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Friday 22 May 2026
Sioux City Woman Pleads Guilty to Meth Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
April Nikkel, 37, from Sioux City, Iowa, pled guilty on May 18, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City. Nikkel pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of distributing methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a protected location.
At the plea hearing, Nikkel admitted her involvement in a conspiracy from January 2025 through November 2025 that distributed more than three pounds of methamphetamine. On at least three occasions Nikkel distributed and helped another distribute a total of over 184 grams of pure methamphetamine to individuals cooperating with law enforcement. These distributions occurred within 1,000 feet of Fairmount City Park and Cecillia City Park in Sioux City.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Nikkel remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Nikkel faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and at least 10 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is25-4063. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Second Individual Charged in Connection with Armed Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A West Yarmouth man has been charged in connection with two armed bank robberies last month.
Angel Gonzalez, 25, was charged by criminal complaint with armed bank robbery. He is currently in state custody in connection with unrelated offenses and will make his initial appearance in federal court in Boston at a later date. Another suspect in the robberies, Steven Harris, was charged by complaint with armed bank robbery earlier this month and remains in federal custody.
According to the charging documents, Gonzalez participated in the armed robberies of a Santander Bank branch in Roxbury, Mass. and a TD Bank branch in Roslindale, Mass., on April 28, 2026. It is alleged that Gonzalez brandished a firearm during both robberies. During the first robbery, at the Santander Bank, Gonzalez allegedly dragged a bank employee from her office to the teller window, threatening to shoot her and held her at gunpoint:
* The victim’s face has been redacted.
At the TD Bank location, Gonzalez allegedly entered the bank wielding the same firearm, with his index finger inside the trigger guard on the trigger of the firearm. Once inside, Gonzalez’s partner, Harris, allegedly moved multiple employees from their offices to the main area of the bank. It is further alleged that Gonzalez, while brandishing the firearm, threatened to shoot the bank employees if they did not comply with his and Harris’s directives. Gonzalez then allegedly took approximately $3,000 from a teller drawer, and the suspects left in a getaway vehicle.
The charge of armed bank robbery provides for a sentence of up to 25 years in prison, five of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aidan Lang of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the cases.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Sacramento Man Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison for Defrauding the IRS of over $270,000Read the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Toyed Xiong, 40, of Sacramento, was sentenced Thursday to 12 months and one day in prison for one count of aiding or assisting in the preparation or presentation of a false or fraudulent tax return, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, for the tax years from 2018 through 2021, Xiong falsified more than 20 of his clients’ tax returns to increase his clients’ refund amounts and reduce their tax liabilities. He reported false businesses, false income, false expenses, and false deductions for his clients to the Internal Revenue Service. In one instance, Xiong prepared a client’s 2021 tax return and falsely reported that the client incurred $10,017 in business losses when the client did not operate any business. On the same return, Xiong also falsely reported that the client was entitled to a $3,000 loss on the client’s Schedule D. He knew that the client was not entitled to the Schedule C or Schedule D losses. Xiong repeated similar fraudulent conduct with respect to several of his clients’ tax returns.
On Dec. 4, 2025, Xiong pleaded guilty. Xiong’s conduct resulted in a loss to the IRS in the amount of $270,592, which he was ordered to pay in restitution to the IRS.
IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nchekube Onyima prosecuted the case.
Sacramento Man Indicted for Cannabis Investment Scheme Involving Victims Solicited at Casinos, Bars, and Restaurants Throughout the RegionRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Keinyatey Deboros Chambers, 49, of Sacramento, is scheduled to make an initial appearance today after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging him with 10 counts of wire fraud for an investment scheme, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, between December 2017 and March 2026, Chambers falsely represented that he was involved in the cannabis industry. He met victims at various casinos, bars, and restaurants throughout California and represented that if they invested with his cannabis company, they would receive very high returns within days or weeks. Chambers, however, was not involved in the legitimate cannabis industry, and he never invested or used the investment money as promised. Instead, he stole it and used it to finance his personal life, spent it at casinos, or paid his associates.
After receiving investment money, Chambers pressured the investor-victims to invest additional money, and he encouraged investor-victims to find and recruit other investors. In total, Chambers is charged with having obtained more than half a million dollars through the scheme.
If you have information related to this case or believe you may be a victim, contact your local FBI office.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Gambling Control conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Delaney is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Chambers faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Repeat Criminal Alien from Guatemala Sentenced to Federal Prison for Third Illegal Reentry ConvictionRead the Press Release
Pensacola, Florida – Jose Francisco Santizo-Perez, also known as “Jose Mynor Castillo Lazaro,” 42, of Guatemala, was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to illegal reentry by a removed alien. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This criminal illegal alien has clearly not gotten the message that violating our nation’s immigration laws will not be tolerated, so now he will spend more than a year in federal prison before being deported once again. We are a nation of laws, and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute anyone who dares to violate those laws in the Northern District of Florida.”
Court documents reflect that the defendant has been deported from the United States four times, and had twice been convicted of illegal reentry by a removed alien in 2018 in this district and again in 2020 in the Western District of Texas. After his most recent deportation in 2021, he illegally returned to the United States and was found in Okaloosa County, Florida, in January 2026.
“This criminal illegal alien is a repeat offender who has been deported four times and twice convicted for illegal reentry and continues to demonstrate his contempt for the laws of the United States,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Miami acting Field Office Director Kelei Walker. “This conviction highlights the persistent issues associated with criminal illegal aliens who continually break immigration laws. The 16-month federal prison sentence demonstrates ICE’s dedication to upholding the law and safeguarding our communities from individuals who ignore the legal process.”
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (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.
Regions Bank to Pay $4. 9 Million to Resolve Civil Liability in Connection with Ineligible Paycheck Protection Program LoanRead the Press Release
Regions Bank, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, has agreed to pay the United States $4,919,631 to resolve allegations that Regions received payments it should not have received from the United States in connection with Regions approving forgiveness of a customer’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, despite the fact that the PPP loan was not eligible for forgiveness.
“The PPP was intended to provide critical assistance to eligible businesses during the economic uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department is committed to ensuring that PPP lenders are held accountable for failing to comply with applicable program requirements, including approving forgiveness of PPP loans that were not eligible under program rules.”
Congress created the PPP in March 2020 as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to provide federally guaranteed loans to small businesses suffering economic hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) administered the PPP. The CARES Act authorized private lenders to approve PPP loans for eligible borrowers who could later seek forgiveness of the loans so long as they used loan funds on employee payroll and other eligible expenses. Upon forgiveness of a PPP loan, the SBA paid the lender the forgiven principal loan balance and any accrued interest. SBA also paid to lenders who originated PPP loans a fee calculated as a percentage of the loan amount.
The United States alleged that, on or about Aug. 3, 2021, Regions Bank approved forgiveness of a PPP loan obtained by an individual through Regions Bank, but the PPP loan was not eligible for forgiveness. The United States further alleged that Regions Bank was unjustly enriched by the payment the SBA made to Regions Bank upon forgiveness of the PPP loan.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri, with assistance from the Small Business Administration’s Offices of the General Counsel and the Inspector General as well as from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s Office of Inspector General.
Trial Attorney Gavin Thole of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and Assistant U. S. Attorney Matthew Sparks of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri are handling the matter.
The claim resolved by the settlement reflects allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
Rancho Cordova Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison for Production and Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Daragh Finbar Hayes, 45, of Rancho Cordova, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins to 40 years in prison for production of child sexual abuse material and one count of distribution of child sexual abuse material, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, between June 25, 2024, and Sept. 30, 2024, Hayes used a child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of that conduct. Hayes hid cameras inside a bathroom that he knew the victim used and used the cameras to take videos and pictures of the victim while they were undressed. He then edited and saved those images in a hidden folder on his computer. Hayes went into illicit online chatrooms where he bragged about these images and shared them with others. Hayes pleaded guilty on Jan. 9, 2026.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Campbell 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 those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.
Police Officer Charged with Child Exploitation Crimes Involving Multiple Minor VictimsRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – A federal grand jury indictment was unsealed in San Diego today charging Brandon McGibbon, a San Diego Police Officer, with five counts of child sexual abuse offenses involving three minor victims.
According to court records, between October 25 and November 6, 2025, McGibbon engaged in the attempted receipt and production of child pornography and the attempted enticement and coercion of the minors to engage in obscene matter and sexual conduct.
Special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the cooperation of the San Diego Police Department, led the investigation. This case is the result of the ongoing efforts of the United States Attorney’s Office Special Victims Unit and was done with the collaboration of the San Diego District Attorney’s Office. Formed in April 2025, the SVU is tasked with leading collaborations between federal and local law enforcement in the investigation and prosecution of cases involving sex trafficking and child exploitation, civil rights, and labor trafficking.
McGibbon is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Brammell and Lyndzie M. Carter.
DEFENDANT Case Number 26cr1939-JO
Brandon McGibbon Age: 33 San Diego, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Attempted Receipt of Child Pornography – 18 USC § 2252(a)(2)
Maximum penalty: Five-year mandatory minimum and up to life
Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Minor – 18 USC § 2251(a)
Maximum penalty: Ten-year mandatory minimum and up to life
Attempted Enticement of a Minor – 18 USC § 2422(b)
Maximum penalty: Fifteen-year mandatory minimum and up to life
INVESTIGATING AGENCY
Federal Bureau of Investigation
*The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Plattsburgh Man Arrested and Detained for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PLATTSBURGH, NEW YORK – George Shimell, age 29, of Plattsburgh, New York, formerly of Virginia Beach, Virginia, was detained, May 14, 2026.
First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III; Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and New York State Police (NYSP) Superintendent Steven G. James made the announcement.
The defendant was arrested on May 11, 2026, for possession of child pornography. A tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led to his arrest.
In making his detention decision, U.S. Magistrate Judge Gary L. Favro stated that Shimell is a danger to the community.
