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Wednesday 13 May 2026
Suburban Chicago Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Immigration Fraud, Possession of Child Pornography, and Tax OffensesRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison for engaging in immigration fraud, possessing child pornography, and committing tax fraud.
JOSE GREGORIO SOSA CARDONA operated Delta Global Solutions, Inc., which assisted individuals in applying for asylum, immigrant visas, and other immigration benefits. From 2020 to 2024, Sosa Cardona conspired with others to knowingly provide false information to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on behalf of his foreign national clients who were seeking immigration benefits. Among other things, Sosa Cardona fabricated foreign law enforcement reports and other documents to falsely corroborate his clients’ asylum claims. He also falsely represented himself as a licensed attorney to clients and USCIS when, in fact, he was not an attorney and was not authorized to represent applicants in U.S. immigration proceedings.
A court-authorized search of Sosa Cardona’s electronic devices in 2024 turned up approximately 2,877 photos and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Sosa Cardona also filed fraudulent individual tax returns and failed to pay taxes withheld from his employees’ pay for the calendar years 2020 to 2023, causing a loss to the IRS of approximately $316,000.
Sosa Cardona, 42, of Downers Grove, Ill., pleaded guilty in November 2025 to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of possession of child pornography, and one count of tax fraud. U.S. District Judge Sunil R. Harjani imposed the nine-year prison sentence during a hearing on May 7, 2026, in federal court in Chicago.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago, Adam Jobes, Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago, and Nicholas Bucciarelli, Acting Inspector-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Snell.
On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud 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.
Statement of United States Attorney Moore Capito on the Death of Senior U.S. District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr.Read the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Moore Capito issued the following statement regarding the passing of Senior U.S. District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr.:
“Senior U.S. District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr., was the best of us. His wisdom, his intellect, his compassion, his indefatigable spirit, and his commitment to justice were renowned. He truly embodied the ideal jurist, and what a blessing that his tenure on the bench proved so enduring. My heart goes out to Camille, their sons and family. I join with all West Virginians in mourning his passing while celebrating a lifetime of public service that has seen few peers.”
A copy of this statement is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.
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Stamford Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking ChargeRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that BRANDON TURNER, also known as “Bizz,” 31, of Stamford, pleaded guilty today in Bridgeport federal court to a narcotics trafficking offense.
According to court documents and statements made in court, an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and the Stamford Police Department’s Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit identified Turner as a narcotics distributor. In July 2024, investigators made a controlled purchase of fentanyl from Turner. On April 21, 2025, employees of an apartment complex where Turner had been employed as a maintenance worker found a tool bag in a storage room that contained approximately 790 grams of fentanyl and one kilogram of cocaine. The investigation, which included a review of surveillance camera and the use of DNA analysis, determined that Turner had placed the bag in the storage room. A related court-authorized search of Turner’s vehicle revealed additional quantities of fentanyl and cocaine.
Turner pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life. Turner, who is detained, is scheduled to be sentenced on August 5.
The DEA’s Bridgeport HIDTA Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Bridgeport Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bridgeport, Danbury, Norwalk, Stamford, and Stratford Police Departments. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel E. Cummings.
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.
St. Francois County Sex Offender Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Child Pornography PossessionRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Zachary M. Bluestone on Wednesday sentenced a registered sex offender who exchanged child sexual abuse material on Snapchat and raped a woman in 2024 to 20 years in prison.
Michael A. Driemeier, 32, of Bonne Terre, will be on supervised release for life after his release from prison. Driemeier pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in February to possession of child pornography as a prior offender.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol was first alerted by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in November of 2024 that Driemeier had distributed child sexual abuse material (CSAM) via Snapchat. Investigators found Driemeier on Jan. 9, 2025, shopping with a young child. He consented to a search of his cell phone, which revealed CSAM and an exchange of CSAM with another Snapchat user. He later admitted obtaining CSAM and sending it to others, his plea agreement says. Driemeier also admitted as part of his plea that he raped a 20-year-old female acquaintance in a hotel room in February of 2024.
On April 6, 2018, Driemeier was convicted in St. Francois County Circuit Court of second-degree statutory rape and sentenced to five years in prison. The victim in that case was 13.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team and the Bonne Terre Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Springfield Gang Associate Sentenced for Possession of a Machine GunRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man who was closely associated with a local street gang known as “All Family No Friends,” was sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing a Glock pistol outfitted with a machine gun conversion device (MCD), a device designed to turn a firearm into a fully automatic weapon.
Trey Alexander Giles, 21, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to five years in federal prison without parole, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release.
Between July 2023 and February 2025, Giles was repeatedly reported to police regarding his involvement with violent incidents including domestic violence and crimes involving firearms. Giles’s domestic partner also reported Giles to the police for chasing her with a pistol equipped with an MCD.
On Sept. 21, 2023, the Springfield, Missouri Police Department contacted Giles and three of his associates, which resulted in the search of Giles’ vehicle. Officers located a Glock pistol equipped with a 50-round drum magazine and an MCD, an Anderson Arms AR-style pistol, a Pioneer Arms AK-style rifle, a second Glock equipped with a 30-round extended magazine, and an additional Glock pistol. All firearms were loaded. Officers also located a ski mask, various ammunition, and marijuana in Giles’s vehicle.
On Nov. 2, 2023, Giles was again contacted by police near a residence. Prior to contact, officers observed Giles walking away from a trash can outside of the residence. Officers located a Glock pistol with an MCD under a trash can.
In response to an indictment by a federal grand jury, Giles pleaded guilty to possession of a machine gun on Oct. 3, 2025.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Springfield, Missouri Police Department.
Operation Take Back America
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Southington Man Sentenced to More Than 7 Years in Prison for Dealing AR-15-Style Assault Rifles, MarijuanaRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that BRYAN JOYCE, 40, of Southington, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 90 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for offenses related to his selling privately made AR-15-style firearms, ammunition, and marijuana.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in January 2022, the Connecticut State Police received information that Joyce was offering to sell assault weapons and other firearms, including privately manufactured firearms (PMFs or “ghost guns”), as well as ammunition and firearms accessories. On January 28, 2022, Joyce sold an undercover law officer a privately made AR-15 style rifle, a privately made 9mm handgun, and a box of ammunition, in exchange for $2,000. On March 4, 2022, Joyce sold the undercover officer two loaded AR-15 style rifles and approximately 400 grams of marijuana, for $5,800. For an additional charge, Joyce offered to supply the undercover officer with fully automatic firearms.
On March 21, 2022, Joyce was arrested at a parking lot in Waterbury where he met with the undercover officer who had arranged to purchase five more privately made AR-15 style rifles and a kilogram of marijuana. A search of Joyce’s vehicle revealed the five firearms, marijuana, and numerous rounds of ammunition.
The investigation revealed that Gregory Leary was Joyce’s firearm supplier. A subsequent search of Leary’s Wolcott residence revealed six privately made AR-15 style rifles; two privately made 9mm semiautomatic handguns; a loaded Remington 12-gauge shotgun; a Glock .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun; a Glock 9mm semiautomatic handgun stamped “San Antonio Police Department”; numerous firearm parts and accessories; equipment used to manufacture firearms; and $7,129 in cash.
Joyce is a felon with a criminal history that includes state convictions for drug, larceny, and burglary offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
On October 8, 2024, Joyce pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license, three counts of unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon, one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, marijuana, and one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
Joyce, who had been released on bond, has been detained since April 2024 after he was arrested after a domestic violence incident.
Leary pleaded guilty and admitted that he manufactured and sold more than 25 firearms to Joyce. On November 7, 2023, he was sentenced to 30 months of imprisonment.
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Connecticut State Police Statewide Firearms Trafficking Task Force (SFTTF) and Statewide Urban Violence Cooperative Crime Control Task Force (SUVCCCTF/Gangs Unit), assisted by the Statewide Narcotics Task Force (SNTF) Southwest and North Central Offices, and the Bridgeport, Shelton, Orange, Waterbury, and Hartford Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Kale.
South Puget Sound former financial advisor sentenced to three years in prison for stealing nearly $1 million from elderly clientRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 57-year-old Fox Island, Washington, man was sentenced late yesterday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to three years in prison for his scheme to steal from an elderly client who trusted him as a financial advisor, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. John S. Winslow was indicted just over a year ago on four counts of wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud, four counts of money laundering, and four counts of making and subscribing a false tax return. Winslow was a financial advisor at a national financial services firm until he was fired following revelations he had stolen over $920,000 in life savings and inheritance from a former client, a widow in her 70’s. “This crime was personal,” U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright. “Mr. Winslow had a longstanding relationship with this victim.”
“Over about four years, this defendant stole more than $900,000 from an elderly victim. First, he ingratiated himself with the victim. He took her grocery shopping and bought her flowers and chocolate. Then, he took advantage of her trust, her cognitive decline and isolation,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “He used the victim’s funds to live with luxuries – buying an island home, installing a hot tub, and purchasing a new car. All the while, the victim scrimped and lived on a limited budget. This prison sentence holds him accountable.”
“Lies, deceit, and fraud are not things that should be associated with any financial advisor trusted to protect a client’s hard-earned money. However, Mr. Winslow chose exactly these things when he callously stole from his client,” said Special Agent in Charge Carrie Nordyke, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Seattle Field Office. “IRS-CI will continue to pursue justice against those who choose to commit such financial crimes.”
According to records in the case, Winslow moved funds out of the victim’s brokerage accounts with the financial services firm and into her outside bank account in multiple transactions. He did this to conceal his fraud by placing the victim’s funds outside of the firm’s surveillance system. From the victim’s outside bank account, the funds were transferred into Winslow’s bank account, again in multiple transactions. Winslow used his trusted status with the victim to further the fraud. He falsely claimed to the victim that if she transferred money to him, he would repay her at a higher interest rate than what she was getting from her banks. He visited the victim at her home and instructed the victim to call the bank and put the call on speaker. He then told the victim what she should tell the bank. Winslow then used the victim’s funds for his own benefit.
To hide the illicit nature of the funds, Winslow funneled the victim’s funds through extra layers of transactions. For example, Winslow purchased gold coins from an online gold retailer in multiple transactions. He then sold those gold coins to two local brick-and-mortar gold retailers before depositing the proceeds into his bank account.
