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Monday 18 May 2026
Utah Jury Convicts Business Owners of Fraud after Victims Were Scammed More than $30MRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – After a five-week trial, a federal jury in Salt Lake City returned a guilty verdict against multiple defendants for their participation in a nationwide scheme to defraud victims out of more than $30,000,000 by inducing them to invest in Noah’s Event Centers and promising impressive long-term financial returns. The defendants, Christopher J. Ashby, 52, Jordan S. Nelson, 45, both of Salt Lake County, Utah; and Scott W. Beynon, 49, of Davis County, Utah, were each found guilty on all charged counts: 17 counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Three other codefendants pleaded guilty as well. The founder of Noah’s, William J. Bowser, 63, of St. George, Utah, pleaded guilty in the middle of trial on April 16, 2026, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Prior to trial, John D. Hamrick, 67, of Franconia, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty on January 21, 2026, to three counts of wire fraud; and Scott L. Rutherford, 54, of Utah County, Utah, pleaded guilty on June 9, 2025, to wire fraud.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the defendants conspired and engaged in a nationwide scheme to defraud investors. The victims were defrauded out of more than $30,000,000 after being persuaded by the defendants to invest in Noah’s Event Centers as part of 1031 exchanges. Despite defendants’ promises that the investments were “safe” and “secure” and that Noah’s was a reliable corporate partner, Noah’s Event Centers were, collectively, an unprofitable enterprise sustained only through infusions of new investor funds. Five promised buildings were never constructed, as new investor funds were diverted elsewhere. Evidence presented at trial demonstrated that the defendants misrepresented important information regarding Noah’s financial health and falsely promised to safeguard victims’ money during construction.
Marketing materials displayed at trial depicted luxurious Noah’s event spaces and boasted of Noah’s “demonstrated . . . ability to examine and modify their business to achieve maximum profitability.” However, evidence at trial demonstrated that the defendants were aware that Noah’s was not profitable and was facing dire financial straits. According to the evidence, investors were left with empty, undeveloped lots rather than the promised venues, while the defendants received millions of dollars for their role in the scheme.
At trial, prosecutors showed satellite images of the undeveloped event centers, including unbuilt sites in Dublin, Ohio, Independence, Ohio, Toledo, Ohio, Jacksonville, Florida, and Carmel, Indiana.
The defendants are expected to be sentenced before a U.S. District Court Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City in the coming months.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah thanked federal law enforcement partners for their work on the case and emphasized that her Office is “committed to ensuring justice for victims of complex financial crimes.”The case is being investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
Assistant United States Attorneys Cy C. Castle, Stephen P. Dent, Luisa Gough, and Bryant L. Watson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.
U.S. Attorney’s Office recognizes Columbus police officer who saved man from burning vehicle as Hometown HeroRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II presented today the District’s Hometown Hero award to Columbus Division of Police officer Gloria West.
The Hometown Hero award commemorates the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. It honors the enduring ideals of Liberty, Service, and Civic Responsibility. This award is dedicated in recognition of a steadfast commitment to these ideals and an embodiment of the spirit upon which our Nation was founded.
“Officer West represents the very best of the Columbus Division of Police,” said U.S. Attorney Gerace. “Her dedication to her community, her professionalism, and her willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty make her an exemplary officer and a true hometown hero.”
Officer West is recognized for her extraordinary bravery, selflessness and unwavering commitment to public safety.
On Nov. 13, 2024, Officer West responded to a vehicle crash that quickly escalated into a life-threatening emergency when the car caught fire. The driver of the vehicle was trapped and in imminent peril after his vehicle’s brakes failed and he crashed into a pillar of a highway bridge.
While on the phone with 911 dispatchers, the driver told them that he was trapped and, fearing he was going to die, he asked them to, “Tell my wife I love her, please tell my wife I love her.” Without hesitation and fully aware of the danger, Officer West rushed toward the burning vehicle. While demonstrating remarkable courage under pressure, Officer West acted decisively, pulling the driver from the vehicle moments before the fire fully engulfed it. Officer West suffered significant burns to her hands; the driver lived.
“Officer West’s actions that day were nothing short of heroic,” U.S. Attorney Gerace added. “She placed the life of another above her own safety, embodying the highest ideals of law enforcement and public service. Because of her quick thinking and fearless response, a life was saved—an outcome that likely would not have been possible without her intervention.”
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U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont Collected $4,437,008.08 in Civil and Criminal Actions and Forfeited $7,720,856.00 in Fiscal Year 2025Read the Press Release
BURLINGTON – First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt announced today that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont collected $4,437,008.08 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2025. Of this amount, $1,722,712.24 was collected in criminal actions and $2,714,295.84 was collected in civil actions. The District of Vermont also worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $73,705.04 in criminal cases pursued jointly by these offices.
The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the Department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the United States and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the Department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.
U.S. Attorneys’ Offices also use civil and criminal forfeiture tools to seize and forfeit monies and property that were proceeds of or facilitated serious criminal conduct. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $7,720,856.00 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2025. Forfeited assets are deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund and used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.
Notable forfeitures and collections include the following:
- Over $6.9 million of funds and property that were the proceeds of a cryptocurrency confidence scam impacting over 100 victims across the United States. In total, during fiscal years 2024 and 2025, FBI Vermont and the Vermont U.S. Attorney’s Office have forfeited over $8.1 million of funds and property related to the scam. FBI and the Vermont U.S. Attorney’s Office worked to identify assets purchased with victim money, ultimately forfeiting a residence in Frisco, Texas and $6.9 million of cryptocurrency. Feng Chen, 36, and Tianqiong Xu, 36, recently of Frisco, Texas, were indicted for the scheme on June 27, 2024, but are fugitives and believed to have returned to China. The indictment contains allegations only; Chen and Xu are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The Vermont U.S. Attorney’s Office is currently working to return the seized funds to the victims of the scheme.
- $226,409.95 of restitution, fines, and assessments were collected from Matthew Ernest, 51, of Winooski, Vermont in 2025. In 2024, Ernest was convicted of possessing child sexual abuse materials. On January 16, 2025, United States District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier ordered Ernest to serve 8 months in prison, pay $104,000.00 of restitution to 14 victims of his offense, a $100,000.00 fine plus interest, and $22,100.00 of special assessments.
- $82,500.00 was collected from Madison Carrig in 2025. In 2024, Carrig was convicted of access device fraud related to her embezzlement of money from the automobile dealerships that employed her. During Carrig’s 2025 sentencing, she was ordered to pay $141,000.00 of restitution.
- $321,718.00 of restitution and fines were collected from James Mailhiot. In 2024, Mailhiot was convicted of federal income tax evasion, stemming from Mailhiot’s understating the income he earned from his roofing business. $296,718.00 of back taxes and a $25,000.00 fine were collected from Mailhiot in 2025.
- $1,994,000.00 was collected from Galvion, Ltd., in connection with its 2024 settlement of False Claims Act allegations for the knowing sale of non-conforming parts to the United States Department of Defense.
- $426,186.23 was collected from Revision Military, Ltd., in connection with its 2024 settlement of False Claims Act allegations for selling eyewear products that it falsely represented were wholly sourced in the United States.
- $201,400.00 was collected on behalf of the Department of Housing and Urban Development to resolve debts owed to the government.
First Assistant United States Attorney Ophardt commended the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Financial Litigation Unit and Asset Forfeiture personnel for their diligent work on behalf of crime victims and the public.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Welcomes Sean M. Lewis to Newly Created Civil Rights SectionRead the Press Release
MIAMI – United States Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones announced today that Sean M. Lewis has been sworn in as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Lewis will serve in the Office’s newly created Civil Rights Section within the Criminal Division, under the leadership of Joe diGenova, and will be based in the Fort Pierce office.
Lewis brings nearly two decades of trial, appellate, and judicial experience to the Southern District of Florida. He previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney in both the District of Columbia and the Western District of Michigan, where he prosecuted violent crime, narcotics, white collar, child exploitation, and sexual assault cases. During his federal prosecutorial career, Lewis tried dozens of cases to verdict, handled substantial appellate work, and argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
Lewis is widely recognized for his work as the federal prosecutor in the case against Lawrence Gerard Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor whose crimes shocked the nation. Nassar was sentenced in federal court to 60 years in prison for child-pornography and obstruction-of-justice offenses, with the federal sentence ordered to run consecutive to any state sentences. The Department of Justice’s Western District of Michigan release identified Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean M. Lewis as the prosecutor in that case.
“Sean Lewis is exactly the kind of prosecutor we want helping lead this work in South Florida,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones. “He has stood in court for victims in some of the most serious and nationally significant cases in the country, including the federal prosecution of Larry Nassar, where justice required courage, precision, and an unwavering commitment to the vulnerable. Sean brings deep trial experience, appellate judgment, and a prosecutor’s heart to our newly created Civil Rights Section. Under Joe diGenova’s leadership, this section will protect constitutional rights, pursue those who abuse power or target others because of who they are, and ensure that every community in our district receives the full protection of federal law.”
Before joining the Southern District of Florida, Lewis served as a General Magistrate in Florida’s Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, where he presided over trials and evidentiary hearings, resolved civil pretrial matters, conducted Baker Act and Marchman Act hearings, and prepared findings of fact, conclusions of law, and recommended orders for circuit court judges.
Lewis previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Western District of Michigan from 2012 to 2021 and in the District of Columbia from 2008 to 2012. In those roles, he prosecuted and tried serious federal and local offenses, briefed and argued criminal appeals, mentored younger attorneys, trained law enforcement officers, and served as liaison to the 11 federally recognized Indian Tribes in the Western District of Michigan.
Earlier in his career, Lewis was an associate at Covington & Burling LLP, where he worked on white collar investigations, complex civil litigation, and pro bono matters. He also served as a law clerk to Judge James L. Ryan of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Lewis earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School, where he graduated cum laude, was elected to the Order of the Coif, and served on the University of Michigan Law Review. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, from Grove City College, with studies in political science and French.
The newly created Civil Rights Section will focus on enforcing federal criminal civil rights laws throughout the Southern District of Florida, including cases involving hate crimes, official misconduct, human trafficking, threats, and other offenses that strike at the dignity, safety, and constitutional rights of victims.
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U.S. Attorney’s Office Honors Law Enforcement Partners and “Hometown Heroes” During National Police WeekRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- On May 15, 2026, United States Attorney Tom Wheeler recognized more than 160 individuals from 33 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies during the Office’s annual awards ceremony at the Indiana War Memorial & Museum in downtown Indianapolis. Held during National Police Week, the ceremony honored law enforcement professionals whose exceptional work safeguarded communities across Indiana in cases concluded in 2025.
In commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary, the U.S. Attorney’s Office named Matt and Laurie Shahnavaz—Founders of the Remember Officer Noah Foundation—as the 2026 Hometown Heroes. This award honors the enduring American ideals of liberty, service, and civic responsibility. Matt and Laurie were recognized for their extraordinary service, unwavering devotion to their community, and steadfast support of law enforcement in carrying forward the mission and legacy of fallen Elwood Police Officer Noah Jacob Shahnavaz.
