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Friday 20 March 2026
Lawrence man who smuggled drugs into a prison is sentenced to prisonRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced to 96 months in prison after smuggling contraband into a prison.
According to court documents, Jermel Fleming, 33, of Lawrence pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of a controlled substance.
In February 2024, Fleming and an accomplice drove to the Hutchinson Correctional Facility in Hutchinson, Kansas. Fleming threw a package containing a controlled substance over the prison wall then left. A lab test showed the substance to be approximately 247 grams of pure methamphetamine.
“Illegal drugs threaten the security of correctional staff and inmates because of the elevated risk of violence and overdoses,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “Offenders caught smuggling contraband into prisons are vehemently prosecuted. If you decide to give drugs to someone who is behind bars, then you are likely to end up in a cell as well.”
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katie Andrusak prosecuted the case.
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Kern County Man Sentenced to 12 Years, 7 Months in Prison for Flying Drone over State Prison with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Jorge Narvaez, 28, of Delano, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kirk E. Sherriff to 12 years and seven months in prison for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, on June 9, 2024, Narvaez piloted an Autel, EVO II Pro V3 drone over North Kern State Prison (NKSP) intending to distribute methamphetamine within the facility. Narvaez loaded the drone with two balloons packaged with methamphetamine, flew the drone over the prison, and dropped the balloons into the prison yard. NKSP officers recovered both balloons. Laboratory analysis confirmed that the two balloons contained a total of 21.4 grams of methamphetamine.
On that same date, Narvaez attempted a second drone flight over NKSP with three similarly packaged balloons of methamphetamine, but the drone crashed into a nearby field. Law enforcement recovered the drone and balloons of methamphetamine. Laboratory analysis confirmed that these three balloons contained a total of 49.6 grams of methamphetamine. Narvaez pleaded guilty on Oct. 20, 2025.
A forensic examination of the recovered drone revealed camera footage captured by the device. That footage showed the operator of the drone, later determined by investigators to be Narvaez.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the North Kern State Prison Investigative Services Unit conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas E. Karp prosecuted the case.
Justice Department Sues Harvard University for AntisemitismRead the Press Release
Today, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division filed a lawsuit against Harvard University for race and national origin discrimination against Jewish and Israeli students, in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
After Hamas’ attacks on October 7, 2023, Harvard has tolerated antisemitic mobs of students, faculty, and visitors allegedly expressing their opposition to Israel by assaulting, harassing, and intimidating Jewish and Israeli students with perceived racial, ethnic, and national connections to Israel. Harvard has been deliberately indifferent to its Jewish and Israeli students’ plight and failed to prevent such conduct by selectively enforcing its campus rules to permit it to continue. Harvard ignored what its own Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias deemed the “exclusion of Israeli or Zionist students from social spaces and extracurricular activities.” Harvard failed to meaningfully discipline the mobs that occupied its buildings and terrorized its Jewish and Israeli students. Federal law prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in schools that accept federal funding.
“Since October 7th, 2023, too many of our educational institutions have allowed anti-Semitism to flourish on campus – Harvard included,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Today’s litigation underscores the Trump Administration’s commitment to demanding better from our nation’s schools and putting an end to discriminatory behavior that harms students.”
“Every student deserves to learn without fear of harassment or exclusion,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “When institutions take taxpayer dollars, they accept a duty to protect civil rights. We hold Harvard accountable on the principle that antisemitism has no place in any program funded by the American people.”
“This Department of Justice will not tolerate the harassment, assault, or intimidation of Jewish and Israeli students, and neither should Harvard,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This Justice Department has no tolerance for such brazen violations of federal law.”
“When OCR notified Harvard of the Title VI violation, we recognized Harvard’s public commitment to address antisemitism, but found its proposed reforms did not meet Title VI requirements,” said Paula M. Stannard, Director of the Department of Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR). “OCR required concrete action, not assurances. We commend the U.S. Department of Justice for pursuing this case.”
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, alleges that Harvard has failed to protect its Jewish and Israeli students in two ways. First, Harvard has continued to be deliberately indifferent to a level of hostility on its campus so well-known across the nation that members of Congress were writing about it. Second, Harvard has refused to enforce its campus rules against students who harass their Jewish and Israeli peers.
Harvard is currently set to receive more than $2.6 billion of taxpayer money under active grants from the Department of Health and Human Services, to say nothing of other federal agencies. The United States’ complaint seeks to compel Harvard to comply with Title VI, and to recover the taxpayer funds that Harvard accepted while in violation of Title VI.
This case is brought by the Educational Opportunities Section of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
You can view the complaint here.
Jury Convicts Springfield Man of Hatchet Assault in National ParkRead the Press Release
HARRISONBURG, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Springfield, Va., man yesterday for assaulting his then-girlfriend with a hatchet while camping in the Shenandoah National Park.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on the night of August 24, 2025, Soufiane Bougria, 31, and his then-girlfriend (Victim 1) were camping at the Mathews Arm Campground in the Shenandoah National Park. Three different park visitors testified that they witnessed a heated and violent argument between Bougria and Victim 1 in the late-night hours of August 24.
These witnesses, from two different campsites, heard screaming, slamming, crying, choking, and what sounded to them like a gunshot. One of the witnesses saw the defendant physically grabbing Victim 1.
These witnesses described hearing a male voice say, “I don’t care, I’ll do the max sentence” and a female voice say, “I can’t believe you would threaten me with murder.”
All three witnesses independently called 911.
National Park Service Rangers responded to the area near Mathews Arm Campground. On their way to the campground, Park Rangers encountered two of the witnesses at a nearby overlook. While speaking with the witnesses, a car matching the description of the defendant’s vehicle drove past the overlook. Officers pursued the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop.
When officers approached the vehicle, they observed Bougria driving and visibly intoxicated. He was shirtless, barefoot, and smelled of alcohol. In addition, Victim 1 was sitting in the passenger seat crying and screaming. She was holding a piece of clothing around her right arm in an effort to stop the bleeding from a gaping laceration on her right arm and wrist. As officers looked around the car, they saw blood and fatty tissue. They also observed that the windshield of the car was shattered, and both the hood and windshield had large, dirty footprints on them.
When questioned by officers, the defendant told them Victim 1’s arm was accidentally cut with an axe.
Emergency medical personnel arrived at the overlook and transported Victim 1 to the nearest hospital. Treating physicians determined she needed a higher level of care based on the seriousness of her injuries and transported her to Winchester Medical Center where she underwent emergency surgery.
In the early morning hours of August 25, 2025, National Park Service Rangers returned to the Mathews Arm campsite where Bougria and Victim 1 were camping. They found a hatchet with blood spatter on the handle, blood throughout the campsite, pepper spray, shoes, and other personal belongings strewn around the campsite.
First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci U.S. made the announcement.
The National Park Service is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sally J. Sullivan and Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Browne are prosecuting the case for the United States.
Jefferson County Man Admits Sex Acts with TeenRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Jefferson County, Missouri on Thursday admitted engaging in sex acts with a 13-year-old.
Anthony A. Moore, 49, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of receipt of child pornography. He admitted engaging in sex acts with the victim in 2023 and 2024, beginning when she was 13 and he was 46. The victim’s father discovered Moore’s crimes when he went through her cell phone and discovered communications between Moore and his daughter, including Moore’s requests for nude photos of her. Investigators also recovered images of her on Moore’s phone.
At Moore’s sentencing on June 24, both sides have agreed to recommend a sentence of 20 years in prison.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Illegal alien and several valley residents arrested in spring break operation for attempting to meet with minors for sexRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas - Six South Texas men have been charged with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Authorities took Porfirio Palacios, 46, San Juan; Ricardo De La Rosa, 54, Pharr; Colin Alexander McLean, 21, McAllen; Antonio Basaldua Rocha, 23, Edinburg; Henry Martinez Lopez, 53, Rio Grande City; and Honduran national Anael Jossue Rodriguez-Rodas, 35, who illegally resided in Donna, into custody during enforcement actions this week.
McLean, Lopez and Rodriguez-Rodas are expected to make their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Juan F. Alanis at 9 a.m. De La Rosa and Rocha are expected to appear March 23. Palacios has already made his initial appearance and is set for a probable cause and detention hearing March 23 at 2 p.m.
All are charged in separate, but related and similar criminal complaints that detail an undercover chat operation from March 17-19. The six men allegedly believed they were communicating with a 16-year-old minor female via various online social media applications. The charges allege the conversations discussed engaging in sexual activities.
According to the complaints, the men enticed the “minor female” to meet up with them in order to have sex. The charges allege each man went to the arranged place at the discussed time and waited for the girl to arrive.
If convicted, all six face a mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance of Edinburg Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys M. Alexis Garcia, Sarina S. DiPiazza and Alexa D. Parcell are prosecuting the cases which were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Illegal Alien Semi-Truck Driver Charged after Traffic Stop Uncovers over 20 Pounds of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – JOSE CARLOS MORALES-GUTIERREZ, 31, a Mexican national who is in the country illegally, has been charged with possession of 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
According to the charging document, on March 11, 2026, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) trooper pulled over a red semi-truck with trailer in Custer County, Oklahoma. The driver, Morales-Gutierrez, did not have a valid driver’s license. During the traffic stop, a K9 unit alerted to the presence of narcotics in the trailer of the vehicle. Inside the trailer, law enforcement located a duffel bag containing more than 20 pounds of methamphetamine.
On March 17, 2026, Morales-Gutierrez was charged by Complaint with possession of 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. If found guilty, Morales-Gutierrez faces up to life in federal prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000.
The public is reminded that this charge is merely an allegation, and that Morales-Gutierrez is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is the result of an investigation by OHP and the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bow Bottomly is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Illegal Alien Arrested in February Now Faces Kidnapping, Harboring Illegal Alien Charges in San AntonioRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A federal grand jury in San Antonio returned an indictment charging a Salvadoran national with kidnapping and harboring illegal aliens, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.
According to court documents, Franklin Ulises Rodriguez-Rivas was arrested by the San Antonio Police Department on Feb. 19. Having been previously convicted of illegal re-entry and removed from the U.S. in March 2022, Rodriguez-Rivas was again charged with illegal re-entry via criminal complaint.
A joint investigation by ICE Homeland Security Investigations and SAPD revealed that while residing illegally in the U.S., Rodriguez-Rivas allegedly harbored an illegal alien and held the alien for ransom.
Rodriguez-Rivas is now charged with one count of harboring illegal aliens, one count of kidnapping, and one count of illegal re-entry. The defendant made his initial court appearance on Feb. 20 following his arrest. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison for the harboring and re-entry charges, and up to life in prison for the kidnapping charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
ICE HSI is investigating the case with assistance from SAPD.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Karina O’Daniel is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Home Health Care Operator Admits Defrauding Missouri MedicaidRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis County woman on Thursday admitted defrauding Missouri Medicaid via false claims of having provided home health care.
Camille S. Childress, 41, pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud. Childress admitted submitting fraudulent documents to enroll her home health care company, Inspiring Angels LLC, with Missouri Medicaid. The paperwork falsely claimed that someone else owned the company, concealing Childress’ ownership and role due to a 2012 criminal conviction.
Childress also admitted submitting fraudulent claims to Missouri Medicaid seeking reimbursement for home healthcare services that were never provided. On numerous occasions, clients were in the hospital and could not have received any health care services at home. On other occasions, Childress submitted claims when the company did not have any timesheet records or documentation of the services. Missouri Medicaid paid at least $174,496 for claims submitted in 2021 and 2022.
Childress is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine. She will be ordered to repay the money.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Missouri Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
Health Care Management Corporation Agrees to Pay $4 Million to Resolve False Claims Act AllegationsRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – CVR Management, LLC, a professional services corporation in Greenbelt, Maryland, along with the Center for Vein Restoration, Center for Vascular Medicine (CVM), LLC, and Sanjiv Lakhanpal, MD, FACS, agreed to pay the United States $4 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by billing Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE for medically unnecessary vein treatment procedures.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the settlement with Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon, Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and Christopher Dillard, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) – Mid-Atlantic Field Office.
According to the United States, CVR, over a six-year period, knowingly submitted claims to Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE for chronic venous insufficiency treatment procedures that were medically unnecessary. Specifically, the government alleges that chronic venous insufficiency can be treated by sclerotherapy, radiofrequency ablation, or endovenous laser ablation. The condition refers to the improper functioning of the vein valves where blood, which normally should move upwards toward the heart, instead pools in the veins such that the walls of the veins weaken and become distended manifesting as varicose veins, cramping, swelling, or skin discoloration on the affected leg and sometimes as ulcers or skin necrosis on the legs.
The United States further alleges that neither Medicare, Medicaid, nor TRICARE cover the treatment of varicose veins for cosmetic reasons alone. Treatment for chronic venous insufficiency must be accompanied by certain other conditions and after the patient undergoes a specified period of alternative treatment options that prove unsuccessful. Between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2016, CVR knowingly billed Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE for sclerotherapy, radiofrequency ablation, and endovenous laser ablation procedures that were not clinically indicated and were medically unnecessary.
“Billing for medically unnecessary procedures saps public confidence in the health care system and is a drain on the public fisc,” Hayes said. “We will hold accountable health care providers that knowingly engage in such conduct.”
“The Medicare and Medicaid programs cover medically necessary procedures, and health care providers are required to submit accurate claims for the services provided,” Dixon said. “HHS-OIG will continue to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and additional law enforcement partners to evaluate and pursue allegations of inaccurate billings to federal health insurance programs.”
