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11 June 2026
Jacksonville Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Attempting to Entice a 13-Year-Old Child to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Jerry Alexander Cobb (38, Jacksonville) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jordan E. Pratt to 10 years in federal prison for attempting to entice a 13-year-old child to engage in sexual activity. Cobb pleaded guilty on February 20, 2026. He was also ordered to serve a 12-year term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, between July 18 and August 1, 2025, an FBI agent (UC) in Jacksonville was conducting an undercover operation on an online social media application (app) to identify adults who were seeking to make contact with and engage in sexual activity with children. During this operation, UC and app user “Jerry,” who was later identified as Cobb, exchanged several private messages on the app. After UC advised Cobb that the “child” was 13 years old, Cobb asked for the location of the “child’s” residence, whether the “child” could “sneak out at night,” and if “she” was a “virgin.”
On July 30, 2025, Cobb suggested that he and the “child” meet for sex and promised that he would use a condom. The next day, Cobb texted the “child,” “[y]es I’m serious that we can [have] sex.” On August 1, 2025, Cobb and the “child” made specific plans to meet later that day at a location in Jacksonville. Cobb took a car service from his apartment to this location to meet the purported 13-year-old “child.” Upon arrival, Cobb was arrested by FBI agents.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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, rescue, and seek justice for child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Iowa Man Convicted of Sex Trafficking and Drug DistributionRead the Press Release
A federal jury in the Southern District of Iowa convicted a Des Moines man today on charges related to sex trafficking and distribution of a controlled dangerous substance.
“Dave Shumpert preyed on vulnerable young women, using violence, drugs, and their fears of homelessness, to profit from their exploitation,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “He even continued to run his enterprise from jail, and tried to obstruct the testimony of witnesses against him. Human trafficking and preying on vulnerable victims have no place in our communities. This jury verdict will ensure that the defendant is separated from society once he is sentenced for these crimes.”
“The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa will aggressively prosecute human traffickers who exploit vulnerable victims through violence, coercion, and drug addiction,” said U.S. Attorney David C. Waterman for the Southern District of Iowa. “The defendant’s conviction — on all eight charged counts — reflects the outstanding work of federal prosecutors and law enforcement officers who relentlessly pursued justice for these victims.”
“I thank our partners at the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, Homeland Security Investigations, and Des Moines Police Department for their exceptional collaboration throughout this case,” U.S. Attorney Waterman continued. “This conviction demonstrates the strength of our partnership, as well as our shared commitment to dismantling human trafficking conspiracies, holding traffickers accountable, and protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities.”
“This case represents some of the most egregious forms of exploitation — using violence, threats, drugs and weaponized addiction to force vulnerable women into commercial sex,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Rick Sabatini of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Kansas City Field Office. “HSI is committed to investigating and dismantling criminal networks that profit from human trafficking and drug distribution. This conviction sends a clear message: those who prey on the vulnerable through brutality and coercion will be held accountable. We will continue to pursue justice for victims and ensure traffickers face the full consequences of their actions.”
According to court documents, witness testimony, and evidence presented at trial, Dave Shumpert III, 30, of Des Moines, Iowa, aided by his co-defendant, Haley Morrison, 30, also of Des Moines, coerced three women to perform commercial sex acts using a combination of physical force, threats of force, a coercive debt scheme, withholding of drugs, and other threats of harm. Shumpert and Morrison targeted vulnerable young homeless women struggling with drug addiction, provided them with shelter and drugs, and then used violence and other coercive means to compel the women to engage in commercial sex. Shumpert and Morrison advertised the women online, set the prices for the commercial sex acts, communicated with the sex buyers, rented hotel rooms, and kept most of the proceeds of the commercial sex acts. Electronic communication evidence between Shumpert and Morrison demonstrated that Shumpert directed Morrison on how to manage and control the victims. One of the victims testified about the physical violence Morrison employed, such as hitting a victim with closed fists and dragging her by the hair. The victims explained their fear of homelessness, drug withdrawal, and of being indebted to Shumpert.
Shumpert kept up his coercive scheme even after being arrested, placing thousands of calls to Morrison to discuss his criminal commercial sex business, and even received over $32,000 on his commissary accounts from the victims’ commercial sex proceeds. While incarcerated, Shumpert sought to intimidate and threaten a government witness by having someone outside of the jail post threatening messages on his social media accounts.
Morrison previously pled guilty to sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion on Nov. 25, 2025, and will be sentenced on July 7.
The jury convicted Shumpert of three counts of sex trafficking, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, obstruction of a sex trafficking prosecution, distribution of a controlled dangerous substance to a person under 21, conspiracy to distribute a controlled dangerous substance, and interstate travel in aid of racketeering. A sentencing date has not been set. Shumpert faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, and a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
HSI is investigating the case with assistance from the Des Moines Police Department.
Trial Attorney Slava Kuperstein of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Jennings for the Southern District of Iowa 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.
Iola man charged for online threats that included blowing up White House and killing federal law enforcementRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 35-year-old man from a small town in Grimes County has been charged for allegedly transmitting interstate threats via social media, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Authorities took Peter James Bloomfield into custody June 10 where he remains on related charges. He is expected to make his initial appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge in Houston in the near future.
The criminal complaint alleges authorities discovered a Texas-based X account with multiple threatening messages directed at federal law enforcement and others. The account allegedly made several posts about where the closest FBI building was, killing federal agents and others, spending money to blow up the White House and negative comments about America. Bloomfield is linked to that account, according to the allegations.
Law enforcement also allegedly identified a Facebook account in Bloomfield’s name that used the same profile image as the X account which posted additional threats against federal agents and notable figures. The charges further allege the Facebook account included comments about making a hit list and who would be on it during a Fox News broadcast of a recent Senate floor hearing.
According to the complaint, Bloomfeld was angry and had researched explosives and their effect on demolishing a building.
A federal search warrant allegedly resulted in the discovery of over 20 firearms and a significant amount of ammunition.
If convicted, Bloomfield faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
The FBI - Bryan Resident Agency conducted the investigation with the assistance of Texas Department of Public Safety; Houston County, Alabama, Sheriff’s Office; Secret Service; and Grimes County Constable’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ganz is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Indictment Unsealed Charging Two Individuals with Distribution of Methamphetamine and One of the Two with Murder for HireRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – An indictment unsealed today charges two individuals with distribution of methamphetamine and one of the individuals with a related murder for hire, announced U.S. Attorney Phillip W. Williams Jr.
A six-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges Joshua Cole Rasberry, 34, and Donald Paul Sheets, 38 — both of Birmingham, Alabama — with distribution of methamphetamine. Rasberry was also charged with murder for hire, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and use and carry of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime and a crime of violence. The alleged incidents occurred in January 2026, in Jefferson County, Alabama.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan S. Cross and Kristy M. Peoples are prosecuting the case.
An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Illegal alien sentenced for sexual exploitation of a child after communicating on social mediaRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 24-year-old Mexican national has been ordered to federal prison for producing child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Erasmo Alexandro Rodriguez-Estrada pleaded guilty Dec. 2, 2025.
U.S. District Judge John Kazen has now sentenced Rodriguez-Estrada to 188 months. At the hearing, the court considered additional information including letters detailing the psychological harm the victim has suffered. In handing down the prison terms, the court noted the seriousness of the crime and its consequences. Rodriguez-Estrada will also be ordered to register as a sex offender and will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Restitution will be determined at a later date. Not a U.S. citizen, he is also expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment.
The investigation began May 19, 2025, when authorities discovered the whereabouts of a minor previously reported as a runaway. Upon discussion with the young female, law enforcement observed multiple hematomas, commonly known as a hickey, on her neck and learned she had spent the previous night with Rodriguez-Estrada.
Rodriguez-Estrada indicated he sent the minor a friend request on social media before their sexual involvement. Authorities seized his electronic device and uncovered five videos of the two engaging in sexual acts. The investigation revealed Rodriguez-Estrada knew the victim’s age at the time of the encounters.
Rodriguez-Estrada is a citizen and national of Mexico who had been previously removed from the United States in December 2024 and illegally resided in Laredo.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa A. Lopez 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.
Husband and Wife Plead Guilty in International Property Theft SchemeRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO –Victor Hugo Villalobos Almazan and his wife, Nayeli Noemi Montoya Rodriguez, Mexican nationals who entered the U.S. on tourist visas, pleaded guilty in federal court today to bank fraud charges, admitting they participated in a conspiracy to fraudulently sell homes they did not own and launder approximately $1 million in proceeds.
According to the plea agreement, conspirators posed as legitimate property owners and used fraudulent documents to sell real estate they did not own to unsuspecting buyers. They then routed the proceeds from the illegal sales through bank accounts controlled by the defendants.
To carry out the scheme, the defendants’ co-conspirators created email addresses that closely resembled those of the legitimate property owners and used them to market properties they did not own to unsuspecting buyers, the plea agreement said. By conducting transactions entirely through email, they avoided meeting buyers in person and concealed their identities.
Once a sale was arranged, the defendants’ co-conspirators used forged property transfer documents that falsely appeared to bear the property owner’s signature, allowing ownership of the property to be fraudulently transferred to the unwitting buyer. Villalobos and Montoya admitted they opened bank accounts using business names similar to those of the legitimate property owners and used those accounts to receive the illicit proceeds from the fraudulent sales before transferring the money abroad.
Specifically, Villalobos and Montoya admitted they lied to open bank accounts to facilitate the illegal sales of homes at 3873 36th Street and 555 Hollister Street in San Diego. The plea agreement said the defendants received:
- $400,748.41 of illicit proceeds from the fraudulent sale of 3873 36th Street. In April 2023, Montoya transmitted nearly the entire amount of money to bank accounts in Mexico.
- $561,463.25 of illicit proceeds from the fraudulent sale of 555 Hollister Street. Upon receipt, Villalobos withdrew all the money by international wire transfers to accounts in Mexico and Jordan, and in cash withdrawals.
The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on September 4, 2026, at 9 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Dana M. Sabraw.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Beeler and David Kete.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 25-CR-4686-DMS
Victor Hugo Villalobos Almazan Age: 48 Mexico
Nayeli Noemi Montoya Rodriguez Age: 48 Mexico
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Bank Fraud Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1349
Maximum penalty: Thirty years in prison and $250,000 fine
Bank Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1344(2)
Maximum penalty: Thirty years in prison and $250,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Homeland Security Investigations
Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation
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.
Hudsonville Man Sentenced for Possessing and Transferring Machinegun Conversion DevicesRead the Press Release
ATF Recovered Seven “Switches” from Ethan Carter’s Home, Including One Installed on a Pistol
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey announced that Ethan Carter, age 18 of Hudsonville, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for possession and transferring a machinegun. In imposing sentence, U.S. District Judge Robert J. Jonker observed that he had “seen a lot of carnage on the street from conversion devices,” and noted that the sentence had to account for deterring not only Carter but others who might be drawn toward the same conduct.
“Selling machine gun conversion devices is like selling sticks of dynamite,” said U.S. Attorney VerHey. “We know from sad experience that it’s only a matter of time before they kill someone. That’s why we prosecute these cases no matter who we catch doing it. We don’t know for sure how many of these devices Carter sold, but he bragged about selling a hundred of them. I hope he was lying about that. But even if he transferred less than that, his conduct was incredibly dangerous to the rest of us.”
In June 2025, Carter gave a machinegun conversion device to another person. When installed on a semiautomatic gun, a machinegun conversion device, often called a “switch,” allows the weapon to shoot automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single pull of the trigger. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) executed a search warrant at Carter’s home several weeks later and found approximately six additional machinegun conversion devices, as well as a Glock pistol with a machinegun conversion device installed.
Carter pleaded guilty to one count of possession and transfer of a machinegun on February 11, 2026. Although the advisory sentencing guidelines called for 24 to 30 months, Judge Jonker granted a partial variance, weighing Carter's age among the relevant factors. In addition to the 15-month prison term, Carter will serve two years on supervised release.
“Ethan Carter chose to make a quick buck selling an illegal machine gun conversion device in another state and it almost cost him his life. He essentially knowingly risked his future when he clearly chose to possess and distribute devices that turn pistols into illegal machineguns. Those were not youthful mistakes—they were reckless decisions that threatened public safety across this nation,” said James Deir, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Detroit Field Division. “If you traffic in machinegun conversion devices, expect ATF to identify you, track you down, and hold you accountable.”
This case was investigated by ATF and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Roth and Constance Turnbull.