Case Awards:
Outstanding Collaborative Investigation
Recognizes cases demonstrating exceptional teamwork and the ability to overcome significant challenges through multi‑agency coordination.
Awarded to: U.S. v. Carranza, et al and U.S. v. Patients Choice Labs
Project Safe Childhood – Shield of Innocence
Honors those who provide extraordinary assistance to victims of federal child sexual abuse crimes, including sustained emotional support, extensive off‑duty dedication, detailed financial analysis to secure restitution, and resolving complex investigative challenges.
Awarded to: U.S. v. Austin Ryan Lauless, U.S. v. Bryan Lee Fish, and U.S. v. Moises Bojorquez
L.E.A.T.H Heroism Award
Presented to a case demonstrating extraordinary commitment and fortitude in pursuing justice for domestic violence victims. The award honors IMPD Officer Breann Leath, who was killed in the line of duty while responding to a domestic disturbance. The LEATH Initiative—led by ATF, IMPD, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office—focuses on domestic violence offenders who illegally possess firearms or have significant violent criminal histories.
Awarded to: U.S. v. Pedro Zuniga-Lopez
Investigative Excellence Award
Recognizes cases that significantly advanced the mission of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice through complex, thorough, and proactive evidence analysis.
Awarded to: U.S. v. Julian Green, et al and U.S. v. Freire-Pifferrer, et al
Excellence in the Pursuit of Justice
Presented to a case in which local, state, and federal officials achieved extraordinary results in preventing crime, enhancing community safety, and seeking justice.
Awarded to: U.S. v. James Henley, et al
Community Impact
Recognizes a case that produced widespread, positive impact on constituents, strengthened law enforcement relationships, and contributed to the lasting legacy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana.
Awarded to: U.S. v. Desha Morris, U.S. v. Aaron Strong and U.S. v. Kristopher McDonald
Outstanding Agency Service
Presented to cases that substantially contributed to the mission of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice.
Awarded to: U.S. v. Lawrence Taylor, U.S. v. Otha Watkins II, U.S. v. Jeremy Mack, U.S. v. Mitchell Gibson and Quaylan Anderson v. United States.
Excellence in Appellate Practice
Recognizes an appellate case exemplifying excellence in legal writing, issue preservation, and advocacy before the appellate courts, contributing meaningfully to the development of the law and the protection of the United States’ interests.
Awarded to: U.S. v. Fenner, et al
Participating Agencies
Honorees represented the following 33 agencies:
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
- Drug Enforcement Administration
- Federal Bureau of Investigation – Indianapolis and Tampa
- Federal Bureau of Prisons – FCC Terre Haute
- Homeland Security Investigations – Indianapolis and Cleveland
- IRS–Criminal Investigation
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General
- U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Frauds Section
- U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division
- U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General
- U.S. Postal Inspection Service
- Indiana Attorney General’s Homeowner Protection Unit
- Indiana Family and Social Services Administration
- Indiana State Police
- Charlestown Police Department
- Clarksville Police Department
- Cleveland, Ohio Police Department
- Evansville Police Department
- Fishers Police Department
- Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office
- Henry County Sheriff’s Office
- Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
- Jeffersonville Police Department
- Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office
- Morgan County Sheriff’s Office
- New Castle Police Department
- Plainfield Police Department
- Princeton Police Department
- Richmond Police Department
- Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office
- Zionsville Police Department
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Three People from St. John the Baptist Parish and Jefferson Parish Sentenced in Fentanyl Distribution CaseRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – JESSICA PORTWAY, age 42 of St. John the Baptist Parish, RACHEL PORTWAY, age 23 of Jefferson Parish, and TYLER SALADINO, age 25 of Jefferson Parish were sentenced on May 13, 2026 by United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo, after previously pleading guilty to a drug conspiracy, drug distribution, and possession with intent to distribute, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.
TYLER SALADINO was sentenced to 48 months and three (3) years of supervised release as to Counts 1, 2, and 3. JESSICA PORTWAY was sentenced to thirty-seven (37) months as to Counts 1, 2, and 4 and three (3) years of supervised release. RACHEL PORTWAY was sentenced to time-served, three (3) years of supervised release and a 12-month period of home incarceration as to Counts 1, 2, and 3.
According to court documents, in August 2023, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office (JPSO) investigated an overdose death in Jefferson Parish that revealed SALADINO, RACHEL PORTWAY, JESSICA PORTWAY, and others, conspired to distribute fentanyl in the Eastern District of Louisiana. As part of the conspiracy, SALADINO and RACHEL PORTWAY sold pills containing fentanyl to the victim in Jefferson Parish. The investigation further revealed that RACHEL PORTWAY had obtained the pills from JESSICA PORTWAY in the weeks leading up to the transaction and that JESSICA PORTWAY had received the pills from another individual in California.
A search warrant was executed on SALADINO and RACHEL PORTWAY’S shared residence and additional pills were recovered. Testing by the JPSO Crime Laboratory confirmed the pills contained fentanyl. A search warrant was executed on JESSICA PORTWAY’S residence in LaPlace, Louisiana and law enforcement also recovered 26 doses of LSD, a quantity of methamphetamine, and a quantity of fentanyl.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration – Fentanyl Overdose Response Team (FORT), the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Briana Williams and Andre’ Jones of the Narcotics Unit.
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Stockton Man Pleads Guilty to Multi-State Scheme to Defraud Factoring CompaniesRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Hector Perez, 35, of Stockton, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for his role in a scheme to defraud companies of $2 million, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, between May 2018 and November 2020, Hector Perez and his brother Flavio Perez, 30, of Stockton, carried out a fraudulent scheme targeting invoice factoring companies.
Invoice factoring is a financial service that provides immediate cash flow to a business in exchange for the business’s outstanding invoices. The invoice factoring company, which has bought the outstanding invoices, then has the right to collect the money owed by the debtors on those invoices.
To execute the scheme, the brothers created corporate entities posing as businesses seeking to sell fabricated debt in the form of fraudulent invoices. The defendants then sold these fraudulent invoices to at least four different factoring companies. As a result of this deception, the victim factoring companies transferred money to bank accounts held under the control of one or both of the defendants. The victim factoring companies would either never get paid on the fake invoices that they had purchased or if they did, would get paid much less than they were due. If they were paid, the money generally came from the defendants, most often via bank accounts held in the names of fictitious debtors. These payments were designed to disguise the fraud so that the defendants could avoid detection and continue the fraudulent enterprise. From May 2018 through September 2020, the overall loss to the victims totaled more than $2 million.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Thuesen is prosecuting the case.
Hector Perez is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb on Aug. 24, 2026. Hector Perez faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the wire fraud counts, and a mandatory consecutive two-years in prison for the aggravated identity theft count. The actual sentence, however, will 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.
A status conference is scheduled for Flavio Perez on July 13, 2026. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the conspiracy 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.
Southern California Man Pleads Guilty to Importation and Possession with Intent to Distribute KetamineRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A 19-year-old southern California man pleaded guilty today to importation and possession with intent to distribute more than 70 pounds of ketamine that was discovered in his luggage.
According to court documents, on or about September 29, 2025, Nehemiah Bayonne arrived at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, from London, England. After deboarding the airplane, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer referred Bayonne to Customs for a baggage inspection. During the inspection of Bayonne’s two bags, CBP officers found a total of 32 “bricks” of ketamine – 16 bricks in each bag. The approximate total weight of ketamine was 32.8kg (72.3 lbs). Ketamine is a schedule III controlled substance.
According to the DEA, Ketamine, commonly known on the street as Special K, is a dissociative anesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects. It distorts perceptions of sight and sound and makes the user feel disconnected and not in control.
Bayonne pleaded guilty to one count of importation of a controlled substance and one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. United States District Judge Cristina D. Silva set sentencing for August 24, 2026. The maximum statutory penalty is 20 years in prison, a period of supervised release, a fine, and a mandatory special assessment.
First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) made the announcement.
HSI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Federal Air Marshal Service investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Brenna Bush is prosecuting the case.
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Sioux Falls, South Dakota Woman Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. The sentencing took place on May 11, 2026.
Amanda Thompson, 36, was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Thompson was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering by a federal grand jury in December 2024. She pleaded guilty on January 21, 2026.
Thompson worked with others to obtain methamphetamine in Omaha during multiple trips and then redistributed those drugs in Sioux Falls. She also sent drug proceeds through multiple money wire transfers directly to people in Mexico at the direction of a co-conspirator. During her involvement in the conspiracy, Thompson was involved in trafficking over four pounds of methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges handled the prosecution of the case.
Thompson was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Sioux City Man to Federal Prison for Possession of MethRead the Press Release
Richard Martinez, 30, from Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced May 14, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City.
Martinez pled guilty on July 24, 2025, to possessing and aiding and abetting another’s possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that on July 17, 2024, law enforcement was conducting surveillance at WinnaVegas Casino (near Sloan, Iowa) and observed a vehicle traveling away from the casino over the speed limit. Law enforcement attempted a traffic stop of the vehicle, which took off at high-speed to elude police. As police followed, they observed two packages of methamphetamine thrown out the passenger window. The thrown meth (approximately ½ pound) was later located and seized by law enforcement. Martinez admitted that the driver of the vehicle handed him the methamphetamine and instructed him to throw it out of the window to avoid their apprehension with the methamphetamine in their possession.
Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Martinez was sentenced to 65 months’ imprisonment and must serve four years of supervised release following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Martinez remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the 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, and the DEA Laboratory.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-4078. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
San Jose Resident Sentenced to Five and A Half Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – David Alvarez was sentenced last week to 66 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography. Senior U.S. District Judge William Orrick handed down the sentence.
Alvarez, 38, of San Jose, was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 31, 2024. Alvarez pleaded guilty on June 26, 2025, to one count of possession of child pornography. According to the plea agreement, Alvarez admitted to possessing five electronic devices that he knew contained approximately 960 files of child pornography. Alvarez further admitted that he distributed child pornography to others via social media and messaging applications, and that he also generated screen recordings of video chat sessions where he played his child pornography collection for 70 different people.
During those recorded video chats, Alvarez asked one user to masturbate next to the user’s sleeping child. Alvarez also showed another user a video depicting the sexual abuse of a child and, while the video played, remarked that he “[d]id this to my nephew a few times” when the nephew was seven years old. Alvarez also exchanged messages that were sexual in nature with a person who told Alvarez he was 15 years old. In those messages, Alvarez solicited pictures from the minor, who sent Alvarez a nude picture. In return, Alvarez sent the minor images of his own genitalia.
United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Jeff Brannigan made the announcement.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Orrick sentenced the defendant to a 10-year period of supervised release and ordered that he pay restitution to one of his victims. The defendant will begin serving the sentence on July 10, 2026.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared S. Buszin is prosecuting the case. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations.
Sacramento Man Sentenced to 22.5 Years in Prison for Sexually Exploiting a MinorRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Michael David Dickey, 31, of Sacramento, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to 22 years and six months in prison for sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, in 2024, Dickey was identified during a law enforcement investigation into forums on the dark web where posters traded child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Law enforcement traced several usernames to Dickey whose posts indicated that he recorded video of a 13-year-old boy engaging in sexually explicit activity and posted it onto the forums. A search warrant revealed an extensive collection of CSAM. Dickey pleaded guilty on Dec. 8, 2025.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Yang 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.