“This settlement demonstrates DCIS’s commitment to collaborate with its investigative partners to hold fraudulent providers accountable,” Dillard said. “DCIS will continue to safeguard the military community and aggressively work to help maintain public trust in TRICARE, the DoD’s primary health care program.”
CVR Management, LLC provides health care management services and manages the operations of the Center for Vein Restoration, a multi-state collection of physician-led vein treatment practices and medical centers specializing in diagnosing and treating vein disease, notably chronic venous insufficiency and varicose veins. It operates 16 locations in Maryland. The Center for Vascular Medicine, a related practice group, specializes in the treatment of deep venous and arterial disorders in the legs, feet, and pelvic areas. CVM operates several offices located in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. Lakhanpal is the entities’ CEO and president and CVM’s chairman of the board.
The federal share of the civil settlement is $3,395,634.93. Additionally, the total Medicaid recovery is $604,365.07, with eight Medicaid participating states, and the District of Columbia, slated to receive $325,208.84 of the civil settlement and the United States $279,156.23 of the Medicaid recovery. State Medicaid programs are jointly funded by the federal and state governments.
This civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Karen Fulton and Jane Doe, both former employees of CVR. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The relators’ share of the proceeds of the settlement will be $752,000. The qui tam actions are captioned U.S. ex rel. Fulton v. CVR Management, LLC, et al., No. 15-cv-3591 (D. Md.) and U.S. ex rel. Jane Doe v. Center for Vein Restoration, LLC, et al., No. 20-cv-1943 (D. Md.), respectively.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the HHS-OIG and DCIS/DODIG for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tarra DeShields and Roann Nichols who handled this case, along with Investigator Ann Thiel.
The United States’ settlement in this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Guatemalan Illegal Alien Sentenced for Illegal Entry Following Guilty PleaRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal judge sentenced a Guatemalan illegal alien after he pled guilty to illegally entering the United States.
U.S. District Court Judge Ajmel A. Quereshi sentenced Jairo Mendez-Miranda, 29, to time served in prison for the illegal entry charge. Earlier this month, law enforcement arrested Mendez-Miranda in Montgomery County, Maryland. The officers then discovered Mendez-Miranda may not be legally present in the United States. Authorities previously deported Mendez-Miranda on two other occasions.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Acting Field Office Director Vernon Liggins, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE-ERO) – Baltimore Field Office.
According to court documents, on November 10, 2015, United States Border Patrol officers encountered Mendez-Miranda, a citizen and national of Guatemala, in Zapata, Texas. Authorities determined that he entered the U.S. without inspection by an immigration official and he was subsequently deported to Guatemala on November 20, 2015.
On August 2, 2016, Border Patrol encountered Mendez-Miranda again after he illegally re-entered the U.S. near Roma, Texas. Then on August 9, 2016, law enforcement arrested Mendez-Miranda and deported him a second time to Guatemala.
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.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended ICE-ERO for its work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Sarma who prosecuted the federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md.
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Fresno Man Sentenced to over 6 Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing Ammunition Loaded in a “Ghost Gun”Read the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Felipe Macias, 28, of Fresno, was sentenced Thursday to six years and five months in prison by U.S. District Judge Kirk E. Sherriff for being a felon in possession of ammunition, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, in August 2024, Macias was observed on a city bus in Fresno with the grip of a firearm protruding from his waistband. Undercover officers converged on Macias in a smoke shop, where they recovered a black “ghost gun” – a privately manufactured, un-serialized firearm loaded with a high-capacity magazine. At the time of his arrest, Macias was a previously convicted felon on post-release community supervision. Macias pleaded guilty on Sept. 29, 2025.
Close-up of recovered ghost gun, showing missing serial number
The Fresno Police Department, the Selma Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Veneman-Hughes prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Former professor guilty in student financial aid fraud schemeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 43-year-old Richmond resident has admitted to theft of government funds, fraud, unlawful use or transfer of identity documents and aggravated identity theft in an extensive scam involving hundreds of fraudulent financial aid applications, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
For approximately five years, Emmanuel Finnih submitted over 100 false applications for financial aid to the Department of Education for numerous straw students across several colleges and universities in Texas.
Finnih, who worked as a professor at a local university, used the personal identifiers of other individuals to prepare, submit and sign false and fraudulent financial aid applications and master promissory notes in their names. In furtherance of his scheme, Finnih utilized mailing addresses, telephone numbers and email accounts he controlled to ensure ED and colleges would send any communications directly to him. He then obtained the financial aid refunds via electronic transfer, check and prepaid debit cards sent either to mailing addresses or bank accounts he designated and controlled.
Finnih further admitted to the aggravated identity theft of two victims whose personal identifiers had been repeatedly used to apply for and obtain federal financial aid over the course of several years. He also acknowledged he was fraudulently in possession of false identity documents - temporary driver permits and identification cards - with the intent to unlawfully use or transfer those documents in furtherance of the fraud scheme.
Some victims had tens of thousands of dollars in loans in their name, and the fraudulent applications significantly impacted their credit.
The scheme also caused at least $600,000 in losses to the United States.
“Finnih spent years stealing victims’ identities and defrauding the federal government—today, he stood in court and admitted exactly that,” said Marck. “In the Southern District of Texas, fraud against the American taxpayer is not a financial strategy—it is a path to federal prison.”
“Federal student aid exists so that individuals can make their dream of a higher education a reality. Ensuring that those who steal student aid are stopped and held accountable for their criminal actions is a big part of our mission,” said Special Agent in Charge John Woolley of ED - Office of Inspector General’s Central Regional Office. “I’m proud of the work of the Office of Inspector General and our law enforcement partners for their work in this case and we will continue to work together to stop those who steal Federal education funds. America’s students and taxpayers deserve nothing less.”
U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen will impose sentencing June 22. At that time, Finnih faces up to 10 years in federal prison for theft of government funds, while the student financial aid fraud and unlawful use or transfer identity documents each carries a possible five-year prison term. He will also be ordered to serve a mandatory two years for aggravated identity theft which must be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed. In addition, Finnih could be ordered to pay up to $250,000 in fines for each count and restitution.
Finnih was permitted to remain on bond pending his sentencing hearing.
ED – OIG conducted the investigation with assistance from Lone Star College Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shirin Hakimzadeh and Brad R. Gray prosecuted the case.
Former Wheeling Business Owner Admits to COVID FraudRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – A former Wheeling business owner has admitted to fraud totaling nearly $300,000 in COVID relief funds, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
Bradley Temple, 48, of Delray Beach, Florida (formerly of Wheeling, WV) pled guilty to unlawful money transactions. According to court documents and statements made in court, Temple, who operated Righteous Brother’s Trucking, applied for and received both a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan and an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) authorized by the CARES Act to assist small businesses and individuals who suffered substantial financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Temple made false representations regarding the business to obtain $277,456 in loans. Temple then used those funds for personal or non-permissible expenses including obtaining a $40,000 cashier’s check to purchase a vehicle.
Temple is facing up to 10 years in prison and will be required to pay restitution. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Conklin is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations and National Aeronautics and Space Administration Office of Inspector General (NASA OIG). NASA OIG is an active member of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Fraud Task Force. The PRAC was established to promote transparency and facilitate coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The PRAC’s 20 member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending, including spending via the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. This case was also supported by the PRAC’s Pandemic Analytics Center of Excellence, which applies the latest advances in analytic and forensic technologies to help OIGs and law enforcement pursue data-driven pandemic relief fraud investigations.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.
Former U.S. Postal Employee Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Bank Fraud Scheme Involving Stolen MailRead the Press Release
cHARLOTTE, N.C. – A former U.S. Postal Service employee was sentenced yesterday for his role in a bank fraud scheme involving stolen mail, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Andre Whitehurst, 34, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 15 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release. Whitehurst agreed to pay a forfeiture money judgment for $74,000, and he remains liable to pay restitution to fraud victims.
“Checks stolen from the mail is a huge problem,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “Where checks are stolen by postal insiders it’s even worse, and we will be sure to hold them accountable.”
According to court records, from April 2022 to September 2024, Whitehurst conspired with Rashad Lowery, Aaron Grice, and others to execute a bank fraud scheme involving stolen mail. Whitehurst used his position as a U.S. Postal Service clerk to steal incoming and outgoing checks from the mail. Whitehurst then sold the stolen checks to Grice, Lowery, and others, who deposited the stolen checks into bank accounts in the names of fictitious identities and moved the stolen funds before the banks could determine that the checks were stolen. This fraudulent scheme led to attempted losses of over $364,000 to banks and bank account holders.
On June 17, 2025, Whitehurst pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and theft of mail by a postal employee. He will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. Grice and Lowery have each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and are awaiting sentencing.
When sentencing the defendant, U.S. District Judge Matthew E. Orso stated the sentence imposed should “deter others from committing this type of crime.”
In making today’s announcement U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General for its investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Smith of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Former Placer County Resident Charged with Identity Theft and Fraudulently Obtaining More Than $110,000 in Social Security BenefitsRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A 12-count indictment was unsealed today following the arrest in Arizona of Richard Warren Ralston, 69, of Mesa, Arizona. He is charged with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and Social Security fraud, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, Ralston assumed the identity of a man who was born in 1948 and died in 1965. On Sept. 21, 2011, while living in Auburn, California, Ralston submitted an application for retirement benefits to the Social Security Administration (SSA) using the deceased man’s identity. For more than a decade, Ralston concealed his true identity and used the deceased man’s name, birthdate, and Social Security Number to apply for and collect SSA retirement benefits. Ralston’s identity theft and false statements to the SSA resulted in a loss of $114,285 to the SSA.
The SSA Office of Inspector General is conducting the investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Moody is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Ralston faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Former Hudson County Parks Department Director and Vendor Admit to Participating in a Bribe and Kickback Scheme; Second Former Hudson County Parks Department Director ChargedRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Former Hudson County Parks Department Director Thomas A. DeLeo (“DeLeo”) and business owner William A. Murray each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, Special Attorney Jordan Fox announced. DeLeo also admitted to conspiring to launder the proceeds of the scheme.
Special Attorney Fox also announced that Russell Fallacara, who succeeded DeLeo as Hudson County Parks Department Director, has been charged by complaint with conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering for his role in the scheme.
On March 5, DeLeo, 76, of Little Silver, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi to a two-count Information charging him with conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. On March 17, Murray, 56, of Jersey City, also pleaded guilty before Judge Cecchi to an Information charging him with conspiracy to commit honest services fraud. On March 20, Fallacara, 58, of Bayonne, made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge André M. Espinosa and was released on bond.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
The conspiracy, which operated from in or around 2019 through in or around 2024, involved more than $1.5 million in bribes and kickbacks. Murray made the payments to DeLeo and Fallacara so that Murray’s company would be awarded contracts to work on various Hudson County Parks Department projects, including but not limited to landscape maintenance, paving, and general contracting projects. The bribes and kickbacks often came in the form of cash payments to DeLeo and Fallacara. In one instance, DeLeo received a bag containing between approximately $60,000 and $90,000 in cash. In other instances, DeLeo received money that was transmitted through a consulting company specifically formed to receive bribes and kickbacks, in order to conceal the source and nature of the payments. As alleged, Fallacara received over $400,000 in cash bribes and kickback payments. Other bribes and kickbacks came in the form of free home repairs and renovations for DeLeo, Fallacara, and their associates.
During their respective tenures as Parks Department Director, DeLeo and Fallacara took official action in exchange for bribes and kickbacks to ensure that Hudson County awarded various contracts to Murray’s company, which, over the course of the conspiracy, performed over $5 million of work for Hudson County.
Both the conspiracy to commit honest services fraud charge and the conspiracy to commit money laundering charge carry a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment.
Special Attorney Fox credited special agents of the FBI’s Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy, and special agents with the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone, with the investigation leading to the prior convictions and today’s charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Specht and Francesca Liquori of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Special Prosecutions Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Goldberg, Chief of the Narcotics and International Trafficking Unit.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Defense counsel:
David A. Schwartz, Esq. and Michael J. Pappa, Esq. (for Thomas DeLeo)
Joel Silberman, Esq. (for Russell Fallacara)
John J. Bruno, Jr., Esq. (for William Murray)
fallacara.complaint.pdf murray.information.pdf deleo.information.pdfFormer Financial Advisor Pleads Guilty to 10 Counts for Investment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio woman pleaded guilty Thursday for her role in a Ponzi scheme, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.
According to court documents, Brooklynn Chandler Willy, 46, was the owner of a San Antonio based company named Queen B Advisors LLC, doing business as Texas Financial Advisory (TFA), and Chandler Capital Holdings. Among other services, TFA purported to provide asset management and financial planning services.
At Willy’s recommendation, a married couple invested money into an investment company named Ferrum Capital in March 2018. Ferrum Capital was one of four investment companies allegedly run by co-defendants Joshua Allen and Michael Cox. In May of 2021, Willy again advised the victim couple to invest $500,000 with another Ferrum entity, using Chandler Capital Holdings as the agent to execute and deliver contracts. Rather than investing the funds as intended, Willy used the $500,000 for her own purposes, including personal credit card payments, payments to other investors, and payments to another business owned and controlled by Willy.
Willy continued her scheme with additional victims. As set forth in court documents, Willy convinced a separate married couple to invest approximately $2 million dollars in an associate’s company by promising that the investment would be used for the purchase of bad debt and other legitimate investments. In truth, Willy used the money for her own benefit, such as payments to herself, payments to her associate, and payments to other investors. Willy also convinced two other investors to invest $75,000 and $600,000 respectively into what Willy claimed were legitimate business investments. In truth, Willy, again, used their investments for her own benefit. During the course of the federal investigation, Willy forged the signatures of various victims on documents and provided those documents to federal agents for the purpose of misleading those agents.
