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Tuesday 10 March 2026
Hagerman Man Sentenced in Federal Firearms and Drug Trafficking Case Adopted from Fifth Judicial District Attorney’s OfficeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A previously convicted felon was sentenced to 100 months in prison following multiple encounters with law enforcement which resulted in the recovery of multiple firearms and large quantities of narcotics.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, between June 2022 and January 2025, Jorge De La Cruz, 30, a previously convicted felon, was repeatedly found in possession of firearms and large quantities of narcotics during multiple encounters with law enforcement in Roswell and elsewhere in New Mexico. During these incidents, officers recovered several firearms, including stolen handguns, along with methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Specifically, on June 28, 2022, Roswell Police officers responded to a report of De La Cruz armed and using drugs. Officers recovered a loaded stolen .38 revolver, methamphetamine, and other narcotics from his vehicle.
During a February 7, 2023, traffic stop, Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force (CCMNTF) agents seized methamphetamine, fentanyl, and multiple firearms from De La Cruz.
On April 16, 2024, CCMNTF agents executed a search warrant at a residence where De La Cruz was present. Officers recovered a loaded handgun, fentanyl, methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and additional firearms stored in a vehicle at the property.
In a traffic stop on October 2, 2024, Pecos Valley Drug Task Force agents recovered nearly 15 grams of methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, and multiple firearms from a vehicle driven by De La Cruz.
At a highway checkpoint on January 7, 2025, Border Patrol agents located 94 grams of fentanyl, methamphetamine, a stolen firearm, drug paraphernalia, and ammunition in a backpack inside a vehicle with De La Cruz. Phone records later confirmed he had coordinated the distribution of these narcotics.
On October 21, 2025, De La Cruz pled guilty to five counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, three counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Upon his release from prison, he will be subject to five years of supervised release.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Acting Special Agent in Charge Taekuk Cho of Homeland Security Investigations El Paso made the announcement today.
HSI El Paso investigated this case with assistance from the Roswell Police Department U.S. Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kirk Williams and Renee Camacho prosecuted the case.
Green Township man sentenced to 2 years in prison for constructing pipe bombsRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A Green Township man was sentenced in federal court here today to 24 months in prison for constructing three pipe bombs.
Robert Gilb, 51, caused the detonation of three improvised explosive devices (IED) in Hamilton and Butler counties in March and April 2025.
Specifically, on April 12, 2025, Hamilton County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to Miami Township for a report of a loud explosion. They discovered what appeared to be a blast crater and components of an improvised explosive device (IED).
Further investigation revealed that there were two prior incidents in Morgan Township
that had similar characteristics to the incident in Miami Township. Butler County sheriff’s deputies had responded to incidents there on March 23 and March 28. Witnesses saw Gilb in his white BMW near the site of at least one of the devices when it exploded.
A search of Gilb’s residence revealed materials consistent with the construction of destructive devices.
Gilb was indicted in June 2025 and pleaded guilty in October 2025 to possessing an unregistered destructive device.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Jason Cromartie, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, as well as the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, Butler County Sheriff's Office, Ohio State Fire Marshalls Office, Greater Cincinnati HAZMAT, Green Township Police Department and Green Township Fire Department, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Jeffery P. Hopkins. Assistant Deputy Criminal Chief Timothy S. Mangan is representing the United States in this case.
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German National Sentenced to 121 Months in Prison for Enticement and Sexual Abuse of A MinorRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that THOMAS ALEXANDER BRANDENSTEIN, a German national, was sentenced today to 121 months in prison by Judge Lewis A. Kaplan in connection with BRANDENSTEIN’s enticement of a 15-year old minor victim (the “Minor Victim”) to engage in sexual activity, and then traveling across state lines in order to engage in illicit sexual activity with the Minor Victim in 2023. On September 8, 2025, BRANDENSTEIN pled guilty to one count of enticement of a minor before U.S. Magistrate Judge Valerie Figueredo.
