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Saturday 18 April 2026
Aneth Man Found Guilty on all Counts of Child Sex CrimesRead the Press Release
ST. GEORGE, Utah – A federal jury in St. George returned a guilty verdict Friday, April 17, 2026, against a San Juan County, Utah, man after he received and possessed child sexual abuse material (CSAM) while already on supervised release for a 2015 conviction of possession of child pornography.
Johnston Blackhorse, 42, of Aneth, Utah, was charged by indictment on February 10, 2026, with receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in February 2025, while serving a lifetime of supervised release for prior child sex crimes, two probation officers conducted a home visit where Blackhorse lived alone. Pursuant to Blackhorse’s supervised release conditions, the officers conducted an examination of Blackhorse’s computer. Officers discovered that a forensic wiping program had been installed and used on the computer the day of the probation visit. Officers conducted a more thorough examination of the computer and located several files depicting child sexual abuse material in a deleted space. As a result, a search warrant was secured, and the computer was examined by a forensic examiner with Homeland Security Investigations. The examination revealed six images of child sexual abuse material all in a deleted space on the computer. An original file path also showed the file originally existed under Blackhorse’s username, in his Mozilla Firefox folders, and came from child pornography websites. Additional evidence also showed Blackhorse used the computer to access other child pornography files located on a separate electronic storage device that was not recovered during the search of his residence.
Blackhorse’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 18, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. before a U.S. District Court Judge in courtroom 2B at the courthouse located at 206 West Tabernacle Street, St. George, Utah 84470.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah made the announcement.The case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher Burton and Joseph M. Hood of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Alleged Conspirators Arrested for Running St. Thomas Strip Club as Prostitution Ring and Harboring Illegal AliensRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands – Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Adam Sleeper announced today that U.S. law enforcement arrested three members of an alleged conspiracy running a prostitution ring and harboring illegal aliens in St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands. A federal judge in the District of the Virgin Islands issued a criminal complaint and authorized arrest warrants charging Hussein Jamil, a.k.a. Hussian Jamil Suarez, a.k.a. “Tony,” 56, of St. Thomas, USVI; Magda Castro Santos a.k.a. “Tatiana,” 39, of St. Thomas, USVI; and Julio Hidaldo De Pena 65, of St. Thomas, USVI, for their alleged respective roles in a variety of criminal activities centered around an establishment known as Tootsys Gentlemen’s Club (“Tootsys”).
According to court documents, Jamil owns and operates Tootsys, a strip club in St. Thomas, USVI, which he, Castro Santos, and Hidaldo De Pena are alleged to have operated as a brothel. The alleged conspirators advertised Tootsys over Instagram and other platforms to recruit women to work at the club. They are alleged to have hired both U.S. citizens and illegal aliens as dancers and sex workers. Jamil is alleged to have paid for U.S. citizens to fly from elsewhere within the United States to St. Thomas and financed smuggling operations for aliens to illegally enter the U.S. Virgin Islands. Most of the dancers working at Tootsys lived in a house on St. Thomas rented by Jamil. Hidaldo De Pena transported the dancers from the rental house to Tootsys and back for their shifts. Castro Santos managed the dancers while at Tootsys, ensuring they paid their required fees, directing clients to the dancers, and collecting payments for private dances and commercial sex, among other managerial acts. When dancers arrived on St. Thomas for the purpose of working at Tootsys, the alleged conspirators’ coercive fee scheme pushed the dancers to make more money by engaging in commercial sex, both at Tootsys and through customers “buying out” dancers to take them to an offsite premises.
Jamil, Castro Santo, and Hildaldo de Pena are each charged with Conspiracy to Transport for Purpose of Prostitution, Conspiracy to Commit Interstate and Foreign Travel or Transportation in Aid of Racketeering Enterprises, and Conspiracy to Harbor Aliens for Financial Gain. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison for Conspiracy to Transport for Purpose of Prostitution and Conspiracy to Commit Interstate and Foreign Travel or Transportation in Aid of Racketeering Enterprises and 10 years in prison for Conspiracy to Harbor Aliens for Financial Gain. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Baker and Cherrisse Woods for the District of the Virgin Islands and Trial Attorneys Jessica Arco and Clayton O’Connor of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section are prosecuting the case.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating the case.
The investigation and charges are supported and prosecuted by JTFA, the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean, and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant United States Attorney detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/HSI and CBP/BP and OFO, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies.
To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 455 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 400 U.S. convictions; more than 350 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.
These arrests are also 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.A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Friday 17 April 2026
Zachary Babitz Pleads Guilty in Federal Case Involving Armed Robberies, Carjackings, and Fatal ShootingRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Zachary Babitz has pleaded guilty after committing a series of armed robberies and carjackings across New Mexico in 2024 that culminated in the fatal shooting of a victim during a carjacking in Santa Fe County.
According to court documents, between July 30 and August 10, 2024, Babitz, 40, committed a series of armed robberies, carjackings, and a fatal shooting across Bernalillo, Santa Fe, and Doña Ana counties.
Babitz began on July 30, 2024, when he entered an AutoZone in Albuquerque armed with a 9mm handgun, demanded money from an employee, and stole approximately $345. On July 31, he robbed a Wells Fargo bank in Albuquerque by presenting a demand note and indicating he was armed, obtaining approximately $3,300.
On August 3, Babitz robbed a Jersey Mike’s restaurant at gunpoint, taking cash from the register and forcing an employee to open a safe where additional money was stolen.
On August 6, 2024, Babitz committed a carjacking in Santa Fe County during which he confronted the victim with a firearm and shot him, causing his death.
Following the homicide, Babitz continued his violent conduct. On August 9, he carried out another carjacking in Bernalillo County. On August 10 in Las Cruces, Babitz and an accomplice robbed an Arby’s restaurant at gunpoint, stealing cash, and later that same day participated in another armed carjacking in which they forced a victim from a vehicle using firearms.
Babitz pleaded guilty to two counts of interference with commerce by robbery, one count of bank robbery, one count of carjacking resulting in death, one count of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and causing death through the use and possession of a firearm, one count of carjacking, two counts of interference with commerce by robbery and aiding and abetting, two counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and aiding and abetting, one count of carjacking and aiding and abetting, and one count of felon in possession of a firearm. As part of the plea agreement, the parties have agreed that a specific sentence of life imprisonment is the appropriate disposition in this case.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Sarah Mauricio, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement today.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case with assistance from the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, Santa Fe Police Department, Albuquerque Police Department and Las Cruces Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Maria Elena Stiteler and Natasha Moghadam are prosecuting the case.
West Virginia Man Found Guilty of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child AbroadRead the Press Release
Today a federal jury in the Southern District of West Virginia convicted a West Virginia man for aggravated sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between September 2006 and December 2006, Dustin Stover Bowles sexually abused a minor known to him while he babysat the minor at his home. The victim disclosed the abuse to several trusted adults in 2020, as well as Army criminal investigators. Bowles was later charged under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act. At the time of his criminal conduct, Bowles had been on active duty with the United States Army, stationed in Hanau, Germany. In addition to the victim identified in the indictment, three additional victims testified that Bowles sexually abused them while they were asleep.
The jury convicted Bowles of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 12 while abroad as a member of the armed forces. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 3 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 30 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
“Because of the victim’s courageous disclosure, years after being abused, the jury held Dustin Bowles to account,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This case demonstrates the Department’s commitment to protecting children from abuse and exploitation, even abuses committed decades ago and overseas.”
“Bowles preyed on a child entrusted to his care and committed a calculated, predatory act that shattered that trust in the most unforgivable way,” said United States Attorney Moore Capito for the Southern District of West Virginia. “This was not a mistake — it was a deliberate exploitation of the most vulnerable. The courage of this victim stands in stark contrast to the cruelty of the offender. Those who target children will be found and brought to answer for it — wherever they are and no matter how long it takes.”
“No matter the circumstances, no matter where you are in the world, the FBI will investigate, find, and bring to justice those who think they can prey on the most vulnerable members of our community. Tarnishing the nation’s uniform makes these actions all the more egregious,” said Special Agent in Charge Richard Evanchec of the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office. “The FBI and our international partners will not hesitate to pursue justice across time and borders to protect our children.”
The FBI and the U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Eduardo Palomo of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald from the Southern District of West Virginia are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Walpole Man Sentenced to Four Months in Prison for Smuggling Gold out of Colombia and Laundering Related FundsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Walpole man has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for his role in a 2018 scheme to smuggle gold, platinum and other precious metals into the United States from Colombia and then laundering the money.
Thomas Cataloni, 46, was sentenced on April 15, 2026 by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to four months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. In January 2026, Cataloni was convicted of one count of conspiracy to smuggle goods into the United States, one count of international money laundering and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The defendant was charged in November 2022.
In 2018, Cataloni and his co-conspirators sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to bank accounts in Colombia to pay for gold and platinum to be smuggled into the United States without being declared at U.S. customs. To facilitate the smuggling, the gold and platinum were melted in Colombia and formed to look like crude, unfinished jewelry such as chains, keychains and purse straps. The supposed jewelry was then worn by individuals who flew from Colombia into the United States without declaring the gold and platinum.
Two of Cataloni’s co-conspirators previously pleaded guilty. One was sentenced earlier this year and the other is scheduled to be sentenced later this year.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Customs & Border Protection; Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority; and the Canton and Walpole Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian J. Sullivan and Samuel R. Feldman of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuted the case.
U.S. Trustee Program Obtains Judgment Requiring National Consumer Bankruptcy Firm to Refund Nearly $200,000 Due to Bankruptcy Code Violations and Service DeficienciesRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice’s U.S. Trustee Program (USTP) recently obtained a judgment requiring a nationwide consumer law firm to refund a total of $196,527 in legal fees to dozens of clients based on the firm’s deficient services and other violations of the Bankruptcy Code.
On March 17, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Oregon entered a stipulated judgment against Recovery Law Group APC (RLG); its owner, Nicholas Wajda; and one of its partners, Grover Peters III. As part of the judgment, RLG agreed to refund fees to a debtor who nearly lost her home because of the firm’s poor services and to refund fees paid by 98 clients in Oregon for whom the firm had not yet filed a case. The judgment also bars RLG, Wajda, and Peters from advertising legal services or filing bankruptcy cases in the district for 18 months.
“Consumer debtors’ attorneys who provide substandard services endanger their clients’ pursuit of a fresh start,” said Acting U.S. Trustee Jonas Anderson for Region 18, which includes the District of Oregon. “The USTP will continue to hold these attorneys responsible for their abusive conduct.”
The Oregon judgment marks the USTP’s third successful enforcement action against RLG in about a year for their actions affecting debtors throughout the country. Last April, the USTP obtained an order from the Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia imposing $48,000 in sanctions and other relief against RLG and an affiliated attorney for their deficient legal services and violations of court orders. And in September, the USTP won a judgment in the Eastern District of Michigan imposing more than $392,000 in penalties and a three-year suspension against RLG for its false and misleading disclosures in more than 200 bankruptcy cases.
The USTP’s Oregon enforcement action stemmed from a case in which an elderly woman sought RLG’s help filing for bankruptcy to resolve debts she incurred as the victim of a fraud scheme. After a consultation from Wajda, who is not licensed to practice law in Oregon, the debtor paid a $1,838 fee to the firm to represent her in a chapter 7 bankruptcy case, and RLG had its non-attorney staff prepare the debtor’s bankruptcy documents.