Court documents further indicate Willy conspired with Allen and Cox by giving false information to investors concerning their investment in entities owned and controlled by Allen and Cox. Working with Cox and Allen, Willy convinced numerous investors to invest into a Cox and Allen controlled entity by falsely stating those investments were investments into legitimate business activities. In truth, much of that money went to the benefit of Cox, Allen, and Willy.
Willy pleaded guilty to 10 counts of an information filed on Feb. 25. She faces up to 20 years in prison on each of the six wire fraud charges, on the one wire fraud conspiracy charge, and on the one money laundering conspiracy charge. She also faces up to 10 years for engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from the wire fraud scheme and a mandatory minimum of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft, which, by statute, would run consecutive to any other punishment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Allen and Cox are scheduled for a jury trial in August.
The FBI and IRS-CI are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Blackwell is prosecuting the case.
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Former Bank CEO Pleads Guilty to Multimillion-Dollar Wire Fraud Conspiracy and Venezuela Sanctions Evasion SchemeRead the Press Release
MIAMI – The former Chief Executive Officer of Nodus International Bank (Nodus Bank), a Puerto Rican international bank, pleaded guilty yesterday for leading a scheme to fraudulently obtain at least $24.9 million from Nodus Bank and conspiring to evade U.S. sanctions against Venezuela.
“The defendant abused his position as CEO, turning the bank he managed into his own personal ATM and unlawfully transacting with a sanctioned individual,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The defendant’s crimes undermine the integrity of our financial system, threaten economic prosperity, and harm national security. The Criminal Division will investigate and prosecute fraudsters to protect financial markets and promote safety and prosperity for all Americans.”
“This defendant used his position as CEO to siphon more than $24 million, hide conflicts of interest, and help drive the bank’s collapse,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The scheme also involved efforts to evade U.S. sanctions tied to Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, PDVSA. As a career prosecutor and former state trial judge, I’ve learned that following the money reveals the truth. Here, it exposed both fraud and sanctions violations. We will hold accountable anyone who abuses our financial system for personal gain.”
“Corporate titles don’t place anyone above the law,” said Ron Loecker, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Florida Field Office. “Executive level fraud has real victims, and yesterday’s outcome is a step toward restoring accountability and confidence in the banking system. IRS Special Agents, alongside our partners, will keep bringing transparency to complex financial crimes and delivering results.”
According to court filings, Tomás Niembro Concha, 64, of Miami, conspired with others to siphon money from Nodus Bank, ultimately leading to the bank’s failure in 2023. Niembro and his co-conspirators concealed from other Nodus Bank board members and executives and the bank’s regulator that certain investments and loans were for the benefit of Niembro and Board Chairman Juan Ramirez, in violation of Puerto Rican law. From 2017 to 2023, Niembro, Ramirez and others caused Nodus Bank to invest $11 million in a Miami-based lender so those funds could be loaned to Niembro and Ramirez for their own benefit. Niembro and his co-conspirators knew that these transactions were illegal and concealed their conduct through the sham investments.
Between January 2018 and September 2021, Niembro and Ramirez also fraudulently induced Nodus Bank’s board and comptroller to agree to buy at least 47 promissory notes totaling approximately $25.3 million from Nodus Finance, a Miami-based company that Niembro and Ramirez jointly owned, so they could use the proceeds of the transactions for themselves.
In early March 2023, Nodus’s regulator, the Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions of Puerto Rico (OCIF), notified the bank it would be placed into liquidation. Niembro and Ramirez fraudulently caused Nodus Bank to accept a loan portfolio from Nodus Finance to pay down the debt from the 47 promissory notes.
Moreover, between 2021 and 2023, Niembro conspired with others to conduct prohibited financial transactions with an individual designated as a Specially Designated National (SDN) by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for providing material support to Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA). To satisfy an outstanding loan of approximately $2.5 million that the SDN’s company had with Nodus Bank prior to the imposition of sanctions, Niembro and the SDN devised a scheme to cause Nodus Bank to foreclose on the SDN’s home in Southampton, NY — for which they obtained OFAC authorization — but separately reached a “private” agreement to induce Nodus Bank to sell the property back to the SDN for $4 million through a front company — a transaction that was strictly prohibited by U.S. sanctions and not otherwise licensed by OFAC.
Niembro pleaded guilty to a two-count Information charging conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Niembro’s sentencing has been scheduled for June 8. As part of his plea agreement, Niembro agreed to forfeit at least $16.9 million, which represents the value of the proceeds he derived from the wire fraud conspiracy. A federal judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) investigated the case with support from OCIF and the Treasury Executive Office for Asset Forfeiture (TEOAF).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Felipe Plechac-Diaz and Trial Attorneys Javier Urbina and Samir Paul of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF) are prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Miami comprises of agents and officers from IRS-CI with the prosecution being led by Bank Integrity Unit of the Money Laundering Narcotics and Forfeiture Section of the Department of Justice and by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
MNF’s mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.
MNF’s Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes banks and other financial institutions, including their officers, managers and employees whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.sdfl.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.sdfl.uscourts.gov, under case number 26-cr-20035.
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Former Bank CEO Pleads Guilty to Multimillion-Dollar Wire Fraud Conspiracy and Venezuela Sanctions Evasion SchemeRead the Press Release
The former Chief Executive Officer of Nodus International Bank (Nodus Bank), a Puerto Rican international bank, pleaded guilty yesterday for leading a scheme to fraudulently obtain at least $24.9 million from Nodus Bank and conspiring to evade U.S. sanctions against Venezuela.
“The defendant abused his position as CEO, turning the bank he managed into his own personal ATM and unlawfully transacting with a sanctioned individual,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The defendant’s crimes undermine the integrity of our financial system, threaten economic prosperity, and harm national security. The Criminal Division will investigate and prosecute fraudsters to protect financial markets and promote safety and prosperity for all Americans.”
“This defendant used his position as CEO to siphon more than $24 million, hide conflicts of interest, and help drive the bank’s collapse,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The scheme also involved efforts to evade U.S. sanctions tied to Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, PDVSA. As a career prosecutor and former state trial judge, I’ve learned that following the money reveals the truth. Here, it exposed both fraud and sanctions violations. We will hold accountable anyone who abuses our financial system for personal gain.”
“Corporate titles don’t place anyone above the law,” said Ron Loecker, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Florida Field Office. “Executive level fraud has real victims, and yesterday’s outcome is a step toward restoring accountability and confidence in the banking system. IRS Special Agents, alongside our partners, will keep bringing transparency to complex financial crimes and delivering results.”
According to court filings, Tomás Niembro Concha, 64, of Miami, Florida, conspired with others to siphon money from Nodus Bank, ultimately leading to the bank’s failure in 2023. Niembro and his co-conspirators concealed from other Nodus Bank board members and executives and the bank’s regulator that certain investments and loans were for the benefit of Niembro and Board Chairman Juan Ramirez, in violation of Puerto Rican law. From 2017 to 2023, Niembro, Ramirez and others caused Nodus Bank to invest $11 million in a Miami-based lender so those funds could be loaned to Niembro and Ramirez for their own benefit. Niembro and his co-conspirators knew that these transactions were illegal and concealed their conduct through the sham investments.
Between January 2018 and September 2021, Niembro and Ramirez also fraudulently induced Nodus Bank’s board and comptroller to agree to buy at least 47 promissory notes totaling approximately $25.3 million from Nodus Finance, a Miami-based company that Niembro and Ramirez jointly owned, so they could use the proceeds of the transactions for themselves.
In early March 2023, Nodus’s regulator, the Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions of Puerto Rico (OCIF), notified the bank it would be placed into liquidation. Niembro and Ramirez fraudulently caused Nodus Bank to accept a loan portfolio from Nodus Finance to pay down the debt from the 47 promissory notes.
Moreover, between 2021 and 2023, Niembro conspired with others to conduct prohibited financial transactions with an individual designated as a Specially Designated National (SDN) by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for providing material support to Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA). To satisfy an outstanding loan of approximately $2.5 million that the SDN’s company had with Nodus Bank prior to the imposition of sanctions, Niembro and the SDN devised a scheme to cause Nodus Bank to foreclose on the SDN’s home in Southampton, NY — for which they obtained OFAC authorization — but separately reached a “private” agreement to induce Nodus Bank to sell the property back to the SDN for $4 million through a front company — a transaction that was strictly prohibited by U.S. sanctions and not otherwise licensed by OFAC.
Niembro pleaded guilty to a two-count Information charging conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Niembro’s sentencing has been scheduled for June 8. As part of his plea agreement, Niembro agreed to forfeit at least $16.9 million, which represents the value of the proceeds he derived from the wire fraud conspiracy. A federal judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) investigated the case with support from OCIF and the Treasury Executive Office for Asset Forfeiture (TEOAF).
Trial Attorneys Javier Urbina and Samir Paul of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Felipe Plechac-Diaz for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Miami comprises agents and officers from IRS Criminal Investigation with the prosecution being led by Bank Integrity Unit of the Money Laundering Narcotics and Forfeiture Section of the Department of Justice and by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
MNF’s mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.
MNF’s Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes banks and other financial institutions, including their officers, managers and employees whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system.
Foreign National Charged with Orchestrating Health Care Fraud Scheme Targeting Medicare Advantage ProgramsRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian announced criminal charges against an individual for perpetrating a large-scale fraud targeting federal health care funds distributed through the Medicare Advantage program. Anar Rustamov, a national of Azerbaijan who appears to have entered the United States illegally, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury and charged with health care fraud for a scheme involving thousands of false claims for medical equipment totaling more than $90 million.
According to the indictment, Rustamov, 38, formerly of Sunnyvale, California and a national of Azerbaijan, was part of a scheme to submit thousands of fraudulent claims to Medicare Advantage Organizations (“MAOs”) on behalf of unsuspecting beneficiaries for medical equipment such as blood glucose monitors and orthotic braces. The indictment alleges that Rustamov, from October 2024 through June 2025, executed a scheme through an entity Rustamov created, Dublin Helping Hand, to submit large volumes of claims to MAOs offering Medicare Part C benefit plans. The indictment alleges the scheme sought reimbursement of more than $90 million for medical equipment that was not provided, not needed by patients, and not authorized by a medical provider. The listed patients were unaware that Rustamov and others were submitting the claims, and the referring medical provider listed on the submissions did not authorize the claims, according to the indictment. The defendant is at large.
“When the Administration declared a War on Fraud, it meant to target exactly this kind of conduct. Rustamov participated in a scheme to steal nearly $100 million in taxpayer funds from a program intended to help those who truly need medical care,” said United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian. “Anyone who believes they can make easy money by defrauding such programs should know that we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and prosecute such fraud and abuse.”
“This case alleges a calculated scheme to exploit a critical health care program for personal gain, attempting to siphon tens of millions of dollars through thousands of fraudulent claims for medical equipment. Programs like Medicare Advantage are funded by American taxpayers and exist to provide essential care to those who need it most — not to be manipulated for profit,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Cobo. “The FBI and our partners will continue to aggressively pursue individuals who attempt to defraud these vital programs and hold them accountable.”
“The criminal charges announced today reflect the seriousness with which we pursue schemes that undermine the Medicare Advantage program. The scheme alleged in this indictment targeted funds intended to provide necessary health care services to Medicare enrollees,” said Robb R. Breeden, Special Agent in Charge of the San Francisco Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “This indictment underscores that HHS-OIG, in collaboration with our law enforcement partners, will pursue those who attempt to exploit federal health care programs — no matter where they attempt to hide.”
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for each violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1347. Any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maya Karwande with the assistance of Lynette Dixon. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy, Bank Larceny, and Accessing a Protected Computer in Furtherance of FraudRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Carlos Luis Vera La Cruz, 45, of Miami, pleaded guilty on Friday, March 20, 2026, to charges of conspiracy, bank larceny, and accessing a protected computer in furtherance of fraud, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, Vera La Cruz and others engaged in an ATM “jackpotting” conspiracy where they stole money from ATMs at targeted banks and credit unions around the country. They did this by infecting the ATMs with malware, which forced the ATMs to dispense money without a valid transaction. In June 2023, as part of this scheme, Vera La Cruz targeted seven ATMs belonging to a bank in the Redding and Chico area, stealing more than $291,000 during that spree. In total, Vera La Cruz and his co-conspirators stole more than $2.6 million from banks and credit unions in multiple states.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot Wong is prosecuting the case.
Vera La Cruz is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 28, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins. Vera La Cruz faces a maximum statutory sentence of five years in prison for conspiracy and accessing a protected computer in furtherance of fraud. He also faces a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in prison for bank larceny. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Florence Woman Pleads Guilty to Filming Sexual Assault of MinorsRead the Press Release
FLORENCE, S.C. — Alaina Ny’sha Thomas, 24, of Florence, has pleaded guilty to producing child sexual abuse material.*
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that in June 2024, FBI agents located child sexual abuse material on a private forum on the dark web, including two videos of an adult woman engaged in sexual intercourse with a minor. Investigators identified the woman as Thomas and learned that she recorded the videos around January 2020. She subsequently sent the videos to an unknown individual online.
