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Monday 13 April 2026
Farmington Woman Sentenced for Assault on MotorcyclistRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Farmington woman was sentenced to five years of probation for intentionally causing a motorcyclist to crash following an argument
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court records, on September 2, 2024, Tenille Quintawna Peshlakai, 33, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, argued with the victim at a gas station before driving away. Peshlakai then turned around, caught up to the victim, and swerved her vehicle to block his path. This forced the victim to lay down his motorcycle and crash into Peshlakai’s vehicle. Peshlakai fled the scene before law enforcement or medical personnel arrived.
Peshlakai subsequently pled guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations and the New Mexico State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting the case.
Farmington Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearms Charge After Armed CarjackingRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Farmington man has pleaded guilty in federal court to federal firearms offenses following a 2022-armed carjacking in which he discharged a weapon.
According to court documents, on April 10, 2022, Myles Cordelle Dan Padilla, 34, took a motor vehicle from John Doe by force with a firearm. As a previously convicted felon, Padilla is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
Padilla pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and faces up to 15 years in prison at sentencing.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Probasco is prosecuting the case.
Etowah County Man Sentenced to More than 17 Years in Prison for Trafficking DrugsRead the Press Release
ANNISTON, Ala. – An Etowah County man has been sentenced for trafficking drugs, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Catherine L. Crosby.
U.S. District Judge Corey L. Maze sentenced Tostig Denard Moore, 41, of Gadsden, Alabama, to 214 months in prison. In December 2025, Moore pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to the plea agreement, between December 2024 and February 2025, Moore sold approximately 495 grams of methamphetamine to a law enforcement source over a series of controlled purchases. On March 4, 2025, deputies with the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on Moore and later arrested him after finding over a kilogram of fentanyl in his vehicle. Post-arrest, Moore admitted to travelling to Georgia to resupply on illegal narcotics.
This case is part of Operation Tres Hermanos. That operation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. The Alabama HSTF comprises agents and officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Marshals Service, and the Internal Revenue Service, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama.
The FBI investigated the case along with the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carson R. Gilbert prosecuted the case.
Eagle Butte Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possessing Stolen AmmunitionRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a man from Eagle Butte, South Dakota, convicted of Possession of Stolen Ammunition. The sentencing took place on March 30, 2026.
Nathanal Benoist, age 26, was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, ordered to forfeit a firearm and ammunition, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Benoist was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2025. He pleaded guilty on July 28, 2025.
The conviction stems from Benoist breaking into a store in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, in the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation on November 1, 2024, while the store was closed. Benoist shot out the front window of the store, entered the store through the broken window, and stole ammunition.
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.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen prosecuted the case.
Benoist was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Detroit Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Darnell Marice McCarver, also known as “WAP,” 19, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced today to 12 years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, for distribution of 50 grams or more of a methamphetamine mixture. McCarver admitted to his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Huntington area.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 27, 2025, McCarver arranged the sale of approximately 63.5 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant. As part of his guilty plea, McCarver admitted that he communicated with the confidential informant while he was in Detroit via a FaceTime video call, and that he directed the confidential informant to a Huntington, West Virginia, residence where another individual conducted the transaction with the confidential informant. McCarver also admitted that he coordinated the distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl on multiple occasions between April 2025 and August 2025.
On September 10, 2025, law enforcement officers arrested McCarver and executed a search warrant at his Detroit residence. Officers seized approximately $4,479 from McCarver’s person and approximately 950 grams of methamphetamine, 48 grams of fentanyl, four firearms, and $8,764 at the residence during the search. McCarver admitted that he stored drugs at his residence for distribution in the Southern District of West Virginia and elsewhere, that he possessed and intended to distribute the seized methamphetamine and fentanyl, and that the seized cash was proceeds from drug distributions.
McCarver is among 10 defendants indicted on charges alleging they participated in the DTO. McCarver and four co-defendants pleaded guilty. The charges against the other defendants remain pending. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Cabell County Sheriff's Office, the Mason County Sheriff’s Office, and the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Courtney L. Finney prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
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. 3:25-cr-154.
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Detroit Man Pleads Guilty in $1.9M in Unemployment Insurance and Pandemic Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
DETROIT – A Detroit resident pleaded guilty today related to an extensive unemployment insurance and Paycheck Protection Program fraud scheme, announced United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr.
Tauheed Salik Wilder, 43, pleaded guilty today before Judge Brandy R. McMillion to one count of wire fraud.
Joining in the announcement was Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation and Jason Palmer, Director, Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency.
According to court records, Wilder filed hundreds of false claims for unemployment insurance benefits in multiple states, including Michigan and California, in numerous other individuals’ names and without their consent. Wilder used, or arranged for others to use, ATM cards issued in the names of identity theft victims to withdraw the fraudulently obtained unemployment funds. In total, Wilder's conduct caused actual UI benefit losses of $1.8 million. Further, Wilder accepted responsibility for two fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans he applied for and received in his own name, totaling approximately $84,000. In total, Wilder’s scheme caused actual losses of $1.9M.
U.S. Attorney Gorgon stated, “Fraud against the government is itself a pandemic. One that hurts the American taxpayer and undermines the strength of our economy. Each of these prosecutions is a dose of justice.”
“Tauheed Wilder’s guilty plea sends a clear message: the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General will relentlessly pursue those who steal from taxpayers through fraudulent unemployment insurance claims. Protecting the integrity of these programs for American workers in need remains one of our highest priorities,” said Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. “Together with our law enforcement partners, we are going on offense against fraud—tracking down bad actors who try to game the system and line their pockets at taxpayers’ expense.”
“This guilty plea is an important victory for America’s taxpayers who play by the rules and don’t use assistance programs as a cash slush fund,” said Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). “Today’s plea is also part of a much larger and coordinated effort by the IRS-CI and Department of Justice to aggressively find and crack down on fraudsters misusing taxpayer dollars. For those still hiding in this shadowy world, know that we will find you and hold you fully accountable.”
“Mr. Wilder joins a growing list of fraudsters who thought they could get away with fleecing the unemployment insurance program in Michigan,” said Michigan UIA Director Jason Palmer. “He should be ashamed of his failed scheme to steal money from hard-working Michiganders and businesses who support the unemployment insurance program. He may have thought he got away with it, but in the end he and other bad actors will learn the Unemployment Insurance Agency will come after them and hold them accountable for their crimes.”
Wilder will be sentenced by Judge McMillion on July 30, 2026. He faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years’ imprisonment on the wire fraud charge.
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.
This case was investigated by special agents of the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General (DOL-OIG), the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and the Michigan UIA. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Particka.
Defendant Pleads Guilty to Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily InjuryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Christopher Bradley Gonzales, a/k/a Christopher Bradley Robison, age 32, entered a guilty plea to one count of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country, punishable by up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Indictment alleged that on June 21, 2025, Gonzales assaulted the victim, resulting in serious bodily injury.
The crime occurred in Pontotoc County, within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Ada Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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.
Gonzales will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lewis M. Reagan represented the United States.
DC Solar Accountant Is Last to Be Sentenced for the DC Solar Billion-Dollar Ponzi SchemeRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The last defendant in the biggest criminal fraud scheme in the history of the Eastern District of California was sentenced today, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
Ronald J. Roach, 59, of Walnut Creek, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to 66 months in prison. Roach and co-defendant Joseph Bayliss were the first DC Solar defendants to plead guilty on Oct. 22, 2019.
“Today’s sentencing marks the final chapter in an extensive fraud that caused significant loss. This outcome reflects years of careful, methodical investigative work and a prosecution built on meticulous attention to detail,” said U.S. Attorney Grant. “None of the eight defendants went to trial, but each ultimately accepted responsibility and pleaded guilty. Our office remains committed to holding accountable those who exploit others for personal gain. We will continue to pursue justice with diligence and integrity.”
"As the company’s accountant, Ronald Roach concealed the truth from investors for years, enabling DC Solar to operate on fabricated financials," said FBI Sacramento Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel. "This fraud permeated nearly every level of the company’s criminal operations. Today’s sentencing reflects the tireless efforts of FBI Sacramento and our partners at IRS-CI, FDIC-OIG, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, who spent years methodically dismantling one of the largest fraud schemes in the Eastern District of California."
“The sentencing of Ronald Roach underscores the unwavering pursuit of accountability in this far-reaching fraud scheme,” said Linda Nguyen, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation, Oakland Field Office. “The DC Solar case revealed a deliberate and sweeping effort to abuse federal tax incentives and deceive investors on an extraordinary scale. IRS‑CI, together with our law enforcement partners, remain firmly committed to ensuring every individual responsible is brought to justice.”
“Mr. Roach ignored his responsibilities as a certified public accountant, conspiring with his co-defendants to defraud individuals, financial institutions, and the U.S. Government,” said Special Agent in Charge Ryan Korner from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC OIG). “This case highlights that no matter how complicated the fraud, FDIC OIG and our law enforcement partners will join forces to unravel the scheme, hold the perpetrators accountable, and bring justice to victims.”
According to court documents, Roach played a central role in the DC Solar fraud. As DC Solar’s accountant, he lied to investors and worked with others at the company to conceal the lack of third-party lease revenue. Between 2011 and 2018, DC Solar manufactured mobile solar generators that were mounted on trailers and claimed that they were used to provide emergency power to cellphone towers and lighting at sporting and other events. A significant incentive for investors was generous federal tax credits due to the solar nature of the generators.
A key part of the fraud was that investors would never actually take possession of the generators. Instead, DC Solar typically leased those generators back from the investors and claimed to sublease them to third parties to generate revenue. In reality there was very little actual third-party rental demand for the generators, but the co-conspirators at DC Solar continued to claim that the rental market for the generators was robust. They took new investor money to pay obligations to existing investors.
Between March 2011 and Dec. 18, 2018, investors invested approximately $759.4 million, and several financial institutions and other investors transferred $152.7 million to DC Solar as part of related transactions for the purchase and lease of generators. In total, DC Solar closed transactions with investors that contributed more than $912 million to purchase generators. Those transactions were purported to involve approximately 17,000 generators, at approximately $2.5 billion in value.
During the conspiracy, approximately 94% to 95% of the lease revenue on the books was actually intercompany transfers disguised as new investor money. In truth, third-party end-user demand for generators never exceeded 5% of the revenue that was claimed.
The FBI, IRS-CI, and the FDIC OIG conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Audrey B. Hemesath and Nicholas M. Fogg prosecuted the case.
The status of the other seven defendants is as follows:
- Jeff Carpoff, 55, of Martinez, was sentenced on Nov. 9, 2021, to 30 years in prison and ordered to pay $790.6 million in restitution.
- Paulette Carpoff, 52, of Martinez, was sentenced on June 28, 2022, to 11 years and three months in prison.
- Joseph W. Bayliss, 50, of Martinez, was sentenced on Nov. 16, 2021, to three years in prison and ordered to pay $481.3 million in restitution.
- DC Solar CFO Robert A. Karmann, 59, of Clayton, was sentenced on April 12, 2022, to six years in prison and ordered to pay $624 million.