“Brandenstein twice traveled from Germany to New York to entice a minor victim—over forty years his junior—to engage in illegal sexual acts,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Thanks to the extraordinary investigative work of our law enforcement partners at HSI and NYPD, Brandenstein was apprehended before he could prey on other innocent victims. Sexual abuse of children can cause severe trauma, often lasting into victims’ adulthood or their entire lives. This needs to stop. New Yorkers want law enforcement to do everything we can to prevent underage abuse, and we will. Today’s sentence underscores our commitment to prosecuting those who engage in predatory sexual behavior with our city’s children.”
According to the Indictment, other public court documents, and statements made during court proceedings:
From March 2023 through September 2023, BRANDENSTEIN, a German national, enticed a 15-year-old boy residing in New York (the “Minor Victim”) to engage in illegal sexual activity. While in Germany, BRANDENSTEIN, who was 57-years-old at the time, used internet-enabled messaging applications to send sexually explicit communications to the Minor Victim, including an image of a naked male in which the male’s penis was exposed. BRANDENSTEIN also sent sexually explicit videos to the Minor Victim, which depicted BRANDENSTEIN lying in bed, blowing kisses, and exposing his penis and masturbating, among other things. BRANDENSTEIN further communicated with the Minor Victim over these messaging applications about his plans to travel to New York with his spouse and co-defendant JOHN-PHILIPP PIEHL-BRANDENSTEIN, who is also a German national, and sent the Minor Victim a video message depicting the two men on an airplane and writing, “next stop, New York.”
In June 2023, BRANDENSTEIN and PIEHL-BRANDENSTEIN traveled from Germany to the United States. In July 2023, they arrived in New York, where they met with the Minor Victim to engage in illegal sexual activity at a Manhattan hotel (the “Hotel”). BRANDENSTEIN and PIEHL-BRANDENSTEIN reserved a room at the Hotel from July 5, 2023 until July 13, 2023. BRANDENSTEIN brought the Minor Victim to the Hotel where BRANDENSTEIN and PIEHL-BRANDENSTEIN engaged in illegal sexual activity with the Minor Victim. Some of that illegal sexual activity was video recorded by BRANDENSTEIN. On July 13, 2023, BRANDENSTEIN and PIEHL-BRANDENSTEIN departed from New York and returned to Germany.
Following the July 2023 trip, BRANDENSTEIN continued to maintain consistent contact with the Minor Victim through frequent video calls, some of which involved sharing sexually explicit conduct. Several images recovered from BRANDENSTEIN’s phone, which was seized incident to his arrest, depict stills of those video calls.
In September 2023, BRANDENSTEIN returned to the United States for the purpose of engaging in additional sex acts with the Minor Victim. The defendant made a reservation at a hotel in Brooklyn where he directed the Minor Victim to meet him. On September 29, 2023, the defendant flew from Berlin to Queens, New York. The defendant was arrested upon arriving at the airport.
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In addition to the prison sentence, BRANDENSTEIN, 59, of Berlin, Germany, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative efforts of Homeland Security Investigations and the New York City Police Department.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights and Human Trafficking Unit in the Criminal Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitzi S. Steiner is in charge of the prosecution.
Fraud Ring Members Sentenced for $3.5 Million Credit Card SchemeRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Five individuals have been sentenced for their roles in a large-scale credit card fraud and money laundering scheme that resulted in more than $3.5 million in fraudulent charges.
Willan Pupo, 38, was sentenced to 132 months in federal prison; Joel Castillo, 39, to 58 months; William Castillo, 42, was sentenced to 55 months in federal prison; Miriam Pupo, 36, to 37 months; and Jessica Forpomes, 40, to 36 months. Each defendant previously pleaded guilty to commit money laundering.
“This was a coordinated fraud ring that generated more than $3.5 million in fake charges by manipulating point-of-sale systems, stolen credit cards, and shell companies,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “They exploited legitimate businesses, abused financial systems, and shifted losses onto banks and processors. Large-scale fraud like this undermines confidence in our financial markets. Those who build criminal enterprises around deception and stolen data will face serious federal prison time.”