The defendant faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment, supervised release for life, a fine of $250,000, restitution to victims, and sex offender registration. The charge in the complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
First Assistant United States Attorney John Sarcone said: “We thank HSI and the NYSP for their tireless work in this case that, once again, resulted in an alleged child predator brought in to face justice. This arrest and detention should serve as a warning to all who seek to exploit children: we will pursue you relentlessly, and we will ensure you face the full force of the law.”HSI Buffalo Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan: "As alleged, this defendant’s possession of child sexual abuse material is among the most depraved conduct we investigate, and individuals who collect and trade in this material revictimize children again and again. HSI Albany utilizes every tool at our disposal, including and especially strong partnerships with our federal, state, and local counterparts, to identify, target, and confront child predators wherever they operate.”
New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James said, “Implementing effective response strategies to technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation, cyber enticement and any crimes against children is paramount in keeping our communities safe. The New York State Police stand firm on the mission to assist in the prosecution of those who use the internet to gain access to and victimize our children. I thank our law enforcement colleagues for their partnership and coordinated efforts on the monumental task of keeping all children safe from predators.”HSI and NYSP are investigating the case. Also assisting on the investigation were the NYSP Special Operations Response Team (SORT), United States Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Branch, Clinton County Sheriff’s Department, and the Plattsburgh City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carling Dunham is prosecuting the case.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc
Pittsburgh Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute Fentanyl and CocaineRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of the Allentown neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal narcotics law as part of a Homeland Security Task Force prosecution, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Malik Martinez, 28, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan on May 21, 2026.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, between March 2024 and July 2024, Martinez participated in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, both Schedule II controlled substances, by functioning as a redistributor of street-level amounts of both substances.
Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for September 16, 2026. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the Court continued Martinez’s detention.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly M. Locher and Katherine C. Jordan are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
This prosecution was 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 toward identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations that 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. The Western District of Pennsylvania is part of the Philadelphia HSTF, which comprises agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), the United States Marshals Service (USMS), the United States Department of State–Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), and state and local law enforcement partners, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Pittsburgh Felon Indicted for Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of the Greenfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of violating federal firearms law, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
The one-count Indictment named Jadus Stubbs, 21, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, on or about March 22, 2026, Stubbs had two firearms and ammunition in his possession after having been convicted on a prior state felony drug trafficking charge. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney V. Joseph Sonson is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment.
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.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Philippines National Arrested on Federal Criminal Complaint Charging Him with Importing Quarter Ton of Cocaine from EcuadorRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Philippines man has been arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging him with smuggling 227 kilograms (500 pounds) of cocaine on an oil tanker inbound from Ecuador to El Segundo, narcotics that were intended to be delivered to a Mexican drug cartel, the Justice Department announced today.
Ceasar Tubay Gelacio, Jr., 43, of The Philippines, is charged with importation of a controlled substance.
He was arrested Thursday, and he is scheduled to make his initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, earlier this month, law enforcement was notified that the Greek-owned and Liberian-flagged oil tanker Aquatravesia, whose last port of call was Ecuador, was inbound to the United States carrying kilogram quantities of drugs intended to be delivered to a Mexican cartel.
Crew members discovered numerous packages hidden inside the ship’s garbage room that contained suspected narcotics. The ship’s captain interviewed the crew and discovered that Gelacio possessed the drugs. The captain then secured the narcotics in a different room inside the ship.
The captain was informed that while the Aquatravesia was in Mexican waters, small naval crafts with armed Mexican cartel members would be waiting 80 nautical miles from the shore on the evening of May 14 and the early morning of May 15. If the drugs were not delivered at this time, additional crafts would be waiting in Mexican waters to board the oil tanker and recover the contraband.
The captain also reported receiving what he believed were radio calls from the cartel attempting to hail the Aquatravesia prior to a boarding or takeover.
U.S. law enforcement directed the Aquatravesia to navigate the ship to the combined port of Los Angeles and Long Beach, where it would board the oil tanker. The ship anchored in the directed area on Thursday.
Once on board, law enforcement recovered approximately 227 kilograms of cocaine. Law enforcement learned that Gelacio possessed the cocaine inside the ship, had received the drugs in Ecuador, and intended to distribute them to another party while the boat was traveling past Mexico.
A complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, Gelacio would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Coast Guard are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Monika L. Hara of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
Out of state trucker among 273 charged as part of newest Operation Take Back America actionsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – The Southern District of Texas has filed another 271 cases involving immigration and border security-related crimes from May 15-21, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
A total of 249 illegal aliens are charged with unlawfully being in the United States - 67 and 182 for illegal entry and reentry, respectively. Most have previous convictions related to narcotics, immigration offenses, violent crimes and more. The cases also include 19 people allegedly involved in human smuggling, while the remaining matters relate to other immigration crimes.
One such case involves an out of state truck driver arrested in a failed human smuggling attempt of 42 illegal aliens in a hot, locked trailer. The charges allege that on May 16, Juan Nasario-Reyes arrived at a checkpoint and claimed his vehicle was empty, but a K-9 alerted, and law enforcement ultimately discovered four illegal aliens concealed inside the cab with 38 more in the trailer. It had been latched shut from the outside with a temperature inside of approximately 92.5 degrees, according to the complaint. A total of 13 of the illegal aliens are also facing either illegal entry or reentry charges, while the remaining are expected to be immediately removed from the country.
Three more complaints involve illegal aliens from Mexico who were allegedly found unlawfully in the United States. One - Santos Rivera-Garcia - has a significant prior conviction for felony illegal reentry and was ordered to serve 63 months in federal prison in 2022 and removed April 24 of this year, according to the complaint. However, the charges allege authorities discovered him near Mission less than a month after that removal. Two other cases allege law enforcement discovered Faustino Soto and Genaro Perez-Alonso near Escobares and Mission, respectively. Both allegedly have prior narcotics convictions and had been sentenced to at least 10 years in prison prior to their removals from the country. With no authorization to be in the United States, all could face up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted.
Also announced this week were the guilty verdicts in two trials against illegal aliens unlawfully in the United States.
A Houston federal jury deliberated for less than 30 minutes before convicting Mexican national Eduardo Aguilera-Gallardo – an illegal alien who claimed he was kidnapped and forced to return to the United States. Testimony revealed that authorities found him in Houston after a deportation officer had previously escorted him across the international boundary in Laredo following his removal order. The jury heard that neither Aguilera-Gallardo nor his family sought assistance from law enforcement in either country and never reported the alleged kidnapping to authorities once in the United States.
In Corpus Christi, a federal jury took less than 10 minutes to convict Jose Leandro Juarez-Rivas, an illegal alien from Mexico. Authorities had identified him on a commercial bus Feb. 18 with no legal authorization to be in the country. The defense attempted to convince the jury Juarez-Rivas did not know he was ordered removed from the United States or that he was not allowed to reenter the country. The jury rejected those claims and found him guilty as charged.
In another Houston case, Jose Angel Martinez Menjivar, an illegal alien sex offender from El Salvador, was ordered to federal prison for 40 months for unlawfully reentering the country without authorization. He has previous convictions for illegal reentry and indecent assault by touching and was first removed in 2022. However, authorities discovered him again in Houston July 9, 2025, with no authorization to be in the United States.
The cases are referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The cases are 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.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal histories, including convictions for human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than 10 million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.
An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Oro Valley Man Charged with Wire Fraud and Money Laundering for Defrauding Investors in Business SchemeRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Brandon Aaron Kreutz, formerly known as Brandon Aaron Moushey, 40, of Oro Valley, Arizona, was arrested Tuesday after being charged by criminal complaint with Wire Fraud and Money Laundering. Kreutz made an initial appearance Wednesday in federal court.
Kreutz is alleged to have operated under business names Brandon Kreutz Custom LLC, Brandon Kreutz Custom LLC, dba BKC Firearms, Balor Defense LLC, Vice Manufacturing, and Vice Fitness Inc., and defrauded three victims of approximately $10.9 million between May 2023, through the present.
According to the complaint, Kreutz told victims he was a former U.S. Government subcontractor and holder of a patent-pending firearms device with contracts to produce it. He further told the victims that he was party to multi-million-dollar contracts with foreign governments for the purchase of the device.
Kreutz allegedly made false claims to secure loans from the victims, saying that loan proceeds would be used to fund the device’s production and sale to the foreign entities, ultimately yielding high returns and repayments of the loans. In reality, Kreutz did not apply for a patent on the device nor had the equipment to produce it. Furthermore, he had not secured manufacturing contracts nor lucrative contracts to purchase the device.
Instead, the funds were used on a million-dollar personal residence, upgrades to the residence, dozens of luxury and exotic vehicles, a race car and membership in a racing club, travel, and firearms and accessories. Kreutz further concealed some of the victims’ funds in health and wellness business ventures and bank accounts owned by close associates.
Anyone with information regarding this alleged scheme or who may have fallen victim to the scheme are encouraged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.
The FBI Phoenix Division’s Tucson Office and IRS-Criminal Investigation are conducting the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Sue Feldmeier, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
CASE NUMBER: 26-MJ-2189
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-081_Kreutz
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Omaha Man Sentenced to 126 Months for Receipt and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Byron G. Morales, 57, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on May 18, 2026, in federal court in Omaha for receipt and distribution of child pornography. Chief District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Morales to 126 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Morales’s release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release.
On October 20, 2020, Facebook, Inc., sent four files to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC’) in a CyberTipline Report, which were subsequently passed along to law enforcement to investigate.
On July 7, 2023, two FBI agents interviewed Morales at his place of employment. Morales admitted to receiving and possessing child pornography. He also provided the agents with his black Samsung Galaxy cell phone. Specifically, Morales admitted to viewing child pornography beginning in 2018 through spring of 2023. Morales stated he would typically receive the child pornography through Facebook and WhatsApp chat groups. During the review of Morales’s phone, FBI agents located multiple photographs and videos depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Between December 7, 2018, and July 7, 2023, Morales knowingly received, by computer, visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Between December 7, 2018, and July 7, 2023, Morales knowingly possessed visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Ocala Man Sentenced to More Than Six Years in Federal Prison for Bank FraudRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Jonathan Travis Pruitt (46, Ocala) has been sentenced by United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber to six years and three months in federal prison for bank fraud. Pruitt pleaded guilty on February 4, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, Pruitt and his associates stole checks written by local businesses from their outgoing mailboxes. Pruitt then created fake businesses with nearly identical names as the intended recipients of the stolen checks. Afterward, he opened bank accounts for the newly created businesses and deposited the stolen checks. Pruitt then extracted the funds from these accounts by making large ATM withdrawals. Ultimately, Pruitt was responsible for fraudulently depositing 36 stolen checks with a total face value of more than $860,000. When he was arrested by federal agents, a search of his phone revealed scans of some of the stolen checks as well as the photo-editing software Pruitt had used to alter them.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Ocala Police Department, and the Belleview Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William S. Hamilton.
