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Tuesday 12 May 2026
Windsor County Man Sentenced for Being a Felon in Possession of Stolen FirearmsRead the Press Release
BURLINGTON – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on May 8, 2026, Kyle Pickett, 31, of Windsor County, Vermont, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to 53 months of imprisonment, to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Pickett previously pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms.
According to court records, on November 25, 2023, Pickett possessed two loaded stolen firearms, a Winchester Model 62 .22 rifle and a Winchester Model 42 410 shotgun, in a Ford Ranger truck, which Pickett had also stolen from a residence in Strafford, Vermont. When law enforcement attempted to conduct a vehicle stop on Pickett while he was driving the Ranger, he fled at a high rate of speed, through a residential neighborhood. Pickett is prohibited from possessing firearms due to his prior felony convictions, including one for eluding a law enforcement officer.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew C. Gilman. Pickett was represented by Charles N. Curlett, Jr., Assistant Federal Public Defender.
Washington man sentenced to 5 years in prison for trafficking fentanylRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Washington man who was selling fentanyl pills in Havre and the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.
Timothy Harris, 56, pleaded guilty in November 2025 to conspiracy to possess with the intent to deliver fentanyl.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Harris conspired with others to possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl from May 2023 until June 19, 2023.
Sources said Harris and a co-defendant were working together to bring drugs from Washington to distribute on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation, they kept their stash of drugs off of the reservation, and they would front a couple hundred pills at a time to individuals on the reservation and other places to sell.
On May 18, 2023, a source met with Harris and gave him $800 for 30 fentanyl pills. Harris directed the source to pick up the fentanyl from another person at a house on Rocky Boy’s. On May 31, 2023, the source conducted another controlled purchase of 20 fentanyl pills from Harris for $800. The drugs were exchanged at a hotel in Havre. On June 15, 2023, the source spoke with Harris about purchasing additional fentanyl pills. Harris directed the source to go to a hotel parking lot in Havre. Once in the parking lot, the source was met by Harris’s co-defendant who sold the source 20 fentanyl pills in exchange for $800.
On June 19, 2023, a search warrant was executed on a motel room in Big Sandy rented by Harris’s co-defendant. Law enforcement located 3,200 fentanyl pills and a Springfield, model XDM Elite, 10mm handgun with a loaded 10 round magazine under the bed. An additional magazine, a box of 10mm ammunition, an SD card, and $437 in U.S. currency were also located in the motel room.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI and the Tri-Agency Task Force conducted the investigation.
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Utah Doctor and Two Nurses Charged with Health Care Fraud After Submitting False Claims to Medicare and Receiving Millions in PayoutRead the Press Release
ST. GEORGE, Utah – A federal grand jury in St. George returned an indictment today charging a Utah podiatrist and two nurses who worked for him with fraud after they allegedly submitted fraudulent claims to Medicare for skin substitute services, many of which were medically unnecessary, and resulted in Medicare paying $29 million dollars in claims.
According to allegations in court documents, from July 2021 through December 2025, Ryan Scott Ellsworth, 47, of Highland, Utah; Emily Kelly, 45, of Washington, Utah; and Drake Dell Broadbent, 55, of Santa Clara, Utah, allegedly defrauded the federal health care benefit program, Medicare, to fraudulently obtain money for their own financial benefit.
Medicare is intended to provide health care benefits to individuals over the age of 65 or disabled. Ellsworth was a podiatrist who owned and operated Summit Foot and Ankle, with clinics throughout the state of Utah. Ellsworth also owned and operated Amble Medical, located in Highland, Utah. Kelly, a Utah licensed registered nurse practitioner and Broadbent, a Utah licensed registered nurse, worked primarily out of Summit’s St. George clinic.
As alleged, Ellsworth, Kelly, and Broadbent knew Medicare billing of a skin substitute was permissible only if medically necessary and if basic wound care had been administered to a wound for the previous 30 days. However, the defendants submitted false claims to Medicare for providing skin substitutes to patients who did not have qualifying wounds and where continued treatment of skin substitutes was medically unnecessary. As part of their alleged scheme, Ellsworth, Kelly, and Broadbent routinely did not pursue Medicare copayments from beneficiaries for skin substitutes which, at times, would have been thousands of dollars owed by a Medicare beneficiary. Ellsworth also allegedly caused unqualified medical providers, such as Broadbent, to provide skin substitute services that were outside his professional scope of practice. Ellsworth also submitted claims to Medicare for such skin substitutes under his name and Medicare provider number.
As a result, Ellsworth billed $44 million in claims to Medicare for skin substitutes, many of which were unnecessary, and Medicare paid Summit over $19 million on these claims. Kelly billed $17 million in claims to Medicare for skin substitutes, many of which were medically unnecessary, and Medicare paid Summit over $10 million on the submitted claims.
Ellsworth, Kelly, and Broadbent are charged with health care fraud, and wire fraud. Ellsworth and Broadbent are also charged with false statements relating to health care matters. Their initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for June 8, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. in courtroom 2B at the courthouse located at 206 West Tabernacle Street, St. George, Utah 84470.
First Assistant United States Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated jointly by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and the Utah Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
Assistant United States Attorney Mark Y. Hirata of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
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.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones Appointed to Attorney General’s Advisory CommitteeRead the Press Release
MIAMI – United States Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida announced today his appointment to the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of United States Attorneys (AGAC), a select body of United States Attorneys chosen by the Attorney General to advise Department leadership on national law enforcement priorities, Department policy, and the administration of justice.
On September 30, 1973, Attorney General Elliot Richardson took a historic step by appointing fifteen United States Attorneys to serve on the very first Advisory Committee of United States Attorneys. The Committee’s purpose was to give United States Attorneys a powerful voice in Department policies and to advise the Attorney General of the United States. That foundational mission remains as vital today as it was more than five decades ago. Its members represent a broad cross-section of federal judicial districts, geographic locations, and offices of every size — small, medium, and large. The Committee meets approximately eight times each year with the Attorney General and works hand-in-hand to advance the law enforcement goals set by the President of the United States. Operating solely at the discretion and pleasure of the Attorney General. The Advisory Committee was formally institutionalized on February 20, 1976, by Attorney General Order 640-76, cementing its enduring role as a cornerstone of Department of Justice strategy.
Established in 1973 and formalized by federal regulation, the AGAC is the principal advisory body through which United States Attorneys provide direct recommendations to the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General, and the Associate Attorney General on federal prosecution, public safety, and Department operations. Its work includes recommending policy reforms, improving coordination between Main Justice and United States Attorneys’ Offices, promoting consistency in the application of federal law, and helping shape national criminal justice initiatives.
The AGAC is composed of a group of United States Attorneys from across the country and is designed to ensure broad geographic, operational, and subject-matter representation. Members work through subcommittees and working groups on issues including violent crime, national security, immigration enforcement, cybercrime, fraud, victim services, and intergovernmental coordination. Under United States Department of Justice policy and regulation, the Committee plays a central role in ensuring that the experience of federal prosecutors in the field informs national Department strategy.
“This is a significant honor and a serious responsibility,” said United States Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones. “The Attorney General’s Advisory Committee helps shape how the Department of Justice confronts the most urgent threats facing the American people, from violent crime and cartel activity to cybercrime, fraud, and national security threats. I am honored by the trust placed in me and look forward to bringing the perspective of the Southern District of Florida to that work. South Florida sits at the crossroads of global commerce, international travel, immigration, finance, and national security. The lessons we learn here matter nationally, and I intend to ensure our experience strengthens the Department’s mission to protect Americans, restore impartial justice, and defend the rule of law.”
As United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Reding Quiñones has prioritized violent crime reduction, criminal immigration enforcement, public corruption, cyber-enabled/crypto fraud, and transnational criminal organizations. His appointment to the AGAC reflects both his leadership in one of the nation’s most complex federal districts and the important role the Southern District of Florida plays in confronting emerging threats to public safety and national security.
Reding Quiñones was sworn in on August 13, 2025, as the first U.S. Attorney confirmed during President Trump’s second administration. An Air Force colonel with more than 23 years of military service, he previously served as a Florida trial judge, as a national security official in the Department of Justice’s National Security Division focused on counterterrorism and intelligence, and as a federal prosecutor in both the Eastern District of Virginia and the Southern District of Florida.
The Executive Office for United States Attorneys provides operational support to the AGAC and coordinates its work with Department leadership to ensure the nation’s 94 United States Attorneys’ Offices remain aligned in carrying out federal law enforcement priorities.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.
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Ukrainian National Extradited from Thailand to Face Conspiracy ChargesRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.— A Ukrainian national was extradited from Thailand to the United States last Friday to face charges for her role in a global Ponzi and pyramid scheme.
Olena Oblamska, 42, has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
According to court documents, Oblamska and her co-conspirators advertised Forsage as a decentralized matrix project based on network marketing and “smart contracts,” which are self-executing contracts on the blockchain. The defendants falsely promoted Forsage to the public as a legitimate, low-risk, and lucrative investment opportunity through Forsage’s website and various social-media platforms, but, in reality, the defendants operated Forsage as a Ponzi and pyramid investment scheme that took in approximately $340 million from victim-investors around the world.
Consistent with a Ponzi scheme, as soon as an investor invested in Forsage by purchasing a “slot” in a Forsage smart contract, the smart contract automatically diverted the investor’s funds to other Forsage investors, such that earlier investors were paid with funds from later investors.
Oblamska made her initial appearance in federal court yesterday before a U.S. magistrate judge. She was arraigned, pleaded not guilty, and ordered detained pending a 4-day jury trial scheduled to begin on July 14, 2026.
If convicted, Oblamska faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon made the announcement.
The FBI Portland Field Office, U.S. Secret Service, HSI New York, and HSI Bangkok are investigating the case. Trial Attorneys Sara Hallmark and Tian Huang of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine A. Rykken and Meredith Bateman are prosecuting the case.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s arrest and extradition from Thailand. The Justice Department thanks its Thailand law enforcement partners, including the Royal Thai Police and the Office of the Attorney General of Thailand.
All investor victims of the Forsage scheme are encouraged to visit the webpage https://www.justice.gov/criminal-vns/case/united-states-v-vladimir-okhotnikov-et-al to identify themselves as potential victims and obtain more information on their rights as victims, including the ability to submit a victim impact statement.
An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
U.S. Attorney's Office hosts Victims' Rights and Advocacy Awards CeremonyRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is an annual observance that brings communities together and raises awareness about victims’ rights and services. It's an opportunity to honor survivors and recognize organizations that have been fighting for victims’ rights, forge new partnerships to better serve and support victims of crime and strengthen existing partnerships.
Since 1981, National Crime Victims’ Rights Week has challenged the nation to confront and remove barriers to achieve justice for all victims of crime. The theme for this year: Listen. Act. Advocate. Protect victims, serve communities.
The United States’ Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee held its inaugural Victims’ Rights and Advocacy Awards Ceremony in April to honor the below individuals for their service and commitment to crime victims in West Tennessee:
- John Chevalier - Former Task Force Officer, FBI
- Chase Cogswell - Former Special Agent, ATF
- Jennifer Dolquest - Victim Witness Assistant, U.S. Attorney's Office
- Brianna Futrell - Special Agent, FBI
- Cody Graham - Special Agent, FBI
- Emily Knox - Special Agent, ATF
- April Moseley - Sergeant, Memphis Police Department/FBI Safe Streets Task Force
- Gregory L. Newberry - Inspector, U.S. Postal Inspection Service
- Marian Peete - Former Victim Witness Coordinator, U.S. Attorney's Office
- Karen Rinehart - Special Agent, FBI
- Kyle Vlastos - Detective, Memphis Police Department/FBI Safe Streets Task Force
- Kyle Williams - Special Agent, ATF
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said: "Each of these dedicated public servants go above and beyond the call of duty to serve and protect crime victims every day. Our office was glad to honor them with this recognition for their tireless efforts to achieve justice for victims, consequences for criminals, and better public safety outcomes across West Tennessee."