Rapid City Man Convicted of Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a MinorRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that Kyle Beck, age 23, of Rapid City, South Dakota, was found guilty of Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet, and Attempted Receipt of Child Pornography, following a federal jury trial in Rapid City. The verdict was returned on May 12, 2026.
The charges carry a mandatory minimum of 15 years of imprisonment and a maximum penalty of up to life in prison and/or a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Beck was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2024.
The convictions stem from an incident that occurred in Rapid City in May 2023. At trial, the evidence established that on May 28, 2023, Beck messaged a 15-year-old girl via Instagram and requested sexually explicit photographs of her. Beck was subsequently interviewed and admitted to his conduct.
This case was investigated by the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Rapid City Police Department, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as a 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 the U.S. Attorney’s 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.
A presentence investigation was ordered and sentencing will be scheduled at a later date. Beck was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Prior Federal Felon Sentenced to Twelve Years in Prison for Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
A man who was previously prosecuted in the Northern District of Iowa for illegally possessing a firearm was sentenced today to 12 years in federal prison for again possessing a firearm.
Davion Lashaun Trawick, age 26, from Chicago, Illinois, received the prison term after a December 8, 2025, guilty plea to possession of a firearm as a felon.
On August 9, 2025, Dubuque police responded to a 911 call. Police tried to make entry into the home, but due to concerns about the presence of firearms and hostages, remained outside. Victims later reported that Trawick, Donta Euells (co‑defendant), and another man, forced their way into the home, and that Trawick pointed his firearm at the victims, including a minor child. Previously, in 2019, defendant was convicted in the Northern District of Iowa for illegally possessing a firearm as a drug user.
Trawick was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Trawick was sentenced to 144 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Trawick is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole L. Nagin and investigated by the Dubuque Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 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-1042-1.
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Owner of group homes for at-risk youth and her drug-dealing boyfriend charged with money launderingRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Kristin Draper has been arraigned on federal charges of money laundering conspiracy for allegedly conspiring with her boyfriend, Antwaun Brown, to funnel proceeds of Brown’s fentanyl dealing through a Dayton, Ohio group home for at-risk youth. Brown, a felon with state and federal convictions for trafficking crack cocaine and heroin, is facing federal drug charges related to the seizure of a massive amount of fentanyl in Sandy Springs, Georgia last year.
“Draper was entrusted with protecting at-risk children, but instead allegedly used her position to launder money from fentanyl sales – a lethal drug that is killing our young people,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “My office will continue to work tirelessly to aggressively prosecute the drug dealers who poison our communities, as well as the money launderers who facilitate crime by concealing the proceeds of illicit activity.”
“Money laundering enables criminal organizations to profit and operate in the shadows,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Through coordinated investigative efforts and strong partnerships, law enforcement remains committed to following the money, uncovering criminal networks, and ensuring those responsible are brought to justice.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Draper owns Reflections Group Home, LLC, which operates three group homes in Dayton, Ohio, with space for 15 children. In 2024, Draper reported personally earning nearly $1 million in wages and distributions from Reflections Group Home’s 15 beds. A financial investigation allegedly showed that Brown and Draper conspired to commingle the profits of Brown’s Atlanta-area drug dealing with legitimate income from Reflections Group Home to obscure the source of the drug proceeds.
The investigation revealed that Draper used the commingled funds to purchase a $3 million dollar home in Forsyth County, Georgia, and a Lamborghini SUV worth over $200,000. On March 21, 2025, Brown was arrested driving that Lamborghini SUV with nearly ten pounds of fentanyl inside. The vehicle was registered to Reflections Group Home.
Kristin Draper, 37, of Alpharetta, Georgia, was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Catherine M. Salinas on charges of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.
Antwaun Brown, 40, of Alpharetta, Georgia, was previously indicted on April 22, 2025, on charges of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. He will be arraigned on a superseding indictment, charging both drug and money laundering violations, at a later date. Brown has been in custody since his arrest.
A grand jury returned the superseding indictment against Brown and Draper on May 12, 2026.
Members of the public are reminded that the superseding indictment only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with valuable assistance from the Sandy Springs Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew R. LaGrone is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
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.
Owner of California Medical Companies Pleads Guilty to Stealing More than $1 Million in Pandemic Relief FundsRead the Press Release
The owner of two Southern California non-emergency ambulatory companies pleaded guilty today to wire fraud and money laundering.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Mehrdad Tabrizi was the sole owner of Life Fleet Inc. and Resonante Group, two medical businesses based in Orange County. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tabrizi used these two companies to defraud the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) out of more than $1 million of COVID-19 relief funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, two government programs intended to provide financial assistance to Americans suffering economic harm during the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2020 and March 2021, Tabrizi submitted two fraudulent PPP loan applications falsely claiming Life Fleet Inc. was in operation and had employees that received wages in 2019 and 2020. In fact, Tabrizi had shuttered the company in 2018, and it had been non-operational since then. As a result of these fraudulent applications, the SBA’s lending partner disbursed approximately $696,565 in PPP funds to bank accounts Tabrizi controlled.
In addition, in June and July 2020, Tabrizi submitted two fraudulent EIDL applications to the SBA falsely claiming that both Life Fleet Inc. and Resonate Group had gross revenues and paid for goods in the 12 months prior to January 2020. Because of these two fraudulent applications, the SBA transmitted an additional $319,800 to bank accounts Tabrizi controlled. Neither Life Fleet Inc. nor Resonate Group was entitled to receive any of these funds under either PPP or EIDL.
In May 2020, Tabrizi withdrew $60,000 of the fraudulently obtained money to help purchase a 2019 Porsche Turbo Cabriolet.
Tabrizi pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 28, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud and 10 years in prison for money laundering. 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 First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bilal A. Essayli for the Central District of California made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Boris Bourget and John Gerardi of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section are prosecuting the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Out of state trucker arrested in failed human smuggling attempt of 42 in hot, locked trailerRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 43-year-old Beaver, Oklahoma, resident has been charged with smuggling numerous illegal aliens as well as possession with intent to distribute meth, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Juan Nasario-Reyes is set to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jason B. Libby May 19 at 9:40 a.m.
On May 16, Nasario-Reyes allegedly drove a white Volvo tractor-trailer to the Border Patrol checkpoint in Sarita where authorities noticed his nervous behavior. According to the complaint, he claimed his vehicle was empty and he was alone, but a K-9 alerted to the sleeper portion of the tractor and the front of the trailer.
At secondary inspection, law enforcement discovered four illegal aliens concealed inside the cab area and 38 more inside the trailer, according to the complaint.
The charges further allege the trailer had been latched shut from the outside with no means for the individuals inside to open the doors or escape.
A subsequent search allegedly revealed water bottles, trash, a cushion and a bucket for urination inside the trailer. According to the complaint, the temperature inside the trailer was approximately 92.5 degrees.
The illegal aliens are from the countries of Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru, Columbia, Cuba and Brazil, according to the charges.
Authorities also allegedly located approximately 16 grams of meth, a glass pipe and glass funnel inside a headphone box in the cab area.
If convicted of the human smuggling offenses, Nasario-Reyes faces up to five years in federal prison as well as a $250,000 maximum fine, while the drug charges carry a maximum of 40 years.
A total of 13 of the illegal aliens are facing either illegal entry or reentry charges, while the remaining are expected to be immediately removed from the country.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Izaak Bruce is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Omaha Woman Sentenced to a Total of 292 Months for Production and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Joyce M. Beauchamp, 40, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on May 13, 2026, in federal court in Omaha, for Production of Child Pornography and Distribution of Child Pornography. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Beauchamp to 292 months’ imprisonment on the production count and 240 months’ imprisonment on the distribution count. The sentences will be served concurrently. There is no parole in the federal system. After Beauchamp’s release from prison, she will begin a five-year supervised release term.
On October 31, 2024, the FBI executed a search warrant at an Omaha residence and seized electronic devices for forensic examination. Investigators located numerous images and/or videos depicting child pornography and identified several individuals in the Omaha area who discussed and exchanged child pornography. The FBI identified Beauchamp as one of these individuals. In December 2022, Beauchamp took multiple nude photographs of two minor victims and sent them to another individual. The photos were sent in a text message string discussing the sexual abuse of children. In an additional message between Beauchamp and the individual, the individual sent Beauchamp an image depicting child sexual abuse material and Beauchamp explicitly described what a sexual encounter between Beauchamp, the individual, and the child might look like.
United States Attorney Lesley Woods said, “The children of Nebraska deserve protection from sexual predators like Beauchamp, and this office will spare no effort or resources in pursuing every threat to the children in our communities. There is no greater evil than the evil found in those who harm children in this unspeakable way.”
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.
Omaha Man Sentenced to 138 Months for Firearms and Drug Trafficking CrimesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Muhammad Ali Hasan, 52, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on May 7, 2026, in federal court in Omaha for distribution of methamphetamine, possession of a firearm by a felon, and for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Hasan to 78 months’ imprisonment on the drug conviction and for possession of a firearm as a felon, each to run concurrently, and a consecutive 60 months’ imprisonment for the possession of a firearm during drug trafficking charge, for a total sentence of 138 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release.
On March 5 and March 6, 2024, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives special agents utilized a third-party buyer to purchase methamphetamine and firearms from Muhammad Ali Hasan, who had multiple prior felony convictions, including for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Both controlled buys occurred outside of or near Hasan’s apartment near 16th and Hickory streets in Omaha.
On March 5, 2024, Hasan sold the buyer 48 grams of actual methamphetamine, a Ruger AR-556 multi-caliber rifle, and two compatible, high-capacity magazines. Hasan then offered to sell another firearm and more methamphetamine at a later time. On the following day, Hasan sold the buyer 40 grams of actual methamphetamine, a DPMS Inc., Model A15 multi-caliber rifle, and a compatible high-capacity magazine containing .223 ammunition. The DPMS Inc. rifle had previously been reported stolen.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and 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.
Ohio Investment Manager Sentenced to Nine Years for $10M Cryptocurrency Ponzi SchemeRead the Press Release
An Ohio man was sentenced today to nine years in prison and three years of supervised release for orchestrating a cryptocurrency investment fraud scheme that raised over $10 million from investors, many of whom resided in or around Columbus, Ohio.
According to court documents, Rathnakishore Giri, 31, of New Albany, Ohio, misled investors by fraudulently promoting himself as an expert cryptocurrency trader, with a specialty in trading Bitcoin derivatives. Giri falsely promised investors that he would generate lucrative returns with no risk to their principal investment amount, which he guaranteed to return. In reality, Giri often used money provided by new investors to repay old investors – a hallmark of a Ponzi scheme. In addition, Giri had a record of investment failures, including a long history of losing investors’ principal investments, and misled investors about reasons for delays when they sought to cash out their investments or otherwise obtain the return of their “guaranteed” principal.
In October 2024, Giri pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Following his guilty plea, while on pretrial release pending sentencing, Giri continued to solicit funds from cryptocurrency investors, causing additional harm to new victims. In advance of today’s sentencing, Giri admitted to this additional conduct pursuant to an amended plea agreement with the Department.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie of the FBI Cincinnati Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI investigated the case.