According to court records, from at least February 2023 through June 2024, the defendants orchestrated a credit card fraud and money laundering scheme involving more than $3.5 million in fraudulent charges. To carry out the scheme, the defendants used legitimate businesses and shell companies to obtain point-of sale (POS) devices from merchant processors. These devices allowed them to process credit and debit card transactions and route funds into accounts under their control.
Once equipped with the POS devices, the defendants conducted fraudulent transactions in several ways. First, they used credit cards belonging to associates to generate sham purchases for goods and services that were never provided. Those associates later disputed the charges to obtain refunds. Second, the defendants purchased stolen credit card numbers on the dark web and through encrypted messaging platforms, including Telegram, and used those numbers to process unauthorized transactions. Third, they use credit cards stolen from the mail to conduct additional fraudulent purchases.
After processing the fraudulent transactions, the defendants quickly transferred or withdrew the proceeds from the associated bank accounts to prevent discovery by merchant processors. When victims reported the fraudulent charges, credit card issuers reversed the transactions, leaving merchant processors and financial institutions to absorb the losses.
To further facilitate the scheme, William Castillo, Willan Pupo, and Joel Castillo accessed a database containing extensive personal identifying information, including names, aliases, dates of birth, social security numbers, addresses, and other sensitive data. They used this information to identify and exploit victims, enabling them to activate stolen credit cards and accelerate their fraudulent activity.
As part of their efforts to make restitution, Joel and William Castillo have paid over $800,000 to date.
In addition to the credit card fraud scheme, Willan Pupo and Joel Castillo admitted to using shell companies to fraudulently obtain Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), receiving more than $650,000 in proceeds.
U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones, Special Agent in Charge Rafael Barros of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office, and Assistant Inspector General for Investigations (AIGI) Scott Moffit of the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), Cybercrimes Investigations Division (CCID), made the announcement.
USSS Miami and TIGTA investigated the cases.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Quin Landon prosecuted the cases. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Annika Miranda and Robin Waugh, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx Calderon, handled asset forfeiture.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case numbers 25-cr-20184 (Miriam Pupo), 24-cr-20302 (Joel Castillo and Willan Pupo), 25-cr-20185 (Forpomes), and 25-cr-20177 (William Castillo).
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Fort Dodge Man to Federal Prison for Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
A man who possessed stolen and unregistered short-barreled firearms was sentenced yesterday to more than eight years in federal prison.
Jason Jay Hoogland, 38, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, received the prison term after a September 31, 2025, guilty plea to one count of possession of an unregistered firearm-short barreled.
At the hearings, Hoogland admitted that on January 20, 2025, in Fort Dodge, he possessed a stolen pistol and a short-barreled 20-gauge shotgun which was not registered to him as required by law. Law enforcement located these items, and drug paraphernalia, at defendant’s residence which was searched after Hoogland used a gun to assault a man at a local hospital. Later, on April 23, 2025, in Fort Dodge, Hoogland possessed another stolen firearm and short-barreled firearms not registered to him. Law enforcement located these items when aiding in the eviction of Hoogland from the residence where he was staying.
Hoogland was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Hoogland was sentenced to 97 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Hoogland is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Fort Dodge Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-CR-03033. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Former restauranteur sentenced to 30 months in prison for defrauding elderly victimRead the Press Release
Seattle – The former owner of a Lake Sammamish restaurant was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle 30 months in prison for wire fraud and filing a false tax return in connection with his theft from a former elderly customer, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Richard Dale Radcliffe, 62, admitted on November 12, 2025, that he illegally took $515,000 from the financial accounts of an elderly woman he befriended for the purpose of personally benefiting from her wealth. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Lauren King said, “(The victim) trusted and believed that you would use her money for her care… You used your access and control over accounts to enrich yourself…. You exploited her for your gain to the tune of half a million dollars.”
“This defendant ingratiated himself into the life of an elderly widow, encouraging her to make him and his family beneficiaries in her will,” said First Assistant Neil Floyd. “But he did not wait for her death to start taking her money – he raided her accounts to pay for his own luxuries. His callous conduct is deserving of this prison sentence.”