We are thankful to those named above and all our law enforcement partners throughout the district for the work they do each day and their commitment to helping crime victims.
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Two Men Sentenced for their Roles in Trafficking Deadly Drugs Obtained from Detroit and Sold in ShinnstonRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Two Detroit, Michigan men were sentenced for leading a drug trafficking operation selling fentanyl and methamphetamine in Harrison County, West Virginia, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
Teran Demonde Gordon, also known as “Mike,” 28, was sentenced to 168 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Devaughn Lamont Thompson, also known as “Trey,” 23, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. Gordon and Thompson worked with four others to sell fentanyl and methamphetamine from a house in Shinnston, West Virginia. The two men would source the drugs from Detroit.
The four other defendants in this case have been convicted of their roles in the operation. Malik Fikes was sentenced to 78 months in prison in March 2026. The other three will be sentenced later this year.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Cogar prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The Greater Harrison Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
Fentanyl has been designated by President Donald Trump as a weapon of mass destruction due to its extreme lethality which poses a grave threat to public safety, even in trace amounts. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, and repel the invasion of illegal immigration.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Two Men Charged with Interstate Kidnapping After Transporting Victim Across State Lines and Holding Her for RansomRead the Press Release
Two Men Charged with Interstate Kidnapping After Transporting Victim Across State Lines and Holding Her for Ransom
CONCORD – Two men, one from Massachusetts and another from Connecticut, have been charged with an interstate kidnapping conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces.
Damarcus Bonner, 30, and Tyron Harris, 27, were arrested on a complaint and will appear in Federal Court today. Both defendants were previously charged by the State of Vermont and had been in Vermont state custody since January. According to allegations in the complaint, Harris and Bonner kidnapped an adult victim in Claremont, New Hampshire, and brought her to a residence in Springfield, Vermont. For more than 24 hours, they held her there against her will, tortured and beat the victim, and demanded money from her and others on her behalf. Springfield Police ultimately learned of kidnapping and went to the residence in the early morning hours of January 25, 2026. They rescued the victim from the residence and arrested the defendants. A search of the residence revealed a firearm, drugs packaged for distribution, duct tape that was used to bind the victim, and items used for torture.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The charging statute provides a sentence of up to life in prison. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The FBI is leading the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Vermont State Police, the Springfield, Vermont Police Department, and the Claremont, New Hampshire Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Vicinanzo is prosecuting the case.
Two Illegal Aliens with Prior Felony Convictions Charged for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Nicaraguan national and a Mexican national unlawfully residing in Las Vegas made their initial court appearances yesterday to face charges of illegally reentering the United States after previously being removed from the country.
Jose Leonel Gomez-Palma a citizen of Nicaragua and Isidrio Lopez-Ramirez a citizen of Mexico, are both charged with one-count of deported alien found in the United States. Preliminary hearings for both defendants are scheduled for May 26, 2026, before United States Magistrate Judge Nancy J. Koppe.
According to allegations contained in the criminal complaints and statements made during court proceedings, Gomez-Palma and Lopez-Ramirez were both previously deported and removed from the United States and reentered the United States illegally.
On April 30, 2026, officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department arrested Gomez-Palma for Driving Under the Influence and Possess Gun Under the Influence of Alcohol/Drugs. On May 2, 2026, the Clark County Detention Center remanded Gomez-Palma to U.S. Immigration Custom Enforcement (ICE) custody in Las Vegas, Nevada. Gomez-Palma was previously deported to Nicaragua on or about September 8, 2012. Gomez-Palma has felony convictions for Possess Narcotic Controlled Substance (cocaine), Carjacking, Kidnapping, Attempted Robbery, and Assault with a Deadly Weapon. Since 1994, Gomez-Palma’s felony convictions have resulted in 24 years and four months in combined prison sentences.
On September 19, 2025, ICE learned that Lopez-Ramirez was in custody at the Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC). On August 25, 2025, the Las Vegas, Nevada, Eighth Judicial District Court, convicted Lopez-Ramirez of DUI 3rd, a felony. On April 27, 2026, after serving a 12-to-30-month sentence, the Nevada Department of Corrections remanded Lopez-Ramirez to ICE custody in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lopez-Ramirez was previously deported to Mexico on or about September 3, 2011, and again on or about November 10, 2020.
If convicted, Gomez-Palma faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison, a three-year term of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
If convicted, Lopez-Ramirez faces a maximum statutory penalty of two years in prison, a one-year term of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Salt Lake City Acting Field Office Director Ruben Levya made the announcement.
The ICE Salt Lake City, Las Vegas Sub-Office investigated the case; and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada is prosecuting the case.
Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
A complaint is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Trinitarios Gang Member Sentenced to Prison for Possession of MachinegunRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lawrence, Mass. man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for possessing a loaded UZI machinegun with an extended magazine loaded with 24 rounds.
Derek Mercado, 21, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Court Nathaniel M. Gorton to 37 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In November 2025, Mercado pleaded guilty to possessing an UZI machinegun.
Mercado is a member of the Trinitarios gang, a violent criminal enterprise responsible for numerous murders and acts of violence across Massachusetts. On May 6, 2025, an alert to arrest Mercado was broadcast by law enforcement following a report of a domestic violence incident. The victim reported that the defendant was in possession of a firearm in a green duffel bag. At the time, Mercado was in warrant status on two unrelated matters. Mercado was later observed exiting a residence while possessing a green duffel bag. Mercado was taken into custody and an Israel Military Industries UZI model submachinegun containing an extended magazine loaded with 24 rounds was recovered in the green bag. The UZI was later test-fired and determined to be a functional machinegun.
In February 2025, federal racketeering charges were unsealed against 22 leaders and members of the Trinitarios. The charges were the result of a multijurisdictional investigation, dubbed Operation Paper Machetes, which began in the aftermath of four murders as well as a series of attempted murders and shootings that took place in Lynn in 2023, allegedly committed by the Trinitarios criminal enterprise and its members. In March 2025, a Lynn member of the Trinitarios was sentenced to 10 years in prison. In June 2025, two members of the Trinitarios were charged with kidnapping a drug supplier. In July 2025, the leader of the Lynn Chapter was sentenced to 14 years in prison. In December 2025, two members of the Lynn Chapter, Michael Miliano and James Jimenez pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy. In April 2026, Luis Enrique Santana pleaded to racketeering conspiracy. In May 2026, Westyn Lantigua pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and the commission of a shooting involving a machinegun.The charge of possessing a machinegun provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Haverhill Police Chief Robert Pistone made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime and Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Tangipahoa Man Sentenced for Federal Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – GARRETT MCCLAIN JR. (“MCCLAIN”), age 24 of Tangipahoa Parish, was sentenced on May 7, 2026 to 37 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Barry Ashe, after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), §841(b)(1)(A), and § 841(b)(1)(B), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
According to the indictment, beginning on a time unknown but continuing until at least June 26, 2025, MCCLAIN, and others, conspired to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, fentanyl and methamphetamine throughout the Tangipahoa, St. Tammany, and Washington Parishes region of the Eastern District of Louisiana. After law enforcement officers attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by MCCLAIN following his departure from a known drug house, residence, MCCLAIN proceeded to lead officers on a high-speed car chase. Ultimately, he was arrested and a backpack in his possession was found to contain 226 grams of pure methamphetamine, 336 grams of marijuana, and 77 grams of fentanyl.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Fentanyl Overdose Response Team (FORT), Hammond Police Department, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, 22nd JDC District Attorney’s Office, Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Louisiana National Guard. FORT was also assisted by the Louisiana State Police, Bogalusa Police Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Stuart Theriot of the Narcotics Unit.
Sweet Springs, Missouri Man Charged with Manufacturing Explosives, Unlawfully Possessing an Unregistered Destructive Device and Distributing Information Relating to Manufacturing ExplosivesRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – United States Attorney R. Matthew Price today announced the filing of a criminal complaint against Jordan Derrick, 40. The complaint charges Derrick with one count of engaging in the business of manufacturing explosive materials without a license, one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device, and one count of distributing information relating to manufacturing explosives, in violation of U.S. law.
The complaint alleges that beginning no later than Sept. 18, 2023, Derrick began using several social media sites to distribute videos of himself making various explosive materials, to include detonators, nickel aminoguanidine perchlorate (NAP), ethylene glycol dinitrate (EGDN), hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD), hexamine dinitrate (HDN), Research Department eXplosive (RDX), silver acetylide double salt (SADS), trinitroxylene (TNX or R-salt), trinitrotoluene (TNT), pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), aminoguanidine bicarbonate, and ammonium nitrate/nitromethane (ANNM). In his videos, Derrick provided step-by-step instructions on how to make these explosives.
According to the complaint, Derrick’s videos were downloaded from his publicly available video sharing accounts and used by Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the individual who conducted an attack in New Orleans on Jan. 1, 2025. Jabbar had created IEDs consistent with Derrick’s instructional videos. The devices placed by Jabbar did not detonate and were subsequently rendered safe by law enforcement. Also, according to the complaint, on May 4, 2026, an explosion occurred at a private residence in Odessa, Mo. Investigators who searched the private residence after the explosion, found two components suspected of being used in explosive devices. The occupant of the residence told investigators that he manufactured explosive devices after watching online tutorials on a social media account that is believed to be utilized by Derrick to distribute information relating to the manufacture of explosives. An investigation of the Odessa explosion is ongoing.
If convicted of engaging in the business of manufacturing explosive materials without a license, Derrick would be subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison. If convicted of unlawfully possessing an unregistered destructive device, Derrick would be subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison. If convicted of distributing information relating to the manufacture of explosives, Derrick would be subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison. In the federal judicial system, there is not the possibility of parole. These maximum statutory sentences are prescribed by Congress, and they are provided here for informational purposes. Any sentence would be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Chlarson with valuable assistance provided by Trial Attorney Michael Dittoe of the National Security Division. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The allegations contained in the complaint are accusations, not evidence of guilt, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Suburban Houston resident sent to prison for receiving child sexual abuse materialRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 36-year-old Pasadena man has been ordered to federal prison after exchanging child pornography over the internet, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Pedro Lopez pleaded guilty May 6, 2025.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos has now ordered Lopez to serve 87 months in federal prison. He was further ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution and will serve 10 years on supervised release following the completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Lopez will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
The investigation into Lopez began Aug. 9, 2024, after authorities discovered he had been uploading child sexual abuse material over the internet. Law enforcement executed a search warrant on his home where they located his cell phone. A forensic examination revealed conversations Lopez had with others involving CSAM.
Lopez also sent and received child pornography to others online through various communication applications.
He was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance of Nueces County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Overman prosecuted 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.
Springfield Man Sentenced to 35 Years for Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor Less Than 12Read the Press Release
Springfield, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor less than 12 years and a single count of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor in a foreign place.
John Michael Bradley, 66, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Bough to 35 years in federal prison without parole. The Court also ordered Bradley to serve supervised release for 10 years following his incarceration.
In May 2025, Bradley pleaded guilty to all four counts of a federal indictment on the first day of a jury trial after the conclusion of the first witness’s testimony. The indictment involved Bradley’s criminal conduct occurring between 2005 and 2006 while he was an active-duty member of the U.S. Army in Honduras, and between 2007 and 2008 when he returned to Honduras multiple times as a civilian.
In his plea of guilty, the defendant admitted that while he was stationed in Honduras in 2005, he met the minor victim. Over the course of the next three years, beginning when the minor victim was four years old, the defendant sexually abused the child on numerous occasions. The defendant admitted that after his active-duty tour in Honduras ended in 2006 he returned to Honduras from the United States with the intent to engage in sexual acts with the child and did engage in sexual acts with the minor victim. The minor victim, now an adult, reported the crimes to U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Division in 2021. The defendant has a previous federal conviction in 2019 for possession of child pornography also in the Western District of Missouri.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Luna. It was investigated by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, and U.S Army Criminal Investigations Division.