With each of these transactions, Winslow made the decision to steal from the victim. Prosecutors argued that such persistent and intentional fraud deserved a 70-month prison sentence. “Before each of these transactions, Winslow had the chance to stop and to ponder what he was doing to his victim. But he did not stop. He wanted the gravy train to keep on going. He kept at it even after his withdrawals from (the victim’s) accounts triggered an elderly fraud alert. And he meant to bleed (the victim) dry. The only thing that stopped him from taking more of (the victim’s) money was getting caught.”
During the fraud-scheme period, Winslow also failed to report the funds that he stole from the victim on his federal tax returns, resulting in a tax loss of approximately $254,000.
Judge Carwright ordered Winslow to pay $1,175,475 in restitution representing the theft from the victim as well as the tax loss to the U.S.
The victim sued the financial services firm, and they settled the suit for $920,483. So that amount of restitution is due to the financial services firm. Unfortunately, the victim had to pay attorney fees of nearly $321,000 to obtain the settlement and so still suffered financial loss.
Winslow has agreed to forfeit his Fox Island home to help pay his restitution obligation.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Yunah Chung and Lauren Staniar.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the 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.
Snyder County Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Production of Child Pornography and Enticement of A Minor to Engage in Illegal Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jason Lee Wilson, age 24, of McClure, Pennsylvania, was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release by Chief United States District Judge Matthew W. Brann, relative to his plea of guilty to production of child pornography and coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, Wilson communicated online with minor victims who he enticed into creating images and videos of themselves engaged in sexually explicit activity and then directed them to send those images and videos to him over the internet. Likewise, he sent the minor victims videos and images of himself engaged in sexual activity.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Luisa Honora Berti 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 Attorney's Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate and apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
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Sioux City Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Keith Havener, 62, from Sioux City, Iowa, pled guilty May 13, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City to possession of child pornography.
At the plea hearing, Havener admitted that between June 1, 2024, and January 13, 2025, he possessed and attempted to possess visual depictions of child pornography, including a depiction involving a prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained 12 years of age. Evidence in the case showed that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a Cybertip report from Tagged.com about a local 14-year-old female making a dating profile offering up housecleaning and prostitution. FBI agents interviewed the girl to ensure her safety, and she denied making the ad. It was determined that the ad was made by Havener. On January 6, 2025, a search warrant was executed at Havener’s residence, where officers seized an iPhone, multiple computers/laptops, and multiple external storage devices. Forensic analysis of the digital media devices revealed that Havener possessed a total of 1,025 images of child pornography all created by Havener using Artificial Intelligence technology to remove clothing from the pictures of children he had gotten off social media. Some of the images included sadistic and masochistic conduct.
Evidence in the case also revealed that a parallel investigation into Havener was being conducted by the Sioux City Police Department about allegations Havener had used AI to create explicit images of his female coworkers and distributed them at work. His employer turned over the computer Havener used for work to be searched and SCPD detectives discovered additional images of child pornography, as well as images of Havener’s coworkers. Detectives sought search warrants for Havener’s Google accounts and discovered Havener had created the Tagged.com ad, created email accounts in the 14-year-old’s name, and was conversing with people online in a sexual manner. Some of the discussions involved people traveling to Sioux City from out of state to engage in sex with the 14-year-old. Detectives passed those leads on to the local agencies where the offenders lived.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Havener remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Havener faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Sioux City Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-4001. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Simpsonville Felon Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking and Unlawful Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Bobby Tyrell Davis, 41, of Simpsonville, originally from Detroit, Michigan, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and marijuana, distribution of fentanyl and marijuana, laundering drug proceeds, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Davis was released from the South Carolina Department of Corrections in September of 2017 after serving a sentence for trafficking heroin. Within that same year, Davis resumed his drug trafficking operation. In the Fall of 2024, Davis was obtaining fentanyl and heroin from Detroit and distributing it in the Upstate. He also used a co-defendant, Zachary Goosby, to conduct hand-to-hand sales for him. Davis laundered drug proceeds to make his crimes more difficult to detect. On Sept. 17, 2025, law enforcement conducted a search warrant at Davis’s residence and found multiple loaded firearms. Davis was prohibited from possessing firearms due to his prior felony conviction.
United States District Judge Jacquelyn D. Austin sentenced Davis to 120 months imprisonment, to be followed by a four-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. Goosby pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute a quantity of heroin and fentanyl and is awaiting sentencing.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and Greenville Drug Enforcement Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Lea Schoen prosecuted the case.###
Shiprock Man Sentenced for Firing at Occupants of VehicleRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man was sentenced to seven years in prison for pointing a handgun at occupants of a vehicle and opening fire as they attempted to flee.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on August 1, 2025, Bryson Chee, 43, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, arrived at a residence in Shiprock as a passenger in a vehicle with two others. After exiting the vehicle, Chee retrieved a handgun, pointed it at the occupants, and began shooting as they attempted to drive away.
Chee pleaded guilty to using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Upon his release from prison, Chee will be subject to three years of supervised release.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack E. Burkhead is prosecuting the case.
Sex Offender Who Had Been Deported to Mexico Sentenced to 30 Months for Illegally Re-Entering the United StatesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Saul Castillo-Crespo, 28, an illegal alien from Mexico and a previously convicted sex offender, was sentenced today to 30 months in federal prison for illegally re-entering the United States after deportation, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
“Saul Castillo-Crespo committed a brutal sexual assault against a defenseless woman on the streets of the District, was deported after serving his sentence, and then illegally returned to the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “He apparently believed that using a new name would make him invisible. He was wrong. Following his prison sentence, he will again be deported.”
Castillo-Crespo pleaded guilty on Jan. 8, 2026, before U.S. District Court Timothy J. Kelly to one count of unlawful re-entry of a previously deported alien. In addition to the 30-month prison sentence, Judge Kelly ordered Castillo-Crespo to serve three years of supervised release and to submit to any deportation order.
According to court papers, on May 7, 2017, Castillo-Crespo encountered a woman in the early morning hours on a sidewalk near Lafayette Square in downtown Washington. The woman was extremely intoxicated and unable to walk on her own. She told Castillo-Crespo she wanted to go home. Instead, Castillo-Crespo hailed a cab and took her to his apartment building in the 1700 block of Seventh Street NW.
Once inside, the woman refused to enter Castillo-Crespo’s fourth-floor apartment and repeated that she wanted to go home. Castillo-Crespo carried her to a staircase and sexually assaulted her. The assault was captured on the building’s surveillance cameras.
In August 2017, Castillo-Crespo was convicted in D.C. Superior Court and sentenced to five years in prison for the kidnapping and sexual assault.
In January 2023, Castillo-Crespo was deported to Mexico. Two years later, he illegally re-entered the United States in March 2025 and failed to register as a sex offender as required by law.
On June 27, 2025, Metropolitan Police Department officers arrested Castillo-Crespo on unrelated charges. Although he initially identified himself to officers using the alias “David Crespo,” law enforcement fingerprinted him after his arrest, which confirmed his true identity. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also confirmed that his fingerprints matched those of a previously deported alien.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Satter.
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Rochester man who threatened and stalked a police officer going to prisonRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Orlando Justice, 38, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of transmission of threatening communications in interstate commerce, was sentenced to serve 21 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Meredith A. Vacca.
On November 23, 2024, a Rochester Police officer (Victim) participated in the arrest of Justice, who was intoxicated at the time of arrest and was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital. While at Strong, Justice threatened the officer by stating that he would come to officer’s house and injure him. Justice was subsequently charged with Trespassing and Resisting Arrest and issued an appearance ticket. The following day, Justice called the officer multiple times via cellular service and FaceTime. In one call on FaceTime, Justice told the officer, “I told you that I would find you,” and that he knew the officer’s personal information and where he lived. Justice also stated that the officer “messed with the wrong one” and that he (Justice) was “a different breed of human.” Justice demanded that the officer give him the names of the other officers who were present during his arrest. Justice threatened to go to the officer’s home, continued calling the officer and encouraged his friends to do the same.
A few hours later, Justice called the officer again via FaceTime, asking “Why your friends come to my house?” the officer asked Justice who he was, and he responded that the officer knew who he was and gave the name “John Doe.” The officer ended the call by telling Justice not to call him. The following day, Justice sent a series of text messages. In one of these messages, Justice told the officer, “Don't get scared now.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan K. McGuire. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith, the Greece Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Wood, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera, and the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Kevin Sucher.
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Registered sex offender sentenced to prison for possessing images of child sexual abuseRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 55-year-old Marysville man, who is a registered sex offender, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to three years in prison for possession of images of child sexual abuse. Robert Anthony Fiore came to the attention of law enforcement when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a cybertip report from Dropbox that child sexual abuse material had been uploaded on Fiore’s account. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Tana Lin said, “Possession of images of child sexual abuse harms the child for life…. Victims are given a life sentence by the people who buy these videos.”
“My office is committed to protecting the public from predators. This prison sentence will help, said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “This defendant was actively communicating with teens as young as twelve over the internet. It’s a good reminder for parents and guardians to be vigilant about who their children communicate with online.”
Law enforcement obtained warrants and served search warrants on Fiore’s electronic devices finding 50 videos and 242 images of child sexual abuse. Fiore has sex crime convictions out of California. He pleaded guilty in federal court on November 21, 2025. In his plea agreement Fiore admitted that he was chatting online with more than a dozen minors as young as 12-years-old.
“Mr. Fiore clearly did not learn his lesson from his last offense," said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. "Despite already being registered as a sex offender, he continued to prey on young victims online. Each one of the dozens of videos and hundreds of images of child sexual abuse on Mr. Fiore’s devices contributes to the trauma and suffering of an innocent young victim. We hope this case sends a message to would-be predators that there are consequences for their actions. Law enforcement will discover their conduct and hold them accountable.”
In asking for the three-year prison sentence, prosecutors noted the harm done by child sexual abuse images. “Those who collect and share images and videos of children being raped and tortured further a market that thrives on the sexual abuse of children. The collection of this material drives demand for new material and normalizes horrific acts of sexual exploitation. And it subjects victims of child abuse to perpetual re-victimization, knowing that the digital record of their worst moments forever travels the globe to satisfy the sexual appetite of child predators,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov .
The case was investigated by the FBI in coordination with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) with officers from the Seattle Police Department and Marysville Police Department, and the Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC).
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson.
Registered sex offender sentenced to more than 34 years in prison for sexually exploiting high schoolersRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man was sentenced in federal court here today to 410 months in prison for preying on high school girls by providing them with drugs and gifts in exchange for sexual activities or explicit images and videos.