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.
Guatemalan human smugglers admit to roles in 2021 mass casualty event in Chiapas, MexicoRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas - Two foreign nationals have pleaded guilty to human smuggling charges related to the crash of a tractor-trailer packed with at least 160 illegal aliens which resulted in the deaths of more than 50 people, including unaccompanied children, and injured over 100 more.
Josefa Quino Canil De Zavala, 43, and Alberto Marcario Chitic, 32, both of Guatemala, acknowledged that they conspired with other smugglers to transport illegal aliens, both adults and unaccompanied minors, from Guatemala through Mexico to the United States. Canil De Zavala, Chitic and others recruited Guatemalan aliens, collected payment, and arranged for the aliens to travel by foot, inside microbuses, cattle trucks, and tractor-trailers.
Aliens paid Canil De Zavala and Chitic and their co-conspirators to be smuggled to the United States. In some cases, Canil De Zavala, Chitic and their co-conspirators provided scripted language to unaccompanied minors for their use if U.S. immigration authorities apprehended them.
During the conspiracy, on Dec. 9, 2021, Canil De Zavala, Chitic and others arranged for the aliens they were smuggling to the United States to be loaded into a tractor trailer that was to transport them through Mexico. The vehicle ultimately crashed north of the Guatemala/Mexico border near Tuxtla Guiterrez, Chiapas, Mexico, resulting in deaths and serious bodily injury.
“The defendants ran a calculated alien smuggling operation that moved people across borders like a supply chain—recruiting them in Guatemala, collecting their money, and packing them into cattle trucks and tractor-trailers for a dangerous journey through Mexico,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck for the Southern District of Texas. “This was an organized, profit-driven network that even handed scripts to children so they could lie to law enforcement if caught entering the United States. That operation ended with the loss of more than 50 lives on a Mexican roadside, and today’s convictions make clear that the Southern District of Texas will work to shut down these networks at every level.”
“This tragic event shows that human smugglers do not care about the illegal aliens they come in contact with and transport despite the numerous risks, including extreme heat and dangerous travel conditions,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duvan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This defendant and her co-conspirators maximized their profits by packing more than 100 men, women, and children into a tractor trailer, which ultimately ended in an accident that claimed the lives of 56 people.”
“This case highlights Homeland Security Investigations’ unwavering commitment to dismantling transnational criminal organizations that exploit vulnerable individuals for profit. This horrific tragedy, which claimed dozens of lives, underscores the urgent need to combat human smuggling,” said HSI Acting Executive Associate Director John Condon. “The successful prosecution of these smugglers reflects the dedication of our agents and the coordinated efforts of our domestic and international partners to safeguard our borders and uphold the rule of law.”
Canil De Zavala and Chitic pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring and attempt to bring an illegal alien into the United States, placing life in jeopardy, causing serious bodily injury and resulting in death. U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo has set sentencing for Sept. 9. At that time, Ramos faces up to life in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Canil De Zavala, Chitic and three other Guatemalan nationals: Daniel Zavala Ramos, 41, Tomas Quino Canil, 37, and Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino, 25, were extradited from Guatemala in 2025 to face charges. U.S. authorities arrested an additional Guatemalan national illegally present in the United States, Jorge Agapito Ventura, 33, at his residence in Cleveland in December 2024. Ramos entered a guilty plea in April. The others are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
HSI’s Counter Proliferation Investigations Group in Washington D.C. conducted the investigation in partnership with HSI Guatemala and HSI Mexico. Valuable assistance was provided by HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C.; HSI Houston; HSI Laredo; U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s International Interdiction Task Force; U.S. Border Patrol; Liberty County Constable, Precinct 6; ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston; U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas; and the Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions. Guatemalan prosecutors from the Office of Public Ministry and Mexican prosecutors from the Republic of Mexico’s Federal Prosecutions Office, with the support of law enforcement officials from both countries, were also instrumental in furthering the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary Lou Castillo and Jennifer Day are prosecuting the case along with Senior Trial Attorney Danielle Hickman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section with substantial assistance from HRSP Latin American Specialist/Historian Joanna Crandall.
The investigation and charges are supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha, the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking cartels and transnational criminal organizations commit. A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, 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 maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s HRSP Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section; Office of International Affairs and 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 458 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 408 U.S. convictions; more than 357 significant jail sentences imposed and forfeitures of substantial assets.
This case is also 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.
Guatemalan Human Smugglers Admit to Roles in 2021 Mass Casualty Event in Chiapas, MexicoRead the Press Release
Two foreign nationals have pleaded guilty to human smuggling charges related to the crash of a tractor-trailer packed with at least 160 illegal aliens which resulted in the deaths of more than 50 people, including unaccompanied children, and injured over 100 more.
“This tragic event shows that human smugglers do not care about the illegal aliens they come in contact with and transport despite the numerous risks, including extreme heat and dangerous travel conditions,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This defendant and her co-conspirators maximized their profits by packing more than 100 men, women, and children into a tractor trailer, which ultimately ended in an accident that claimed the lives of 56 people.”
“The defendants ran a calculated alien smuggling operation that moved people across borders like a supply chain — recruiting them in Guatemala, collecting their money, and packing them into cattle trucks and tractor-trailers for a dangerous journey through Mexico,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck for the Southern District of Texas. “This was an organized, profit-driven network that even handed scripts to children so they could lie to law enforcement if caught entering the United States. That operation ended with the loss of more than 50 lives on a Mexican roadside, and today’s convictions make clear that the Southern District of Texas will work to shut down these networks at every level.”
“This case highlights Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) unwavering commitment to dismantling transnational criminal organizations that exploit vulnerable individuals for profit,” said Acting Executive Associate Director John Condon. “This horrific tragedy, which claimed dozens of lives, underscores the urgent need to combat human smuggling. The successful prosecution of these smugglers reflects the dedication of our agents and the coordinated efforts of our domestic and international partners to safeguard our borders and uphold the rule of law.”
Josefa Quino Canil De Zavala, 43, and Alberto Marcario Chitic, 32, both of Guatemala, acknowledged that they conspired with other smugglers to transport illegal aliens, both adults and unaccompanied minors, from Guatemala through Mexico to the United States. Canil De Zavala, Chitic and others recruited Guatemalan aliens, collected payment, and arranged for the aliens to travel by foot, inside microbuses, cattle trucks, and tractor-trailers.
Aliens paid Canil De Zavala and Chitic and their co-conspirators to be smuggled to the United States. In some cases, Canil De Zavala, Chitic and their co-conspirators provided scripted language to unaccompanied minors for their use if U.S. immigration authorities apprehended them.
During the conspiracy, on Dec. 9, 2021, Canil De Zavala, Chitic and others arranged for the aliens they were smuggling to the United States to be loaded into a tractor trailer that was to transport them through Mexico. The vehicle ultimately crashed north of the Guatemala/Mexico border near Tuxtla Guiterrez, Chiapas, Mexico, resulting in deaths and serious bodily injury.
Canil De Zavala and Chitic pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring and attempt to bring an illegal alien to the United States, placing life in jeopardy, causing serious bodily injury, and resulting in death. They will be sentenced on Sept. 9 and each will face a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Canil De Zavala, Chitic and three other Guatemalan nationals: Daniel Zavala Ramos, 41, Tomas Quino Canil, 37, and Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino, 25, were extradited from Guatemala in 2025 to face charges. U.S. authorities arrested an additional Guatemalan national illegally present in the U.S., Jorge Agapito Ventura, 33, at his residence in Cleveland, Texas, in December 2024. Ramos entered a guilty plea in April. The others are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
HSI’s Counter Proliferation Investigations Group in Washington D.C. investigated the case in partnership with HSI Guatemala and HSI Mexico. Valuable assistance was provided by HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C.; HSI Houston; HSI Laredo; U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s International Interdiction Task Force; U.S. Border Patrol; Liberty County Constable, Precinct 6; ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston; U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas; and the Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions of the defendants. Guatemalan prosecutors from the Office of Public Ministry and Mexican prosecutors from the Republic of Mexico’s Federal Prosecutions Office, with the support of law enforcement officials from both countries, were also instrumental in furthering the investigation.
Senior Trial Attorney Danielle Hickman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary Lou Castillo and Jennifer Day for the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case, with substantial assistance from HRSP Latin American Specialist/Historian Joanna Crandall.
The investigation and charges are 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 U.S. Attorneys 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 458 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 408 U.S. convictions; more than 357 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.
This case is also 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
GoodFellas Gang Members Sentenced to Federal Prison for Crimes of Violence, Firearms Offenses, and Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Five members of the GoodFellas criminal street gang, four of whom were convicted felons, have been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking, armed robbery, and firearms offenses.
“These gang members maimed children in a drive-by shooting, beat and robbed a man, introduced poisonous drugs into a state prison, trafficked cocaine, and unlawfully possessed firearms,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “We will continue to partner with federal and local law enforcement to dismantle the GoodFellas gang and prosecute its members who engage in violence or traffic drugs in our community.”
“Violent gangs like the Goodfellas terrorize local communities and threaten everyone’s safety,” said Marlo Graham, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI and its local, state, and federal partners will remain relentless in the fight to identify, disrupt, and dismantle violent criminal organizations.”
“Violent gangs that engage in shootings, armed robberies, drug trafficking, and firearms offenses have no place in our communities,” said Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum. “These sentences send a clear message that individuals who use violence and intimidation to further criminal enterprises will be brought to justice. We are proud of the collaborative work with our federal and local partners that helped secure these outcomes and make Atlanta safer for our residents.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: The GoodFellas is an Atlanta-based gang that primarily recruits members in Atlanta neighborhoods as well as jails and prisons within Georgia. The gang generates money through, among other criminal activities, drug trafficking, robbery, carjacking, fraud, and firearms trafficking. The gang protects its operation, turf, and reputation through violence and threats of violence.
This week, three GoodFellas gang members were sentenced after pleading guilty to federal crimes tied to their gang activity. Additionally, two other gang members were sentenced previously, and a sixth gang member is scheduled to be sentenced next month.
De’Andre Jackson
On January 17, 2021, Jackson and other armed members of the GoodFellas gang drove to an Atlanta apartment complex, where they intended to shoot a woman who they believed was not loyal to their gang. Jackson and the others discharged multiple firearms—striking the intended target, her 6-year-old son, and a 14-year-old child—after the mother and son walked to a mailbox to retrieve their mail. The intended target was shot more than six times; her son was shot three times, including in the abdomen and knee; and the 14-year-old victim was shot in the ear. Approximately 50 shell casings were recovered from the scene. Each victim survived.
Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Geraghty sentenced De’Andre Jackson, also known as “Gen,” “Glock,” and “Glizzy,” 23, of Clarkston, Georgia, to 15 years and six months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. Jackson was convicted of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence after he pleaded guilty on March 9, 2026.
Trayvon Hawkins
On April 17, 2024, Hawkins went to a relative’s home in Atlanta, Georgia and struck a man there in the head with a firearm. During the attack, two additional males arrived, kicked down the front door, and joined in attacking the victim. Before leaving, Hawkins stole a backpack from the victim that contained narcotics. During a later search of Hawkins’s residence in Atlanta, law enforcement agents found four firearms that Hawkins was prohibited from possessing due to his violent criminal history.
Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen sentenced Trayvon Hawkins, a/k/a “Baby Cold World” and “Freeze,” 27, of Atlanta, Georgia, to nine years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. Hawkins was convicted of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence after he pleaded guilty on February 24, 2026.
Daquan Cosby, Jerrell Rucker, Bentorrey Moore, and Tavarus Beard
On August 3, 2023, Cosby and a co-conspirator, Jerrell Rucker, used a drone to drop contraband into Telfair State Prison from a nearby car. After law enforcement attempted to stop the vehicle, Cosby and Rucker sped off, and a chase ensued. When the vehicle hit a ditch, Cosby and Rucker fled on foot. Rucker was apprehended but Cosby escaped. A search of the vehicle revealed a drone and more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. During a subsequent search of Cosby’s residence in Decatur, Georgia, law enforcement agents arrested Cosby and recovered a dozen firearms and a kilogram of cocaine that belonged to co-defendants Bentorrey Moore and Tavarus Beard, who were both convicted felons prohibited from possessing firearms.
On June 8, 2026, Chief U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May sentenced Daquan Cosby, 28, of Decatur, Georgia, to nine years in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release. Cosby was convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine after pleading guilty on November 7, 2024. Chief Judge May previously sentenced Rucker to 10 years in prison and Moore to 5 years in prison. On February 17, 2026, Beard pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, and felon in possession of a firearm. His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for July 13, 2026.