New Orleans Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison after Being Found Guilty by a Jury of Armed Carjacking and Being an Armed Career CriminalRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JOVANTE MATTHEWS, (“MATTHEWS “), age 30, of New Orleans, was sentenced by United States District Judge Sarah S. Vance on May 13, 2026 to serve a total of 350 months in federal prison, after being found guilty by a jury of Carjacking, Using a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence, Being an Armed Career Criminal, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and being an Armed Career Criminal, due to his three previous convictions for crimes of violence, a fact that enhanced his sentence further.
MATTHEWS was also sentenced to serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.
At around noon on April 3, 2024, MATTHEWS approached two contractors who were renovating a house in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans. He produced a semi-automatic handgun and put it to the head of one of the victims and demanded his keys and wallet. The victims complied and MATTHEWS drove off in their work truck, a Ford F-350 truck that belonged to a construction company. The victims called 911 and reported the incident. Officers with the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) arrived on the scene and obtained a security camera video from neighbors. This video showed the perpetrator, who was wearing distinctive clothing, walking up to the truck and the victims, but did not capture the actual robbery. NOPD officers also put out a bulletin on the stolen truck. Approximately one hour and 15 minutes later, two Levee Board police officers observed the truck in the Gentilly neighborhood near Lake Pontchartrain. When they attempted to stop the vehicle, it fled at a high rate of speed. As the truck sped through the intersection of Franklin Ave. and Mendez Street it collided with an 18-wheel truck, causing a massive crash. JOVANTE MATTHEWS was apprehended inside the stolen truck. He was found wearing the carjacking victim’s jacket and had the victim’s wallet in his back pocket. Police also located a semi-automatic firearm on the driver’s side floorboard of the truck. Officers also noted that MATTHEWS was wearing the same distinctive clothing that the perpetrator was wearing in the surveillance footage just prior to the carjacking.
To prove that MATTHEWS fit the legal definition of being an Armed Career Criminal, federal prosecutors presented evidence to the jury at a sentencing hearing that MATTHEWS participated in an armed carjacking on May 16, 2022, an armed carjacking on May 18, 2022, and an armed robbery on May 18, 2022.
A review of Matthews criminal history revealed that on June 3, 2023, Matthews pled guilty in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court to three counts of simple robbery and to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to serve five years in custody of the Louisiana Department of Corrections for these state convictions but did not serve the full five years as he was arrested on this new federal carjacking charge on April 3, 2024.
This case was investigated by Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (A.T.F.), members of the New Orleans Police Department, and the Levee Board Police. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maurice Landrieu and Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Dawkins.
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New Orleans Man Sentenced to 30 Months for Violating the Federal Gun Control ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DARVALE WILLIAMS (“WILLIAMS”), age 20, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on May 20, 2026, before United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo, for possessing a stolen firearm, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. WILLIAMS was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee.
According to court documents, on March 19, 2024, as part of an ongoing Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation, agents conducted surveillance at an apartment complex in New Orleans East. At that time, special agents observed a white Camry that was previously taken during an armed robbery/carjacking two months earlier. This same white Camry was used the day before in another crime, which FBI agents were also investigating. During the surveillance, the Camry circled around the side of the complex to leave. To prevent it from leaving, an agent blocked the Camry’s exit with his vehicle. Both the driver, Kenneth Jackson, and the passenger, DARVALE WILLIAMS, attempted to flee on foot. Both were apprehended by law enforcement shortly after exiting the vehicle. When WILLIAMS fled from the car, he left behind a loaded Romarm/Cugir Draco 7.62 millimeter rifle in the backseat. The Romarm/Cugir Draco rifle had been reported stolen on December 26, 2022, during a home robbery. Jackson also possessed a stolen firearm.
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.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. The case is being prosecuted out of the Violent Crime Unit by Assistant United States Attorneys Liz Privitera and Sarah Dawkins.
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More Than 300 New Federal Immigration Cases Filed in Western District of TexasRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 319 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from May 15 to May 21, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for numerous DUIs, violent crimes, burglary and multiple prior removals.
Among the new cases, 110 were filed in El Paso, where convicted felon Martha Lopez, of Socorro, was charged with alien smuggling. A criminal complaint alleges Lopez had arranged to pick up a group of four illegal aliens in the early morning hours of May 19 near the intersection of Angus Drive and Carablanca Drive. She allegedly fled at a high rate of speed as law enforcement vehicles responded. A U.S. Border Patrol agent conducted a traffic stop and Lopez was placed under arrest. Later that morning, USBP agents allegedly located two illegal aliens at Lopez’s residence, which had previously been identified as a possible stash house. In 2005, Lopez was convicted for voluntary manslaughter and child cruelty.
Yvette Yarelli Vasquez also faces human smuggling charges. Vasquez is the girlfriend of previously convicted alien smuggler Yovani Garcia-Cruz. A criminal complaint alleges Vasquez was aware of Garcia-Cruz’s most recent alleged involvement in alien smuggling and the money he was receiving. The complaint also alleges agents discovered proof of life videos and messages sent to Vasquez by Garcia-Cruz. Further investigation allegedly revealed a proof of life video depicting a female child saying she was in El Paso. Another video of the child allegedly shows the tattooed hand of Vasquez providing food for harbored children.
Convicted felon and illegal alien from Mexico Osiel Alfonso Marroquin-Morales was found nearly five miles west of the Fort Hancock Port of Entry. He’s been removed from the U.S. to Mexico twice, the last being on July 9, 2025. In 2014, Marroquin-Morales was convicted of a DUI, operating a motor vehicle without a license, and obstructing an officer in Tampa, Florida, for which he was sentenced to 45 days of confinement. In 2014, he was convicted in Indiana for causing death and serious injury while operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Juan Santiago-Alavez, an illegal alien from Mexico, was found approximately half a mile west of the Tornillo Port of Entry. He was previously deported for the second time on Nov. 11, 2025, and has six DUI convictions in his criminal record, along with convictions for domestic battery, false imprisonment, violating a court order, and vandalism. He now faces a charge for illegal re-entry.
In Del Rio, where 173 of the district’s new immigration cases were filed this week, Mexican national Juan Manuel Escareno-Anguiano was charged with illegal re-entry having been deported for the seventh time on Dec. 18, 2025. Escareno-Anguino’s lengthy criminal history includes three burglary convictions, escape from custody, and two convictions for re-entry after deportation.
Convicted felon and illegal alien from Mexico Luis Baena-Olivares was arrested near Del Rio for illegal re-entry. He was most recently deported for the sixth time on Oct. 15, 2025. Additionally, Baena-Olivares has been granted seven voluntary returns, the last one being in 2002. His criminal record of five felonies contains two illegal re-entry convictions along with convictions of robbery, kidnapping and evading arrest.
Mexican national Juan Pablo Bermudez-Cueto was arrested near Del Rio and charged with illegal re-entry. In December 2020, he was convicted in Kansas of kidnapping and inflicting bodily injury. For those convictions, Bermudez-Cueto was sentenced to 59 months imprisonment and then removed from the U.S. in April 2024.
Fidel Rodriguez-Herrera, an illegal alien from Mexico, was stopped by Texas Department of Public Safety troopers on May 14 for an alleged traffic violation in San Antonio. ICE Enforcement Removal Operations assisted and, according to a criminal complaint, Rodriguez-Herrera was taken into custody without incident. A review of his criminal record revealed an extensive criminal history from 1987 to 2011 and includes DUI, assault causing bodily injury, and failure to identify, along with multiple convictions for illegal re-entry.
In Austin, Marlon Ramirez-Castro, an illegal alien from Honduras, was transferred into ICE custody after being found in the Travis County Jail, where he was jailed for evading arrest. Ramirez-Castro was last removed from the U.S. to Honduras in 2016, after being convicted of bulk cash smuggling. Additionally, Ramirez-Castro has been convicted of DWI, terroristic threat, and two assaults causing bodily injury.
Mexico national Pedro Valadez-Galindo was also found in the Travis County Jail, after being arrested for assault of a pregnant person. He was previously removed from the U.S. to Mexico in 2009 following a conviction for possession of a controlled substance.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.
These cases are 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.
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Michigan Man Sentenced to 28 Years of Imprisonment for Online Sexual Extortion of Minor VictimsRead the Press Release
Richland, Washington- Pete Serrano, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that Andrew Steven Otto, age 27, of Escanaba, Michigan, was sentenced after pleading guilty to two counts of Production of Child Pornography and one count of Possession of Child Pornography. United States District Court Judge Mary K. Dimke imposed a sentence of 28 years of imprisonment to be followed by a lifetime term of supervised release, and $30,640.68 in restitution.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, beginning in November of 2023, and continuing for months thereafter, Otto, then a 24 year old male, presented himself to be a 15 year old male on an online application frequently used by children and teens. During this timeframe, Otto pursued a 14 year old girl in the Eastern District of Washington, manipulating the child into believing that the two were in an online relationship. Otto told the child she was beautiful and that he wanted to date her. Otto solicited sexually explicit photos of the minor; when she refused, Otto assumed another person’s online identity and threatened the child. These threats included physical harm to the victim and the victim’s mother. After the victim sent one photo, Otto used the other online identity to extort the child, threatening to post the sexually explicit photo on the child’s school website.