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."
Six men indicted for firearms-related chargesRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, Georgia: Six men have been indicted by the May term of the federal Grand Jury in the Southern District of Georgia for a variety of gun charges, including Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
Margaret E. “Meg” Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, announced the indictments. Those facing federal charges include:
- Jason Booz, 46, of Augusta, indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
- Twain Frails, 36, of Augusta, indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
- Naquan Brinson, 23, of Savannah, indicted for Possession of a Stolen Firearm and Receipt of a Firearm by a Person Under Indictment.
- Thomas Hilliard, 39, of Savannah, indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
- Nathaniel Williams, 46, of Savannah, indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and
- Orlando M. Williams, 35, of Savannah, indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
“We will prosecute those who illegally possesses firearms in the Southern District of Georgia,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “We value and commend our law enforcement partners, and we will continue to prioritize removing these dangerous weapons from individuals who are prohibited from possessing them.”
The cases listed above have been investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, and the Savannah Police Department. These cases are being prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karl I. Knoche, Matthew Breedon, Henry W. Syms Jr. and Bradley R. Thompson.
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Shiprock Man Sentenced for Murder in Navajo Nation Home Break-inRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man was sentenced to 210 months in prison for breaking into a Navajo Nation residence and killing a man who tried to stop him from attacking another resident.
According to court documents, in the early morning hours of June 27, 2025, Armondo Paul, 25, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, went to a home in Shiprock, New Mexico. Paul shut off the electricity to the home, kicked open the back door, and then assaulted one of the occupants. When a second occupant, John Doe, attempted to intervene on behalf of the first occupant, Paul stabbed Doe in the neck with a kitchen knife that Paul brought from his own home. John Doe fled his home and died in his own driveway.
Paul pleaded guilty to Second-Degree Murder in Indian Country. Upon his release from prison, Paul will be subject to five years of supervised release, which will include mandatory mental-health treatment. Paul must also make restitution in the amount of $5,471.37 to the Crime Victims Reparation Commission for Doe’s funeral costs and in a yet-undetermined amount to Doe’s family for costs associated with his crime, to include costs expended for transportation to court hearings and counseling costs.
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 Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case.
Serial Arsonist Sentenced to 240 Months in Federal Prison for Setting Multiple Wildfires and Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
Yakima, Washington – First Assistant United States Attorney Pete Serrano announced that on May 11, 2026, Chief District Court Judge Stanley A. Bastian sentenced Zachary Tyler Vantuyl, age 34, of Selah, Washington to 240 months in federal prison for five counts of federal arson and felon in possession of a firearm. Vantuyl was also ordered to pay $1,010,343.44 in restitution for costs and damages assessed from the wildfires.
According to public documents and materials presented at sentencing, Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) were investigating a series of wildfires set in 2023 and 2024. During these investigations and through the courage of eyewitness reports, agents began to see a pattern emerge involving what was confirmed to be a serial arsonist at work here in Eastern Washington.
Investigators were able to identify a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado pickup and the description of a male subject later confirmed to be Vantuyl at these fires in what was described by witnesses as disturbing behavior. Both the vehicle and Vantuyl were seen at wildfires set on September 3, 2024, and September 25, 2024. Specifically, on September 3, 2024, at approximately 1:00AM, a witness described to federal fire investigators having heard a vehicle and heard tires “peeling out” near the witness’s residence as the vehicle left the area. Within a few moments of the sound, the witness saw flames and embers in the area where the vehicle was stopped. At a follow up interview with ATF agents on September 25, 2024, the witness further described the vehicle as having a large 4x4 written on the driver’s corner and damage to the driver’s side of the vehicle. The witness described the driver as a white male with a “weathered” face, broad shouldered, with no facial hair and of average height. When the witness asked the man what he was doing, he claimed he was “DNR” (Department of Natural Resources). A firefighter with Kittitas Fire Rescue, who responded to the fire, contacted Vantuyl while the defendant was driving his truck near the fire. The firefighter went on to give an accurate description of the defendant’s vehicle. Both the witness and firefighter immediately identified Vantuyl from a photo array.
Similarly, at the scene of a September 25, 2024, wildfire, another firefighter witness advised federal investigators that he had seen a vehicle consistent the description of the defendant’s truck at the scene. The firefighter advised that, after the fire department arrived, Vantuyl’s truck left the scene at a high rate of speed, but returned about fifteen minutes later, hanging back and observing the fire. On September 26, 2024, a “Flock” camera in Selah captured a photograph of the defendant’s vehicle. The subsequent vehicle stop confirmed the details provided by witnesses and on surveillance cameras. Witnesses further took a photograph of the white Chevrolet Silverado that later came back registered to Vantuyl.
From the investigation, it was learned that Vantuyl had set additional fires on private property in White Swan, Washington. Specifically, on or about May 15, 2023, Vantuyl set fire to brush or grass on the privately-owned property of a now-former landlord located in White Swan, within the exterior boundaries of the Yakama Nation Indian Reservation. According to the victim, who both testified at an earlier hearing and provided a victim impact statement to the court, the victim and the victim’s spouse had hired Vantuyl to care for the owner’s several horses and other farm chores. Vantuyl lived on their farm for approximately two years and during that time, set multiple fires on the property (displayed below).
The victim wrote: “I came to know him very well and began to see patterns that led me to believe he was the arsonist that set over a dozen fires on and near our farm. Even more disturbing and dangerous is his insidious and vindictive nature that led him to kill five of our dogs and abuse and shoot our horses. Mr. Vantuyl is incapable of feeling compassion for the suffering of animals and people. His motivation to cause harm and inability to feel remorse makes him a very dangerous man in any society.” The witness testified that the deaths of the animals happened after Vantuyl would make a remark, asking which ones were more valuable, or when he was annoyed at something.
On October 2, 2024, agents executed search warrants and conducted a traffic stop near Vantuyl’s residence in Selah, Washington of the white 2002 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck registered and driven by Vantuyl. During the traffic stop of Vantuyl’s truck, law enforcement located a large gun case in the backseat, which contained a Savage Arms 93R17 bolt action, .17 H.M.R. caliber rifle. Vantuyl is a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms. During the search of Vantuyl’s residence, they recovered evidence linking him to the fires.
On April 9, 2025, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Vantuyl with one count of “Timber Set Afire,” in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1855, and six counts of Arson of Federal Property, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 844(f). Vantuyl was also charged with being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Pursuant to a written plea agreement, counts 4 and 5 were dismissed at sentencing, though they were considered for restitution purposes.
The federal arson charges involved fires located both in Yakima County and Kittitas County and identified on the following map:
This was not Vantuyl’s first time setting fires. In 2012, Vantuyl was convicted of two counts of Arson in the First Degree and three counts of Arson in the Second Degree in Kittitas County Superior Court for five separate fires he started in April, May and June 2012 in Ellensburg, Washington. He was sentenced to a total period of confinement of 120 months, followed by 18 months of community custody, and ordered to pay $193,791.52 in restitution. Vantuyl also has several other arson-related charges, including convictions for unlawful burning, false reporting of fires to 911, as well as convictions for property damage, domestic violence, and violation of a protection order.
First Assistant United States Attorney Pete Serrano said, “The Eastern District of Washington is an ideal target for a serial arsonist like Mr. Vantuyl - in the summer when he set most of the fires, the landscape is dry with highly flammable brush and trees and high winds. Fire interdiction challenges are significant and forest fires are a known and potentially deadly risk in the region. And we know all too well about how fast fires can spread. Today’s sentencing sends a strong message that arson is not tolerated in the Eastern District of Washington, and my office will prosecute such cases to the fullest extent possible. This case is the result of excellent collaborative investigative efforts led by the ATF, federal and state authorities, and numerous firefighting and law enforcement agencies. I am grateful for the hard work and dedication it took from this team to bring this serial arsonist to justice.”
ATF Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais said of today’s sentence: “This sentence holds a dangerous offender accountable for a calculated pattern of destruction that put lives, homes, and entire communities at risk. Serial arson is not a victimless crime. It terrorizes neighborhoods and drains critical emergency resources. Our agency remains committed to aggressively investigating and prosecuting those who use fire as a weapon and to safeguarding the public from acts of deliberate violence.”
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) as well as fire investigators from the Bureau of Land Management or the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Many firefighting components and law enforcement agencies responded to the fires or otherwise contributed to the investigation. Those include:
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
Kalispel Tribe of Indians / Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
Idaho Department of Lands
Selah Fire Department
Selah Police Department
Yakima Police Department
Yakima Fire Department
Yakima County Fire
Yakama Nation Fire Management
Kittitas County Fire and Rescue
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Letitia A. Sikes and Courtney R. Pratten.
Case Nos. 1:25-CR-2045-SAB; 1:24-CR-2072-SAB.
San Marcos Man Pleads Guilty to Armed Robbery of a Business and Three Armed CarjackingsRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Brandon Ivan Padilla of San Marcos pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he committed three carjackings and robbed a business, all while menacing his victims with a firearm.
Padilla admitted that on November 21, 2024, he pointed a gun at a clerk at American Smoke Shop in Escondido and demanded cash. The clerk gave Padilla $320. Padilla also admitted that he demanded a smoke shop customer’s car keys and cash while holding the gun inches from the customer’s ear. The customer handed over the keys; Padilla drove away in the person’s vehicle.
According to his plea agreement, Padilla stole another person’s car at gunpoint a few days later, on November 25, 2024. He admitted to approaching that individual in Escondido, brandishing a firearm and telling the victim to give Padilla all “his shit.” The victim followed Padilla instructions and gave up his phone and car keys. Padilla admitted to then taking control of the car and putting the keys in the ignition, but the car did not start.
Failing to successfully drive away in the car did not stop Padilla from carjacking another vehicle that same day. Padilla admitted to approaching yet another motorist in Escondido, racking his gun and pointing it at that individual’s forehead and chest, and forced the victim out of the truck. The victim did as he was told He also gave his wallet to Padilla who then got in the truck and drove away.
In all three carjackings, Padilla admitted that he would have caused death or serious bodily harm to the victims if they had not given him their cars.
Padilla is scheduled to be sentenced on August 7, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino.
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 gun violence and other violent crime, 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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
DEFENDANT Case Number 26CR388-JLS
Brandon Ivan Padilla Age: 20 San Marcos, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Hobbs Act Robbery (18 U.S.C. §1951)
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and a $250,000 fine
Carjacking (18 U.S.C. §2119)
Maximum penalty: Fifteen years in prison and a $250,000 fine
Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence (18 U.S.C. §924(c)(1)(A))
Maximum penalty: Life in prison and a $250,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Escondido Police Department
Sampson County Drug Boss Sentenced to 50 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced Homer Allen Faison, III, 48, to 50 years in federal prison stemming from his leadership of a large-scale methamphetamine distribution operation that spanned from California to Eastern North Carolina. On November 19, 2025, a Raleigh jury convicted Faison of conspiracy to sell methamphetamine and 11 counts of selling methamphetamine.
“Homer Faison didn’t just sell drugs; he built a pipeline of poison stretching across this country directly into the heart of the Eastern District of North Carolina. By flooding our neighborhoods with hundreds of pounds of dope, he greedily profited from addiction and destruction: ruining families, destroying lives. Today’s sentence ensures that this menace to society stays off the street for a long time. Simple Lesson: Drugs Kill, Prison Awaits – Do Right.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle.
Inmate Faison collected money and took orders for drugs from his North Carolina based co-conspirators, then travelled to California, bought bulk highly pure methamphetamine from suppliers. After negotiating large purchases with California suppliers, Inmate Faison coordinated shipment of the methamphetamine back to Sampson County and sold it out of homes and businesses in the Clinton area. Inmate Faison sold at least 220 pounds of methamphetamine between 2020 and May of 2023. In total, six North Carolina residents, a Virginia drug customer, and three California based suppliers were charged as a part of Inmate Faison’s drug conspiracy gang.
