In celebration of Freedom 250, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana presented the Alexandria Police Department’s Chief of Police Chad Gremillion with the Freedom 250 Hometown Hero Award on May 20, 2026. The award recognizes public officials who have demonstrated steadfast commitment to service and who embody the spirit upon which our Nation was founded.
“Freedom 250 is an opportunity to recognize and reflect upon the values that define our Nation: service, sacrifice, and community,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller. “Chief Gremillion exemplifies those values through his dedication to public safety and his continued commitment to serving the citizens of Alexandria.”
Police Chief Gremillion began his law enforcement career at the Alexandria Police Department in 1995. While working for the Alexandria Police, Chief Gremillion worked as a patrol officer and was assigned to the traffic division. In 1999, Chief Gremillion graduated from the Louisiana State Police Training Academy and began his career as a Louisiana State Trooper assigned to Troop E. While employed with the Louisiana State Police, Chief Gremillion served in uniform patrol, criminal investigations, intelligence division, and the special victims unit.
During his time as a trooper and federal task force officer, Chief Gremillion was awarded the Louisiana State Police “Trooper of the Year” and received a lifesaving award, among other commendations. Chief Gremillion retired from the Louisiana State Police in 2023, and, that same year Alexandria Mayor Jacques Roy appointed him as the Interim Chief of Police for the Alexandria Police Department. Chief Gremillion is a past board member of the Rapides Children’s Advocacy Center and Metanoia Manor for victims of human trafficking, and he and his family attend Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church where he is the chair of the Pastoral Council.
The United States Attorney’s Offices in Shreveport and Lafayette also celebrated Freedom 250 by participating in the gift-in-kind charity drives by collecting and donating food and clothing to individuals and families in need. In Lafayette, the clothing collected was donated to the Lovewell Center, while business attire was donated to the University of Louisiana Career Closet to assist individuals preparing to enter the workforce. In Shreveport, the Office collected over 400 pounds of food as part of a non-perishable food drive to support the Northwest Louisiana Food Bank.
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CONTACT
Public Affairs
United States Attorney’s Office
Western District of Louisiana
www.justice.gov/usao-wdla
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Two Non-Profits Agree to Pay over $450,000 to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Involving Paycheck Protection Program LoansRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced today that it has reached civil settlement agreements with two non-profit organizations to resolve allegations that the organizations violated the False Claims Act when they applied for and received loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America, Inc. (the JWV) is a Section 501(c)(4) non-profit organization that supports Jewish uniformed service members and veterans in the United States. In 2020, JWV applied for and received a first draw PPP loan in the amount of $125,654 and later sought and received forgiveness for that loan. Section 501(c)(4) organizations, however, were never eligible for PPP loans. JWV has agreed to pay $210,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by obtaining a PPP loan for which it was not eligible.
Center for International Policy (the Center) is a Section 501(c)(3) non-profit organization described as a center for research and advocacy on U.S. foreign policy. In early 2021, the Center applied for a second draw PPP loan in the amount of $192,447 and subsequently applied for and received complete forgiveness of that loan. Congress, however, had prohibited second draw PPP loans to entities primarily engaged in political or lobbying activities, including those entities organized for research or for engaging in public policy advocacy or political strategy or publicly referring to themselves as think tanks. After an analysis of the Center’s ability to pay pursuant to a settlement, the Center agreed to pay $243,571.25, plus interest, to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by obtaining a PPP loan for which it was not eligible.
The civil settlements resulted from investigations by Assistant United States Attorney Sean M. Tepe and Auditor Timothy C. Hurley. The United States Attorney further wishes to commend attorneys Caitlin J. Kelly and Kandace Zelaya of the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of the General Counsel for their assistance in the investigations.
Tips and complaints regarding potential fraud affecting COVID-19 government relief programs can be reported by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at (866) 720-5721 or by submitting a NCDF Web Complaint form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
The claims resolved by the civil settlements are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Tulsa Resident Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Dwight Lowaine McGee, age 48, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Indictment charged McGee with knowingly possessing one semi-automatic pistol and 8 rounds of ammunition on December 4, 2025, after having been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
McGee will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Edith A. Singer represented the United States.