Otto pursued another 11 year old child in the State of Illinois in the same manner. He complimented her and made her believe that he loved her. Thereafter, he requested sexually explicit images of the minor. When the minor refused, he coerced her, using multiple, fraudulent, online identities to threaten her. Otto also used these identities to inform the minor that Otto had died by suicide because of the child’s lack of response.
Both minor victims experienced significant and ongoing trauma as a result of Otto’s crimes.
The Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force members went to Escanaba, Michigan, to locate Otto. There, they worked with local Homeland Security Investigations agents and local law enforcement to arrest Otto for his crimes. A search warrant was executed at Otto’s residence and multiple electronic devices were seized. A forensic examination of these devices included sexually explicit images and videos of the local Eastern District of Washington victim and the Illinois victim. Investigators located additional sexually explicit content depicting other children, as well as communications wherein Otto sought and received a sexually explicit video depicting a 6 to 8 year old child.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Dimke commended the local victim’s bravery and resilience throughout the court process. She highlighted the “absolute terror” that each minor victim must have felt in the face of Otto’s tactics. Judge Dimke also informed Otto that it appeared that he did not sufficiently understand the level of harm that he had inflicted on the young victims, and that this posed a significant concern for Otto’s potential rehabilitation.
“Otto preyed upon these young victims in the most harmful way possible. With the help of our local and federal law enforcement partners, my office will continue to pursue individuals such as Otto, who victimize young children in our community, regardless of where they live. I am grateful for the cooperation of our local ICAC team, Homeland Security Investigations, and the law enforcement agencies in Michigan who brought Otto to justice,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Pete Serrano.
“Mr. Otto’s crimes are particularly heinous and highlight the actual dangers lurking online for minor children,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “We will continue to aggressively work as part of the Internet Crimes Against Children task force to find and arrest those responsible for taking advantage of our children.”
“The collaborative partnership of the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (SER-ICAC) unites our law enforcement counterparts from Richland, Kennewick, Pasco, Benton County, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), in conjunction with the concerted efforts of law enforcement agencies in Michigan and the United States Attorney’s Office, has proven instrumental again in securing a guilty plea with a substantial sentence, ” stated Commander Damon Jansen with the Richland Police Department. “Outcomes like this, marked by their severity, contribute significantly to the administration of justice for the children within our community and beyond who have endured egregious abuse yet have emerged as survivors.”
The case was investigated by the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Kennewick Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, Escanaba Department of Public Safety and the Michigan State Police. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laurel J. Holland.
Members of transnational money laundering organization charged with laundering cartel fundsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An indictment returned in the Eastern District of Virginia was unsealed yesterday charging Ruhuan Zhen and Hongce Wu, both Chinese nationals, with conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with transnational criminal organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel and the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación.
According to court documents, beginning in at least November 2016 and continuing to April 2025, Zhen, Wu, and their co-conspirators are alleged to have used a variety of secretive and clandestine methods, including mirror transfers, foreign bank accounts , encrypted communications applications, a serial-number verification system, and trade-based money laundering, to launder substantial volumes of narcotics proceeds and funds represented to be narcotics proceeds on behalf of transnational criminal organizations. The conspiracy is alleged to span the course of years with co-conspirators operating across the United States, Mexico, Latin America, China, and elsewhere, and involve drug proceeds stemming from the importation and sale of illicit narcotics, including cocaine and fentanyl.
Zhen and Wu were indicted on April 24, 2025, by a federal grand jury empaneled in Alexandria, Virginia, and remain at large.
If convicted of the offense, Zhen and Wu each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit investigated the case, with assistance from DEA’s Office of Special Intelligence, Document and Media Exploitation Unit, and DEA’s offices in Memphis Resident Office (RO), Lexington RO, Chicago Field Division (FD), New York FD, Washington FD, Charleston RO, Atlanta FD, Charlotte District Office, Bogota Country Office (CO), and Dubai CO.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Edgardo J. Rodriguez for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Chelsea R. Rooney of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF) are prosecuting the case. MNF Trial Attorney Caylee E. Campbell provided substantial assistance throughout the investigation.
MNF’s mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.
MNF’s Money Laundering and Forfeiture Unit investigates and prosecutes sophisticated money laundering schemes involving financial facilitators, gatekeepers, and other individuals and entities laundering criminal proceeds, and litigates complex civil forfeiture cases to recover assets on behalf of victims.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Members of Transnational Money Laundering Organization Charged with Laundering Cartel FundsRead the Press Release
An indictment returned in the Eastern District of Virginia was unsealed yesterday charging Ruhuan Zhen and Hongce Wu, both Chinese nationals, with conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with transnational criminal organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel and the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).
According to court documents, beginning in at least November 2016 and continuing to April 2025, Zhen, Wu, and their co-conspirators are alleged to have used a variety of secretive and clandestine methods, including mirror transfers, foreign bank accounts, encrypted communications applications, a serial-number verification system, and trade-based money laundering, to launder substantial volumes of narcotics proceeds and funds represented to be narcotics proceeds on behalf of transnational criminal organizations. The conspiracy is alleged to span the course of years with co-conspirators operating across the United States, Mexico, Latin America, China, and elsewhere, and involve drug proceeds stemming from the importation and sale of illicit narcotics, including cocaine and fentanyl.
Zhen and Wu were indicted on April 24, 2025, by a federal grand jury empaneled in Alexandria, Virginia, and remain at large.
If convicted of the offense, Zhen and Wu each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Cindy Marx of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Special Operations Division made the announcement.
The DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit investigated the case, with assistance from DEA’s Office of Special Intelligence, Document and Media Exploitation Unit, and DEA’s offices in Memphis Resident Office (RO), Lexington RO, Chicago Field Division (FD), New York FD, Washington FD, Charleston RO, Atlanta FD, Charlotte District Office, Bogota Country Office (CO), and Dubai CO.
Trial Attorney Chelsea R. Rooney of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Edgardo J. Rodriguez for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case. MNF Trial Attorney Caylee E. Campbell provided substantial assistance throughout the investigation.
MNF’s mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.
MNF’s Money Laundering and Forfeiture Unit investigates and prosecutes sophisticated money laundering schemes involving financial facilitators, gatekeepers, and other individuals and entities laundering criminal proceeds, and litigates complex civil forfeiture cases to recover assets on behalf of victims.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Maryland Man Sentenced to 36 Months for Conspiracy to Commit Wire FraudRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Maryland man was sentenced to 36 months in prison after pleading guilty for his role in a conspiracy to traffic personal identifying information (PII), U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced. Chief United States District Judge Renée M. Bumb imposed the sentence on April 23, in Camden federal court.
Chouby Charleron, 27, of Severn, Maryland, pleaded guilty before Chief Judge Bumb on November 19, 2025, to a single count Information that charged him with Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From at least February 2020 through his arrest on January 22, 2024, Charleron accessed and obtained the PII of thousands of unwitting individuals and then sold that PII to a network of co-conspirators through interstate wires using a web-based encrypted messaging application that users could access on their cellphones. Charleron was the administrator of a chat group that advertised the sale of PII to prospective co-conspirators. Charleron sold the PII, including Social Security numbers, of more than 5,000 victims to multiple co-conspirators. Charleron sold the PII with the knowledge that his co-conspirators would use the PII to, among other things, defraud or attempt to default the victims whose PII had been stolen.
In addition to the prison term, Chief Judge Bumb also ordered $102,288.18 in restitution and a term of supervised release of 2 years.
U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents of Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dak Cohen and Alison Thompson of the Criminal Division in Camden and Newark respectively.
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Defense counsel: Gary Mizzone, Esq.
Maryland Man Sentenced for SNAP Benefits Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A Maryland man received a federal prison term, today, for masterminding a supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) benefits fraud scam and other related crimes.
U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Brendyn Andrew, 34, of Gaithersburg, to 54 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for SNAP benefits fraud, possessing unauthorized access devices, aggravated identity theft, passport fraud, and witness tampering, in connection with the scheme. Judge Chuang also ordered Andrew to pay $41,699.79 in restitution.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Charmeka Parker, U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG) Northeast Region, and Special Agent in Charge David Richeson, U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) – Washington Field Office. This prosecution is part of the Trump Administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
In February 2025, a grand jury indicted Andrew for aggravated identity theft, SNAP benefits fraud, social security number misuse, and theft of government property. Then, in May 2025, a grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Andrew with additional crimes for possessing 15 or more unauthorized access devices; aggravated identity theft; passport fraud; and tampering with a witness, victim, or informant.
According to court documents, between February and June 2021, Andrew used the Department of Human Services’ online system to apply for SNAP benefits and obtain electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards later found in his possession. Andrew, who used identities belonging to more than 30 individuals, intentionally misrepresented his identity to obtain the benefits.
In October 2022, during the execution of a search warrant, law enforcement found Andrew in possession of more than 15 EBT cards in the names of other individuals. Then, in January 2023, and again, in February 2024, Andrew submitted United States passport applications. On the applications, Andrew stated he was other individuals, and without legal authority, used the victims’ social security numbers. One of the individuals is Andrew’s brother. Records obtained from U.S. Customs and Border Protection revealed Andrew flew multiple times, using the fraudulent passport he obtained in his brother’s name.
Additionally, in March 2025, while detained on the original indictment at the Chesapeake Detention Facility in Baltimore, Maryland, Andrew spoke to Dominique Collins, 38, of Stafford, Virginia, his girlfriend and co-conspirator, on the phone. During the call, Andrew asked Collins to delete an e-mail account to make the account unavailable for use in an official proceeding.
In March 2026, Collins pled guilty to tampering with a witness, victim, or informant. Collins’s sentencing is scheduled for Thursday, July 2, at 9:30 a.m.
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.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the USDA-OIG and DSS for their work in the investigation, along with the Montgomery County Police Department for its investigative assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kertisha Dixon who is prosecuting the case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Man Convicted on Federal Robbery and Firearm Charges Following Armed Crime Spree in MontgomeryRead the Press Release
On May 20, 2026, a jury convicted 24-year-old Rayshon Frances Demonta Hall, of Montgomery, Alabama, on multiple federal robbery and firearm charges, announced Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson and Special Agent in Charge Sara J. Jones with the FBI Mobile, Alabama Field Office.