“We are grateful for the hard work of the men and women of our law enforcement partners who work every day to remove drug offenders from our communities. This case is another example of how strong partnerships produce real results within the justice system.” Jimmy Thornton, Sheriff of Sampson County.
“Major drug dealing networks promote violence and threaten the safety of the entire community”, said ATF Special Agent in Charge Alicia Jones. “This particular network spanned the country and impacted countless neighborhoods and families. ATF is proud to have been part of a collaborative effort to bring this dangerous criminal network to an end.”
Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Sampson County Sheriff’s Office, ATF, Clinton Police Department, DEA, IRS, NCSBI, and former Assistant United States Attorneys Tyler Lemons and Brad Knott collaborated on this multi-year investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Caroline Webb and Charles Loeser prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:23-CR-65-D-1.
Recidivist Sex Offender Sentenced to 17.5 Years in Prison for Receipt and Possession of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A recidivist sex offender previously convicted of taking indecent liberties with a child has been sentenced to seventeen-and-a-half years in prison for receipt and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Registered sex offender James Patrick McGraw, 62, of Wadesboro, N.C., a was also ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release.
“We have a duty to the community to protect children from child predators, and it is one of our highest priorities,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “I have no patience for repeat child predators who have had a chance at rehabilitation and instead return to child exploitation. We will seek significant sentences in those cases.”
According to information in filed court documents and the sentencing hearing, the Wadesboro Police Department (WPD) received information that an individual, later identified as McGraw, was accessing and uploading material to his cloud storage that contained CSAM. In May 2022, McGraw was interviewed by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation regarding using the TOR network on the dark web and his phone to access CSAM. McGraw admitted to accessing CSAM and being sexually interested in girls as young as 8 years old. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at McGraw’s apartment, where they seized a laptop and an external hard drive. A forensic examination of the seized items revealed a number of CSAM files, some of which depicted infants and toddlers and children under the age of 12 being sexually abused, as well as bestiality and S&M content.
On July 2, 2025, McGraw pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography and possession and access with intent to view child pornography involving a prepubescent minor and a minor who had not attained age 12. He is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked Homeland Security Investigations, NC SBI, and the Wadesboro Police Department for their investigation of the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Daniel Cervantes of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte 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 Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Rapid City Man Sentenced to over 2 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Ammunition as a Felon and While Actively Engaged in the Use of a Controlled SubstanceRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of Ammunition by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on May 8, 2026.
Bradley Two Eagle, 27, was sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Two Eagle was indicted for Possession of Ammunition by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in November 2025. He pleaded guilty on January 28, 2026.
On October 17, 2025, the Rapid City Police Department responded to an emergency call reporting that gunshots had been fired. Law enforcement spoke with Two Eagle, who gave a false identity and then fled from the officers. As Two Eagle ran, he threw ammunition to the ground. Law enforcement caught Two Eagle. They recovered his discarded ammunition and also found a methamphetamine syringe on him. Two Eagle had previously been convicted of a felony offense. Possessing ammunition or firearms after such a conviction is a federal felony. It is also a federal felony to possess ammunition or firearms while actively engaged in the use of a controlled substance such as methamphetamine.
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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Through PSN, the District of South Dakota seeks to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case.
Two Eagle was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Puerto Rican Man Sentenced in Waco for Role in Fentanyl Death of Army SpouseRead the Press Release
WACO, Texas – A Puerto Rican man was sentenced in a federal court in Waco today to 188 months in prison for his role in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy to possess that resulted in the death of a U.S. Army spouse, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.
According to court documents, Gilberto Joel Hernandez-Marin, 31, of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, led a Puerto Rico-based drug trafficking organization with co-conspirator Adxel Romero-Flores, 34, of Bayamon, Puerto Rico. The DTO was found to be directly responsible for the distribution of fentanyl that resulted in the death of a dependent spouse of an active-duty U.S. Army soldier along with the distribution of thousands of fentanyl pills throughout the Western District of Texas.
During the investigation, the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division intercepted approximately 8,100 deadly fentanyl pills from the DTO that were destined for central Texas.
“Hernandez-Marin and his co-conspirators in this Puerto Rican DTO knowingly and recklessly trafficked thousands upon thousands of deadly fentanyl pills into our communities, ultimately killing a U.S. military spouse,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “Thanks to the investigative actions of our partners at Army CID, we were able to put a stop to this group’s deadly fentanyl trafficking and hold them accountable.”
Hernandez-Marin, Romero-Flores, and codefendants Julio Samuel Bonilla-Tirado, 44, of Copperas Cove, Juan Carlos Cabral, 34, of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, each pleaded guilty and were sentenced at various stages throughout the case. U.S. District Judge Alan Albright sentenced Bonilla-Tirado to 14 years in prison on July 9, 2025. Romero-Flores was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in prison on Dec. 2, 2025; and Cabral was sentenced to 20 years in prison on March 31.
“These sentencings are the result of outstanding teamwork and dedication from our Special Agents and our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners,” said Special Agent in Charge Lane Allen, Army CID Central Texas Field Office. “This case underscores our commitment to combatting threats of illegal drugs affecting the Army community, regardless of their origins.”
Army CID investigated the case with valuable assistance provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration; ICE Homeland Security Investigations; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigation; the Killeen Police Department; the Copperas Cove Police Department; and the Puerto Rico Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Blanton prosecuted the cases.
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Puerto Rican Man Pleads Guilty to Damaging AircraftRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Puerto Rican man pleaded guilty today in connection with an incident in which he opened an emergency exit door while aboard a JetBlue flight preparing for takeoff from Boston to Puerto Rico.
Angel Luis Morales Torres, 24, pleaded guilty to one count of damaging or disabling an aircraft. U.S. District Court Senior Judge F. Dennis Saylor scheduled sentencing for Aug. 4, 2026. Morales was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2025.
On Jan. 7, 2025, Morales was a passenger aboard a JetBlue flight scheduled to fly from Boston to Puerto Rico. While the aircraft was on the taxiway preparing for takeoff, Morales stood up from his seat, ran down the aisle and entered an empty emergency exit row, where he began attempting to open the emergency exit door. A flight attendant attempted to restrain Morales and he was eventually tackled by another passenger. Prior to being restrained, Morales managed to open the emergency door, causing the emergency inflatable slide to deploy, and rendering the aircraft inoperable.
The charge of damaging or disabling an aircraft carries a maximum of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Special assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Maynard of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.
Prior Felon Sentenced After Strangling His Wife & Pistol-Whipping HerRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A felon living in Tulsa was sentenced today for strangling his wife and possessing a loaded firearm and ammunition, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Joseph N. Laplante sentenced Rodney Neal Stach, 45, for Assault of a Spouse by Strangling and Attempting to Strangle in Indian Country and Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Stach was ordered to serve 70 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release.
In August 2025, Tulsa Police officers were dispatched to a home in East Tulsa. When officers arrived, the victim told officers that Stach was extremely irate, grabbed a loaded firearm, and began hitting the victim with the firearm. While pistol-whipping the victim, Stach stated, “I should shoot you right now. No one will find you.” The victim told officers that Stach had strangled her prior to escaping and running to a neighbor's house.
Court records show that Stach had been convicted of eight felonies prior to this incident. Some of his prior felonies include maliciously torturing and killing a pig by stabbing it to death, committing multiple burglaries, including resisting arrest and fleeing from law enforcement.
The victim is a tribal citizen, and Stach will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Kelly prosecuted the case.
If you think that you or a loved one may be in an abusive relationship, Domestic Violence Intervention Services offers services for all survivors. You can call the 24-hour information and crisis line at (918) 743-5763 or (918) 7-HELP-ME for more information. You can also get more information by texting our 8 PM to 1 AM Text Line: Text SAFE to 207-777
Poplar bookkeeper sentenced for embezzling over $150,000 from local companyRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Poplar bookkeeper who wrote unauthorized checks, modified payroll amounts, and utilized company checks and credit cards for unauthorized personal expenses was sentenced today to 6 months of imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.
Parker Lee Gray Hawk, 36, pleaded guilty in December 2025 to one count of wire fraud.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Fort Peck Manufacturing, Inc., (FPM), with assistance from its bank, discovered Gray Hawk was taking money from the company. In late 2023, FPM learned their bank account had a negative balance based on some questionable transactions, including checks with wholly round numbers and no taxes withheld. All the questionable checks were signed by Parker Gray Hawk. A review of the bank statements indicated a number of checks written and signed by Gray Hawk to non-FPM employees. Gray Hawk also used the company credit card to make online purchases, including from Amazon, and initiated other unauthorized electronic payments, including to Apple, CashApp, PayPal, and Western Union.
Law enforcement interviewed the non-FPM employees to whom Gray Hawk wrote checks and they said she requested they cash the checks, and they would keep some of the money while Gray Hawk kept the rest.
Gray Hawk embezzled approximately $166,156.47 from FPM between 2021 and 2023 ($98,644.28 in fraudulent checks and $67,512.19 in fraudulent electronic transactions). Gray Hawk was ordered to pay $131,901.57 in restitution.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI and Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law & Justice conducted the investigation.
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Pittsburgh Felon Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Possession of Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to violating a federal firearms law, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Keenan Tolliver, 32, pleaded guilty before Senior United States District Judge Joy Flowers Conti to a one-count indictment charging Tolliver with possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, on or about February 21, 2025, Tolliver possessed a loaded and chambered pistol and ammunition in the center console of the vehicle he was operating. Tolliver previously had been convicted of 10 felony or first-degree misdemeanor offenses in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.
Judge Conti scheduled sentencing for September 16, 2026. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the Court ordered that Tolliver remain detained.
Assistant United States Attorney Kelly M. Locher is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Tolliver.
Pinal County Resident Sentenced to 24 Years for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – A man who pleaded guilty to Producing Child Pornography involving a 14-year-old girl was sentenced on May 5, 2026, in federal court.
Agustin Julian Sauceda, 39, of Casa Grande, Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven P. Logan to 293 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Sauceda previously pleaded guilty to the charge on Aug. 11, 2025.
“No one should exploit and sexually victimize children, least of all a public servant entrusted with serving his community,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “This case demonstrates that proactive law enforcement work in child pornography cases is critical to not only identify individuals clicking on illicit images, but also to uncover even more serious offenses, as occurred here.”
“As a firefighter, this individual was entrusted with protecting and serving his community. Instead, he betrayed that trust in the most egregious way possible,” said Jason T. Stevens, special agent in charge for HSI Arizona. “Today’s sentencing sends a clear message: those who abuse positions of public trust to harm children will be held fully accountable. HSI and our law enforcement partners will relentlessly pursue child predators, hold them accountable and will stop at nothing to protect the most vulnerable members of our communities.”
Sauceda, who was employed as an Eloy Fire Battalion Chief, was detected in a file sharing network between June and September 2024 as he distributed child pornography files. A review of Sauceda’s electronic devices following a search of his home on Oct. 30, 2024, revealed 5,063 files that he had produced of a nude and partially nude 14-year-old victim. The images were taken between August 2022 and July 2024. Sauceda also possessed approximately 14,089 child pornography files of prepubescent children that he had received from the internet.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and 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 justice.gov/PSC.
Homeland Security Investigations-Arizona conducted the investigation, with assistance from the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office and the Casa Grande Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 24-CR-01898
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-073_Sauceda# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Perfectus Aluminum Inc. and Related Companies Agree to Pay $549.5M to Settle False Claims Act Allegations Relating to Evaded Customs DutiesRead the Press Release
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.”
“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.”
“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.”
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 Aug. 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.