RLG filed the case as a chapter 7 liquidation despite the debtor having nonexempt equity in her house that would be at risk for sale by the private trustee overseeing the case to pay creditors. The debtor was eligible for chapter 13, which would allow her to keep the house while paying her debts through a repayment plan, but Peters did not seek to convert the case to chapter 13 until after the chapter 7 trustee took steps to sell the debtor’s house. Peters — who also acknowledged at a hearing that the case never should have been filed under chapter 7 — continued to put the house at risk by failing to file documents on time and by filing documents that required multiple amendments as they were incompetently prepared by RLG’s non-attorney staff. In November 2025, nearly two-and-a-half years after the case was filed, the bankruptcy court confirmed the debtor’s chapter 13 repayment plan.
The USTP’s mission is to promote the integrity and efficiency of the bankruptcy system for the benefit of all stakeholders — debtors, creditors and the public. The USTP consists of 21 regions with 82 field offices nationwide and an Executive Office in Washington, D.C. Learn more about the USTP at www.justice.gov/ust.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Organizes Symposium to Kick Off National Crime Victims’ Rights WeekRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Each April, the Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) leads communities nationwide in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW). This year, NCVRW will be observed April 19-25, 2026.
To commemorate NCVRW, the U.S. Attorneys’ Office for the Western District of North Carolina hosted a symposium in Charlotte this week, focused on promoting resilience for service providers and victim advocates, and on strengthening collaboration, sharing resources, and building partnerships among professionals who serve crime victims.
NCVRW began in 1981 to honor crime victims, promote victims’ rights, and recognize those who work with and advocate on behalf of crime victims. The observance also highlights policies, programs, and partnerships that support victims on their path to healing and recovery. This year’s NCVRW theme is “Listen, Act, Advocate.”
“Our victims and their families motivate everything we do,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “While our cases often make the news, a lot of what we do is connecting victims to services. No one expects to be the victim of a crime; no one plans for it – victims often don’t know where to turn. In gratitude to the service providers we so often rely upon, this year we focused on them – people who spend so much time caring for others, they forget to care for themselves.”
U.S. Attorney’s Office Victim Witness Unit Personnel with U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson
Victim Service Providers and Advocates with Area Organizations
More than 50 victim advocates, health care professionals, legal services providers, mental health practitioners, non-profit organizations, and members of the faith community attended the symposium. Participants engaged in discussions on trauma-informed care and ways to enhance coordinated responses to better serve victims of crime.
“When we invest in those who serve crime victims, we strengthen the safety of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “A coordinated, victim-centered response, not only helps us restore justice for victims of crime but also builds trust and improves a holistic response to crime.”
Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office Victim/Witness Assistance Program can be found here.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 143 Border-Related Cases This WeekRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 143 border-related cases this week, including charges of bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city).
In addition to reactive border-related crimes, the Southern District of California also prosecutes a significant number of proactive cases related to terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking and national security. Recent developments in those and other significant areas of prosecution can be found here.
A sample of border-related arrests this week:
- On April 12, Ramon Ramirez Jr., a United States citizen, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, Customs and Border Protection officers discovered 317 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in the rear bed of the defendant’s vehicle’s as he tried to cross the border at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
- On April 13, Gabriel Soto-Baez, a citizen of Mexico, was arrested and charged with Attempted Entry after Deportation. According to a complaint, Ortiz was intercepted by Border Patrol officers lying on the ground in an attempt to conceal himself near the Tecate Port of Entry. The defendant was previously removed from the U.S. in January 2026 through Nogales, Arizona.
- On April 14, Zelin Chen, a United States citizen, was arrested and charged with Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain. According to a complaint, Customs and Border Protection officers determined that Chen’s passenger presented false immigration documents when they applied for entry to the United States at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. The passenger was a Chinese national without legal status to enter the U.S. who had made arrangements to pay $18,000 to be smuggled into the U.S.
The immigration cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the support and assistance of state and local law enforcement partners.
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Two Bridgeport Men Charged with Robbing Jewelry Store in ClintonRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the FBI today announced that KELIJAH RICHARDSON, also known as “KeKe,” “Keek,” and “Lijh,” 28, and ANIBAL RIVERA, also known as “Go,” “Greenlight Go,” and “greenlightgo.1,” 27, both of Bridgeport, have been charged by indictment with robbing a jewelry store in Clinton earlier this year.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, the FBI New Haven Violent Crimes Task Force, together with state and local law enforcement agencies, has been investigating at least 20 robberies and burglaries, and attempted robberies and burglaries, of jewelry stores and kiosks that occurred between September 2025 and February 2026 in Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts. In each instance, the suspects, wearing dark clothing, masks, and gloves, entered the jewelry stores and kiosks, used hammers or other tools to break jewelry showcases, and stole jewelry. They then fled in vehicles that had no license plates or stolen or obstructed license plates.
The indictment, which was returned by a grand jury in Bridgeport on March 18, 2026, alleges that on February 3, 2026, Richardson and Rivera robbed the KAY Outlet in Clinton. The retail value of items stolen during the theft is approximately $184,000.
The indictment charges Richardson and Rivera with interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery), an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
Richardson, who was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on March 9, 2026, appeared today in Bridgeport federal court and entered a plea of not guilty to the charge. He is released on a $250,000 bond.
Rivera has been detained since his arrest on February 3, 2026, on a state warrant stemming from an alleged robbery of approximately $259,000 in jewelry from a location in the Buckland Hills Mall in Manchester on September 17, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the FBI New Haven Violent Crimes Task Force with the assistance of state and local law enforcement agencies. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen L. Peck.
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.
Tripoli Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography CrimesRead the Press Release
A man who received and possessed child pornography pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Isiah Michael Morse, age 22, from Tripoli, Iowa, was convicted of one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
Evidence at a prior hearing showed that in January 2024, law enforcement officers searched Morse’s person and seized a phone. On the phone were images and videos of child pornography, including of prepubescent children. Morse had paid for child pornography on at least two occasions. In an interview with officers, Morse admitted that he had downloaded child pornography and then moved it to a “hidden folder” on his phone. At the plea hearing, Morse admitted that between November 2021 and November 2023, he received child pornography, and that between May 2023 and January 2024, he possessed child pornography on his phone.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Morse was taken into custody by the United States Marshal after the guilty plea and will remain in custody pending sentencing. Morse faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $500,000 fine, $62,200 in special assessments, and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Johnson County Joint Forensic Analysis Cyber Team, and the Bremer County Sheriff’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-CR-2036.
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Three Accused of More than $2 Million Fraud Targeting Cruise LineRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Three people have been accused of defrauding a cruise ship company out of more than $2 million.
Thomas Markwell, 53, and Nathan Boyd, 50, were indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in October with seven counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Joanna Dettman, 50, of St. Louis was indicted on the wire fraud charges.
Markwell, originally from near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, appeared in court Friday. A motion seeking to have Markwell held in jail until trial says he was fired by the cruise line in September of 2023. According to the motion, Markwell was in Argentina when his indictment was filed, did not return as scheduled and was planning to marry an Argentinian citizen. Markwell was arrested in Argentina on an Interpol Red Notice on Feb. 23. Markwell agreed to waive extradition and was surrendered to the United States. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs secured the arrest and yesterday’s extradition of Markwell.
Dettman appeared in court in October and Boyd, of Deschutes County, Oregon, appeared in November. Both have pleaded not guilty.
The indictment says that from June 2021 to September 2023, Markwell misused his position as senior director of events at the cruise line company. Markwell approved numerous fraudulent invoices totaling more than $1 million from a company in the St. Louis area that assists corporate clients with procuring gifts for their employees, customers and business partners, the indictment says. Boyd co-owned the gifting company and Dettman, also known as Joanna St. Gemme, worked for them as a contractor. Boyd and Dettman either inflated legitimate invoices or created fictitious invoices, some of which contained the personal expenses of Markwell, Dettman, Boyd or Markwell’s romantic partners. They also issued numerous fraudulent invoices to the cruise line that included their personal expenses and the personal expenses of Markwell’s romantic partners that had been charged to the gifting company's corporate credit cards.
Dettman also owned GEM Consulting LLC, which issued $100,000 in fraudulent invoices to the cruise line, the indictment says. Markwell approved GEM as a vendor and approved a fictitious business that was associated with one of his romantic partners, which then billed the cruise line $500,000, the indictment says.
The indictment says that Markwell issued fraudulent invoices totaling $180,000 to the gifting company from a fictitious business associated with another of his romantic partners to get his share of the proceeds.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is prosecuting the case.
The Buffalo Club agrees to pay $1.5 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations related to Paycheck Protection Program loan eligibilityRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced today that The Buffalo Club has agreed to pay $1,500,000 to resolve allegations that it improperly obtained a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), which it was not eligible to receive.
The PPP loan program, enacted in March 2020, provided emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The program allowed eligible small businesses to receive loans guaranteed by the federal government.
For decades, the SBA has explained that private clubs and businesses, which limit the number of memberships for any reason other than capacity, or restrict patronage for any reason other than capacity, are not eligible for loans through the SBA. The SBA’s guidance also specifically states that this restriction applies to eligibility for PPP loans.
In March 2021, The Buffalo Club applied for a PPP loan and certified that it was eligible to receive the loan. After receiving the PPP loan, The Buffalo Club sought and received forgiveness of the entire loan amount. The United States contended that The Buffalo Club falsely represented its eligibility to receive the PPP loan because it operated as a private membership club that restricted membership for reasons other than capacity.
This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan W. Ferris, and Investigator Margaret McFarland, with assistance from the SBA’s Office of General Counsel.
The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. Under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the settlement or judgment. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only; there has been no determination or admission of liability.
Individuals with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 are encouraged to report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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Texas Man Sentenced for Drug Trafficking CrimeRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JERRY D. SMITH (SMITH), 52, was sentenced on April 16, 2026, to 63 months imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee by U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
According to court documents, on or about August 28, 2022, SMITH was pulled over by Louisiana State Police for a traffic infraction and learned that SMITH was driving a stolen vehicle. During the stop, troopers also discovered SMITH had kilogram quantities of cocaine hidden within the vehicle. SMITH admitted to traveling from Texas to the Eastern District of Louisiana with the intent to sell cocaine.
This investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations, the Louisiana State Police, and the Kenner Police Department The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Lynn E. Schiffman of the Narcotics Unit.
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Tallahassee Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Attempted Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Tallahassee, Florida – Vertis McNeil Robinson, 48, of Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for his conviction of attempted receipt of child pornography. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Sexual predators have more ways than ever before to prey upon children online, but our excellent state and federal law enforcement partners are relentlessly pursuing those sick individuals to keep our kids safe. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute anyone who seeks to sexually exploit and victimize children through the internet and social media platforms.”
Court documents reflect that Robinson was arrested as part of a joint law enforcement agency operation in the Tallahassee area to locate individuals using the internet to locate and sexually exploit minors. Robinson made contact with an individual he believed was a minor and engaged in discussions to meet the minor to engage in sexual acts in exchange for cash. Robinson asked the minor to send a sexually explicit image during the discussions.
After serving his term of imprisonment, Robinson will have to register as a sexual offender.
The case involved a joint investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Tallahassee Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith L. Steer.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Tallahassee Man Indicted for Armed Drug Trafficking CrimesRead the Press Release
Tallahassee, Florida – Forrest Alan Price, 31, of Tallahassee, Florida, has been indicted in federal court for possession with intent to distribute synthetic cathinone and five grams or more of methamphetamine, carrying a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charge.