Thomas faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. She also faces a fine of up to $250,000, restitution, and supervision of up to life to follow the term of imprisonment. United States District Judge Joseph Dawson, III accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Thomas after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office and the Florence County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Hummel is prosecuting the case.###
Five More Plead Guilty in Minnesota Feeding Our Future Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – This week, Ikram Yusuf Mohamed, Aisha Hassan Hussein, Sahra Sharif Osman, Shakur Abdinur Abdisalam, and Fadumo Mohamed Yusuf all pleaded guilty to wire fraud for their respective roles in the sprawling Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. Prosecutors have now obtained 63 convictions scheme-wide, representing the largest number of convictions in a single fraud investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in recent memory.
The Trump Administration has made fighting fraud a top priority, just this week establishing the President’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a multiagency effort dedicated to protecting benefits meant for American citizens in need. The Justice Department is committed to rooting out fraud in federal programs for the benefit of the American people.
“I am proud of our team of prosecutors, federal agents, and law enforcement partners who continue to expose the rampant fraud in Minnesota,” said U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.
All five defendants were charged in United States v. Mohamed et al., 24-cr-15 (NEB/DTS). This group, which included multiple family members and friends of defendant Ikram Mohamed, purported to run food program sites in Minneapolis and its suburbs, as well as food distribution entity. The group worked together to steal and then launder $14.6 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program money that was meant to feed hungry children during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mohamed and Abdisalam pled guilty on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, and Hussein, Osman, and Yusuf pled guilty today, March 20, 2026, all in U.S. District Court before Judge Nancy E. Brasel. The defendants had been set to proceed to trial before Judge Brasel on April 20, 2026. One defendant now remains in that trial, with the other remaining defendant set for a change of plea hearing next week.
Ikram Yusuf Mohamed, 42, was a leader in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme through her role as a consultant to Feeding Our Future. Mohamed opened several food sites that were enrolled in and received over $6.9 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. To conceal her involvement, she put the sites and entities in the name of family members, including her husband, mother, and siblings. Mohamed also created a food distribution company with her brother called Star Distribution LLC, which went on to create fraudulent invoices for the family-controlled sites that indicated it had sold inflated volumes of food to the sites that had in fact been purchased or delivered. At Mohamed’s advice, other program sites sponsored by Feeding Our Future used Star Distribution, causing it to receive $1.4 million for fraudulent invoices. Star Distribution also received $4.9 million directly from Feeding Our Future for the meals allegedly served at the family-controlled sites. Additionally, Mohamed solicited and received over $1.3 million in kickbacks from individuals and companies involved in the food program through her company, IM Consultation. Mohamed pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Shakur Abdinur Abdisalam, 46, Ikram Mohamed’s husband, participated in the scheme to defraud the Federal Child Nutrition Program with his wife and other family conspirators through a company called Inspiring Youth & Outreach LLC (Inspiring Youth). Inspiring Youth purported to run a food site in Minneapolis. Between February and November 2021, the company fraudulently claimed to have served more than 1 million meals. He and his conspirators also supported their program reimbursement claims with phony attendance rosters purporting to document the children they fed. Those rosters listed made-up children with fake ages. Based on these fraudulent claims, Inspiring Youth received more than $1.5 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. As part of the scheme, Abdisalam also paid a $21,000 kickback to his wife’s entity, IM Consultation. Abdisalam pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Aisha Hassan Hussein, 29, Ikram Mohamed’s sister, participated in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme as the principal of United Youth of MPLS LLC (United Youth). Hussein enrolled her company in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future and purported to operate two sites in Minneapolis. From December 2020 through November 2021, Hussein and her co-conspirators falsely claimed to have served more than 1.3 million meals to children at the United Youth sites, totaling approximately $2.2 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. As part of the scheme, Hussein also paid a $166,000 kickback to her sister’s company IM Consultation. Hussein pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Sahra Sharif Osman, 43, participated in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme as the principal of a non-profit called Youth International Club LLC (Youth International). Youth International operated two Federal Child Nutrition Program sites under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. The Youth International food sites were in Hopkins and Edina and purported to serve meals out of community rooms in townhome complexes. Between March and November 2021, Youth International fraudulently claimed to have served nearly 700,000 meals and received more than $1.4 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. As part of the scheme, Osman also paid a $7,500 kickback to Ikram Mohamed’s IM Consultation. Osman pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Fadumo Mohamed Yusuf, 59, Ikram Mohamed’s mother, participated in the scheme through Active Mind’s Youth LLC (Active Minds), another company that enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. Active Minds purported to operate a food site located on East Lake Street in Minneapolis. Between February and June 2021, Active Minds fraudulently claimed to have served more than 500,000 meals and received more than $1 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. As part of the scheme, Yusuf also paid a $38,500 kickback to her daughter’s company, IM Consultation. Yusuf pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Sentencing hearings for all five defendants will be scheduled at a later date.
These cases result from an investigation conducted by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebecca E. Kline, Matthew C. Murphy, and Matthew D. Evans are prosecuting these cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.
Five More Plead Guilty in Feeding Our Future Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – This week, Ikram Yusuf Mohamed, Aisha Hassan Hussein, Sahra Sharif Osman, Shakur Abdinur Abdisalam, and Fadumo Mohamed Yusuf all pleaded guilty to wire fraud for their respective roles in the sprawling Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. Prosecutors have now obtained 63 convictions scheme-wide, representing the largest number of convictions in a single fraud investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in recent memory.
“I am proud of our team of prosecutors, federal agents, and law enforcement partners who continue to expose the rampant fraud in Minnesota,” said U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.
All five defendants were charged in United States v. Mohamed et al., 24-cr-15 (NEB/DTS). This group, which included multiple family members and friends of defendant Ikram Mohamed, purported to run food program sites in Minneapolis and its suburbs, as well as food distribution entity. The group worked together to steal and then launder $14.6 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program money that was meant to feed hungry children during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mohamed and Abdisalam pled guilty on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, and Hussein, Osman, and Yusuf pled guilty today, March 20, 2026, all in U.S. District Court before Judge Nancy E. Brasel. The defendants had been set to proceed to trial before Judge Brasel on April 20, 2026. One defendant now remains in that trial, with the other remaining defendant set for a change of plea hearing next week.
Ikram Yusuf Mohamed, 42, was a leader in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme through her role as a consultant to Feeding Our Future. Mohamed opened several food sites that were enrolled in and received over $6.9 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. To conceal her involvement, she put the sites and entities in the name of family members, including her husband, mother, and siblings. Mohamed also created a food distribution company with her brother called Star Distribution LLC, which went on to create fraudulent invoices for the family-controlled sites that indicated it had sold inflated volumes of food to the sites that had in fact been purchased or delivered. At Mohamed’s advice, other program sites sponsored by Feeding Our Future used Star Distribution, causing it to receive $1.4 million for fraudulent invoices. Star Distribution also received $4.9 million directly from Feeding Our Future for the meals allegedly served at the family-controlled sites. Additionally, Mohamed solicited and received over $1.3 million in kickbacks from individuals and companies involved in the food program through her company, IM Consultation. Mohamed pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Shakur Abdinur Abdisalam, 46, Ikram Mohamed’s husband, participated in the scheme to defraud the Federal Child Nutrition Program with his wife and other family conspirators through a company called Inspiring Youth & Outreach LLC (“Inspiring Youth”). Inspiring Youth purported to run a food site in Minneapolis. Between February and November 2021, the company fraudulently claimed to have served more than 1 million meals. He and his conspirators also supported their program reimbursement claims with phony attendance rosters purporting to document the children they fed. Those rosters listed made-up children with fake ages. Based on these fraudulent claims, Inspiring Youth received more than $1.5 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. As part of the scheme, Abdisalam also paid a $21,000 kickback to his wife’s entity, IM Consultation. Abdisalam pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Aisha Hassan Hussein, 29, Ikram Mohamed’s sister, participated in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme as the principal of United Youth of MPLS LLC (“United Youth”). Hussein enrolled her company in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future and purported to operate two sites in Minneapolis. From December 2020 through November 2021, Hussein and her co-conspirators falsely claimed to have served more than 1.3 million meals to children at the United Youth sites, totaling approximately $2.2 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. As part of the scheme, Hussein also paid a $166,000 kickback to her sister’s company IM Consultation. Hussein pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Sahra Sharif Osman, 43, participated in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme as the principal of a non-profit called Youth International Club LLC (“Youth International”). Youth International operated two Federal Child Nutrition Program sites under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. The Youth International food sites were in Hopkins and Edina and purported to serve meals out of community rooms in townhome complexes. Between March and November 2021, Youth International fraudulently claimed to have served nearly 700,000 meals and received more than $1.4 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. As part of the scheme, Osman also paid a $7,500 kickback to Ikram Mohamed’s IM Consultation. Osman pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Fadumo Mohamed Yusuf, 59, Ikram Mohamed’s mother, participated in the scheme through Active Mind’s Youth LLC (“Active Minds”), another company that enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. Active Minds purported to operate a food site located on East Lake Street in Minneapolis. Between February and June 2021, Active Minds fraudulently claimed to have served more than 500,000 meals and received more than $1 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. As part of the scheme, Yusuf also paid a $38,500 kickback to her daughter’s company, IM Consultation. Yusuf pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Sentencing hearings for all five defendants will be scheduled at a later date.
These cases result from an investigation conducted by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebecca E. Kline, Matthew C. Murphy, and Matthew D. Evans are prosecuting these cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.
Federal Trial Jury Convicts New Orleans Personal Injury Attorneys in Staged Collision SchemeRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA — The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice announced that on Friday, March 20, 2026, VANESSA MOTTA (“MOTTA”), age 44, and JASON F. GILES (“GILES”), age 47, were found guilty of all charges pending against them, following a three-week jury trial presided over by Chief U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter. The jury also convicted law firms MOTTA LAW LLC and THE KING FIRM LLC and co-conspirator DIAMANIKE F. STALBERT (“STALBERT”), age 35.
The jury found MOTTA, MOTTA LAW, GILES, THE KING FIRM guilty of all counts against them. STALBERT was found guilty of making false statements to federal agents.
Count 1 charged all five defendants with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. § 1349. Count 2 charged GILES and THE KING FIRM, and counts 4 and 5 charged MOTTA and MOTTA LAW with mail fraud, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. §§ 1341, 2. Count 6 charged MOTTA and MOTTA LAW, and count 8 charged GILES and THE KING FIRM, with obstruction of justice, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. §§ 1503(a), 2. Count 7 charged MOTTA and MOTTA LAW, and count 9 charged GILES and THE KING FIRM, with witness tampering in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. §§ 1512(b)(1), 2. Count 10 charged STALBERT with making false statements to federal agents, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2).
According to court documents, the defendants participated in a long-running scheme to defraud insurance companies and commercial trucking companies by staging and litigating fraudulent automobile collisions to collect insurance company payouts. That scheme began approximately in December 2011 and continued until December 2024, and it involved New Orleans area personal injury attorneys (including MOTTA, MOTTA LAW, GILES, and THE KING FIRM) paying “slammers” to recruit passengers to participate in purposeful collisions with automobiles, especially 18-wheeler trucks with large commercial insurance policies. The attorneys would then litigate those cases on behalf of the passengers, often encouraging those passengers to seek medically unnecessary neck and back surgeries to incur medical costs and increase the size of future insurance company settlements. Along with slammers, attorneys, and passengers, the scheme also included “spotters,” who drove getaway cars for the slammers, and “recruiters” like STALBERT, who facilitated numerous staged collisions by bringing new passengers into the scheme.
The jury also found MOTTA and MOTTA LAW guilty of obstruction of justice and witness tampering relating to an effort to pay a witness to move to the Bahamas to impede any cooperation with federal authorities. The jury likewise found GILES and THE KING FIRM guilty of obstruction of justice and witness tampering for secretly recording a charged individual in October 2020 in an effort to manufacture exculpatory evidence. STALBERT was acquitted of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
“Today’s verdict was the culmination of a lengthy investigation that amassed overwhelming evidence proving the defendants’ roles in a years-long scheme to defraud, as well as their subsequent efforts to obstruct justice and tamper with witnesses,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson. “MOTTA, MOTTA LAW, GILES, and THE KING FIRM successfully launched a fraudulent scheme of epic proportions that both victimized the judicial system, and exploited the auto insurance industry, all to enrich themselves with millions of dollars in ill-gotten gains.” This prosecution, and today’s verdict, makes clear that no one is above the law. I commend the trial team, and our law enforcement partners for their relentless and meticulous work to shine a light on this scourge and hold those involved responsible.”
"The defendants in this case pursued personal fortune through lies and deception, that potentially impacted every auto insurance policy holder in Louisiana," said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the FBI New Orleans Field Office. "The FBI along with our partners at the U.S. Attorney's Office, Louisiana State Police, and the Metropolitan Crime Commission have worked for the last seven years to uncover every instance of fraud, resulting in successful cases against more than fifty individuals. We will continue that pursuit as long as it takes."
Chief U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter will sentence the defendants MOTTA and MOTTA LAW on July 7, 2026, GILES and THE KING FIRM on July 14, 2026, and STALBERT on July 21, 2026. The maximum penalty for mail fraud, mail and wire fraud conspiracy, and witness tampering is twenty years imprisonment, up to three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine or twice the gross gain to any defendant or twice the gross loss to any victim. The maximum penalty for obstruction of justice is ten years imprisonment, up to three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine or twice the gross gain to any defendant or twice the gross loss to any victim. The maximum penalty for making false statements to a federal agent is up to five years of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. The Court may also impose restitution. Additionally, each defendant also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee per count of conviction.