Investigators initially identified at least four minors victimized by Terrance P. Cummings, 31. After the news of Cummings’s arrest in 2024, at least 17 other females contacted the related law enforcement tipline to report similar interactions with Cummings.
“Despite previously being convicted of sex crimes against minors, Cummings continued to prey on a slew of young females, exploiting and manipulating his victims in order to maintain his reputation of a lifestyle of sex and drugs,” said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II. “Cummings has demonstrated time and again that he is a danger to society and must be imprisoned to protect our youth.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie stated: “This type of egregious victimization of minors cannot and will not be tolerated. We are grateful for our partnership with the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force that allows us to investigate and prosecute this type of conduct.”
According to court documents, in July 2024, the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force received information about a teenage victim allegedly receiving gifts and illicit substances from Cummings in exchange for sex acts. Cummings was known on social media as “614 Terrance.”
Further investigation revealed that Cummings had sex with numerous minor victims and requested nude images and videos of the victims in exchange for marijuana, Xanax, cocaine, acid and ecstasy. The defendant bought the victims gifts like clothes and shoes and offered to buy lingerie and sex toys for at least one of the victims.
While executing a search warrant at Cummings’s apartment in August 2024, agents discovered two iPhones submerged in the water tank on the back of the bathroom toilet, which Cummings had attempted to destroy after learning about the warrant. Investigators also discovered fentanyl pills, Xanax, cocaine, methamphetamine, mushrooms and amphetamine in the apartment.
Cummings’s electronics contained approximately 62,000 chat messages, 26,000 emails and 150 instant messages about drug sales and to various females. In the messages, Cummings requested the females send him “content” videos and said he would give cash, clothes, concert tickets, drugs, alcohol or other items of value to them.
Between 2015 and 2023, Cummings kept information on his iPhone investigators later recovered and connected to his crimes, such as lists of the full names of hundreds of females, including some of the identified victims. He also kept track of his monthly spending on his iPhone, with one example where Cummings noted he spent $1,300 on a**, $400 on “nudes” and $400 on “gifts for hoes” one month. He also made a list of the ways females could make $250, which included seven different sexual acts and a time frame for which to complete the sex act.
Cummings has a criminal history of unlawful sexual conduct with minors dating back to 2016. He pleaded guilty in this case in June 2025 to sexually exploiting minors, sex trafficking of a minor and to distributing, receiving and possessing child pornography.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Jason Cromartie, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Czerniejewski and Jennifer Rausch are representing the United States in this case.
The Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force was formed under the Ohio Attorney General’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, and includes resources from the Columbus Division of Police, Homeland Security Investigations, Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, Powell Police Department, Bureau of Criminal Investigations, The Ohio State University Police Department, Marysville Division of Police, Salvation Army, Southeast Healthcare, the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office and the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office.
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Property Management Company to Pay $60,000 to Servicemember for False AffidavitRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced that Rental Marketing Solutions, LLC (RMS), a property management company based in St. Petersburg, Florida, will pay $60,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by obtaining an unlawful eviction judgment against an active duty Navy sailor. This is the largest amount the Department has ever obtained for a single servicemember in a case involving the filing of a false military service affidavit.
“It is unacceptable and illegal for a landlord or property management company to file a false affidavit stating that an active duty servicemember is not in military service,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This SCRA violation had significant consequences, as potential landlords refused to rent to a sailor once they learned of the eviction on his record. He became homeless and his wife was forced to move back in with her parents in another state. The Justice Department will continue to fight to protect the rights of military families.”
“Protecting the civil rights of our servicemembers is a top priority for the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “We will continue to aggressively enforce the SCRA to protect the servicemembers who fight to protect us here at home. These servicemembers, along with their families, sacrifice to serve our country and deserve to be treated with dignity. No servicemember should ever be denied housing or have their record tarnished based on a false affidavit.”
The Department alleges that RMS named the sailor as a defendant in an eviction action for a property he had not lived in for several years, filed a false affidavit stating he was not on active duty, and obtained an eviction judgment against him in a Florida county court while he was assigned to the USS Nimitz at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. Because the eviction judgment showed up on his background reports, a dozen or more landlords refused to rent to him and his wife. For four months, he had to live separately from his wife and rotate among temporary accommodations, including sleeping on the berthed Naval ship, which had no heat.
The SCRA requires a plaintiff in a case where a defendant does not make an appearance to file an affidavit stating whether the defendant is in military service, with necessary supporting facts. This allows the court to appoint an attorney to represent the servicemember and to postpone the proceedings if a defense cannot be presented without the servicemember’s presence. Because RMS filed a false affidavit stating that the sailor was not in military service, he did not receive the benefit of those protections.
Under the settlement, RMS will pay $60,000 in compensation to the sailor and for ten years of credit monitoring for him. RMS will also be required to pay a $6,000 civil penalty and maintain SCRA policies and procedures to avoid committing future violations.
The Department’s enforcement of the SCRA is conducted by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section in partnership with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country. Since 2011, the Department has obtained $489 million in monetary relief for 152,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. For more information about the Department’s SCRA enforcement efforts, please visit www.servicemembers.gov.
Servicemembers and their dependents who believe that their rights under the SCRA may have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations can be found at legalassistance.law.af.mil.
Property Management Company to Pay $60,000 to Servicemember for False AffidavitRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL - The Justice Department today announced that Rental Marketing Solutions, LLC (RMS), a property management company based in St. Petersburg, Florida, will pay $60,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by obtaining an unlawful eviction judgment against an active duty Navy sailor. This is the largest amount the Department has ever obtained for a single servicemember in a case involving the filing of a false military service affidavit.
“Protecting the civil rights of our servicemembers is a top priority for the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “We will continue to aggressively enforce the SCRA to protect the servicemembers who fight to protect us here at home. These servicemembers, along with their families, sacrifice to serve our country and deserve to be treated with dignity. No servicemember should ever be denied housing or have their record tarnished based on a false affidavit.”
“It is unacceptable and illegal for a landlord or property management company to file a false affidavit stating that an active duty servicemember is not in military service,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This SCRA violation had significant consequences, as potential landlords refused to rent to a sailor once they learned of the eviction on his record. He became homeless and his wife was forced to move back in with her parents in another state. The Justice Department will continue to fight to protect the rights of military families.”
The Department alleges that RMS named the sailor as a defendant in an eviction action for a property he had not lived in for several years, filed a false affidavit stating he was not on active duty, and obtained an eviction judgment against him in a Florida county court while he was assigned to the USS Nimitz at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. Because the eviction judgment showed up on his background reports, a dozen or more landlords refused to rent to him and his wife. For four months, he had to live separately from his wife and rotate among temporary accommodations, including sleeping on the berthed Naval ship, which had no heat.
The SCRA requires a plaintiff in a case where a defendant does not make an appearance to file an affidavit stating whether the defendant is in military service, with necessary supporting facts. This allows the court to appoint an attorney to represent the servicemember and to postpone the proceedings if a defense cannot be presented without the servicemember’s presence. Because RMS filed a false affidavit stating that the sailor was not in military service, he did not receive the benefit of those protections.
Under the settlement, RMS will pay $60,000 in compensation to the sailor and for ten years of credit monitoring for him. RMS will also be required to pay a $6,000 civil penalty and maintain SCRA policies and procedures to avoid committing future violations.
The Department’s enforcement of the SCRA is conducted by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section in partnership with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country. Since 2011, the Department has obtained $489 million in monetary relief for 152,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. For more information about the Department’s SCRA enforcement efforts, please visit www.servicemembers.gov.
Servicemembers and their dependents who believe that their rights under the SCRA may have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations can be found at legalassistance.law.af.mil
Property Management Company to Pay $60,000 to Servicemember for False AffidavitRead the Press Release
TAMPA, FL — The Justice Department today announced that Rental Marketing Solutions, LLC (RMS), a property management company based in St. Petersburg, Florida, will pay $60,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by obtaining an unlawful eviction judgment against an active duty Navy sailor. This is the largest amount the Department has ever obtained for a single servicemember in a case involving the filing of a false military service affidavit.
“Protecting the civil rights of our servicemembers is a top priority for the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “We will continue to aggressively enforce the SCRA to protect the servicemembers who fight to protect us here at home. These servicemembers, along with their families, sacrifice to serve our country and deserve to be treated with dignity. No servicemember should ever be denied housing or have their record tarnished based on a false affidavit.”
“It is unacceptable and illegal for a landlord or property management company to file a false affidavit stating that an active duty servicemember is not in military service,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This SCRA violation had significant consequences, as potential landlords refused to rent to a sailor once they learned of the eviction on his record. He became homeless and his wife was forced to move back in with her parents in another state. The Justice Department will continue to fight to protect the rights of military families.”
The Department alleges that RMS named the sailor as a defendant in an eviction action for a property he had not lived in for several years, filed a false affidavit stating he was not on active duty, and obtained an eviction judgment against him in a Florida county court while he was assigned to the USS Nimitz at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. Because the eviction judgment showed up on his background reports, a dozen or more landlords refused to rent to him and his wife. For four months, he had to live separately from his wife and rotate among temporary accommodations, including sleeping on the berthed Naval ship, which had no heat.
The SCRA requires a plaintiff in a case where a defendant does not make an appearance to file an affidavit stating whether the defendant is in military service, with necessary supporting facts. This allows the court to appoint an attorney to represent the servicemember and to postpone the proceedings if a defense cannot be presented without the servicemember’s presence. Because RMS filed a false affidavit stating that the sailor was not in military service, he did not receive the benefit of those protections.
Under the settlement, RMS will pay $60,000 in compensation to the sailor and for ten years of credit monitoring for him. RMS will also be required to pay a $6,000 civil penalty and maintain SCRA policies and procedures to avoid committing future violations.
The Department’s enforcement of the SCRA is conducted by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section in partnership with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country. Since 2011, the Department has obtained $489 million in monetary relief for 152,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. For more information about the Department’s SCRA enforcement efforts, please visit www.servicemembers.gov.
Servicemembers and their dependents who believe that their rights under the SCRA may have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations can be found at legalassistance.law.af.mil. Do not reply to this message. If you have questions, please use the contacts in the message or call the Office of Public Affairs at 202-514-2007.
Previously removed Mexican national headed to federal prison for illegal reentryRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 53-year-old man who illegally resided in Houston has been sentenced for illegally reentering the country without authorization, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Jose Alcantar Esquivel Moreno pleaded guilty Feb. 20.