Price appeared in federal court for his arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Charles A. Stampelos in Tallahassee, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for June 2, 2026, at 8:30 am before Chief District Court Judge Allen C. Winsor in Tallahassee, Florida.
Price faces a minimum mandatory prison sentence of five years’ imprisonment, and up to 40 years, on the drug possession count, and a consecutive five years’ imprisonment, up to life, for carrying a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime. He also faces up to 15 years’ imprisonment if convicted of possession of a firearm by a felon.
The case is being jointly investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Tallahassee Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Suspected murderer and homeless man charged with federal firearms offensesRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Olaolukitan Adon Abel, a convicted felon, and Damon Marquis Yarns, an Atlanta-area homeless man, face federal firearms charges based on their possession and purchase, respectively, of a handgun allegedly found at the scene of the murder of a U.S. Department of Homeland Security employee in DeKalb County, Georgia this week.
“The defendants allegedly violated federal law to put a firearm in the hands of a convicted felon with tragic consequences,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “I have expressed to DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston that I have full confidence in her office’s ongoing investigation and anticipated prosecution of Monday’s heinous attacks in Brookhaven and Decatur. My office and federal law enforcement agencies will continue to provide any requested support.”
“Through strong partnerships and proactive efforts, we are making measurable progress in reducing crime. These charges reinforce our commitment to holding offenders accountable and protecting our communities,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ryan Todd.
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the criminal complaints, and other information presented in court: in the early morning of April 13, 2026, DeKalb County Police Department officers responded to an alleged homicide in a residential neighborhood in Decatur, Georgia. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security later identified the victim as one of its employees, Lauren Bullis. DeKalb County police officers allegedly found a loaded 9mm pistol and five 9mm cartridge casings on the ground near the murder victim.
Based on a National Tracing Center analysis of the firearm, Damon Marquis Yarns allegedly purchased the 9mm pistol at a federally licensed firearms dealer in midtown Atlanta on February 20, 2026. Yesterday, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives interviewed Yarns. Yarns explained that he has been residing in homeless shelters since relocating to Atlanta last year. He allegedly admitted that he purchased a firearm for a Nigerian or British man he knew only as “Abdul or Obie,” who he identified in a photo array as Abel. Yarns stated that Abel paid for him to travel by rideshare to purchase the firearm for Abel and admitted that, when he purchased the firearm, he lied by indicating on an ATF form that he was the actual buyer of the firearm. After the purchase, Yarns allegedly gave the firearm to Abel and never possessed the firearm again.
On April 13, 2026, Georgia State Patrol Troopers stopped Abel’s car in Troup County, Georgia. Troopers searching the car found a box of 9mm ammunition and shell casings matching the same brand of ammunition found at the murder scene in Decatur, Georgia. Law enforcement arrested and transferred Abel to DeKalb County, where he is facing numerous felony charges, including for malice murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Abel was previously convicted of a felony for Assault of a Police Officer with a Deadly Weapon on January 2, 2025, in the Superior Court of San Diego County, California, and he was sentenced to probation in June 2025 for four counts of misdemeanor sexual battery in the Recorders Court of Chatham County, Georgia.
Damon Marquis Yarns, 35, appeared in federal court today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher C. Bly and was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending further proceedings. Olaolukitan Adon Abel, 26, remains incarcerated at the DeKalb County Jail.
Members of the public are reminded that the complaints only contain charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the DeKalb County Police Department, Brookhaven Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General.
U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Six St. Louis Area Residents Accused of $8.3 Million Pandemic FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Six St. Louis area residents have been accused of involvement in a $8.3 million pandemic fraud. Three were arrested Friday.
Raymond Porter Jr., 64, of St. Louis, was indicted Wednesday with 28 felonies: conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 15 counts of wire fraud, eight counts of aggravated identity theft and four counts of money laundering. David Holmon, 54, of Olivette, was indicted on conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 10 counts of wire fraud, five counts of aggravated identity theft and two counts of money laundering. Monica Butler, 59, of St. Louis, was indicted on conspiracy to commit wire fraud, four counts of wire fraud and seven counts of money laundering. Dana Kelly, 47, and Alexander Sampson, 39, both of St. Louis, were indicted on one count of conspiracy, three counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Latrice Davis, 40, of St. Charles County, now faces one count of conspiracy, two counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Porter, Holmon and Davis were arrested Friday and appeared in court.
The indictment accuses the conspirators of submitting at least 40 fraudulent applications between March 2020 and December 2024 for Paycheck Protection Program loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans that yielded at least $8,387,593. The loans were U.S. Small Business Administration programs intended to support small businesses and their workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Porter and Holmon, with Davis’s help, prepared and submitted fraudulent PPP and EIDL applications for their own businesses and for other people’s businesses, including businesses owned by Butler, Kelly and Sampson, the indictment says. In return, Porter and Holmon typically would receive 10%-20% of any approved loans, the indictment says, disguised as payments for equipment or consulting services. They would then pay Davis a portion of those fees, it says.
As part of the conspiracy, Porter, Holmon and/or Davis used the personal information of business owners to impersonate them during the loan application process, created fake websites and business email addresses if the businesses did not have them, used false or inflated financial and payroll figures, created fake financial documents, instructed the business owners to open business bank accounts to receive the loan proceeds and falsely claimed that the money would be used for approved purposes, the indictment says. Davis sometimes registered sham businesses with the Missouri Secretary of State’s office to aid the scheme, the indictment says. On multiple applications, Porter, Holmon and Davis concealed the identity of the business owners to hide it from the SBA and third-party lenders, the indictment says, such as by falsely identifying family members as the businesses’ owners.
At Porter's direction, Kelly caused falsified federal tax documents to be filed with the IRS through her tax preparation business, The Firm, for some of the businesses, the indictment says. Porter and Holmon submitted fraudulent loan forgiveness applications for some of the loans, it says.
The indictment says that Porter and Holmon directly received more than $1.4 million of loan money, plus an additional $900,000 through “preparer” fees. They also obtained more than $1 million in loan money for Butler, nearly $400,000 in loan money for Kelly and Sampson, and more than $95,000 in loan money for Davis.
The conspirators used the money to buy vehicles, make personal payments to themselves, pay personal debts and bills, fund home renovations, buy designer merchandise, and cover expenses of businesses other than the ones to which the money was lent, the indictment says.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
“Since 2020, IRS-Criminal Investigation has investigated thousands of instances of alleged waste, fraud and abuse of CARES Act programs,” said St. Louis Field Office Special Agent in Charge William Steenson. “These programs were meant to provide economic stability to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. When someone uses fraudulent means to gain access to government funds they’re not entitled to, we take that very seriously and will investigate the allegations to the fullest extent to bring the fraudsters to justice.”
“The alleged scheme involved submitting fraudulent loan applications on behalf of others as a paid service,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “The perpetrators allegedly submitted dozens of false loan documents to bilk millions of dollars from the taxpayer-funded pandemic relief programs.”
The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigations and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is prosecuting the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Sinaloa Cartel driver carrying over two million lethal doses of fentanyl sentenced to life imprisonmentRead the Press Release
VICTORIA, Texas – A 51-year-old Harlingen resident has been ordered to federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth and fentanyl, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
The jury deliberated for less than an hour before convicting Jimenez James Love following a two-day trial Jan 21.
U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton has now ordered Love to serve the rest of his life in federal prison. At the hearing, the court heard additional testimony that included how he used at least 10 young women to distribute drugs and bragged about putting the meth inside their bodies. Evidence also revealed he had his own distribution ring and had beaten at least one witness, brutally knocking out two teeth and leaving him with a torn retina.
In handing down the life sentence, the court noted the large amount of meth and fentanyl involved and the use of young women in his criminal conduct.
The investigation began June 30, 2021, when law enforcement discovered Love was transporting meth and fentanyl concealed in the gas tank of his girlfriend’s vehicle.
At trial, the jury heard how authorities conducted a traffic stop and discovered approximately 11 kilograms of meth and 5.32 kilograms of fentanyl.
Testimony and evidence revealed Love was hired as a driver to transport drugs for the Sinaloa Cartel. Love's cargo was one of many shipments this arm of the organization had made. The number of shipments was so vast that an accurate number of shipments could not be fully determined. However, evidence showed the single load of fentanyl that Love was carrying contained over two million potential lethal doses.
The defense attempted to convince the jury Love was not involved in an ongoing drug trafficking operation. The jury did not believe the claims and found him guilty as charged.
Love will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Texas Department of Public Safety and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patti Hubert Booth prosecuted the case.
Sex Offender Who Failed to Register Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who came to Iowa from Minnesota and did not register with the state sex offender registry was sentenced on April 15, 2026, to more than two years in federal prison. Blake William Johnson, age 31, from Austin, Minnesota, received the prison term after a December 29, 2025, guilty plea to failure to register as a sex offender.
Information from sentencing and other hearings showed that Johnson was previously convicted of electronic solicitation of children in 2022 in Minnesota after he repeatedly messaged an online profile represented to be that of a female child under the age of fifteen. The profile was operated by an undercover law enforcement agent. Johnson sent explicit messages to the profile, including pictures of his genitals. In July 2025, Johnson absconded from correctional supervision in Minnesota. He began living in Iowa and was arrested on August 21, 2025. Johnson did not register with the state of Iowa sex offender registry as he was required to do. In addition to his sex offense conviction, Johnson’s criminal history includes convictions for drug possession, burglary, domestic assault, and violating a no contact order.
Johnson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Johnson was sentenced to 30 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. Johnson is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyndra Lundquist and investigated by the United States Marshals Service and the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 25-CR-2057.
SDTX continues efforts to secure southern border with 443 more cases filedRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Another 446 people have been charged in support of Operation Tack Back America from April 10-16, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
A total of 169 individuals face illegal entry charges, while 242 allegedly re-entered the United States after prior removal. An additional 33 people are accused of engaging in human smuggling, while the remaining three cases relate to firearms crimes. Many also have prior convictions for narcotics, violent crime, sexual offenses, other immigration violations and more.
Among the new cases in recent days are two men from the McAllen area who are allegedly involved in human smuggling. The charges allege Yahaniel Somoza, Houston, picked up illegal aliens on at least two occasions, transporting some to a local mechanic shop. Somoza had allegedly taken some of their cell phones and/or instructed them to eat only twice a day. Law enforcement executed a subsequent search warrant and discovered 15 illegal aliens at the mechanic shop, according to the criminal complaint. In a separate case, Edinburg resident Fidel Cantu-Mendez had allegedly picked up several illegal aliens near the Rio Grande in Escobares. The charges allege he drove recklessly and told the occupants to run once the vehicle stopped. A foot chase ensued, according to the complaint. Authorities allegedly apprehended Cantu-Mendez as well as 13 illegal aliens near the vehicle. Somoza and Cantu-Mendez face up to 10 and five years in federal prison, respectively, upon conviction.
Also charged this week are Andrei Eduardo Mayorga Oliva and Julian Flores-Molina who allegedly reentered the United States without authorization. Oliva is a Honduran male found near Alamo, according to his charges. The criminal complaint alleges he has a prior conviction for carnal knowledge of a child and had been sentenced to three years in prison before his removal in May 2025. Law enforcement encountered Mexican national Julian Flores-Molina near Donna, despite having been previously removed in June 2024, according to the allegations. The charges allege Oliva has prior convictions for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated robbery, unauthorized use of a vehicle and illegal reentry and had served substantial time in prison. If convicted, they both could receive up to 20 years in federal prison.