Including this jury trial, sixty-three (63) defendants have been charged in the federal probe into the staging of automobile collisions with other vehicles in the New Orleans metropolitan area.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section of the Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice, would like to acknowledge the tremendous work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Louisiana State Police with this matter, as well as extending thanks to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Metropolitan Crime Commission for their assistance.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew R. Payne, Senior Litigation Counsel; Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit; Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Katherine Kaufman; and Trial Attorneys J. Ryan McLaren and Samir Paul of the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section.
El Salvadoran National Charged with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG-The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Angel Vidal Reyes Guzman, age 33, a citizen of El Salvador, illegally residing in Dover, PA, was indicted on March 18, 2026, by a federal grand jury on the charge of illegally reentering the United States after having previously been removed.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, the indictment alleges that Reyes Guzman illegally reentered the United States and was found in York County, Pennsylvania, on March 4, 2026. Reyes Guzman was removed from the United States through Alexandria, Louisiana, on January 14, 2013, and reentered without having obtained permission to do so.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelley K. McGraw 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 York comprises agents and officers from the Department of Homeland Security with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is two years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following the finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Dunkirk man pleads guilty to theft of government funds involving COVID-19 fraudRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. –U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Lamont Brown, 37, of Dunkirk, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to theft of government funds, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright, who is handling the case, stated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Brown recruited others to apply for unemployment assistance compensation through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program for which they were not entitled. Brown and his recruits obtained personally identifiable information and used that information to obtain PUA funds from the Puerto Department of Labor and Human Resources. Brown received a portion of the PUA funds the recruits received as payment for allowing them to participate in the scheme. In July 2020, Brown personally received a check totaling $10,122.00 from the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources, which he deposited into a checking account at a Lake Shore Savings Bank within the Western District of New York. He later withdrew and spent the funds. The money was issued through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Brown did not reside in, nor had he resided or worked in Puerto Rico. The total loss to the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources due to the scheme was $67,524.
The plea is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan, and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Jonathan Mellone, Northeast Region.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 5, 2026, before Judge Sinatra.
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Dover Man Sentenced to 12.5 Years in Federal Prison Following Drug and Gun ConvictionsRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – A Dover man was sentenced yesterday to 150 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a person prohibited. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika imposed the sentence.
According to court documents, Amir Watts, 35, was arrested on his way to sell an undercover officer two pounds of methamphetamine. In the months prior to his arrest, Watts had sold that same undercover officer increasing quantities of methamphetamine and a gun.
U.S. Attorney Bejamin L. Wallace stated, “Guns and drugs are a lethal combination. This defendant trafficked in both. Judge Noreika’s just sentence appropriately reflects the dangerousness of Amir Watts’ conduct. I extend my sincere thanks to our law enforcement partners—and particularly to the courageous undercover officer—whose excellent work helped bring Watts to justice.”
DEA Philadelphia Field Division Special Agent in Charge Thomas Hodnett said, “Watts’ sentence should send a powerful message: justice will prevail against those who threaten the safety and stability of our communities. This sentence is a testament to the commitment and seamless collaboration between Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement. Together, we are dismantling violent criminal networks.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration and Delaware State Police investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Claudia L. Pare prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case No. 22-CR-129-MN.
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District of Arizona Charges 185 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from March 14 through March 20, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 185 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 108 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 53 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 20 cases against 24 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), 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).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Ruby Chaidez. On March 14, 2026, Ruby Chaidez was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. A deputy with the Pinal County Sheriff’s Department observed a vehicle traveling westbound on I-10 and conducted a records check on the vehicle, which showed that its registration had expired. The deputy began driving behind the vehicle and watched as the driver briefly veered off the highway. The deputy turned on his emergency lights and tried to initiate a vehicle stop, but the driver continued for about half a mile before pulling off the road. The deputy then learned that the driver, Chaidez, had two valid arrest warrants out of Maricopa County Superior Court. He placed Chaidez under arrest and searched Chaidez and the vehicle. According to the complaint, the deputy found both drug paraphernalia and an adult male hiding in the vehicle’s trunk. Immigration checks revealed the individual in the trunk to be a citizen of Mexico, unlawfully present in the United States. [Case Number: 26-MJ-9085MJ]
United States v. Esteban Caldera-Serrato. Esteban Caldera-Serrato was charged by criminal complaint with Re-entry of Removed Alien on March 17, 2026. Caldera-Serrato was previously removed from the United States on Feb. 11, 2005, after being convicted of 2nd Degree Forgery, a felony, in Hall County Superior Court, State of Georgia. In that case, Caldera-Serrato was sentenced to two years in prison. [Case Number: 26-MJ-8088]
United States v. Aaron Cruz-Valderas. On March 16, 2026, Aaron Cruz-Valderas was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien for Profit. On March 13, 2026, Border Patrol agents attempted to stop Cruz-Valderas on suspicion of alien smuggling. Cruz-Valderas initially pulled over on State Route 86. However, when agents walked up to his truck and asked Cruz-Valderas to turn the truck off, he instead accelerated and fled. He eventually drove into the desert, going through cacti and brush. Additional Border Patrol agents also responded, ultimately locating the truck and apprehending Cruz-Valderas. The agents also found a passenger in Cruz-Valderas' vehicle who was determined to be a citizen of Mexico, unlawfully present in the United States. [Case Number: 26-MJ-1609]
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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-049_March 20, 2026, Immigration Enforcement
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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 X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Defendant Gets 107-Year Prison Term for Killing 13-Year-Old BoyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Reginald Steele, Jr., 26, of Washington, D.C. was sentenced today for killing 13-year-old Malachi Lukes, on March 1, 2020, and for a separate shooting in the Petworth neighborhood on Feb. 22, 2020, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine F. Pirro.
Steele was found guilty on Nov. 19, 2025, of one count of first-degree murder while armed, several counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and other firearm-related charges. Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt sentenced Steele to 107 years in prison.
“Reginald Steele Jr. and his crew hunted down 13-year-old Malachi Lukes, who was walking to a basketball court, shooting him in the back as he ran for his life. Gang violence poses a grave threat to our communities and for these gang members—those days are over,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Today, justice has caught up with a man who showed complete disregard for human life. Justice has been served, and our city is safer because of it.”
Steele and four co-defendants — who were tried and convicted separately —are members and associates of the neighborhood crews 3500, CHV, Rock Creek Church, Really Ready Gang, and 640. The defendant’s neighborhood was feuding with street crews Ninth Street between 2019 and 2020, over who was the “Real NW Goon,” 3500 and Really Ready Gang member Tahlil Byrd, also known as Slatt Goon, or Ninth Street rapper Tyree Marshall, known as Slime Goon. The feud escalated when Slatt Goon was killed in Ninth Street territory, the 600 block of S Street NW, in September 2019.
On March 1, 2020, Steele and three co-defendants drove to Ninth Street territory, circling the neighborhood looking for members and associates of Ninth Street. As they drove throughout the neighborhood in a stolen vehicle, they spotted 13-year-old Malachi Lukes who was walking with his three teen friends, toward the 600 block of S Street NW, to play basketball. The defendants followed the boys, pulled into that block and stopped by the mouth of an alley where Malachi and his friends had turned. Then the defendant and one of his co-defendants exited the vehicle and fired 11 gunshots. Lukes was shot in the back as he fled and collapsed to his death. Another victim was shot in the leg.
Steele and his co-defendants then traveled to another neighborhood and opened fire on individuals in that block, where other members of Ninth Street were known to hang out. No one was injured in this shooting.
Joining the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Interim Chief Carroll commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department, Office of E-Litigation Chief Emily Miller; Special Counsel for Discovery Chimnomnso Kalu; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the United States Marshals Service; D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences; the U.S. Park Police; Montgomery County Police Department; and the D.C. Department of Corrections. They also commended Assistant United States Attorneys Michelle Jackson, Tamara Rubb and Nebiyu Feleke for prosecuting this case.
2020 CF1 005017
D.C. Man Gets Prison Term for Pointing Gun at Taxi DriverRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Erick Blanco-Cordova, 24, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to two years in prison for pointing a firearm at a taxicab driver in November 2019, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Blanco-Cordova pleaded guilty on Jan. 16, 2026, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of carrying a pistol without a license. The Honorable Judge Robert Salerno sentenced Blanco-Cordova to two years in prison for assault with a dangerous weapon and carrying a pistol without a license, to be followed by three years of supervised release.
Blanco-Cordova’s co-defendant, Lesly Taracena, was sentenced to five years in prison in June 2025, after a jury found her guilty of conspiracy to commit an armed crime of violence, assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and other related charges.
According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 6:55 p.m., on Nov. 11, 2019, Blanco-Cordova and Taracena were picked up in Arlington, Virginia by the victim, a taxicab driver, and asked to be taken to Union Station in Washington, D.C. After the victim drove the defendants to the corner of 7th and F Street, NW, Blanco-Cordova and Taracena exited the victim’s taxicab without paying their fare. The victim followed them and asked them to pay. Taracena turned around and pulled a firearm out of her pocket, pointing it at the victim while Blanco-Cordova stood next to her. The victim then ran away in fear. When MPD stopped the defendants, they found a .40 caliber Smith and Wesson SD40VE semi-automatic handgun on Blanco-Cordova.
Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Interim Chief Carroll commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged Assistant U.S. Attorney Katerina Qesari, who prosecuted Blanco-Cordova and co-defendant Lesly Taracena, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Hannah Skopicki, who prosecuted Lesly Taracena.
2019 CF1 014456
D.C. Man Gets 17-Year Prison Term for Murdering Romantic PartnerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Pernell Sims, 35, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today for shooting and killing his prior romantic partner, Tyshida Williams, in July 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Sims entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder while armed before Superior Court Associate Judge Todd Edelman on Jan. 9, 2026. Judge Edelman sentenced Sims to 17 years in prison.
“Pernell Sims abused Tyshida Williams, beat her and then shot her in the head while his child was in the apartment. This depraved killer will now spend his days in a cell where he belongs,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “My office will continue to be relentless in our prosecution of domestic violence offenders. If you are in a violent relationship, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE.”
According to the government’s evidence, Sims and Williams were in a romantic relationship on July 30, 2023. When they returned to the defendant’s apartment earlier that morning, the defendant became angry about Williams’ phone. Both Sims and Williams went to the lobby and parking garage area of the apartment building and argued for more than an hour. While in the parking garage the defendant threw Williams to the ground and kicked her in the chest. Both Sims and Williams then returned to the apartment where Sims’ child was present, went into the bedroom and closed the door. Sims then shot Williams in the head, and she died from her injuries later that morning.
Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Interim Chief Carroll commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emma McArthur and Stephanie Dinan, who prosecuted the case.
2023 CF1 007952
Chickasaw County Methemphetamine and Fentanyl Dealer SentencedRead the Press Release
OXFORD – Anthony Russell, 34, of Woodland was sentenced today to ten years in prison after pleading guilty on a previous date for distributing methamphetamine.
According to court documents, the defendant was apprehended on May 13, 2024, with an amount of excess of fifty grams of actual methamphetamine, along with other narcotics.
Honorable Michael P. Mills, Senior United States District Court Judge, sentenced Russell to 120 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release. Russell was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals following sentencing.
United States Attorney Scott Leary states that the proliferation of drugs, especially methamphetamine, can no longer be tolerated. “It destroys our communities. Understand that methamphetamine is rarely just taken recreationally. It causes brain damage and ruins lives and families. Drug trafficking likewise fuels gangs and violence. This office and the DEA are dedicating resources to combat this scourge. A special thanks goes to AUSA Clyde McGee and our federal agents and local law enforcement. These law enforcement officers work tirelessly to make these cases – well done.”
"Meth and fentanyl are poison. There is no safe haven for traffickers in Chickasaw County,” said Drug Enforcement Administration Assistant Special Agent in Charge Anessa Daniels-McCaw. “Today’s sentence is a clear win for public safety and our mission for a #FentanylFree Mississippi. We are relentless in the fight to protect our families."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Clyde McGee prosecuted the case.
Bulgarian arms trafficker extradited from Spain faces charges in U.S. federal courtRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Peter Dimitrov Mirchev appeared in federal court today following his extradition from Spain to face charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to possess firearms, including machineguns and destructive devices, in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Kenyan national Elisha Odhiambo Asumo was extradited from Morrocco to the United States on March 11 and appeared in U.S. federal court on March 12.
As alleged in the indictment, since at least September 2022, Mirchev, Asumo, Tanzanian national Subiro Osmund Mwapinga, and Ugandan national Michael Katungi Mpweire conspired to illegally supply military-grade weaponry to Mexican drug cartels, and in particular, the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), one of Mexico’s most violent and prolific transnational criminal organizations. The weaponry included machineguns, rocket launchers, grenades, night vision equipment, sniper rifles, anti-personnel mines, and anti-aircraft weapons.
The defendants allegedly believed that the CJNG intended to use these weapons in furtherance of the illegal trafficking of large shipments of cocaine into the United States. On Feb. 20, 2025, the CJNG was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization under the Immigration and Nationality Act and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224. Arms sales to transnational criminal organizations like the CJNG are prohibited by virtually every country.
In a series of meetings with individuals claiming to represent the CJNG, Mirchev allegedly agreed to arrange, coordinate, and participate in illegal arms transactions while avoiding detection by international and U.S. law enforcement. Mirchev allegedly recruited Asumo to corruptly obtain an End-User Certificate (EUC) from a nation that would falsely claim a different end-user for the weapons. Asumo and Mwapinga allegedly obtained an EUC from the United Republic of Tanzania authorizing the importation of AK-47s. As a test shipment, Mirchev and others then exported 50 AK-47 automatic assault rifles and accompanying magazines and ammunition from Bulgaria, using the EUC provided by Asumo and Mwapinga, and intending that the weapons were actually received by the CJNG.