Attorneys Jennifer Chorpening and Martha Glover of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil Fraud Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Hunter B. Thomson for the Central District of California handled the case.
Oklahoma City Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – DARTAGNON EVERETTDEAN BURNS, 45, of Oklahoma City, has pleaded guilty to distribution and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
According to public records, on December 10, 2025, an undercover agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), posing as the mother of a small child, began communicating with an individual through an online application on the dark web. During the conversations, the individual expressed interest in sexually assaulting the fictitious child and shared child sexual abuse material (CSAM) with the agent. The individual, later identified as Burns, also claimed to have sexually abused other children and shared his phone number with the agent. Law enforcement used the phone number to identify Burns, who was arrested on December 11, 2025.
On January 6, 2026, a federal grand jury charged Burns with distribution of child pornography and possession of and access with intent to view material containing child pornography. On April 11, 2026, Burns pleaded guilty and admitted he used his cell phone to distribute child pornography and possessed devices containing child pornography, including images depicting prepubescent children.
At sentencing, Burns faces up to 40 years in federal prison and fines of up to $500,000. His crimes carry a mandatory minimum of at least five years in prison.
This case is the result of an investigation by HSI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Edgmon prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the DOJ Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC 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 PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Nigerian national admits to role in email scamRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 34-year-old foreign national who resided in Houston has pleaded guilty to illegal money transmission, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
From 2020 to 2022, Edikan Adiakpan owned an unlicensed money transmitting business through a company he controlled called Akama Lifestyle. As part of his plea, he admitted he used the business to transfer funds and kept a percentage as a fee.
The funds Adiakpan received and then transmitted originated from fraudsters who carried out a business email compromise scheme. It targeted more than 10 victims who received “spoofed” emails that appeared to come from known suppliers and creditors. The victims were tricked into sending payments to bank accounts the fraudsters controlled instead of the actual suppliers.
One victim wired $927,080 to the fraudsters who then sent portions of those proceeds to Adiakpan. He redeemed a cashier’s check payable to himself that contained $60,000 of the victim’s money.
He has been and will remain in custody pending sentencing.
Another Nigerian citizen, Ayobami Omoniyi, 26, was sentenced March 24 to 32 months in federal prison for his role in the scheme.
U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen accepted the plea and has sent sentencing for Sept. 15. At that time, Adiakpan faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
FBI – Houston and its Bryan Resident Agency and IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Belinda Beek is prosecuting the case.
New York-Based Iranian National Pleads Guilty to Alien Smuggling and Receiving Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
BROOKLYN, NY – Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, Iranian national Sharon Gohari pleaded guilty to unlawfully smuggling aliens into the United States and intentionally receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM). For years, Gohari, who is a naturalized United States citizen and resided alternately in Iran and Nassau County, New York, solicited and received payments from Iranian nationals and others seeking to enter the United States unlawfully in exchange for arranging and facilitating their entry. At least one individual whom Gohari aided had associations with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has been designated by the United States Department of State as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). During the investigation into Gohari’s illegal activities, law enforcement discovered that Gohari received and stored multiple videos on his phone depicting the rape of children, as well as hundreds of photos and videos reflecting the stalking and surreptitious recording of women throughout New York City. Today’s proceeding was held before United States District Judge Ann M. Donnelly.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Donald Holstead, Assistant Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Counterterrorism Division (FBI); James C. Barnacle, Jr, Assistant Director in Charge, FBI, New York Field Office (FBI); Frank J. Russo, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the guilty plea.
“The defendant exploited and endangered vulnerable individuals for profit, over and over again,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “In doing so, he also put our national security at risk and circumvented the vital procedures that are in place to vet those entering our country. Our Office will continue to aggressively pursue transnational criminal schemes operating here in the United States, especially when they involve terrorist groups like the IRGC that seek to do us harm. And we will always prosecute the sexual exploitation of children to the fullest extent of the law.”
Mr. Nocella praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the New York City Police Department, and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies, as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, for their crucial assistance.
Mr. Nocella also thanked the Homeland Security Task Force, 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.
“As this case illustrates, we cannot protect our national security without a secure border,” said Assistant Attorney General Eisenberg. “Gohari made a business of smuggling aliens into the United States, at least one of whom had ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a designated foreign terrorist organization. I applaud the investigators and prosecutors who made possible today’s plea, taking this defendant off our streets.”
“The defendant admits to helping people illegally enter the United States -- including someone associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – which endangers our country’s national security,” said FBI Assistant Director Holstead. “It is essential to protect our borders, and the FBI works closely with our interagency partners to prevent anyone from being smuggled in, especially those connected to our adversaries. This individual will now face justice not just for that crime but also for sexually exploiting children, the most vulnerable members of our society.”
“Sharon Gohari threatened our national security by selling illegal entry into the United States – including a client with ties to a designated terrorist organization. With our federal and local law enforcement partners, the FBI is committed to holding accountable criminals seeking to exploit our country’s border and our citizens,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.
“This case underscores the dedication and vigilance of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Tactical Threat Response Team and Task Force Officers, whose actions were critical in identifying and stopping an individual who posed a significant threat to our national security and the safety of our communities," stated CBP Director of New York Field Operations Russo. “Thanks to our close partnership with the FBI and the U. S. Attorney’s Office, Gohari was brought to justice. CBP remains committed to securing our borders and working with our partners to pursue those who circumvent our immigration system and endanger the American public.”
“Anyone who seeks to profit through the abuse and exploitation of other people – especially children – will be held fully accountable,” stated NYPD Commissioner Tisch. “Today’s guilty plea is the result of the NYPD’s unwavering commitment to bring human traffickers to justice. I commend and thank our NYPD investigators, as well as our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, for their dedicated work in this case.”
Gohari is a naturalized United States citizen from Iran who resided in Roslyn, New York, and traveled frequently to Iran. From at least December 2020 up to his arrest in May 2025, Gohari solicited and received payments from Iranian nationals and others seeking to enter the United States unlawfully in exchange for arranging and facilitating their entry, primarily through Mexico. Among other things, Gohari helped these individuals obtain travel visas at the Mexican embassy in Iran and helped arrange their travel to and through Mexico and into the United States in large groups. Some passed through Central and South American countries with Gohari’s assistance. Gohari worked with a network of associates in Iran and elsewhere and charged thousands of dollars per client for these services.
At least one Iranian national Gohari aided had ties to the IRGC. Specifically, in early 2021, Gohari facilitated the travel of an individual from Iran to Turkey, from Turkey to Mexico, and from Mexico into the United States, where the individual was detained by border patrol officers. The individual ultimately confessed to law enforcement that he had previously carried out tasks in Iran and Malaysia for the IRGC.
During the investigation into Gohari’s alien smuggling activities, federal agents discovered that Gohari received and stored CSAM on his phone, including multiple videos depicting the rape of children apparently as young as five years old. In chat communications following his receipt of the videos, Gohari stated his intention to seek out sexual partners in a high school. Agents also found on Gohari’s devices hundreds of photos and videos of what appeared to be women in various public places throughout New York City, including on trains and at cafes, who did not seem to be aware that they were being photographed or recorded. Some of the photos and videos appeared to be taken at close range, including several photos that were angled in an apparent attempt to see under the women’s skirts or other garments. Other photos and videos depicted the same women in multiple locations, indicating that the women had been followed. Gohari sent some of these photos and videos to an Iranian-based account from which he received CSAM, among other Iranian-based accounts.
For the child sex abuse material charge, Gohari faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and up to 20 years in prison, and a mandatory minimum of three years in prison for alien smuggling and up to 10 years in prison.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Reich is in charge of the prosecution with assistance from Trial Attorney Kevin Nunnally of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Paralegal Specialist Wayne Colon.
The Defendant:
SHARON GOHARI
Age: 48
Roslyn, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-183 (S-1) (AMD)
New York-Based Iranian National Pleads Guilty to Alien Smuggling and Receiving Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, Iranian national Sharon Gohari pleaded guilty to unlawfully smuggling aliens into the United States and intentionally receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
For years, Gohari, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen and resided alternately in Iran and Nassau County, New York, solicited and received payments from Iranian nationals and others seeking to enter the United States unlawfully in exchange for arranging and facilitating their entry. At least one individual whom Gohari aided had associations with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has been designated by the United States Department of State as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). During the investigation into Gohari’s illegal activities, law enforcement discovered that Gohari received and stored multiple videos on his phone depicting the rape of children, as well as hundreds of photos and videos reflecting the stalking and surreptitious recording of women throughout New York City. Today’s proceeding was held before United States District Judge Ann M. Donnelly.
“As this case illustrates, we cannot protect our national security without a secure border,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “Gohari made a business of smuggling aliens into the United States, at least one of whom had ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a designated foreign terrorist organization. I applaud the investigators and prosecutors who made possible today’s plea, taking this defendant off our streets.”
“The defendant exploited and endangered vulnerable individuals for profit, over and over again,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. “In doing so, he also put our national security at risk and circumvented the vital procedures that are in place to vet those entering our country. Our Office will continue to aggressively pursue transnational criminal schemes operating here in the United States, especially when they involve terrorist groups like the IRGC that seek to do us harm. And we will always prosecute the sexual exploitation of children to the fullest extent of the law.”
“The defendant admits to helping people illegally enter the United States -- including someone associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – which endangers our country’s national security,” said Assistant Director Donald Holstead of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division. “It is essential to protect our borders, and the FBI works closely with our interagency partners to prevent anyone from being smuggled in, especially those connected to our adversaries. This individual will now face justice not just for that crime but also for sexually exploiting children, the most vulnerable members of our society.”
“Sharon Gohari threatened our national security by selling illegal entry into the United States – including a client with ties to a designated terrorist organization. With our federal and local law enforcement partners, the FBI is committed to holding accountable criminals seeking to exploit our country’s border and our citizens,” said Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. of the FBI New York Field Office.
“Anyone who seeks to profit through the abuse and exploitation of other people – especially children – will be held fully accountable,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “Today’s guilty plea is the result of the NYPD’s unwavering commitment to bring human traffickers to justice. I commend and thank our NYPD investigators, as well as our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, for their dedicated work in this case.”
Gohari is a naturalized United States citizen from Iran who resided in Roslyn, New York, and traveled frequently to Iran. From at least December 2020 up to his arrest in May 2025, Gohari solicited and received payments from Iranian nationals and others seeking to enter the United States unlawfully in exchange for arranging and facilitating their entry, primarily through Mexico. Among other things, Gohari helped these individuals obtain travel visas at the Mexican embassy in Iran and helped arrange their travel to and through Mexico and into the United States in large groups. Some passed through Central and South American countries with Gohari’s assistance. Gohari worked with a network of associates in Iran and elsewhere and charged thousands of dollars per client for these services.
At least one Iranian national Gohari aided had ties to the IRGC. Specifically, in early 2021, Gohari facilitated the travel of an individual from Iran to Turkey, from Turkey to Mexico, and from Mexico into the United States, where the individual was detained by border patrol officers. The individual ultimately confessed to law enforcement that he had previously carried out tasks in Iran and Malaysia for the IRGC.
During the investigation into Gohari’s alien smuggling activities, federal agents discovered that Gohari received and stored CSAM on his phone, including multiple videos depicting the rape of children apparently as young as five years old. In chat communications following his receipt of the videos, Gohari stated his intention to seek out sexual partners in a high school. Agents also found on Gohari’s devices hundreds of photos and videos of what appeared to be women in various public places throughout New York City, including on trains and at cafes, who did not seem to be aware that they were being photographed or recorded. Some of the photos and videos appeared to be taken at close range, including several photos that were angled in an apparent attempt to see under the women’s skirts or other garments. Other photos and videos depicted the same women in multiple locations, indicating that the women had been followed. Gohari sent some of these photos and videos to an Iranian-based account from which he received CSAM, among other Iranian-based accounts.