According to documents filed in the case, Radcliffe cultivated a friendship with a widow who lived near his restaurant after he learned about her significant wealth. The widow was elderly and suffering cognitive decline. Within a few months of their friendship beginning, Radcliffe arranged for a friend of his to serve as the power of attorney for the victim, with Radcliffe still having access and control over the victim’s bank accounts. Radcliffe became the beneficiary of her will shortly thereafter. The victim had no surviving family members, and trusted Radcliffe to assist her with her finances and take care of her bills. Radcliffe abused his access to her accounts and used her money for his own real estate purchases, gambling, travel, and restaurant operation expenses. He convinced his friend, as power of attorney, to liquidate over $800,000 from the victim’s retirement account to fund the purchase of a home for himself in North Carolina by falsely claiming that he was entitled that amount as reimbursement for money that he spent on the victim’s care and for remodeling her home.
The victim ultimately moved into an assisted living facility and passed away in November 2020. The facility where the victim lived noted that Radcliffe resisted paying for extra services and supplies she needed, claiming she did not have the money to pay for them. Instead, Radcliffe moved into her $2 million waterfront home and later inherited her sizable estate.
Following the victim’s death, Radcliffe attempted to claim a life insurance benefit by posing as her deceased spouse. The life insurance company reported the fraud attempt to the FBI, thus kicking off the federal investigation. However, numerous local investigations were already underway because several individuals reported their concerns to Washington State Adult Protective Services and the King County Sheriff’s Office about Radcliffe’s exploitative behavior.
In asking for a 46-month sentence Assistant United States Attorney Grace Zoller wrote to the court, “at its core, this case is about taking advantage of someone in their most vulnerable state. Radcliffe met an elderly widow, alone for the first time in over fifty years following the death of her partner, who was suffering from cognitive decline and (he)saw it as an opportunity to line his own pockets. Radcliffe manipulated that elderly widow with attention and flattery to the point she believed she was in a romantic relationship with Radcliffe…”
When Radcliffe filed his taxes in February 2021, he failed to report the $437,000 he embezzled from the victim’s accounts. That additional income resulted in a tax liability of $124,000 he did not report to the IRS. As part of his plea agreement Radcliffe will pay $124,000 to the IRS.
“It was exceptionally cold-hearted of Mr. Radcliffe to prey on this victim’s loneliness and age," said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. "He befriended her to take advantage of her, stealing her money, taking her home and estate. But ultimately, Mr. Radcliffe’s greed caught up with him, resulting in today’s well-deserved prison sentence. The FBI, IRS, and other partners will carefully follow the money to hold fraudsters accountable for their crimes.”
“While Mr. Radcliffe’s victim is, unfortunately, no longer with us, we’re glad the public knows her story,” said Carrie Nordyke, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Seattle Field Office. “We hope this ruling gives pause to fraudsters who think they can escape accountability by targeting the vulnerable.”
Radcliffe will be on supervised release for three years following prison and was ordered to pay a $20,000 fine in addition to the forfeiture of $515,000 and $124,000 restitution to the IRS.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), with valuable assistance from the King County Sheriff’s Office and Washington State Adult Protective Services. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica Manca and Grace Zoller.
Former Randolph postal employee pleads guilty to stealing gift card from the mailRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Melissa Olson, 47, of Randolph, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to theft of mail by postal employee, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright, who is handling the case, stated Olson was hired by the United States Postal Service (USPS) in 2023 as a rural carrier associate assigned to the Randolph Post Office. Between April and May 2023, Olson opened a stamped, first-class mail envelope that had been entrusted to her for delivery and removed a Visa gift card from the envelope. Olson also admitted that on various dates in 2023, she opened various envelopes and mail that were entrusted to her for delivery, and rifled through the items, delaying their delivery.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent-in-Charge Northeast Field Office.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 9, 2026, before Judge Sinatra.
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Former Gastonia Police Officer Sentenced to Prison for Straw Purchasing A FirearmRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A former Gastonia police officer was sentenced to prison today for straw purchasing a firearm, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Xana Dayanae Dove, 28, was sentenced to 15 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release.