Acting Deputy Chief Lucy B. Jennings and Trial Attorney Tamara Livshiz of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
If you have been defrauded out of your money by a cryptocurrency investment fraud scheme, please contact the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
Northern Virginia duo pleads guilty to defrauding pandemic relief programsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Teresita Tiongson, 81, of Springfield, and Chung K. Shih, 39, of Sterling, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for their roles in submitting fraudulent loan applications through pandemic relief programs. This case is part of the Trump Administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, on March 27, 2020, Congress passed and the President signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Among other relief measures, the law authorized the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program. PPP was intended to provide loans backed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to certain businesses, nonprofit organizations, and others to help them remain afloat during the pandemic. The EIDL program was intended to enable small businesses to meet financial obligations and operating expenses during the pandemic.
According to court documents, prior to April 2020, Tiongson owned and operated a home health services company called Alpha Health Resource, LLC (AHR). In March 2020, AHR closed for reasons unrelated to the pandemic.
On May 4, 2020, Shih prepared and electronically submitted a PPP loan application for $57,143 on behalf of AHR, with the knowledge, consent, and assistance of Tiongson. The application falsely stated that AHR had 25 employees and an average monthly payroll of over $22,000. On May 7, 2020, $57,143 of PPP loan funds were deposited into an AHR bank account. On April 27, 2021, Shih prepared and submitted and Tiongson signed a second PPP loan application for $75,616 on behalf of AHR, falsely stating that AHR had seven employees and an average monthly payroll of $40,000. On May 3, 2021, $75,616 of PPP loan funds were deposited into an AHR bank account.
On Sept. 28, 2020, Shih prepared and submitted and Tiongson signed an EIDL application for $150,000 on behalf of AHR, falsely stating that AHR was an operating business. On Oct. 2, 2020, the SBA deposited $149,900 of EIDL funds into an AHR bank account. On July 13, 2021, Shih prepared and submitted and Tiongson signed an EIDL increase application for $350,000 on behalf of AHR. On July 19, 2021, the SBA deposited $350,000 of EIDL funds into an AHR bank account.
Shih prepared and submitted each application with Tiongson’s knowledge, consent, and assistance. After the funds from each loan were received, Tiongson and Shih engaged in numerous financial transactions to split the funds between them and used the funds for personal expenses. In total, Shih and Tiongson fraudulently received $632,659 in pandemic assistance loans to which they were not entitled.
Shih is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 3 and faces up to 20 years in prison. Tiongson is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 27 and faces up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Washington Field Office investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Harvey is prosecuting the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 1:26-cr-87 and 1:26-cr-96.
New York Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Theft CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Kwanique Martin, 32, of Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty today to theft of public money, property, or records.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 1, 2025, Martin traveled from New York to a business in Summersville, West Virginia, where he cashed a $1,400 United States Treasury check made out to the name of another person. As part of his guilty plea, Martin admitted that the check did not belong to him, that he had no legal authority to possess or cash it, and that he presented a fraudulent passport card with his photograph but matching the name on the check when he cashed it.
Martin further admitted that on March 1, 2025, he fraudulently cashed nine other U.S. Treasury checks at businesses in Morgantown, Grafton, Weston, Buckhannon, Sutton, Clarksburg, and Kingwood, West Virginia and in Oakland, Maryland, and received a total of approximately $14,002.72 from all 10 checks. Martin also admitted that he possessed another $18,286.97 in U.S. Treasury checks that he planned to fraudulently cash, but that he inadvertently left a green bag containing those checks and the $14,002.72 in fraudulent proceeds in a Summersville area motel on March 2, 2025, after spending the night there. The motel contacted law enforcement after finding the green bag in the room where Martin had stayed. Officers arrested Martin when he returned to the motel to retrieve the green bag.
Martin is scheduled to be sentenced on September 10, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Martin also owes $14,002.72 in restitution.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Summersville Police Department, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the United States Department of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), and the assistance provided by the Nicholas County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes is prosecuting the case.
On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within federal benefit programs.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:26-cr-47.
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New York City Felon Sentenced to 77 Months for D.C. Swatting and Carjacking IncidentsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Thierno Barry, 23, a previously convicted felon who resided in Queens, New York, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 77 months in federal prison in the March 2025 multijurisdictional crime spree that included a high-speed police chase, the swatting of a random Northwest residence and a subsequent carjacking of an elderly couple the same day at Union Station, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Barry, aka “Usman Barrie,” pleaded guilty on January 22, 2026, to one count of carjacking, to one count of interstate transport of a stolen vehicle, and to making false alarms and reports. In addition to the 77-month prison term, Judge Reggie B. Walton ordered Barry to serve three years of supervised release. Federal prosecutors had requested a prison term of 102 months.
“Thierno Barry led police on a 120-mile-per-hour chase while live-streaming the pursuit, filed a false shooting report that sent officers rushing to a sleeping family’s home, and carjacked an elderly couple on their way to the hospital,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “This violent and reckless conduct put countless lives at risk. Our office will continue to hold accountable anyone who treats the District as a playground for violence and lawlessness.”
According to court documents, at about midnight on March 31, 2025, Barry was being pursued by Virginia State Police when he drove into the District. During the chase which reach speeds over 120 m.p.h., Barry used his cellphone to post to social media, including an Instagram selfie with the caption “Run or pull over like a ?bitch” at 11:41 p.m. At 11:52 p.m., Barry posted a video narrating the pursuit, saying: “ . . . I’m talking about five state troopers on my a** bro! I swear to god . . .”
Barry abandoned the Volkswagen SUV he was driving in an alley behind 4300 block of Reno Road, NW. Metropolitan Police officers responded to the area at 12:21 a.m., recovered the vehicle, but were unable to locate Barry.
At 1:30 a.m., Barry called 911 and falsely reported to the operator that his ex-husband had shot his wife in the face and chest. He indicated that the shooter had driven away. Barry provided an address on Brandywine Street NW where he claimed the shooting had occurred. At the time Barry made the report, he knew that it was false. A few minutes after Barry made the call, 911 operators attempted to call back the phone number that had made the report but were sent to voicemail. The voicemail mailbox recording stated that the mailbox belonged to “Thierno Barry.”
MPD responded to the address of the reported shooting and made contact with the residents of the house, who were asleep when MPD arrived.
Barry remained in the area until 2:30 a.m., when video footage showed him at the 4200 block of Wisconsin Avenue NW boarding a WMATA bus. 3:11 a.m. he switched to another bus in the 2100 block of Pennsylvania Avenue NW.
Barry boards the second WMATA bus.
Shortly after getting off of the bus, Barry entered Union Station. Security guards reported that an individual matching Barry’s description was kicked out of station about 3:30 a.m. after making threats to commit a shooting there.
At 3:37 a.m., Barry approached a Buick sedan occupied by an 88-year-old man and an 87-year-old woman who had been stopped directly in front of the station.
Barry approached the driver’s side, then reached into the open window and opened the driver’s side door. Barry ordered the couple out of the car repeatedly, stating “Get out of the car! If you don’t, I’m gonna kill you.” Barry told the victims that he had a gun and held his hand in the pocket of his sweatshirt to imitate a firearm.
Surveillance photo shows Barry behind the wheel of the Buick sedan, as the 88-year-old man (CW-3) attempts to get up from the street where Barry had thrown him to the ground.
The victims told Barry that they could not give him the car because they were on their way to the hospital, but Barry continued to threaten them and demand the car.
With the driver’s door still opened, Barry grabbed hold of the driver’s upper body, physically wrenched him out of the vehicle, and threw him to the ground. Barry stepped over the man and climbed into the driver’s seat. The woman passenger got out of the car. With the doors still open, Barry drove away, eventually reaching a gas station in Greenbelt, Maryland. During that drive, images of the car were captured by a speed camera. Barry only stopped driving after the car suffered a flat tire.
The Greenbelt Police Department apprehended Barry, who initially identified himself as with the alias “Usaman Barrie.”
Barry has two prior felony convictions and has seven other open cases outside of this jurisdiction.
This case was investigated by the MPD, the FBI Washington Field Office, and the Greenbelt Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan M. Horan.
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New York City Based Drug Supplier Sentenced for Role in Ulster County Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Defendant, Cecilio Wareham, age 48 of Queens, New York, was sentenced on May 11, 2026 by United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino to 63 months in Federal Prison to be followed by a term of three years of supervised release. The sentence stems from his conviction of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine. Wareham previously admitted to supplying his co-conspirator, Greg Tejada, with quantities of cocaine for redistribution, including over 2 kilograms of cocaine that were seized from Tejada in October 2024.
The announcement was made by First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III; HSI New York Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso; and Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa, whose office leads the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team (URGENT).
In April 2025, ten defendants, including Wareham, were indicted for their roles in drug trafficking organizations that distributed large quantities of cocaine and crack cocaine in and around Kingston, New York and other areas of Ulster County. The charges in the indictments are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The organizations are alleged to have distributed over 11 kilograms of cocaine and hundreds of grams of cocaine base. Through the execution of search warrants in Ulster County and additional enforcement actions, law enforcement seized over five kilograms of cocaine and 270 grams of cocaine base.
First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III stated: “Cecilio Wareham will spend the next 63 months in federal prison due to his role in a distribution network poisoning our streets. Wareham and his accused associates were identified and indicted thanks to strong collaboration between law enforcement partners at the local and federal levels. Together their efforts uncovered this operation and have removed these deadly drugs from our streets.”
HSI New York Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso: “Today’s sentence represents the culmination of a long-term joint effort to uncover and disrupt the organizations pushing dangerous narcotics into our neighborhoods. HSI New York, in close coordination with our federal, state, and local partners, will continue to target and root out the pipelines, intermediaries, and groups that profit from addiction. We will not waver in our mission to protect our communities and bring traffickers to justice.”
Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa stated: “Removing the threat of dangerous narcotics trafficking in our county is one of the main directives of the URGENT task force. Illegal drug use in our county leads to other serious crimes. I want to thank our Federal, state and local partners for the collaboration and hard work in this case.”
The remaining defendants, all of whom are charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, would face the following minimum and maximum terms of imprisonment upon conviction:
NameAgeResidenceMinimum Term of ImprisonmentMaximum Term of ImprisonmentDamon Dunn, aka “Moe”48Tilson, New York10 yearsLifeGreg Tejada, aka “Bear,48Highland Lakes, New Jersey10 yearsLifeRichard Johnson35New York, New York10 yearsLifeKevin Dunn52New York, New York5 years40 yearsAidan White23Kingston, New York5 years40 yearsKristine Scibelli41Middletown, New York5 years40 yearsXavier Patterson, aka “Xay”28New York, New York5 years40 yearsAllen McGraw, aka “Snoop”44Utica, New YorkNone20 yearsRaymond Robinson53Kingston, New YorkNone20 yearsAdditionally, Damon Dunn, Raymond Robinson, Greg Tejada, Kristine Scibelli, Xavier Patterson, and Richard Johnson are charged with Distribution of a Controlled Substance, and Aidan White and Damon Dunn are charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance.
The charges in the indictments are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by HSI; the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with URGENT (the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement and Narcotics Team); Federal Bureau of Investigation, and New York State Police Special Investigations Unit, Valhalla.