For the child sex abuse material charge, Gohari faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and up to 20 years in prison, and a mandatory minimum of three years in prison for alien smuggling and up to 10 years in prison.
Mr. Nocella praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the New York City Police Department, and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies, as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, for their crucial assistance.
Mr. Nocella also thanked the Homeland Security Task Force, 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.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew D. Reich is in charge of the prosecution with assistance from Trial Attorney Kevin Nunnally of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Paralegal Specialist Wayne Colon.
New York Physical Therapist Admits Participating in Health Care Fraud Scheme Targeting AmtrakRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A New York physical therapist today admitted participating in a health care fraud scheme to defraud Amtrak, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.
Jaekwan Lee, 41, of Flushing, New York, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court to an Indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From January 2022 through June 2022, Lee and his co-conspirators agreed to engage in a scheme to bill the Amtrak health care plan for fraudulent claims for services that never were provided and were medically unnecessary. Lee, a licensed physical therapist, allowed his license and business bank accounts to be used in the fraudulent billing scheme, in return for a portion of the proceeds. Other members of the conspiracy recruited Amtrak employees to participate in the scheme by paying them cash, in return for allowing the conspirators to use their personal and insurance information to submit false and fraudulent claims.
The conspiracy involved dozens of Amtrak employees and multiple health care providers, who paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash kickbacks to Amtrak employees over the course of the scheme. In total, the Amtrak health care plan paid over $11 million in fraudulent claims associated with providers connected to the scheme. The Amtrak health care plan paid out over $800,000 for claims associated with Lee. The investigation has resulted in the prosecution of nineteen individuals, including Lee. All have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
The health care fraud conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for October 8, 2026.
U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents of the Amtrak Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James Harper, the Amtrak Police Department, under the direction of Acting Chief of Police James Cook, and special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III in New York, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine M. Romano, Co-Chief of the General Crimes Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen O’Leary of the Health Care Fraud and Opioids Enforcement Unit.
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Defense counsel: Megan Rha, Esq.
New Orleans Man Guilty of Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – BLAKE ANTHONY BACHEMIN (“BACHEMIN”), age 28, of Orleans Parish, pled guilty on May 7, 2026 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and § 841(b)(1)(C). U.S. District Judge Barry Ashe scheduled sentencing for August 6, 2026. At sentencing, BACHEMIN faces up to twenty years imprisonment followed by at least three years of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
According to court documents, BACHEMIN had a pending felony arrest warrant for possession of methamphetamine when he was arrested by the New Orleans Police Department near the 500 block of Esplanade Avenue. A search incident to arrest led to the discovery of multiple plastic baggies of methamphetamine on BACHEMIN’s person. BACHEMIN possessed these baggies of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute them in the French Quarter area of New Orleans.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration and New Orleans Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Stuart Theriot of the Narcotics Unit.
New Orleans Man Guilty of Federal Drug and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – YUAN BUGGAGE (“BUGGAGE”), age 25, of New Orleans, pled guilty on May 12, 2026 before United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier to a six-count indictment charging him with violations of the Federal Controlled Substances, and Gun Control Acts, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.
BUGGAGE was charged in Count 1 with conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, Tapentadol and marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), 841(b)(1)(D), and 846. BUGGAGE was charged in Count 2 with possession with intent to distribute those substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 841(b)(1)(D). In Count 3, BUGGAGE was charged with possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i). BUGGAGE was charged in Count 4 with being a felon in possession of a felon, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).
As to the drug trafficking conspiracy charge in Count 1, BUGGAGE faces up to 20 years in prison, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three years of supervised release. As to the drug distribution charge in Count 2, BUGGAGE faces up to 20 years in prison, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three years of supervised release. As to the charge of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in Count 3, BUGGAGE faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years up to life imprisonment, which is to run consecutively to all other sentences, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release. As to the felon in possession charge in Count 4, BUGGAGE faces up to 15 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release. Each count also carries a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
The sentencing is set for August 13, 2026, before United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New Orleans Police Department, and St. Bernard Parish Sherrif’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Paul J. Hubbell, I.V., of the Violent Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
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.
Press release updated for accuracy.
Mexican National Sentenced to Prison in Vast Alien Smuggling ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A Mexican national was sentenced yesterday to 41 months in prison for her involvement in a massive international alien smuggling organization.
“We take seriously organized human smugglers who seek to undermine the integrity and security of our borders and our immigration laws for their ill-gotten gains,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Even criminal smugglers who live outside of our nation’s borders will face the justice of our courts when they violate our laws designed to keep our borders safe and secure.”
“Alien Smuggling Organizations do not care about your hopes and dreams; they care only about your money,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “This sentencing represents a major blow to a complex criminal organization that has been successfully dismantled thanks to the work of our AUSAs and law enforcement partners. My office is incredibly proud to work alongside Homeland Security Investigations and other Department of Homeland Security components to continue picking apart these alien smuggling organizations and hitting them where it hurts: in the pocketbook.”
According to court documents, from on or about Nov. 13, 2020, and continuing to March 7, 2023, Monica Hernandez-Palma, 34, and others, were part of an international alien smuggling organization (ASO) that illegally brought thousands of aliens from Afghanistan, Yemen, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Columbia, Guatemala, Honduras, and Ecuador into the United States from Mexico. The ASO operated stash houses in Monterrey, Mexico, and Piedras Negras, Mexico. Hernandez-Palma operated the stash house in Piedras Negras and coordinated with other members of the ASO to transport aliens to the stash house and then into the U.S. illegally. Hernandez-Palma worked with others to house aliens, after which the aliens would meet foot guides who led them across the U.S.-Mexico border by crossing the Rio Grande River.
Hernandez-Palma worked with co-conspirator and San Antonio, Texas-based smuggler, Enil Edil Mejia-Zuniga, who facilitated travel of the aliens from South America to the United States. Mejia-Zuniga directed operations, as well as paid armed “coyotes,” load drivers, and stash house operators. To facilitate their operation, the ASO operated stash houses in Monterrey, Mexico, and Piedras Negras, Mexico. According to court documents, Mejia-Zuniga admitted that the ASO smuggled between 2,500 to 3,000 aliens into the United States in just two years. Mejia-Zuniga stated that the organization charged between $6,500 to $12,000 per alien, totaling approximately $16 to $30 million in financial gain for the ASO.
Enil Edil Mejia-Zuniga was sentenced to ten years in prison on July 9, 2025.
Hernandez-Palma pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring an alien to the United States and aiding and abetting bringing an alien to the United States for financial gain.
HSI Del Rio led U.S. investigative efforts, working in concert with the HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force, and U.S. Border Patrol. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition of Hernandez-Palma.
Trial Attorney Bethany Allen of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions section, on detail from the Office of International Affairs, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Duarte II, for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
The investigation and indictment were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (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 455 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 400 U.S. convictions; and more than 350 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.
Mexican National Sentenced for Unlawfully Residing in the United StatesRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A Mexican national was sentenced today for Unlawful Reentry of the United States after previously being removed twice, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Joseph N. Laplante sentenced Juan Carlos Nunez Reyes, 34, to 18 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. Upon completion of his sentence, Nunez Reyes is expected to face removal proceedings.
According to court documents, Nunez Reyes was banned in 2023 from a casino after passing a counterfeit check and having drug paraphernalia in his hotel room. In 2025, Nunez Reyes entered the same casino, attempting to hide his face with a mask. Nunez Reyes was approached by security and law enforcement and provided a false name and date of birth. He eventually provided his correct identifiers and was arrested. When officers searched Nunez Reyes, they found his Mexican citizen identification and marijuana.
While booking Nunez Reyes, agents discovered that he had been removed from the United States in 2012 and 2021. Court dockets show that Nunez Reyes has been convicted of unlawfully possessing an unregistered short-barreled rifle and driving without a license.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Brandon prosecuted the case.
Mexican National Convicted of Preparing False Tax Returns for ClientsRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Nancy Maldonado Alvarez, 43, a Mexican national, was convicted on 37 counts of aiding or assisting in the preparation of false tax returns for clients.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Alvarez owned and operated a tax preparation business in Denver that she used to prepare false tax returns claiming refunds her clients were not entitled to receive. Alvarez carried out her tax fraud scheme by fabricating business losses, often for non-existent businesses, and by seeking the paid sick and family leave credit, which Congress created to aid struggling businesses and others during the COVID-19 global pandemic, even though many of her clients did not qualify for the credit. She also collected preparation fees that sometimes exceeded $2,000 per return, often unbeknownst to her clients. In total, Alvarez caused a loss to the United States exceeding $150,000.
Alvarez is scheduled to be sentenced in August.
Senior United States District Judge John L. Kane presided over the trial.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Neff for the District of Colorado and Trial Attorney Daniel R. Glenn of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section handled the prosecution.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division ('Fraud Division'). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
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Members and Associates of Transnational Criminal Organization Based Out of Añasco, Puerto Rico, Indicted for Violating the RICO Act as part of Homeland Security Task Force InitiativeRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A federal indictment was unsealed today in the District of Puerto Rico charging six defendants with 23 counts of racketeering—murder, drug trafficking, money laundering, and firearms violations, committed in furtherance of a transnational criminal organization based out of Añasco, Puerto Rico, that engaged in large-scale drug trafficking in coordination with Venezuela, Colombia, and Dominican Republic sources of supply, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
“This indictment not only alleges crimes of violence but also alleges that these offenses were committed openly and brazenly, and innocent members of the community were killed,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “These crimes have no place in our society, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners are fully committed to bringing perpetrators to justice and making our communities safer.”
“This operation demonstrates the relentless commitment of the Homeland Security Task Force, and our law enforcement partners to dismantle violent transnational criminal organizations operating in Puerto Rico and beyond,” said Rebecca González-Ramos, HSI San Juan Special Agent in Charge. “This fourth phase of the operation builds on years of investigative work to ensure that dangerous criminal leaders, including Rodríguez-Cumba and his associates, remain behind bars while HSI and its partners continue targeting the drug trafficking, violence, and money laundering networks threatening our communities.”
“This organization operated through violence, intimidation, and the false confidence that they were beyond accountability,” said Carlos R. Goris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office. “Today’s operation demonstrates that no criminal network is untouchable when law enforcement components work together with focus, persistence, and a shared commitment to protecting the people. The FBI and our Homeland Security Task Force partners remain committed to identifying, disrupting, and dismantling the individuals and financial networks that enable this violence to persist in Puerto Rico.”
According to the indictment, the transnational criminal organization (hereinafter the Enterprise) was involved in narcotics trafficking and money laundering. The Enterprise also committed and attempted to commit violent acts, including murder and assault. To further their narcotics trafficking operation, the Enterprise used boats to import multi-kilogram shipments of cocaine from Colombia, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic into Puerto Rico and subsequently into the continental United States. In order to promote the Enterprise, they laundered and used the drug proceeds to purchase weapons and ammunition, purchased real estate properties, rented properties for the purposes of storing narcotics, purchased vessels, and motor vehicles, amongst other things.
Also, according to the indictment, members of the organization committed acts of violence to further the objectives of the Enterprise. These acts of violence served to promote and enhance the prestige, reputation and position of the Enterprise amongst rival criminal organizations; protect members and associates from law enforcement and rival drug trafficking organizations and preserve and protect their operation. The following murders are part of the charged racketeering acts:
On or about April 15, 2020, [1] Manuel Antonio Valentín-Vega was kidnapped by rival drug traffickers for a ransom. Valentín-Vega was eventually released by the kidnappers. Afterwards, Valentín-Vega sought to murder those that he believed were responsible for the kidnapping, including F.S.C.V. and J.M.S.R, by putting out contracts for their murder.
- On or about May 21, 2020, in Añasco, PR, believing that F.S.C.V. was in an identified vehicle, J.A.A.F. (deceased) drove two other members of the Enterprise (not charged herein), who fired upon the vehicle, killing Y.M.H.R. (the consensual partner of F.S.C.V.) and R.T.H. (Y.M.H.R.’s eight-year-old daughter).