- Alan Hansen, 54, was sentenced on May 31, 2022, to 39 months in prison.
- Ryan Guidry, 49, of Pleasant Hill, was sentenced on Jan. 31, 2023, to six years and six months in prison and ordered to pay $619,415,950 in restitution.
- Ari J. Lauer, 61, of Lafayette, was sentenced on March 9, 2026, to 11 years and five months in prison. One week before trial, on Oct. 14, 2025, Lauer pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, 12 counts of bank fraud, and 10 counts of wire fraud affecting a financial institution.
Convicted Felon Federally Charged with Illegal Possession of Firearms in Connection to Fire in Lexington NeighborhoodRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky.- A federal criminal complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court in Lexington on Monday charging a Lexington man, Jonathan Huff, 37, with illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to the criminal complaint, officers with Lexington Police Department, other emergency personnel, and federal agents were dispatched to a house fire on Orleans Circle in Fayette County. During a preliminary investigation, law enforcement determined Jonathan Huff was a resident of the house and involved in criminal activity. Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Huff’s residence and vehicle. Two firearms were found inside the vehicle, and Huff admitted to possessing the firearms. Huff is a convicted felon originally from Indiana and prohibited from possessing a firearm.
The Lexington Police Department’s Hazardous Devices Unit, Lexington Fire Department Arson Investigators, FBI, and ATF are continuing to investigate the cause of the fire.
“This case highlights how vital rapid intervention and coordination is when a threat to public safety emerges,” said Jason Parman, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “Thanks to the quick and coordinated efforts of our local and federal law enforcement partners, a dangerous situation was addressed, and a prohibited individual was taken into custody. Our Office will continue to act decisively to protect our communities.”
“The defendant in this investigation is federally prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior criminal conduct,” said John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division. “The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) remain committed to prioritizing investigations that hold accountable individuals who pose a threat to public safety and the communities we serve. We are proud to partner with the Lexington Metro Police Department, Kentucky State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in this investigation.”
“It takes all of us to keep our communities safe,” said Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department. “I want to thank all of our federal, state, and local partners who worked with the Lexington Police Department to investigate the Orlean Circle explosion. Our continued combined efforts help make a safer community for us all.”
Jason Parman, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, jointly announced the criminal complaint. Assistant United States Attorney Cynthia Rieker 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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Citizen of Congo Sentenced to Federal Prison for Involvement in Scheme to Defraud the United StatesRead the Press Release
A man who came to the United States in 2022 on a student visa and claimed asylum was sentenced on April 10, 2026, for his involvement in a conspiracy to defraud the government.
Medard Lotahe Elonge, age 40, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and living in Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after a September 8, 2025, guilty plea to conspiracy to defraud the United States.
In January 2022, Elonge entered the United States on a student visa and later applied for asylum. The mother of his children, who was in the Congo, then participated in a sham or fraudulent marriage in order to come to the United States. Elonge and his co-conspirators helped arrange the fraudulent marriage and filed a fraudulent petition to bring the family to the United States. In a plea agreement, Elonge admitted to having another man marry his wife. Their plan was for the other man to divorce Elonge’s wife six months after Elonge’s family arrived in the United States.
Elonge was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Elonge was sentenced to 12 months’ and one day imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Elonge was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the United States Marshal on May 4, 2026. Joseph Onolenga Okamba and Bienvenu Saido Binyangi, who were charged in the same indictment and have also pled guilty, have yet to be sentenced. Joseph Okoko, who was also charged in the same indictment, was previously sentenced to three months’ imprisonment.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew J. Cole and Nicole L. Nagin and was investigated by the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Waterloo Police Department, the Sioux City Police Department, and the Iowa Department of Transportation.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-CR-2052.
Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Cedar Rapids Woman Sent to Federal Prison for Meth TraffickingRead the Press Release
A woman who conspired to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced today to 12 years in federal prison. Rose Lee Beranek, age 44, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a September 24, 2025, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
In a plea agreement, Beranek admitted that in February 2024, she obtained nearly two pounds of methamphetamine in Arizona. She was driving to Cedar Rapids to distribute the methamphetamine, when law enforcement officers pulled over her car in Oklahoma. Law enforcement officers searched her car and found the methamphetamine in vacuum-sealed bags.
Beranek was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Beranek was sentenced to 144 months’ imprisonment and must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
HSTF Kansas City is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, covering Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. HSTF Kansas City is composed of agents and officers from the Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the State Investigative Agencies for Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska, and the Kansas City Missouri Police Department.
This HSTF case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and investigated by HSTF Kansas City, with the assistance of the Linn County Sheriff’s Office; the Cedar Rapids Police Department; the Marion Police Department; and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Beranek is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-CR-13.
Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Career Offender Sentenced to over 22 Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine Trafficking and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Michael Wilson, 54, of Memphis, was sentenced to over 22 years in federal prison for his role in engaging in a long-term conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Memphis, Tennessee. D. Michael Dunavant, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.
Through the utilization of recorded phone calls, traffic stops, physical surveillance, and the execution of search warrants, law enforcement officers were able to determine that Wilson was distributing felony amounts of methamphetamine for more than one year before his federal indictment in March 2025. Wilson has a history of committing crimes involving the distribution of narcotics and is classified as a career offender under the United States Sentencing Guidelines.
Following his guilty plea to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, United States Chief District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced the defendant to 270 months' imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.
There is no parole in the federal system.
U.S. Attorney Dunavant said, "This defendant’s prior conviction history demonstrates his disrespect for the law and his imminent danger to the public. Wilson presented a triple threat of serious bodily injury and death: a prior violent convicted felon in possession of firearms while distributing highly addictive and deadly substances on the streets. Career offender+guns+drugs = a federal sentence that will remove him from our community and save lives."
“The FBI and our partners brought the full force of resources to bear—putting a career offender behind bars,” said Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “We will continue to root out drug offenders wherever they operate and hold them accountable. Every family in this community deserves to feel safe.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Additionally, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Desoto County Sheriff’s Office, Bartlett Police Department, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) all assisted in the investigations of Michael Wilson and his co-conspirators.
Assistant United States Attorneys Bryce Phillips and Greg Wagner prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Memphis comprises agents and officers from multiple agencies, to include the investigative agencies listed above, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.
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For more information, please contact the Media Relations Team at [email protected]. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.
California Man Pleads Guilty to Stalking, Harassing, and Threatening Women in RI, MA, and ElsewhereRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A California man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Rhode Island to charges related to a scheme in which he made hundreds of obscene and threatening telephone calls to women in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and elsewhere, announced United States Attorney Charles C. Calenda.
Justin Glauthier, 30, pleaded guilty to four counts of stalking through cellular and internet communications. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 6, 2026. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district court judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to court documents, Glauthier repeatedly called and harassed women whose names, photographs, and other personal information he obtained from the internet.
At the time of his arrest, at least nine women had been identified as receiving harassing and threatening phone calls that a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation determined were made by Glauthier. In dozens of calls to victims, Glauthier made sexually explicit comments, sometimes claimed to know where they lived and/or worked, and threatened to visit them unannounced at their homes or places of employment if they did not remain on the phone with him or cooperate during the calls.
Glauthier was arrested in Anaheim, California on March 5, 2025, by agents from the FBI’s Providence and Orange County, California, Resident Agencies.
The case is being prosecuted in the District of Rhode Island by Assistant United States Attorney Denise M. Barton, with the assistance of Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Restrepo in the District of Central California.
The matter was investigated by the FBI.
Butler Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening to Assault and Murder President Trump, Other U.S. Officials, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement AgentsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Butler, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to making threats to assault and murder President Donald J. Trump, other United States officials, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced.
Shawn Monper, 33, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy to two counts of threatening to assault and murder United States officials and federal law enforcement officers with the intent to impede, intimidate, interfere with, and retaliate against the officials and agents while they were engaged in, and on account of, the performance of official duties. As part of his plea agreement, Monper also accepted responsibility for the other counts for which he was charged.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, on April 8, 2025, the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Threat Operations Section (NTOS) received an emergency disclosure regarding threats posted to YouTube by user “Mr Satan.” The subsequent federal investigation affirmed that the internet activity associated with “Mr Satan” corresponded with Shawn Monper’s residence in the Western District of Pennsylvania.
The investigation further established that Monper sought and obtained a firearms permit shortly following President Trump’s inauguration. In February 2025, Monper commented using his “Mr Satan” account: “I have bought several guns and been stocking up on ammo since Trump got in office.” Further, in March 2025, Monper posted: “Eventually im going to do a mass shooting.” One week later, Monper commented: “I have been buying 1 gun a month since the election, body armor, and ammo.”
Investigators determined that Monper posted several threatening statements regarding President Trump, other United States officials, and ICE agents during the period between January 15, 2025, and April 5, 2025, including the two to which Monper specifically pleaded guilty: in February, “Nah, we just need to start killing people, Trump, Elon, all the heads of agencies Trump appointed, and anyone who stands in the way…” and, in mid-March, “ICE are terrorist people, we need to start killing them.” On April 9, 2025, law enforcement arrested Monper on federal charges based on these threats, and he has been detained since that time.
Judge Hardy scheduled Monper’s sentencing for August 12, 2026. The law provides for a maximum total sentence on each count of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Butler Township Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Monper.
Brazilian Illegal Alien Indicted for Reentry of Deported AlienRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – WALYSTTON HENRIQUE DE SOUZA (“DE SOUZA”), age 32, a native of Brazil, was indicted on April 9, 2026, for reentry of removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.
According to court documents, DE SOUZA, an illegal alien, was found in St. Tammany Parish on March 31, 2026. He had previously been convicted of violating 8 U.S.C. § 1326, Illegal Re-entry of Removed Alien and was removed back to Brazil on July 2, 2021.
If convicted, DE SOUZA faces a maximum penalty of two (2) years, followed by up to one (1) year of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the United States Customs and Border Patrol in investigating this matter. Special Assistant United States Attorney Frederick W. Veters Jr., of the General Crimes Unit oversees the prosecution.
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Bluefield Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Landon Joseph Cartwright, 23, of Bluefield, was sentenced today to one year and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for aiding and abetting the distribution of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 13, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Cartwright’s residence in Bluefield and seized approximately 443 grams of methamphetamine. As part of his guilty plea, Cartwright admitted that he possessed the seized methamphetamine and intended to distribute it.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, which consists of members of the West Virginia State Police, the Bluefield Police Department, the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-115.
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Bangladeshi national extradited from Brazil to SDTX to face human smuggling chargesRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 39-year-old man from Bangladesh is set to make his initial appearance in U.S. federal court for his role in a conspiracy that smuggled numerous illegal aliens through Central America to the United States, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Saiful Islam was extradited from Brazil April 10 and is scheduled to be in Laredo federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher dos Santos at 9:30 a.m.
The indictment alleges Islam assisted other smugglers by facilitating the travel of illegal aliens from San Paolo, Brazil, and other locations through South America, Central America and Mexico to reach the United States.