Reid Davis, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, and Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
“No one is above the law,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “We stand behind our law enforcement officers and support them as they work hard to reduce violent crime in our community. But when they become criminals that instead contribute to that crime, they get no special treatment.”
“Law enforcement officers are entrusted with significant authority and very few choose to violate that trust, but those instances will not be tolerated. The FBI, and our law enforcement partners, remain committed to accountability and protecting the integrity of the criminal justice system. We thank the officers who proudly protect and serve their communities every day,” said Special Agent in Charge Davis.
According to filed documents and the court hearing, on May 25, 2023, Dove purchased a Springfield Hellcat Pro, 9mm pistol from Shooters Express, a licensed firearms dealer located in Belmont, North Carolina. As Dove previously admitted in court, in completing the purchase, she made a false and fictitious written statement when she falsely stated on ATF’s Firearms Transaction Record Form 4473 that she was the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm when the defendant knew this statement was false and fictitious.
At today’s sentencing hearing, the Court also ordered the forfeiture of a Springfield Hellcat Pro 9mm pistol. Dove will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended the FBI and ATF for their work on the investigation, and thanked Homeland Security Investigations, the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction’s Community Supervision, and the Gastonia Police Department for their assistance with Dove’s apprehension.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dana Washington with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Former Corrections Officer and Mililani Resident Sentenced to over 5 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Kenneth Kazuichi Arasato, Jr., 63, of Mililani, Hawaii, was sentenced today to 63 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release for possessing child pornography. Arasato was also ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to an identified victim.
Arasato, a former corrections officer, pled guilty on August 28, 2025 to a two-count indictment charging him with possession of child pornography. According to information presented to the Court at sentencing, Arasato used an encrypted communications platform and password-protected vault application on his cellular phone to hide his activities. He possessed over 200 images of child pornography, including at least one image that depicted an infant and other images that depicted prepubescent minors.
The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mohammad Khatib 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 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.
Florida Man Sentenced to 73 Months in Prison for Nationwide Mass-Mailing Scam Targeting Small BusinessesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that ROBERT W. LEDERHILGER III was sentenced today to 73 months in prison for perpetrating a seven-year scheme to defraud small businesses across the United States, which resulted in losses of nearly $9 million to tens of thousands of victims. In September 2025, the defendant was convicted following a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter, who imposed today’s sentence.
“Robert Lederhilger stole millions of dollars from tens of thousands of small businesses, $180 at a time,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Lederhilger thought his large scale, small sum fraud would go undetected. He was wrong. Stealing $5 million $180 at a time got him 73 months. Fraudsters like him should beware. This Office and our law enforcement partners will work to bring to justice anyone who takes advantage of the good people of New York and beyond. Today’s sentence reinforces that message.”
According to the Indictment, statements made in public court proceedings and filings, and the evidence at trial:
Between 2015 and 2022, LEDERHILGER designed and ran a sophisticated fraud scheme in which he mailed, and caused others to mail, nearly three million deceptive mailers that falsely appeared to their recipients—primarily small businesses that already had websites—to be invoices for purported web hosting services. The invoices typically listed $180 as the amount due. Tens of thousands of victims, believing that they owed the defendant money for web hosting services, paid the defendant’s “invoices.” Those victims, whose websites were hosted by other providers, received nothing from the defendant except another “invoice,” a year later, asking for more money. LEDERHILGER personally obtained at least approximately $5.2 million from the scheme.
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In addition to the prison term, LEDERHILGER, 44, of Bradenton, Florida, was sentenced to 3 years of supervised release and ordered to pay forfeiture of approximately $5.2 million. The Court further ordered LEDERHILGER to pay restitution in an amount to be determined later.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Getzel Berger, Camille L. Fletcher, Kevin Grossinger, and Daniel G. Nessim are in charge of the prosecution.