Troy Rivetti Sworn in as United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania Following Appointment by U.S. District CourtRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Acting pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546(d), the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania has appointed Troy Rivetti to serve as the United States Attorney for the District. After being appointed to the role by the Court’s Board of Judges last week, Rivetti was sworn in yesterday afternoon by Chief United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon. The appointment is effective May 28, 2026, and follows a 120-day appointment in January 2026 by the United States Attorney General.
“It is a tremendous honor to be appointed United States Attorney by the judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania; I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve this office and the citizens and law enforcement partners of our district,” said United States Attorney Rivetti. “The Court’s decision is encouraging, as it assures consistency in the leadership of our office and recognizes the ongoing hard work and outstanding commitment to public service and public safety by our attorneys and staff, both individually and collectively.”
Rivetti has led the office since the resignation of United States Attorney Eric Olshan in January 2025, with Rivetti serving as Acting United States Attorney until November 2025 and then as First Assistant United States Attorney—the role Rivetti held prior to being named as Acting United States Attorney—until his appointment as United States Attorney by then-Attorney General Pamela Bondi in late January 2026.
Rivetti’s career in the Department of Justice has spanned nearly 30 years and has included a series of leadership positions in the U.S. Attorney’s Office. In addition to previously holding the positions of Acting United States Attorney (February 2023 to June 2023) and First Assistant United States Attorney (November 2021 to January 2025), Rivetti served as Chief of the office’s Criminal Division from 2019 to 2021. He joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 1997.
Throughout his career as a federal prosecutor, Rivetti’s primary area of concentration has involved the investigation and prosecution of violent crime, including large-scale drug trafficking organizations and firearms offenses. Of particular note, Rivetti co-led the multi-year investigation and prosecution of United States v. Robert Bowers, the perpetrator of the worst antisemitic mass shooting in U.S. history. He served as first chair for the trial team throughout the three-month capital jury selection, trial, and sentencing.
Rivetti obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from Dickinson College and his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University. Following graduation from law school, Rivetti was employed for five years as a litigation associate at a large Pittsburgh law firm. He then served as a law clerk for two years for the Honorable D. Brooks Smith.
Three D.C. Men Found Guilty of Armed Robbery and 1st Degree Felony Murder in Killing of Rosendo MillerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON -- Larry White, 25, Mark Anthony Fletcher III, 26, and Malik Keyon Bynum, 26, all of the District of Columbia, were found guilty late yesterday by a federal jury on all counts in connection with the July 2, 2021, armed robbery and killing of Rosendo Miller, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
“Rosendo Miller walked out of a convenience store and was surrounded by three masked men, thrown to the ground at gunpoint, and robbed of everything he was carrying. They took Mr. Miller’s watch, his bag, his shoes, his cash, even the ‘grill’ from his mouth. And when that wasn’t enough, Larry White shot him five times in cold blood,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “These three men planned this together, armed themselves together, and carried it out together. Today’s verdict holds all of them accountable for what they did.”
Following a five-day trial, the federal jury deliberated for approximately five and a half hours before finding White, Fletcher and Bynum guilty of all counts: first-degree felony murder while armed, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon (White and Bynum), conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence (robbery while armed), and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence (first-degree felony murder). First-degree felony murder carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 30 years imprisonment. Sentencing before Judge Tanya S. Chutkan is pending.
Fletcher committed the offenses while on release in two pending Superior Court cases. Bynum committed the offenses while on release in a pending Superior Court case.
According to court papers, on July 2, 2021, White, Fletcher, Bynum, and others gathered outside a 2/4 Quick Trip convenience store on the 1300 block of Brentwood Road, NE. The men armed themselves with firearms and covered their faces with ski masks after Rosendo Miller, 21, arrived and saw that he was wearing a Rolex watch and designer clothes. Fletcher was wearing a court-issued GPS ankle monitor.
Miller, who stopped at the business to purchase tobacco, exited the store. White, Bynum, and Fletcher pointed firearms at Miller, grabbed him by his dreadlocks, and wrestled him to the ground. They stripped Miller of his Rolex watch, his Gucci crossbody bag, his cash, and the diamond-studded grill from his mouth.