According to the charges, they were taken to the southern border and instructed to enter the country by wading across the Rio Grande or jumping a border fence. Islam allegedly carried out the scheme for payment.
If convicted, Islam faces up to 15 years in federal prison for human smuggling and up to 10 years for conspiracy to bring and/or conspiracy to encourage and induce and alien to enter the United States as well as a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie Cortez is prosecuting the case along with Joint Task Force Alpha detailee/Trial Attorney Spencer M. Perry of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations in Phoenix, Arizona, conducted the investigation along with HSI Laredo and assistance from the HSI Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., Customs and Border Protection’s Counter Network Division, HSI Mexico City, HSI Brasilia, HSI Calexico, HSI Monterrey, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Marshals Service and Interpol.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing Islam’s arrest and extradition from Brazil. The Justice Department thanks its Brazilian law enforcement counterparts for making the extradition possible.
The investigation and charges are a result of the coordinated efforts of JTFA, a partnership with Department of Homeland Security which has been elevated and expanded with a mandate to target cartels and transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama and Colombia that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border, including the Southern District of California, Districts of Arizona and New Mexico and Western and Southern Districts of Texas. Dedicated support is provided by the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Office of Enforcement Operations and the Office of International Affairs, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 450 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 395 U.S. convictions; more than 345 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.
To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 450 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 395 U.S. convictions; more than 345 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
13 Members of Armed Drug Trafficking and Dog Fighting Ring SentencedRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- 13 defendants have been sentenced for their roles in an armed international drug trafficking and dog fighting ring in central Indiana.
10 defendants remain to be sentenced in this case. To date, more than 100 dogs have been rescued from these criminals.
DefendantCharge(s)SentenceCharles Richardson III, 46
Conspiracy to Engage in a Dog Fighting Venture; Exhibit Animal in Animal Fighting Venture; and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon3 years, 10 months’ imprisonment
3 years of supervised release
Christopher Norfolk, 51Conspiracy to Engage in a Dog Fighting VentureTime Served
Three years of supervised release
Brent Hutchinson, 45Conspiracy to Engage in a Dog Fighting Venture; Exhibit Animal in Animal Fighting Venture (x2); Possession with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or more of Cocaine5 years, 6 months’ imprisonment
4 years of supervised release
Daymond Mason, 51Conspiracy to Engage in a Dog Fighting Venture; Exhibit Animal in Animal Fighting Venture2 years, 10 months’ imprisonment
2 years of supervised release
Donovan Tipler, 33Conspiracy to Engage in a Dog Fighting Venture; Exhibit Animal in Animal Fighting Venture8 months’ imprisonment
2 years of supervised release
Edward Bronaugh, 60Conspiracy to Engage in a Dog Fighting Venture and Exhibit Animal in Animal Fighting Venture3 years, 6 months’ imprisonment
2 years of supervised release
James Croons, 37Conspiracy to Engage in a Dog Fighting Venture; Exhibit Animal in Animal Fighting Venture (x2)8 months imprisonment
2 years of supervised release
Marven Carswell, 73
Conspiracy to Engage in a Dog Fighting Venture; Exhibit Animal in Animal Fighting Venture (x2Time Served
2 years of supervised release
Marvin Johnson Jr., 49Conspiracy to Engage in a Dog Fighting Venture8 months’ imprisonment
2 years of supervised release
Maurice Ervin, 46Conspiracy to Engage in a Dog Fighting Venture; Exhibit Animal in Animal Fighting Venture (x4).2 years’ imprisonment
3 years of supervised release
Robert Hamer III, 43Conspiracy to Engage in a Dog Fighting Venture; Exhibit Animal in Animal Fighting Venture (x3); and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon5 years, 5 months’ imprisonment
2 years of supervised release
Ryan Hicks. 39Conspiracy to Engage in a Dog Fighting Venture; Exhibit Animal in Animal Fighting Venture (x7); Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon5 years’ imprisonment
3 years of supervised release
Willie Lee, 59Conspiracy to Engage in a Dog Fighting Venture1 year, 9 months’ imprisonment
2 years of supervised release
According to court documents, in September 2023, investigators uncovered a large‑scale dog‑fighting and illegal gambling operation based in Indianapolis during the course of a broader drug trafficking investigation.
The defendants listed above played various roles within the dog‑fighting enterprise. All thirteen maintained dogs for the purpose of fighting or served as handlers, responsible for provoking and motivating dogs during fights.
Maurice Ervin also acted as a referee, weighing dogs and holding gambling proceeds. Christopher Norfolk provided locations for the fights. Willie Lee trained and bred fighting dogs, selling offspring to other dog fighters and attending fights. Edward Bronaugh transported dogs used in fights through his business, Roll & Hold Pet Express LLC. Investigators determined he transported more than 100 dogs, many of which were used in dog‑fighting ventures.
More than a dozen videos of dog fights recovered from the defendants’ cell phones and Facebook messages show extremely violent encounters lasting several minutes, during which the dogs suffer significant injuries across their bodies. Their distress is immediately apparent, with yelps and cries audible within seconds. Some videos also reveal evidence of dogs that were killed in the defendant’s care-an all‑too‑common outcome for animals deemed to have underperformed in these fights.
Through the course of this investigation, law enforcement officers found and dismantled six dog fighting pits and seized a variety of dog fighting paraphernalia. More than 150 dogs trained for dog fighting were taken from dog fighters. Many of these dogs had severe scaring from past fights. These dogs are now being cared for through a program designed to re-train the dogs and find them new homes through adoption.
During searches of the defendants’ residences, law enforcement seized multiple firearms, ammunition, and extensive dog‑fighting paraphernalia:
- Assorted dog collars, chains, tie‑downs, and weights
- Multiple flirt poles/flirt sticks
- Bite sticks and a dog bite sleeve
- Training equipment, including training ropes, balls, vests, pull sleds, and Dog Pacer treadmills
- Weigh scale
- Assorted canine medical supplies, including syringes, sprays, wound‑care creams, penicillin injectables, supplements, and a horse joint supplement
- Trophies and ribbons
- Century Arms Centurion 39 Sporter rifle
- Taurus semi-automatic
- Springfield Armory XDS-40 semi-automatic
- American Tactical Imports Mil-Sport rifle
- Ruger 57 semi-automatic firearm
- Glock l9 GEN5 9mm pistol
- Glock l7 CEN5 9mm pistol
“These sentences mark a significant step toward securing justice against an escalating criminal threat. Dog fighting is not only an unspeakable cruelty; it also harms the communities where it occurs by fueling illegal gambling and often intersecting with other criminal activity,” said Tom Wheeler, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “The individuals involved in this operation demonstrated a shocking disregard for the suffering of these animals- conduct that aligns with the well‑established link between animal abuse and violence against people. Our office will continue to prioritize animal welfare and target those who engage in the deliberate abuse of innocent animals for the entertainment and profit of others.”
“Subjecting dogs to cruelty for spectacle is inhumane and against the law. This case demonstrates the depravity of those that engage in animal exploitation who often commit other dangerous crimes that undermine law and order in our communities and compromise public safety. USDA OIG will continue to prioritize allegations of violations of animal welfare laws administered by USDA and will pursue investigations that result in justice against those criminally responsible for dogfighting,” said USDA Inspector General John Walk. “I commend our OIG special agents, law enforcement partners, and the United States Attorney’s Office for working together to disrupt the criminal enterprise, bring accountability to the perpetrators, and rescue more than 100 dogs from horrendous abuse.”
“This case exposed a brutal criminal network driven by greed - trafficking drugs, fueling violence, and engaging in the cruel exploitation of animals,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. O’Malley. “Today’s sentence holds these individuals accountable and underscores the FBI’s commitment to targeting complex, transnational criminal enterprises. We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to dismantle organizations like this - no matter where they operate - and ensure justice is served.”
“This case illustrates the connection between drug trafficking and other deplorable crimes. Most importantly, this case shows the resolve of Federal, State and Local Law Enforcement to cooperatively work together to seek out and prosecute the individuals involved in these organizations,” said Gerald C. Dooley, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for DEA Indianapolis District Office.
FBI Indianapolis, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General, Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service- Criminal Investigation, Indiana Gaming Commission, and IMPD investigated this case. The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Court Chief Judge James R. Sweeney II.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Brady, Lindsay E. Karwoski, Adam Eakman, Kelly Rota, and Bob Wood, who are prosecuting this case.
A February 18, 2026, memorandum from Attorney General Pam Bondi entitled “Prioritization of Animal Welfare Enforcement” announced a historic plan to combat animal welfare crimes and to strengthen coordination and enforcement efforts between federal agencies, including the Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, and Homeland Security Investigations. The plan consists of five parts: (1) A one-week Animal Welfare Summit at the Department’s National Advocacy Center to train federal prosecutors and federal agents from across the country in prosecuting animal welfare crimes; (2) the creation of a multi-agency Animal Welfare Executive Strategy Committee to develop and implement a National Strategy for Combatting Animal Welfare Crimes, to be chaired by Adam Gustafson, who leads the Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division; (3) the creation of a law enforcement “Tiger Team” to participate in and assist with the execution of search warrants and seizures in animal welfare cases; (4) the continued use of the Asset Forfeiture Fund to help pay for the evaluation, care, and feeding of animals seized in the course of animal welfare investigations; and (5) the offering of grants, through the Office of Justice Programs, to animal welfare groups, and state and local law enforcement agencies that are taking action to combat animal cruelty
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Friday 10 April 2026
Wood County Man Pleads Guilty to Child Sex Abuse ChargesRead the Press Release
TOLEDO, Ohio – A 49-year-old man has pleaded guilty in federal court to receiving and distributing files depicting the sexual abuse of children throughout a nearly seven-year period.
Brian C. Sargent, of Bowling Green, Ohio, pleaded guilty to Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography, also known as Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM).
According to court documents, in July 2025 agents were conducting an investigation to identify offenders sharing CSAM on a peer-to-peer platform and Sargent was identified as a suspect. In August 2025, a search warrant was executed at his residence and agents seized his personal laptop. During a forensic analysis, almost 700 CSAM files were located that depicted minors engaged in sex acts and bondage. Sargent’s cellphone was also seized, and it contained similar material. The investigation revealed that he had been receiving and distributing CSAM from November 2018 to August 2025. During the time period in which these offenses occurred, Sargent was employed with the Ohio Investigative Unit which enforces laws regarding alcohol, tobacco, and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits.
Sargent is scheduled to be sentenced July 22 and faces a minimum of five—and up to 20—years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation leading to the indictment was conducted by the United States Secret Service and members of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Assistant United States Attorney Tracey Ballard Tangeman for the Northern District of Ohio leads 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.
Winthrop Man Charged with Receiving Stolen Government Money and Social Security FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Winthrop man was arrested today for Social Security fraud over a period of more than four years.
Kenneth Riel, 51, was charged by Indictment with one count of receiving stolen government money or property and one count of Social Security fraud-concealment. The defendant was arrested today and released on conditions following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston this afternoon.