All of these cases were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren E. Renaud. Additionally, Trial Attorney Sarah J. Rasalam of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section prosecuted the Jackson case, and the Atlanta Police Department investigated the Hawkins case.
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.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Four Individuals Arrested for Conspiracy to Commit Identity Theft, Wire Fraud, Bank Fraud, Social Security Misuse, Aggravated Identity Theft and Forced LaborRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On June 10, 2026, a federal grand jury returned a 21-count indictment charging six individuals with conspiracy to commit identity theft, wire fraud, bank fraud, social security misuse, aggravated identity theft, and forced labor. The following agencies partnered with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate the case and execute the arrests today: Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General (SSA-OIG), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), with the collaboration of the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), the Tennessee Highway Patrol, and the United States Secret Service.
According to court documents, defendants
- Josué A. Marrero-Otero (fugitive)
- Yesenia Marrero-Collazo (arrested)
- Anthony Marrero-Rosario (arrested)
- Vivian D. Marrero-Ginés (arrested)
- José A. Vilorio-Figuereo (arrested)
conspired with each other and a sixth defendant (not identified publicly or arrested) to produce and transfer identification documents, authentication features and false identification documents including, Puerto Rico birth certificates, social security cards, and Puerto Rico driver’s license, that appeared to have been issued by or under the authority of the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and were in and affected interstate commerce, knowing that such documents and features were stolen and produced without lawful authority. As noted above, defendant Josué A. Marrero-Otero remains a fugitive from justice.
To execute the fraudulent scheme, defendant Anthony Marrero-Rosario produced the documents with identifying information belonging to real individuals, provided them to his brother Josué A. Marrero-Otero who knowingly transferred and used the falsified documents to fraudulently apply for bank loans with Bank A and Bank B using the stolen identities. Marrero-Otero and his partner Yesenia Marrero-Collazo forced vulnerable victims to fraudulently apply for bank loans with Bank A and Bank B using the stolen identities; and along with defendant Vivian D. Marrero-Ginés forced vulnerable victims to fraudulently apply for lines of credit with Bank C and Bank D and retail stores, using the stolen identities. The defendants obtained approximately $114,559.49 in money and property by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises.
Josué A. Marrero-Otero and Yesenia Marrero-Collazo are facing one count of forced labor. From September 2023 through December 2023, these defendants forced Victim-1 through threats of physical violence to submit false information using false and fraudulent identification documents to obtain commercial credit and property for the benefit of Marrero-Otero and Marrero-Collazo.
Defendant José A. Vilorio-Figuereo participated in the conspiracy and knowingly transferred false identification documents by mail to the continental United States.
“Financial fraud is one of the largest challenges facing American citizens and businesses today. Prevention and prosecution of crimes of this nature will remain a top priority for the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said United States Attorney, W. Stephen Muldrow. “The defendants took advantage of vulnerable victims and used them to get loans and credit lines fraudulently, to enrich themselves. We understand there may be more victims, so if you suspect you could be one, or know about other victims, please contact HSI at (787) 729-6969 or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324).”
“Today’s arrests demonstrate HSI San Juan’s steadfast commitment to protecting our communities from those who exploit the most vulnerable for financial gain,” said Yariel Ramos, HSI San Juan Acting Special Agent in Charge. “This criminal organization not only stole identities and defrauded financial institutions, it preyed on people experiencing homelessness and coerced them into participating in its schemes. Thanks to the outstanding collaboration between our federal, state, and local partners, we have dismantled a dangerous network and sent a clear message that those who engage in identity theft, document fraud, and forced labor will be aggressively investigated and brought to justice.”
"In this case vulnerable individuals were exploited through identity theft, fraud, and coercion for personal gain," said Carlos R. Goris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's San Juan Field Office. "The FBI remains committed to protecting our communities from those who seek to profit by manipulating and victimizing others, and we will continue working alongside our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and hold accountable those who seek to enrich themselves through fraud, and the victimization vulnerable members of our communities.” The defendants will make their initial court appearances today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mariana Bauzá-Almonte of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a mandatory consecutive sentence of at least two years in prison for the aggravated identity theft charges. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa D. Bonano-Rodríguez from the Social Security Administration is prosecuting the case.
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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Four Defendants Plead Guilty to Federal Crimes Related to the Murder of Puerto Rico Police Sergeant Eliezer Ramos Vélez in Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) ProsecutionRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico, W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney, in conjunction with our partner agencies in the Homeland Security Task Force (“HSTF”) announce the guilty pleas of the following four defendants charged in Criminal Case No. 24-453 (MAJ).
- Victor J. Pérez-Fernández, a/k/a “La Cone”, “Vitu”, “Vitikin”, “Enano”
- Luis N. Isaac-Sánchez, a/k/a “Chimbo”, “CDobleta”, “Dobleta”
- Olvin O’Neill Concepción-Tapia, a/k/a “Sinfo”
- Daniel J. López-Vega, a/k/a “Dany”
All four defendants, as reflected in the Plea Agreements, accepted responsibility for their role and participation in the drug trafficking conspiracy (Count One) in violation of Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 841(a)(1), 846, and 860. The drug conspiracy charged that the defendants conspired with others to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute significant quantities of drugs, including heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana, and other drugs in the Sabana Abajo Public Housing Project (PHP), Luis Llorens Torres PHP, Los Mirtos PHP, Lagos de Blasina PHP, La Esmeralda PHP, El Coral PHP, Jardines de Monte Hatillo PHP and other nearby areas. That offense carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of ten years and a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Two defendants – Pérez-Fernández and Issac-Sánchez – also pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking (Count Seven), in violation of Title 18, U.S.C., Section 924(c). That charge carries a mandatory sentence of five years’ imprisonment (and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment), to be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed.
Two defendants – Concepción-Tapia and López-Vega – also pleaded guilty to the substantive firearms-related murder of Sgt. Ramos Vélez (Count Nine), in violation of Title 18, U.S.C., Section 924(c)(2), which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
All four defendants admitted to their participation in the murder of Sgt. Ramos-Vélez and all plea agreements include a provision that the murder sentencing guidelines provision (U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Section 2A1.1), applies to their cases. The murder guidelines provision applies whether a defendant pleaded guilty to the drug trafficking conspiracy (Count One) or to the substantive firearms-related murder (Count Nine). Specifics with respect to each guilty plea are below:
- On June 10, 2026, Victor J. Pérez-Fernández pleaded guilty before United States District Court Judge María Antongiorgi-Jordán to his participation in the charged drug trafficking conspiracy (Count One) and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking (Count Seven). The Court set the defendant’s sentencing date for September 18, 2026.
- On June 11, 2026, Luis N. Isaac-Sánchez pleaded guilty before United States District Court Judge María Antongiorgi-Jordán to his participation in the charged drug trafficking conspiracy (Count One) and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking (Count Seven). The Court set the defendant’s sentencing date for September 22, 2026.
- On June 11, 2026, Olvin O’Neill Concepción-Tapia pleaded guilty before United States District Court Judge María Antongiorgi-Jordán to his participation in the charged drug trafficking conspiracy (Count One) and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking resulting in the death of Sgt. Ramos-Velez (Count Nine). The Court set the defendant’s sentencing date for September 22, 2026.
- On June 11, 2026, Daniel J. López-Vega pleaded guilty before United States District Court Judge María Antongiorgi-Jordán to his participation in the charged drug trafficking conspiracy (Count One) and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking resulting in the death of Sgt. Ramos-Velez (Count Nine). The Court set the defendant’s sentencing date for September 22, 2026.
Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) and Chief of the Gang Section Alberto López-Rocafort; Deputy Chief of the Gang Section, AUSA Teresa Zapata-Valladares; and AUSAs Laura Díaz-González, and Joseph Russell are prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
HSTF 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.
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Former assistant D-A pleads guilty to drug/gun chargeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Delenci Shannon-Brown, 30, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to being and unlawful user of controlled substance in possession of firearm, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000.
The Erie County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI began investigating Shannon-Brown in early July 2024. On July 24, 2024, investigators conducted a controlled sale of K2/Spice involving Shannon-Brown. In the late afternoon, deputies conducted a traffic stop on his vehicle. Shannon-Brown was taken to the Sherriff’s office where he consented to a sobriety test, which determined he was under the influence of a controlled substance. Shannon-Brown was arrested and charged with operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs. During a search of his vehicle, investigators recovered a pistol, and a baggie containing K2/Spice. On July 26, 2024, investigators executed a search warrant at Shannon-Brown’s residence in Buffalo. During the search, they seized 11.8 pounds of marijuana, a loaded pistol, Court documents relevant to New York State Grand Jury minutes and a case file, an Assistant District Attorney training manual, and numerous business cards identifying Shannon-Brown as an Erie County Assistant District Attorney. Shannon-Brown admits that between March and July 26, 2024, he used either marijuana or K2/Spice frequently. In addition, during that time he possessed a pistol.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney P. Richard Antoine. The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Brendan Dunford, and the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff John Garcia.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Sinatra.
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Former Turkey Leg Hut owner admits role in arson-for-hire schemeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A Houston businessman has pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit arson of a commercial building, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Lyndell Leroy Price, 42, admitted he directed others to intentionally set fire to Bar 5015, a Houston business his former partner owned on Almeda Road in Houston. Shortly before the fire, court records show that the owner had declined Price’s offer to buy into the bar and refused to sell his interest in the Turkey Leg Hut, an establishment he co-owned with Price.
In the early morning hours of June 12, 2020, the conspirators bought gasoline and gas cans before going to an area near the business. Wearing face coverings and carrying gasoline-filled containers, they walked to Bar 5015, poured gasoline across the entrance ramp and deck, ignited it and fled.
The fire caused significant damage to the business and endangered nearby occupied homes, commercial properties and the electrical grid.
After the arson, a member of the conspiracy reported to Price that the mission was complete. The conspirators then received payment for their roles in the crime.
U.S. District Judge Lake accepted the plea and set sentencing for Sept. 25. At that time, Price faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Armani Williams and Miziah Shepherd, both 27 and of Houston, previously pleaded guilty to the same charge and are also set for sentencing the same date.
Price, Williams and Shepherd have been and will remain in custody pending their sentencing hearings.
FBI – Houston; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Houston Fire Department Arson Bureau conducted the investigation with assistance of Houston Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety and Harris County Constable’s Office – Precinct 4. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sebastian A. Edwards and Keri Fuller are prosecuting the case.
Former Fort Gordon soldier pleads guilty to second degree murderRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, Georgia: The defendant charged in the December 2024 shooting death of a Fort Gordon soldier faces up to life in federal prison after pleading guilty in U.S. District Court.
Natravien R. Landry, 27, of Abbeville, Louisiana, a former soldier in the U.S. Army National Guard, pled guilty to Murder in the Second Degree and Use of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence in the death of U.S. Army Sgt. Andre S. Stewart Jr., said Margaret E. “Meg” Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
The plea agreement subjects Landry to a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, up to life, along with substantial financial penalties and a period of supervised release upon completion of any prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“This guilty plea acknowledges the defendant’s responsibility, representing a step towards justice,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “We commend the dedication of the U.S. Army CID and prosecutors whose efforts ensured this case would conclude in a conviction.”
As described in court documents and testimony, Landry was an Army National Guard soldier assigned to the 1148th Transportation Company at Fort Gordon. He was working with his Guard unit at Fort Gordon early in the morning of Dec. 14, 2024, when he visited an apartment on the installation of a woman with whom Landry shares a child. After seeing a vehicle parked outside the apartment and suspecting another man was at the residence, Landry walked inside the apartment to a bedroom upstairs and found Stewart and two children. Landry, who was aware Stewart was unarmed, shot him once in chest. Stewart later was pronounced dead in the apartment.
After the shooting, Landry drove away from Fort Gordon and was arrested about three hours later south of Atlanta on Interstate 85 during a traffic stop by the Meriwether County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office. Deputies recovered a 9 mm Glock pistol that testing proved was used in the shooting.
U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall will schedule a sentencing hearing upon completion of a presentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services.
"This plea is a testament to the outstanding investigative efforts of our Army CID agents, as well as the dedication of the DOJ prosecution team, and is indicative of our commitment to ensure justice for victims of heinous crimes such as this,” said Ryan O’Connor, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division Southeast Field Office. "Army CID will continue to work closely with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners to pursue those who would harm members of our communities, and to hold them fully accountable for their actions."