As White and Fletcher held Miller down, Bynum fired a firearm multiple times in the direction of the intersection of Brentwood Road NE and 14th Street NE in response to a single shot fired from the corner. Fletcher still had Miller pinned down while White shot Miller five times in the back, shoulder and arms. The incident was captured on surveillance video with audio.
White, Fletcher, and Bynum fled the scene with Miller’s property. Miller died from his injuries that day.
The investigation was conducted by the Metropolitan Police Department. The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Iris Y. McCranie and Lauren Galloway.
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Texas Man Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Conspiracy to Commit Wire FraudRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – Khalid Ahamad, 55 years old, of Little Elm, Texas, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.
Ahamad was sentenced to 70 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release, and he was ordered to pay $2,617,107.82 in restitution to the victims of the offense, including a victim company in Fort Wayne. As part of the sentencing judgment, Chief Judge Brady ordered the forfeiture of the fraud proceeds derived from the offense, further ordering a money judgment against Ahamad in the amount of $2,617,107.82.
“The Defendant knowingly conspired with others to defraud victims throughout the United States and taxpayers of millions of dollars and then laundered the fraud proceeds through his bank accounts. Starting in 2020, and extending through April of 2023, Ahamad and his conspirators engaged in several fraud schemes, including business email compromise schemes, unemployment benefits fraud from state agencies, and Small Business Administration loan fraud. The conspiracy primarily deceived victim businesses and some individuals into wiring money to accounts under Ahamad’s control. After laundering the money through his accounts, Ahamad sent fraud proceeds via cryptocurrency to other conspirators. In total, the conspiracy tried to steal over $6 million, and Ahamad and his conspirators obtained over $2.6 million in fraud proceeds. Thanks to the professional investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Colony (Texas) Police Department and work of Assistant United States Attorneys Justin Sheridan and Anthony Geller, the Defendant has been caught, prosecuted, and sentenced,” U.S. Attorney Adam Mildred said.
This conspiracy victimized many businesses through business email compromise schemes. With this type of scheme, conspirators gained access to a business’s emails and obtained inside information about existing invoices and account payments. Conspirators then sent emails that looked legitimate and purported to change existing payment information, with the new payment account being under the control of a conspirator such as Ahamad. In wiring money, victims believed that they were sending payment to their vendors, clients, and business associates, but they were instead deceived into sending money to Ahamad.
“This 70-month prison sentence is another example of the FBI and our law enforcement partners working tirelessly to protect victims from fraudsters and scammers,” said Timothy J. O’Malley, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis Office.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from The Colony, Texas, Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Justin Sheridan and Anthony Geller.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Tennessee Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Minor and Attempted Production of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A Tennessee man who paid a minor in Colombia to produce sexually explicit videos and traveled overseas to engage in commercial sex acts with the minor victim has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.
U.S. District Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz II sentenced Ramon Arellano Sandoval, 64, of Antioch, Tennessee, to 360 months in prison after a jury convicted him of attempted sex trafficking of a minor and attempted production of visual depictions involving the sexual exploitation of a minor in February 2026.
“Ramon Arellano Sandoval targeted a 14-year-old child in Colombia, paid her to create child sexual abuse material, and then traveled overseas to exploit her in person,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Today’s 30-year sentence makes clear that distance is no shield from justice. If you use the internet, money, or international travel to prey on a child, we will find you, prosecute you, and seek the full measure of federal punishment.”
“This sentence underscores our unwavering commitment to combating human trafficking and protecting vulnerable children from exploitation,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami. “HSI, together with our international partners, will continue to pursue United States citizens who prey on minors, ensuring they are held accountable regardless of their location.”
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Arellano Sandoval exchanged thousands of text and video messages with the victim, who lived in rural Colombia and was 14 years old at the time. Despite knowing the victim was underage, Arellano Sandoval repeatedly solicited sexually explicit videos from her and directed her to produce child sexual abuse material, often in exchange for electronic payments. Arellano Sandoval also flew to Colombia to have commercial sex with the minor victim.
U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Acting Special Agent in Charge Figueroa made the announcement.
HSI Miami investigated the case with assistance from HSI Bogota and its Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit (TCIU), as well as the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Human Trafficking Unit (HTU).
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tim Farina and Camille Smith prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20519.
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