Assistant United States Attorneys Paul DerOhannesian and Douglas Collyer are prosecuting the cases.
These prosecutions are 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.
New York Business Owner Sentenced to Prison for Using Shell Companies to Launder Health Care Fraud Proceeds for Transnational Criminal OrganizationRead the Press Release
A New York man was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for conspiring to launder nearly $1.5 million in illicit health care fraud proceeds through multiple domestic and global banks on behalf of a Transnational Criminal Organization (Organization).
According to court documents, Elnar Zarbailov, 42, of Staten Island, New York, and dual citizen of the United States and Azerbaijan, was a fixer and money launderer for the foreign-based Organization that spearheaded the largest health care fraud case ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice, as uncovered by Operation Gold Rush. The Organization, based in Russia and elsewhere, orchestrated a multi-billion-dollar health care fraud and money laundering scheme to target, exploit, and steal from Medicare and private health insurance companies.
As alleged in charging documents, the Organization exploited the United States’ financial system by depositing insurance reimbursement checks from the fraud. The health care fraud proceeds were particularly susceptible to laundering because they originated from legitimate sources—Medicare and established private insurance carriers—giving the funds the initial appearance of legitimacy. To gain access to the United States’ financial system, the Organization deployed a range of tactics to circumvent internal controls at multiple banks and in some cases coordinated directly with associates employed at the banks.
As further alleged, to open financial accounts, the Organization armed its nominee owners, many of whom were not lawfully present in the United States, with false sale documentation and false corporate registration documents. This documentation falsely reflected that the nominee owners maintained beneficial ownership and control of various fraudulent durable medical equipment (DME) companies. This disguised the true beneficial ownership and control of the companies and the financial accounts. Upon opening the financial accounts, the Organization funneled fraud proceeds from Medicare and other legitimate health care insurers into the accounts as seemingly “clean” money. From there, the Organization siphoned off the funds to shell companies and various banks overseas.
Zarbailov facilitated a critical element of the transnational scheme. In furtherance of the conspiracy, Zarbailov deposited fraud proceeds from five DME companies linked to the scheme and transferred the fraud proceeds to other accounts, including accounts located overseas.
Zarbailov was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in September 2024 as he attempted to leave the United States to Azerbaijan. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering in October 2025. In addition to the prison term, Zarbailov was ordered to pay $1,457,898 in forfeiture.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s Fraud Division, Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott J. Lampert for the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and Chief Division Counsel Tony Costanza for the FBI New Haven for the FBI made the announcement.
HHS-OIG and FBI investigated the case. Homeland Security Investigations and the El Dorado Task Force assisted in the defendant’s arrest.
Assistant Chiefs Shankar Ramamurthy and Kevin Lowell, and Trial Attorneys Leonid Sandlar and Sara E. Porter, 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 Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since 2007. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
New Jersey Man Indicted for Multiple Child Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Cherry Hill, N.J., man previously arrested on state charges for armed home invasion in April 2025, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for allegedly sexually exploiting a minor in Massachusetts, as well as travelling across state lines to engage in illicit sexually conduct with the minor victim.
Essam Meawad, 34, was indicted on two counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. Meawad was arrested on the state charge in July of 2025 and has remained in state custody since.
On or about August 2024 and November 2024, Meawad allegedly coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct. In addition, in August 2024, Meawad allegedly traveled in interstate commerce to engage in illicit contact with the minor.
The charge of sexual exploitation of minors (and attempt and conspiracy) provides for a sentence of no less than 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime 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; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Chief Roy W. Frost of the Billerica Police Department made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm, of the Major Crimes Unit and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric L. Hawkins of the Major Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Nebraska United States Attorney Appointed to Serve on Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s Advisory CommitteeRead the Press Release
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has appointed U.S. Attorney Lesley A. Woods of the District of Nebraska to serve on the Administration’s inaugural Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys (AGAC) for a term of three years.
The Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC) is a select and prestigious body of United States Attorneys chosen by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to advise Department of Justice leadership on national law enforcement priorities. Acting Attorney General Blanche selected United States Attorney Lesley Woods to serve as the Eighth Circuit’s representative to his Advisory Committee.
Created in 1973, the AGAC is comprised of an exclusive group of 18 United States Attorneys and is designed to ensure broad geographic, operational, and subject-matter representation. Members work through subcommittees and working groups on issues including violent crime, national security, fraud, narcoterrorism, and other critical priorities as set by the President of the United States. The Committee plays a central role in ensuring that the experience of federal prosecutors in the field informs national Department of Justice strategy.
U.S. Attorney Woods is deeply honored at the opportunity to represent Nebraska and the interests of Nebraska and the Eighth Circuit on this committee and hopes to make her service impactful for both the District of Nebraska and the Department of Justice as a whole.
Prior to her appointment on the committee, U.S. Attorney Woods served as a JAG officer on active duty in the United States Air Force, an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Texas for approximately three years, the District of Nebraska for approximately seven years, and the District of Maryland in the Baltimore Office’s National Security Section for a short time while her husband was briefly assigned in the Washington, D.C. area. U.S. Attorney Woods also briefly served as a trial attorney for the Counterterrorism Section at Department of Justice Headquarters where she specialized in cases that combated international terrorism and served on a team of attorneys that were liaisons to the Department of Defense on matters of national security. U.S. Attorney Woods was grateful to return to Nebraska in her present role.
U.S. Attorney Woods and other members of the AGAC met with Acting Attorney General Blanche and other Department leadership earlier in May and the AGAC will hold the first substantive meeting next month where the committee will focus on establishing subcommittees individually focused on matters that will be top priorities, such as committees focused on combating violent and organized crime and increasing national security in all fifty states from foreign threats that include the cartels and the violent Tren de Aragua organization that has committed alleged crimes in Nebraska that include human trafficking and ATM jackpotting offenses. AGAC members typically chair these subcommittees which are staffed with United States Attorneys from around the nation.
AGAC membership is selected to represent various federal judicial districts, geographic locations, and various sized offices. The Committee is comprised of 18 United States Attorneys and First Assistant U.S. Attorneys. U.S. Attorney Woods will serve alongside the Committee’s Chairman Jay Clayton (Southern District of New York) and Vice-Chairwoman Leah Foley (District of Massachusetts), as well as U.S. Attorney Dan Bishop (Middle District of North Carolina), U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros (Northern District of Illinois), U.S. Attorney Scott Bradford (District of Oregon), U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine (District of Arizona), Acting U.S. Attorney Catherine Crosby (Northern District of Alabama), U.S. Attorney Michael Dunavant (Western District of Tennessee), First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bilal Essayli (Central District of California), U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon (Southern District of California), U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon (Eastern District of Michigan), Acting U.S. Attorney John Marck (Southern District of Texas), U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly (District of Colorado), U.S. Attorney David Metcalf (Eastern District of Pennsylvania), U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro (District of Columbia), U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones (Southern District of Florida), and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison (District of New Mexico).
Maryland Felon Pleads Guilty in D.C. in Possession of a Glock Pistol with an Extended MagazineRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Rashim Johnson, 30, a previously convicted felon residing in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today in connection with his possession of a Glock 19 semiautomatic pistol with a 31 round capacity magazine, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Johnson pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. Judge Mehta scheduled sentencing for October 2.
According to court documents, on Aug. 10, 2025, about 12:13 a.m., Johnson was loitering in the middle of the 4800 block of Sherrif Road, NE, when Metro Transit Police Department officers on patrol entered the block. Johnson sprinted away as the officers exited their vehicle. An officer pursued Johnson and observed Johnson take a black object from his waistband and toss it over a chain-link fence bordering a property on the 1000 block of 48th Street, NE. There was no one on the property when Johnson threw the object. The officer apprehended Johnson about 10 seconds later and subsequently recovered a 9mm Glock 19 pistol nearby.
The pistol was equipped with an extended magazine loaded with 31 rounds plus one round in the chamber. Additionally, the firearm was equipped with a laser attachment below the barrel, and the serial number was obliterated. Due to his status as a previously convicted felon, Johnson was prohibited from possessing any firearm.
This case was prosecuted under the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful initiative.
Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful is a law enforcement initiative in support of President Trump's Executive Order to crack down on gun violence, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties, and seek detention for federal firearms violators.
This case was investigated by officers with the Metropolitan Transit Police Department, Metropolitan Police Department, and agents with the United States Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – Washington Field Office.
The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Travis Wolf.
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Marina del Rey Woman Federally Charged with Paying Individuals, Including Homeless People on L.A.’s Skid Row, to Register to VoteRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Marina del Rey woman who worked as a longtime signature collector for ballot initiatives has been charged with paying individuals – including homeless people living in the Skid Row area of downtown Los Angeles – to register to vote, the Justice Department announced today.
Brenda Lee Brown Armstrong, 64, a.k.a. “Anika,” is charged with one felony count of paying another person to register to vote, a federal charge that carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
Armstrong has agreed to plead guilty to the charge and is scheduled to make her initial appearance this morning in United States District Court in Santa Ana. She is expected to plead guilty in the coming weeks.
“False registrations undermine Americans’ faith in elections – even more so when payoffs are involved,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division. “This Justice Department is committed to ensuring that all U.S. elections are fair and free from illegal meddling – so that all Americans can accept the results with confidence.”
According to her plea agreement, for approximately 20 years, Armstrong periodically worked as a “petition circulator.” In that role, she was paid by individuals and entities – known as “coordinators” – to collect voter signatures on official petitions that qualify initiatives, referendums, and recalls for California state ballots. Armstrong drove around the Los Angeles area to find registered voters to sign the petitions.
After gathering enough signatures, Armstrong returned the petitions to her coordinators, who then paid her a set amount for each registered voter’s signature. The amount she was paid varied depending on the specific ballot initiative. Because her coordinators only paid for signatures attributable to registered voters, Armstrong endeavored to ensure the people who signed her petitions were registered voters.
Armstrong occasionally solicited petitioned signatures in Skid Row, an area of downtown Los Angeles notorious for its homelessness problem. Skid Row was a convenient place for Armstrong to collect signatures because of its high concentration of people in a relatively small area who were willing to sign petitions in exchange for payment. Armstrong regularly paid and offered to pay individuals cash, usually in amounts between $2 and $3, to induce them to sign her petitions.
Many of Skid Row’s homeless population were not registered to vote. To ensure she maximized her pay from her coordinators, starting no later than 2025, Armstrong began offering payment to individuals not only to sign her petitions, but also to complete a voter registration form. Before going to Skid Row, Armstrong gathered a stack of voter registration forms from the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters.
Some homeless people did not have an address to put on the forms. On several occasions, Armstrong provided a homeless individual with her own former address in Los Angeles so they had something to write on the registration form. These registration forms simultaneously registered an individual to vote in California elections and in federal elections.
Because California automatically sends a vote-by-mail ballot to every registered voter, this also meant ballots in some homeless individuals’ names could have the potential to be sent to Armstrong’s former residence where the homeless individual did not live or collect mail.
On January 30, 2026, as part of her ongoing scheme, Armstrong knowingly and willfully paid another person to register to vote. She paid the person for the purpose of causing that person to register to vote in federal elections.