U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. has now ordered Moreno to serve 54 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he will be removed following his imprisonment. In imposing the sentence, the court noted Moreno had been told what would happen if he came back, and he chose to do so anyway.
Moreno has a prior felony conviction for aggravated assault-family violence. Authorities first removed him from the United States in February 2012.
Law Enforcement discovered Moreno again Oct. 23, 2022, following his arrest for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
Moreno has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration Customs Enforcement – Enforcement Removal Operations conducted the investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Law prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Portland Man Sentenced for Distributing and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Portland man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for distributing and possessing child pornography.
U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced Derren Wood-Peterson, 35, to seven years in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Judge Neumann also ordered Wood-Peterson to pay $56,500 in restitution to victims whose images he possessed. Wood-Peterson pleaded guilty on October 2, 2025.
According to court records, Wood-Peterson sent a payment on Cash App for a link associated with child sexual abuse material. In December 2024, the FBI executed a search warrant at his residence, resulting in the seizure of two cell phones containing thousands of images and videos of child sexual abuse material. When interviewed by investigators, Wood-Peterson admitted to accessing, viewing, and distributing child sexual abuse material over the internet. Forensic analysis of his devices revealed multiple acts of distribution of this material over the Telegram Messenger application.
The FBI investigated the case.
To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child sexual abuse material: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as “child pornography” – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.
Project Safe Childhood: This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.
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Pharaoh’s owner going to prison for 25 years for bribery, sex trafficking conspiracy and witness tamperingRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Peter Gerace, 59, of Clarence, NY, was sentenced to serve 25 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo after a jury convicted him of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, drug trafficking and defrauding the United States, along with witness tampering, maintaining a drug involved premises and bribing a public official.
Between 2005, and 2019, Gerace, owned and operated Pharaoh's Gentlemen's Club. While doing so Gerace engaged in various criminal activity to include conspiring to distribute controlled substances, sex trafficking and bribing former Drug Enforcement Agent Joesph Bongiovanni. Gerace paid Bongiovanni in exchange for Bongiovanni using his position to dissuade other members of law enforcement from conducting investigations into Gerace’s activities at Pharaoh’s. Bongiovanni was previously convicted and was sentenced to serve five years in prison. Gerace also forced and coerced Pharaoh’s dancers to engage in commercial sex acts.
“The conduct Peter Gerace engaged in had a horrendous impact on the victims and negatively impacted the community,” stated U.S. Attorney DiGiacomo. “My office will continue pursue individuals who engage in such conduct and hold them accountable.”
“Today’s sentencing of Peter Gerace sends a clear message that individuals who exploit vulnerable people for profit will be held accountable,” said Philip Tejera, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI Buffalo Field Office. “This case exposed the devastating impact of drug trafficking, public corruption, and human trafficking within Western New York. To those who have been exploited or trafficked: your life matters, and your voice matters. The FBI encourages victims and survivors to come forward, as we have dedicated professionals and resources available to provide support. Call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.”
“Today’s sentence closes a dark chapter in which this defendant treated people as commodities and tried to bend the justice system to his will,” said HSI Buffalo Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan. “No amount of money, influence, or intimidation could shield Peter Gerace from accountability. HSI Buffalo and our partners will continue to stand with victims, follow the evidence, and dismantle criminal networks that profit from exploitation in our community.”
“Today’s sentence sends a clear message to anybody who would seek to bribe a corrupt federal law enforcement agent to facilitate crimes like drug and sex trafficking,” said Ryan T. Geach, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Northeast Region. “The DOJ OIG commends its investigative partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office on this just outcome.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph M. Tripi, Nicholas T. Cooper, and Casey L. Chalbeck. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera, and the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special-Agent-In-Charge Ryan T. Geach, Northeast Region.
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Perfectus Aluminum Inc. and Related Companies Agree to Pay $549.5 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations Relating to Evaded Customs DutiesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – California-based companies Perfectus Aluminum Inc., Perfectus Aluminum Acquisitions LLC and four affiliated warehousing companies have agreed to pay a total of $549.5 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly and improperly evading, or conspiring to evade, antidumping and countervailing duties owed to the United States on aluminum extrusions imported from the People’s Republic of China (China).
“The President’s America First Trade Policy defends this country’s national and economic security and ensures compliance with trade laws, including the payment of tariffs intended to level the playing field for U.S. manufacturers,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Those who try to game the system harm American businesses and workers and will be brought to justice.”
“Unscrupulous, corrupt, and anti-competitive practices against American manufacturers will not be tolerated,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “Law enforcement will use all legal means to protect American taxpayers, workers, and businesses.”
“Consistent with the goals of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, this settlement reflects our commitment to hold accountable those who commit fraud on the government by withholding duties that are owed on imported goods,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Civil Division will continue to zealously pursue those who attempt to evade such duties and harm U.S. manufacturing jobs.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) played a pivotal role in this action, providing critical support through the Office of Trade, Office of Field Operations, Office of Finance, and Office of Chief Counsel. “Duty evasion is not a victimless crime; it hurts businesses that play by the rules and undermines U.S. economic security,” said CBP Office of Trade Executive Assistant Commissioner Susan S. Thomas. “I am proud of CBP’s close collaboration with the Justice Department and Homeland Security Investigations, as we work together to protect the American economy.”
To enter goods into the United States, an importer must declare, among other things, the country of origin of the goods, the value of the goods, whether the goods are subject to duties, and the amount of duties owed. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) collects applicable duties, including antidumping and countervailing duties assessed by the Department of Commerce. Antidumping duties protect against foreign companies “dumping” products on U.S. markets at prices below cost, while countervailing duties offset foreign government subsidies. During the relevant time period, aluminum extrusions from China were subject to both antidumping and countervailing duties.
The settlement resolves civil allegations that, from July 2011 through June 2014, Defendants Perfectus, Perfectus Aluminum Acquisitions, and its affiliated warehousing companies 1001 Doubleday, LLC; Von-Karman Main Street, LLC; 10681 Production Avenue, LLC; and Scuderia Development, LLC (together, “Perfectus Defendants”) knowingly made, and caused others to make, false statements on Customs Form 7501 Entry Summaries that were material to obligations to pay duties owed to CBP on extruded aluminum.
The Perfectus Defendants knowingly and improperly avoided antidumping and countervailing duties owed on more than 2.2 million aluminum extrusions in the form of “pallets,” which they misrepresented to CBP as finished merchandise not subject to antidumping and countervailing duties. The pallets were simply aluminum extrusions that were spot-welded together to make them appear to be functional pallets. In fact, there were no customers for these pallets imported by the Defendants between 2011 and 2014, and no pallets were ever sold. On August 23, 2021, a jury in the Central District of California convicted the Perfectus Defendants of Conspiracy to Commit an Offense Against the United States or Defraud the United States, among other things. United States v. Perfectus Aluminum Inc., et al., No. 2:19-cr-00282-GK (C.D. Cal.).
The settlement with the Perfectus Defendants resolves civil lawsuits filed by relators Mike Rapport, Eric Shen, and the Aluminum Extruders Council under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and to share in a portion of the government’s recovery. The lawsuits were separately filed in the Central District of California and later consolidated under the caption United States ex rel. Rapport v. PengCheng Aluminum Enterprise Inc., et al., No. 5:15-cv-00712 (C.D. Cal.). As part of today’s resolution, the relator share will be 17.5 percent of the settlement proceeds that are returned to CBP.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, with assistance from CBP’s Office of Associate Chief Counsel, Los Angeles West Region.
This year the Administration launched the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division to enhance the Administration’s war on fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs. When unscrupulous actors exploit these programs for their own financial gain, they defraud the government, harm the people these programs are designed to aid and protect, and undermine American businesses that play by the rules. The Civil Division’s FCA enforcement plays a critical role in combatting such fraudulent schemes, recovering billions of dollars for the American taxpayers, and holding wrongdoers accountable. FCA matters will continue to be on the forefront of the battle against fraud, and the Civil Division’s FCA work will support and advance the mission of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division.
The Civil Division coordinated this action through the Department of Justice’s Trade Fraud Task Force, a cross-agency law enforcement effort. The Task Force was created to leverage all of 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 Department’s Corporate Whistleblower Program at [email protected] using the form available here.
Assistant United States Attorney Hunter B. Thomson for the Central District of California and Attorneys Jennifer Chorpening and Martha Glover of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil Fraud Section, handled the case.
Pennsylvania Man Admits Detonating an Explosive Device Under Former Supervisor’s VehicleRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Pennsylvania man admitted to denotating an explosive device under a vehicle that was parked at his former supervisor’s residence, announced U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer.
Michael Patrick Takacs, Jr., 44, of Warminster, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court to an Information charging him with one count of transporting an explosive with the knowledge and intent that it would be used to intimate an individual and used unlawfully to damage and destroy property.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
After being terminated from his employment in or around April 2025, Takacs manufactured an improvised explosive device, commonly referred to as an “IED,” using explosive chemicals and a remote pyrotechnic device he purchased and filling the IED with shrapnel, including nails. In the early morning hours of July 26, 2025, Takacs transported the IED from Pennsylvania to his former supervisor’s personal residence in Delran, New Jersey and placed it under a vehicle parked in the driveway. While transporting the IED, Takacs took steps to conceal his identity by removing the license plate from his vehicle, leaving his personal cell phone at his house, and wearing a mask on his face. Ultimately, Takacs remotely detonated the IED in an effort to intimidate his former supervisor and to damage and destroy the vehicle.
The charge of transporting an explosive to intimidate or damage property carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for October 8, 2026.
U.S. Attorney Frazer credited the following with the investigation leading up to this guilty plea: special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy in Newark and Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs in Philadelphia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, under the direction of U.S. Attorney David Metcalf, New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, under the direction of Director Thomas G. Hauck, New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Acting Superintendent Lt. Colonel (Ret.) Jeanne Hengemuhle, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of LaChia L. Bradshaw, the Delran (NJ) Township Police Department, under the direction of Acting Chief Matthew J. Gasper, the Warminster (PA) Township Police Department under the direction of Chief James Donnelly III, the Bucks County (PA) Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Daniel Ceisler, and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of District Attorney Joe Khan.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey S. Smith and Vincent D. Romano of the National Security Unit in Newark, with substantial assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section of the National Security Division.
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Defense counsel: Thomas Young, Esq.
takacs.information.pdfOregon man sentenced to over 6 years in prison for drug trafficking in BillingsRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – An Oregon man who trafficked methamphetamine and fentanyl in Billings was sentenced today to 82 months of imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.