This case was investigated by the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Criminal Division Chief Patricia G. Rhodes and Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry W. Syms Jr.
Former Director of a Brooklyn Daycare Pleads Guilty to Wire FraudRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Murielle Misczak pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud her former employer, a Brooklyn daycare (the Daycare), of more than $2.75 million. The proceeding was held before United States District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis. When sentenced, Misczak faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment as well as restitution of $2,805,871.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the guilty plea.
“The defendant took advantage of her access to bank accounts for the Daycare to steal millions in tuition payments in order to line her own pockets and fund trips to World Wrestling Entertainment events among other personal expenses,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Our Office will continue to vigorously prosecute individuals like the defendant who abuse positions of trust and seek to enrich themselves at the expense of services for children.”
“Murielle Misczak’s selfish greed deprived a local daycare of nearly three million dollars in critical funding intended for services to support the development and care of our communities’ children. The FBI continues to pull back the curtain on fraudsters seeking to steal from innocent New Yorkers, regardless of their cover up attempts,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.
As set forth in court filings, Misczak was hired by the Daycare in 2013 as Program Coordinator and was later promoted to Director in 2020. Starting in January 2022 and continuing through October 2025, Misczak stole more than $2.75 million in tuition payments by directing them to be paid into accounts she controlled and then transferring those payments into her own accounts. Misczak hid her theft from the Daycare by deleting and altering information in the Daycare’s accounting systems. Misczak spent over $600,000 in stolen funds on travel and entertainment, including over $350,000 on tickets to professional wrestling events, as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars on luxury goods and various personal expenses such as food delivery and ride sharing services.”
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Shannon C. Jones and Sophia M. Suarez are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Melina Piatti-Chayan.
The Defendant:
MURIELLE MISCZAK
Age: 43
Brooklyn, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 26-CR-65 (NGG)
Florida Man Sentenced for Defrauding Local Doctor of Almost $500,000Read the Press Release
LYNCHBURG, Va. – A Miramar, Florida man was sentenced yesterday to 41 months in federal prison for perpetuating a lengthy scheme to defraud a Lynchburg doctor out of nearly a half million dollars.
Tommie Lee Nelson, 66, pled guilty in February 2026 to one count of wire fraud.
According to court documents, beginning around April 2020, the victim, a Lynchburg doctor, sought to purchase a commercial building in Danville, Virginia, in partnership with an agricultural cooperative. Nelson represented himself to the victim as a “hard money” lender who could assist in purchasing the building.
Through Nelson’s fraudulent representations, he convinced the victim to wire him several payments from July 2020 and into 2021, ultimately totaling almost $500,000. Despite Nelson’s representations, these payments did not go toward the building purchase. Instead, Nelson spent the victim’s money at casinos and for his personal benefit.
By 2021, the purchase agreement had fallen through, and Nelson stopped responding to the victim’s calls.
First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement today.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew O. Inman prosecuted the case for the United States.
Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced to More Than 16 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Ben Gordon (35, St. Petersburg) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge John Badalamenti to 16 years and 6 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. Gordon pleaded guilty on February 22, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, on September 6, 2023, DEA task force officers conducted an operation utilizing a confidential source to purchase one pound of methamphetamine and approximately 27 grams of fentanyl from Gordon. On November 3, 2023, the officers conducted another operation utilizing the same confidential source to buy one pound of methamphetamine and approximately 56 grams of fentanyl from Gordon, and Gordon was later arrested.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brooke M. Padgett.
Federal and Local Officials Dismantle Oregon-Idaho Based Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
BOISE – Four members of a drug trafficking organization that operated in both Idaho and Oregon have been sentenced to a combined thirty-seven and half years in federal prison, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today.
According to court records, in 2024 law enforcement began investigating a drug trafficking organization that was distributing methamphetamine in southwestern Idaho and eastern Oregon. Members of the organization obtained methamphetamine from California and brought it back to Idaho and Oregon for further distribution. During the investigation and subsequent arrests, law enforcement seized over 17 pounds of methamphetamine. Chief U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford sentenced each of the defendants to federal prison.
Juan Pulido, 44, of Caldwell, was sentenced to 188 months in prison for possessing methamphetamine with the intent of distributing it to others. At the time he committed the crime, Pulido had four prior drug trafficking convictions. During sentencing, Judge Brailsford described Pulido as a “large scale methamphetamine supplier.” Pulido was ordered to serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Maleah Rochelle Benavidez, 31, of Ontario, Oregon, was sentenced to 120 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. During her involvement in the conspiracy, Benavidez was absconding supervision on two prior drug trafficking convictions.
Daniel Ryan Carrion, 38, of Ontario, Oregon, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. During the investigation, Carrion led law enforcement on a high-speed chase, creating such a significant danger that officers had to end the pursuit. During the pursuit, Carrion threw a pound of methamphetamine in an open field that law enforcement officers seized.
Wesley John Roehl, 41, of Boise, was sentenced to 24 months, followed by three years of supervised release for distributing methamphetamine.
“Out of state acquisition of illegal narcotics endangers our community,” said U.S. Attorney Bart Davis. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to working with our federal, state, and local law enforcement to zealously prosecute those bringing drugs into Idaho.”
“This investigation reflects DEA’s commitment to disrupting drug trafficking organizations that threaten the safety of our communities,” said Robert A. Saccone, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “Through strong partnerships with our federal, state, and local law enforcement counterparts, we will continue to identify, investigate, and hold accountable those who profit from distributing dangerous drugs in Idaho and Oregon.”
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration in coordination with the Nampa Police Department and the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program. HIDTA is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multiagency drug enforcement initiatives, including the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force, which includes the Nampa Police Department, Boise Police Department, Ada County Sherriff’s Office, Meridian Police Department, Caldwell Police Department, Idaho State Police, and the Idaho Department of Corrections, Probation and Parole. Other agencies that assisted in the investigation included the United States Postal Inspector Service and the High Desert Drug Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Manweiler prosecuted the case.
The Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force and the High Desert Drug Task Force are both supported by the HIDTA program, which provides funding resources to multiagency drug enforcement initiatives to identify, disrupt, and dismantle local, multi-state, and international drug trafficking organizations using an intelligence-driven, multi-agency prosecutor-supported approach.
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Federal Jury Convicts Saluda County Man and Charlotte, NC Woman for $25M Wire Fraud and Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Demani Jawara Bosket, 51, of Saluda, South Carolina and his niece, Tanya Lashawn Bosket, 53, of Charlotte, North Carolina have been convicted by a federal jury following seven days of trial. Both Boskets were found guilty of one count of wire fraud conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Demani Bosket was found guilty of six separate counts of wire fraud, and Tanya Bosket was found guilty of four counts of wire fraud.
Evidence introduced at trial showed that foreign entities conducted a campaign of business email compromises (BECs) targeting companies across the United States. In these BEC frauds, the foreign entities would gain access to a business user’s email account. The foreign entities would monitor email communications in search of upcoming large transactions. Once they identified a large transaction, the foreign entities would send false email messages to the companies and direct payments to bank accounts controlled by the fraudsters. Multiple victims testified during the trial that a variety of real estate transactions, vendor payments, loan disbursements, and even an inheritance transfer were compromised and diverted away from the intended recipient.
The scheme was dependent on US-based bank accounts to receive the fraudulently obtained funds. Evidence produced during the trial showed that Demani Bosket was a US-based recruiter and manager of the fraud ring. Demani Bosket instructed other individuals, including Tanya Bosket, to register sham businesses with state authorities and then open business accounts at multiple banks. Once a business was targeted in a BEC scheme, the funds would be deposited or transferred into bank accounts controlled by the fraud ring. Demani Bosket would then direct the others to quickly drain the funds from the account by cash withdrawal and cashier’s checks. The funds would be transferred and withdrawn through multiple accounts to stymie the banks and victims of the fraud from recovering the funds. Demani Bosket and other members of the fraud ring would retain a portion of the funds before sending the funds overseas. Between 2020 and 2024, the scheme bilked over $25 million from individuals and businesses in the United States. The United States Secret Service was able to recover approximately $2.5 million to return to victims.“This case involved a sophisticated transnational fraud ring that stole more than $25 million from victims across the country – targeting everything from real estate closings to inheritance transfers,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “The jury saw through this scheme and rendered the right verdict. Our office will always prioritize protecting South Carolinians and all Americans from financial predators who exploit trust and technology for person gain.”
“This verdict underscores our unwavering commitment to protecting American businesses and individuals from complex, organized cyber enabled fraud,” said Special Agent in Charge Donald “Trey” Eakins, Charlotte Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation. “The Boskets were part of a scheme that siphoned more than $25 million from victims across the country, exploiting trust, technology, and the financial system for personal gain. Thanks to the diligent work of IRS-CI special agents and our law enforcement partners, the perpetrators will be held accountable. We will continue to pursue those who engage in business email compromise schemes and ensure they face justice.”
The majority of those indicted in the conspiracy entered guilty pleas to wire fraud conspiracy for their roles in the fraud ring prior to the end of trial. Those defendants are Jahbir Rolando Fowle, 45, of Charlotte, North Carolina; Raymone Tyshay Scott Sr., 49, of Jacksonville, Florida; Michael Bevans-Silva, 39, of Savannah, Georgia; Carlise Roland, 33, of Auburn, Washington; Daniel Alexander Edwards, 52, of Jacksonville, Florida; Danny Heard, 42, of Jacksonville, Florida; and Jamian Butler, 36, of Jacksonville, Florida.
Demani Bosket faces a maximum penalty of 30 years, a fine of up to $50,000,000 and restitution. Tanya Bosket faces a maximum penalty of 20 years, a fine of up to $50,000,000 and restitution. U.S. District Judge Sherri Lydon presided over the trial and will sentence Demani and Tanya Bosket after receiving and reviewed a pre-sentence report from the U.S. Probation Office.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Agency for International Development – Office of Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI Columbia Field Office, and United States Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys T. DeWayne Pearson and A. Lothrop Morris prosecuted the case.Federal Grand Jury Indicts Five Sex Offenders for Registry ViolationsRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – A federal grand jury in the Western District of Tennessee has indicted five sex offenders for violations of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). United States Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced the returns of the federal indictments today.
Through SORNA, the federal government established a comprehensive national system for the registration of sex offenders, which requires sex offenders to register where they live, work, and/or attend school. It is a felony offense for sex offenders to fail to register or to fail to update their registration.
The federal grand jury indicted the following defendants for SORNA registry violations in the Western District of Tennessee:
Porcha Lashay Adams, 30, who was convicted in Arkansas in 2024 of sexual assault in the first degree, was charged with failure to register from May 4, 2025 through February 9, 2026.
William Eugene Logan, 57, who was convicted in Tennessee in 1987 of sexual battery and in 2013 of sexual battery by an authority figure, was charged with failure to register since at least January 2026.
Ricky Lee Peals, 65, who was convicted in Arkansas in 1990 of rape, was charged with failure to register from October 18, 2021 through December 15, 2025.
Justin Thompson, 28, who was convicted in Mississippi in 2018 of sexual battery, was charged with failure to register from December 18, 2025 through May 9, 2026.
James Marshall Vandiver, 48, who was convicted in the Western District of Tennessee in 2008 of enticement of a minor, was charged with failure to register from August 27, 2024 through November 24, 2025.
This offense carries penalties of imprisonment for up to ten years, a fine of up to $250,000, and supervised release for five years to life. If a defendant is convicted of the offense, a federal judge will determine the sentence to impose after considering the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, “Sex offender registration and notification programs are important to provide the general public and law enforcement with crucial location and conviction information to help communities stay safe and aware. This office will always aggressively prosecute violations of SORNA to hold non-compliant sex offenders accountable.”
U.S. Marshal Tyreece Miller, of the Western District of Tennessee, said, “The U.S. Marshals Service will always fulfill its mission to protect the public from sex offenders through coordinated enforcement of sex offender registration laws.”
These cases were investigated by the United States Marshals Service (USMS).
Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Delery and Special Assistant United States Attorney J. Cruz Rodriguez, of the United States Army Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps, are prosecuting these cases on behalf of the government.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law.