As alleged in the Indictment, Riel received approximately $88,383 in stolen Social Security retirement benefits from February 2019 through November 2023. Additionally, Riel allegedly concealed and failed to report to the Social Security Administration (SSA) that an individual receiving retirement benefits had died so that he could fraudulently receive the improper benefit payments.
The charge of receiving stolen government money or property provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of Social Security fraud-concealment provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Amy Connelly, Special Agent-in-Charge of the SSA Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit 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.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
West Tennessee Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Distribution of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Jackson, TN – Gregory Lynn Bond, 33, of Denmark, Tennessee, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for distribution of methamphetamine. D. Michael Dunavant, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.
Bond was charged with three counts of distributing and possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Bond pled guilty to all three counts. According to the information presented during the sentencing hearing, agents with the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), and the 26th Judicial District Drug Task Force initiated a joint investigation into a drug trafficking organization operating in Denmark, Tennessee.
Through the investigation, agents identified Bond as a methamphetamine distributor for this drug trafficking organization. The investigation of Bond involved several controlled purchases, a traffic stop, and several searches of property used by Bond. At sentencing, Bond was held responsible for trafficking over 3 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Following his guilty plea for distribution and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, United States District Judge J. Daniel Breen sentenced Bond to 30 years in prison and five years of supervised release.
There is no parole in the federal system.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Use and trafficking of methamphetamine continues to destroy lives, families, and communities across West Tennessee. The significant sentence in this case sends a clear message to those drug dealers who distribute poison in West Tennessee: You cannot prey upon our citizens for your selfish personal gain with impunity; there will be a reckoning."
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), the Madison County Sheriff’s Department, and the 26th Judicial District Drug Task Force.
Assistant United States Attorney Adam Davis prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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For more information, please contact the Media Relations Team at [email protected]. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.
Webster Man Pleads Guilty to Building and Detonating Pipe Bombs in WeareRead the Press Release
Webster Man Pleads Guilty to Building and Detonating Pipe Bombs in Weare
CONCORD – Dale G. Stewart, Jr., 57, of Webster, pleaded guilty today in federal court to three counts of possessing an unregistered firearm, specifically a destructive device, United States Erin Creegan announces.
According to the plea agreement and statements made in court, Stewart detonated two pipe bombs on Dustin Tavern Road and Sugar Hill Road in Weare, New Hampshire, on the evening of April 26 and on the morning of April 27, 2023. As part of the emergency response to these explosions, on the evening of April 27, 2023, law enforcement agents located and searched Stewart’s vehicle on South Stark Highway in Weare, where they recovered an undetonated pipe bomb, constructed of white PVC pipe, with glued end caps, wrapped in black electrical tape, with a green hobby fuse protruding from one of the end caps. The undetonated pipe bomb contained more than 4 ounces of an explosive material, consistent with the manufacturing of the two pipe bombs that Stewart had detonated earlier. During police questioning, Stewart indicated he built these destructive devices at his home in Webster.
The charging statute provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $10,000. U.S. District Court Judge Samantha D. Elliott scheduled sentencing for July 30, 2026.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Weare Police Department; and the Federal Protective Service led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the New Hampshire State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cesar Vega and Anna Krasinski are prosecuting the case.
Wagoner Resident Sentenced for Felony Assault and Illegally Possessing AmmunitionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Kelly Justin Van Lewis, age 35, of Coweta, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 26 months in prison for one count of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country, and to 26 months in prison for one count of Possession of Ammunition While Subject to Protective Order. The Court ordered the terms to be served concurrently.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Coweta Police Department.
On August 21, 2025, Van Lewis pleaded guilty to the charges in federal district court. According to investigators, on April 30, 2024, Van Lewis threatened and pointed a firearm at the victim, then racked the slide of the firearm three times after an apparent malfunction. Law enforcement arrested Van Lewis the same day, and the victim obtained a protective order which included a prohibition against Van Lewis possessing firearms or ammunition. In June of 2025, ATF Special Agents executed a search warrant at Van Lewis’ residence and seized 980 rounds of ammunition Van Lewis possessed in violation of his protective order.
The crimes occurred in Wagoner County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is proud to join forces with the ATF and with all local, state, Tribal, and federal agencies to investigate and prosecute perpetrators who wrongfully use firearms to jeopardize the peace and safety of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Wilson.
“This conviction and federal sentence make clear that those who use firearms to threaten and terrorize intimate partners will be held fully accountable under the law,” said ATF Dallas Field Division Special Agent in Charge Brian Garner. “ATF plays a critical role in enforcing the firearm prohibitions established under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), working alongside federal, state, and Tribal partners to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. This work is essential not only to protecting victims and preventing further violence, but also to upholding our trust responsibilities to our tribal partners by ensuring safer communities and respect for the rule of law.”
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Senior Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Van Lewis will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Edith A. Singer represented the United States.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 111 Border-Related Cases This WeekRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 111 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 7, Daniel Lopez Patino, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, Customs and Border Protection officers found 124 pounds of cocaine concealed in the door panels and rear quarter panels of Lopez Patino’s vehicle when he applied for entry at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.
- On April 8, Jesus Obed Mejia Cortez, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Attempted Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain. According to a complaint, the defendant was captain of a fishing vessel that was intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard with three undocumented aliens on board, including a man who could not swim and was not given a life vest. Also charged was passenger Diana Eloisa Huerta De Los Santos with Attempted Entry after Deportation.
- On April 9, Jorge Madrid, a citizen of Mexico, was arrested and charged with Deported Alien Found in the United States. According to a complaint, a Border Patrol agent found the undocumented alien hiding behind a rock, about a half mile north of the U.S.-Mexico border, east of Tecate. He was previously deported in 2023 from Nogales, Arizona.
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.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Adds 261 New Immigration Cases in Western District of TexasRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 261 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from April 3 to April 9, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons.
Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens who, as a group, had the following prior convictions: DWI (19), aggravated assault (1), evading arrest/detention (5), assault family violence (1), theft (1), possession with intent to distribute (2), burglary of a habitation (2), possession of a controlled substance (6), rape (1), failure to register as a sex offender (1), voter retaliation (1), reckless driving (1), resisting arrest (1), assault family violence-impeding breath (1), failure to ID (3), assault bodily injury (1), fictitious license plate (1), failure to appear (1), and aggravated robbery (1). The vast majority of these crimes were committed by illegal aliens found in and around Austin.
Among the new cases, convicted sex offender Jorge Guerrero-Martinez, an illegal alien from Mexico, was arrested near Val Verde. Guerrero-Martinez was recently deported for the third time on March 13, after being charged in Missouri for failing to register as a sex offender. In 2010, he was convicted of second-degree statutory rape and sentenced to five years in prison. He was then convicted in 2017 of illegal re-entry and sentenced to 57 months confinement.
U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested Mexican national Enrique Eleuterio Lopez-Rocha for illegal re-entry near Maverick. Lopez-Rocha was deported for the second time in May 2025 following a six-month prison sentence for probation violation. His criminal record includes cocaine trafficking in 2020, along with three DWIs.
Samuel Castro, a U.S. citizen, was arrested and charged with alien smuggling in El Paso on April 6. USBP agents apprehended an illegal alien approximately half a mile east of the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry. A criminal complaint alleges that during the apprehension, the agents observed a vehicle parked nearby and questioned its two occupants. Castro was the driver of the vehicle, who allegedly told agents that he intended to pick up and transport two illegal aliens and expected to be paid $500 for each. Castro allegedly claimed to be involved in alien smuggling since 2023, operating as a coordinator and a driver. In October 2024, he was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and evading arrest with a vehicle.
In San Antonio, Miguel Manzano-Ramirez was encountered after he was arrested by Hollywood Park Police on a public intoxication charge on April 5. He was determined to be an illegal alien from Mexico and later transferred to ICE custody. A review of his criminal history revealed that Manzano-Ramirez has been convicted of three DWIs.
Mexican national Arturo Castro Hernandez was transferred to federal custody on April 6 after being found in Bastrop County. He has been removed from the U.S. twice, and previously convicted of three DWIs, evading arrest, reckless driving, and failure to identify. He now faces an illegal re-entry charge in Austin.
Also found in Bastrop, Adan Tolentino Guerrero is an illegal alien from Mexico with two prior removals. He was arrested and convicted in 2025 for fleeing from a police officer and his third DWI. He was also convicted of possession of a controlled substance in 2018 and illegal re-entry in 2020.
Honorio Victorino-Rebollar, another illegal alien from Mexico with three prior DWI convictions, was charged with illegal re-entry for the third time after he was found in Travis County on April 5. His last removal was Sept. 5, 2018.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
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.
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U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico Weekly Immigration and Border Crimes ReportRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced its immigration enforcement statistics for this week. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies.
In the one-week period ending April 10, 2026, the United States Attorney’s Office brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico:
- 106 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326)
- 8 individuals were charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324)
- 84 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325)
- 87 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325), violation of a military security regulation (50 U.S.C. 797) and Entering Military, Naval, or Coast Guard Property (18 U.S.C. 1382), arising from the newly established National Defense Area in New Mexico.
Many of the defendants charged pursuant to 8 U.S.C. 1326 had prior criminal convictions for second degree murder, aggravated assault, drug trafficking, vehicle theft, immigration documents fraud, possession of a firearm by an alien, and prior immigration offenses.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
These statistics represent prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico only. The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the District of New Mexico. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The District of New Mexico consists of 33 counties and shares 180 miles of international border with Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from Albuquerque and Las Cruces work directly with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to prosecute immigration-related and other federal offenses.
Two Sentenced to over 46 Years for Drug MurderRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A Hallandale woman and California man have been sentenced to 230 months and 330 months in prison, respectively, for the 2022 killing of a man in relation to a drug trafficking conspiracy. Both defendants had pleaded guilty to using a firearm to cause death and conspiring to distribute at least 500 grams of methamphetamine.
According to court documents, Tsvia Kol, 37, of Hallandale, and Jimmy Sanchez, 38, of Spring Valley, California, murdered a Miami man in connection with a missing package containing about 11 pounds of methamphetamine, the street value of which totaled approximately $90,000. Kol and Sanchez believed that the victim stole the package of drugs, but in fact the drugs had been seized by law enforcement.
Kol and Sanchez confronted the victim in a hotel room that they had rented, and Kol provided Sanchez with a firearm. While inside the room, the victim called 911 and attempted to provide his location. The recorded 911 call captured the sounds of a physical altercation and gunshots.
Hotel security footage revealed Kol and Sanchez fleeing the property after the shooting, and the victim’s body was not discovered in the hotel room until the day after. Sanchez admitted that he shot and murdered the victim and Kol admitted that she had been an accomplice.
“Suspecting that the victim had stolen drugs from them, these defendants committed an execution-style murder,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The drug business is a dangerous game that too often results in death. The Criminal Division will continue to prosecute drugs crimes, especially those involving violence.”