Derry Jerel Howard, 55, pleaded guilty in July 2025 to one count of possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances.
U.S. District Judge Susan P Watters presided.
The government alleged in court documents that on January 11, 2023, law enforcement received information an individual was selling drugs in Billings. They located the individual in a vehicle in downtown Billings. They also saw a male, later identified as Howard, driving the vehicle. Law enforcement watched Howard commit several traffic violations and stopped the car. The vehicle slowly came to a stop and when Howard got out of the driver’s door a baggie with suspected meth was observed on the driver’s seat in plain view. Also in plain view in the rear seat was a container with suspected fentanyl pills. Howard was advised of his rights and denied knowing there were drugs in his vehicle. The other individual was advised of his rights and stated he and Howard were on their way to sell fentanyl pills and the drugs in the vehicle were Howard’s. The individual also told officers Howard had a large cache of drugs at his apartment.
After obtaining a search warrant for Howard’s apartment, officers recovered approximately 117 grams of methamphetamine, approximately 153 grams of fentanyl, and a significant quantity of US currency.
After the search, law enforcement interviewed Howard and he admitted purchasing meth and fentanyl pills to sell in Billings.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department conducted the investigation.
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Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Deon Dewayne Grundy, 29, of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 3, 2025, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a Beckley residence where Grundy was living and seized 86 grams of fentanyl. As part of his plea agreement, Grundy admitted that he intended to distribute the seized fentanyl in and around the Southern District of West Virginia. Grundy further admitted that he sold approximately 5 grams of fentanyl earlier that day to a confidential informant at the Beckley residence in exchange for $300.
Grundy is scheduled to be sentenced on September 11, 2026, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $5 million.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, which consists of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office, and the Beckley Police Department.
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons 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. 5:26-cr-8.
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Nicholson Man Indicted for Child Exploitation CrimesRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Christopher Vieira, age 37, of Nicholson, Pennsylvania, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury on charges of production of child pornography, online enticement of a minor, and receipt of child pornography.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, the indictment alleges that Vieira used the internet and an electronic device to persuade and entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct and to produce child pornography. The indictment also alleges that on January 1, 2026 and January 10, 2026, Vieira received child pornography.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Tatum R. Wilson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
The maximum penalty under federal law for the crimes charged in the Indictment is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following the finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Naugatuck Man Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that SEAN SAYER, 23, of Naugatuck, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to child exploitation offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 20, 2025, an eight-year-old boy (“minor victim”) in Oregon contacted Sayer by text message and asked Sayer if he was @fornight_legends on TikTok. Sayer responded affirmatively and, over the next three days, exchanged with the minor victim more than 1,300 messages in which Sayer repeatedly and aggressively demanded sexually explicit images and videos of the minor victim in exchange for playing Fortnite with him online. The minor victim sent Sayer at least 15 videos constituting child sexual abuse material or child pornography.
Sayer was arrested on June 18, 2025. A subsequent forensic review of Sayer’s cellphone revealed screenshots of Snapchat conversations Sayer had with numerous additional minor victims who Sayer coerced or enticed to send him sexually explicit photos of themselves. To date, investigators have identified approximately 89 separate minor victims.
In addition, electronic devices seized from Sayer revealed more than 5,000 videos and 1,000 images containing child sexual abuse material, including images and videos depicting sexual violence against prepubescent minors.
Sayer pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child pornography, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of 30 years of imprisonment on each count, and one count of possession of child pornography, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
Sayer, who was released on bond, has been detained since February 17, 2026, after his bond was revoked.
This investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, with the assistance of the Eugene (Ore.) Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary G. Vitale.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
Morristown Woman Sentenced to 20 Years in the Deaths of Multiple Fentanyl Overdose VictimsRead the Press Release
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – On May 13, 2026, Ashlyn Jade Henry, 25 of Morristown, Tennessee was sentenced to 20 years by the Honorable Clifton L. Corker, United States District Court, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville. Following her imprisonment, Henry will be on supervised release for five years.
As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Henry agreed to plead guilty to an indictment charging her with one count of conspiracy to distribute a quantity of fentanyl and cocaine in violation of 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C).
According to filed court documents, in January 2024, Henry purchased a quantity of cocaine base from her supplier in the Knoxville area for the purpose of reselling it to people in Morristown, Tennessee. This cocaine base was laced with fentanyl. Over the course of several days Henry then sold the laced drugs to numerous victims. At least three victims were found deceased in their homes after using the drugs. Two additional victims overdosed and survived after being resuscitated. Both surviving victims identified Henry as the person that sold them the fentanyl laced cocaine base.
U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee made the announcement.
Law enforcement agencies participating in the joint investigation which led to the indictment and subsequent conviction of Henry included the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Morristown Police Department, and the Hamblen County Sherriff’s Office.
Meghan L. Gomez, Assistant United States Attorney represented the United States.
On December 15, 2025, the President issued an Executive Order designating fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
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Mexican national illegally living in Lufkin guilty of immigration violations as part of Operation Take Back AmericaRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Mexican national illegally living in the Eastern District of Texas, has pleaded guilty to immigration violations, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Jose Perez-Segura, 41, pleaded guilty to unlawful reentry by a deported alien before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zack Hawthorn on May 13, 2026.
According to information presented in court, Perez-Segura was arrested by the Lufkin Police Department in August 2025 for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Further investigation revealed Perez-Segura was an alien illegal present in the United States after having been previously deported in 2011 and did not have permission to return to the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lufkin Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald S. Carter.
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Mexican national illegally living in Arlington sentenced to 20 years in federal prison as part of Homeland Security Task Force investigation for trafficking methamphetamine in the Eastern District of TexasRead the Press Release
SHERMAN, Texas – An illegal alien has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison as part of a Homeland Security Task Force investigation for trafficking methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Mauricio Diaz-Abraham, 37, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant on May 12, 2026.
According to information presented in court, beginning in 2020, Diaz-Abraham, a Mexican national who was illegally living in Arlington, was part of a methamphetamine distributing conspiracy responsible for trafficking a large amount of methamphetamine from Mexico into the Eastern District of Texas and beyond. Diaz-Abraham admitted to being personally responsible for the distribution of at least 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine.
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 Dallas comprises agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Dallas Field Office; U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations - Dallas (ICE-HSI); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Dallas Field Division; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Dallas Field Division; Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations (IRS-CD; United States Postal Service, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Transportation Security Administration, Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS); United States Secret Service (USSS); Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DSS); TEXOMA HIDTA; and U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Eastern District of Texas with the prosecution being led by Eastern District of Texas Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Johnson.
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Mexican Human Smuggler Sentenced for Role in Years-Long Smuggling OrganizationRead the Press Release
A Mexican national was sentenced Monday to 11 years in prison for her role in a years-long, prolific smuggling organization that operated at the U.S.-Mexico border.
According to the indictment, Ofelia Hernandez Salas, 64, of Mexicali, Mexico, and co-conspirators facilitated the travel of hundreds of aliens from and through numerous countries into the United States. Hernandez Salas charged the aliens as much as tens of thousands of dollars to illegally cross the Mexico-U.S. border. The aliens traveled from and through Bangladesh, Yemen, Pakistan, Eritrea, India, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Russia, Egypt, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico.
“Transnational human smuggling at a large scale directly threatens our national security,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Ofelia Hernandez Salas and her co-conspirators endangered our communities on a massive scale by illegally bringing foreign nationals from more than a dozen countries into the United States. Not only did she take away the ability to properly vet these people from immigration authorities, she and her co-conspirators also robbed these people of their personal belongings at gun or knife point. Illegal border crossings are already incredibly dangerous; this defendant only increased the potential of mortal danger they faced by adding robbery to her criminal acts.”
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office alongside our federal and international partners use every available tool to aggressively target and dismantle dangerous transnational human smuggling organizations and bring their leaders to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine for the District of Arizona. “This investigation and prosecution exemplify the work that is being done every day in the District of Arizona and through Joint Task Force Alpha to secure our nation’s southern border and protect the American people.”
Hernandez Salas and co-conspirators directed the aliens to cross the border in several ways. They provided aliens with a ladder to climb over the border fence, pointed out holes where they could climb under the fence, and provided a plank for them to walk over a waterway. In addition to moving aliens across the border in droves, Hernandez Salas and her co-conspirators also robbed the aliens of money, cell phones, and other belongings, often while armed with guns and knives.
In March 2023, Hernandez Salas and co-conspirator Raul Saucedo-Huipio were arrested in Mexico pursuant to an extradition request from the United States and remained in federal custody. Saucedo-Huipio has also pleaded guilty and is pending sentencing in June 2026. In December 2024, Hernandez Salas pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to bring an alien to the United States and three substantive counts of bringing an alien to the United States for commercial benefit or private financial gain. She is subject to deportation upon the completion of her sentence.
The investigation and charges are supported and prosecuted by JTFA, the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean, and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant United States Attorney-detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/HSI and CBP/BP and OFO, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies.
To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 450 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 400 U.S. convictions; more than 345 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.
HSI Yuma investigated the case with assistance from U.S. Border Patrol (BP), Customs and Border Protection (CBP); U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; FBI; and the U.S. Marshals Service, working in concert with HSI Tijuana, INTERPOL, and the HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. HSI also received substantial assistance from CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force and OFAC.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s arrest and extradition from Mexico. The Justice Department thanks its Mexican law enforcement partners, who were instrumental in arresting Hernandez-Salas, and the Mexican Attorney General’s Office and the Mexican Foreign Ministry for making the extradition possible. The Justice Department’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) provided significant assistance as well.
Trial Attorney Alexandra Skinnion of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Crowley for the District of Arizona prosecuted the case, with significant assistance provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
Meth trafficker sentenced to federal prisonRead the Press Release
STATESBORO, Georgia: A Laurens County man with a checkered criminal history has been sentenced to federal prison for distributing methamphetamine.
Bobby Akins, 55, of Dublin, Georgia, was sentenced to 90 months in prison after pleading guilty to Distribution of more than 50 Grams of Methamphetamine, said Margaret E. “Meg” Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall also fined Akins $1,000 and ordered him to serve four years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“Whether in our largest cities or our smallest communities, we will pursue those who peddle poison in our neighborhoods and send them to prison,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “Deadly drugs like methamphetamine have no safe place in the Southern District of Georgia.”