The FBI and investigators with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Wheat and Nandor Kiss of the Orange County Office are prosecuting this case.
Manchester Man Sentenced to 80 Months in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking and Firearm ViolationsRead the Press Release
Manchester Man Sentenced to 80 Months in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking and Firearm Violations
CONCORD – Craig Pearson, 43, of Manchester, was sentenced today in federal court for methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking and firearm offenses, United States Attorney Erin Creegan announces.
Pearson was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Court Judge Samantha D. Elliott to 80 months in federal prison and 3 years of supervised release. Pearson previously pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
“Today’s sentence reflects the serious threat posed by those who seek to inject highly addictive and lethal drugs like methamphetamine and fentanyl into our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan. “Drug traffickers who arm themselves are not simply dealers, they are a compounded threat to public safety. Our office will continue to support drug interdiction efforts to prevent these deadly drugs from reaching our streets and will hold accountable traffickers who endanger our communities, whether through the poison they sell or the firearms they carry to protect it.”
“Today’s significant sentence demonstrates the serious consequences awaiting those who choose to traffic deadly drugs and illegally possess firearms in furtherance of their criminal activity,” said Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget, New England Field Division. “Methamphetamine and fentanyl continue to devastate families and communities across New Hampshire and throughout New England, and the DEA remains committed to identifying, investigating, and dismantling the organizations responsible for distributing these dangerous substances. This case is the direct result of strong collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement partners working together to protect public safety and hold violent drug traffickers accountable.”
According to court documents and statements made in court, in late June and early July 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized a total of more than 600 grams of methamphetamine during two separate controlled purchase operations involving Pearson. As a result, on July 7, 2022, DEA arrested Pearson, searched a hotel room he rented, and seized an additional 400 grams of methamphetamine, 200 grams of fentanyl, and a .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle.
The Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cesar A. Vega is prosecuting the case.
This effort 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.
Man and Woman Charged with Smuggling Protected Parrots and Parakeets in a Spare Tire CageRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Sydney Johnson of Santee and Brandon Marion of Temecula appeared in federal court today to face charges that they illegally imported 27 protected parrots and parakeets in a modified spare tire in the trunk of a car.
Both species of birds - including 11 orange-fronted parakeets (Eupsittula canicularis) and 16 white-fronted Amazon parrots (Amazona albifrons) - are protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Federal agents detained Johnson and Marion applied for admission to the United States at the San Ysidro Port of Entry on May 3. Customs and Border Protection officers detected anomalies in the spare tire. When an officer inspected the tire, he heard a screeching noise and found the birds in the spare tire, which had been outfitted with a cage
In their post-arrest interviews, the defendants admitted they could hear the birds screaming as they drove. Marion described the birds’ sounds as a “pterodactyl screech.”
One of the birds was already dead; the surviving birds were initially cared for by Veterinary Services at the southern border before being transferred to a Department of Agriculture Animal Import Center for quarantine. One bird did not survive transit, and two birds died in quarantine. The remaining 23 birds are believed to be recovering from the journey.
White Fronted Amazon Parrots and Orange Fronted Parakeets are protected and are listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Concealment of the parrots and parakeets would have resulted in their entering the United States without any quarantine period or process.
To import many types of wildlife, the wildlife must be subject to quarantine before it can be introduced into the United States. Many animals have diseases that can be transferred to humans (zoonotic diseases) or other animals that can have disastrous health effects to human or animal populations. For example, birds can carry and spread Avian influenza (bird flu), psittacosis, and histoplasmos. Bird flu is highly contagious and can cause flu like symptoms, respiratory illness, pneumonia and death in humans and other birds including the United States poultry farms. There are many other diseases that can be transmitted from different animals and have disastrous effects, that is why it is necessary to quarantine animals entering the United States to limit and safeguard against this potential disease transmission.
The United States Attorney’s Office is a member of the Department of Justice’s Trade Fraud Task Force, a cross-agency law enforcement effort that also involves the National Fraud Enforcement Division, the Criminal and Civil Divisions, the Environment and Natural Resources Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, the Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide. The Task Force was created to leverage all the Department’s tools and authorities to prevent trade fraud that deprives the government of vital revenue, threatens critical domestic industries, undermines consumer confidence, and weakens national security. The Task Force is designed to pursue enforcement actions against parties who seek to evade tariffs and other duties, as well as smugglers who seek to import prohibited goods into the American economy. The Justice Department encourages whistleblowers to alert the government to credible allegations of fraud, including utilizing the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act or through the Criminal Division’s Corporate Whistleblower Program at [email protected] using the form available here.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Rookard.
DEFENDANT Case Number 26-mj-02857
Sydney Johnson Age: 27
Brandon Marion Age: 38
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Importation Contrary to Law – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 545
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Homeland Security Investigations
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Customs and Border Protection
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Lower Brule Man Sentenced to over 6 Years in Federal Prison for Assault with a Dangerous WeaponRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Lower Brule, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault With a Dangerous Weapon. The sentencing took place on May 11, 2026.
Latrelle LaRoche, age 20, was sentenced to six years and six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
LaRoche was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2025. He pleaded guilty on February 12, 2026.
The conviction stems from a shooting that occurred on June 19, 2025, in the Lower Brule Sioux Indian Reservation. While inside the victim’s residence, LaRoche argued with the victim over money LaRoche owed him. LaRoche fired a warning shot and then fired a second time, striking the victim in the abdomen. The victim sustained serious bodily injury requiring medical treatment and surgery.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services-Lower Brule Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case.
This matter is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in federal court as opposed to State court.
LaRoche was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Lower Brule Man Sentenced to over 4 Years in Federal Prison for Assaulting a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Lower Brule, South Dakota, man convicted of Assaulting, Resisting and Impeding a Federal Officer. The sentencing took place on May 12, 2026.
Isiah Harding, age 28, was sentenced to four years and eight months in federal prison, followed by three of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Hardin was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2025. He pleaded guilty on February 4, 2026.
The conviction stems from an incident that occurred on June 7, 2025, in the Lower Brule Sioux Indian Reservation. A Bureau of Indian Affairs officer made contact with Hardin who was standing in the middle of the street, yelling loudly. Hardin was agitated and began to physically struggle with the officer. Hardin kicked and hit the officer several times causing the officer to suffer serious bodily injury requiring surgery.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services-Lower Brule Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case.
Hardin was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Lincoln Woman Sentenced on Fentanyl Distribution Conspiracy and Possession ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Stephanie Marie Bartels, 32, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on Friday, May 8, 2026, in federal court Lincoln for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Bartels to 70 months’ imprisonment on each count to run concurrently. There is no parole in the federal system. After Bartels’s release from prison, she will begin a four-year term of supervised release. She will also forfeit any interest she has in $19,739.00 in U.S. currency.
Information provided to law enforcement indicated that between December of 2023 and June of 2024, Bartels and her co-defendant, Xavier Blanton, were involved in the distribution of fentanyl pills in the Lincoln area.
Between April and June of 2024, a confidential informant and an undercover officer working with the Lincoln Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force made six purchases of fentanyl pills from Bartels and Blanton. On June 27, 2024, a search warrant was executed at Bartels’s and Blanton’s Lincoln apartment. During the search, investigators found 107 grams of fentanyl pills, along with cocaine, marijuana, and a total of $19,739.00 in cash.
Blanton pleaded guilty on October 22, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana with a prior serious drug felony. His sentencing is scheduled for July 23, 2026.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Drug Task Force.
Lincoln Man Sentenced to More Than 12 Years for Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Da’Marsell Contrell Miller, 26, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on May 7, 2026, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, for one count of distribution/possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Miller to a total of 151 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Miller’s release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release. Miller will also forfeit $7,938.00 in U.S. currency to the United States of America.
Between March 3, 2025, and March 12, 2025, the Lincoln Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force, using a third party, made three purchases from Miller at his residence in Lincoln, totaling approximately eight ounces of a substance which pre-tested positive for methamphetamine. The third purchase on March 12, 2025, occurred in Miller’s car which was parked in the driveway of that residence. After the buy was completed, investigators followed Miller the residence to a convenience store parking lot where they contacted and detained him.
Investigators executed search warrants on his vehicle and the Lincoln residence. In his car, they found a 9mm pistol under the driver’s seat and the $800 cash used by law enforcement to buy methamphetamine on that date was found in the center console. During the search of Miller’s residence, law enforcement found approximately 4.75 pounds of methamphetamine, four additional firearms and ammunition, $7,938.00 in cash, and a digital scale.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Drug Task Force.
Lincoln Man Sentenced for Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Timothy Hinrichs, 44, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on May 8, 2026, in federal court in Lincoln for receipt of child pornography. He was found guilty on January 28, 2026, following a jury trial in front of United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis. Judge Bazis sentenced Hinrichs to 210 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
On June 10, 2022, an investigator for the Nebraska State Patrol was conducting an online investigation for offenders sharing child pornography. He noticed a computer at Hinrichs’s address was sharing child pornography files. He learned that Hinrichs was the subscriber for internet service at a Lincoln residence. He obtained a search warrant for electronic devices at Hinrichs’s residence.
On July 21, 2022, investigators executed the search warrant at Hinrichs’s residence. Hinrichs was home and was interviewed. He said he accidentally downloaded child pornography, found material he wasn’t expecting, that it happened a couple months ago, that it happened only one time, and that he had cleaned up or erased his computer since that time. He said he was looking up “teenager stuff.” Hinrichs admitted he used file-sharing software to obtain these files. He said he copied the files of child pornography onto a thumb drive. Investigators found the thumb drive in a desk near Hinrichs’s computer. Investigators searched the thumb drive and located 121 files containing child pornography. Additionally, Hinrichs’s desktop computer had files in the recycle bin with titles consistent with child pornography. Finally, a desktop computer that was not in use, but also found in Hinrichs’s residence, contained artifacts of child pornography dating back several years.
This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol, and 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.
Justice Department Announces Anti-Weaponization FundRead the Press Release
The U.S. Department of Justice today announced that as a part of the settlement agreement in President Donald J. Trump v. Internal Revenue Service, the Attorney General established “The Anti-Weaponization Fund” to provide a systematic process to hear and redress claims of others who suffered weaponization and lawfare.
The plaintiffs in the case, President Donald J. Trump, Donald J. Trump, Jr., Eric Trump, and the Trump Organization, LLC, filed suit against the Treasury and IRS in Southern District of Florida federal court following the leak of their tax returns. Per the settlement, plaintiffs will receive a formal apology but no monetary payment or damages of any kind. They have agreed, in exchange for the creation of this fund, to drop their pending lawsuit with prejudice, and also withdraw two administrative claims including for damages resulting from the unlawful raid of Mar-a-Lago and the Russia-collusion hoax.
“The machinery of government should never be weaponized against any American, and it is this Department’s intention to make right the wrongs that were previously done while ensuring this never happens again,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “As part of this settlement, we are setting up a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress.”
“The use of government power to target individuals or entities for improper and unlawful political, personal, or ideological reasons should not be tolerated by any Administration,” said Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter.
The Fund will have the power to issue formal apologies and monetary relief owed to claimants. Submission of a claim is voluntary. There are no partisan requirements to file a claim. Any money left when the Fund ceases operations will revert to the Federal Government.