“This started as a drug deal gone wrong and ended in an execution,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The defendants armed themselves, set up the victim, and carried out a killing over a missing drug package that had already been seized by law enforcement. The prison sentences, over 19 years and over 27 years, reflect the seriousness of that violence. As a career prosecutor and former trial judge, I’ve seen how often drug trafficking turns deadly. In South Florida, we pursue long federal sentences that keep violent criminals off the streets and protect our community.”
“These defendants ruthlessly murdered someone whom they thought had stolen from their own illegal drug trafficking network. Today their sentence ends this cycle of violence,” said Assistant Director Heith Janke of the FBI’s Criminal Division. “The FBI, with our federal, state and local partners work around the clock to ensure these destructive criminals with no regard for a human life are found and held accountable with the goal of making our communities safer and free from drug-related crimes like this.”
“Drug trafficking and violence unfortunately go hand-in-hand,” said Special Agent in Charge Miles Aley of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Miami Field Division. “DEA Miami Agents are working tirelessly to bring justice and safety to our community.”
“In this case the defendants decided the contents of a package were worth more than the victim’s life. It’s a decision they will pay for,” said U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge Bladismir Rojo of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Miami Division. “The Postal Inspection Service works tirelessly to eliminate narcotics from our postal system, working with our federal, state, and local partners to make sure those who profit from violence, drug sales, and the abuse of the postal system feel the full weight of the law.”
In January 2026, Kol and Sanchez each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and causing the death of a person during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense.
The DEA, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Miami Dade Sherriff’s Office, the Hialeah Police Department, and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Monique Botero for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Jessica A. Massey from the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section prosecuted the case.
This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Miami. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute offenders and prevent violence.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20264.
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Two Sentenced to over 46 Years for Drug MurderRead the Press Release
A Florida woman and California man have been sentenced to 230 months and 330 months in prison, respectively, for the 2022 killing of a man in relation to a drug trafficking conspiracy. Both defendants had pleaded guilty to using a firearm to cause death and conspiring to distribute at least 500 grams of methamphetamine.
According to court documents, Tsvia Kol, 37, of Hallandale, Florida, and Jimmy Sanchez, 38, of Spring Valley, California, murdered a Miami man (the victim) in connection with a missing package containing about 11 pounds of methamphetamine, the street value of which totaled approximately $90,000. Kol and Sanchez believed that the victim stole the package of drugs, but in fact the drugs had been seized by law enforcement.
Kol and Sanchez confronted the victim in a hotel room that they had rented, and Kol provided Sanchez with a firearm. While inside the room, the victim called 911 and attempted to provide his location. The recorded 911 call captured the sounds of a physical altercation and gunshots.
Hotel security footage revealed Kol and Sanchez fleeing the property after the shooting, and the victim’s body was not discovered in the hotel room until the day after. Sanchez admitted that he shot and murdered the victim and Kol admitted that she had been an accomplice.
“Suspecting that the victim had stolen drugs from them, these defendants committed a callous murder,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The drug business is a dangerous game that results in death, ruined lives, and torn families. The Criminal Division prioritizes prosecuting drug crimes, especially those involving violence.”
“This started as a drug deal gone wrong and ended in an execution,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The defendants armed themselves, set up the victim, and carried out a killing over a missing drug package that had already been seized by law enforcement. The prison sentences, over 19 years and over 27 years, reflect the seriousness of that violence. As a career prosecutor and former trial judge, I’ve seen how often drug trafficking turns deadly. In South Florida, we pursue long federal sentences that keep violent criminals off the streets and protect our community.”
“These defendants ruthlessly murdered someone whom they thought had stolen from their own illegal drug trafficking network. Today their sentence ends this cycle of violence,” said Assistant Director Heith Janke of the FBI’s Criminal Division. “The FBI, with our federal, state and local partners work around the clock to ensure these destructive criminals with no regard for a human life are found and held accountable with the goal of making our communities safer and free from drug-related crimes like this.”
“Drug trafficking and violence unfortunately go hand-in-hand,” said Special Agent in Charge Miles Aley of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Miami Field Division. “DEA Miami Agents are working tirelessly to bring justice and safety to our community.”
“In this case the defendants decided the contents of a package were worth more than the victim’s life. It’s a decision they will pay for,” said U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge Bladismir Rojo of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Miami Division. “The Postal Inspection Service works tirelessly to eliminate narcotics from our postal system, working with our federal, state, and local partners to make sure those who profit from violence, drug sales, and the abuse of the postal system feel the full weight of the law.”
In January 2026, Kol and Sanchez each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and using a firearm to cause death during a drug trafficking offense.
The DEA, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Miami Dade Sherriff’s Office, the Hialeah Police Department, and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case.
Trial Attorney Jessica A. Massey from the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Monique Botero for the Southern District of Florida prosecuted the case.
This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Miami. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute offenders and prevent violence.
Two Illegal Aliens from Mexico Sentenced to Decades in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking in West TennesseeRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Brothers, Julio Cesar Garcia, 45, and Juan Carlos Garcia, 41, both of Chiapas, Mexico, were sentenced following their 2023 trial conviction. In 2021, these individuals were indicted for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. D. Michael Dunavant, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentences today.
According to information presented at trial and sentencing, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) received information that Julio Cesar Garcia was facilitating narcotics transactions from the Bureau of Prisons Great Plains Correctional Institution in Hinton, Oklahoma. Investigators determined that Julio Cesar Garcia would locate buyers in the Western District of Tennessee, utilize a prison contraband phone to set up methamphetamine deliveries, and his brother Juan Carlos Garcia would accept payment.
Upon further investigation into Julio Cesar Garcia, HSI learned that he was serving prison sentence for a narcotics trafficking offense stemming from a conviction in the Western District of Tennessee. Specifically, on March 7, 2019, Julio Cesar Garcia was sentenced to 120 months' incarceration for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and Distribution of Methamphetamine. His scheduled release date was July 9, 2026.
During the investigation, investigators learned that Julio Cesar Garcia provided tracking numbers to parcels containing kilogram amounts of methamphetamine. The parcels originated from California. Homeland Security Investigations, working with the United States Postal Inspection Service, seized two parcels, one containing 1 kilogram of methamphetamine and the other 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine.
On February 24, 2023, following a 4-day trial, a federal grand jury convicted both Julio Cesar Garcia and Juan Carlos Garcia of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
On December 18, 2023, the Honorable Mark S. Norris sentenced Juan Carlos Garcia to 188 months' incarceration and ordered him to not unlawfully re-enter the United States. On December 6, 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld Juan Carlos Garcia’s conviction and sentence.
On March 31, 2026, the Honorable Mark S. Norris sentenced Julio Cesar Garcia to 300 months' incarceration and ordered him to not unlawfully re-enter the United States. This sentence is to be served consecutively to the prior sentence Julio Cesar Garcia was serving at the time. There is no parole in the federal system.
Both defendants were unlawfully in the United States at the time of the offenses. Due to the nature of the convictions, both are subject to removal from the United States.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Criminal aliens not only threaten the sovereignty of our nation but also threaten the safety of our communities. Distribution of illegal narcotics is NOT a victimless crime. This case demonstrates our focus on those dangerous criminal aliens who continue to violate our laws after illegal entry by distributing poisonous drugs that cause addiction, injury, and death.”
“Homeland Security Investigations remains steadfast in its mission to protect communities from the harm caused by drug trafficking and criminal organizations,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Colin Jackson. “This case highlights the importance of collaboration among law enforcement agencies and our ongoing efforts to hold offenders accountable. HSI will continue to pursue those who endanger public safety and uphold the rule of law.”
"This case exemplifies the spirit of collaboration we share with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners. Let these prison sentences serve as a reminder that using the mail to traffic narcotics will be met with serious consequences.” – Inspector in Charge Rodney Hopkins, USPIS
“Through the Homeland Security Task Force, the FBI is working with our partners to pursue and dismantle the networks responsible for participating in the deadly drug trade,” said Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “Together, we will ensure that those who exploit our communities for profit face the full force of the law.”
This case was investigated and assisted in trial by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). Also assisting in the prosecution were the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Department of Homeland Security Customs and Broder Protection (DHS CBP), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), United States Marshals Service (USMS), and the DeSoto County (MS) Sheriff's Office Narcotics Unit.
Assistant United States Attorney Gregory D. Allen prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Memphis comprises agents and officers from multiple agencies, to include the investigative agencies listed above, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.
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For more information, please contact the Media Relations Team at [email protected]. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.
Three-Time Drug Trafficker Sentenced to More Than 5 YearsRead the Press Release
Madison, Wis. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Rodney L. Roach, 44, Beloit, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 71 months in federal prison for distribution of cocaine. Roach pleaded guilty to this charge on January 21, 2026.
Roach distributed what he believed to be heroin to a police informant on four occasions. After the last drug sale, police seized a large amount of suspected heroin/fentanyl and cocaine from his home. Crime laboratory testing revealed that the suspected heroin/fentanyl was in fact Metonitazene. Metonitazene is an extremely dangerous synthetic opioid like fentanyl but with a slightly greater potency.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Peterson stated that Roach distributed dangerous drugs that harmed his community. He further stated that Roach had two prior drug trafficking convictions and was an elevated risk to reoffend upon release. Judge Peterson ordered six years of supervision to follow Roach’s prison term to further protect the community.
The charge against Roach was the result of an investigation conducted by the Beloit Police Department, Rock County Sheriff’s Office, and Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven P. Anderson prosecuted this case.
Federal prosecutions by the U.S. Department of Justice involving drugs and guns are part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Three Family Members Plead Guilty to Smuggling Drugs into PrisonRead the Press Release
A District of Columbia (D.C.) inmate, his mother, and his brother pleaded guilty yesterday to drug conspiracy and the smuggling of contraband into the District of Columbia Central Detention Facility (CDF) in 2023.
According to statements made in court, on May 23, 2023, D.C. correction officers seized approximately 31 sheets of paper soaked in a synthetic cannabinoid and a mixture or substance containing fentanyl and heroin from the cell of Malique Lewis, 28, of D.C., when Malique was an inmate at the CDF. At the time, Malique was awaiting trial on kidnapping, murder, and firearm charges. He has since been convicted of those charges and is serving a life sentence.
In furtherance of the conspiracy and to facilitate the introduction of controlled substances into the CDF, Malique Lewis communicated with his mother, Teleka Lewis, 47, and his brother, Michael Lewis, 32, both of D.C., as well as the drug supplier, through third-party calling prison accounts. Malique and Teleka arranged to have Michael pack an accordion style legal folder with controlled substances that were disguised as “legal papers” to enable their introduction into the CDF and delivery to Malique. Teleka then delivered this folder to Malique’s legal counsel so that it could be covertly introduced into the prison facility and delivered to Malique. There is no evidence that the lawyer knew that the papers were laced with drugs. Malique intended to distribute, and did distribute, controlled substances to other inmates at the CDF.
Teleka, at Malique’s direction, also managed the proceeds and finances derived from the scheme on Malique’s behalf, including by receiving and making payments for the drugs that were sold inside the CDF through online payment services such as Cash App and Apple Pay.