As described in court documents and testimony, investigators identified Akins as a source of illegal drug distribution in the Toombs County area, primarily selling quantities of methamphetamine. During the investigation, and prior to his federal indictment in October 2025, he was arrested for violating probation on state charges of meth trafficking in Montgomery County and confined to serve the remainder of his state prison sentence.
Akins has a long criminal history including multiple convictions on state charges for drug trafficking, and in 2001 was convicted on federal charges in the Southern District of Texas for transporting illegal aliens hidden in a tractor trailer.
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 was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Deputy Criminal Chief Marcela C. Mateo and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey L. Scanlon.
Memphis Gang Members Sentenced to 50 Years Each for Murdering a Fellow Gang MemberRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Two Unknown Vice Lords — a violent Memphis street gang — were each sentenced to 50 years in prison after a federal jury convicted them on Feb. 13 for a gang-related murder.
“Substantial sentences like these send the loud and clear message that organized gang violence and retaliatory murder will be vigorously pursued, charged, and prosecuted by the Department of Justice,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These defendants carried out a calculated, execution-style murder. They intended to incite fear and silence in fellow gang members and in the Memphis community. The court’s 50-year sentences means they now will be known as long-term residents of the Bureau of Prisons, and the good people of Memphis will no longer be dealing with their vice. The Criminal Division remains committed to protecting communities from violent criminal organizations and pursuing justice for victims and their families.”
“These significant federal sentences have dismantled the leadership of the UVL street gang here in Memphis,” said U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee. “From now on, E-Money, Dre, and V-Slash will not be ‘known’ by their gang nickname, but only by their Bureau of Prisons inmate numbers.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Edward Allen, also known as E-Money, 42, of Los Angeles, and Deandre Rodgers, also known as Dre, 29, of Memphis, were high-ranking members of the Unknown Vice Lords also known as The Ghost Mob — a criminal enterprise that controlled territory throughout the entire city of Memphis, as well as Arkansas and Mississippi. Members of the Unknown Vice Lords committed murders, burglaries, assaults, human trafficking, and drug trafficking on behalf of the enterprise. When the gang’s so-called Supreme Elite Chief, the gang leader for the entire state of Tennessee, was murdered, the gang sought retaliation against anyone thought to be involved.
As proven at trial, on Jan. 10, 2019, the Supreme Elite Chief and his girlfriend were murdered in broad daylight, in a residential neighborhood. While the gang initially thought that a rival gang was responsible, they eventually came to believe it was one of their own who killed their leader and decided to retaliate.
On Jan. 14, 2019, Allen and Rodgers obtained guns from fellow gang member Vincent Grant, also known as V-Slash, 41, of Memphis. Early the next morning around 1 a.m., Allen, Rodgers, Grant, and another gang member drove the victim to the back of a rundown apartment complex where Allen and Rodgers used the firearms Grant supplied to murder the victim. Grant was also prosecuted and found guilty in a separate trial.
The jury convicted Allen and Rodgers of causing death by use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, that being murder in aid of racketeering.
A separate jury also convicted Grant of causing death by use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, that being murder in aid of racketeering. The court sentenced him to 24 years in prison.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, FBI, Memphis Police Department, and U.S. Secret Service assisted in the investigation.
Trial Attorneys Lisa M. Thelwell and Sarah J. Rasalam of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting the case with substantial assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.
This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Memphis, Tennessee. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute the violent offenders and prevent further violence.
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Maryland Woman Sentenced for CARES Act Unemployment Insurance FraudRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A Maryland woman received a prison term for her role in an unemployment insurance (UI) fraud conspiracy.
District Judge Deborah L. Boardman sentenced Kiara Smith, 28, of Prince George’s County, to 42 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges, in connection with the scheme. Judge Boardman also ordered Smith to pay $3.5 million in restitution and imposed a criminal forfeiture of $275,000.
Smith, who served as a contractor for the Maryland Department of Labor (MD-DOL), allowed her co-conspirators to use her work laptop to alter and approve fraudulent Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act UI claims. She also sought and fraudulently obtained a significant amount of UI benefits separate from the conspiracy.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Inspector General Anthony P. D’Esposito, U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), and Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office.
According to the court documents, beginning in May 2021, and continuing until June 2022, Smith and her co-conspirators engaged in an identity theft scheme to defraud the United States, State of Maryland, multiple financial institutions, and multiple individuals. The co-conspirators submitted false and fraudulent UI benefits claims to the MD-DOL, Maryland’s agency that is responsible for processing the UI claims. As part of the conspiracy, the co-conspirators fraudulently obtained more than $3.5 million in unemployment insurance benefits.
Company 1 employed Smith to provide professional support services, including fraud detention efforts, to the MD-DOL. As part of the scheme, Smith provided a company-issued laptop to co-conspirators to access and alter non-public UI data and MD-DOL-maintained databases. This enabled the co-conspirators to maximize the UI payouts on fraudulent UI claims.
Smith’s co-conspirators altered the contact email addresses, online account passwords, and payment methods for existing UI claims. The co-conspirators furthered the scheme by using the identity theft victims’ personal identifying information (PII). They also used their access to the MD-DOL databases to upload and approve documents submitted in support of fraudulent UI claims; remove fraud holds on UI claims; certify weeks for determining UI benefits; and engage in other actions to facilitate the fraudulent UI benefits payments. During the scheme, the MD-DOL believed it was disbursing UI benefits to debit cards/accounts of UI applicants, but the accounts were opened and controlled by the co-conspirators.
Judge Boardman previously sentenced co-conspirators Lawrence Nathanial Harris, 32, of Temple Hills, Maryland, Ahmed Hussain, 23, of Prince George’s County, Maryland, Zakria Hussain, 28, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, and Bryan Nushawn Ruffin, 27, of Woodbridge, Virginia, to 180-month, 102-month, 36-month, and 27-month federal-prison sentences, respectively. Terry Chen, 25, of Prince George’s County, Maryland, is receiving his sentence on Wednesday, May 20.
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.
For more information about the Department’s response to the pandemic, visit justice.gov/coronavirus. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the DOL-OIG and FBI for their work in the investigation and the Maryland Department of Labor for its assistance. Ms. Hayes thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Gruber and Joseph L. Wenner, who are prosecuting this case. She also recognized the Maryland COVID-19 Strike Force and Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber for their valuable assistance.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Maryland Man Sentenced to More Than Nine Years in Federal Prison for Firearm and Drug Trafficking CrimesRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A Maryland man learned his fate in federal court, today, in connection with drug trafficking and weapons crimes.
U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman sentenced Dominick Mackall, 37, of Lexington Park, to 110 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for possessing firearms and ammunition as a felon and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine. Judge Boardman also entered an order that Mackall forfeit all his firearms, ammunition, and $4,298 in cash.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Charles Doerrer, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Sheriff Steven A. Hall, St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office.
According to court documents, on October 26, 2022, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Mackall’s residence and took him into custody in connection with a five-month narcotics trafficking investigation. During the search, law enforcement discovered multiple loaded firearms, including a ghost gun, and numerous rounds of ammunition in Mackall’s bedroom. Mackall is a convicted felon, so he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
Law enforcement also uncovered several controlled substances in different quantities — including 964 fentanyl pills, cocaine, and marijuana — $4,298 in cash. Additionally, law enforcement found reloadable government-benefit cards in other people’s names.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the ATF and St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Crespo and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany Appleby-Rumon who prosecuted the case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md.
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Mary Esther Fraudster Pleads Guilty in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
Pensacola, Florida – Treivorn McLeod, 25, of Mary Esther, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, one count of wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit of money laundering. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Fraudsters will try every angle and scheme to steal money from innocent, unsuspecting victims, so it remains of critical importance to educate the general public about these fraud threats to prevent more of our citizens from being victimized. Thanks to the excellent investigative work by our federal law enforcement partners and the aggressive prosecution by my office, this scheme has been dismantled and this fraudster finds himself in federal prison where he belongs.”
Between June 1, 2022, and January 29, 2024, the defendant was part of a criminal conspiracy that defrauded victims by falsely claiming that the victims had won millions of dollars in the Publisher’s Clearing House lottery and the American Cash Rewards lottery. The conspiracy falsely told the victims that, to collect their winnings, the victims would have to pay fees and costs in advance. However, none of the victims received any money or prizes as promised after sending these fraudulent fee payments. In total, the defendant’s criminal conspiracy defrauded victims of approximately $530,000.
The defendant faces up to 80 years’ imprisonment.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Air Force Department of Special Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey M. Tharp.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 24, 2026, in Pensacola, Florida before United States District Judge M. Casey Rodgers.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Man Sentenced to More Than Six and a Half Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing Loaded Firearm During Burglary Attempt in ChicagoRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to more than six and a half years in federal prison for illegally possessing a loaded firearm while attempting to burglarize a store in Chicago.
NARVEAL RAGGS possessed a loaded handgun in the early morning hours of Nov. 15, 2024, while he and others attempted to break into a store in the 2600 block of North Halsted Street in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. The handgun had been equipped with a “switch” device, allowing it to fire multiple rounds with a single pull of the trigger, essentially turning the firearm into a machine gun. Chicago Police officers arrived on the scene before Raggs and the others could break into the store. Raggs took off running and threw the handgun onto the roof of a nearby building before he was apprehended.
A screenshot from the store’s video surveillance footage depicts Narveal Raggs holding a handgun.Raggs had previously been convicted of several felony offenses, including firearm-related convictions, and was legally prohibited from possessing a gun.
Raggs, 27, of Chicago, pleaded guilty in December 2025 to a federal charge of illegal possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon. On May 5, 2026, U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall sentenced Raggs to six years and 8 months in federal prison.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Jodrey.
Man Sentenced to 360 Months in Prison for Child ExploitationRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On May 4, 2026, United States District Court Judge Gina Méndez-Miró sentenced Juan Edgardo Negrón-Navarro to 360 months (30 years) in prison, to be followed by 20 years of supervised release, for two counts for sexual exploitation of children, and one count of interstate threat communications. Negrón-Navarro, 28, from Jayuya, Puerto Rico, was indicted on June 26, 2025, arrested on July 2, 2025, and pleaded guilty on December 5, 2025.
According to court documents, from in or about April 2023 to in or about May 2023, Negrón-Navarro did knowingly employ, use, persuade, induce, entice, and coerce a female minor between 15 and 16 years old (Minor 1) to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct. The defendant produced sexually explicit images of such conduct.