The Fund will receive $1.776 billion and will come from the judgment fund, which is a perpetual appropriation allowing DOJ to settle and pay cases. On a quarterly basis, the Fund shall send a report to the Attorney General outlining who has received relief and what form of relief was awarded.
At the Attorney General’s direction, the Fund can be audited. The Fund must take steps to protect private information and avoid fraud. The Fund shall cease processing claims no later than December 1, 2028.
There is legal precedent for such a Fund, most notably the “Keepseagle” case where the Obama Administration created a $760 million fund to redress various claims alleging racism against the federal government over a period of decades.
In Keepseagle, hundreds of millions of dollars remaining in the fund were distributed to non-profits and NGOs that never made claims, whereas any money remaining in The Anti-Weaponization Fund will revert to the federal government. The Obama DOJ settled by putting $680 million from the judgment fund into a bank account for a single claims administrator to dole out. In Keepseagle the remaining money—which ended up being over $300 million—was distributed to the entities that had not even submitted claims.
The Fund will consist of five members appointed by the Attorney General. One Member will be chosen in consultation with congressional leadership. The President can remove any member, but a replacement must be chosen the same way as the replaced member was selected.
Jury convicts illegal alien for unlawfully being in United StatesRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 50-year-old bus passenger from El Salvador has been found guilty of illegally reentering the country without authorization, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
The jury deliberated for less than 10 minutes before finding Jose Leandro Juarez-Rivas guilty following a one-day trial.
On Feb. 18, authorities were conducting immigration inspections on a commercial bus at the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint. During that time, they discovered Juarez-Rivas did not have legal authorization to be in the country.
The jury heard that he was first ordered removed in May 2018 and illegally returned earlier this year.
The defense attempted to convince the jury that Juarez-Rivas did not know he was ordered removed from the United States or that he was not allowed to reenter the United States. The jury rejected those claims and found him guilty as charged.
U.S. District Judge David S. Morales presided over trial and set sentencing for Aug. 19. At that time Juarez-Rivas faces up to two years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
He has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
BP conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Young Min Burkett and Patrick Overman are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Judge Hands Killer 10.5 Years in Prison for 2021 SlayingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Khalid Claggett, 42, of Washington, DC was sentenced Friday to 10.5 years in prison for killing 30-year-old Isaac Aull, Jr., on June 11, 2021, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Claggett was found guilty by a D.C. Superior Court jury of one count of voluntary manslaughter while armed, one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and one count of offenses committed during release following a trial in February of 2026.
On May 15, 2026, a sentencing hearing was held before Judge Neal Kravitz. Under the DC Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines, Claggett’s sentencing range was 10.5 to approximately 33 years. The government requested a 21-year sentence, noting the particular cruelty of Claggett’s actions, but his sentencing was at the bottom end of the guidelines.
On the date of this killing, Claggett was on release for two separate criminal charges. Evidence presented by the government, at sentencing, further showed that Claggett possessed multiple guns while on release, in disregard for court orders prohibiting his possession of a gun.
At trial, the government presented evidence that on June 11, 2021, a preliminary hearing was held in the case United States v. John Young, where Young was charged with the murder of Dewayne Shorter III, who is the brother of Isaac Aull, Jr. After viewing the preliminary hearing virtually, Mr. Aull and another male went to the parking lot of Walgreens located at 1401 Rhode Island Avenue and shot at a car belonging to Young’s brother, Richard Young. Khalid Claggett, who was a close friend of John Young, was sitting in the passenger’s seat of the car at the time. After shots hit the car, Claggett exited the car and ran after Mr. Aull and his friend to the 1600 block of Franklin Street. While on Franklin Street, Claggett fired six shots at Mr. Aull, causing a bullet to lodge in the back of Mr. Aull’s head. Mr. Aull fell into the street and was unarmed, and unable to move. Claggett then left the scene.
In the intervening time, an ambulance had arrived at Franklin Street and was parked in front of Mr. Aull. Dash camera video from the ambulance showed that Claggett changed his appearance – putting on a mask, removing his sweatshirt, and retrieving a new gun – drove back to Frankin Street, and attempted to shoot at the unarmed Mr. Aull. At that point, Claggett’s gun jammed and he walked away. Once he was able to fix the jam in his gun he returned to where Mr. Aull lay helplessly, stood directly above him, and fired seven shots into his body.
Claggett was arrested on June 25, 2021, and has been in custody since.
Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.
In announcing the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Interim Chief Carroll commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rashmika Nedungadi and Daniel Seidel, who prosecuted the case.
2021 CF1 003577
Joliet Man Sentenced to 384 Months in Prison for Enticement of a Minor and Committing a Felony Sex Offense While a Registered Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – A Joliet, Illinois, man, Martin T. Marling, 41, was sentenced on May 12, 2026, to 384 months’ imprisonment, followed by a life term of supervised release, following his guilty pleas to enticing a minor and committing a felony sex offense while a registered sex offender. The court also imposed a $10,000 special assessment fee.
At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Sara Darrow considered evidence of the incredibly serious nature of Marling’s conduct. In spring 2025, Marling engaged in sexually explicit conversations with a child he met online and arranged for the child to travel to his home in the middle of the night for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity. The child was recovered unharmed before arriving at Marling’s home. At the time this incident occurred, Marling was on probation in the State of Illinois for a sex offense and was required to register as a sex offender. In pronouncing the sentence, the judge stated that this type of behavior causes real harm to victims and their families and that it is punished severely under the law.
Marling was arrested in Will County, Illinois, in April 2025 in connection with a federal complaint and was detained following an initial appearance. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest. He was indicted in May 2025 and pleaded guilty in November 2025.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office in collaboration with our law enforcement partners once again removed a dangerous predator from the community.” said Acting U.S. Attorney Gregory M. Gilmore. “We will continue to hold any individuals who threaten our children accountable and prosecute them to the fullest.”
"Thirty-two years in a federal prison is exactly what a repeat predator deserves," said FBI Springfield Field Office’s Special Agent in Charge, Ryan Presley. "Our agents and law enforcement partners do not wait around for tragedy to happen. Once notified, our team tracked this threat, moved aggressively, and secured an arrest before this man could meet with any children. We took a dangerous offender completely off the streets, and we will do the exact same thing to anyone else who attempts to target our children."
The statutory penalties for enticement of a minor are at least ten years up to life imprisonment, at least five years and up to a life term of supervised release, a fine up to $250,000, and a special assessment of $5,000. The statutory penalties for committing a felony sex offense while a registered sex offender are ten years imprisonment consecutive to the sentence on the underlying felony sex offense conviction, at least five years and up to a life term of supervised release, a fine up to $250,000, and a special assessment of $5,000.
The charges are the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office, and the Galesburg Police Department with assistance from the Will County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda W. Searle and Jennifer L. Mathew represented the government in the prosecution.
This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Israeli man sentenced for bringing an alien to the U.S.Read the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Israel Enden, 46, a citizen of Israel, who was convicted of bringing an alien to the United States, was sentenced to time served by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
Enden is a dual citizen, he was born in the United States and physically resides in the State of Israel. In the early morning hours of January 8, 2026, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers encountered Enden driving a vehicle bearing Canadian license plates at primary inspection at the Rainbow Bridge Port of Entry. Enden was referred to for secondary inspection after failing to produce any rental agreement for the vehicle. During secondary inspection, officers opened the rear hatch of the vehicle and observed a large male, later identified as Elazar Wigdorowitz, hiding beneath some suitcases. Subsequent investigation determined that Enden, Wigdorowitz, and a third person flew from Warsaw, Poland to Toronto, Canada together the previous day on January 7, 2026. When Enden drove the rental from Canada to the United States, he knew Elazar Wigdorowitz was an alien and had not received prior official authorization to enter the United States.
Elazar Wigdorowitz was previously convicted of improper entry by an alien, sentenced to time served and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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 case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brendan W. Fitzgerald and Maeve E. Huggins. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Customs and Border Protection under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan.
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Illinois Man Sentenced to over 10 Years in Federal Prison for Attempted Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Cambridge, Illinois man was sentenced on May 13, 2026, to 125 months in federal prison for attempted enticement of a minor.
According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, Christopher L. Rutherford, 55, messaged with two undercover officers who posed as underage teenagers on Facebook and exchanged messages about meeting to engage in sex acts. Rutherford made plans to meet up with one of the undercover officers at Walmart in Burlington where he was arrested.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Rutherford will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For information about internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc and click on the resources tab.
Illegal Alien from Mexico Found Living in Kanawha County Pleads Guilty and Is Sentenced for Federal Fraud CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Rufino Hernandez, 26, a Mexican national living illegally in Nitro, pleaded guilty today to fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents and sentenced to time served. Hernandez is subject to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer for removal proceedings.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 16, 2026, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant in Nitro and encountered Hernandez working there. Investigators determined that Hernandez used a counterfeit Immigration Form I-551, also known as a Permanent Resident Card or Green Card, to obtain employment at the restaurant from on or about September 17, 2025, to on or about January 16, 2026.
Hernandez is among six illegal aliens indicted following the execution of the January 16, 2026, search warrant, each on charges alleging they were working at the restaurant without legal status. Restaurant owner Miguel Aguirre-Arello Sr., 65, and his son, manager Miguel Angel Aguirre, 43, both of Nitro, were indicted on charges alleging each harbored aliens, while aiding and abetting each other, and aided and abetted fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents. Three of the other indicted illegal aliens pleaded guilty, were sentenced to time served, and were subject to removal proceedings. The indictments against Miguel Aguirre-Arello Sr., Miguel Angel Aguirre, and the remaining illegal alien defendants are pending. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The January 16, 2026, search warrant was executed as part of Operation Country Roads. The immigration enforcement operation was conducted by ICE with state and local law enforcement partners and resulted in over 650 arrests throughout West Virginia.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), the Nitro Police Department, and the St. Albans Police Department.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing and imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage prosecuted the case, as part of a special unit within the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia focused on the immigration enforcement objectives of Operation Take Back America.
Operation Take Back America 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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:26-cr-15.
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Illegal Alien Sentenced for Money Laundering and Identity Theft ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican man unlawfully residing in Lawrence was sentenced in federal court in Boston for money laundering, false use of a Social Security number and aggravated identity theft.
Juan Carlos Lugo Gonzalez, a/k/a “Josue Cabrera,” 45, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper to six years in prison. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In December 2025, Gonzalez pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering, one count of false use of a Social Security number and one count of aggravated identity theft following an indictment by a federal grand jury in February 2025.
Beginning at least as early as 2020, an investigation began into Lugo Gonzalez and others for laundering proceeds of drug trafficking. In August 2023, following a series of communications with undercover law enforcement, Lugo Gonzalez arranged and carried out the delivery of approximately $109,715 in drug proceeds to an undercover agent in Lawrence. During the exchange, Lugo Gonzalez confirmed his identity using a prearranged token and discussed his involvement in trafficking multiple drugs – claiming control over drug activity in the Lawrence area. He attempted to launder drug proceeds two more times, once for $100,000 and another for $125,000.
Additionally, in June 2023, Lugo Gonzalez used a Social Security number assigned to another individual to apply for and obtain a Massachusetts ID and had been living in the community under this alias.