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For more information, please contact the media relations team at [email protected]. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates
Fayette County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Eddie Daivon Morgan, also known as “Gutta,” 45, of Mount Hope, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 30, 2022, law enforcement officers had an active warrant for Morgan’s arrest on a malicious wounding charge when they observed him enter a vehicle in Fayette County. Officers conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle and found Morgan laying in the back seat of the vehicle. Officers seized a loaded Glock model 42 .380-caliber pistol and a loaded SCCY 9mm pistol from Morgan’s person.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Morgan knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for use of a communication facility to facilitate a drug trafficking offense in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on January 24, 2013.
Morgan has a criminal history that also includes felony convictions for second-degree manslaughter, attempted second-degree murder, malicious assault, wanton endangerment involving a firearm, and use or presentation of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Morgan is scheduled to be sentenced on November 4, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Oak Hill Police Department.
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-92.
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Drug User who Bought Guns for His Dealer Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who bought two firearms for his drug dealer was sentenced on June 10, 2026, to more than two years in federal prison.
Conner Scott Nye, age 27, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 12, 2026, guilty plea to one count of false statement during purchase of firearm.
Information from Nye’s plea and sentencing hearings showed that Nye bought two guns for his drug dealer in 2024. Nye lied about his drug use and falsely stated that he was buying the guns for himself. Instead, Nye was really buying the guns for his drug dealer. Nye was a user of and addicted to opiates, including heroin. His drug dealer subsequently sold one of the guns after having it equipped with a machinegun conversion device.
Nye was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Nye was sentenced to 27 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Nye is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyndra Lundquist and investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-CR-0026.
Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 53 Months for Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl and MarijuanaRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON -- Patrick Thomas, 39, of Hyattsville, Maryland, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 53 months in connection with a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and marijuana, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Thomas, aka Nick Cannon, pleaded guilty on Feb. 19, 2026, to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and marijuana. In addition to the 53-month prison term, U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich ordered Thomas to serve three years of supervised release. Federal prosecutors had requested a prison term of 64 months.
According to court papers, beginning at least in October 2023 and continuing through May 2024, Thomas and his co-conspirators traveled multiple times between the Baltimore-Washington area and Los Angeles to obtain large amounts of marijuana for distribution. On one such trip in February 2024, agents intercepted Thomas and his associates at BWI Airport upon their return from Los Angeles and found 54.5 pounds of cannabis packed in vacuum-sealed bags inside a suitcase carried by one of Thomas’s co-conspirators.
Thomas and his co-conspirators sold the marijuana from an apartment in the 1900 block of C Street SE, jointly contributing to the rent. Agents observed daily hand-to-hand drug transactions outside the building.
On Oct. 30, 2024, law enforcement executed search warrants at the C Street SE apartment and at Thomas’s residence in Maryland. At the apartment, agents recovered about six pounds of marijuana, additional narcotics, and numerous small distribution-size packages of marijuana, along with firearms and fentanyl. At Thomas’s Maryland residence, agents found $7,036 in cash and three firearms with ammunition. A search of Thomas’s cell phone revealed a photograph of a large bag of suspected fentanyl pills, which Thomas acknowledged weighed about 20 grams.
Two of Thomas’ co-defendants have been adjudicated in the conspiracy on similar charges. Dnorris Goins, aka “Wizard,” was sentenced April 10 to five years in prison; Ricardo Anton Koonce, aka “Kingphew,” was sentenced June 3 to two years. A third co-defendant, Robert Spriggs, is scheduled for sentencing on June 18.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration Washington Division Office and the FBI Washington Field Office.
The matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nihar Mohanty and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Isabelle Sun.
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DeSoto County Drug Dealer Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – Donald Carl Woods (42, Arcadia) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell to 13 years and 4 months in federal prison for possessing a controlled substance with intent to distribute, possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Woods pleaded guilty on January 27, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, on April 28, 2025, deputies from the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office arrested Woods near his residence for an active out-of-state warrant. While taking Woods into custody, deputies seized a firearm and a quantity of methamphetamine that they found on his person. Aside from having an active warrant, Woods was also a mutli-time convicted felon who could not lawfully possess a firearm under federal law.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon Eth.
Crownpoint Man Sentenced for Strangulation and Assaulting OfficerRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Crownpoint man was sentence to 42 months in prison for strangling a woman and attacking a tribal police officer with a taser.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on March 18, 2025, Jason K. Thompson, 40, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, attempted to strangle Jane Doe. Law enforcement responded to the domestic violence call and attempted to take Thompson into custody. During a struggle with a Navajo Nation Police Department officer, Thompson grabbed the officer’s taser and deployed it against him with the intent to injure him. Thompson was then handcuffed and placed in the back of an NPD patrol unit. He later kicked out a window of the unit and escaped, but NPD officers recaptured him that night.
Thompson pleaded guilty to assault by strangulation and assault with a deadly weapon. Upon his release from prison, Thompson will be subject to three years of supervised release.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Probasco is prosecuting the case.
Coeur d’ Alene Man Sentenced to 46 Months in Federal Prison for Unlawful Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
COEUR D’ALENE – Shawn Allen Cline, 53, of Coeur d’Alene, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for unlawful possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today.
According to court records, Cline is prohibited from possessing firearms due to multiple prior felony convictions. Most recently, in December 2024, Cline was convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm and placed on five years of supervised probation.
One year later, members of the Coeur d’Alene Police Department and Idaho Department of Correction Probation and Parole went to Cline’s home in Coeur d’Alene to conduct a probation compliance check. They found him in the garage holding a beer in one hand and a marijuana pipe in the other. Law enforcement searched the home and found a shotgun, a homemade shotgun, methamphetamine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and a homemade pipe bomb. Cline admitted to making the pipe bomb and said that he wanted to blow stuff up. Members of the Spokane Bomb Squad responded to the home, rendered the device safe, and confirmed that the device was a lethal pipe bomb.
Chief U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford also ordered that Cline serve 3 years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Cline will continue to be prohibited from possessing firearms following his conviction.
U.S. Attorney Davis commended the collaborative work of the Coeur d’Alene Police Department; Idaho Department of Correction Probation and Parole; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which led to the charges. The U.S. Attorney also thanked the Spokane Bomb Squad for protecting the community by decommissioning Cline’s pipe bomb. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Johnson prosecuted this case.
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Chippewa Falls Man Sentenced to 7 Years for Illegally Possessing Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Michael A. Raskie Jr., 43, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, was sentenced this week by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 7 years in federal prison for possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon. Raskie Jr. pleaded guilty to this charge on March 20, 2026.
On January 14, 2025, law enforcement searched Raskie Jr.’s house and found multiple firearms, including seven privately manufactured firearms, and more than 200 rounds of ammunition. He also had silencers, high-capacity magazines, and parts to assemble firearms.
Raskie Jr. is prohibited from legally possessing firearms or ammunition because of prior felony convictions; including a 2018 federal conviction for possessing firearms as a convicted felon.
At the sentencing, Judge Conley considered Raskie Jr.’s drug abuse history and prior federal sentence for firearms possession. Judge Conley expressed great concern over the aggravated nature of Raskie Jr.’s escalating behavior, particularly his decision to create an “arsenal” of firearms and high-capacity magazines.
The charge against Raskie Jr. was the result of an investigation conducted by the Lake Hallie Police Department, Chippewa County Sherriff’s Office, and the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force, which is comprised of federal agents from ATF and state and local agents throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Lennon 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).
Child Sexual Predator Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A child sexual predator living in Collinsville was sentenced today for recording children in the bathroom and for seeking out and possessing child sexual abuse material, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill sentenced Thomas Joshua Keizer, 34, for two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child, Receipt of Child Pornography, and Possession of Child Pornography. Keizer was ordered to pay $11,000 in restitution and serve 300 months' imprisonment, followed by lifetime supervised release. Upon his release, Keizer will be required to register as a sex offender.
In November 2024, Homeland Security Investigations began investigating a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Court documents show that Keizer used Discord, the social media application, to have sexually graphic messages with a minor child who was only 12 years old. The investigation revealed that Keizer sought out minor children to groom and have sexually explicit conversations with.
When agents executed a search warrant at his home, they recovered several electronic devices in the home. Agents reviewed the contents of the devices and found that Keizer possessed 568 images and 11 videos of children being sexually abused, including prepubescent children and toddlers being forced to have sexually explicit acts with adults.
Agents further discovered that Keizer had hidden a recording device in a bathroom to capture children using the restroom. Court records show that from July 2020 through August 2024, Keizer captured more than 1,835 images of two additional minor children under the age of 10 years old.
The child sexual abuse material found on Keizer’s devices was sent to the National Child Victim Identification System, managed by the NCMEC, for identification. They identified 13 children whose images were previously identified and reported to NCMEC for cataloging. They were notified and allowed to submit victim impact statements to the court. Restitution paid by Keizer will go directly to the victims who requested restitution.
Keizer will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The Homeland Security Investigations and the Collinsville Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Valeria Luster prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, local, and tribal resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Cedar Rapid Man Sentenced to Federal Prison After Leading Officers on a High-Speed PursuitRead the Press Release
A Cedar Rapids man who acquired and distributed methamphetamine was sentenced today to more than 20 years in federal prison.
Tony Douglas Westmoreland, Sr., age 46, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 1, 2025, guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
Information at the sentencing hearing showed that in 2023, Westmoreland began to receive significant quantities of methamphetamine. He then distributed the methamphetamine to his customers. On September 9, 2024, police officers tried to stop Westmoreland as he drove his motorcycle. Westmoreland fled and led officers on a high-speed pursuit where he drove approximately 100 miles per hour. He also failed to stop at stop signs, drove the wrong direction on roads, and drove his motorcycle through a schoolyard. Westmoreland eventually abandoned his motorcycle and continued to flee on foot. Officers found Westmoreland, his motorcycle, and his backpack that he had discarded. Officers recovered over 132 grams of ice methamphetamine inside Westmoreland’s backpack.
Westmoreland was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Westmoreland was sentenced to 262 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a ten-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Westmoreland is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael S.A. Hudson and investigated by Cedar Rapids Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 25-CR-19.
Canadian national sentenced and deported for illegally reentering U.S.Read the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Canadian woman who illegally reentered the U.S. after she was deported in 2023 was sentenced today to time served following her April 2026 arrest and will be deported again, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Eva Fehr, 24, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to one count of illegal reentry after deportation.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Fehr and a companion illegally drove across the border into Montana without possessing the necessary documentation.
At 6:33 a.m. April 19, 2026, a border sensor was tripped when a gray 2002 Chevy Avalanche crossed into Montana. A U.S. Border Patrol agent tracked down the truck and pulled it over north of Hinsdale about an hour later. The agent verified that the Avalanche had failed to cross the border into Montana at a proper Port of Entry.
Inside the truck were Fehr and a companion, and both admitted they were not U.S. citizens and had no immigration documents authorizing them to live, work, or travel in the United States. The two were taken into custody at the Malta Border Patrol Station, where Fehr acknowledged she was a Canadian citizen without the legal documentation needed to be in the U.S.
Fehr previously had been deported in October 2023 after a warrant was issued for overstaying her visa.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted the investigation.
CEO among those guilty of falsifying wastewater test resultsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Three Texas residents have admitted they violated the Clean Water Act, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Derek McCoy, 52, was CEO of a laboratory that sampled and tested wastewater from local treatment facilities, while Deena Higginbotham, 56, served as director of Client Services. The two Spring residents and John Montgomery, 60, Llano, all admitted to falsifying or aiding and abetting the falsification of data required under federal and state law.
For roughly three years, all three aided or abetted in changing wastewater test results to falsely ensure that treatment facilities did not exceed pollutant limits in state-issued discharge permits. These falsified results, including exceedances of ammonia, E. coli and phosphorous levels, were then submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
“By submitting falsified data, these defendants undermined the integrity of a program specifically designed to safeguard human health,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck. “Today's guilty pleas show that we and our partners at EPA – Criminal Investigation Division and Office of Inspector General, as well as TCEQ, are committed to rooting out and holding accountable those who not only violate the law but also endanger the safety and erode the trust of the public we serve.”
U.S. District Judge David Hittner accepted the pleas and set sentencing for Sept. 3. At that time, each faces up to two years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
EPA - Criminal Investigation Division, EPA - Office of Inspector General and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality - Environmental Crimes Unit conducted the investigation through the Texas Environmental Enforcement Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Liesel Roscher and Special AUSA Nathan Stopper are prosecuting the case.