In addition to the new cases, Operation Pick-Off efforts have continued with more people taken into custody in the Houston area. This SDTX initiative began as a multi-agency immigration and violent crime enforcement effort targeting criminal illegal aliens on state probation or supervision. It was originally announced in August 2025 in the Rio Grande Valley with federal charges against nearly 70 illegal aliens. Most had allegedly returned to the country after being previously removed, only to commit other crimes. The overall effort has since expanded to all divisions and resulted in numerous arrests of foreign nationals from countries including Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and more with various convictions, including murder. Operation Pick-Off operates on a continuous basis, with authorities engaging in rolling arrests and prosecutions.
Also of note this week was the sentencing of Mexican national Francisco Gerardo Garcia-Arzola. He was ordered to serve a 30-month sentence in Brownsville after illegally reentering the country for a third time. He was first removed in 2012, then again in 2024. However, authorities discovered him in the country illegally and took him into custody in June 2025. Garcia-Arzola has multiple previous convictions for possession of and manufacturing/delivering a controlled substance.
The cases are referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal histories, including convictions for human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than 10 million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.
An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Repeat offender sentenced to 15 years for drug trafficking, firearms crimesRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage man was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison for committing drug trafficking and firearms crimes while on pretrial release in multiple state cases.
According to court documents, in 2013, Paul Baldwin Jr., 35, was convicted of a federal drug trafficking crime and sentenced to seven years in prison. Baldwin was released from federal prison in 2019 and placed on supervision. His supervision was terminated in December 2021. Within months of termination, he was trafficking drugs again.
In September 2022, Anchorage Police Officers responded to a residence for a call. Upon arrival, officers saw Baldwin walking back and forth between the residence and a vehicle in the driveway. When officers pulled in the driveway, Baldwin fled on foot.
Officers searched the vehicle in the driveway and discovered a pistol, over 80 grams of illegal fentanyl pills and over $16,000 in cash. At the time of the search, Baldwin was a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms.
Roughly a week later, officers arrested Baldwin at an apartment in Anchorage. At the time of the arrest, officers observed Baldwin attempting to flush nearly 200 grams of heroin down the toilet. He was also in possession of another pistol and officers found over $1,000 in cash and illicit fentanyl pills in his pockets as well as illegal fentanyl pills and over $420 in cash inside Baldwin’s backpack. Officers later recovered an additional 44 grams of illegal fentanyl pills hidden on his person.
In March 2023, law enforcement attempted to stop a vehicle that Baldwin was driving in Fairbanks, but Baldwin fled at a high rate of speed before losing control and hitting a snow berm. Officers searched Baldwin’s person and discovered over 14 grams of illegal fentanyl pills, over $5,600 in cash and key cards for a room at a local hotel. Law enforcement officers searched the hotel room at the local hotel and found over 290 grams of illegal drugs, $2,450 in cash and a lump of suspected gold.
Following his arrest, Baldwin made multiple recorded phone calls from jail to another person asking them to look for something at a residence. Law enforcement recovered roughly 198 grams of illegal fentanyl pills and 145 grams of heroin.
In January 2023, Baldwin was indicted by a federal grand jury with being a felon in possessing of a firearm. In May 2023, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment adding three additional charges, including two counts of possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute. In August 2024, while he was pending trial in this federal case, Baldwin was released for a period of one day to attend a relative’s funeral and failed to return to jail. He was arrested roughly two months later.
On Jan. 8, 2026, Baldwin pleaded guilty to one count of possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute and one count of being a felon in possession of firearms.
“Mr. Baldwin is an armed drug trafficker that has, over and over, endangered our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “Dangerous repeat offenders will not be tolerated. Our law enforcement partners are working diligently every day to hold habitual offenders, like Mr. Baldwin, accountable and taking them off the streets.”
“Mr. Baldwin engaged in drug trafficking while illegally carrying a firearm as a convicted felon – a combination that put innocent lives at risk in our community,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “Protecting our communities from drug trafficking and violence remains a top priority for the FBI. We will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to disrupt these activities and keep our neighborhoods safe.”
The FBI Anchorage Field Office and the Anchorage Police Department investigated this case as part of the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force. Additional assistance was provided by the Alaska State Troopers as part of the Fairbanks Areawide Narcotics Team (FANT) and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Miller prosecuted the case.
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Registered Sex Offender and Mexican National Sentenced to 24 Months Imprisonment for Assault of Federal Law Enforcement OfficersRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – First Assistant United States Attorney Pete Serrano announced that on April 16, 2026, District Court Judge United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke, sentenced Victor Lara-Lopez, age 42, of Pasco, Washington, Washington, to 24 months of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release for assaulting two federal law enforcement officers.
According to court documents and information revealed during the sentencing hearing, in 2022, Lara-Lopez was convicted in the Superior Court of Washington- County of Benton, of molesting a 12 year old child. Lara-Lopez was sentenced to a prison term above the standard range because he held a position of trust over the child at the time of the offense. At the time of this sexual abuse, Lara-Lopez, a citizen of Mexico, was unlawfully residing in the United States. Lara-Lopez served his prison term in the Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) and was released back into the community, despite his lack of status and sex offense conviction.
In June of 2025, local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers identified Lara-Lopez as a person residing unlawfully in Pasco, Washington, and sought to arrest him on an administrative warrant. In the early morning hours of June 13, 2025, two ICE officers identified Lara-Lopez in a vehicle near his Pasco residence. The officers, wearing clearly marked law enforcement gear and identifying themselves as law enforcement, approached Lara-Lopez in his vehicle and attempted to execute the warrant and arrest Lara-Lopez. Lara-Lopez refused to turn off his vehicle, provide his name, or exit his vehicle. Both officers stepped on the running board of the vehicle in an attempt to arrest Lara-Lopez. Lara-Lopez then began to drive the vehicle, initially reversing, then driving forward onto the sidewalk, hitting an ICE vehicle with such force that the front bumper was pulled off. Both officers were forced to jump off of the vehicle’s running board to avoid being crushed between Lara-Lopez’s vehicle and an ICE vehicle. Both officers sustained injuries as a result of Lara-Lopez’s conduct. Lara-Lopez fled the scene.
The United States Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation sought and obtained a federal complaint and arrest warrant for Lara-Lopez for two counts of Assault on a Federal Law Enforcement Officer. Lara-Lopez remained whereabouts unknown for a full month, despite efforts by the United States Marshalls Service (USMS), Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI to locate him.
Lara-Lopez was apprehended in his vehicle on July 15, 2025. Lara-Lopez initially refused to exit the vehicle. Two other individuals were located in the vehicle with Lara-Lopez, including a minor child. Lara-Lopez was prohibited from contact with minor children due to his supervision conditions for the prior sex offense conviction. Officers also located fraudulent identification for Lara-Lopez after he was placed into law enforcement custody. Lara-Lopez pled guilty to assaulting both ICE officers on December 2, 2025.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Dimke noted Lara-Lopez’s history of failing to comply with law enforcement. She advised that Lara Lopez’s refusal to comply with the lawful directives of federal law enforcement officers, and specifically federal immigration officers, put the community, the officers and Lara-Lopez at great risk.
“Lara-Lopez sexually abused a vulnerable, local child. He was permitted to return to our community despite this conviction and his illegal presence in the United States. The ICE officers in this case sought to protect this community by lawfully removing Lara-Lopez from it. This case highlights the importance of ICE’s work in our community. Here, ICE was removing a child sex offender who is not here lawfully from our community – I’d like to thank the ICE officers involved. My office will aggressively continue to pursue people, like Lara-Lopez, who are unlawfully present, who seek to harm members of our community, or who assault federal law enforcement officers who are doing their jobs,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Serrano.
“Law enforcement officers put themselves in harm’s way every day to apprehend dangerous criminals and protect the American people,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “Mr. Lara-Lopez’s reckless behavior not only injured two federal agents but was particularly egregious in light of his prior conduct exploiting a child from a position of trust. The FBI is committed to holding those who assault federal agents, like Mr. Lara-Lopez, accountable for their actions.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laurel Holland.
Putnam County Man Found Guilty of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child AbroadRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – After four days of trial, a federal jury today convicted Dustin Stover Bowles, 42, of Hurricane, for aggravated sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between September 2006 and December 2006, Bowles sexually abused a minor known to him while he babysat the minor at his home. The victim disclosed the abuse to several trusted adults in 2020, as well as Army criminal investigators. Bowles was later charged under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act. At the time of his criminal conduct, Bowles had been on active duty with the United States Army, stationed in Hanau, Germany. In addition to the victim identified in the indictment, three additional victims testified that Bowles sexually abused them while they were asleep.
The jury convicted Bowles of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 12 while abroad as a member of the armed forces. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 3, 2026, and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 30 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
“Because of the victim’s courageous disclosure, years after being abused, the jury held Dustin Bowles to account,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This case demonstrates the Department’s commitment to protecting children from abuse and exploitation, even abuses committed decades ago and overseas.”
“Bowles preyed on a child entrusted to his care and committed a calculated, predatory act that shattered that trust in the most unforgivable way,” said United States Attorney Moore Capito for the Southern District of West Virginia. “This was not a mistake — it was a deliberate exploitation of the most vulnerable. The courage of this victim stands in stark contrast to the cruelty of the offender. Those who target children will be found and brought to answer for it — wherever they are and no matter how long it takes.”
“No matter the circumstances, no matter where you are in the world, the FBI will investigate, find, and bring to justice those who think they can prey on the most vulnerable members of our community. Tarnishing the nation’s uniform makes these actions all the more egregious,” said Special Agent in Charge Richard Evanchec of the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office. “The FBI and our international partners will not hesitate to pursue justice across time and borders to protect our children.”
The FBI and the U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the jury trial. Trial Attorney Eduardo Palomo of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald from the Southern District of West Virginia are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-100.
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Presque Isle Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Presque Isle man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material.
According to court records, Joseph Ebner, 32, began communicating online with an undercover agent posing as the father of a nine-year-old girl. Ebner sent multiple videos containing child sexual abuse material to the undercover agent and indicated he wanted to have sexual contact with his daughter. Based on this information, investigators executed a search warrant at Ebner’s residence. He agreed to be interviewed and admitted to communicating with the undercover agent and sending multiple images of child sexual abuse material to the agent. A subsequent forensic examination of Ebner’s electronic devices revealed multiple images and videos of child sexual abuse material.
Ebner faces a minimum term of five years and maximum term of 20 years for distributing child sexual abuse material, a maximum term of 20 years for possessing child sexual abuse material, a maximum fine of $250,000 for each count, and a maximum supervised release term of life for each count. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI, Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office, and Bangor Police Department investigated the case.
To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child sexual abuse material: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as “child pornography” – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.
Project Safe Childhood: This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.
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Pharmacist Who Stole Controlled Substances SentencedRead the Press Release
A licensed pharmacist who created fake patient profiles to steal prescription drugs containing controlled substances was sentenced on April 15, 2026, to a three‑year term of probation.
Ryan Paul Etscheid, age 40, from La Salle, Illinois, received the sentence after an October 27, 2025, guilty plea to acquiring a controlled substance by means of misrepresentation, fraud, deception, and subterfuge.