“Armed robberies place innocent employees and customers in danger and create fear throughout the community,” said Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson. “This verdict demonstrates that those who choose to terrorize businesses with violence and firearms will be held accountable in federal court.”
“FBI Mobile is focused on protecting our neighborhoods from violent crime and the fear it creates,” said Special Agent in Charge Jones. “We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and hold accountable those who threaten public safety.”
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Hall and 21-year-old co-defendant Najari Denarka Mitchell carried out a series of armed robberies targeting three Montgomery businesses over a four-day period. The crime spree began on August 1, 2025, when the defendants robbed a fast-food restaurant on Troy Highway while threatening an employee with a firearm. The following day, the pair committed a similar robbery at an auto parts store on Fairview Avenue. On August 4, 2025, Hall and Mitchell robbed a gas station on Troy Highway.
At the conclusion of his three-day trial, the jury found Hall guilty of three counts of robbery and three counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a federal crime of violence. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled in the coming months. At sentencing, Hall faces a sentence of 21 years to life in federal prison without the possibility of parole.
Mitchell previously pleaded guilty to his role in three robberies and one attempted robbery involving Hall. In addition, Mitchell pleaded guilty to four other armed robberies he committed in Montgomery before partnering with Hall, along with two charges for brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a federal crime of violence. Those robberies targeted a cell phone store on June 5, 2025; the same Troy Highway gas station on June 20, 2025; a gas station on Eastern Boulevard on June 24, 2025; and another gas station on Virginia Loop Road on July 28, 2025.
Mitchell’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 26, 2026. Per his plea agreement, Mitchell is facing a sentence of 300 months in prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Montgomery Police Department, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mark E. Andreu and Eric M. Counts.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (OTBA) and the Middle District of Alabama’s Violent Offender Intervention and Deterrence (VOID) program. OTBA is 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.
VOID aims to reduce violent crime by enhancing coordination, communication, and collaboration with law enforcement partners. The program focuses on working directly with local agencies and traditional federal partners to prosecute violent offenders and armed felons, dismantle drug trafficking organizations, and build proactive cases targeting gangs and repeat violent offenders. VOID prioritizes the most serious violent crime cases and fosters close working relationships with state and local prosecutors and law enforcement throughout the Montgomery River Region.
Lewisville man, Michigan woman indicted in the Eastern District of Texas for synthetic drug schemeRead the Press Release
TYLER, Texas – A man and woman have been indicted for a drug trafficking scheme in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Adell Willis, 43, of Lewisville, and Judy Ly, 30, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, were named in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury this week in the Eastern District of Texas. Willis and Ly were charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute synthetic drugs and conspiracy to possess contraband in prison. Ly was also charged with possession of synthetic drugs with intent to distribute.
The indictment alleges that beginning in March 2023, Willis and Ly conspired to possess synthetic opioids, synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic stimulants, and other controlled analogues, in correctional institutions. It is alleged in the indictment that Willis purchased synthetic drugs from China and had them shipped to his residence in the Eastern District of Texas and Ly’s residence in Michigan. It is also alleged that once Willis and Ly received the synthetic drugs, they would convert the drugs to a liquid before soaking sheets of paper in the drug mixture. Once the sheets of paper were saturated, they were then delivered to inmates at various federal and state correctional institutions across the country.
If convicted, Willis and Ly could face up to 20 years in federal prison.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
This case is being investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Noble.
A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Lawrence Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Nine Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lawrence man was sentenced in federal court in Boston for conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
Leonardo Lara, 45, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In October 2025, Lara was convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances (involving five kilograms or more of cocaine). In August 2023, Lara was indicted by a federal grand jury along with co-conspirators Merced Navarro Morfin and Leandro Martinez.
In April 2022, an investigation revealed that Lara was in possession of $230,000 in drug proceeds that he sought to send to Mexico. On April 20, 2022, Lara was stopped on Interstate-84 in Sturbridge and approximately $40,000 in drug proceeds were found hidden in baby-wipe containers in the trunk. Lara was released from the traffic stop and promptly contacted his co-conspirators. Approximately 36 minutes after the traffic stop concluded, Martinez and Navarro Morfin were observed travelling to Lara’s residence in Methuen and removing eight kilograms of cocaine. Another kilogram of cocaine, and approximately $196,000 in bundled cash, were found in the car that Martinez and Navarro Morfin drove to Lara’s house.
According to court records, Lara was previously convicted twice in federal court in Boston. In 2004, Lara was convicted of bank larceny and was sentenced to probation. In 2017, Lara was convicted of money laundering, transactions in criminally derived funds and theft of government funds and was sentenced to 15 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.In November 2025, Navarro Morfin was sentenced to four years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In May 2025, Martinez was sentenced to 23 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Samuel R. Feldman and Sandra Gonzalez Sanchez of the Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Lake Oswego Man Charged with Sexually Exploiting Multiple Minors and Distributing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Lake Oswego, Oregon, man has been charged with sexually exploiting minor victims online and in person across multiple states and distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Alex Miller Eldridge, 36, has been charged by criminal complaint with sexual exploitation of children and possession and distribution of child pornography.
According to court documents, since May 2025, Eldridge used multiple online accounts to sexually exploit minors in multiple U.S. states and at least one foreign country. In December 2024, Eldridge flew from Hawaii to Pennsylvania to sexually abuse a minor victim he met on the Discord application. Eldridge recorded his sexual abuse of the minor victim and later sent those videos to multiple other minor victims.
Eldridge used the Discord and Session applications to engage in sexually themed chats with additional minor victims in 2025 and 2026. He directed one minor victim in Colorado and another in Greece to send him videos of themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct, which he then threatened to distribute online. Discord also reported him for distributing multiple files of CSAM in November 2025.
Investigators executed a search warrant at Elridge’s home on May 20 and located additional evidence of sexual exploitation of minors and CSAM activity. Evidence found on Eldridge’s cell phone showed that he distributed CSAM on Discord the day before his arrest.
Eldridge made his first appearance in federal court yesterday before a U.S. magistrate judge, who detained Eldridge pending further court proceedings.
U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mira Chernick is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children is encouraged to contact HSI at (866) 347-2423 or submit a tip online at report.cybertip.org.
This case was brought in collaboration with 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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Killer Convicted of Two Murders on Ft. BraggRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A federal jury convicted a Laurinburg man last week on eight charges including first degree murder, drug conspiracy, and obstruction of justice.
Kenneth Maurice Quick, Jr., 26, murdered WL and TD. After that following a series of events, Quick agreed to buy cocaine from WL, only he never intended to pay. TD sold the cocaine to WL, and joined him on the trip to sell it to Quick. Quick took WL to a trap house in Laurinburg where he shot him in the back five times. Then, TD agreed to help Quick dump WL’s body at a rural location in the woods on Ft. Bragg, hoping to avoid the same fate. However, when the truck bottomed out in the sand, Quick killed TD: shooting him once in the head and once in the back. Quick then coordinated with others to escape Ft. Bragg. The next day Quick and his coconspirators ransacked, moved, and burned TD’s truck.
“This verdict ensures that North Carolina is a safer place. A killer will spend the rest of his life behind bars. Despite fantastical claims in media accounts, this jury heard the actual facts and determined the truth of what happened. The victims and their families obtained a measure of justice, but the wounds will never be truly healed.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle.
In the lead up to the trial, Quick passed the names of two potential witnesses against him (spelling the names letter by letter) and discussed the “work” those witnesses required. When Quick’s mom later told him that one of the witnesses was killed, he responded, “Damn, you don’t know how happy that makes me feel.”
"Quick likely believed he got away with killing two men and discharging their bodies on Fort Bragg property without a second thought. He clearly didn't consider the dedication and expertise of the FBI Special Agents who, working with our partners from the United States Army Criminal Investigation Division, followed the evidence and put together a meticulous timeline of his crimes. The verdict, guilty on all eight federal counts related to murder, drugs, illegal firearms, and obstruction tells the story. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will make certain violent criminals are always held accountable," said Reid Davis, the FBI Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina.
Quick faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment when sentenced in August 2026. There is no parole in the federal system.
Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan accepted the verdict. The FBI and U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division led the investigations in 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. 5:23-CR-246.
Jefferson County man guilty of drug trafficking as part of Homeland Security Task Force investigation in the Eastern District of TexasRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Beaumont man has pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking violations following a Homeland Security Task Force investigation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
James William Quinney, Jr., 38, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zack Hawthorn on May 21, 2026.
According to information presented in court, in October 2024, law enforcement began investigating Quinney for trafficking drugs in Beaumont and the surrounding area. During the investigation, Quinney was identified as the leader of a drug trafficking organization that distributed kilogram quantities of methamphetamine to other distributors for redistribution. Quinney was found to be purchasing 18 kilograms of methamphetamine at a time for redistribution. In total, law enforcement seized nearly five kilograms of methamphetamine from Quinney and over $80,000.00 in U.S. currency.
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; Orange Police Department; Orange County Sheriff’s Office; Texas Department of Public Safety; Lumberton Police Department; and Galveston County Sheriff’s Office with the prosecution being led by Eastern District of Texas Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan C. Lee.
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Jackson Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine DistributionRead the Press Release
JACKSON, MS – Level Allen was sentenced today to five years in federal prison for possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute it. Additionally, once released, he will be placed on supervised release for four years.
According to court documents, and statement made in open court, Allen sold methamphetamine from a Jackson motel on multiple occasions. Allen was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2025. He pled guilty in January 2026.
U.S. Attorney J.E. Baxter Kruger for the Southern District of Mississippi; ATF Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson; and DEA Special Agent in Charge Steven Hofer made the announcement.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Illegal alien with multiple felony convictions, indicted for returning to the United States after being previously deportedRead the Press Release
TYLER, Texas – A Mexican national has been charged with unlawfully returning to the United States, announced Eastern District of Texas U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Julio Zamudio-Ramirez, 33, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury this week in the Eastern District of Texas charging him with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien.