Malique and Teleka pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute controlled substances, to include fentanyl, heroin, and synthetic cannabinoids, within a federally contracted prison. They are scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 21 where they both face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Michael pleaded guilty to providing contraband in a prison, a misdemeanor crime. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 21 and faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent Jeffrey Lee Tyler of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Washington Field Office and D.C. Department of Corrections Office of Investigative Services are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Brian P. Leaming and Jared Hernandez of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting the case.
Thomasville Man with Violent Criminal Past Pleads Guilty to Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBANY, Ga. – A South Georgia man with a prior conviction for rape and kidnapping who was wanted for a north Florida bank robbery and captured in Georgia after attempting to run from deputies while carrying a firearm is facing a maximum of 15 years in prison on a federal gun charge.
Jonathan Lamar Wooten, aka “Chico,” 53, of Thomasville, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon before Senior U.S. District Judge W. Louis Sands on April 9. Wooten faces a maximum of 15 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date will be determined by the Court. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Violent felons caught with guns will be prosecuted federally in the Middle District of Georgia, where penalties are tough and there is no parole,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes. “Our office is committed to strictly enforcing federal gun laws and working with law enforcement to bring repeat offenders to justice.”
According to court documents and statements referenced in court, there was a bank shooting in Tallahassee, Florida, on May 5, 2023, in which Wooten was allegedly involved and now is facing state charges in Florida for attempted murder, aggravated battery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt. Florida authorities issued a BOLO for Wooten, with a description of the Ford F-150 he was allegedly driving from the scene of the bank shooting.
Thomas County, Georgia, deputies spotted the F-150 and attempted to pull it over when a chase ensued. After several minutes, Wooten slowed the vehicle, jumped out of the pickup truck and ran. Both officers saw a gun in Wooten’s hand as he fled. Wooten discarded the Glock firearm behind a building on North Boulevard in Thomasville and he was found within minutes, sitting on the ground with his back against the building. The Ford F-150 Wooten drove was stolen in Grady County, Georgia. The Glock was compared to and matched the shell casings collected at the Tallahassee bank shooting. Wooten has a prior conviction in Thomas County Superior Court for rape and kidnapping. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The Thomas County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Tallahassee Police Department, Homicide Unit.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sonja Profit is prosecuting the case for the Government.
Tax preparers indicted for filing false tax returns causing thousands in fraudulent claimsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Two area residents are appearing in federal court on charges they willfully helped clients file false tax returns with the IRS, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Elfrin Lee Patten is set to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Bray at 2 p.m. Laquisha “Cookie” Shelton has already appeared in federal court following her arrest April 9.
A federal grand jury returned the 16-count indictment March 8, which has now been unsealed.
According to the indictment, Patten ran E. Patten Tax Prep in Houston beginning in at least 2019 for approximately seven years, while Shelton worked as a preparer for the business. The charges allege they used false credits and deductions to fraudulently lower their clients’ tax liability. In some cases, refunds exceeded $10,000 and clients were charged thousands in fees, according to court documents.
Patten and Shelton allegedly used false Schedule C losses for nonexistent businesses and fraudulent Sick and Family Leave Credits to inflate refunds.
The charges further allege Patten sent text and WhatsApp messages pressuring witnesses not to cooperate. Shelton also allegedly submitted a false affidavit claiming she had never prepared a tax return.
The IRS identified at least $30 million in Sick and Family Leave Credits tied with the business, according to the allegations.
In addition, Patten’s 2022 return allegedly reported false wages and withholdings and was accompanied by a false W-2 for a business where he did not work. The indictment alleges that return claimed a refund of $18,386.
Patten and Shelton are charged with conspiracy and aiding and various counts of assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. Patten is also charged with filing a false tax return in his own name.
If convicted, both face up to five years in prison for the conspiracy count, as well as three years in prison for each of the tax charges. They also face potential fines of up to $250,000.
IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Gray is prosecuting the case.
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.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
St. Thomas Airport Employee Arrested for Possessing Three Kilograms of Cocaine at the Cyril E. King AirportRead the Press Release
ST. THOMAS – U.S. Attorney Adam F. Sleeper announced today that Aslyn Thomas, 45, of St. Thomas, was arrested for possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
According to court documents, on April 8, 2026, Thomas arrived at the Cyril E. King to report for work as a ramp agent. As part of routine security procedures, Thomas was inspected by security personnel at the entrance. When his backpack was inspected, security personnel observed three bricklike
plastic bundles that they deemed suspicious. Virgin Islands Port Authority officers arrived and utilized a K-9 unit which alerted to the presence of narcotics. U.S. Customs and Border Protection was then brought to the scene, and it was discovered that the three bundles weighing over 7 pounds tested
positive for cocaine.U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating the case. Assistant United States Attorney Erik Tate is prosecuting the case.
A complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Springfield Man Charged with Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm After Allegedly Firing a Gun from Back Porch at NeighborRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – Christopher Paredes, 43, of Springfield, has been charged by criminal complaint with being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Braden H. Boucek for the Middle District of Tennessee.
“Middle Tennessee has some of the greatest neighborhoods in America and those neighborhoods should be safe from gunfire,” said United States Attorney Braden H. Boucek. “Keeping all of the communities of Middle Tennessee safe from armed and violent criminals is a high priority of our office and the Department of Justice.”
According to court documents, on March 30, 2026, the Robertson County Sheriff’s Office received multiple calls from concerned citizens that Paredes was discharging a gun from his back porch in Springfield. One caller told law enforcement that Paredes told her that he would kill her and then fired the gun at her.
After initially refusing to exit his residence, the Robertson County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Response Team, using flashbangs and chemical agents, successfully facilitated Paredes’ surrender. Deputies recovered a Sig Sauer .40 caliber pistol from Paredes’ back porch and eight .40 caliber casings from the back yard.
Paredes had previously been convicted of assault in the second degree and wanton endangerment in the first degree when he pleaded guilty to those felony offenses in 2011 in Warren County, Kentucky. He was sentenced to serve 15 years in state prison.
If convicted, Paredes faces a maximum of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Robertson County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlin C. Hess is prosecuting the case.
A complaint is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Sopchoppy Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Gun & Drug CrimesRead the Press Release
Tallahassee, Florida – Howard Neil Martin, 46, of Sopchoppy, Florida, was sentenced to seven and a half years in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, carrying a firearm during a drug-trafficking offense, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Thanks to the excellent investigative work by our state and federal law enforcement partners, and the aggressive prosecution of this repeat offender by my office, our community can rest assured he will spend several years in prison for his armed drug dealing. Keeping our streets safe and drug-free remains a top priority for my office, and we will continue to deliver successful prosecutions under the Department of Justices Operation Take Back America initiative.”
Court documents reflect that Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report about a burglary in progress. When they arrived, the defendant was parked in the driveway of the residence and in a verbal dispute with someone watching the residence for the homeowner. Officers could see a firearm in plain view inside the defendant’s truck and upon running his criminal history, learned that he was a convicted felon. Officers ultimately searched the truck and located approximately half a pound of crystal methamphetamine.
“This joint investigation removes another methamphetamine trafficker from our North Florida communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Daniel Escobar, Tampa Field Division. “I’m thankful to our law enforcement partners for their support in bringing this criminal to justice.”
Sheriff Jared F. Miller, Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office said: “Cases like this highlight the ongoing threat illegal drugs and firearms pose to our community. I’m proud of our deputies for their quick response and strong partnership with our federal agencies to ensure dangerous offenders are held accountable.”
When the defendant is released from prison, he will be on supervised release for a period of five years.
The case involved an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain.
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.
Social media influencer sentenced to 6 years in prison for $20 million Ponzi scheme, tax fraudRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – United States Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II announced today enforcement actions against violators of tax laws, including a social media influencer who orchestrated a $20 million real estate Ponzi scheme and committed tax fraud to further that scheme.
“As we close out tax season for the year, I want to remind the public that this office will aggressively pursue those who cheat the tax system or otherwise steal from the U.S. Treasury,” said U.S. Attorney Gerace. “We will not tolerate fraud—whether committed against the government or private citizens.”
Tyler Bossetti
Tyler Bossetti, 31, of Columbus, was sentenced in federal court in Columbus today to 72 months in prison. He received more than $23 million in investments from victim investors throughout the United States and abroad. In total, dozens of investors lost more than $11 million.
According to court documents, from 2019 until 2023, Bossetti widely publicized what he described as a real estate investment program. Through his company Boss Lifestyle LLC, Bossetti guaranteed large rates of return for short-term investments. He advertised the investments, often promising a rate of return of thirty percent or more, through social media, especially Facebook and YouTube.
Bossetti also caused the issuance and filing of approximately 14 false and fraudulent 1099-INT tax forms. He filed the IRS forms to report interest income for investors who did not earn interest. Bossetti claimed he had reinvested victims’ interest earnings when in fact he had not.
Bossetti admitted to misappropriating investor funds to further his lifestyle and make purchases like rental payments on a condo in downtown Columbus, frequent travel, a $150,000 Mercedes SUV and various cryptocurrency investments.
Bossetti was charged by a bill of information in April 2025 and pleaded guilty in June 2025 to wire fraud and aiding in a false tax filing.
Tiauna Castro
Also in Columbus, Tiauna Castro was convicted of submitting false federal tax forms related to a pair of sham businesses. Castro was part of a methamphetamine trafficking organization and mailed packages of methamphetamine from Las Vegas to Columbus. While on pretrial release in this case, Castro submitted false tax forms and received more than half a million dollars in refunds to which she was not entitled. Castro pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and to the submission of false tax claims while on pretrial release. Castro awaits sentencing.
Christopher Dowtin
On March 10, a federal judge in Dayton found Christopher Dowtin, an Atlanta-area man, guilty of wire fraud and theft of public funds following a bench trial. Dowtin fraudulently received two tax refund checks—including one for more than $32 million—by falsely converting two businesses’ IRS accounts to his name and address. After receiving these tax refund checks, Dowtin then traveled to Ohio and attempted to negotiate the funds into a brokerage account in his name. Dowtin awaits sentencing.
Angela and Shonda Michael
On March 24, Angela and Shonda Michael were indicted by a grand jury in Dayton and charged with 15 counts of willfully failing to pay over taxes to the IRS. According to the indictment, the defendants own and operate Free To Be You Residential Services, LLC, a business in Eaton, Ohio, that provides healthcare and other services to disabled adults. As alleged in the indictment, since at least 2021, the Michaels failed to pay over employment taxes they withheld from their employees, totaling more than $400,000, and instead kept the money for their own personal benefit.
Marshae Love
On April 29, Marshae Love is scheduled to plead guilty to aiding in the preparation of false and fraudulent tax returns. According to the plea agreement, Love worked as a tax preparer at a Columbus business, and, over the span of two years, falsified tax returns that were submitted to the IRS. Specifically, the defendant filed Schedule Cs with fake businesses and claimed false tax credits for COVID-related sick leave and family leave. The total tax loss is nearly $1.6 million. Love’s plea agreement requires her to pay restitution of the full tax loss.