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 today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alathea E. Porter and John O. Wray of the Narcotics & 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.
Illegal Alien Sentenced for Unlawful ReentryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Pedro Ramirez Covarrubias, age 53, a Mexican national, unlawfully present in Adair County, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 37 months of imprisonment for one count of Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien.
The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division.
On January 7, 2026, Covarrubias pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on December 3, 2025, Covarrubias, who was convicted of First-Degree Murder on May 6, 2015, in Harris County, Texas, was found in the United States without obtaining the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States after having been previously removed from the United States on October 14, 2021.
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 Honorable Ronald A. White, Senior Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Covarrubias will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Wittlinger represented the United States.
Illegal Alien Charged with Misuse of a Social Security Number and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican, national unlawfully residing in Methuen, has been charged with misuse of a Social Security number and aggravated identity theft.
Victor Urena-Almanzar, 61, has been charged with one count of false representation of a social security number and one count of aggravated identity theft. Urena-Almanzar made his initial appearance in federal court in Boston on May 11, 2026.
According to the charging documents, Urena-Almanzar assumed the identity of a United States citizen and obtained multiple Massachusetts identification cards, as well as a United States passport, in the victim’s name. It is alleged that Urena-Almanzar used that fraudulently obtained United States passport to travel internationally between the United States and the Dominican Republic and to obtain a Massachusetts REAL ID identification card.
In 2001, Urena-Almanzar pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. He was also convicted of illegal communication device related fraud in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin in 1995.
The charge of misuse of Social Security number provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory two-year sentence to run consecutively to any other sentence imposed, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. 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 Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aidan Lang of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Ian Wyatt Justice, 24, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute a quantity of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 1, 2026, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Justice in Huntington. Officers arrested Justice on an active warrant during the traffic stop and seized approximately 51.13 grams of fentanyl from his person.
As part of his guilty plea, Justice admitted that he possessed the seized fentanyl and intended to distribute it. Justice further admitted that he intended to distribute approximately 15.2 grams of fentanyl and 24.2 grams of cocaine base, also known as “crack,” seized by officers during a December 4, 2025, traffic stop of a vehicle he was driving in Huntington.
Justice is scheduled to be sentenced on August 31, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:26-cr-56.
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Homeland Security Task Force Arrests Maduro Regime Ally Alex Saab on Money Laundering Charges Involving Venezuelan Food Contracts and OilRead the Press Release
Note: See the indictment here.
MIAMI – Venezuela’s former Minister of Industry and National Production made his initial appearance in court today pursuant to an indictment unsealed in the Southern District of Florida charging him for his alleged role in a sprawling international money laundering conspiracy involving the corruption and exploitation of a Venezuelan public welfare program intended to provide food to vulnerable Venezuelans.
According to court records, Alex Nain Saab Moran, 55, of Colombia, allegedly conspired with others to bribe Venezuelan public officials to secure lucrative Comité Local de Abastecimiento y Producción (CLAP) contracts to import food into Venezuela. Saab is accused of conspiring with others to fraudulently misrepresent the nature and source of the food supplies, including falsely documenting imports from Colombia and Mexico.
“Thanks to the efforts of the Homeland Security Task Force, Alex Saab will be prosecuted and held fully accountable under U.S. law for his alleged role in this scheme,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
“Alex Saab allegedly used American banks to launder hundreds of millions of dollars stolen from a Venezuelan food program meant for the poor and proceeds from the illegal sale of Venezuelan oil,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This is unacceptable. The Criminal Division will not allow foreign actors to exploit the American financial system and use it as a safe haven for the proceeds of their corruption.”
“This indictment alleges that a humanitarian food program intended to support vulnerable Venezuelans was instead manipulated for massive personal enrichment,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “According to the charges, the defendant used bribery, shell companies, and fraudulent documents to siphon hundreds of millions of dollars for personal gain. When illicit proceeds are moved through the United States financial system, our courts have jurisdiction and our prosecutors will act. The charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
“DEA has long investigated the alleged financial crimes and networks tied to Alex Saab and the former Maduro regime,” said Administrator Terrance Cole of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “These charges are a direct result of DEA’s continued commitment to dismantle the corrupt networks operating throughout Venezuela. This Administration’s support of law enforcement and DEA’s relentless pursuit of those enabling cartel activities allowed us, along with our HSTF partners, to return Alex Saab back to the United States to face justice once again.”
“The FBI remains deeply committed to dismantling complex financial networks that fund illicit activities,” said Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office. “By working closely with our federal partners, we have successfully disrupted a sophisticated operation facilitated by Alex Saab and his co-conspirators designed to conceal the origins of illegally obtained wealth. We will continue to deploy every investigative resource at our disposal to track dirty money, protect the integrity of our financial institutions, and ensure that those who profit from crime are held fully accountable under the law.”
“This indictment underscores Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) ongoing commitment to follow the money, expose foreign corruption, and hold accountable those who exploit vulnerable people for personal gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Jose R. Figueroa of HSI Miami. “HSI will continue to leverage the full capabilities of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) to aggressively pursue transnational criminal networks that attempt to exploit the U.S. financial system to hide illicit profits and erode public trust.”
Rather than fulfilling the contracts, Saab and his co-conspirators secretly used shell companies, fraudulent invoices, falsified shipping records, and other fabricated documents — along with a network of bribes and kickbacks — to siphon off hundreds of millions of dollars that were intended to be used to purchase food for needy Venezuelans. Portions of the illicit proceeds were allegedly spent or concealed through transfers to and through bank accounts in the U.S.
The indictment further alleges that, from 2019 through at least January 2026, the conspiracy expanded as U.S. economic sanctions crippled Venezuelan exports, especially oil, placing severe strain on the country’s finances and its ability to meet its foreign debt obligations, including payments to Saab and his co-conspirators as part of the CLAP program. Exploiting their corrupt relationships with government officials, Saab and his co-conspirators allegedly gained access to billions of dollars’ worth of oil owned by Venezuelan state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA) and sold it under false pretenses.
Proceeds from those illegal sales were then transferred to and through U.S. bank accounts to further promote and conceal the CLAP scheme.
Saab is charged with conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
DEA Miami Field Division is investigating the case, with assistance from FBI Miami and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Monique Botero for the Southern District of Florida and Deputy Chief Joseph Palazzo from the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section are prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of 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 Miami comprises of agents and officers from the DEA Miami Field Division, FBI Miami, and HSI Miami with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Miami.
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.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.sdfl.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.sdfl.uscourts.gov, under case number 26-cr-20020.
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Homeland Security Task Force Arrests Maduro Regime Ally Alex Saab on Money Laundering Charges Involving Venezuelan Food Contracts and OilRead the Press Release
Note: See the indictment here.
Venezuela’s former Minister of Industry and National Production made his initial appearance in court today pursuant to an indictment unsealed in the Southern District of Florida charging him for his alleged role in a sprawling international money laundering conspiracy involving the corruption and exploitation of a Venezuelan public welfare program intended to provide food to vulnerable Venezuelans.
According to court records, Alex Nain Saab Moran, 55, of Colombia, allegedly conspired with others to bribe Venezuelan public officials to secure lucrative Comité Local de Abastecimiento y Producción (CLAP) contracts to import food into Venezuela. Saab is accused of conspiring with others to fraudulently misrepresent the nature and source of the food supplies, including falsely documenting imports from Colombia and Mexico.
“Thanks to the efforts of the Homeland Security Task Force, Alex Saab will be prosecuted and held fully accountable under U.S. law for his alleged role in this scheme,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
“Alex Saab allegedly used American banks to launder hundreds of millions of dollars stolen from a Venezuelan food program meant for the poor and proceeds from the illegal sale of Venezuelan oil,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This is unacceptable. The Criminal Division will not allow foreign actors to exploit the American financial system and use it as a safe haven for the proceeds of their corruption.”
“This indictment alleges that a humanitarian food program intended to support vulnerable Venezuelans was instead manipulated for massive personal enrichment,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “According to the charges, the defendant used bribery, shell companies, and fraudulent documents to siphon hundreds of millions of dollars for personal gain. When illicit proceeds are moved through the United States financial system, our courts have jurisdiction and our prosecutors will act. The charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
“DEA has long investigated the alleged financial crimes and networks tied to Alex Saab and the former Maduro regime,” said Administrator Terrance Cole of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “These charges are a direct result of DEA’s continued commitment to dismantle the corrupt networks operating throughout Venezuela. This Administration’s support of law enforcement and DEA’s relentless pursuit of those enabling cartel activities allowed us, along with our HSTF partners, to return Alex Saab back to the United States to face justice once again.”
“The FBI remains deeply committed to dismantling complex financial networks that fund illicit activities,” said Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office. “By working closely with our federal partners, we have successfully disrupted a sophisticated operation facilitated by Alex Saab and his co-conspirators designed to conceal the origins of illegally obtained wealth. We will continue to deploy every investigative resource at our disposal to track dirty money, protect the integrity of our financial institutions, and ensure that those who profit from crime are held fully accountable under the law.”
“This indictment underscores Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) ongoing commitment to follow the money, expose foreign corruption, and hold accountable those who exploit vulnerable people for personal gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Jose R. Figueroa of HSI Miami. “HSI will continue to leverage the full capabilities of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) to aggressively pursue transnational criminal networks that attempt to exploit the U.S. financial system to hide illicit profits and erode public trust.”
Rather than fulfilling the contracts, Saab and his co-conspirators secretly used shell companies, fraudulent invoices, falsified shipping records, and other fabricated documents — along with a network of bribes and kickbacks — to siphon off hundreds of millions of dollars that were intended to be used to purchase food for needy Venezuelans. Portions of the illicit proceeds were allegedly spent or concealed through transfers to and through bank accounts in the U.S.
The indictment further alleges that, from 2019 through at least January 2026, the conspiracy expanded as U.S. economic sanctions crippled Venezuelan exports, especially oil, placing severe strain on the country’s finances and its ability to meet its foreign debt obligations, including payments to Saab and his co-conspirators as part of the CLAP program. Exploiting their corrupt relationships with government officials, Saab and his co-conspirators allegedly gained access to billions of dollars’ worth of oil owned by Venezuelan state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA) and sold it under false pretenses.
Proceeds from those illegal sales were then transferred to and through U.S. bank accounts to further promote and conceal the CLAP scheme.
Saab is charged with conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
DEA Miami Field Division is investigating the case, with assistance from FBI Miami and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Monique Botero for the Southern District of Florida and Deputy Chief Joseph Palazzo from the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section are prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of 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 Miami comprises of agents and officers from the DEA Miami Field Division, FBI Miami, and HSI Miami with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Miami.
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.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Guatemalan National Sentenced for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Guatemalan national was sentenced in federal court in Rhode Island for illegally reentering the United States after having been removed.
Victor Lemus Davida, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. to time served.
According to court documents, Lemus Davida, a citizen of Guatemala, was previously removed from the United States on June 8, 2022, pursuant to an order of removal. He later entered the United States without obtaining permission from the Attorney General to reapply for admission.
Lemus Davida was arrested on February 5, 2026, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island and pleaded guilty to a charge of illegal reentry in March 2026.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sandra R. Hebert.
The matter was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.