Florida Man Arrested for Stealing More Than Half a Million Dollars of Onions and PotatoesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Jason Canals (39, Spring Hill) has been arrested and charged with eight counts of interstate transport of stolen property. If convicted on all counts, Canals faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Canals that the United States intends to forfeit the proceeds traceable to the offenses. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to the indictment, Canals perpetrated multiple schemes to defraud wholesale produce companies. In one scheme, Canals, without permission, used a company’s name and email signature block to send communications to victim companies requesting produce. While the shipments were enroute, Canals diverted the produce to a new location and never paid the victim companies. In a separate scheme, Canals provided victim companies false documentation making the companies believe he had prepaid for the produce, when no such payment was ever made. In total, between the cost of the produce and its transportation, Canals’s schemes resulted in a loss of over $600,000 to the victim companies.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by United States Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Merrilyn E. Hoenemeyer.
Federal judge convicts man who fraudulently received $32 million business tax refund checkRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – A federal judge has found an Atlanta-area man guilty of wire fraud and theft of public funds. In a separate bench trial, a second man was also found guilty of filing a false, retaliatory lien against a different federal judge.
Christopher Dowtin, 49, of Jonesboro, Georgia, fraudulently converted two businesses’ IRS accounts to his name and address. The defendant received tax refund checks – including one for more than $32 million – that were to be paid out to these two businesses.
Two months after Dowtin’s arrest on the tax crimes, Bondary McCall, 64, of Lithia Springs, Georgia, filed a false lien in the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation claiming that Senior U.S. District Court Judge Thomas M. Rose owed Dowtin $32 million. Judge Rose was originally presiding over Dowtin’s fraud case.
The verdicts were announced on March 9 following bench trials before Senior U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice.
According to court documents and trial testimony, Dowtin fraudulently submitted IRS forms claiming to be the responsible party for two separate companies.
In December 2024, the IRS processed eight Change of Address or Responsible Party-Business forms associated with Dowtin. Dowtin’s requests for changes were completed and accepted. He ultimately received two tax refund checks for those companies: one in the amount of $32,495,888.58 and one in the amount of $26,156.50.
Dowtin traveled from Georgia to Ohio with the two checks to open an account in the Southern District of Ohio.
On Feb. 13, 2025, Dowtin took the checks to a Morgan Stanley office in Beavercreek, Ohio, and attempted to negotiate the funds into a brokerage account in a trust in his name. Dowtin told the Morgan Stanley financial advisor that the two companies were paying him for illegally using his “personhood.” He said the payments owed to him had been transferred to him from the IRS. The financial advisor verified that the checks were valid U.S. Treasury checks.
On Feb. 19, 2025, an executive director at Morgan Stanley contacted the United States Secret Service and IRS Criminal Investigation regarding the suspicious nature of the checks and Dowtin’s supporting paperwork. The checks were seized by law enforcement.
Dowtin was charged and arrested in April 2025. He is convicted of wire fraud (punishable by up to 20 years in prison) and theft of public funds (up to 10 years in prison).
McCall faces up to 10 years in prison for making a retaliatory lien against a federal official.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); and Jason Rees, Special Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service; announced the verdicts. Assistant United States Attorneys Amy M. Smith and Erica D. Lunderman are representing the United States in the cases.
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Federal charges filed in fatal Houston Heights carjacking and shootingRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – An 18-year-old Houston man is now facing federal carjacking and firearms charges following a fatal shooting in the Heights area and subsequent vehicle and foot pursuit, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Darius Dewayne Hall is in custody on related state charges and is expected to make his appearance in federal court in the near future.
The federal criminal complaint alleges Hall shot the victim on the evening of March 6, stole the vehicle she was driving, changed his clothes to avoid identification, and engaged in a vehicle and foot pursuit before his arrest.
According to the allegations, the victim had dropped off a friend at an apartment complex in the Heights area of Houston after, spending the day at MD Anderson Cancer Center. She then parked the vehicle - a 2019 Toyota Highlander - on the street and began walking back toward the residence.
Shortly thereafter, the charges allege witnesses heard a female scream, followed by a loud popping sound. Hall was allegedly seen going through the victim’s purse near the area before driving off in the Toyota Highlander. According to the allegations, the victim had suffered a single gunshot wound to the neck. Authorities took her to Memorial Hermann Hospital where medical personnel pronounced her deceased shortly after midnight.