Deputy Criminal Chief Brent G. Tabacchi, Assistant Deputy Criminal Chief Amy M. Smith, and Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Twombly, Erica D. Lunderman and Timothy D. Prichard are representing the United States in these cases. These cases were investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI.
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Slidell Doctor Sentenced for $6.6 Million in Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – ROBERT TASSIN, M.D. (“TASSIN”), age 67, of Slidell, Louisiana, was sentenced on April 9, 2026, for conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1347 and 1349, in connection with a scheme to bill Medicare for medically unnecessary cancer genetic (“CGx”) tests, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.
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.
According to court documents, TASSIN worked for several purported telemedicine companies. From approximately February through September of 2019, TASSIN, through the purported telemedicine companies, signed doctors’ orders for CGx tests for Medicare beneficiaries he never saw, spoke to, or otherwise treated. As a result, TASSIN’s orders resulted in over $6.6 million in false and fraudulent claims submitted to Medicare, of which Medicare reimbursed over $2 million. To conceal and perpetuate the fraud, TASSIN made several false and fraudulent statements in support of the orders he submitted, including falsely certifying in medical records that the CGx tests were medically necessary for the patients’ treatment. In exchange for electronically reviewing patient charts and ordering CGx tests, TASSIN was paid a set fee per doctor’s order, typically $30.
Unites States District Judge Barry W. Ashe sentenced TASSIN to three years of probation, with the first twelve months to be served in home confinement, and a ban on participating in a healthcare business during probation without prior approval from United States Probation. Consistent with the plea agreement, Judge Ashe also ordered TASSIN to pay restitution of $2,043,542.23 to Medicare; $106,757 in forfeiture (which TASSIN paid the day of sentencing); and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. Trial Attorneys Kelly Walters and Zakeria Haidary of the Fraud Division’s Healthcare Fraud Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Moses, for the Eastern District of Louisiana, prosecuted the case.
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Sioux City Man Sentenced for Fentanyl PossessionRead the Press Release
A man who possessed with the intent to distribute fentanyl was sentenced today to over 12 years in federal prison.
Alfredo Soberanes, Age 31, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 4, 2025, guilty plea to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
In a plea agreement, Soberanes admitted that around midnight on August 31, 2023, in Sioux City, Iowa, law enforcement attempted a traffic stop on his vehicle but he drove away as officers approached. Law enforcement did not pursue the vehicle but went to the address in Sioux City associated with the vehicle registration. Law enforcement were given permission to search the residence where they located Soberanes hiding in the basement. Found in Soberanes’ possession at arrest was methamphetamine, a stolen firearm, a digital scale, and over 2,500 pills marked “M-30” which contained fentanyl. For possessing the methamphetamine, defendant was charged by the State and sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment but ultimately served a total of 620 days before he was federally indicted for possession with intent to deliver fentanyl.
Soberanes was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Soberanes was sentenced to 144 months’ imprisonment but was given credit for 620 days he had served on the related State conviction. He must also serve a four-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Sioux City Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-CR-04046. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Rhode Island Man Sentenced for Years-Long Bank Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A Rhode Island man was sentenced yesterday to 28 months in prison for deceiving banks by artificially inflating his company’s sales numbers to avoid bank scrutiny over its excessive consumer chargebacks.
According to court documents, Michael Brian Cotter, 64, of Greenville, Rhode Island, was CEO of a tech support company that operated from a call center in India. In 2016, when banks began restricting the company’s ability to process debit and credit card payments because of fraud and chargeback concerns, Cotter and his co-conspirators began purchasing virtual debit cards to run thousands of sham transactions on their own merchant accounts. In doing so, Cotter artificially inflated the company’s sales numbers to make it appear to banks and their agents that the company’s chargeback ratios — a key metric used by banks to detect fraud — were within acceptable levels. Although this tactic amounted to the company effectively paying itself, Cotter used actual customer personal identifying information, without customers’ knowledge or consent, to disguise the transactions from banks by making them appear like legitimate sales.
Cotter pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the United States Postal Inspection Service Criminal Investigations Group (USPIS CIG) made the announcement.
The USPIS investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Jason Feldman and Shana Priore of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
Rhode Island Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Drug Trafficking Conspiracy Involving Cocaine, MDMA, KetamineRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Cranston, R.I., man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston in connection with his role in distributing cocaine, MDMA and ketamine.
Lengsy Prum, a/k/a, “Leon,” 39, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick scheduled sentencing for July 8, 2026. Prum was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2025.
In June 2024, Prum was identified as a Rhode Island-based distributor of cocaine, MDMA and ketamine. On three occasions between July and August 2024, Prum distributed ketamine to undercover law enforcement – personally delivering the ketamine in the parking lot of a home improvement store in Attleboro, Mass. In total, Prum distributed 3.2 kilograms of ketamine to undercover law enforcement. During an August 2024 search of Prum’s residence in Cranston, six kilograms of ketamine, 6.6 kilograms of cocaine and 4.2 kilograms of MDMA were recovered.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England, made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Walpole Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel R. Feldman of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Retired Massachusetts State Police Sergeant Agrees to Plead Guilty to PPP FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A retired Sergeant for the Massachusetts State Police has been charged and has agreed to plead guilty to allegedly fraudulently obtaining a Paycheck Protection Program loan, which was later forgiven.
Damian Halfkenny, 54, of Boston, was charged with one count of wire fraud. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the court.
According to the charging document, in 2021, Halfkenny was employed full-time as a Sergeant with the Massachusetts State Police. He also owned and rented several real estate properties, a business for which he had no employees. It is alleged that in March 2021, Halfkenny submitted a PPP loan application for his real estate business, falsely representing that he had a monthly payroll expense of $8,488. In support of this application, Halfkenny allegedly provided a fabricated IRS Schedule C. Based on his alleged misrepresentations, the U.S. Small Business Administration issued Halfkenny, and later forgave, a $21,220 PPP loan.
The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Wichers of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Previously Convicted Felon Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Possession of a Firearm While out on ParoleRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – A 46-year-old man has been sentenced to prison for committing a firearm violation while he was out on parole for a separate, but similar, offense.
John Ward, of Maple Heights, Ohio, has been sentenced to 129 months (10.75 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge John R. Adams, after pleading guilty in December 2025 to being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment.
According to court documents, in August 2025, law enforcement was conducting a liquor law compliance inspection at a bar in Cleveland when they observed several individuals consuming alcohol outside the establishment. As they approached the group, one man, later identified as Ward, moved away toward a vehicle. Officers then heard a hard object hit the ground. The object recovered near the vehicle was found to be an FN, Model 509, 9mm caliber pistol, loaded with 17 rounds in a 24-round magazine. Agents noted that Ward appeared highly intoxicated and was taken into custody. The investigation further revealed that Ward had previous convictions for being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition in 2022, and for Aggravated Robbery in 2010.
This investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
Assistant United States Attorneys Stephanie A. Wojtasik and Scott C. Zarzycki for the Northern District of Ohio led the prosecution.
President’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud Leads to Federal Charges Against Michigan Man for $5 Million Plus Paycheck Protection Program Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Federal law enforcement arrested West Bloomfield, Michigan resident Randon “Romero” Williams, who is charged by complaint with wire fraud and money laundering for allegedly defrauding financial institutions and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
“These efforts are the first fruits of President Donald J. Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and come on the heels of the establishment of the new National Fraud Enforcement Division working under Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche,” U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. announced. “We will zealously prosecute any thief who steals from the hardworking American taxpayer,” said Gorgon.
“The National Fraud Enforcement Division is ensuring that those who steal from taxpayers are held accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald, of the National Fraud Enforcement Division.
The complaint alleges that between approximately April 2020 and March 2021, Williams, 40, applied for more than $5 million in loans across six applications submitted to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) participating lenders under the names of various businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Investigators allege that these businesses either existed only on paper or that the applications materially inflated employee headcounts, payroll expenses, and gross receipts during relevant periods—key factors used to determine loan eligibility and amounts.
According to the complaint, Williams claimed that businesses with names such as “The Romero Group” and “Step Ladder Construction” employed between 21 and 75 individuals and reported monthly payroll expenses of more than half a million dollars. To support these claims, Williams allegedly submitted falsified tax documents with the loan applications.
“The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was designed to be a lifeline for struggling businesses during a global disaster event, not a free-for-all for any unscrupulous fraudster looking for easy money,” said Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation. “If you think that’s the case, you are dead wrong, and you will be held accountable for stealing from every hard-working tax-payer that pays their fair share. Our expertise is following the money, and we will find you.”
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly Fasbinder and investigated by IRS Criminal Investigations.
A complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
In other news from around the country, an Iowa farmer who defrauded federal taxpayers out of more than $1.7 million in agricultural subsidies, stole multiple identities, and stalked a witness, was sentenced yesterday to 13 years in federal prison. In North Carolina, a federal judge sentenced a Robeson County woman, to 10 months in prison for her role in a half-million dollar covid fraud scheme. And in South Carolina, a former U.S. Department of Energy employee pled guilty to stealing a dead relative's pension.
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.
President’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud Leads to Federal Charges Against Bloomfield Hills Man for $5 Million Plus Paycheck Protection Program Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
DETROIT – Federal law enforcement charged by complaint and yesterday arrested West Bloomfield resident Randon “Romero” Williams with wire fraud and money laundering for allegedly defrauding financial institutions and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). “These efforts are the first fruits of President Donald J. Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and come on the heels of the establishment of the new National Fraud Enforcement Division working under Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche,” U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. announced. “We will zealously prosecute any thief who steals from the hardworking American taxpayer,” said Gorgon.
The complaint alleges that between approximately April 2020 and March 2021, Williams, 40, applied for more than $5 million in loans across six applications submitted to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) participating lenders under the names of various businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Investigators allege that these businesses either existed only on paper or that the applications materially inflated employee headcounts, payroll expenses, and gross receipts during relevant periods—key factors used to determine loan eligibility and amounts.
According to the complaint, Williams claimed that businesses with names such as “The Romero Group” and “Step Ladder Construction” employed between 21 and 75 individuals and reported monthly payroll expenses of more than half a million dollars. To support these claims, Williams allegedly submitted falsified tax documents with the loan applications.
Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Karen Wingerd of the IRS Criminal Investigations Detroit Field Office.
“The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was designed to be a lifeline for struggling businesses during a global disaster event, not a free-for-all for any unscrupulous fraudster looking for easy money,” said Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation. “If you think that’s the case, you are dead wrong, and you will be held accountable for stealing from every hard-working tax-payer that pays their fair share. Our expertise is following the money, and we will find you.”
A complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Trial cannot be held on felony charges in a complaint. When the investigation is complete, determinations will be made whether to seek felony indictments.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly Fasbinder and investigated by IRS Criminal Investigations.
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.
Philadelphia Man Convicted of His Second Firearms Offense in Less Than Two WeeksRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Arthur Thompson, 40, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was convicted this afternoon at trial of possession of a firearm by a felon.
The defendant was charged by indictment in July of last year.