The defendants allegedly continued to conspire to supply drug cartels with even more weaponry, potentially including surface-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft drones, and the ZU-23 anti-aircraft weapon system. Mirchev allegedly created a list of weaponry for the CJNG totaling approximately 53.7 million Euros (approximately $58 million U.S.). Asumo and Mwapinga allegedly agreed to again provide arms control documents designed to obscure that these weapons were intended for the CJNG.
According to court records, Mirchev was previously implicated in supplying arms to Viktor Bout, who was convicted at trial of conspiring to kill U.S. nationals, conspiring to kill U.S. officers and employees, conspiring to acquire and export anti-aircraft missiles; and conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization in case 1:08-cr-365 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Mirchev was arrested by Spanish authorities in Madrid on April 8. Asumo was arrested by Moroccan authorities in Casablanca on April 8. Mwapinga was arrested by Ghanaian authorities in Accra on April 8 and was extradited to the United States on July 25. Mpweire remains at large. If convicted, each defendant faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Special Operations Division - Bilateral Investigations Unit. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided invaluable assistance in securing extraditions of Mirchev, Mwapinga, and Asumo, working in cooperation with the DEA Attaché to U.S. Embassy Accra and key partners, including the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice of Ghana, the Ghana Police Service, Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission, the Ministry of Justice of Spain, the Spanish Guardia Civil, and the Government of Morocco, including the Moroccan Direction Générale de la Surete National (DGSN- National Police), and the Moroccan Direction Générale de la Surveillance du Territoire (DGST).
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony T. Aminoff and Edgardo J. Rodriguez are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, 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 Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-CR-102.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Indictment:
mirchev_unsealed_indictment.pdfBrowning man sentenced to 2 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter on Blackfeet Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Browning man who shot a woman on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 24 months in prison to be followed by 2 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.
Treyson Lee Sharp, 22, pleaded guilty in October 2025 to one count of involuntary manslaughter.
U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.
The government alleged in court documents that on the night of December 28, 2024, the defendant, Treyson Lee Sharp, invited Jane Doe to his family home for dinner. After dinner, they retired to his bedroom where Sharp showed Doe his Christmas presents, including a pair of .357 revolvers. While playing with the firearms, the defendant pointed the revolver at Doe and discharged the firearm, striking Doe in the neck.
Sharp immediately yelled for help. Family members who were in the home responded. One called 911 and one rendered medical aid to Doe. Doe died at the scene. Law enforcement responded to the home. In interviews with witnesses, they reported hearing Sharp and Doe laughing in the room immediately before hearing a single shot and then Sharp yelling for help.
Law enforcement recovered four firearms at the scene: two .357 revolvers, a .44 revolver, and a modified shotgun. They located a bullet hole in Sharp’s bedroom wall and found a spent projectile outside the house and a brass casing in the wall. The casing was forensically matched to one of the recovered .357 revolvers. The cylinder of the fired revolver had six chambers: five were empty and one contained a spent casing.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the FBI, ATF, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, Glacier County Sheriff’s Office and Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.
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Brooklyn Park Felon Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for Possession of Fentanyl and Firearm Following Deadly Vehicle CrashRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – On Wednesday, March 18, 2026, Derrick John Thompson, 30, was sentenced to 204 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for possession of fentanyl and a firearm following a deadly vehicle crash that claimed the lives of five young women, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.
According to evidence presented at trial, on June 16, 2023, a trooper with the Minnesota State Patrol observed a black Cadillac Escalade speeding north on I-35W, traveling at 95 miles per hour in a 55 miles per hour speed zone. The trooper observed the driver, later identified as Thompson, abruptly cut across four lanes of traffic to exit the freeway at the Lake Street exit. The trooper began following the SUV but did not activate the emergency lights or sirens because the trooper did not want to attempt a traffic stop on city streets given the Escalade’s dangerous driving. At the intersection of 2nd Avenue South and East Lake Street, Thompson sped through a red light at the intersection without stopping or slowing. The SUV struck at full speed the driver’s side of a Honda Civic that was traveling lawfully through the intersection. All five occupants of the Honda Civic, four young adult females and one juvenile female, ages 17 to 20, were killed. When law enforcement responded to the scene of the crash, witnesses told officers where Thompson fled. Officers found Thompson, wearing clothing that matched the description given by witnesses, sitting on the curb outside of a nearby restaurant. Officers detained Thompson, who was later transported to Hennepin County Medical Center for evaluation.
According to evidence presented at trial, an officer found at the scene a Hertz rental record for the Cadillac Escalade indicating that Thompson rented the vehicle from a Hertz located at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport approximately 30 minutes before the crash. After obtaining a warrant to search the vehicle, officers found a black leather bag on the front passenger side floor that contained a loaded Glock pistol with an extended magazine, as well as three baggies containing more than 2,000 blue “M-Box 30” fentanyl pills, a baggie containing an additional 14 grams of fentanyl powder, a baggie containing 35 grams of cocaine, and a digital scale. Subsequent testing determined that Thompson’s DNA was present on the firearm, the fentanyl powder, and the cocaine. A search of Thompson’s phone found dozens of texts indicating fentanyl deals, as well as recorded voice messages from a few days before the deadly crash in which Thompson requested to purchase 30,000 fentanyl pills.
The deadly crash occurred just five months after Thompson was released from prison in California for a similar incident that occurred in 2018. In that incident, Thompson fled from police in a vehicle containing eight kilograms of marijuana and struck a pedestrian causing severe injuries that required the pedestrian to be put in a medically induced coma for twenty days.
Thompson was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey M. Bryan on one count of possession of fentanyl with the intent to distribute, one count of possession of a firearm by a felon, and one count of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Judge Bryan ordered that 60 months of Thompson’s sentence will run consecutively to the 704-month sentence that Thompson received for 3rd Degree Murder and Criminal Vehicular Homicide in July 2025 in Hennepin County District Court, Case No. 27-CR-23-12910, arising out of the same deadly crash.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Minnesota State Patrol, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Minneapolis–St. Paul Airport Police Department, in coordination with the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney LeeAnn K. Bell. Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Calhoun-Lopez and Ruth S. Shnider tried the case.
Bronx Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Enticement of Minors and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today that WINSTON COLON CORREA was sentenced to 25 years in prison for enticing minors and possessing child pornography. COLON CORREA’s sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Jennifer H. Rearden, who also presided over the guilty plea.
“Winston Colon Correa preyed on children by pressuring them to record and send videos of themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “On at least two occasions, he even met with one of his child victims and pressured her to have sex, which Colon Correa recorded. New Yorkers want those who engage in such heinous conduct off our streets. This Office, and our law enforcement partners, will pursue every lead and use every tool to rid our communities of those who sexually exploit our children. The message to predators from our Office is clear: there is no place for you in New York other than prison.”
According to the allegations in the Information, public filings, and statements made in public court proceedings:
Beginning in at least 2022, COLON CORREA engaged in sexually explicit text message conversations with numerous minor girls he met online, during which he induced the production of child pornography of at least Minor Victim-1, Minor Victim-2, Minor Victim-3, and Minor Victim-4. Law enforcement’s review of COLON CORREA’s electronic devices revealed that for multiple years, he engaged in sexually explicit text message conversations with many other unidentified individuals believed to also be minor girls. COLON CORREA committed these crimes despite knowing that he was communicating with minors. In fact, many of the minors made clear to COLON CORREA that they were underage—e.g., that they were in school, that they lived at home with their parents, and in multiple cases, their actual ages. On at least two occasions, COLON CORREA falsely represented to minor girls that he was only 17 years old. In addition, COLON CORREA met in person on at least two occasions with one identified victim, Minor Victim-4, during which COLON CORREA pressured Minor Victim-4 to perform oral sex and have sexual intercourse. Thereafter, when he was confronted by law enforcement, COLON CORREA falsely claimed that he had ceased contact with Minor Victim-4 after learning that she was a minor. In reality, COLON CORREA had exchanged sexually explicit messages with Minor Victim-4, and attempted to make plans to meet her again, just one day earlier.
Anyone who believes they have information concerning the exploitation of children is urged to contact the FBI at 1-212-384-1000 or https://tips.fbi.gov/.
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In addition to the prison term, COLON CORREA, 34, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced to 20 years of supervised release.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department in connection with this investigation.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney William C. Kinder is in charge of the prosecution.
Ashburn man pleads guilty to fraud involving relief programs and securities tradesRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Ashburn man pled guilty on March 17 to making false statements relating to his scheme to defraud federal programs and trade securities.
According to court documents, in 2020 and 2021, Ravindar Reddy Palla, 59, operated IT Objects, LLC, for which Palla’s wife was nominally listed as the owner. Palla applied for and was awarded at least one government contract through the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Business Development Program, by falsely claiming that IT Objects qualified because it was owned and controlled by a woman.
In 2020 and 2021, Palla applied for loans on behalf of IT Objects through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a pandemic program that provided low-interest financing to small businesses to pay up to eight weeks of payroll costs. IT Objects received two loans totaling $351,900. Of those funds, Palla transferred at least $348,900 into his personal checking account, then transferred at least $344,000 of the funds to his personal brokerage account and used those funds to trade securities. Palla later submitted PPP Loan Forgiveness applications for both loans, falsely claiming that he used the PPP loan funds for approved purposes. Based in part on Palla’s false statements, the two PPP loan forgiveness applications were approved, SBA reimbursed the lender for the full amounts, and Palla never repaid any portion of the loans.
Palla also applied for loans in 2020 and 2021 on behalf of IT Objects through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, intended to enable small businesses to meet financial obligations and operating expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based in part on Palla’s false statements in those applications, IT Objects received two loans totaling $499,900. Of those funds, Palla transferred at least $410,000 to his personal brokerage account and used those funds to trade securities.
In 2024, Palla controlled at least six accounts at a brokerage company. Palla used his online access to his brokerage accounts to initiate a series of transfers from his bank accounts to his brokerage accounts, knowing that he did not have sufficient funds in his bank accounts to cover the transfers. Palla nonetheless made securities purchases using the brokerage company’s funds based on the amounts of the transfers. When the brokerage company became aware that the transfers were unsuccessful, the company attempted to recoup some of their losses by selling the securities Palla had purchased. Palla’s seventeen fraudulent transfers carried an intended harm of at least $1,292,700 and caused actual harm of $457,116.85.
Palla is scheduled to be sentenced on June 30 and faces up to 30 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Washington Field Office and the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Harvey is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:26-cr-38.
Another significant week in support of Operation Take Back America: SDTX charges 373 more as part of ongoing border enforcement actionsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – The Southern District of Texas has filed 371 cases in immigration and related matters from March 13-19, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
A total of 22 people are charged with human smuggling crimes. Another 141 criminal complaints allege instances of illegal entry, while 204 people face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felonies such as narcotics, violent crime, immigration crimes and more. The remaining six cases involve firearms charges and other immigration crimes.
Two charged in recent days are Mexican nationals with felony criminal histories to include injury to a child or the elderly, or aggravated assault, according to the allegations. Ivis Anibal Olvera-Moreno and Carlos Alberto Chairez-Estala had allegedly been removed July 11 and July 19, 2025, according to their respective charges. However, law enforcement allegedly discovered them in the McAllen area without authorization to be in the United States.
Authorities found another foreign national from Mexico near Donna, despite also having been previously removed within the past year. The criminal complaint alleges Daniel Davalos-Ayala has multiple prior convictions for illegal reentry, possession with intent to distribute and unauthorized use of a vehicle.
Another case alleges Jorge Armando Pineda-Samaniego, Mexico, has a prior conviction for illegal reentry and was previously removed May 9, 2018. Authorities allegedly discovered him again near Edinburg.
All four are charged with felony reentry after removal and face up to 20 years in federal prison, if convicted.
In addition to the new cases, Mexican national Fernando Ramirez-Noria was ordered to serve 84 months in federal prison for his illegal reentry conviction. The court considered his criminal history while unlawfully present in the United States, including convictions for domestic violence, driving while intoxicated and illegal reentry. Authorities first removed him in January 2015, but he repeatedly returned. Law enforcement found him again in the country following a 2023 DWI arrest.
In Houston, Jose Rosario Belmontes-Lira pleaded guilty and was sentenced for unlawful reentry into the United States. He has prior convictions for burglary, driving while intoxicated and illegal reentry. Law enforcement discovered him in January in Houston without authorization to be in the country. Also sentenced was Honduran national Alex Ramon Reyes. He has prior convictions for possession of a controlled substance, theft and human smuggling.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The cases are all part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal histories, including convictions for human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.
An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Another Week of 250 New Immigration Cases for Western District of Texas U.S. Attorney’s OfficeRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 251 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from March 13 to March 19, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for violent crimes, drug trafficking, numerous DUIs, theft, and multiple prior removals.
Among the new cases, two illegal aliens from Honduras, Edgar Osmery Castellanos-Sabillon and Fernando Josue Betanco-Montoya, are facing alien smuggling charges in El Paso. According to a criminal complaint, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers near Wichita Falls conducted a traffic stop on Castellanos-Sabillon, who was allegedly the driver of the vehicle. The complaint alleges Betanco-Montoya was in the front passenger seat, and seven additional individuals with foreign passports from Cuba, Guatemala, and Mexico were in the vehicle as well. An investigation allegedly revealed that one of the smuggled aliens was identified as a target in an Ysleta Border Patrol case after he made a social media post thanking two known smugglers and indicating that he had crossed into the U.S. illegally. All nine individuals were transported to El Paso for prosecution. The complaint also alleges that Castellanos-Sabillon and Betanco-Montoya were identified as the caretakers of a stash house in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where they housed and fed the aliens after they were transported from El Paso and before attempting to transport them to Dallas.