- On or about October 9, 2020, in Mayagüez, PR, two members of the Enterprise (not indicted herein) shot and killed E.F.S.O. (the neighbor of F.S.C.V.).
- On or about October 15, 2020, in Mayagüez, PR, members of the Enterprise (not charged herein) shot and killed F.S.C.V. and E.S.C. (an individual staying in the same residence as F.S.C.V.)
- After the murder of Y.M.H.R. and R.T.H., J.A.A.F. began to cooperate with Commonwealth of Puerto Rico authorities in the homicide prosecutions of members of the Enterprise. Cooperating Witness J.A.A.F. also identified [2] Rafael Ángel Ruiz-Garcés as one of the individuals who participated in the murders of Y.M.H.R. and R.T.H. Upon learning of J.A.A.F.’s cooperation with authorities, [1] Valentín-Vega put a contract out for the murder of J.A.A.F. On October 5, 2021, J.A.A.F. was shot and killed.
- O.D.R. was a member of the Enterprise and a rival within the Enterprise of [5] Luis J. Irizarry-Zapata. [5] Irizarry-Zapata told another member of the Enterprise (not charged herein) that O.D.R. wanted to kill [1] Valentín-Vega and [2] Ruiz-Garcés. [5] Irizarry-Zapata then ordered a member of the Enterprise to kill O.D.R. On March 31, 2022, that member of the Enterprise shot and killed O.D.R.
- On or about April 14, 2022, in the Middle District of Florida, at the direction of [5] Irizarry-Zapata, a member of the Enterprise (not charged herein) shot and killed J.M.S.R. (one of the kidnappers of [1] Valentín-Vega).
In addition to the murders listed above, the indictment includes several racketeering acts, to wit: conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances, importation of cocaine into the United States, attempted importation of cocaine into the United States, witness retaliation conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy.
The indictment also charges 22 additional counts, including: racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances, importation of cocaine into the United States, attempted importation of cocaine into the United States, murders in-aid-of racketeering, witness retaliation conspiracy,possession firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, money laundering conspiracy, and unlawful monetary transactions over $10,000.
The charged defendants occupied different roles in the Enterprise, to wit, principal leaders, lieutenants, money launderers, transporters, and enforces. The defendants are:
[1] Manuel Antonio Valentín-Vega, a.k.a. “Nano/El Viejo”, (Counts 1-16, 17-19, and 21)
[2] Rafael Ángel Ruiz-Garcés, a.k.a. “Pito Rancho/Pito/El Flaco”, (Counts 1-4, 7, 18, and 19)
[3] César E. Carrero-Martínez, a.k.a. “Waldy”, (Counts 1-9, 18, 20, 22, and 23)
[4] Jonathan Hernández-Ruiz, a.k.a. “Tan”, (Counts 1-4, 6, 9, and 18)
[5] Luis J. Irizarry-Zapata, a.k.a. “Luijo”, (Counts 1, 2, 4, 17, and 18)
[6] Luis F. Rivera-Quiñonez, a.k.a. “Nino”, (Counts 3, 4, and 6)
The defendants are facing racketeering and narcotics forfeiture allegations that include the potential forfeiture of the following assets:
- “Game Changer” - a 2002 Viking, 55-foot vessel
- “Kay” - a 2020 Boston Whaler, 38-foot vessel
- Property located in Guayabo Ward of the municipality of Aguada
- Property located at Caracol Ward of the municipality of Añasco
- Property located at Piñales Ward of Añasco
- Property located at Boquerón Ward, El Combate Sector, in the municipality of Cabo Rojo
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Antonio L. Pérez-Alonso and Ryan McCabe from the Asset Recovery, Money Laundering, and Transnational Organized Crime Section are in charge of the prosecution of the case. If convicted, the defendants face up to life in prison. Defendants [1] Manuel Antonio Valentín-Vega and [5] Luis J. Irizarry-Zapata are eligible for the death penalty.
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 San Juan comprises agents and officers from the following federal partners: FBI, ICE-HSI, CBP (OFO, AMO and Border Patrol), the U.S. Marshals Service for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, DEA, ATF, IRS, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Department of State, and the U.S. Secret Service, the Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands HIDTA, TSA, FAA, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Districts of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The HSTF also has the following state and local law enforcement partners as participating agencies: the Puerto Rico Police Department; the San Juan, Carolina, Guaynabo, Barceloneta, and Ponce Municipal Police Departments, the Puerto Rico National Guard – Counter Drug Program; the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; the Puerto Rico Internal Revenue Service (Hacienda); the Puerto Rico Port Authority; and the Virgin Islands Police Department.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Member of the Lynn Chapter of the Trinitarios Pleads Guilty to Racketeering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A member of the Lynn Chapter of the Trinitarios pleaded guilty today to racketeering charges, including his participation in two attempted murders.
Westyn Lantigua, a/k/a “Wes,” a/k/a “Muddy,” 25, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy. U.S. Senior District Court Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for Aug. 12, 2026. Lantigua was arrested and charged in February 2025.
The Trinitarios is a violent criminal enterprise comprised of thousands of members across the United States. The Trinitarios adhere to a Magna Carta, employ an internal hierarchy to organize and execute violence, and undertake extensive efforts to maintain the secrecy of the organization and its members.
During today’s court proceeding, Westyn Lantigua admitted to his membership in the gang. Photographs and videos recovered in the investigation showed Lantigua wearing Trinitarios beaded necklaces, making Trinitarios gang signs with his hands and associating with other members and leaders.
Lantigua also admitted to his participation in a June 2022 shooting outside of a fast-food restaurant in Lynn. Court documents describe Lantigua’s white Mercedes driving past the drive-thru lane of the restaurant, where a gray vehicle believed to be used by rival gang members was in line. The gray vehicle was, in fact, occupied by two innocent female victims. Surveillance video showed Lantigua’s white Mercedes parked across the street from the exit of the parking lot, waiting for the gray vehicle to leave.
As the gray vehicle left the fast-food restaurant parking lot, surveillance video showed Lantigua exit the white Mercedes and discharge numerous rounds from a fully automatic firearm at the gray vehicle. Responding officers found that both female victims occupants were hit by gunfire and survived, and the gray vehicle had 10 bullet holes. Officers also recovered 15 9mm casings. Review of Lantigua’s cellular phones, showed photographs and videos of him possessing a fully automatic handgun around the time of the shooting. Additional review showed Lantigua in possession of distribution quantities of drugs.
Lastly, Lantigua participated in the Trinitarios conspiracy to conduct burglaries of convenience stores in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Through these burglaries, the Trinitarios stole lottery tickets that they would cash in shortly after they were stolen. Lantigua participated in multiple such break-ins and was captured on video redeeming stolen tickets with other members of the Trinitarios.
In February 2025, federal racketeering charges were unsealed against 22 leaders and members of the Trinitarios. The charges were the result of a multijurisdictional investigation, dubbed Operation Paper Machetes, which began in the aftermath of four murders as well as a series of attempted murders and shootings that took place in Lynn in 2023, allegedly committed by the Trinitarios criminal enterprise and its members. In March 2025, a Lynn member of the Trinitarios was sentenced to 10 years in prison. In June 2025, two members of the Trinitarios were charged with kidnapping a drug supplier. In July 2025, the leader of the Lynn Chapter was sentenced to 14 years in prison. In December 2025, two members of the Lynn Chapter, Michael Miliano and James Jimenez pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy. In April 2026, Luis Enrique Santana pleaded guilty. Lantigua is the tenth Defendant to plead guilty in the case.
The charge of conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, also known as “racketeering conspiracy” or “RICO conspiracy,” provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Ted Docks, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker; Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble; and Lynn Police Chief Christopher P. Reddy made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Member of Waterloo Hybrid Criminal Street Gang Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who officers identified as a member of a hybrid criminal street gang in Waterloo, Iowa, was sentenced May 13, 2026, to more than three years in federal prison.
Dearion Deshawn Newman, age 22, from Waterloo, received the prison term after a December 17, 2025, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by felon.
Evidence at sentencing showed that on May 11, 2025, Newman was in a car with three other people, including two juveniles. Law enforcement officers identified the people in the car as members of a hybrid criminal street gang in Waterloo. Newman was sitting in the passenger seat of the car. Officers recovered four guns in and around the car. At the plea hearing, Newman admitted possessing a loaded gun that was found under the car. Newman’s DNA was found on the gun. The gun also had an extended magazine and a laser sight attached to it. Newman was on state probation for possession of a firearm by a felon and interference with official acts with a firearm. That probation sentence was revoked in October 2025. The sentence in this case will run consecutive to the sentence in state court.
Newman was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Newman was sentenced to 37 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
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.
Newman is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to prison.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily K. Nydle and was investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Falls Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-cr-2047.
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Massachusetts Woman Pleads Guilty to Bank FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Charlton, Mass. woman pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to fraudulently obtaining Social Security benefits and pension payments.
Gina M. Cummings, 61, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for Aug. 20, 2026. In December 2025, Cummings was arrested and charged.
From January 2020 through July 2025, Cummings fraudulently obtained approximately $110,428 in Social Security benefits, private pension payments and COVID Economic Impact Payments. Cummings had access to the checkbook of a Social Security beneficiary and pensioner who died in August 2019. She failed to report the beneficiary’s death to the Social Security Administration, the pension plan and the bank where the funds were deposited. Instead, Cummings accessed the improperly paid funds by forging the deceased beneficiary’s name on 84 checks and regularly depleted the account funds through recurring bill payments.
The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Amy Connelly, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division made the announcement. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg and the Worcester Branch Office.
On March 26, 2026, United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the creation of the Benefit & Voter Fraud Team, a district-wide initiative established in response to the rampant fraud being uncovered across Massachusetts. The Team is led by two senior federal prosecutors serving as Fraud Coordinators, whose mission it is to aggressively investigate and prosecute misuse of taxpayer-funded benefits in Massachusetts.
Members of the public are encouraged to report suspected benefit fraud in Massachusetts by calling 1-855-SCAM-MA-1 (855-722-6621).
On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The Fraud Division is investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Maryland Man Indicted for Sex Trafficking and Related OffensesRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida returned a six-count indictment today charging Brandon Sartor, 33, of Hyattsville, Maryland, with sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion and related charges.
According to court documents, Sartor compelled two adult women to perform commercial sex acts in Miami and elsewhere for his financial benefit from December 2024 until April 2025 and transported these two victims across state lines with the intent that they engage in prostitution.
Sartor is charged with sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; using a facility of interstate commerce to facilitate the promotion of a prostitution business enterprise; transporting individuals across state lines with the intent that they engage in prostitution or other criminal sexual activities; and felon in possession of a firearm. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison along with mandatory restitution.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida made the announcement.
FBI Miami and the Anne Arundel County Sheriff’s Office in Maryland are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dwayne Williams for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Elizabeth Hutson of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 26-cr-20188.
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Maryland Man Indicted for Sex Trafficking and Related OffensesRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida returned a six-count indictment today charging Brandon Sartor, 33, of Hyattsville, Maryland, with sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion and related charges.
According to court documents, Sartor compelled two adult women to perform commercial sex acts in Miami and elsewhere for his financial benefit from December 2024 until April 2025 and transported these two victims across state lines with the intent that they engage in prostitution.
Sartor is charged with sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; using a facility of interstate commerce to facilitate the promotion of a prostitution business enterprise; transporting individuals across state lines with the intent that they engage in prostitution or other criminal sexual activities; and felon in possession of a firearm. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison along with mandatory restitution.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida made the announcement.