Additionally, from in or about September 2024 to in or about November 2024, Negrón-Navarro did knowingly employ, use, persuade, induce, entice, and coerce another female minor while she was 17 years of age (Minor 2), to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct. At the same time, the defendant produced sexually explicit images of such conduct.
Moreover, on or about August 3, 2024, Negrón-Navarro, through the Internet, threatened to kill an adult female if she did not send him sexually explicit images.
U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico and Carlos Goris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI investigated the case with the collaboration of the Puerto Rico Police Bureau.
Assistant US Attorney (AUSA) Emelina Agrait-Barreto of the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Luxury Yacht Companies Plead Guilty to Violating Lacey Act for Using Illegally Obtained Burmese Teak on Multimillion Dollar Yachts; Agree to Pay $200,000 FineRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Sunseeker International Limited and Sunseeker USA Sales Co. Inc. (Sunseeker) pleaded guilty this week to two violations of the Lacey Act for using illegally obtained Burmese Teak on yachts that it imported into the U.S. Sunseeker agreed to pay a fine of $200,000, and to implement a compliance plan, among other penalties. Sunseeker manufactures luxury performance motor yachts and superyachts.
“Congress amended the Lacey Act in 2008 to prohibit the importation of illegally harvested timber,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “By enforcing the law, we ensure a level playing field for companies that follow the law. Timber trafficking is the third most lucrative form of transnational crime, so enforcing the law keeps money from flowing into criminal enterprises.”
“South Florida is one of the world’s great gateways for luxury vessels, but our ports are not open to illegal goods,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Sunseeker admitted that illegally obtained Burmese teak was used on yachts imported into the United States. That matters. Trafficking in illegal timber, wildlife, and other protected natural resources harms legitimate businesses, supports corrupt supply chains, and turns the natural world into profit for criminal organizations. This guilty plea, fine, and compliance requirements are a direct step toward accountability.”
“Timber trafficking is a transnational crime that damages forests and puts legitimate businesses at a disadvantage,” said Assistant Director Doug Ault of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement. “We are actively disrupting illegal timber supply chains and holding violators accountable under the Lacey Act. This case is part of our ongoing work to protect natural resources and ensure American markets aren’t a destination for illegal goods.”
Sunseeker manufactures its vessels in the United Kingdom (U.K.) and sells them internationally, including in the U.S. Sunseeker pleaded guilty to using Burmese Teak on their yachts, specifically, a Teak balcony door intended to be incorporated into a yacht, and Teak parts incorporated into two yachts priced at approximately $2.98 million and $1.07 million, respectively.
The illegal logging of Teak in Myanmar has been a known problem since at least 2017. Both the U.S. and the U.K. have imposed sanctions against Myanmar and the U.S. has sanctioned the Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE), the sole authorized seller of export Teak harvested in Myanmar. U.S. sanctions prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or those transiting the U.S. that involve any property or interest in property associated with the MTE. The U.K. has concluded that timber harvesting, specifically Teak, has financially supported dictatorships in Myanmar.
Sunseeker was previously charged in the U.K. and pleaded guilty in 2023 to three criminal violations of the U.K.’s Timber and Timber Products Regulations (UKTR). The company was sentenced and fined approximately $450,000. The Teak imports that Sunseeker imported into the U.S. came from the illegal Teak imports charged in the U.K. case.
Sunseeker is set to be sentenced on Aug. 20.
Last month, ENRD hosted a TIMBER Working Group roundtable where ENRD PDAAG Gustafson outlined ENRD’s commitment to enforcing timber trafficking laws. It is estimated that the U.S. Forest products industry loses $500 million annually to trafficking through depressed wood prices and lost export opportunities.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosenfeld for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Emily R. Stone of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting the case.
ENRD is a member of the Department of Justice’s Trade Fraud Task Force, a cross-agency law enforcement effort that also involves the Criminal and Civil Divisions’ Fraud Sections, ENRD, 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 of 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.
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-20181.
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Luxury Yacht Companies Plead Guilty to Violating Lacey Act for Using Illegally Obtained Burmese Teak on Multimillion Dollar Yachts; Agree to Pay $200,000 FineRead the Press Release
Sunseeker International Limited and Sunseeker USA Sales Co. Inc. (Sunseeker) pleaded guilty this week to two violations of the Lacey Act for using illegally obtained Burmese Teak on yachts that it imported into the United States. Sunseeker agreed to pay a fine of $200,000, and to implement a compliance plan, among other penalties. Sunseeker manufactures luxury performance motor yachts and superyachts.
“Congress amended the Lacey Act in 2008 to prohibit the importation of illegally harvested timber,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “By enforcing the law, we ensure a level playing field for companies that follow the law. Timber trafficking is the third most lucrative form of transnational crime, so enforcing the law keeps money from flowing into criminal enterprises.”
“South Florida is one of the world’s great gateways for luxury vessels, but our ports are not open to illegal goods,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Sunseeker admitted that illegally obtained Burmese teak was used on yachts imported into the United States. That matters. Trafficking in illegal timber, wildlife, and other protected natural resources harms legitimate businesses, supports corrupt supply chains, and turns the natural world into profit for criminal organizations. This guilty plea, fine, and compliance requirements are a direct step toward accountability.”
“Timber trafficking is a transnational crime that damages forests and puts legitimate businesses at a disadvantage,” said Assistant Director Doug Ault, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement. “We are actively disrupting illegal timber supply chains and holding violators accountable under the Lacey Act. This case is part of our ongoing work to protect natural resources and ensure American markets aren’t a destination for illegal goods.”
Sunseeker manufactures its vessels in the United Kingdom (U.K.) and sells them internationally, including in the United States. Sunseeker pleaded guilty to using Burmese Teak on their yachts, specifically, a Teak balcony door intended to be incorporated into a yacht, and Teak parts incorporated into two yachts priced at approximately $2.98 million and $1.07 million, respectively.
The illegal logging of Teak in Myanmar has been a known problem since at least 2017. Both the U.S. and the U.K. have imposed sanctions against Myanmar and the U.S. has sanctioned the Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE), the sole authorized seller of export Teak harvested in Myanmar. U.S. sanctions prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or those transiting the U.S. that involve any property or interest in property associated with the MTE. The U.K. has concluded that timber harvesting, specifically Teak, has financially supported dictatorships in Myanmar.
Sunseeker was previously charged in the U.K. and pleaded guilty in 2023 to three criminal violations of the U.K.’s Timber and Timber Products Regulations (UKTR). The company was sentenced and fined approximately $450,000. The Teak imports that Sunseeker imported into the U.S. came from the illegal Teak imports charged in the U.K. case.
Sunseeker is set to be sentenced on Aug. 20.
Last month, ENRD hosted a TIMBER Working Group roundtable where ENRD PDAAG Gustafson outlined ENRD’s commitment to enforcing timber trafficking laws. It is estimated that the U.S. forest products industry loses $500 million annually to trafficking through depressed wood prices and lost export opportunities.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Emily R. Stone of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosenfeld for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
ENRD is a member of the Department of Justice’s Trade Fraud Task Force, a cross-agency law enforcement effort that also involves the Criminal and Civil Divisions’ Fraud Sections, ENRD, 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 of 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.
Louisville Man Charged by Federal Complaint for Fentanyl Trafficking and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – Last week, a Louisville man was arrested and charged by complaint with possession with the intent to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl, possession of firearms as a convicted felon, and possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.
U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky and Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott of the DEA Louisville Field Division made the announcement.
The complaint alleges that in April 2026, law enforcement identified Darrell Malone, 35, as a multi-kilogram quantity fentanyl drug trafficker in the Louisville area and began an investigation into Malone’s drug trafficking operation. On or about May 7, 2026, members of the DEA executed a federal search warrant at Malone’s residence in Louisville. During the execution of the search warrant, DEA seized 4 bricks of suspected powdered fentanyl, additional bags of suspected fentanyl, a baggie of suspected MDMA (ecstasy) tablets, a hydraulic kilo press, and United States currency. DEA also seized three firearms, including a loaded Smith and Wesson 9-millimeter pistol, a loaded Glock 9-millimeter pistol, and a stolen Springfield XD 9-millimeter pistol. At the time he allegedly possessed the firearms, Malone was prohibited from possessing a firearm based on a prior federal conviction for conspiring to distribute controlled substances.
As a result of the seizures, Malone was charged by criminal complaint with one count of possession with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
United States Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner stated, “President Trump has designated fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction based upon its lethality and the tragic loss of so many American lives from overdose deaths. DEA’s seizure of three million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl undoubtedly saved the lives of Louisvillians. I want to commend DEA for this fentanyl seizure. The United States Attorney’s Office will continue to assist law enforcement in investigating fentanyl trafficking and we will aggressively prosecute fentanyl trafficking cases.”
“Mr. Malone, a career criminal, is behind bars today because of the cooperation and partnerships among law enforcement at every level… federal, state, and local, all working together to make Louisville a safer city,” said Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott, head of DEA’s Louisville Field Division. “The amount of fentanyl that we took from his home equates to more than three million potentially lethal doses that never made it to the street.
If convicted as charged in the complaint, Malone faces a combined mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of Life. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is being investigated by the DEA, FBI, and LMPD.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Dahl is 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 Nashville comprises agents and officers from FBI, HSI, DEA, ATF, and IRS, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky.
A complaint merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Louisiana Woman Sentenced for Wire Fraud and Failure to Pay Employment TaxesRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Fort Polk, La., woman was sentenced to 33 months imprisonment, three years of post-release supervision, and ordered to pay $322,098.70 in restitution, for her conviction of wire fraud and willful failure to pay federal employment taxes. This successful prosecution is one of many federal fraud cases pursued under the leadership of President Donald Trump and through the establishment of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
Juanita Faye Holtschneider, 58, was sentenced before U.S. Senior District Judge Douglas Harpool, for one count of wire fraud, pursuant to Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 1343, and one count of failure to pay employment taxes to the United States, pursuant to Title 26, U.S. Code, Section 7202.
Holtschnieder, working as the accountant for G2 Material Handling, embezzled monies from the United States and G2 by redirecting automatic deposits set up within the business. Holtschnieder used her trusted position to reroute deposits, intended for the bank accounts of the U.S. Treasury and G2’s business account, to her personal account. Holtchneider then created false documents that she submitted to her employer that effectively hid her embezzlement. Holtschneider’s scheme to defraud was only detected after the Internal Revenue Service detected failure by the business to submit regular payments for collected employment taxes. Holtschneider was ordered to pay $322,098.70 in restitution, with $289,607.70 paid to the U.S. Government, and an additional $32,491.00 paid to G2 Material Handling.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation.