Information from sentencing and public court records showed that on July 9, 2023, Etscheid worked a shift at a pharmacy in Waterloo, Iowa. Etscheid created three fake patient accounts and dispensed prescription drugs containing controlled substances, including oxycodone, under the fraudulent accounts. Etscheid used similar methods to acquire controlled substances while working as a pharmacist in Ottumwa on February 13, 2022, March 10, 2023, and May 23, 2023. On August 20, 2024, Etscheid pled guilty to three counts of acquiring a controlled substance by means of misrepresentation, fraud, deception, and subterfuge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa in relation to that conduct and subsequently sentenced to three years of probation on December 20, 2024.
Etscheid was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Etscheid was sentenced to three years of probation. He was ordered to make $1,177.04 in restitution to the victim pharmacy.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyndra Lundquist and investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-CR-2041.
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Pennsylvania and Michigan Men Charged with Benefits Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Randy Welch, age 46, of Michigan, and Earnest Morant, age 58, of Harrisburg, were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy to commit Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits fraud.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, the indictment alleges that Welch and Morant engaged in a conspiracy to submit fraudulent SNAP benefits applications and then exchange the resulting electronic benefits transfer cards for cash. To further the conspiracy, Welch allegedly obtained the names, social security numbers, and personally identifiable information for numerous persons, which he placed on applications for SNAP benefits. Those applications were then submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (PA DHS). As a result, PA DHS issued numerous SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards in the names of those persons to addresses Welch specified.
One of those addresses belonged to Welch’s codefendant, Earnest Morant. Morant allegedly received many of the fraudulently obtained EBT cards at his home in Harrisburg and mailed them to other coconspirators, who would sell the cards for cash.
The Department of Justice has created the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Conspiracy to commit SNAP benefits fraud carries a maximum penalty under federal law of up to five years in prison, plus a fine and a term of supervised release. The charge of SNAP benefits fraud has a maximum penalty under federal law up to 20 years in prison. A sentence following the finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The United States Department of Agriculture Office of the Inspector General and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Scalera is prosecuting the case.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Oregon Man Convicted of Possessing and Transporting Child PornographyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Newberg, Oregon man was convicted of possessing and transporting child pornography after a multi-day trial, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.
Jayson Setera, 51, of Newberg, Oregon, was convicted by a federal jury of one count of possession of prepubescent child pornography and one count of transportation of child pornography following a multi-day trial before U.S. District Judge Jamel K. Semper in Newark federal court. Sentencing is scheduled for August 17.
“The sexual exploitation of children is a grave crime that fuels ongoing abuse, and it will not be tolerated in this District. This defendant possessed and transported material that victimized some of the most vulnerable among us, and this conviction reflects our unwavering commitment to find, prosecute, and hold accountable those who traffic in child sexual abuse material and to protect victims of these heinous crimes.”
- U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On January 22, 2024, Setera returned from an international trip aboard a flight that landed at Newark Liberty International Airport. Law enforcement searched Setera’s cellular phone and found approximately 170 photographs and 8 videos depicting child sexual abuse material, including material involving pre-pubescent minors. Law enforcement also found messages from Setera soliciting child pornography and referring to the sexual abuse of young children. In addition, law enforcement found payments from Setera to the individuals sending him child pornography.
The charge of transportation of child pornography carries a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison. The charge of possession of prepubescent child pornography carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison. Each count also carries a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest.
U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents of the Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy and officers from Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”), under the direction of New York Director of Field Operation Frank Russo, with the investigation leading to the conviction.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/psc
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert L. Toll and Matthew Specht of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark.
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Defense counsel: Tyler Newman, Esq.
Okmulgee County Resident Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing FirearmRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jackie Leon Parker, Jr., age 51, of Morris, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Felon in Possession of Firearm, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Indictment charged Parker with knowingly possessing a bolt-action rifle on October 7, 2025, after having been previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Parker will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.
Northwest ISD teacher indicted for child pornography violationsRead the Press Release
SHERMAN, Texas – A Denton man has been indicted and charged with federal child pornography violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Kyle Lee Roy Francis, 24, was named in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Texas charging him with receipt and possession of child pornography.
Francis has voluntarily resigned from his position with Northwest Independent School District.
If convicted, Francis faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations Dallas Child Exploitation Group and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Calli Bailey.
This case is 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 the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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New York Physician Pleads Guilty to Multimillion-Dollar Covid-19 Insurance Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Attorney for the United States, Acting under Authority Conferred by 28 U.S.C. § 515, Sean S. Buckley, announced that ALI RASHAN, a medical doctor and the CEO and founder of ClearMD LLC, a provider of COVID-19 testing services in New York City, pled guilty to fraudulently billing insurance companies for COVID-19 testing services and submitting fraudulent medical records in furtherance of his scheme, causing at least $24 million in losses. RASHAN pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer.
“Ali Rashan exploited a public health crisis to bill tens of millions in fraudulent claims purportedly filed on behalf of New Yorkers—costs ultimately borne by New York residents and the public more generally,” said Deputy U.S. Attorney Sean S. Buckley. “That kind of conduct will be pursued, investigated, and prosecuted.”
According to statements made in court and publicly filed documents in this case:
RASHAN, an anesthesiologist, founded and ran ClearMD LLC (“ClearMD”), which operated medical clinics that offered testing for COVID-19 during the global coronavirus pandemic. From at least 2021 through 2023, RASHAN, through his ownership and operation of ClearMD, engaged in a widespread scheme to defraud healthcare benefit programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Uninsured Program, and private insurance providers (collectively, the “Insurance Providers”), which ultimately caused losses to the Insurance Providers of over $24 million.
RASHAN opened ClearMD’s first medical clinic in early 2021 and went on to open several others throughout New York City during the pandemic. ClearMD clinics operated primarily as COVID-19 testing facilities. Individuals came to ClearMD for a variety of reasons, including for diagnosis after suspected COVID-19 exposure, or to obtain clearance to engage in certain activities, like returning to work or air travel. ClearMD clinics conducted—and billed for—tens of thousands of COVID-19 tests during the pandemic.
Although the defendant served as ClearMD’s “laboratory director,” he rarely interacted with patients. ClearMD clinics were typically staffed not with licensed doctors or nurses, but with “medical assistants,” many of whom were college-aged and had no formal training in healthcare prior to working at ClearMD. Medical assistants swabbed patients and typically put their sample into a machine, which processed the test. Test results were then emailed to patients. Medical assistants generally took patient vitals, but there were typically no licensed doctors on site to conduct physical exams of patients, take pertinent medical history, or answer any questions a patient might have.
Even so, ClearMD often advertised itself as a full-service testing clinic. Many patients who booked an appointment received an email confirmation from ClearMD, which stated that the appointment would include not only a “COVID-19 Diagnostic Test” but also a “Focused patient exam” and a “Follow up telehealth visit to discuss your results.” In practice, however, patients did not receive the level of care that was claimed in ClearMD’s email confirmations. Instead, patients typically (1) were not given a “Focused patient exam,” or any physical exam, at the time of testing; (2) were never seen by a qualified healthcare professional and instead interacted only with a medical assistant who performed a swab for a single COVID-19 test; and (3) had no such “telehealth” visit following receipt of their test results, which were instead emailed to them, with no medical guidance.
In addition to advertising services that it ultimately did not provide to patients, during certain periods, ClearMD also routinely billed Insurance Providers for multiple services it did not provide. For example, RASHAN directed ClearMD to submit or cause the submission of thousands of claims that billed for evaluation and management (“E/M”) services that were never performed and for two to four COVID-19 testing codes, even though ClearMD had administered only a single COVID-19 test to patients. Insurance Providers were frequently billed as much as $5,000 for a single COVID-19 test administered by ClearMD.
By in or around early 2022, Insurance Providers requested that ClearMD provide documentation, such as progress notes of patient encounters and test results, to support its claims for reimbursement. At the time, at least one Insurance Provider also requested a refund of millions of dollars that the Insurance Provider believed to have been fraudulently paid to ClearMD. In response to such requests, the defendant instructed ClearMD staff to write a software program to generate fake medical records to support ClearMD’s fraudulent billings. Specifically, the defendant instructed ClearMD staff to write software that would fabricate (1) patient progress notes that it could use to justify billing for E/M codes; and (2) test results for patient visits that it could use to justify ClearMD’s billing for COVID-19 testing codes. Thereafter, ClearMD staff wrote software that created fabricated records. The fake patient progress notes typically included both information that was collected at the time of patient visits to ClearMD (e.g., vitals such as heart rate, temperature, and blood oxygen saturation) and information that was never collected (e.g., information for physical examinations that never occurred). Similar to the fabricated progress notes, the fake test result records contained information that was fabricated by ClearMD. For example, where the full results of a patient’s panel test for COVID-19, RSV, and influenza were not available, the software was written to indicate that the results of the RSV and influenza components of the test were negative.
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RASHAN, 42, of New York, New York, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of false statements relating to health care matters, each of which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The 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 the judge. RASHAN will be sentenced by Judge Engelmayer on September 22, 2026.
Mr. Buckley praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Mr. Buckley also thanked the Office of Personnel Management’s Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration for their assistance in this investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy V. Capozzi, Jackie Delligatti, and Qais Ghafary are in charge of the prosecution.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
New York Men Sentenced for Unlawful Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Elijah Javier Rodriguez, age 27, and Javier Justin Rodriguez, age 31, of New York, were sentenced on April 9, 2026 and April 16, 2026, respectively, by United States District Judge Joseph F. Saporito. Elijah Javier Rodriguez was sentenced to 33 months’ imprisonment, and Javier Justin Rodriguez to 24 months’ imprisonment, for possession of firearms by a convicted felon.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, the Rodriguez brothers traveled from Bronx, New York to Dingman’s Shooting Range in Dingman’s Ferry, Pennsylvania on June 29, 2024. At the shooting range, the brothers both completed a declaration falsely representing that they had never been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year. They then went on to possess and shoot six different firearms, including an AK-47. Javier Justin Rodriguez had previously been convicted of criminal possession of a weapon, and Elijah Javier Rodriguez had previously been convicted of multiple felony offenses – including criminal possession of stolen property, identity theft, and grand larceny.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the New York City Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah R. Lloyd prosecuted the case.
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New York Man Charged with Wire Fraud and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on March 18, 2026, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Van Jackson, 38, recently of Queensbury, New York, with wire fraud and money laundering.
Jackson entered a plea of not guilty to the charges during an arraignment on April 17, 2026 before United States Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller. Judge Miller ordered that Jackson be released on conditions.According to court records, Jackson allegedly defrauded a Vermont medical practice of at least $400,000. This included $68,000 that Jackson allegedly wired into his personal bank account and then used to pay a settlement with a medical practice in New York. Jackson previously had worked for that medical practice and entered into that settlement agreement after misappropriating funds from that practice.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment contains allegations only and that Jackson is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Jackson faces up to twenty years of imprisonment if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Joshua L. Banker. Jackson is represented by the Office for the Federal Public Defender.
New Sweden Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing, Receiving, and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A New Sweden man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to distributing, receiving, and possessing child sexual abuse material.
According to court records, investigators identified Dustin Davenport, 30, as the user of a cloud-based instant messaging service account that was trading child sexual abuse images. Based on this information, investigators executed a search warrant at Davenport’s residence. During the warrant’s execution, investigators interviewed Davenport, who admitted that he was actively trading child sexual abuse material over the internet. A subsequent forensic examination of Davenport’s cellular telephones revealed multiple images and video of child sexual abuse material.