The indictment alleges that in August 2025, Zamudio-Ramirez was in the Gregg County jail for abandoning or endangering a child, when it was determined that he was a citizen of Mexico and in the United States illegally after having been previously deported to Mexico. Zamudio-Ramirez had previously been removed from the United States on June 6, 2020, following a Gregg County conviction in 2016 for delivery of a controlled substance. Zamudio-Ramirez also has a Gregg County conviction for burglary of a vehicle from 2013.
If convicted, Zamudio-Ramirez faces up to 10 years in federal prison and deportation.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
This case is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Noble.
A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Illegal alien from Honduras sentenced to over three years in prison for illegally reentering the United States after multiple deportations and drug convictionsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Honduran national was sentenced on May 20 to three years and four months in prison for illegally reentering the United States after previously being removed from the country twice.
According to court documents, in 1997, Franklin Geovany Alvarez-Villanueva, 54, was convicted of assault and possession of a controlled substance in Fairfax County. In 2000, Alvarez-Villanueva was convicted of grand larceny and distribution of controlled substances in Fairfax County. Alvarez-Villanueva was removed from the United States on Oct. 18, 2002.
Alvarez-Villanueva illegally reentered the United States and in 2013 was convicted for possession with intent to manufacture or sell cocaine. In 2015, Alvarez-Villanueva was convicted of unlawful reentry after removal subsequent to the conviction of an aggravated felony. He was removed from the United States again on June 30, 2017.
Alvarez-Villanueva again illegally reentered the United States and, in 2025, was convicted of possession of cocaine in Fairfax County. On Feb. 18, Alvarez-Villanueva pled guilty in the Eastern District of Virginia to illegally reentering the United States. He remains subject to the previous order of removal.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Washington, D.C., investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob A. Mercer prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:26-cr-3.
Illegal Alien from Mexico Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – An illegal alien from Mexico, living locally in Keswick, Virginia, pled guilty this week to a federal firearms charge for illegally possessing a gun while being in the United States unlawfully.
Javier Bernal-Lopez, 38, pled guilty this week to illegal possession of a firearm while being illegally or unlawfully in the United States.
According to court documents, on November 18, 2025, Victim 1 and another person came to the Albemarle County Police Department (ACPD) to report a domestic dispute which had occurred the previous day near Keswick, Virginia. Victim 1 described a violent encounter with her ex-boyfriend, Javier Bernal-Lopez, involving a firearm being shot through their entrance door.
Victim 1 advised detectives with ACPD that Bernal-Lopez always carries a firearm on his person. In addition, Victim 1 advised detectives that she had been dating Bernal-Lopez for several years and she knew him to be a Mexican National illegally present in the United States.
Authorities confirmed that Bernal-Lopez had twice been arrested by U.S. Border Patrol at Nogales, Arizona, in June 2004. Following both arrests he was allowed to voluntarily return to Mexico.
On November 25, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the defendant’s home. During the search, law enforcement located a SCCY CPX-2 9mm semi-automatic handgun. The firearm was located in a bag along with Bernal-Lopez’s Mexican passport. A box of ammunition, as well as an extended magazine, capable of holding more than twenty rounds were located within the home as well.
First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Special Agent in Charge Eric Weindorf for Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C. made the announcement.
The Department of Homeland Security and the Albemarle County Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sally J. Sullivan is prosecuting the case.
Illegal Alien Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Drug Trafficking and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Alexi Zamora-Chona, 30, an illegal alien from Mexico, was sentenced on May 19, 2026, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a short-barreled rifle in furtherance of drug trafficking. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Zamora-Chona to a total of 192 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Zamora-Chona’s release from prison, he will begin a four-year term of supervised release.
On November 21, 2024, DEA agents and local law enforcement executed a search warrant at a residence in Omaha where Zamora-Chona and co-defendant Octavio Zamora-Chona lived. Probable cause for the search warrant was based on a controlled buy of half a pound of methamphetamine in Omaha. Agents recovered more than 30 pounds of methamphetamine, five firearms, and more than $19,000 cash. One of the firearms was a short-barreled rifle. Zamora-Chona said that the firearms were his and acknowledged that he knew the methamphetamine was at his house. Octavio Zamora-Chona’s seized cell phone was searched and extracted data revealed his involvement in methamphetamine dealing.
Octavio Zamora-Chona, 39, an illegal alien from Mexican, was sentenced February 13, 2026, to 180 months’ imprisonment for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
United States Attorney Lesley Woods said, “This case is a prime example of how drug trafficking and firearms go hand-in-hand and the presence of them together is a public safety threat to Nebraska’s communities. This sentencing was a just and appropriate outcome. Law enforcement should be commended for taking these individuals and their dangerous contraband off of our streets. We look forward to their swift deportation following their lengthy terms of imprisonment.”
The seized cash and firearms will be forfeited to the United States.
This case was investigated by the DEA with assistance from the Omaha Police Department, Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office, and Saunders County Sheriff’s Office.
Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Recording His Sexual Abuse of Sleeping ChildRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MARIO RENE GARCIA MARTINEZ, also known as “Mario Rene Martinez Garcia,” 41, a citizen of Guatemala unlawfully residing in the U.S., pleaded guilty today in New Haven federal court to child exploitation offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on two occasions in February 2024, in Connecticut, Garcia Martinez used his smartphone to record images and videos of himself sexually abusing a prepubescent minor female while she was sleeping.
Garcia Martinez pleaded guilty to production of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years, and possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
Garcia Martinez has been detained since his arrest on March 6, 2025. A sentencing date is not scheduled.
This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the West Haven Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel E. Cummings and Anastasia E. King with the assistance of the Office of the State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Ansonia-Milford.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
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.
Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Benefit Fraud and Identity Theft OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican man unlawfully residing in Salem, N.H., pleaded guilty yesterday to stealing the identity of an American citizen from Puerto Rico to obtain a U.S. Passport as well as federally funded benefits from Massachusetts.
Juan Felipe Chalas, 58, pleaded guilty to making a false statement in a passport application and unlawfully obtaining Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Benefits. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for Sept. 8, 2026. The defendant was one of nine charged earlier this year as part of a benefit fraud crackdown. He remains in federal custody pending sentencing.
Pursuant to a plea agreement which calls for Chalas to serve one year of incarceration and two years of supervised release, Chalas also agreed to pay restitution of $12,584 to the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance for fraudulently obtaining SNAP benefits, $25,491 to the Social Security Administration for fraudulently obtaining disability benefits and $266,857 for fraudulently obtaining MassHealth benefits.
As far back as 1996, Chalas, a Dominican national who has never been admitted or inspected by immigration authorities, assumed the identity of an American citizen from Puerto Rico. Using the victim’s identity, Chalas obtained United States passports in 1998, 2010 and 2023 as well as various Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles identifications using the name and other information of an American citizen from Puerto Rico.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Amy Connelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division; Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region; Nathan Hebert, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office; and Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Grady, Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
Houston felon sentenced to federal prison for Crockett firearms violationRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas –A Houston convicted felon has been sentenced to federal prison for a firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Erik Saenz, 43, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone on May 21, 2026.
According to information presented in court, on February 2, 2025, law enforcement officers were dispatched to a child endangerment complaint in Crockett. The reporting party stated that Saenz was intoxicated and traveling on foot with a pre-school aged child. Officers located Saenz walking on the side of a highway and attempted to speak with him. Saenz smelled of alcohol and showed signs of intoxication. When officers attempted to remove the child from Saenz, he resisted. During the struggle, Saenz attempted to reach for a firearm that was tucked into his waistband. The officers were eventually able to disarm Saenz and he was arrested. Further investigation revealed
Saenz has previous felony convictions for evading arrest with a motor vehicle, burglary, and injury to a child. Federal law prohibits convicted felons from owning or possessing firearms.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Crockett Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald S. Carter.
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Honduran National Sentenced to 175 Months’ Imprisonment for Drug Distribution Offense in Atlantic CityRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Honduran national was sentenced for possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute it, United States Attorney Robert Frazer announced.
Diogenes Galvez, 21, of Atlantic City, New Jersey, previously pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on May 19, before U.S. District Chief Judge Renée Marie Bumb in Camden federal court. Chief Judge Bumb sentenced Galvez to serve 175 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
According to the evidence and statements made in court:
On September 27, 2023, Atlantic City Police Department officers and agents with the FBI Safe Streets Task Force executed a search warrant at Galvez’s home. Officers found methamphetamine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana, and other controlled substances. Officers also found a loaded semiautomatic handgun that had a defaced serial number, as well as nearly $5,000 in cash. Prior to possessing the controlled substances and defaced firearm, Galvez had been convicted of multiple firearms offenses.
U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy of Newark, with the investigation. U.S. Attorney Frazer also thanked the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor William Reynolds, for its assistance in the investigation. The investigation was part of the U.S. Attorney and Atlantic County Violent Crimes Initiative (VCI), which is a collaboration of multiple local, state and federal law enforcement agencies operating within Atlantic County, including, but not limited to, the Atlantic City Police Department and the Atlantic County Sheriff’s Department, designed to identify the most violent offenders and coordinate law enforcement efforts.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph McFarlane in Camden.
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Georgian Citizen Sentenced to over Three Years in Prison for International Money Laundering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A Georgian citizen was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for laundering more than $1.1 million in illicit health care fraud proceeds to his co-conspirators located abroad.
According to court documents, Irakli Nakashidze, 35, a Georgian citizen residing in Miami, Florida, owned ABRH Care Inc. (ABRH), an alleged medical supply company located in Miami. In reality, ABRH was a sham company used to defraud Medicare. In just the first six months of 2025, ABRH billed Medicare and private insurers roughly $179 million for medical supplies — including orthotic braces and wound dressings — that were never provided to patients. This fraudulent billing was conducted by a transnational criminal organization that orchestrated a large-scale fraud on Medicare and private insurers. Nakashidze laundered over $1.1 million in proceeds from this fraud to his co-conspirators, including by transferring large sums to accounts located in China and Hong Kong. Bank surveillance depicted Nakashidze laundering the money on multiple occasions.