Mexican national Miguel Campos-Chavelas, who was deported from the U.S. in October 2024, is charged with one count of harboring illegal aliens. A criminal complaint alleges an investigation led U.S. Border Patrol agents to an apartment complex in El Paso, where they encountered Campos-Chavelas and a female co-conspirator who is a U.S. citizen. A third individual was also discovered in the apartment and determined to be an illegal alien. According to the complaint, Campos-Chavelas claimed to be engaged to the U.S. citizen and has lived with her in the apartment since 2024. He also allegedly claimed that, working with a smuggler in Juarez, Mexico, he was supposed to be paid $500 per alien housed at the apartment and had participated in the smuggling scheme on six prior occasions.
Joel Isaias Quisque Espital, an illegal alien from Guatemala, was found approximately 45 miles east of the Fort Hancock Port of Entry, near Sierra Blanca, on March 13. He has been deported from the U.S. twice, has been twice convicted of a DUI and has one prior conviction for driving without a valid license. In 2018, Quisque Espital was convicted of aggravated assault and sentenced to two years in prison.
In Austin, Mexican national San Juanita Cavazos-Torres, who is also known to go by 12 other names including Allison Francis Barron, Melissa Morales and Janie Moralez, was charged with illegal re-entry after being found in the Travis County Jail in January. Her criminal history includes multiple thefts, as well as forgery, robbery, drug possession, and grand theft. She has been removed from the U.S. five times.
Also charged for illegal re-entry in Austin are Mexican national Francisco Rojas-Lopez and Guatemalan national Evelio Eriberto Romero-Vasquez. Rojas-Lopez was found in the Travis County Jail in November 2025 and has been twice convicted for driving while intoxicated. Romero-Vasquez was convicted of both a DWI and assault causing bodily injury earlier this year.
Mexican national Eduardo Solorio-Orozco was arrested near Maverick and charged with illegal re-entry. Solorio-Orozco has been deported twice, the last being on June 18, 2025, through San Ysidro, California. He was convicted of three DUIs between 2016 and 2018, has a felony conviction for inflicting corporal injury, and was also convicted for possession of prohibited ammunition in 2021.
Mario Gonzalez-Mosqueda, also an illegal alien from Mexico, was charged in Del Rio with illegal re-entry, having been deported for the third time in November 2005. Gonzalez-Mosqueda has four felony convictions in Los Angeles, including three for drug trafficking and one for second-degree robbery.
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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Thursday 19 March 2026
Woodburn Man Charged with Threatening to Kill a U.S. SenatorRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Woodburn, Oregon, man made his initial appearance today after threatening to kill a United States Senator.
Donald Leroy Smith, Jr., 51, has been charged by information with threatening a federal official with the intent to intimidate that official for the performance of official duties.
According to court documents, on November 12, 2025, Smith left a voicemail for a U.S. Senator stating he was “coming to kill you,” that “you need to be dead,” and that he was going to “put a bullet in your head.”
Smith made his first appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate judge. He was ordered released pending further court proceedings.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case with assistance from United States Capitol Police, United States Secret Service, United States Postal Inspection Service, Oregon State Police, and the Woodburn Police Department. First Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Narus and Assistant U.S. Attorney James A. Kilcup are prosecuting the case.
An information is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
West Virginia Cemetery Owner Admits to Fraud Involving Grave MarkersRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – The owner of several cemeteries across North Central West Virginia has admitted to taking money intended for grave markers, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
Jeffrey Phares, 65, of Fayetteville, West Virginia, pleaded guilty to wire fraud. Phares owned and operated four cemeteries including: Greenlawn Memorial Park in New Martinsville, Elkins Memorial Gardens in Elkins, Greenlawn Memorial Cemetery in Clarksburg, and Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens in Jane Lew. Phares defrauded customers by accepting payments and design approvals for grave markers, then misappropriated the funds for personal use. He repeatedly misled victims regarding delivery delays, resulting in an estimated total loss between $250,000 and $550,000.
As part of the plea agreement, Phares has agreed to pay restitution to the victims of his offense conduct, and to provide the government with all necessary documentation to determine the amount of restitution, which will be determined prior to sentencing.
Phares faces up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarod Douglas is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
Investigative agencies include the FBI, the Wetzel County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wetzel County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.
Turks and Caicos Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for the Sextortion of Missouri TeenRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Joshua M. Divine on Thursday sentenced a man from the Turks and Caicos to 240 months in prison followed by lifetime supervised release for the sextortion of a Missouri teen.
Alexander Gardiner, 25, of Providenciales, pleaded guilty to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in November. Gardiner, who is a citizen of both the United States and the Turks and Caicos, met a 15-year-old Missouri boy via Snapchat. After multiple requests by Gardiner, the teen sent photos of his genitals to Gardiner, believing he would be left alone after doing so. Gardiner instead repeatedly harassed the minor via iMessage, Facebook and WhatsApp, and threatened to send those images to the victim’s family and friends if the victim did not continue to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM) for Gardiner. Gardiner also admitted possessing multiple videos of teenage boys masturbating that he’d obtained via Snapchat. While pretending to be female, he directed an as-yet-unidentified 14-year-old to produce CSAM in 2021. Gardiner posted CSAM on Twitter and exchanged CSAM in Telegram group that targeted minors.
Gardiner has used usernames that contain the words “noahmonn” and “jewelsbaits.” Anyone who believes they may have been targets of a sextortion attempt by Gardiner or others should contact local law enforcement or the FBI by calling Call 1-800-CALL-FBI, contacting your local FBI office, or reporting it online at tips.fbi.gov or cybertipline.org.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has detailed information on resources for sextortion victims, including videos and discussion guides to help explain the problem to children and adults. They also have a step-by-step guide on how to report pictures or videos of children to social media companies and flag pictures so that the companies will seek out and remove the images.
The FBI investigated the case with the assistance of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To’hajiilee Man Accused of Shooting Two Navajo Nation Police Officers Faces Federal ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A To’hajiilee man faces federal charges in connection with the shooting of two Navajo Nation Police Department officers.
According to court records, on March 6, 2026, Russell Secatero, 29, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, allegedly shot and injured two Navajo Nation Police Department officers during a law enforcement response to reports of gunfire near a residence in To’hajiilee, New Mexico.
Authorities allege Secatero hid inside a closet attached to the residence and fired at officers with a rifle, striking Officer John Doe in the arm and back and injuring Officer Jane Doe when a round hit her firearm and shrapnel struck her arm.
According to the criminal complaint, Officer John Doe returned fire, wounding Secatero, who was later transported along with both officers to a hospital.
Investigators reported recovering two AR-style rifles and shell casings from the closet where Secatero was found.
Secatero is charged federally with two counts each of assault with a dangerous weapon and discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. He will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Secatero faces 20 years in prison.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan is prosecuting the case.
An indictment or criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Three Drug Dealers Indicted in Akron Trafficking RingRead the Press Release
AKRON, Ohio – Three Akron men have been indicted for conspiring to traffic methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine throughout Summit County and the surrounding regions.
According to the allegations in the superseding indictment, from about April 2025 to February 2026 Erin House, 53, and Ishmael Wahid, 52, supplied Roy Wimberly, 50, with methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl to sell throughout Northeast Ohio. Investigators found that Wahid communicated often with House, who was the owner of House Brothers Trucking. During a search at a traffic stop on Interstate 71 in Medina County, approximately 8 kilograms of cocaine and approximately $144,000 in cash was found hidden in a compartment of a Peterbilt semi-truck driven by House and owned by House Brothers Trucking. At a separate search conducted at a public storage facility rented by Wahid, agents found approximately 25 kilograms of methamphetamine, 1 kilogram of cocaine, and approximately 5 kilograms of fentanyl. Wahid was later arrested at a traffic stop after agents seized additional methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine and more than $84,000 in cash from his vehicle. Wimberly’s residence was also subject to a court-authorized search warrant, and agents found approximately 2 kilograms of methamphetamine, fentanyl pills, and an arsenal of firearms.
All three men are charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Fentanyl, and Cocaine. Each defendant faces the following additional charges:
House is charged with:
- Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine.
Wahid is charged with:
- Distribution of Cocaine.
- Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
- Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl.
- Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine.
- Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin.
- Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition; prior convictions include Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine in 1996; Possession of Cocaine in 2003; Illegal Manufacturing of Drugs in 2003; and Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Heroin and Cocaine in 2015.
Wimberly is charged with:
- Distribution of Methamphetamine
- Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
- Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl
- Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense
- Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; prior conviction for Murder in 1996.
Items that federal agents seized throughout the investigation include:
- Approximately 27 kilograms of methamphetamine
- Approximately 5 kilograms of fentanyl
- Approximately 9 kilograms of cocaine
- More than $229,000 in cash
- DPMS AR Rifle, .233 caliber, and ammunition
- Bushmaster Carbon 15 Rifle, .223 caliber
- Glenfield Model 20 Rifle
- Ithaca Shotgun Model 37
- Smith and Wesson, 9mm caliber pistol
- Smith and Wesson, Model M&P, .380 caliber pistol, (with serial number removed)
- Kahr CW 45, .45 caliber pistol
- Ruger PC Rifle
- Mossburg 12 Gauge Shotgun
If convicted, each defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to the case, including each defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, their role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation.
The investigations leading to the indictment were conducted by the Homeland Security Investigations Cleveland Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Joseph P. Dangelo is leading the prosecution for the Northern District of Ohio.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Three Charged with Conspiring to Unlawfully Divert Cutting Edge U.S. Artificial Intelligence Technology to ChinaRead the Press Release
Today, an indictment was unsealed charging Yih-Shyan “Wally” Liaw, Ruei-Tsang “Steven” Chang, and Ting-Wei “Willy” Sun, for allegedly conspiring to divert high-performance computer servers assembled in the United States and integrating sophisticated U.S. artificial intelligence technology to China, in violation of U.S. export controls laws. Liaw, a U.S. citizen, and Sun, a citizen of Taiwan, were arrested today and will be presented in the Northern District of California. Chang, a citizen of Taiwan, remains a fugitive.
“The indictment unsealed today details alleged efforts to evade U.S. export laws through false documents, staged dummy servers to mislead inspectors, and convoluted transshipment schemes, in order to obfuscate the true destination of restricted AI technology—China,” said John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “These chips are the product of American ingenuity, and NSD will continue to enforce our export-control laws to protect that advantage.”
“The FBI’s investigation revealed that Liaw, Chang, and Sun allegedly conspired to sell billions of dollars’ worth of servers integrating sensitive, controlled graphic processing units to buyers in China, in violation of U.S. export control laws,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. “Controlling the export of sensitive U.S. artificial intelligence technology is essential to safeguarding our national security and defending the homeland. That’s why combating export violations is among the FBI’s highest priorities, and we will continue working with our law enforcement, private sector, and international partners to bring to justice all who take action to undermine U.S. national security.”
"As alleged in the Indictment, the defendants participated in a systematic scheme to divert massive quantities of servers housing U.S. artificial intelligence technology to customers in China," said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York. "They did so through a tangled web of lies, obfuscation, and concealment—all to drive sales and generate revenues in violation of U.S. law. Diversion schemes like those disrupted today generate billions of dollars in ill-gotten gains and pose a direct threat to U.S. national security. Our Office, along with our partners at the FBI and Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, will continue to doggedly investigate these illegal diversion schemes to bring to justice bad actors who aim to profit from illegally exporting U.S. artificial intelligence technology."
“Yih-Shyan Liaw, Ruei-Tsang Chang, and Ting-Wei Sun allegedly defrauded the United States by diverting hundreds of servers with advanced artificial intelligence capabilities to Chinese customers,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr of the New York Field Office. “These defendants allegedly fabricated documents, staged bogus equipment to pass audit inventories, and used a pass-through company to conceal their misconduct and true clientele list. The FBI will hold accountable individuals who use American companies to provide export-controlled technology to our adversaries.”
The entirety of the text of the indictment and the descriptions of the indictment constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation. According to the allegations contained in the indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:
To protect U.S. national security and foreign policy interests, the U.S. Department of Commerce has implemented license requirements for the export and reexport of artificial intelligence technologies to China and Hong Kong. In particular, the U.S. Department of Commerce has placed restrictions on the export and reexport of items that could make a significant contribution to the military potential or nuclear proliferation of other nations or that could be detrimental to the foreign policy or national security of the United States. For these reasons, among others, advanced artificial intelligence accelerator chips, and servers incorporating such chips, are subject to export license requirements for transfers to China and Hong Kong. Those regulations reflect a formal determination that the computing capabilities in advanced artificial intelligence accelerator hardware are of sufficient strategic significance that their transfer to China poses an unacceptable risk to national security.