Davenport faces a minimum term of five years and maximum term of 20 years for distributing and receiving child sexual abuse material, a maximum term of 20 years for possessing child sexual abuse material, a maximum fine of $250,000 for each count, and a maximum supervised release term of life for each count. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI, Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office, and Bangor Police Department investigated the case.
To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child sexual abuse material: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.
Project Safe Childhood: This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.
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New Jersey Pharmacy Owner Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A former New Jersey pharmacy owner was sentenced to 24 months in prison for his role in a health care fraud scheme to defraud Medicare, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.
Nestor E. Jaime, 37, of Pine Brook, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty on November 19, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden in Newark federal court to an Indictment charging Jaime with health care fraud. Judge Hayden imposed the sentence on April 15, 2026.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From December 2019 to December 2021, Jaime, through a pharmacy he owned located in Paterson, New Jersey, submitted hundreds of false claims to Medicare for a high reimbursement (i.e., more than $4,000 per prescription) medication called Dificid, which the pharmacy never actually purchased or dispensed. Jaime submitted false claims on behalf of dozens of Medicare beneficiaries who never were prescribed any Dificid. To make it appear as though the Medicare beneficiaries’ health care providers had prescribed the medication, Jaime falsely included the providers’ unique provider numbers on the fraudulent claims. As a result of the scheme, Medicare paid Jaime reimbursements for false claims for Dificid totaling at least approximately $2.5 million, which Jaime spent on luxury vehicles and other personal expenditures.
In addition to a prison term, Judge Hayden sentenced Jaime to two years of supervised release and ordered Jaime to pay $2,505,754 in restitution.
The charge of health care fraud carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest.
U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents of the Health and Human Services Agency Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kruti D. Dharia of the Health Care Fraud and Opioids Enforcement Unit in Newark.
The Department of Justice has established the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the National Fraud Enforcement Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. The National Fraud Enforcement Division will fulfill that mission by coordinating with agencies responsible for administering benefit programs; partnering with federal, tribal, state, territorial, and local law enforcement on fraud-fighting efforts; developing systems and processes that ensure efficient identification of fraud against taxpayer dollars; and equipping prosecutors and law enforcement with state-of-the-art tools and resources needed to bring criminal actors to justice. The attorneys in the National Fraud Enforcement Division will work every day to protect the financial integrity of our government and the tax system that supports it.
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Defense counsel: Anthony Iacullo, Esq.
New Hampshire Man Charged with Enticing a MinorRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on April 17, 2026, Jared Marcus Hutchins, 22, of Manchester, New Hampshire, was charged with Enticement of a Minor and Travel With Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct with a Minor. Hutchins was arrested yesterday in Montpelier, Vermont. His initial appearance in court is scheduled for this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller.
According to court records, Hutchins began communicating via social media with the 13-year-old victim in late December of 2025. During the messaging, Hutchins requested that the minor victim send a video of herself engaging in sexual behavior, and the two also exchanged nude photos. On April 10, 2026, Hutchins and the minor victim met in a park in the area of Montpelier, Vermont and engaged in sexual intercourse. Afterward, Hutchins accused the minor victim of having other male contacts on social media. Hutchins searched through her phone, became angry, and physically assaulted the minor victim. Hutchins’ physical assault of the minor victim included choking, striking her in the face with his hand, pointing a loaded firearm at her, striking her on the back of the head with the firearm, and stabbing her in the stomach with a screwdriver. After the assault, Hutchins drove off with the minor victim still in his car, reaching high rates of speed, before returning to Montpelier due to mechanical issues with his car. On April 16, 2026, after the minor victim had reported the abuse to law enforcement, Montpelier Police noticed Hutchins’ vehicle in the City of Montpelier, located Hutchins nearby, and took him into custody. At the time he was apprehended, Hutchins was in possession of a firearm.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that a criminal complaint contains allegations only and that Hutchins is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. If convicted of Enticement of a Minor, Hutchins faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, and up to life imprisonment. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the swift and collaborative investigatory efforts of the Montpelier Police Department; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; and the Manchester, New Hampshire Police Department. “I am extremely grateful for the partnership of these law enforcement agencies, and I am immensely proud of their work so far on this case. The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont will continue to prioritize protecting children from harm and holding accountable those who victimize them.”
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill. Hutchins has not yet retained or been appointed counsel.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
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.
Morrow County man sentenced to more than 14 years in prison for 2 armed bank robberies near Polaris mallRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Morrow County man was sentenced in federal court here today to 171 months in prison for robbing the same bank at gunpoint twice in the spring of 2025.
James Travis Scurlock, 44, of Cardington, stole a total of approximately $41,000 from a bank branch near the Polaris mall.
According to court documents, on March 6 and May 16, Scurlock robbed the Huntington Bank on Gemini Place while carrying a firearm. Scurlock wore a black sweatshirt, jeans, white Nike shoes, black gloves and a white camouflage mask during both robberies.
During the first robbery, he initially inquired about opening a bank account. After the teller asked him for two forms of identification, he pointed a handgun at the teller and told the teller to put money in his backpack. Scurlock then stole approximately $13,700.
During the May robbery, Scurlock pointed the handgun at a teller before walking to two tellers’ drawers and taking cash. He then ordered the tellers to the vault and placed more cash into his backpack. Scurlock stole approximately $27,700 during the second robbery.
The defendant was charged in June 2025 and pleaded guilty in October 2025.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Jason Cromartie, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed today by Senior U.S. District Judge James L. Graham. Assistant Deputy Criminal Chief Noah R. Litton is representing the United States in this 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.
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Mohamed Mubarak Convicted of Firearm and Identity Theft OffensesRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced that yesterday, Mohamed Mubarak, 28, of Burlington, Vermont, was convicted in U.S. District Court in Burlington of three firearm offenses and two identity theft offenses after a four-day jury trial. Chief U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss ordered that Mubarak remain in jail pending sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled. Mubarak has been detained since his arrest in November of 2025.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Mubarak obtained an associate’s driver’s license by providing the associate with crack cocaine. Mubarak then used the associate’s driver’s license (without that associate’s knowledge) to purchase two firearms from a Vermont firearm store, specifically a black Canik 9mm pistol and a pink SCCY 9mm pistol. Mubarak could not lawfully purchase or possess firearms due to his prior felony convictions. In March of 2024, evidence related to the purchase of the firearms was recovered during the investigation of a firearm discharge at an apartment building in South Burlington, Vermont. Law enforcement also obtained messaging and photographs from a cellular phone, as well as other social media messaging that provided evidence of defendant Mubarak’s possession of the associate’s license, the illicit firearm purchases, and Mubarak’s unlawful possession of firearms. The photograph below was admitted into evidence at trial, and depicts defendant Mubarak with a Canik 9mm pistol and a pink SCCY 9mm pistol.
Based on the jury’s verdict, Mubarak faces a mandatory minimum of 2 years of imprisonment for aggravated identity theft, and up to 15 years of imprisonment for unlawfully possessing firearms as a convicted felon. The actual sentence will be determined with reference to Federal Sentencing Guidelines and statutory sentencing factors.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the collaborative investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the South Burlington Police Department, and the Essex Police Department, and thanked the Vermont State Police, Newport Police Department, Montpelier Police Department, and Winooski Police Department for their assistance.
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.
Minnesota Man Found Guilty of Criminal Vehicular HomicideRead the Press Release
DULUTH – Defendant Eric Peterson, 51, of Virginia, Minnesota, has been found guilty of one count of criminal vehicular homicide following a four-day trial, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N.Rosen.
On December 17, 2024, Peterson struck and killed 38-year-old Amanda Boshey when driving along Lake Vermilion Reservation Road near the Fortune Bay Casino on the Bois Forte Indian Reservation. Peterson hit Ms. Boshey, who was walking on foot, shortly after he left the casino. In convicting Peterson, the federal jury concluded that he was driving his vehicle negligently while under the influence of alcohol.
FollowingFollowing a four-day trial in Duluth, Minnesota, before the Honorable Judge Laura M. Provinzino, the jury returned a guilty verdict on count one, which charged Peterson with criminal vehicular homicide-in a negligent manner while under the influence of alcohol. Peterson was acquitted on count two, which charged Peterson with criminal vehicular homicide-while having an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more as measured within two hours of the time of driving for the same fatality.
"We would like to extend our condolences to Ms. Boshey’s family and the Bois Forte community." said FBI Minneapolis Division Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson. "Justice for Ms. Boshey's tragic death would not have been possible without substantial assistance from our tribal, local, and state law enforcement partners. We hope that holding the defendant accountable for their recklessness will provide some sense of justice for those who are forever impacted by this loss.”
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, aided by the BCA, the Minnesota State Patrol, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Nett Lake Tribal Police Department, the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, and the Virginia Police Department. The coordination of resources between these law enforcement agencies was imperative to the swift identification and apprehension of Peterson and the ultimate resolution of this case.
Ms. Boshey was an enrolled member of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa. She is survived by five children as well as her siblings, parents, and other family and loved ones.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Garrett S. Fields and David M. Classen prosecuted the case.
Middlesex County Woman Sentenced to 20 Months for Defrauding Multiple COVID-19 Relief ProgramsRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Middlesex County, New Jersey, woman was sentenced to 20 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”), Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), and pandemic unemployment insurance benefits, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.
Damaris Valerio, a/k/a Damaris Tineo Abreu, 42, of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch to an information charging her with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Judge Kirsch, on April 14, imposed the sentence in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From April 2020 through December 2021, Valerio fraudulently obtained $194,212 in COVID-19 emergency relief funds, which included loans and cash advances meant for distressed small businesses under the EIDL program and PPP, and pandemic unemployment insurance benefits meant for unemployed workers, by submitting false and fraudulent applications inflating her business’s revenues, payroll expenses, and number of employees. After receiving the fraudulent funds, she diverted proceeds from the relief programs for her personal gain.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Kirsch sentenced Valerio to 3 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $194,212 in restitution.
U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents of U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael McCarthy in Newark; Special Agents of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Inspector General Anthony P. D’Esposito, and special agents of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General’s Boston-New York Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Amy Connelly, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin D. Bleiberg and Fatime Meka Cano of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.
The Department of Justice has established the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the National Fraud Enforcement Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. The National Fraud Enforcement Division will fulfill that mission by coordinating with agencies responsible for administering benefit programs; partnering with federal, tribal, state, territorial, and local law enforcement on fraud-fighting efforts; developing systems and processes that ensure efficient identification of fraud against taxpayer dollars; and equipping prosecutors and law enforcement with state-of-the-art tools and resources needed to bring criminal actors to justice. The attorneys in the National Fraud Enforcement Division will work every day to protect the financial integrity of our government and the tax system that supports it.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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Defense Counsel: John Russo, Esq, of New York.
Mexican National Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Illegally Re-entering the United StatesRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – An illegal alien has been sentenced for illegally re-entering the United States after deportation as a convicted felon, announced Acting United States Attorney Catherine L. Crosby.
On April 15, 2026, U.S. District Judge Anna M. Manasco sentenced Ramon Rodriguez-Gonzalez, 43, a citizen of Mexico, to 24 months in prison. In September 2025, Rodriguez-Gonzalez pleaded guilty to illegal re-entry after deportation after a felony conviction.