Bremerton, Washington, couple pleads guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theftRead the Press Release
Tacoma – A Bremerton, Washington woman pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft for her role in a scheme to steal nearly $229,000 from banks and bank customers, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Emily Vranic, 34, and her co-defendant Heather Marquis, 37, were arrested on a federal complaint in April 2025. Vranic entered a plea of guilty this morning; Marquis pleaded guilty last month. U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright scheduled sentencing for September 3, 2026.
According to records filed in the case, between approximately April 2019 and November 2024, Vranic and Marquis stole identities in several different ways. Most often, they stole victims’ mail and used personal documents inside to activate credit cards, open new lines of credit, or gain wholesale access to online bank accounts. The pair would have documents related to their activities mailed to a third-party victim’s address, where they would intercept the mail again. Once they had fully taken over a stolen identity, statements and other records were mailed directly to their own Bremerton address.
Armed with their victims’ identities, the pair ran up credit card debt, made transfers from victim accounts to their own, and even used victim accounts to make their monthly mortgage payments. In one instance, the pair attempted to transfer $35,000 from a vulnerable victim’s account, after a successful transfer of almost $33,000 from the same account. When the transfer was rejected, they repeatedly called the bank posing as the account holder to try to get the fraud alert removed.
Though the total amounts stolen will be further proven at the time of sentencing, Vranic has agreed to pay restitution to the victims of at least $48,000. Marquis has agreed to pay a forfeiture money judgment of $228,701.
Conspiracy to commit bank fraud is punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Aggravated identity theft is punishable by a mandatory minimum two years in prison, which must run consecutively to any other sentence imposed in the case. Prosecutors have agreed to cap their recommendations for Marquis at four years in prison and for Vranic at 57 months in prison. Judge Cartwright is not bound by those recommendations and can impose any sentence allowed by law.
The case was investigated by the Bremerton Police Department, the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Victoria Cantore.
Boelter Pleaded Guilty for His Role in the Stalking and Murder of Minnesota State LegislatorsRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced today that Vance Luther Boelter, of Green Isle, Minnesota, has pleaded guilty in federal court to multiple charges related to the stalking, shooting, and murdering of Minnesota House of Representatives Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman, as well as the stalking and shooting of Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette Hoffman, and attempted shooting of their daughter Hope Hoffman.
According to court documents in United States v. Vance Luther Boelter, No. 25‑cr-272 (JRT/DJF), on or about June 14, 2025, Boelter used GPS navigation systems, interstate wires, the Internet, and other interstate communication systems to plan and carry out a coordinated series of violent attacks targeting the Hortman and Hoffman families in Brooklyn Park and Champlin, Minnesota. Court documents allege that Boelter acted with the intent to kill, injure, harass, and intimidate the victims, and that his conduct placed them in reasonable fear of death and serious bodily injury. During these attacks, Melissa and Mark Hortman were shot and killed, and John and Yvette Hoffman suffered life‑threatening injuries.
Today, during a change‑of‑plea hearing in U.S. District Court before Judge John R. Tunheim, Boelter admitted to the conduct described in the indictment and pleaded guilty to all counts, which include two stalkings, two murders through use of a firearm, and two federal firearm-shooting offenses. The plea agreement provides that Boelter is subject to the longest possible prison term allowable under law for his offenses.
This case is a result of a joint state and federal criminal investigation involving agencies across the entire state of Minnesota, including FBI, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, ATF, Brooklyn Park Police Department, Minneapolis Police Department, Hennepin County Sherriff’s Office, Champlin Police Department, and New Hope Police Department, together with several other state and local partners.
“Political violence is a scourge in our nation,” said United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. “We now expect Vance Boelter will spend the rest of his natural life in prison without parole. To all of those who would commit political violence: this Justice Department will seek and obtain the longest prison terms for your offense.”
“Political violence is a nemesis of our democracy,” said FBI Minneapolis Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson. “On June 14, 2025, Vance Boelter thought he was above the law, above the Constitution, and that his personal views justified a violent crime spree unlike any other seen in Minnesota. For nearly 43 hours after his despicable crimes began, the FBI, BCA, and law enforcement partners from all over the state worked non-stop to track him down and end his campaign of political violence. I am extremely proud of the immediate, cooperative, and comprehensive response of law enforcement from all over Minnesota to quickly track down a ruthless killer. Our hearts are with the victims and their surviving families, the Hortmans, Hoffmans, and all of those other elected officials who were on Boelter's list.”
“Across the Twin Cities, families woke on June 14, 2025, to a fear they should never have had to imagine, that their public servants had been hunted and attacked in their own homes,” said ATF St. Paul Field Division Special Agent in Charge Joe Persails. “Melissa and Mark Hortman were killed, and John and Yvette Hoffman were left to recover from grievous injuries. The terror Vance Boelter set out to create reached far beyond the people he targeted and shook our entire Minnesota community. ATF joined the urgent, around-the-clock effort to locate Boelter and to develop the investigative leads that helped bring him into custody. Today's guilty plea cannot return what was taken from these families, but it makes clear that anyone who chooses to bring this kind of violence to our communities will answer for that choice.”
“The change in plea by Vance Boelter represents an important step toward accountability for the devastating acts that shook our community,” said Interim Chief Bill Peterson of the Minneapolis Police Department. “While this outcome again reflects the unwavering partnership among local, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and the many others who’ve worked tirelessly on this case, no legal proceeding could undo the pain suffered by the Horton and Hoffman families. This plea brings us closer to justice, but we remain committed to honoring the victims, protecting our community, and ensuring that accountability is achieved through the rule of law."
“Mr. Boelter carried out a heinous and unprecedented act of political violence against Minnesota’s political leaders. Violence targeting public officials is an affront to our democracy. We are grateful for all the agencies that worked in partnership to bring Mr. Boelter into custody and prepare a case that forced the guilty plea accepted in court today,” said Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans. “To the Hortman and Hoffman families, Minnesota continues to mourn the loss and the suffering you have endured. We hope today’s guilty plea brings you some measure of solace.”
“A guilty plea brings a legal resolution, but our focus today remains on the memory of Melissa and Mark Hortman, and the ongoing recovery of Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. No courtroom outcome can undo the devastation of that morning, but we hope this accountability offers a step toward closure. We continue to hold both families in our thoughts, offering our deepest respect and unwavering support as they heal.” Said Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley.
“As City of Champlin Police Chief, I acknowledge the profound impact the attempted assassination of Senator John Hoffman and his wife, along with the tragic loss of Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, has had on their families and our entire community. These acts of violence have deeply shaken Champlin and our surrounding communities, reinforcing both our shared sense of vulnerability and our resolve to stand united in support of all those affected. Our thoughts remain with the Hoffman family as they recover, and we mourn alongside those grieving the devastating loss of Representative Hortman and her husband. Champlin and the broader community will continue to come together with strength and compassion, ensuring that such acts do not define us but instead strengthen our commitment to one another. Today’s guilty plea represents a significant step towards recovery for the affected families, and we are grateful for all the work that has been put into this case by the law enforcement community.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradley M. Endicott and Matthew D. Forbes are prosecuting the case.
Billings man sentenced to 32 months on drug chargesRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A Billings man who shipped fentanyl pills to his partner as part of a drug trafficking scheme was sentenced today to 32 months of prison, followed by 4 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Robert Roy Vincent, 36, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Vincent shipped a box of fentanyl pills from a UPS store in California to his partner’s house in Billings.
In April 2024 law enforcement in Yellowstone County received a tip that Vincent was selling fentanyl in Billings; he was already wanted by police for a number of outstanding warrants. Officers obtained a search warrant for Vincent’s CashApp profile and learned he had received $4,800 from his partner between March and April 2024.
The CashApp data included a transaction from a UPS store in California on April 9, 2024. Investigators contacted the UPS store and learned Vincent had mailed a package to his partner’s home in Billings. Law enforcement intercepted the package and found it contained approximately 2,000 fentanyl pills.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Godfrey prosecuted the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the DEA, and the Billings Police Department conducted the investigation.
Billings man pleads guilty to selling fentanylRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A Billings man who was dealing fentanyl pills from his South Side home admitted to charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
The defendant, David Douglas Davis, 47, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
On the first count, Davis faces five to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine, four years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. On the second count, he faces five years to life in prison, a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided and will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing will be set at future date; Davis remained released pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that a search of Davis’s Billings home last fall turned up nearly 900 fentanyl pills and six firearms.
The investigation began when the Billings Police Department’s Street Crimes Unit received a credible tip in October 2025 that a man named David was selling fentanyl from an address on Hallowell Lane. Investigators ended up speaking with a “known fentanyl dealer” who told them Davis was her fentanyl supplier and that she had been purchasing fentanyl pills from Davis for the past six months.
On Oct. 29, 2025, officers served a search warrant on Davis’s Hallowell Lane home where they found 88.4 grams of fentanyl in the form of approximately 883 pills along with six firearms and $16,870 in cash. In his vehicle, they found another firearm and $2,520 in cash. Davis, who travels out of state to purchase the pills, told officers he began selling fentanyl in April 2025 “to make money.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The Billings Police Department and the FBI conducted the investigation.
Armed Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 20 Years for Distributing Methamphetamine, Possessing a Machinegun, and Other ChargesRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – An armed drug trafficker was sentenced to 20 years in prison today for distributing methamphetamine, possessing a machegun, and other offenses, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. William Chase Pate, 39, of Morganton, N.C., was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release after he completes his 20-year prison term.
“This case is a classic example of how drug dealing and firearm violence go hand-in-hand,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson, “and we will use federal charges to take violent drug dealers off the street.”
According to filed court documents, from 2023 to 2024, Pate was involved in a conspiracy involving the distribution of methamphetamine in Burke and Catawba Counties. During the investigation, Pate sold methamphetamine to an individual cooperating with law enforcement at least 12 times. On December 12, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Pate’s residence, seizing over 472 grams of methamphetamine, a rifle, a handgun loaded with 16 rounds of ammunition, two digital scales, clear plastic baggies with residue, and firearm accessories. Law enforcement interviewed Pate who said he would frequently travel to Georgia to purchase methamphetamine from his supplier, and that he would pick up between two and five kilograms of methamphetamine a time. Investigators also found two videos on Patel’s seized phone, depicting the defendant firing a firearm that had been converted to a machinegun with a conversion device commonly known as a “Glock switch.” Pate has a prior felony conviction for manslaughter, and he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
On December 17, 2025, Pate pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine, possession of a machinegun, and possession of a firearm by a felon. 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office, the Morganton Department of Public Safety, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Hickory Police Department, and the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Christopher S. Hess of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Armed Career Criminal from Memphis Sentenced to More Than 17 Years in Federal Prison for Bank Robbery and Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Freddy Najil, who robbed three banks at gunpoint in the span of three months, will spend the next 211 months in federal prison for bank robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by United States District Court Chief Judge Kristine G. Baker.
On June 6, 2024, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Arkansas charged Najil, 37, of Memphis, Tennessee, in a two-count Indictment with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of bank robbery. On March 4, 2025, a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Mississippi charged Najil in a six-count Indictment with two counts of bank robbery, two counts of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On May 9, 2025, Najil consented to the transfer of his Mississippi case to the Eastern District of Arkansas for plea and sentencing. On November 3, 2025, Najil pleaded guilty to bank robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm. In addition to the 17-year and 7-month sentence, Chief Judge Baker also sentenced Najil to serve three years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
On February 9, 2024, officers with the Horn Lake (Mississippi) Police Department responded to a bank robbery at Renasant Bank. Witnesses advised and security footage confirmed the suspect, later identified as Najil, pointed a firearm at four different bank employees while demanding money. In total, Najil fled with approximately $2,724 from Renasant Bank.
On April 18, 2024, officers with the Southaven (Mississippi) Police Department responded to an armed robbery at the Securtrust Bank. The suspect, later identified as Najil, pointed a firearm at the bank teller, directed her “not to do anything stupid,” and fled with $12,251 from Securtrust Bank.
On May 3, 2024, officers with the West Memphis Police Department responded to an armed bank robbery at Evolve Bank. There, Najil pointed a firearm at employees, demanded money, and fled with $22,251. Hidden in the cash were GPS monitoring devices, which were used to locate and track Najil’s movements. West Memphis police officers and Arkansas State Police Troopers pursued the suspect in a black Infiniti GS3 into Memphis, where it crashed. Najil fled on foot, with money flying from his arms, until he was apprehended by authorities. Najil was located near loose bills and a .40 caliber pistol. At the scene, police recovered approximately $22,134 in U.S. currency.