FBI Miami and the Anne Arundel County Police Department in Maryland are investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Elizabeth Hutson of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dwayne Williams for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Madison Man Sentenced to More Than 4 Years for Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Marcus Brinkley, 23, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced last week by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 54 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. Brinkley’s prison term will be followed by three years of supervised release. Brinkley pleaded guilty to this charge on February 27, 2026.
Brinkley was arrested following a controlled delivery of narcotics. In Brinkley’s motel room, law enforcement recovered a loaded handgun on the nightstand. Brinkley is prohibited from legally possessing firearms or ammunition due to prior felony convictions.
At sentencing, Judge Peterson commented on the nature of Brinkley’s prior convictions and his conduct in this case to highlight the danger Brinkley posed to the public. To arrive at the sentence, Judge Peterson balanced these aggravating factors with the defendant’s young age.
The charge against Brinkley was the result of an investigation conducted by the Dane County Narcotics Task Force and the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force, which is comprised of federal agents from ATF and task force officers from state and local agencies throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis Glinzak prosecuted this case.
Federal prosecutions by the U.S. Department of Justice involving drugs and guns are part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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Louisville Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison for Years-Long Drug Money Laundering Conspiracy and Obstruction of JusticeRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A Jefferson County, Kentucky, man was sentenced last week to 8 years in federal prison for an extensive drug money laundering conspiracy, conducting transactions with drug proceeds, and obstructing a federal investigation and asset forfeiture proceeding.
U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky and Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation made the announcement.
According to court documents, Joseph E. Lanham, 43, of Louisville, was sentenced to 8 years in prison, followed by 3 years supervised, for engaging in a money laundering conspiracy to conceal the proceeds of his own drug trafficking activity from April 2016 to May 2023 and for obstruction of justice. During the indictment period, Lanham conspired with others to hide his drug proceeds and acquired real estate, vehicles, and a luxury speedboat with funds generated through drug trafficking. Court documents also show that Lanham submitted falsified documents to federal authorities in September 2023 in order to obstruct a federal criminal investigation and asset forfeiture proceedings. Lanham has also been ordered to pay a $40,000 fine and several houses acquired through his criminal conduct are subject to asset forfeiture.
United States Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner said, “This significant sentence is a testament to the IRS-Criminal Investigation’s substantial role in combating drug trafficking across the Western District of Kentucky. Through a significant financial investigation, and working hand-in-hand with AUSAs Corinne Keel and Erin McKenzie to develop their case, IRS-CI compiled a mountain of evidence proving that Joseph Lanham laundered money he acquired from drug trafficking over more than 7 years and lied to the government about his conduct in an effort to thwart justice. He will now serve 8 years in federal prison for his conduct, and he will have to do without the items of luxury he purchased using illicit drug proceeds, all of which were forfeited as a part of his sentence.”
Assistant United States Attorney Corinne Keel said, “This result comes from the years-long effort of a hardworking team and is an excellent example of justice through collaboration between local and federal law enforcement.”
“The sentencing of Joseph Lanham for leading the money laundering operation that tried to hide its roots in real estate and splashy luxury items is a victory for the American public and a defeat to drug traffickers everywhere. The special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation continue in their mission to disrupt the flow of ill-gotten gains that is the life-blood for these criminals,” said Special Agent in Charge Karen Wingerd, Detroit Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation. “We will continue to be relentless in our mission to dismantle these drug trafficking organizations and bring the criminals who run them to justice.”
There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the Louisville Office of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Detroit Field Office, with assistance from the Jeffersontown Police Department and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Corinne E. Keel and Erin G. McKenzie prosecuted 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.
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Lexington Man Convicted of Several Drug Trafficking and Firearms Charges.Read the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky.- A Lexington man, Kevin Sanders, 48, was convicted on Friday by a federal jury in Lexington for four counts of distributing fentanyl, three counts of distributing methamphetamine, three counts of possessing with intent to distribute 600 grams or more of fentanyl, 500 grams or more of cocaine, and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual). He was also convicted of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Sanders was convicted following a 3-day trial.
According to testimony at trial, beginning in February 2025, law enforcement officers with the HIDTA Task Force, began an investigation into the drug trafficking activities of Kevin D. Sanders. During the investigation, law enforcement officers purchased 49 grams of fentanyl and 83 grams of methamphetamine from Sanders. In April 2025, a search warrant was obtained for his residence and law enforcement seized 3,705 grams of pure methamphetamine, 608 grams of fentanyl, and 500 grams of cocaine. Additionally, officers located and seized five firearms. Sanders has a prior conviction for Attempt First Degree Murder from Cook County, Illinois.
Jason Parman, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; and Chief Rodney Richardson, Richmond Police Department, jointly announced the conviction.
The investigation was conducted by the ATF, KSP, and Richmond Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Rieker.
Sanders will appear for sentencing on September 10.
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Largest Methamphetamine Seizure in New Jersey HistoryRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – Two men were charged under the New Jersey Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) with conspiring to distribute over 260 pounds of methamphetamine into New Jersey, which represents the largest seizure of methamphetamine in the state’s history, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.
“By preventing hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine from hitting the streets, this historic seizure has made New Jersey a safer place. And it has also sent an unmistakable message to drug traffickers who plan to enter the Garden State: stay out. We will find you and you will answer for any attempt to bring poison into our communities. I want to thank our law enforcement partners for their tireless work in this case and for putting themselves at risk for the benefit of public safety every day.”
- U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer
“Seizing 260 pounds of methamphetamine, the largest seizure in New Jersey, is a critical step in preventing these deadly drugs from reaching our neighborhoods,” stated DEA New Jersey Special Agent in Charge Towanda R. Thorne-James. “This success highlights the power of collaboration between DEA and our law-enforcement partners at every level. By working together, we are making our community safer and holding drug traffickers accountable.”
“This seizure and the resulting charges are a tremendous demonstration of partnerships at work, with members of the Homeland Security Task Force bringing these drug traffickers to justice. Over six million dollars of methamphetamine was seized, but what is priceless is the number of lives potentially saved by the extraordinary efforts of law enforcement in New Jersey,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy.
“This seizure represents a decisive blow against a large‑scale drug trafficking organization that sought to move an extraordinary volume of methamphetamine into our state,” stated Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan, IRS Criminal Investigation, Newark Field Office. “This case reflects the dedication and cooperation of every agency involved, and together we will continue to safeguard the residents of New Jersey by pursuing those who finance and facilitate the distribution of dangerous narcotics.”
“Our communities are safer today as a result of the unwavering partnership between Homeland Security Investigations, the DEA, and our federal counterparts,” said HSI Newark Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy. “This operation underscores our collective dedication to disrupting transnational criminal organizations and safeguarding the public from the threats posed by illicit drugs.”
Marcos Cesar Acosta, 47, most recently of Chicago, Illinois, and Carlos H. Cordero-Guiterrez, 53, a citizen and national of Mexico, were charged by criminal complaint with one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Acosta and Cordero-Guiterrez made their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth A. Pascal on April 29, 2026 and were detained.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On April 28, 2026, Acosta traveled to New Jersey to supervise the delivery of hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine by a truck driven by Cordero-Guiterrez. That evening, after the truck arrived in New Jersey loaded with the methamphetamine, law enforcement officers arrested Acosta and Cordero-Guiterrez. Law enforcement seized three black storage boxes, one duffel bag, and a garbage bag from the truck cab, all of which contained methamphetamine. Collectively, the seized methamphetamine weighed over 260 pounds.
The conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a fine of up to $10 million.
U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) MOPOD Enforcement Group 11 and the DEA Camden Resident Office under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Towanda R. Thorne-James, for the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy in Newark, and IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan, for their assistance in the investigation.
This operation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative. The HSTF is a United States government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, transnational gangs, and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) worldwide. This initiative identifies TCOs engaged in a wide range of criminal schemes that violate federal law, while dismantling cross-border human smuggling and trafficking networks that fuel violence and instability that threatens the safety and security of the United States and its global partners.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Garelick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
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Defense counsel: Marcos Cesar Acosta: Margaret M. Grasso, Esq.
Carlos H. Cordero-Gutierrez: James P. Maguire, Esq., Federal Public Defenders.
Kapaa Woman Sentenced to 40 Months in Prison and Ordered to Pay over 126 Thousand Dollars for Scheme to Defraud COVID-19 Pandemic Rental and Utility Assistance ProgramRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that on May 11, 2026, United States District Judge Jill A. Otake sentenced Kaiaulani C. Kaiawe, 47, of Kapaa, Hawaii to 40 months in prison for defrauding the Kauai Coronavirus Rental and Utility Assistance (CRUA) program. Judge Otake also sentenced Kaiawe to a term of supervised release of three years following her imprisonment, along with $126,026.10 in restitution to the State of Hawaii. In connection with the fraud scheme, Kaiawe had pled guilty to two counts each of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft on October 9, 2025.
According to court documents, in 2021, Congress authorized the creation of Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) programs within the Department of the Treasury to fund rent, utility, and other housing-related expense assistance to households that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the State of Hawaii, the County of Kauai used ERA funds to establish the CRUA program. The County of Kauai contracted with a local credit union to administer the CRUA program.
As part of her guilty plea, Kaiawe admitted to committing wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud the CRUA program to obtain benefit payments that she was not eligible to receive. The CRUA program required eligible claimants to submit an application electronically, using its website, and to provide certain personal information of the claimant, including his or her name and date of birth, as well as a landlord or property manager contact, before certifying that the representations made in the claim were true and accurate. If the credit union approved the claim, rental payments for the claimant were sent directly to the claimant’s landlord or property manager, and utility payments were sent directly to his or her utility company.
Kaiawe admitted to submitting a false CRUA claim on her own behalf, using her former name, Coty Duhaylongsod, as the claimant, and entering her then-current name, Kaiawe, as her own landlord to improperly receive a CRUA benefit payment. Kaiawe then submitted multiple other false CRUA claims using the personal information of others as claimants, without their knowledge and consent, and then falsely listed herself or others as the landlord or property manager to obtain additional benefit payments that she was not entitled to receive. In addition, Kaiawe admitted that she provided false and altered documentation to support each CRUA claim that she submitted. In total, Kaiawe fraudulently obtained $126,026.10 in CRUA benefit payments.
“Motivated by greed, Kaiawe defrauded the government of more than $100,000, which were critical resources intended to provide a lifeline to unemployed workers of Hawaii during the pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson. “Through the work of the National Fraud Enforcement Division, we are focused more than ever on pursuing and prosecuting those who steal from public coffers through fraud and dishonesty, and we pledge to bring to justice those who seek to pilfer the public trust for their own greed.”
“These pandemic assistance programs were designed to provide a lifeline to members of our island communities in dire need,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. “Ms. Kaiawe did more than just break the law—she diverted critical resources away from our neighbors when they needed it most. The FBI and our partners remain committed to identifying and holding accountable those who deceive and steal taxpayer dollars for their own purposes.”
The FBI and Kauai Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregg Paris Yates prosecuted the case.
On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Kansas City Man Sentenced to 115 Months for Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing an Anderson Manufacturing, Model AM-15, multi-caliber pistol with a 30-round magazine.
Tyron Young, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays, to 115 months in prison without parole for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On Nov. 20, 2024, officers with the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department were called to an apartment complex on a report of suspicious activity. A police helicopter observed Young, wearing all black, walking through the complex holding what appeared to be a rifle. The helicopter then observed Young running eastbound through the complex and tossing the firearm underneath a vehicle. Thereafter, officers detained Young and recovered the firearm which was loaded with 27 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition in the magazine and one round in the chamber.
Officers spoke with the reporting party and witnesses who said an unknown male banged on the window of their residence and said, “You wanna fight, come outside.” The parties reported that the male was holding a gun to the ground and described it as a “black long gun possibly an AR pistol.”
Young, who is a convicted felon, had been found guilty of three prior felony offenses before today’s hearing. Those offenses were attempted robbery in the second degree, felon in possession of a firearm, and unlawful possession of a firearm.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
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.