According to court records, Rodriguez-Gonzalez was deported on April 29, 2019, after he was convicted of false claim of citizenship in March 2019 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. Rodriguez-Gonzalez came to law enforcement’s attention again on May 30, 2019, after illegally re-entering the United States. He was removed again on June 1, 2019. After having been found illegally in the United States a third time, Rodriguez was arrested on June 27, 2025, by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. He entered ICE custody on June 30, 2025. Rodriguez-Gonzalez is also currently facing state charges of homicide and abuse of a corpse in Bibb County.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison J. Garnett prosecuted the case.
Metro Detroit Surgeon Was Sentenced to a Year in Prison in $7 Million Dollar Medicare Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
DETROIT –– A surgeon from Metro Detroit was sentenced yesterday for his involvement in a scheme to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare for psychotherapy services, announced United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr.
Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan of the FBI Detroit Field Division, and Mario Pinto Mario M. Pinto, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).
Mustafa Hares, 79, of West Bloomfield was sentenced by U.S. District Court Gershwin A. Drain to 12 months in federal prison. Hares was also ordered to pay $4.8 million in restitution and to serve a three-year term of supervised release following his incarceration.
According to court records, between 2019 and 2023, Hares and others joined in a scheme to submit more than $7 million in fraudulent claims for psychotherapy services which were never rendered. Hares joined with Mohammed Kazkaz in signing purported patient progress notes, which were actually written by employees in Mexico rather than by actual medical providers. Kazkaz was previously sentenced to 7 ½ years in prison for his role in this fraud scheme.
United States Attorney Gorgon stated, “This physician abused his medical license and position of trust as a doctor to facilitate a massive health care fraud scheme at the expense of the American taxpayer. We must eradicate fraud.”
“Medicare fraud is theft from the American people, and physicians who exploit it for personal gain will be held responsible for their actions,” said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “The defendant’s sentencing for this multimillion-dollar healthcare fraud scheme reflects the significant impact of his actions, which drained critical resources from a program designed to serve those in need and undermined trust in the medical professionals who follow the law. I commend the dedicated members of FBI Detroit, alongside our partners at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, whose work ensured those involved were brought to justice. Together, we remain committed to protecting the integrity of our healthcare system and those who depend on it.”
“Patients place enormous trust in their medical providers, and schemes like this not only defraud Medicare but also betray that trust in deeply harmful ways,” said Mario Pinto, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “When practitioners misuse their credentials to authorize false services, they jeopardize the care and well-being of the very people these programs are designed to protect. HHS-OIG, together with our law enforcement partners, remains firmly committed to uncovering such misconduct and ensuring that those who put patients at risk for personal gain are held accountable.”
The Department of Justice has created the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
The case was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services - Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Regina R. McCullough and Philip A. Ross.
Mercer County Man Sentenced to 260 Months for Fentanyl and Cocaine Trafficking and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Mercer County man was sentenced yesterday to 260 months’ imprisonment for possessing quantities of fentanyl and cocaine with intent to distribute it, for possessing a firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking, and for his unlawful possession of firearms as a previously convicted felon, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.
“Fentanyl, cocaine, and illegal firearms are a deadly combination that poisons our communities and fuels violence. This defendant trafficked in dangerous drugs, and law enforcement recovered guns from his home during the investigation—yesterday’s sentence reflects our commitment to dismantle drug trafficking operations and protect the people of New Jersey from the violence and harm they cause.”
- U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer
“The FBI and our partners take the responsibility of keeping guns, drugs and violent criminals off of the streets very seriously. The Trenton Safe Streets Task Force identified, investigated and presented evidence for Mr. Wilson and his associates. This sentence of over 20 years shows others who wish to perpetuate illegal operations in Trenton and New Jersey, that justice will prevail,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy.
Jamal Wilson, a/k/a “Vill,” 49, of Trenton, N.J., previously pleaded guilty before the Honorable Georgette Castner, United States District Judge in Trenton federal court, to a five-count Superseding Information, charging Wilson with possession of fentanyl and cocaine with intent to distribute it, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of two firearms as a previously convicted felon.
In August 2022, Wilson, and 12 other individuals (Theodore Meekins, Louis Williams, Clinton Rodriguez, Kai Bowman Jr., Glenn Moore, Rashied McKines, Michael Williams, Derrick Jiles, Dion Morris, Jerry Farmer, James Edwards, and Alterrick Livingston) were charged by criminal complaint with drug trafficking and/or firearms offenses.
According to documents filed in this case:
Beginning in or around July 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement agencies conducted a two-year investigation of individuals engaged in unlawful drug-trafficking and firearms activities in and around the area of Garfield, Cleveland, and Logan Avenues (referred to as the “GCL” area”), a Trenton neighborhood known for high levels of narcotics activity and gun violence. During the investigation, law enforcement obtained court authorization to intercept Wilson’s telephonic and electronic communications. These intercepted communications and subsequent investigation revealed that Wilson was a significant drug trafficker of fentanyl and cocaine in the GCL and greater Trenton area, including and specifically in the area of the Grand Court Villas apartment building (the “Grand Court Villas”); the intersection of East State Street and South Olden Avenue; and Garfield Avenue Playground. Those communications also revealed the scope of Wilson’s unlawful drug-trafficking activities, including Wilson’s downstream customers and co-defendants. As part of the investigation, law enforcement recovered from Wilson’s residence and his stash apartment approximately one kilogram of fentanyl, two kilograms of cocaine, four firearms (including two unserialized, privately-made firearms), high-capacity magazines, ammunition, gun parts, and two gun suppressors.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Castner sentenced Wilson to 5 years of supervised release.
Wilson’s conviction and sentence are the result of an investigation by the Greater Trenton Safe Streets Task Force. Led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Task Force is comprised of various federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, and its mission is to combine the resources and intelligence of the participating agencies to enhance the identification, apprehension, and prosecution of individuals involved in gang-related activities, violent crime, and drug distribution in and around the greater Trenton area.
U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents of the FBI Newark Division, Trenton Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy; special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, Trenton Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka; officers of the Trenton Police Department, under the direction of Director Steve Wilson; and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Janetta D. Marbrey, with the investigation leading to the conviction and sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Agnew of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton.
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Defense counsel: David E. Schafer, Esq.
Media Advisory: U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces National Crime Victims’ Rights Week EventRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C – In commemoration of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW), U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle announces NCVRW observances planned in the Eastern District of North Carolina for the week of April 19-25, 2026. The National Crime Victims’ Rights Ceremony will be held in Raleigh. Members of the public and media are invited to attend.
WHERE: State Archives Building, 109 East Jones Street, Raleigh, NC 27601.
WHEN: Tuesday, April 21, 2027, from 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Registration is required for this event.
This event is sponsored by the North Carolina Victim Assistance Network and Members of the Victim Services Interagency Council of North Carolina.
For additional information about this year’s NCVRW and how to assist victims in your own community, please visit the United States Attorney’s Office website. For more ideas on how to support victims of crime, visit OVC’s website at www.ovc.ojp.gov.
Maryland Convicted Felon Sentenced for Possession of a Ghost GunRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A Baltimore man is headed to federal prison for more than seven years for possessing a loaded ghost gun and ammunition as a convicted felon.
U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin sentenced Sequan Branch-Green, 29, to 90 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, in connection with the charge.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Charles Doerrer, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Commissioner Richard Worley, Baltimore Police Department (BPD).
According to court documents, on January 10, 2024, BPD officers responded to the 1900 block of Aisquith Street in connection with an individual with an outstanding arrest warrant. Upon arriving at the scene, officers identified the individual as Branch-Green.
When law enforcement investigated Branch-Green’s vehicle, officers found a firearm in plain view between the driver’s seat and the center console. Officers then recovered the firearm and identified it as a Polymer 80 9mm Luger handgun loaded with nine rounds of ammunition. Polymer 80 firearms are commonly known as “ghost guns” as they do not possess a serial number and are untraceable by law enforcement.
Additionally, law enforcement recovered more than 100 grams of narcotics, which were packaged for resale, from the vehicle’s center console.
Branch-Green is a convicted felon, so he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. He has an extensive criminal history and was on supervised probation for separate offenses in both Carroll County and Baltimore City at the time of this incident. Branch-Green is currently pending violation-of-probation hearings in both jurisdictions.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the ATF and BPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Simpkins who prosecuted this federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md.
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Lexington Man Arrested and Federally Charged with Threatening to Assault and Murder President Trump and Law Enforcement OfficersRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky.- A federal criminal complaint was unsealed in the U.S. District Court in Lexington on Wednesday charging Kadrioan Serainity Santiago, 23, with interstate threatening communication.
According to the criminal complaint, on April 1, 2026, FBI received information that Santiago, under the username “kadi_skating,” had been posting a series of politically violent threats and statements on Instagram between January 2026 and late March 2026. Among other things, Santiago threatened to cut President Donald Trump’s face with a razor blade, pull his skin off and feed the skin to stray dogs; threatened to kill the next member of law enforcement who interacted with him; encouraged others to shoot at ICE agents; and threatened to kill ICE agents himself.
The criminal complaint alleges that Santiago began posting the threatening communication in January 2026, posting, “im filled with political violence.”
“Threatening violence against the President and federal law enforcement officers strike at the core of our nation’s safety and the rule of law,” said Jason Parman, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “These actions will not be tolerated and will be met with swift and decisive prosecution. Through the FBI’s diligence and swift action, we moved quickly to address this threat and will pursue prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.”
"To those who choose to hide behind the anonymity of a screen to unleash threats against the President of the United States, other government officials, and law enforcement, the FBI will find you,” said Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office. “It is against the law to post threatening communications online, and the FBI and our partners will use every available resource to identify, locate, and arrest those who choose to do so."
Jason Parman, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office, jointly announced the criminal complaint.
The case is being investigated by the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Greenfield is representing the United States in this case.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations. The Defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Leader of Clan Del Golfo, the Colombian Drug Cartel and Terrorist Organization, Charged in Superseding Indictment with Expanded Criminal Conduct and Terrorism OffensesRead the Press Release
A fifth superseding indictment was filed yesterday in federal court in Brooklyn against Jobanis de Jesus Avila Villadiego, also known as “Chiquito” and “Chiquito Malo,” which added new charges of narcoterrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, and providing or attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Avila Villadiego was previously charged in multiple superseding indictments with operating a continuing criminal enterprise, international cocaine trafficking, and using firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes, as well as other drug-related crimes, through his continuing leadership of the Clan del Golfo (CDG), one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world. The fifth superseding indictment extends the end-dates of the continuing criminal enterprise and multiple conspiracies from October 2021 to April 2026. Avila Villadiego remains at large.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); Frank A. Tarentino, III, Associate Chief of Operations, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Northeast Region (DEA); and Michael Alfonso, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI), announced the charges.
“As alleged, Avila Villadiego presides over a vast narcotics empire that floods the United States with cocaine and serves as a financial lifeline for a designated foreign terrorist organization. This prosecution is about more than just seizing drugs; it is about destroying terrorist organizations while simultaneously stopping the flow of deadly drugs and associated violence into the United States,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “For the Clan del Golfo, narcotics trafficking and terrorism are two sides of the same coin of instability. This fifth superseding indictment demonstrates that we will continue to pursue Avila Villadiego until he is brought to justice before the American legal system.”
Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the New York offices of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He also acknowledged the significant assistance provided by the Bogota offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Homeland Security Investigations, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, as well as the Justice Department’s National Security Division, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Judicial Attaché Office in Bogotá, the Colombian Attorney General’s Office, and Colombian law enforcement authorities.
“Avila Villadiego allegedly runs a designated foreign terrorist organization responsible for trafficking thousands of kilograms of illicit narcotics into the United States. The FBI and our law enforcement partners on the NY Homeland Security Task Force are determined to defend the nation by stomping out these terrorist groups and holding accountable their leaders, regardless of where they’re hiding,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.
“Today’s superseding indictment against “Chiquito Malo”, the leader of the Clan Del Golfo, a Colombian drug cartel and terrorist organization, further exposes the ruthless violence, terror, and destruction these criminal networks inflict on our communities,” stated DEA Northeast Regional Associate Chief of Operations Tarentino. “Chiquito Malo” led one of the largest cocaine distribution networks in the world, leaving a trail of terror is his path. This is not just drug trafficking, this is narcoterrorism driven by greed, power, and complete disregard for human life. Let there be no mistake: those who lead these organizations are responsible for the poison flooding our streets, the violence in our neighborhoods, and the lives lost to addiction and overdose. The DEA, alongside our federal, state, and international partners, will continue to target, dismantle, and hold these individuals and organizations accountable, no matter where they operate in the world. The DEA will not stop, nor will we slow down. This is our global pursuit mindset; Protecting our communities and saving lives.”
“These new charges against Jobanis de Jesus Avila Villadiego, the leader of Colombia’s largest transnational criminal organization and a designated foreign terrorist organization, underscore the scale and brutality of a group that fields thousands of armed members, exerts military control over Colombian territory, and, as alleged in court filings, moves multi-ton cocaine shipments ultimately destined for the United States. Under Avila Villadiego’s command, Clan del Golfo uses murders, kidnappings, and other violence to protect its profits and attack law enforcement, posing a grave drug trafficking and national security threat to our country and our global counterparts. HSI New York and our Homeland Security Task Force partners will relentlessly pursue Avila Villadiego and his criminal network, wherever they operate and wherever the evidence leads,” stated HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Alfonso.
According to court filings, Avila Villadiego is the principal leader of the CDG, Colombia’s largest and most influential cartel. The CDG is one of the most violent and powerful criminal organizations in Colombia, and it is one of the largest distributors of cocaine in the world. With as many as 6,000 members at its peak, the CDG exercises military control over a vast territory in the Urabá region of Antioquia, Colombia, one of the most lucrative drug trafficking areas within Colombia due to its proximity to the Colombia-Panama border and the Caribbean and Pacific coasts. Clad in military uniforms, CDG members employ military tactics and weapons to reinforce their power and incite wars and violence against rival drug traffickers, paramilitary organizations, and Colombian law enforcement authorities who threaten the CDG’s control.
The prior principal leader of the CDG, Dairo Antonio Úsuga David, also known as “Otoniel,” was arrested in October 2021 and extradited to the Eastern District of New York in May 2022. In January 2023, Úsuga David pleaded guilty to operating a continuing criminal enterprise; in August 2023, he was sentenced to 45 years’ imprisonment. Avila Villadiego, who previously served as a senior commander of the CDG under Úsuga David, rose to power as the principal leader of the CDG following Úsuga David’s arrest.
The CDG, with Avila Villadiego as its principal leader, has continued to be involved in multi-ton shipments of cocaine from Colombia to Mexico and Central America for ultimate importation into the United States. Throughout CDG controlled territory in Colombia, the cartel coordinates production, purchase, and transfer of shipments of cocaine and imposes a “tax” on any drug traffickers operating in these regions. Specifically, the CDG charges a set fee for every kilogram of cocaine that is manufactured, stored, or transported through areas controlled by the CDG. Profits from narcotics trafficking are reinvested into the cartel to support its activities.
The CDG also engages in acts of violence and terrorism, including murders, assaults, kidnappings of law enforcement officers, and assassinations. On December 17, 2025, the United States Secretary of State designated CDG as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The Secretary of State also designated CDG as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224 on December 17, 2025. The CDG remains a designated FTO to date.
Undeterred by the designation, Avila Villadiego has continued to lead the CDG post-designation, and to carry out criminal acts including the provision of material support to the CDG.
The charges in the superseding indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force 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 U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes these organizations commit, 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 New York comprises agents and officers from HSI; the DEA; FBI; the New York City Police Department; IRS Criminal Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and U.S. Secret Service, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York leading this prosecution.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Lorena Michelen, Katherine Onyshko, and Rebecca Urquiola are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
JOBANIS DE JESUS AVILA VILLADIEGO (also known as “Chiquito” and “Chiquito Malo”)
Age: 49
Uraba, ColombiaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 14-CR-625 (S-5) (DLI)
Lawrence Man Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Attempting to Meet with a Minor for SexRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lawrence man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for using an interstate facility to transmit information about a child.
Alex Bou, 22, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick to four years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In January 2026, Bou pleaded guilty to one count of use of an interstate facility to transmit information concerning a minor. In August 2025, Bou was arrested and charged.
On Aug. 17, 2025, Bou responded to an advertisement posted by undercover law enforcement on a website commonly used to advertise commercial sex acts. The advertisement contained images of a young female and language purported to be written by a female describing herself as a “flower ready to blossom.” On Aug. 17, 2025, Bou sent a text message to the number listed on the advertisement saying, “U available,” to which an undercover agent posing as the purported minor responded suggesting Aug. 19, 2025.
On Aug. 19, 2025, Bou continued his conversation with the undercover agent. In their conversation, the undercover agent stated that she was a 15-year-old girl available to perform sex acts in exchange for money. Upon being informed that the purported minor was 15 years old, Bou responded with, “Ok are you a virgin?” Bou agreed to pay $175 to have unprotected sex with the purported minor and acknowledged that he was agreeing to have sex with an “underage girl.” Bou obtained her address via text message, and shortly thereafter arrived at the location where he was placed under arrest.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Boston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Craig E. Estes of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit prosecuted the case.
If you or someone you know may be impacted or experiencing commercial sex trafficking, please contact [email protected].
This case was brought in collaboration with Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Lakewood Sex Offender Sentenced to 26 Years in Prison for Child Exploitation and Sexual Abuse ChargesRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – A 34-year-old, previously convicted sex offender, was sentenced to prison for producing child pornography and hosting a server dedicated to trafficking in child pornography.
Gareth S. Schakel, of Lakewood, was sentenced to 312 months (26 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge J. Philip Calabrese, after pleading guilty Jan. 8, to the following charges in the indictment:
- Sexual Exploitation of Children,
- Receipt and Distribution of Visual Depictions of Real Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct, and
- Possession of Child Pornography, or Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM).
He was also ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release after imprisonment and pay $52,000 in restitution to victims. Judge Calabrese imposed sentence on April 16.
In 2023, Schakel produced CSAM on a server he hosted out of his Lakewood home. He created an “invite only” platform to share explicit content with other child predators. In April 2023, agents located hundreds of CSAM files when executing a search warrant of Schakel’s electronic devices. These files included sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, torture and rape of prepubescent children, and bestiality. The investigation also revealed a 15-year-old victim whom Schakel was sexually exploiting in the spring of 2023. Schakel enticed the minor into sending him sexually graphic content of herself. He also sent her sexually explicit photos of himself. Investigators learned that Schakel had a previous state conviction for pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor in 2011 as well as convictions for failing to register as a sex offender.
The investigation was led by the FBI Cleveland Division and the Ohio Adult Parole Authority.
Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer J. King for the Northern District Ohio led the prosecution.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/PSC.
To report child exploitation, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Kauai Man Sentenced to Federal Prison and Ordered to Repay $1.4 Million for Stealing from Federal COVID-19 Relief ProgramRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Ethan Page, 52, of Kekaha, Hawaii, was sentenced on April 15, 2026, to fourteen months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, along with $1,409,964.35 in restitution to the Small Business Administration (“SBA”), following his guilty plea for making a false statement to the SBA.
According to court records, in or around March 2021, Congress enacted the American Rescue Plan Act, which established the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (“RRF”) to provide support to eligible entities in the food service industry that suffered revenue losses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. To obtain RRF funding, a qualifying business was required to submit an application to the SBA signed by an authorized representative of the business. An awardee was not required to repay funds received under the RRF program unless the funds were used for an unauthorized purpose. The program required an awardee to submit a post-award report disclosing whether and to what extent the awardee had spent RRF funds on eligible expenses.
On or about May 16, 2021, Page submitted an RRF application to the SBA in the name of his business, Hanapepe Design Studio, LLC, seeking over $1.4 million in RRF funds. The SBA approved the application and deposited just over $1.4 million into the business’s bank account. Page then transferred $1.3 million of RRF funds to his own personal investment account at another institution. Page then used the remaining $100,000 on other ineligible expenses. On or about December 22, 2021, Page signed and submitted a post-award report to the SBA, in which he falsely certified that he used the entirety of the RRF proceeds for Hanapepe Design Studio expenses that were eligible for RRF funds, such as payroll, rent/mortgage, utilities, and other business operating expenses. Had Page accurately reported how he used the RRF funds, the SBA would have required Hanapepe Design Studio to repay the funds.
The FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Craig S. Nolan and Gregg Paris Yates prosecuted the case.
On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Justice Department Secures Settlement in First-Ever Lawsuit Enforcing the Violence Against Women Act Housing Rights SubpartRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today the settlement of United States v. David Montanus and Lisa Montanus, the first lawsuit filed by the Civil Rights Division to enforce the Housing Rights Subpart of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022 (VAWA), 34 U.S.C. § 12495.
The Justice Department’s lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire in May 2025, alleges that Defendants David and Lisa Montanus violated VAWA when they unlawfully penalized the complainant by evicting her after she sought police assistance for domestic violence. The settlement requires the Defendants to comply with VAWA and prohibits them from making adverse credit reports regarding the complainant’s tenancy. If the Defendants acquire rental properties during the three-year term of the settlement, they must report those acquisitions to the United States and undergo VAWA training. The Defendants must also pay $25,000 to compensate the complainant and her minor children.
“Tenants have a right to request law enforcement and emergency services when they need assistance,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “No one should be faced with the choice of calling for help or losing her housing.”
“Violence against women will never be tolerated in New Hampshire,” said U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan for the District of New Hampshire. “Penalizing survivors of violence with eviction for seeking help revictimizes them. We will use all available legal tools to protect the civil rights of victims.”
“I will not allow women seeking police intervention in a domestic violence situation to later be victimized with an eviction because they sought the assistance of our brave police,” said Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Craig Trainor. “Secretary Turner’s HUD is dedicated to protecting women from violence and ensuring that the fair housing rights of all Americans are protected.”
In 2022, Congress reauthorized VAWA and added provisions that strengthened housing protections for people who require emergency assistance at their homes, including survivors of domestic violence. VAWA provides a right to seek law enforcement or emergency assistance, and prohibits housing providers from taking adverse actions, including eviction or threat of eviction, when a tenant, resident, occupant, or guest seeks emergency assistance.
The case was referred to the Civil Rights Division after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) received a complaint, conducted an investigation, and issued a charge of discrimination.
If you have been penalized by a housing provider for seeking law enforcement or emergency services or have suffered other forms of housing discrimination, call the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743 or submit a report online. You may also file a report with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by calling 1-800-669-9777 or submitting a complaint online. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.