During post-Miranda interviews, Najil admitted to officers that he robbed the banks in Horn Lake, Southaven, and West Memphis. He further admitted that he stole the vehicle he used to commit the bank robbery in West Memphis on May 3, 2024.
Najil’s multiple prior convictions for violent felonies and serious drug offenses classify him as an armed career criminal and therefore subject him to an enhanced sentence. His criminal history includes eight convictions for robbery with a dangerous weapon, six convictions for second-degree kidnapping, a conviction for possession of cocaine with intent to sell or deliver, a conviction for possession of marijuana with intent to sell or deliver, and a conviction for possession of cocaine.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Little Rock, Arkansas, and Jackson, Mississippi, Field Offices, with assistance from the Horn Lake Police Department, Southaven Police Department, Memphis Police Department, Arkansas State Police, and the West Memphis Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Eldridge for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas and Assistant U.S. Attorney Clyde McGee, Senior Litigation Counsel, for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi.
Armed Career Criminal from Memphis Sentenced to More Than 17 Years in Federal Prison for Bank Robbery and Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Freddy Najil, who robbed three banks at gunpoint in the span of three months, will spend the next 211 months in federal prison for bank robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by United States District Court Chief Judge Kristine G. Baker.
On June 6, 2024, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Arkansas charged Najil, 37, of Memphis, Tennessee, in a two-count Indictment with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of bank robbery. On March 4, 2025, a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Mississippi charged Najil in a six-count Indictment with two counts of bank robbery, two counts of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On May 9, 2025, Najil consented to the transfer of his Mississippi case to the Eastern District of Arkansas for plea and sentencing. On November 3, 2025, Najil pleaded guilty to bank robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm. In addition to the 17-year and 7-month sentence, Chief Judge Baker also sentenced Najil to serve three years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
On February 9, 2024, officers with the Horn Lake (Mississippi) Police Department responded to a bank robbery at Renasant Bank. Witnesses advised and security footage confirmed the suspect, later identified as Najil, pointed a firearm at four different bank employees while demanding money. In total, Najil fled with approximately $2,724 from Renasant Bank.
On April 18, 2024, officers with the Southaven (Mississippi) Police Department responded to an armed robbery at the Securtrust Bank. The suspect, later identified as Najil, pointed a firearm at the bank teller, directed her “not to do anything stupid,” and fled with $12,251 from Securtrust Bank.
On May 3, 2024, officers with the West Memphis Police Department responded to an armed bank robbery at Evolve Bank. There, Najil pointed a firearm at employees, demanded money, and fled with $22,251. Hidden in the cash were GPS monitoring devices, which were used to locate and track Najil’s movements. West Memphis police officers and Arkansas State Police Troopers pursued the suspect in a black Infiniti GS3 into Memphis, where it crashed. Najil fled on foot, with money flying from his arms, until he was apprehended by authorities. Najil was located near loose bills and a .40 caliber pistol. At the scene, police recovered approximately $22,134 in U.S. currency.
During post-Miranda interviews, Najil admitted to officers that he robbed the banks in Horn Lake, Southaven, and West Memphis. He further admitted that he stole the vehicle he used to commit the bank robbery in West Memphis on May 3, 2024.
Najil’s multiple prior convictions for violent felonies and serious drug offenses classify him as an armed career criminal and therefore subject him to an enhanced sentence. His criminal history includes eight convictions for robbery with a dangerous weapon, six convictions for second-degree kidnapping, a conviction for possession of cocaine with intent to sell or deliver, a conviction for possession of marijuana with intent to sell or deliver, and a conviction for possession of cocaine.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Little Rock, Arkansas, and Jackson, Mississippi, Field Offices, with assistance from the Horn Lake Police Department, Southaven Police Department, Memphis Police Department, Arkansas State Police, and the West Memphis Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Eldridge for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas and Assistant U.S. Attorney Clyde McGee, Senior Litigation Counsel, for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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@USAO_EDAR
Albion man and Jamestown woman charged in separate complaints with child pornography chargesRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Kimony Hamilton, 22, of Albion, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with distribution and possession of child pornography. In addition, Kaitlyn Seekings, 28, of Jamestown, NY, was charged in a separate criminal complaint with receipt and possession of child pornography. The distribution and receipt of child pornography charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 20 years, and a $250,000 fine.
According to the criminal complaint, in March 2025, the New York State Police (NYSP) received multiple reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that Snapchat users identified as “kseekings25,” (defendant Seekings) “angel_smith354,” “jordan638p,” and “jordan2025_3,” (defendant Hamilton) had uploaded image files of suspected child pornography. In July 2025, the NYSP executed a search warrant at an Albion, NY, address, during which they spoke with an individual, later identified as Kemony Hamilton, who stated that he received child pornography from a friend he met online named “Kate Seekings.” Subsequent investigation recovered messages shared between the two during which they shared files containing child pornography as well as discussed meeting in Jamestown so that Hamilton could have sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old female that “Seekings” would provide access to.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maeve E. Huggins. The complaints are the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Anthony Patrone, and the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Amie Feroleto. Additional assistance was provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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A Vancouver, Washington, Woman was Sentenced to Federal Prison for Distributing Fentanyl Resulting in the Death of Two BrothersRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Vancouver, Washington, woman was sentenced to federal prison last Tuesday for distributing fentanyl resulting in two overdose deaths, announced U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford.
Alondra Stephanie Trujillo, 34, was sentenced to 100 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay $6,349.00 in restitution.
“This tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the severe and destructive impact fentanyl has across our community,” said U.S. Attorney Bradford. “We are steadfast in our mission to pursue offenders who distribute this poison and endanger Oregonians.”
“This case highlights the dangers of fentanyl and the dangers of buying counterfeit drugs of any type,” said acting HSI Seattle Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “You can lose your life, as these two brothers learned, when these street drugs are marketed as one thing and instead contain fentanyl. This lengthy sentence won’t bring back the brothers, but hopefully it will serve as a deterrent to anyone who thinks about engaging in this type of deadly deception.”
“The tragic fentanyl poisoning deaths of two brothers underscore the deadly reality of illicit fentanyl and the irreversible harm caused by those who distribute it,” said Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division Robert A. Saccone. “DEA remains relentless in its pursuit of drug traffickers who endanger our communities for profit. Through Fentanyl Free America, DEA is combining aggressive enforcement, strategic partnerships, intelligence-driven investigations, and public awareness efforts to eliminate the fentanyl threat.”
According to court documents, on July 12, 2020, two brothers in Woodburn, Oregon, were pronounced deceased from an accidental fentanyl overdose after their mother and first responders attempted life-saving measures to save them. Investigators learned that Trujillo sold counterfeit pills containing fentanyl the day prior to their overdose deaths.
On Oct. 17, 2023, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment charging Trujillo with one count of distribution of fentanyl. Trujillo pleaded guilty on May 13, 2025.
Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Woodburn Police Department investigated this case. Valuable assistance was provided by the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office, Longview Police Department, Everett Police Department, and Portland Police Bureau. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassady Adams prosecuted the case.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 80 to 100 times more powerful than morphine and 30 to 50 times more powerful than heroin. A 2-milligram dose of fentanyl—a few grains of the substance—is enough to kill an average adult male. The wide availability of illicit fentanyl in Oregon has caused a dramatic increase in overdose deaths throughout the state.
If you are in immediate danger, please call 911.
If you or someone you know suffers from addiction, please call the Lines for Life substance abuse helpline at 1-800-923-4357 or visit www.linesforlife.org. Phone support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also text “RecoveryNow” to 839863 between 2pm and 6pm Pacific Time daily.
10 June 2026
Wolf Point man sentenced to 15 years in prison for parking lot murderRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A man from Wolf Point who shot and killed one man and wounded another last fall was sentenced today to 188 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Ethan Louis Murphy, 27, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to one count of second degree murder and one count of using a firearm in a crime of violence.
U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Murphy, carrying a handgun, walked up to two men in a grocery store parking lot and shot them, killing one and injuring the other.
Law enforcement first responded at 8:41 p.m. Sept. 28, 2025, when a 911 call reported gunshots in the Wolf Point Albertsons parking lot on the Fort Peck Reservation. Wolf Point police officers arrived and found two men on the ground, one of them dead from a gunshot wound to the head and the other injured.
Officers with Fort Peck Tribal Criminal Investigations and the FBI investigated the scene and collected four 9mm Luger casings. Surveillance from the grocery store showed Murphy walking up to one of the victims with his gun drawn and shooting him a single time in the head when the victim pulled out a black machete. Murphy then shot the second victim. A bystander called out, “It was Ethan, it was Ethan.”
Murphy turned himself in two days later on Sept. 30, 2025. Law enforcement found him in the passenger seat of a car with the pistol and ammunition they later matched to the shooting.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI, Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law and Justice, and the Wolf Point Police Department conducted the investigation.
Westchester Man Charged with Robbery Spree That Targeted Convenience Stores in Mount Vernon and New RochelleRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), James C. Barnacle, Jr., announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging JABARI CLARKE in connection with a series of gunpoint robberies in Mount Vernon and New Rochelle, New York. CLARKE was arrested today and presented in White Plains federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Victoria Reznik, who ordered him detained.
“As alleged, Jabari Clarke carried out a spree of gunpoint robberies of gas stations and convenience stores,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “If you use a gun to rob a store, you should expect federal charges and to be off the streets—that’s the message and the reality New Yorkers want and deserve.”
“Jabari Clarke allegedly committed gunpoint robberies threatening the safety of the general public and terrorizing innocent civilians,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. “The FBI’s Westchester Safe Street’s Task Force continues to target gun violence plaguing our communities.”
As alleged in the Indictment:
Between May and June of 2025, CLARKE robbed four gas stations and convenience stores in Mount Vernon and New Rochelle. In each of these robberies, CLARKE or his accomplices brandished firearms and stole cash before fleeing. Through these gunpoint robberies, CLARKE stole thousands of dollars of cash.
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CLARKE, 22, of New Rochelle, New York, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and four counts of Hobbs Act robbery, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. CLARKE is also charged with four counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, each of which carries an additional mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison that must be served consecutively to any other prison terms imposed.
The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the efforts of the FBI, the Mount Vernon Police Department, and the New Rochelle Police Department in connection with this investigation.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin L. Brooke and Ioannis D. Drivas are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Two defendants sentenced to federal prison for theft of mail, bank fraud and identity theft in AugustaRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, Georgia: A federal judge has ordered two defendants to be confined in federal prison after conviction for mail theft, bank fraud and identity theft.
The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall and announced by Margaret E. “Meg” Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
Joshua M. Holmes, 21, of Miami, was sentenced to 36 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release and fined $2,000 after pleading guilty to Theft of Mail, Bank Fraud, and Aggravated Identity Theft.
Holmes’ codefendant, Coleshia Carter, 22, of East Point, Georgia, was also sentenced during court proceedings to 24 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release and fined $1,000 after pleading guilty to Aggravated Identity Theft.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“The actions of these defendants not only impacted the business victims in and around Augusta, but also undermined the integrity of our financial systems,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “Let this case serve as a reminder that crime does not pay, and that we will do whatever we can to serve justice and safeguard our communities.”
As described in court documents, from January 2023 to January 2024, the defendants took part in a mail theft scheme in which they would steal mail from Augusta area U.S. postal receptacles and washed checks found in the mail to create counterfeit checks which were then deposited into unauthorized accounts or used for large purchases.
“This sentencing is a statement that mail theft will not be tolerated, and the perpetrators will be brought to justice,” said Rodney M. Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division. “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will continue to partner with fellow law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to collectively pursue criminals who victimize Postal customers.”
The FBI, United States Postal Inspection Service and Richmond County Sheriff’s Office investigated the cases, which were prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia First Assistant U.S. Attorney David H. Estes.
“These sentences should make clear that those who illegally use Americans’ personal information to facilitate fraud will face serious consequences,” said Matthew Ploskunak, Supervisory Senior Resident Agent in FBI Atlanta’s Augusta office. “The FBI will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to deliver justice for the victims of complex fraud schemes.”
Two Former Utah Court Clerks Arrested and Facing Federal Charges after Allegedly Helping Illegal Aliens Evade ICE ArrestRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – An indictment was unsealed, and two former Utah state court clerks have been arrested after they allegedly helped an illegal alien evade U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrest. The clerks also allegedly obstructed immigration proceedings and the lawful enforcement of United States immigration laws by helping at least one of three other illegal aliens escape out a backdoor of the Logan City Municipal Justice Court so that ICE could not arrest or deport them.