In November 2025, Nakashidze pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. At sentencing, he was ordered to pay $1,108,504 in forfeiture.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division; Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott Lampert for the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG); Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles for the FBI Miami Office; and Special Agent in Charge Derek Holt for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Office of the Inspector General (OPM-OIG) made the announcement.
HHS-OIG, FBI, and OPM-OIG investigated the case. Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate, and the U.S. Marshals Service provided valuable assistance.
Trial Attorney Claire Horrell of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 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. 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.
Georgia Sex Offender Sentenced to Prison for Failing to Register in Madison County, FloridaRead the Press Release
Tallahassee, Florida – Tavaris Andre Donaldson, 30, of Madison, Florida, was sentenced in federal court to 27 months in prison for failing to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Convicted sex offenders like this defendant are legally required to register with local authorities when they move to a new location. This legal requirement is necessary to keep our communities informed of their presence and safe, and my office will ensure those registration requirements are strictly enforced.”
Court documents reflect that the defendant was convicted of child molestation in May 2014 in Lowndes County, Georgia, and, as a result, was required to register as a sex offender in each county where he lived and worked. Although the defendant had been registering as a sex offender as required in Lowndes County, Georgia, he absconded from there in October 2024 and traveled to Madison County, Florida, where he lived and worked. Employment records showed that the defendant began employment in Madison County, Florida, in early-2025; however, the defendant knowingly failed to report his employment and residence as required by SORNA.
After serving his term of imprisonment, Donaldson will have to serve eight years of supervised release.
“There is nothing more important than protecting our nation’s children,” said Acting U.S. Marshal Greg Leljedal. “If a sex offender crosses state lines and fails to register, the U.S. Marshals will arrest and bring charges against them for these violations.”
The case involved a joint investigation by the Madison County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Marshals Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen.
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 and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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.
Former U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Sentenced to 72 Months in Prison for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
DETROIT – A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer was sentenced yesterday on charges of distribution of child pornography, United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. announced.
Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Scott Rocky, 58, of Center Line, Michigan stands convicted of distribution of child pornography. United States District Judge Terrence G. Berg sentenced Rocky to 72 months in federal prison.
According to court records, in April 2025, Rocky shared and downloaded hundreds of files of child sexual abusive material (CSAM) online via peer-to-peer applications. Following the execution of a search warrant at Rocky’s residence, agents located on his computer over five hundred accessed images of CSAM, including those depicting the sexual abuse of toddlers, infants, and prepubescent children.
“We trust law enforcement to uphold the law and protect Americans. This pervert violated our trust and broke the law so that he could hurt children. He deserves every day of his sentence,” said U.S. Attorney Gorgon.
“This sentence should serve as a warning: no badge, title, or position of public trust will shield anyone who exploits our children from facing justice under federal law,” said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “Public trust amongst law enforcement officials is essential. This former U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer distributed child sexually abuse material, which is disturbing and does not represent the men and women who serve honorably in law enforcement. Our FBI Detroit Crimes Against Children Squad, alongside the CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility, worked tirelessly to hold this sexual predator accountable and protect our children from further exploitation.”
The FBI investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nhan Ho prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Former Senior Vice President of Atlanta Housing Authority Sentenced to Prison for Housing Assistance Fraud and Pandemic Relief FraudRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Tracy Jones, a former Senior Vice President at the Atlanta Housing Authority, has been sentenced to prison and ordered to pay restitution for a scheme to fraudulently collect Section 8 housing assistance payments for her own rental property and family members, making fraudulent applications to collect pandemic relief funds, and committing mortgage fraud when refinancing her rental property.
“Jones violated the trust of the community, the taxpayers, and the needy families she was supposed to assist, using her senior position at one of the largest housing authorities to steal limited public funds,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Her theft of that money meant other members of the community went without much-needed relief. Our office will continue to vigorously act to hold people like Jones, who violate the public trust and pilfer from the treasury, accountable.”
“Tracy Jones abused a position of trust by diverting funds from multiple federal programs, undermining assistance intended for vulnerable communities and struggling businesses during the pandemic,” said Special Agent in Charge Jerome Winkle with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG). “HUD OIG will continue to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue those who exploit HUD-funded programs for personal gain.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: From April 2017 to the time of her guilty plea in this case, Jones served as Senior Vice President over the Housing Choice Voucher Program at the Atlanta Housing Authority, overseeing one of the largest Section 8 programs in the country. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funds Section 8 programs, including rental assistance payments to landlords on behalf of low-income families and individuals. Section 8 funds are limited, and there is often a long waiting list of low-income families seeking acceptance into the program. Housing authority staff are generally prohibited from receiving Section 8 payments for their own properties, and Section 8 landlords are typically prohibited from leasing to their own family members.
Instead of upholding the integrity of the housing assistance program, Jones defrauded the program by using a series of falsified forms to have her family members admitted to the Section 8 program and then to receive Section 8 payments for them to live in her own rental house. To conceal her identity, Jones used a fake name and a shell business entity to execute housing authority documents. As a result, she improperly obtained more than $36,000 of Section 8 funds. Jones then obstructed subsequent investigations by submitting a false affidavit and convincing friends to lie and present false documents on her behalf.
At the same time, Jones used her shell business and another business to collect more than $27,000 from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s COVID-19 pandemic relief programs, falsely claiming that the businesses were functioning, had multiple employees, and received over $56,000 of gross revenues in 2019. When the SBA denied one of Jones’s applications, she appealed the denial, falsely stating:
- “I am truly a[n] honest business owner[.]”
- “I hear the stories how people abused the PPP loans to establish a lavish lif[e] style. That is not me. My business is small and is growing, but I [am] one of the legitimate and honest business that can use all the help I can.”
- “I also serve a community of low income families in my business, renting one of my three homes to a low income family as well as serve other owners of low income rental properties.”
Jones also committed mortgage fraud when she refinanced her Section 8 rental property, falsely claiming on her application for a $219,780 loan that the property was her primary residence, that the residence was not a rental property, and that she did not own any other property.
On May 20, 2026, Tracy Denise Jones, 61, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to 9 months in prison to be followed by 9 months of home detention and 15 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $65,598.80 and a fine of $63,546. She pled guilty on February 2, 2026, to conspiracy to commit theft of government funds, wire fraud, and credit application fraud.
This case was investigated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Garrett L. Bradford 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, among other methods, 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
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 at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Former CDC Supervisor Pleads Guilty to Stealing More than $190,000 of Agency FundsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Gwendolyn Brandon, a former supervisor at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has pleaded guilty to theft of government funds in connection with fake invoices she submitted to the CDC.
“This defendant embezzled taxpayer money and brazenly exploited her position of public trust by fabricating invoices,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “When she is sentenced later this year, she will pay the price for her greed and deception.”
“This federal employee-turn-fraudster exploited her government position to steal taxpayer money to enrich herself,” said Special Agent in Charge Marcus L. Sykes of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. “HHS-OIG is committed to protecting the integrity of the federal workforce and to help ensure that HHS funding is spent appropriately to serve the American public.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: From approximately August 2023 to February 2025, while employed as a CDC administrative professional, Brandon created fraudulent invoices that appeared to be from vendors requesting payment for goods or services provided to the CDC. The invoices triggered payments to an account she controlled. She used her role as a supervisor and her knowledge of CDC’s invoice and credit card processing system to perpetuate the fraud by causing employees under her supervision, who were unaware of the fraud, to make the payments. Through her scheme, she caused the CDC to pay at least 46 fraudulent invoices in amounts ranging from $2,230 to $9,970, resulting in the theft of $190,461.50 in government funds.
Gwendolyn Brandon, 43, of Cumming, Georgia, pleaded guilty to theft of government funds yesterday. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 3, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg. In determining the actual sentence, the Court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders. As part of her plea agreement, Brandon agreed to resign from the CDC and never apply for employment with the federal government again, nor will she seek to do business with the federal government as a contractor or vendor.
This case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica C. Morris is prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Five Gang Members Plead Guilty to Racketeering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – Mohamed Jaber (33, Tampa), Irving Bruzon (28, Tampa), Christian Andujar (28, Tampa), Kyle Miller (34, Orlando), and Julissa Collazo (29, Tampa) have each pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana. Andujar also pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering and one count of financial institution fraud. Bruzon also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering and one count of financial institution fraud. Jaber pleaded guilty to an additional count of financial institution fraud. Each faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. Sentencing dates have not yet been set. A sixth individual, Xavier Garnder, has been charged and has entered a plea of not guilty. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court records and hearings, these individuals were members of a street gang called Alexander Park, or AP. The gang, or enterprise, operated in part by selling and distributing marijuana and by robbing other drug dealers of their marijuana and money. The gang also carried out acts of violence in furtherance of these activities and to maintain the credibility of the gang and strengthen the position of members within the gang. The gang also obtained high end vehicles by making misrepresentations about their employment and incomes. Some of the vehicles were used during their crimes.
Beginning in January 2020 and continuing through July of 2021, Andujar and Garnder, who has pleaded not guilty, conspired to kill a rival gang member. In April 2023, Andujar, Bruzon, Garnder, and an unknown fourth co-conspirator conspired to kill an individual who had angered them. The victim was shot 17 times while sleeping in his car and died of his injuries.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Tampa Police Department, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and the Shelby Township Police Department (Michigan). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Samantha Newman and Brooke Padgett. Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Nebesky is handling the forfeiture.
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.
Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to More Than a Decade in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A Dubuque man who distributed fentanyl between July 2022 and October 2023 and illegally possessed a gun was sentenced on May 18, 2026, to more than ten years in federal prison.
Derrick Deonte Moore, age 31, from Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 22, 2025, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and distribution of fentanyl.
Evidence at plea and sentencing hearings showed that between July 1, 2022, and October 10, 2023, Moore worked with others to distribute fentanyl. In October and December 2023, Moore distributed fentanyl that caused two nonfatal overdoses. In March 2023, investigators searched Moore’s home in Dubuque. They found Moore in the home and in possession of over $2,500. Investigators also found 234 fentanyl pills hidden inside a stuffed animal, five more fentanyl pills in a bag inside Moore’s bedroom closet, a loaded .45 caliber pistol in the same closet, a scale, prescription drugs, and marijuana. On September 6, 2023, and October 10, 2023, Moore sold ten fentanyl pills to another person. Moore was prohibited from possessing firearms because of prior felony and domestic abuse assault convictions.