National Fraud Enforcement Division
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Kansas Woman Sentenced for Stealing from Elderly VictimsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Junction City, Ks., woman was sentenced in federal court for stealing from an elderly couple for whom she served as an informal caretaker.
Amanda Rutherford, 46, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays, for one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods. Rutherford was sentenced to six years imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $165,381.59 in restitution to the elderly victims. This successful prosecution is one of many federal fraud cases pursued under the leadership of President Donald Trump and through the establishment of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
In 2022, the Dickinson County, Kansas Sheriff’s Office received a report that several items, including firearms, and more than $400,000 in collector coins, were stolen from the farmhouse of an octogenarian married couple. Rutherford had lived on the property and claimed to be an informal caregiver for the couple. In early 2024, the Sheriff’s Office received a tip that Rutherford sold gold and silver coins to a jewelry store in Clay County, Mo. and received checks totaling $100,000. After confirming the sale with the jewelry store, a search warrant was served on Rutherford’s vehicle soon after she cashed the checks. The search revealed newly purchased merchandise, the remainder of the bundled currency, and other coins belonging to the victims. Rutherford claimed the victims had given her permission to sell the coins and split the proceeds with them, which the victims denied. Rutherford sold the victim’s coins to at least three other pawn shops from October 2023 through March of 2024.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda K. Hanson. It was investigated by the Dickinson County Kansas Sheriff’s Office and Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations unit.
National Fraud Enforcement Division
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.Kansas City Man Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to distributing child pornography.
Jesus Angel Rios, 20, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark to one count of distribution of child pornography. By pleading guilty today, Rios admitted that he knowingly distributed child sexual abuse images over the internet between Sept. 26, 2024 and Dec. 5, 2024.
Under federal statutes, Rios is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
Based on his plea of guilty, Rios will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore. It was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Challenging Biden Administration’s Alleged Social Media Coercion and CensorshipRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department this week announced the settlement of litigation alleging that the Biden administration induced Twitter to suppress disfavored speech by an American citizen. The lawsuit alleged that coercing the social media company to suppress disfavored speech violated the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
The settlement implements President Trump’s Executive Order, entitled “Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship,” acknowledging that “the previous administration trampled free speech rights by censoring Americans’ speech on online platforms, often by exerting substantial coercive pressure on third parties, such as social media companies, to moderate, deplatform, or otherwise suppress speech that the Federal Government did not approve.” 90 Fed. Reg. 8243 (Jan. 28, 2025).
“The Biden Administration engaged in blatant viewpoint discrimination, wielding power over social media to kick conservatives off Twitter completely,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. “Today’s settlement proves such injustices are over under President Trump’s leadership.”
“This Department will continue working to undo past abuses of the First Amendment,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate, of the Civil Division. “Unlawful government coercion of social media companies has no place in our country or under our Constitution.”
“This settlement is an important milestone in the battle for free speech in our country, concerning a time when social media censorship encouraged by state and federal government actors suppressed wide swaths of protected speech," said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, of the Civil Rights Division. "The proper antidote to speech one doesn’t like, is more speech.”
The Department’s agreement with plaintiff avoids the need for continued litigation in this case. Berenson v. Biden, No. 25-2709 (2d. Cir.).
Securing the right of the American people to engage in constitutionally protected speech is a priority of the Department of Justice. Additional information about the Civil Division is available at www.justice.gov/civil.
Justice Department Files Complaint Against D.C. Bar Disciplinary Authorities over Their Weaponization of the Bar Disciplinary Process Against Federal Government AttorneysRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today filed a complaint against D.C. Disciplinary Counsel Hamilton P. Fox III, the D.C. Office of Disciplinary Counsel, and the D.C. Court of Appeals Board on Professional Responsibility over their improper use of bar discipline to regulate the official actions of Federal Government attorneys. The filing advances President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government and Presidential Memorandum on Preventing Abuses of the Legal System and the Federal Courts. Specifically, the complaint seeks to nullify the D.C. Bar’s unlawful prosecution of former Assistant Attorney General Jeff Clark based on internal deliberations relating to potential fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election, which remains the subject of litigation nearly six years later.
"As our complaint and history make clear, the DC Bar has long acted as a blatantly partisan arm of leftist causes. No more,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
“President Trump promised to put an end to the weaponization of the legal process, and today’s lawsuit against the D.C. Bar makes good on that promise,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. “The D.C. Bar will no longer be permitted to probe sensitive Executive Branch deliberations and target Executive Branch officials with whom they happen to politically disagree, and Federal attorneys will once again be free to share their candid legal advice with their bosses and colleagues.”
Just last week, the Justice Department filed a statement of interest in support of former interim United States Attorney Ed Martin, who is seeking to have the D.C. Bar’s unlawful prosecution of him heard in a neutral Federal tribunal.
As three former Attorneys General recently recognized, the D.C. Bar’s efforts to discipline Justice Department attorneys “for making recommendations, factual assertions, and providing legal advice during confidential internal agency deliberations on law enforcement and sensitive public policy” are “improper and constitutionally impermissible.”
Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward filed the complaint. The complaint is available here.
Jury convicts Laredoan of multiple offenses involving child sexual abuse materialRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 27-year-old Laredo man has been found guilty of transportation, receipt and possession of child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
The jury deliberated for approximately two hours before convicting Fernando Xavier Ortiz on all counts as charged following a two-day trial that concluded May 12.
The investigation began after law enforcement learned child sexual abuse material had been uploaded to a social media application which originated from an apartment in Laredo. Ortiz resided at the location with his family.
Authorities executed a search warrant in June 2024 and seized several electronic devices. Further examination of one of the cellular phones revealed 220 videos and 144 images containing CSAM. The files were all hidden in a “secure” folder Ortiz had loaded on the phone which was password protected.
Testimony revealed he had been actively using that same secure folder for other purposes, such as sending emails to purchase a car.
The jury heard from four witnesses, some of whom described how Ortiz obtained the material from another application and stored it in the secure folder of the Samsung phone.
The defense attempted to convince the jury someone else must have placed the material on his phone, and there was insufficient proof that he did it. They did not believe those claims and found Ortiz guilty as charged.
U.S. District Judge John A. Kazen presided over trial and will set sentencing at a later date. At that time, Ortiz faces up to 20 years in federal prison as well as a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Previously released on bond, he was ordered into custody following the verdict where he will remain pending that hearing.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance of Laredo Police Department and other members of the Laredo Child Exploitation Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ann Zeller and Michael Makens are prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
Jury Convicts Sacramento Man of Gun OffenseRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal jury found Anthony Carter, 23, of Sacramento, guilty on Tuesday of being a felon in possession of firearms, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents and evidence presented at a trial held before U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins, on Dec. 4, 2023, law enforcement officers responded to a call for service regarding a parking disturbance involving a firearm at an apartment complex in South Sacramento. When officers arrived, they saw four individuals, including the defendant and his co-defendant Isaiah Rowland, 30, of Antelope. While officers conducted their initial investigation, a nearby resident informed police that his Ring security cameras had just captured two men hiding firearms underneath a trash can at the corner of his apartment building.
Officers reviewed the Ring camera footage, which showed two individuals running toward the corner of the building at approximately 11:05 p.m. In a video, Rowland is seen kneeling to hide a firearm under a trash can while Carter stands nearby, looking around as if to act as a lookout. Immediately after Rowland finishes, Carter is seen crouching at the same trash can and placing a second firearm beneath it. Both men then leave the area on foot. The Ring cameras did not activate again from when Rowland and Carter discarded their firearms to when the Ring camera owner secured the firearms. Subsequently, the Ring camera owner turned the firearms over to police. The two firearms were a .40-caliber Glock 27 and a Springfield Armory XD 45 pistol. Carter is prohibited from possessing firearms because of prior felony convictions including illegal firearms possession.
The Sacramento Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zulkar Khan and Caily Nelson are prosecuting the case.
In August 2024, a grand jury charged both Carter and Rowland with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Rowland pleaded guilty on June 13, 2025, and was sentenced on Sept. 19, 2025, to 33 months in prison.
Carter is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Coggins on Sept. 25, 2026. Carter faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. 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.
This case is the result of the ongoing collaboration between the Sacramento Police Department and its local, state, and federal partners as part of a Public Safety Partnership (PSP) to address violent crime in the community. Started in 2022, the Sacramento PSP is a multi-faceted violence-reduction strategy that relies on innovative data-driven strategies to promote public and community safety. Participating PSP partners include: the Sacramento District Attorney’s Office, Sacramento FBI, Sacramento DEA, Sacramento ATF, the Sacramento U.S. Marshals, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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.
Jefferson County felon sentenced for federal firearms violation related to Dowlen Road disturbanceRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Beaumont man has been sentenced to federal prison for a firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Wendell Rashaud McKinney, 38, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone on May 12, 2026.
According to information presented in court, during the early morning hours of February 22, 2025, a 911-caller reported multiple armed men loitering in the parking lot of the Fuma Dubai Hookah Lounge on Dowlen Road. Moments later when Beaumont police responded they found McKinney in possession of an AK-style pistol. Further investigation revealed McKinney was a previously convicted felon having been found guilty of a felony drug offense in Jefferson County and prohibited by federal law from owning or possessing firearms.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
This case was investigated by the Beaumont Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John B. Ross.
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Jamaican National Sentenced to 4.5 Years in Prison for Role in International Lottery Scam Targeting ElderlyRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of St. James parish in Jamaica has been sentenced in federal court to 54 months of incarceration on his conviction of violating wire fraud and money laundering laws, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge Robert J. Colville imposed the sentence on Tajay Singh, 29, of Montego Bay.
According to information presented to the Court, from approximately January 2021 to October 2023, Singh conspired to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering by defrauding elderly victims through a lottery scam. As part of the scam, members of the conspiracy called elderly victims and informed them that they had won a lottery but needed to pay taxes and fees to receive their prize. After sending the money as directed, the victims never received the prize money. The conspirators used a network of other conspirators and victims, as well as bank accounts opened in victims’ names, wire transfers, purchases of physical goods, and ATM withdrawals in Jamaica to execute and obfuscate their scheme.
Assistant United States Attorney Kelly M. Locher prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Postal Inspection Service for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Singh.