As detailed in court filings and proven at trial, on October 18, 2023, investigators with the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General’s Gun Violence Task Force (GVTF) carried out an operation to locate Thompson, who was the subject of an active arrest warrant. Investigators conducting surveillance on the 3000 block of North Percy Street in Philadelphia saw two people, who they believed were the defendant and his girlfriend, in a parked car, which drove away from that location a few hours later.
GVTF members maintained constant visual surveillance of the vehicle, which subsequently pulled over to drop off the female passenger. After the male drove off, investigators relayed its location and path of travel to Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) Highway Patrol officers, who initiated a vehicle stop. After the male driver was removed from the vehicle and positively identified as Arthur Thompson, the PPD officers arrested him on the active warrant.
GVTF investigators obtained and executed a search warrant on the vehicle, recovering a loaded 9mm handgun. Thompson had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year and was not permitted to possess a firearm or ammunition.
This is the defendant’s second trial and gun conviction in less than two weeks. On March 31, in a separate case, a federal jury found Thompson guilty of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon.
He is scheduled to be sentenced for both gun convictions on July 8 and faces a maximum possible sentence on each charge of 15 years in prison.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General Gun Violence Task Force, and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Eckert and Special Assistant United States Attorney Samantha A. Arena.
Participant in $542,000 Family Covid Fraud Ring Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
New Bern, NC. – A federal judge sentenced Erica McMillian, a Robeson County woman, to 10 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release for her role in submitting a false application to the Small Business Administration’s to receive an Economic Injury Disaster Loan.
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.
“We are proud to prosecute this case as a part of the President’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. This office will continue to hold accountable anyone who defrauds any of our taxpayer funded programs. This Covid fraudster has learned the lesson – Cheaters.Never.Win.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle.
Inmate McMillian submitted a fraudulent EIDL loan application for a fictitious business located in Robeson County. To obtain the $150,000 loan, McMillian made false representations concerning the number of employees and gross revenues of the business. She also submitted false and fraudulent tax forms and bank statements. Following approval of the loan application, funds were disbursed into a personal account controlled by Inmate McMillian.
McMillian’s case is part of a broader investigation into a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration’s EIDL and Paycheck Protection Programs. That scheme resulted in the disbursement of $542,288 in fraudulent covid loan proceeds. Former Robeson County Sheriff’s Office deputy Ricky McMillian, age 50, his wife Erica McMillian, age 46, and their two sons, Dwayne McMillian, age 29, and Derian McMillian, age 27, have all been convicted in the scheme.
W. Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan sentenced McMillian to prison. The FBI and IRS-CI investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Ontjes prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:25-CR-126-FL, 7:25-CR-113-FL, 7:25-CR-120-FL, 7:25-CR-122-FL.
Owner of Old Dutch Mustard Co. Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison and Company Ordered to Pay $1.5 Million Fine for Secretly Pumping Pollutants into the Souhegan RiverRead the Press Release
Owner of Old Dutch Mustard Co. Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison and Company Ordered to Pay $1.5 Million Fine for Secretly Pumping Pollutants into the Souhegan River
CONCORD – A New York man and Old Dutch Mustard Co., a mustard and vinegar manufacturing company, were sentenced today in federal court for knowingly discharging acidic water into the Souhegan River, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces.
Charles Santich, 60, of New York was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Landya McCafferty to 18 months in federal prison, one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $250,000 fine. The Court sentenced Old Dutch Mustard Co., Inc., d/b/a Pilgrim Foods, Inc. (Old Dutch Mustard) to pay a $1.5 million fine and to establish environmental compliance and ethics programs. In February 2025, the defendants pleaded guilty to knowingly discharging a pollutant without a permit in violation of the Clean Water Act.
The Clean Water Act “CWA” prohibits the discharge of any pollutant into navigable waters of the United States without a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. According to the court documents and statements made in court, due to a long history of CWA non-compliance beginning in the 1980s, Old Dutch Mustard has been subject to several enforcement actions by the EPA, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (“NH DES”), and the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office. As a result of these actions, EPA and NH DES have required continuous monitoring of an Unnamed Stream that flows underneath and in front of the facility, eventually flowing into the Souhegan River. Santich and his company sought to purposefully evade this monitoring. The Souhegan River is one of nineteen rivers that the State of New Hampshire has designated as an important natural resource.
“Throughout years of repeated civil and administrative attempts to encourage Santich and his company to follow the law, Santich lied to state and federal authorities and even purposefully built the illegal infrastructure needed to pump his manufacturing waste into New Hampshire’s waterways, pushing his employees to help him violate the law,” said U.S. Attorney Creegan. “New Hampshire is the best place in the country in which to start and run a business. State and federal agencies tried over and over to help Santich and his company end the pollution that left waterways with fewer fish, and impacted the recreationalists and homeowners who use the Souhegan River. As the result of this years-long scheme of intentional misconduct and deceit, a criminal sanction is necessary to protect the public.”
“This case reflects a deliberate effort to violate environmental laws and evade detection, putting one of New Hampshire’s valued waterways at risk. We appreciate the strong partnership with our federal colleagues in holding the defendant accountable, and I want to thank our federal partners as well as the members of our New Hampshire Department of Justice Environmental Protection Bureau for their long and dedicated work on this case,” said New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella. “Protecting our rivers is a top priority, and our office will continue to pursue all appropriate actions to ensure compliance and safeguard New Hampshire’s water quality.”
Santich executed a plan to elude monitoring of the Unnamed Stream, which was required due to past non-compliance with the law, and save on shipping costs by secretly pumping his excess wastewater into the Souhegan River. In May 2017, Santich hired an excavation company to extend an underground pipe to the top of a hill several hundred feet behind the facility. He also had the excavation company construct a drainage ditch or swale to direct water from the pipe into the Souhegan River. To minimize his paper trail, Santich had the owner of the excavation company alter its proposal to remove references to the illegal discharge pipe and drainage ditch.
For the next six years, Santich directed his employees to repeatedly pump his acidic wastewater and stormwater through the underground pipe and ultimately into the Souhegan River. His employees reported that Santich would fire them if they did not assist in the crime. Santich hid this crime from state and federal regulators by, among other things, submitting false documents that concealed the illegal discharge pipe and by obstructing EPA’s efforts to obtain data about the volume of wastewater that flowed through a sump pump he used to illegally pump the wastewater into the river.
After an evidentiary hearing, the Court found that the wastewater Santich pumped into the river caused environmental harm. Prior pollution from Old Dutch caused fish kills in the 1990s and Santich’s discharges continued to pollute the river and prevent its recovery and the return of acid-sensitive fish and other aquatic life to that area of the river. An EPA Toxicologist also testified at sentencing that Santich’s discharges likely contributed to conditions that resulted in a mercury fish consumption advisory in the area of the discharges.
In May of 2023, state inspectors from NH DES discovered wastewater from the facility, with low pH and smelling of vinegar, flowing from the manmade ditch at the top of the hill on the Old Dutch Mustard property into the Souhegan River. Santich falsely told them that the residue from his illegal discharges was the result of a failed attempt to plant mustard seed, a lie he later had employees repeat to criminal investigators. In August 2023, EPA agents executed a search warrant at the facility where they discovered the pipe actively discharging.
EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division investigated this case. Valuable assistance was provided by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Hunter and Trial Attorney R.J. Powers of the Environment and Natural Resources Division prosecuted the case with the assistance of EPA Senior Regional Criminal Enforcement Counsel Dianne G. Chabot.
New York Man Found Guilty of Conspiracy to Launder Proceeds for Scammers Targeting the ElderlyRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Ivan Wilbur Seales, 58, a resident of New York and citizen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, was found guilty of Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering on Tuesday, following a six-day jury trial.
Seales laundered nearly $1 million in proceeds of a fraud scheme that targeted elderly victims from around the country including Arizona, with numerous victims losing significant portions of their life savings to the scam.
Seals kept a portion of the ill-gotten gains for himself and helped the scammers launder the remaining funds through a maze of financial transactions he conducted either through crypto currency transfers or other financial transfers offshore, to include to India.
The scam organization targeted elderly victims using “phishing attacks” such as fraudulent emails, text messages, pop-ups, or websites impersonating trusted entities like banks and software or tech companies.
Some victims observed a “pop-up” display causing their computer to freeze. These victims were directed to call other scammers who claimed to be representatives of legitimate companies such as Apple or Microsoft. Other victims received “phishing” emails or text messages indicating they had received a charge on their account from Geek squad, PayPal, or an antivirus software company.
These charges never occurred but were sent to the victims to lure them into the scheme. Once the victims called the fraudsters, they were led to believe that these “legitimate companies” erroneously transferred an over-refunded amount to the victims’ bank accounts. As instructed, victims then transferred their own money back to the scammers believing they were returning the scammers the “over-refunded amounts.”
Victims were also lied to and informed that their bank accounts had been hacked or were compromised. Some were also told that money from their bank accounts was directed to child sexual abuse material, pornography, or a gambling site. To further the scam, the fraudsters directed the victims to transfer their money to various locations to “protect” their accounts and/or to “catch” the scammers.
Seales, a lawful permanent resident of the United States, was remanded into custody after the jury’s verdict. Sentencing is set for June 18, 2026.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and New York State Police conducted the investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
Learn more about the Justice Department’s efforts to protect older Americans from exploitation here.
CASE NUMBER: 24-CR-0419
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-059_Seales
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
New Haven Man Charged with Child Exploitation OffensesRead 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 MARCOS ALEX MENDEZ TORRES, 26, of New Haven, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with multiple child exploitation offenses including traveling to engage in sexual activity with minors he met and coerced online.
As alleged in court documents, Mendez Torres used the social media usernames “nozuto” and “demoniodedinero” to communicate with girls online. In 2022, Mendez Torres began communicating with an approximately 11-year-old girl in Pennsylvania over the online game platform Roblox. Between 2022 and 2024, he used social media applications, including Discord and Snapchat, to communicate with the girl. Between 2023 and 2024, Mendez Torres also communicated via social media with another girl in Ohio beginning when she was approximately 12 years old. In March 2024, Mendez Torres traveled to Pennsylvania to meet with and to engage in sexual activity with the then-13-year-old girl residing there. He then traveled back to Connecticut before returning briefly to Pennsylvania and continuing on to Ohio with the intention of engaging in sexual activity with the then-12-year-old girl residing there.
The criminal complaint charges Mendez Torres with coercion and enticement of a minor, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years imprisonment and a maximum of life; travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with children, an offense that carries a maximum of term of imprisonment of 30 years; and transfer of obscene materials to a minor, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
Mendez Torres has been detained since June 26, 2024, when he was arrested by the Connecticut State Police on child exploitation and kidnapping charges relating to a 15-year-old girl in Connecticut. He was transferred to federal custody and appeared yesterday in Hartford federal court.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan noted that investigators are seeking to identify additional victims and encouraged victims, witnesses, and anyone with helpful information to call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or to contact the FBI online at tips.fbi.gov.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a criminal complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis L. Beyerlein.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.