Jennifer Joma, 27, and Lauren Kelsey Morrow, 26, both of Logan, Utah, were indicted June 3, 2026.
According to allegations in court documents, on April 9, 2026, Joma and Morrow were working at the Logan City Municipal Justice Court in Logan when an ICE Enforcement and Removal Officer (ICE-ERO) entered the justice court to arrest an illegal alien for immigration related charges. The ICE officer had an administrative warrant for the illegal alien who was at the justice court for a court hearing. The ICE officer left the secure area and eventually went outside and waited in his car for his target to leave the courthouse before trying to make the lawful arrest.
As alleged in court documents, after Joma and Morrow learned that ICE was there to arrest an illegal alien, they took steps to identify ICE’s target. These steps included misusing court databases to determine the alienage of everyone who was listed on the court docket. During their searches, they identified multiple non-U.S. citizens, and before those non-citizens would leave the courthouse, Joma and Morrow intercepted them. ICE’s intended target was among the unauthorized aliens whom Joma and Morrow helped slip out a backdoor of the courthouse. Joma and Morrow led the individuals down a secure area, several hallways, and eventually out of the courthouse without being seen by ICE.
After sneaking out the back door of the courthouse for the first time with an alien, Morrow and Joma were spotted on a surveillance camera waving and smiling at it, and Morrow used her middle finger in an obscene gesture at the camera. On the second trip, Joma drove off with three aliens in her car before returning alone to the courthouse for work.
Joma and Morrow are charged with conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens, harboring illegal aliens, and obstruction of proceedings before departments and agencies. Joma is also charged with transporting illegal aliens. Their initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for June 11, 2026, at 10:15 a.m., in courtroom 8.4 at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
United States Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Assistant United States Attorney Todd Bouton of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Attachments:
jenniferjoma_laurenmorrow.indictment.pdf jenniferjoma.positionregardingdetention.pdf laurenmorrow.positionregardingdetention.pdfTexas couple indicted for psychic fraud scheme allegedly stealing millions from vulnerable peopleRead the Press Release
Seattle – Two Texas residents were arrested this week on an indictment from the Western District of Washington for their scheme to defraud emotionally vulnerable victims by posing as “psychics” who could “cleanse” the victims’ romantic bad luck, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Bridgette Doreen Evans, AKA Jolene Travis, 47, and her partner, Vinnie John Uwanawich, 44, of Frisco, Texas, will make their initial appearance in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Texas today on charges of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, four counts of wire fraud, and four counts of mail fraud.
“As alleged in the indictment, these perpetrators of ‘fortune teller fraud’ came into the lives of these victims at a time when their judgement was clouded by emotional loss and feelings of hopelessness,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Floyd. “Ms. Evans preyed upon their needs, convincing victims that she could ‘remove a curse’ and help them find love. In truth her scheme was simply to help herself to their wealth, leaving them further devastated.”
“This case is yet another demonstration of how fraudsters exploit vulnerable situations to gain their victims' trust, even creating fake identities in an attempt to evade accountability and further schemes that last years,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “The schemes may change, but the greed driving them does not. The FBI and our partners will follow the money to unravel these scams and ensure the conspirators responsible face the consequences of their actions.”
According to the indictment, Evans and Uwanawich stole at least $2.5 million from at least three victims between April 2021 and July 2024. Evans operated under the fake name Jolene Travis and advertised her “psychic services” on social media. Her posts were designed to attract people who were struggling with romantic or personal problems: people experiencing divorce, death of a loved one or feelings of isolation.
Evans allegedly told the victims she could perform readings and rituals to determine the cause of their misfortune. Ultimately, she told them their “curse” was tied to their money or finances. After asking for a detailed accounting of the victims’ financial holdings, she would tell the victim the only way to remove the curse was to liquidate the holdings and send the money in gold coins or cash so that she could “cleanse” the money. She represented to the victims that after she cleaned it, she would return it to them. While she returned some small amounts to clients to lull them into further trusting her, she never returned the vast majority of the $2.5 million.
Uwanawich, Evans’ husband, facilitated her fraud by managing bank accounts that received payments from victims, selling gold coins, transferring and spending fraud proceeds, and vouching for Evans with victims.
The indictment details how Evans used the fake identity because she had previously been convicted of psychic frauds in Florida and Texas. In fact, during part of the fraud scheme, Evans was incarcerated in Florida, so Evans’ co-conspirators took on the Jolene Travis alias to keep the fraud going.
Evans allegedly convinced a second victim to send $86,000 in electronic payments to Evans for her “cleansing work.” A third victim was defrauded of more than $258,000 when Evans convinced her to take out loans to buy a Corvette to be delivered to Evans and to give Evans access to her credit cards to pay off the victim’s “karmic debts.”
Evans also operated under the names Joy John and Joy Paige. The FBI continues to investigate the scheme and wants anyone who thinks they may be a victim to report the crime to www.ic3.gov.
Conspiracy, mail fraud, and wire fraud crimes are all punishable by up to twenty years in prison.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the FBI.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dane A. Westermeyer. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Texas is assisting with the initial appearance today.
evans_indictment.pdfTexas Man Indicted for $4 Million Investment ScamRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –On May 14, 2026, SHAWN R. WARE, SR., age 53, was indicted on six-counts of wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
According to the indictment, WARE obtained over $4 million from over twenty victims between 2019 and the present, by falsely promising to invest the victims’ funds in fictitious business ventures. WARE promised the victims that they would receive significant returns on their investments within a short period of time. WARE induced victims to send him money by telling victims that he would invest their funds in real estate, a website business, computer equipment, sound equipment for rappers, and a night club. The indictment further alleges that WARE spent the victims’ money on luxury items and personal travel. When victims requested that their money be returned, WARE concocted phony excuses for the unavailability of their funds, and asked victims to send him additional money to do such things as “close out” a deal, release funds from overseas, move funds from a foreign bank account, or pay taxes.
If convicted of Counts One through Six, WARE faces a maximum penalty of twenty (20) years in prison, up to three (3) years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000, per count. A mandatory $100 special assessment fee for each count is also applicable.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendants must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Maria M. Carboni of the Public Integrity Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Texas Couple Sentenced for Running an Illegal Pyramid SchemeRead the Press Release
A Texas couple was sentenced yesterday to 40 years each in prison for running a fraudulent chain-referral pyramid scheme, following their convictions by a jury on conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering charges in January 2026.
“At the peak of the pandemic, LaShonda and Marlon Moore launched an investment fraud scheme and cheated struggling Americans out of $30 million,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This fraud scheme exploited people out of their hard-earned money at a time when they needed it most. Opportunistic fraudsters like the Moores belong in prison.”
“The Moores’ get rich quick scheme has earned them a well-deserved stay in federal prison,” said U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs for the Eastern District of Texas. “Playing games with other peoples’ money while promising unrealistic returns is stealing and will be prosecuted and punished.”
“The harm caused by greed-driven, deceptive investments promising returns too good to be true cannot be overstated,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Criminal Investigations Group. “The mission of the USPIS continues, to aggressively investigate such schemes and hold fraudsters fully accountable.”
“Those who exploit uncertainty and hardship for personal profit undermine the safety and security of our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Christina Foley of the U.S. Secret Service Dallas Field Office. “The Moores took advantage of trust and hope during a time of national crisis, causing significant harm to thousands of victims. Today’s sentencing sends a clear message: the Secret Service remains steadfast in our mission to investigate and disrupt these schemes, and those who prey on vulnerable communities for personal gain will be held fully accountable.”
“The Moores used a polished image and a reality TV appearance to build trust, but behind the scenes, they orchestrated a deceptive pyramid scheme built on fake ‘playing boards’ and false promises of 800% returns,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. Altemus Jr. of the IRS Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Dallas Field Office. “This scheme deliberately targeted the African American community, exploiting cultural trust and community ties. These sentences make it clear: if you abuse trust and exploit communities, you will face justice.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, LaShonda Moore, 38, and Marlon Moore, 39, of Frisco, Texas, co-founded and ran “Blessings in No Time,” known as “BINT,” an illegal chain-referral pyramid scheme that targeted victims during the COVID‑19 pandemic from June 2020 to June 2021. BINT targeted and recruited victims with false and misleading promises through weekly live-stream video broadcasts to thousands of participants across the United States during the COVID-19 shutdown. Victims were falsely promised that they would earn 800% returns on each $1,400 investment and were guaranteed a refund if they were unsatisfied. The Moores falsely held out BINT as a way for people to help their own community by paying “blessings” of at least $1,400 to participants who had already joined. The Moores falsely promised that new participants’ “blessing” payments would be paid back eight-fold within a few weeks. BINT was falsely presented as an altruistic invitation-only community to help others during the economic downturn from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The defendants structured BINT to operate on “playing boards” that had positions for participants on four levels: eight Fires, four Winds, two Earths, and one Water. Once eight new participants were recruited to fill all eight Fire positions on the playing board, each Fire was directed to “bless” or pay at least $1,400 to the participant in the Water position. A Water participant then received eight payments totaling more than $11,000. After a Water participant received his or her payment, other participants at lower levels would move up one level on the playing board and then be required to recruit new participants into the Fire positions to perpetuate the scheme. To profit from the investment scheme, the defendants placed themselves in positions on the playing boards so that they received many of the ultimate payments, and they otherwise diverted substantial money to themselves that was paid by the participants. The defendants’ pyramid scheme victimized more than 10,000 people across the country and inflicted more than $30 million in victim losses.
USPIS, USSS, and IRS-CI investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Theodore Kneller and Adam L.D. Stempel of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin Jr. for the Eastern District of Texas prosecuted the case.
TD Bank Insider Sentenced to Prison for Accepting Bribes, Laundering Millions to ColombiaRead the Press Release
A former retail banker at TD Bank N.A., Leonardo Ayala, 26, of Homestead, Florida, was sentenced today to two years in prison and three years of supervised release for accepting bribes and facilitating the laundering of more than $5.5 million to Colombia.
According to court documents, Ayala accepted bribes and exploited his position as a retail banker at TD Bank to help launder narcotics proceeds to Colombia. From June to November 2023, Ayala opened fraudulent accounts, issued over 150 debit cards to shell companies, and unblocked debit cards that TD Bank had restricted due to suspicious activity. These bank accounts and debit cards were used to make more than 12,000 ATM withdrawals in Colombia, funneling approximately $5.5 million out of the United States. In exchange, Ayala received more than $6,000 in bribes from his co-conspirators.
Ayala pleaded guilty to a two-count information charging him with conspiring to launder monetary instruments and accepting bribes as a bank employee.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer for the District of New Jersey; Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Newark Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Patricia Tarasca of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC OIG) New York Region made the announcement.
The IRS-CI Newark Field Office and the FDIC OIG New York Region investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys D. Zachary Adams and Chelsea Rooney of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Pesce for the District of New Jersey prosecuted the case.
The Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section’s (MNF) mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.
MNF’s Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes banks and other financial institutions, including their officers, managers and employees whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system.
TD Bank Insider Sentenced to Prison for Accepting Bribes, Laundering Millions to ColombiaRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A former retail banker at TD Bank, N.A., Leonardo Ayala, was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for accepting bribes and facilitating the laundering of more than $5.5 million to Colombia, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.
Ayala, 26, previously pleaded guilty before the Honorable Esther Salas to a two-count Information charging him with conspiring to launder monetary instruments and for receipt of bribes by a bank employee. Judge Salas imposed the sentence in Newark federal Court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Ayala accepted bribes and exploited his position as a retail banker at TD Bank to help launder narcotics proceeds to Colombia. From June to November 2023, Ayala opened fraudulent accounts, issued over 150 debit cards to shell companies, and unblocked debit cards that TD Bank had restricted due to suspicious activity. These bank accounts and debit cards were used to make more than 12,000 ATM withdrawals in Colombia, funneling approximately $5.5 million out of the United States. In exchange, Ayala received more than $6,000 in bribes from his co-conspirators.
U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer for the District of New Jersey; Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Newark Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Patricia Tarasca of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG) New York Region made the announcement. U.S. Attorney Frazer also thanked the Morristown Police Department for its assistance with the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marko Pesce, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division for the District of New Jersey and Trial Attorneys D. Zachary Adams and Chelsea Rooney of the Bank Integrity Unit of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section are prosecuting the case.
The Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section’s (MNF) mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.
MNF’s Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes banks and other financial institutions, including their officers, managers and employees whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system.
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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Defense counsel: Stephen Natoli, Esq.