Liaw is a co-founder, board member, and Senior Vice President of Business Development of a publicly traded U.S.-based manufacturer that designs and builds high-performance computer servers for artificial intelligence and cloud computing applications (the U.S. Manufacturer), including servers that integrate artificial intelligence graphics processing units (GPUs). Chang is a general manager in the U.S. Manufacturer’s Taiwan office. Sun is a third-party broker and “fixer” who has worked with Liaw, Chang, and others to divert U.S.-export controlled technology to China. Together, the defendants and others conspired to systematically divert the U.S. Manufacturer’s servers with certain GPUs to China without a license to do so from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The scheme operated as follows. Liaw and Chang, who worked closely with third-party brokers with customers based in China, directed certain executives of a company based in Southeast Asia (“Company-1”) to place purchase orders with the U.S. Manufacturer for servers with certain GPUs, purportedly for Company-1. Those servers were often assembled in the United States and shipped to the U.S. Manufacturer’s facilities in Taiwan, then delivered to Company-1 elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Company-1, in consultation with the defendants, then used a shipping and logistics company to repackage the U.S. Manufacturer’s servers and place them in unmarked boxes to conceal their content prior to shipping them to their final destinations in China. To ensure that these server allocations were approved internally at the U.S. Manufacturer, the defendants and executives at Company-1 prepared false documents and records, and transmitted false communications, purporting to show that Company-1 was the end user of the servers.
At the defendants’ direction, between 2024 and 2025, Company-1 purchased approximately $2.5 billion worth of servers from the U.S. Manufacturer, many of which were assembled in the United States. The defendants’ scheme became more brazen over time and resulted in massive quantities of servers with controlled U.S. artificial intelligence technology being sent to China. Between late April 2025 and mid-May 2025 alone, at least approximately $510 million worth of the U.S. Manufacturer’s servers, assembled in the United States, were diverted to China in violation of U.S. export control laws as part of the defendants’ scheme.
The defendants and their co-conspirators took extensive measures to conceal their scheme. As just one example, to deceive the U.S. Manufacturer’s compliance team, responsible for ensuring adherence to U.S. export control laws, the defendants staged thousands of “dummy” servers—non-working, physical replicas of the U.S. Manufacturer’s servers—for inspection at the locations where Company-1 was purportedly storing the servers it had purchased from the U.S. Manufacturer. However, the actual servers purchased by Company-1 from the U.S. Manufacturer had already been unlawfully shipped to China. Photographs of some of the dummy servers that were staged at a warehouse rented by Company-1 in connection with an August 2025 audit conducted by the U.S. Manufacturer are below:
Some of those same dummy servers were also later staged at a warehouse rented by Company-1 in an attempt to pass an inspection being conducted by the U.S. Department of Commerce of Company-1’s purchases of the U.S. Manufacturer’s servers. In advance of the inspection, SUN and one of the third-party brokers who works closely with the defendants to divert servers to China (“Broker-1”) staged dummy servers at the warehouse by, among other things, unboxing the dummy servers; using a hair dryer to remove and affix labels and serial number stickers to the server boxes and to the dummy servers themselves; and then re-packaging the dummy servers in the U.S. Manufacturer’s boxes. Surveillance cameras recorded their work and captured them preparing the dummy servers, including as shown in the images below, Sun (top) and Broker-1 (bottom):
Throughout the scheme, the defendants coordinated closely with each other, executives of Company-1, and third-party brokers with end customers in China using encrypted messaging applications. Those communications related to, among other topics, the quantities of servers for Company-1 to order, the locations in China where those servers were to be shipped, and efforts to conceal the nature of the scheme from the U.S. Manufacturer’s compliance team, U.S. authorities, and others. At no point did the defendants or the U.S. Manufacturer have a license from the U.S. Department of Commerce to export or reexport U.S.-manufactured servers to China.
Liaw, 71, of Fremont, California; Chang, 53, of Taiwan; and Sun, 44, of Taiwan, are each charged with one count of conspiring to violate the Export Controls Reform Act, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, one count of conspiring to smuggle goods from the United States, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 5 years, and one count of conspiring to defraud the United States, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 5 years.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.
The FBI, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, and the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section investigated the case.
This case is being handled by the Southern District of New York’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit and Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force and by the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Juliana N. Murray, David J. Robles, and Kevin T. Sullivan for the Southern District of New York and Trial Attorneys Maria Fedor and Mark Murphy of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Three Charged with Conspiring to Unlawfully Divert U.S. Artificial Intelligence Technology to ChinaRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, Assistant Director of the Counterintelligence and Espionage Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Roman Rozhavsky, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the FBI, James C. Barnacle, Jr., announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging YIH-SHYAN “Wally” LIAW, RUEI-TSANG “Steven” CHANG, and TING-WEI “Willy” SUN, for conspiring to divert high-performance computer servers assembled in the United States and integrating sophisticated U.S. artificial intelligence technology to China, in violation of U.S. export controls laws. LIAW, a U.S. citizen, and SUN, a citizen of Taiwan, were arrested today and presented in the Northern District of California. CHANG, a citizen of Taiwan, remains a fugitive. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos.
“As alleged in the Indictment, the defendants participated in a systematic scheme to divert massive quantities of U.S. artificial intelligence technology to customers in China,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “They did so through a tangled web of lies, obfuscation, and concealment—all to drive sales and generate revenues in violation of U.S. law. Diversion schemes like those disrupted today generate billions of dollars in ill-gotten gains and pose a direct threat to U.S. national security. Crimes involving sensitive technology must be met with swift action otherwise the law is meaningless. I commend the women and men of our Office, the FBI, and the Department of Commerce for their swift action in identifying, charging, and stopping this brazen evasion of our laws that protect national security and U.S. competitiveness. We will continue to doggedly investigate and prosecute these illegal diversion schemes.”
“The FBI’s investigation revealed that Liaw, Chang, and Sun allegedly conspired to sell billions of dollars’ worth of servers integrating sensitive, controlled graphic processing units to buyers in China, in violation of U.S. export control laws,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. “Controlling the export of sensitive U.S. artificial intelligence technology is essential to safeguarding our national security and defending the homeland. That’s why combating export violations is among the FBI’s highest priorities, and we will continue working with our law enforcement, private sector, and international partners to bring to justice all who take action to undermine U.S. national security.”
“Yih-Shyan Liaw, Ruei-Tsang Chang, and Ting-Wei Sun allegedly defrauded the United States by conspiring to divert significant quantities of servers with advanced artificial intelligence capabilities to Chinese customers,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. “These defendants allegedly fabricated documents, staged bogus equipment to pass audit inventories, and used a pass-through company to conceal their misconduct and true clientele list. The FBI will hold accountable individuals who use American companies to provide export-controlled technology to our adversaries.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:[1]
To protect U.S. national security and foreign policy interests, the U.S. Department of Commerce has implemented license requirements for the export and reexport of artificial intelligence technologies to China and Hong Kong. In particular, the U.S. Department of Commerce has placed restrictions on the export and reexport of items that could make a significant contribution to the military potential or nuclear proliferation of other nations or that could be detrimental to the foreign policy or national security of the United States. For these reasons, among others, advanced artificial intelligence accelerator chips, and servers incorporating such chips, are subject to export license requirements for transfers to China and Hong Kong. Those regulations reflect a formal determination that the computing capabilities in advanced artificial intelligence accelerator hardware are of sufficient strategic significance that their transfer to China poses an unacceptable risk to national security.
LIAW is a co-founder, board member, and Senior Vice President of Business Development of a publicly traded U.S.-based manufacturer that designs and builds high-performance computer servers for artificial intelligence and cloud computing applications (the “U.S. Manufacturer”), including servers that integrate artificial intelligence graphics processing units (“GPUs”). CHANG is a general manager in the U.S. Manufacturer’s Taiwan office. SUN is a third-party broker and “fixer” who has worked with LIAW, CHANG, and others to divert U.S.-export controlled technology to China. Together, the defendants and others conspired to systematically divert the U.S. Manufacturer’s servers with certain GPUs to China without a license to do so from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The scheme operated as follows. LIAW and CHANG, who worked closely with third-party brokers with customers based in China, directed certain executives of a company based in Southeast Asia (“Company-1”) to place purchase orders with the U.S. Manufacturer for servers with certain GPUs, purportedly for Company-1. Those servers were often assembled in the United States and shipped to the U.S. Manufacturer’s facilities in Taiwan, then delivered to Company-1 elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Company-1, in consultation with the defendants, then used a shipping and logistics company to repackage the U.S. Manufacturer’s servers and place them in unmarked boxes to conceal their content prior to shipping them to their final destinations in China. To ensure that these server allocations were approved internally at the U.S. Manufacturer, the defendants and executives at Company-1 prepared false documents and records, and transmitted false communications, purporting to show that Company-1 was the end user of the servers.
At the defendants’ direction, between 2024 and 2025, Company-1 purchased approximately $2.5 billion worth of servers from the U.S. Manufacturer, many of which were assembled in the United States. The defendants’ scheme became more brazen over time and resulted in massive quantities of servers with controlled U.S. artificial intelligence technology being sent to China. Between late April 2025 and mid-May 2025 alone, at least approximately $510 million worth of the U.S. Manufacturer’s servers, assembled in the United States, were diverted to China in violation of U.S. export control laws as part of the defendants’ scheme.
The defendants and their co-conspirators took extensive measures to conceal their scheme. As just one example, to deceive the U.S. Manufacturer’s compliance team, responsible for ensuring adherence to U.S. export control laws, the defendants staged thousands of “dummy” servers—non-working, physical replicas of the U.S. Manufacturer’s servers—for inspection at the locations where Company-1 was purportedly storing the servers it had purchased from the U.S. Manufacturer. However, the actual servers purchased by Company-1 from the U.S. Manufacturer had already been unlawfully shipped to China. Photographs of some of the dummy servers that were staged at a warehouse rented by Company-1 in connection with an August 2025 audit conducted by the U.S. Manufacturer are below:
Some of those same dummy servers were also later staged at a warehouse rented by Company-1 in an attempt to pass an inspection being conducted by the U.S. Department of Commerce of Company-1’s purchases of the U.S. Manufacturer’s servers. In advance of the inspection, SUN and one of the third-party brokers who works closely with the defendants to divert servers to China (“Broker-1”) staged dummy servers at the warehouse by, among other things, unboxing the dummy servers; using a hair dryer to remove and affix labels and serial number stickers to the server boxes and to the dummy servers themselves; and then re-packaging the dummy servers in the U.S. Manufacturer’s boxes. Surveillance cameras recorded their work and captured them preparing the dummy servers, including as shown in the images below, in which SUN (left) and Broker-1 (right) are circled in white:
Throughout the scheme, the defendants coordinated closely with each other, executives of Company-1, and third-party brokers with end customers in China using encrypted messaging applications. Those communications related to, among other topics, the quantities of servers for Company-1 to order, the locations in China where those servers were to be shipped, and efforts to conceal the nature of the scheme from the U.S. Manufacturer’s compliance team, U.S. authorities, and others. At no point did the defendants or the U.S. Manufacturer have a license from the U.S. Department of Commerce to export or reexport U.S.-manufactured servers to China.
* * *
LIAW, 71, of Fremont, California; CHANG, 53, of Taiwan; and SUN, 44, of Taiwan, are each charged with one count of conspiring to violate the Export Controls Reform Act, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of conspiring to smuggle goods from the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; and one count of conspiring to defraud the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the FBI and its New York Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, and the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. Mr. Clayton also thanked the FBI’s San Francisco Field Office and the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for their assistance.
This case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit and Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Juliana N. Murray, David J. Robles, and Kevin T. Sullivan are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorneys Maria Fedor and Mark Murphy of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the descriptions of the Indictment constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Tennessee Woman Sentenced to 40 Months in Prison for Conspiring to Create and Distribute Videos Depicting Monkey Torture and MutilationRead the Press Release
A Tennessee woman was sentenced today to 40 months in prison and three years of supervised release in connection with her involvement with online groups dedicated to creating and distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys.
Katrina Favret, of Greeneville, Tennessee, pleaded guilty on Nov. 7, 2025, to conspiring to create and distribute so-called “animal crush videos,” and with creating animal crush videos.
According to court documents, Favret used encrypted chat applications to direct money to individuals in Indonesia willing to create videos depicting acts of sadistic violence against baby and adult monkeys. Favret would send specific instructions describing the acts of torture she wished to see and would then distribute the resulting videos to others in the online group.
According to a statement of facts Favret signed, the videos in question included numerous depictions of extreme violence and torture against monkeys that had been specifically requested by the defendant and her co-conspirators.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II for the Southern District of Ohio made the announcement.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and FBI investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Mark Romley and Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Pakiz for the Southern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.
Tallahassee Man Sentenced to Decade in Federal Prison for Attempting to Have Sex with a MinorRead the Press Release
Tallahassee, Florida – Joseph Edward Hudson, 38, of Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced to ten years in federal prison for attempting to entice or persuade a minor to engage in sexual activity. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said, “Parents must be aware that sexual predators like this defendant have more ways than ever to prey upon our kids using internet and social media platforms to try to sexually exploit them. Fortunately, our state and federal law enforcement partners are relentless in their efforts to identify and stop those disgusting criminals before they can victimize our children, and it remains one of my office’s top priorities to aggressively prosecute these cases to keep these predators locked away in prison to ensure our kids are safe.”
Court documents reflect that between April 10, 2025, and April 12, 2025, detectives of the Tallahassee Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies, along with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, participated in a joint undercover operation in Tallahassee focused on identifying individuals using the Internet to sexually exploit children. During the operation, investigators identified the defendant, an adult male who was soliciting minors for sex through a social media platform. The defendant believed that he was going to be engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl when he drove to a meeting location where he was immediately arrested.
After serving his 10 years of imprisonment, Hudson will have to serve 15 years on supervised release and register as a sexual offender.
“Attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity is a grave crime that threatens the safety and well-being of our children,” said Homeland Security Investigations Tallahassee Assistant Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Ingegno. “This sentence reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting vulnerable youth and holding offenders fully accountable. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who seek to exploit children online.”
The case involved a joint investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department and the U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. The case was being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.