Moore was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Moore was sentenced to 137 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
More is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael S.A. Hudson and Assistant United States Attorney Dan Chatham and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Dubuque Drug Task Force, the Dubuque Police Department, the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Criminalistics Laboratory.
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.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-CR-1036.
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Feeding Our Future Ringleader Sentenced to 500 MonthsRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Aimee Bock has been sentenced to 500 months in prison for her lead role in a $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.
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.
As proven at trial, Aimee Bock, 44, was the founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit organization that was a sponsor participating in the Federal Child Nutrition Program. Salim Said, 36, former co-owner of Safari Restaurant, was jointly tried with Bock. Together, they oversaw a massive fraud scheme carried out by sites under Feeding Our Future’s sponsorship.
“Over forty-one years in prison is the cost this fraudster will pay for stealing from children,” said Colin M. McDonald, Assistant Attorney General for the National Fraud Enforcement Division. “Rather than using taxpayer funds intended to feed vulnerable children, the defendant instead pocketed the money to buy luxury vehicles, residential and commercial real estate in Minnesota, and finance international travel. As this prison sentence makes clear, Minnesota fraudsters should be on high alert—justice is on the move.”
"Aimee Bock and her co-conspirators orchestrated one of the largest frauds against a social service program ever in Minnesota," said FBI Minneapolis Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson. "The hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars stolen through Bock's scheme were meant to help children and families in need. Defrauding programs designed to feed hungry children is despicable and the sentence handed down today underscores that fact. Complex fraud investigations are at the heart of the FBI's work. Our Special Agents, Forensic Accountants, Analysts, and professional staff will continue to work tenaciously with our law enforcement partners to protect the American taxpayer and families in need from frauds like these."
As proven at trial, Feeding Our Future employees recruited individuals and entities to open Federal Child Nutrition Program sites throughout the state of Minnesota. These sites, created and operated by Bock, Said, and others, fraudulently claimed to be serving meals to thousands of children a day within just days or weeks of being formed. Bock and Said created and submitted false documentation, including fraudulent meal counts consisting of fake attendance rosters purporting to list the names and ages of the children receiving meals at the sites each day. Feeding Our Future submitted these fraudulent claims to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and then disbursed the fraudulently obtained Federal Child Nutrition Program funds to their co-conspirators involved in the scheme.
To accomplish their scheme, Bock and her co-conspirators created dozens of shell companies to enroll in the program as food program sites, and to receive and launder the proceeds of their fraudulent scheme. In exchange for sponsoring these sites’ fraudulent participation in the program, Feeding Our Future received more than $18 million in administrative fees to which it was not entitled. In addition to the administrative fees, Feeding Our Future employees solicited and received bribes and kickbacks from individuals and companies sponsored by Feeding Our Future. Many of these kickbacks were paid in cash or disguised as “consulting fees” paid to shell companies created by Feeding Our Future employees to make them appear legitimate.
In total, Feeding Our Future opened more than 250 Federal Child Nutrition Program sites throughout the state of Minnesota, and in doing so, went from receiving and disbursing approximately $3.4 million in federal funds in 2019 to nearly $200 million in 2021. Throughout the course of their scheme, Feeding Our Future fraudulently obtained and disbursed more than $240 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. The defendants used the proceeds of their fraudulent scheme to purchase luxury vehicles, residential and commercial real estate in Minnesota, and to fund international travel.
In pronouncing sentence, Judge Nancy Brasel told Bock, “This was a fraud vortex and you were at the epicenter of it.” Judge Brasel stated that “A sentence of less than 500 months would not do justice to the people of Minnesota, who were in a very real sense the victims of this fraud.”
These cases result from an investigation conducted by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebecca E. Kline, Matthew C. Murphy, and Matthew D. Evans are prosecuting these cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.
Feeding Our Future Ringleader Sentenced to 500 MonthsRead the Press Release
Aimee Bock has been sentenced to 500 months in prison for her lead role in a $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.
As proven at trial, Aimee Bock, 44, was the founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit organization that was a sponsor participating in the Federal Child Nutrition Program. Salim Said, 36, former co-owner of Safari Restaurant, was jointly tried with Bock. Together, they oversaw a massive fraud scheme carried out by sites under Feeding Our Future’s sponsorship.
“Over 41 years in prison is the cost this fraudster will pay for stealing from children, said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald for the National Fraud Enforcement Division. “Rather than using taxpayer funds intended to feed vulnerable children, the defendant instead pocketed the money to buy luxury vehicles, residential and commercial real estate in Minnesota, and finance international travel. As this prison sentence makes clear, Minnesota fraudsters should be on high alert — justice is on the move.”
“Aimee Bock and her co-conspirators orchestrated one of the largest frauds against a social service program ever in Minnesota,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson of the FBI Minneapolis Field Office. “The hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars stolen through Bock's scheme were meant to help children and families in need. Defrauding programs designed to feed hungry children is despicable and the sentence handed down today underscores that fact. Complex fraud investigations are at the heart of the FBI's work. Our Special Agents, Forensic Accountants, Analysts, and professional staff will continue to work tenaciously with our law enforcement partners to protect the American taxpayer and families in need from frauds like these.”
As proven at trial, Feeding Our Future employees recruited individuals and entities to open Federal Child Nutrition Program sites throughout the state of Minnesota. These sites, created and operated by Bock, Said, and others, fraudulently claimed to be serving meals to thousands of children a day within just days or weeks of being formed. Bock and Said created and submitted false documentation, including fraudulent meal counts consisting of fake attendance rosters purporting to list the names and ages of the children receiving meals at the sites each day. Feeding Our Future submitted these fraudulent claims to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and then disbursed the fraudulently obtained Federal Child Nutrition Program funds to their co-conspirators involved in the scheme.
To accomplish their scheme, Bock and her co-conspirators created dozens of shell companies to enroll in the program as food program sites, and to receive and launder the proceeds of their fraudulent scheme. In exchange for sponsoring these sites’ fraudulent participation in the program, Feeding Our Future received more than $18 million in administrative fees to which it was not entitled. In addition to the administrative fees, Feeding Our Future employees solicited and received bribes and kickbacks from individuals and companies sponsored by Feeding Our Future. Many of these kickbacks were paid in cash or disguised as “consulting fees” paid to shell companies created by Feeding Our Future employees to make them appear legitimate.
In total, Feeding Our Future opened more than 250 Federal Child Nutrition Program sites throughout the state of Minnesota, and in doing so, went from receiving and disbursing approximately $3.4 million in federal funds in 2019 to nearly $200 million in 2021. Throughout the course of their scheme, Feeding Our Future fraudulently obtained and disbursed more than $240 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. The defendants used the proceeds of their fraudulent scheme to purchase luxury vehicles, residential and commercial real estate in Minnesota, and to fund international travel.
In pronouncing sentence, Judge Nancy Brasel told Bock, “This was a fraud vortex and you were at the epicenter of it.” Judge Brasel stated that “A sentence of less than 500 months would not do justice to the people of Minnesota, who were in a very real sense the victims of this fraud.”
These cases result from an investigation conducted by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebecca E. Kline, Matthew C. Murphy, and Matthew D. Evans are prosecuting these cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.
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.
FBI Agent Honored with Inaugural Hometown Hero Award by the United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana IslandsRead the Press Release
Hagåtña, Guam – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, is proud to announce that Special Agent Richard J. Bauer has been awarded the inaugural Hometown Hero Award sponsored by the Department of Justice in honor of America’s 250th Birthday.
“It is a privilege to call Special Agent Bauer a federal partner,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “Rick works in both of our judicial districts as a criminal investigator, specializing in child exploitation offenses, among other serious federal offenses. He is an expert in the forensic examination of electronic evidence. Rick also volunteers as a coach in youth wrestling, soccer, and baseball in the CNMI, including for national teams that compete throughout the Pacific region. He is also the vice president of the Northern Marianas Wrestling Federation. I applaud his commitment to service and civic responsibility for the citizens of our districts.”
The Hometown Hero Award was created in honor of the 250th birthday of the United States of America. The Department of Justice is proud to honor law enforcement across the country with recognition of the extraordinary service to their fellow citizens.
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Eastern District of Texas honors Jacksonville Police Officer with Hometown Hero AwardRead the Press Release
TYLER, Texas – U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs of the Eastern District of Texas announced Officer Elyse Hand of the Jacksonville Police Department as the district’s 2026 Hometown Hero Award recipient.
The Hometown Hero Award is sponsored by the Department of Justice in honor of the United States of America’s 250th year of celebrating its independence. The Hometown Hero award recognizes one of our law enforcement partners who best embodies the spirit upon which our Nation was founded and reflects a steadfast commitment to the enduring ideals of liberty, service, and civic responsibility.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office recognizes Officer Hand for her courageous actions on the evening of Sunday, November 2, 2025. On this day, Officer Hand was shot twice in the line of duty while attempting to apprehend a wanted fugitive. Today, she is on the road to recovery, supported by her husband, a Texas State Trooper, and their young son.
In honor of Officer Hand, employees of the U.S. Attorney’s Office held a gift-in-kind charity drive to benefit local child advocacy centers in the Eastern District of Texas. Those centers include the Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County in Plano, the Grayson County Children’s Advocacy Center in Sherman, the Texarkana Children’s Advocacy Center, the Children’s Advocacy Center of Smith County in Tyler, Harold’s House East Texas Alliance for Children in Lufkin, and the Garth House in Beaumont.
As the Eastern District of Texas’ Hometown Hero, Officer Hand represents the sacrifices made by law enforcement officers across the nation every day. We salute Officer Hand and her bravery and wish her a speedy recovery.
To learn more about the Hometown Hero award and Freedom 250, please visit https://freedom250.org/.
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