Law enforcement was able to locate the stolen Toyota Highlander and attempted a traffic stop, but it fled, according to the complaint. A short pursuit resulted in a crash, at which time Hall ran from the driver’s side and attempted to evade capture on foot, according to the charges.
Hall was allegedly wearing the same clothing observed at the shooting scene. However, during the ensuing foot chase, law enforcement recovered clothing Hall had allegedly discarded as he fled before they took him into custody.
The federal carjacking charge carries up to a life sentence or the possibility of death. He also faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life if convicted of the related firearms offense. Both convictions could also result in a $250,000 maximum possible fine.
FBI-Houston Field Office conducted the investigation with the assistance of Houston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron H. Black is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Federal Jury Finds Sarasota Woman Guilty of Making Threats on TikTokRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida –A federal jury has found Desiree Doreen Segari (41, Sarasota) guilty of interstate communication of a threat to injure. Segari faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 5, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
Segari was indicted on September 18, 2025.
According to evidence presented at trial, on August 17, 2025, Segari posted a video on TikTok calling for MAGA supporters to be shot on sight. Segari stated, “so if we all get our guns and use our second amendment right…and you see somebody with a MAGA hat, ‘pew pew’ that’s what we do, that’s the way, it’s the only way.” While saying “pew pew,” Segari used hand gestures mimicking the firing of a gun. She further stated, “Put them back in their basements, make them scared again to be racist, homophobic, and terrible just awful [expletive],” and “MAGA people deserve to be terrified and scared to walk in the streets because they should know that real Americans are gonna [mouths expletive] kill them.” When Segari posted the video, she included a caption: “#seemagapewpewmaga starting a new trend, hope it catches on. Please spread the word. Share this video. Repost it. Use the hashtag all over the internet. Let's go guys. It's time to fight back in a potentially effective manner.”
The next day, Segari posted another video on TikTok, in which she stated, “See MAGA pew pew MAGA, see MAGA pew pew MAGA, see MAGA pew pew MAGA so these [expletive] know we ain’t here to play” while again using hand gestures to mimic the firing of a gun.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Sinacore.
Fraudster Sentenced to Federal Prison for COVID & Bankruptcy SchemesRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Sean Eric Thompson, 44, formerly of Pace, Florida, was sentenced to four years in prison after previously pleading guilty in federal court to five counts of wire fraud, three counts of making a false statement, six counts of money laundering, and three counts of bankruptcy fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration and the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Florida. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This defendant tried to rip off the federal government by enriching himself with U.S. taxpayer funds intended to help small businesses struggling during the COVID pandemic, and then followed that up with further fraud during subsequent bankruptcy proceedings. My office remains committed to ensuring every last fraudster who stole taxpayer money during the COVID pandemic is held accountable.”
Court documents reflect that in May 2021, the defendant, who was a partial owner of a business that owned a brewery and restaurant, electronically submitted a fraudulent Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) application and supporting documents to the Small Business Administration (SBA). The RRF was created to provide funding for restaurants, bars, and similar businesses that served food and drink to keep their doors open during the COVID-19 pandemic. The application and supporting documents electronically submitted by the defendant falsely stated that the business had sustained $1,128,233 in COVID-19 related losses, and on May 25, 2021, the SBA paid $1,128,233 in RRF funds into an account designated by the defendant.
The defendant then spent the RRF funds on personal expenses, including transferring substantial funds to his personal investment account. Specifically, between August and November 2021, the defendant transferred $150,000 in RRF funds to his personal investment account.
In August 2023, the defendant filed for bankruptcy. The petition and schedules submitted by the Defendant contained a number of materially false statements and omissions, including failing to disclose the RRF funds and the defendant’s interest in a second, unrelated business. In connection with his bankruptcy proceeding, the defendant then testified falsely under oath during a September 2023 meeting of his creditors. Finally, in February 2024, the defendant caused fraudulently altered financial statements to be submitted to the trustee administering his bankruptcy estate.
“Pandemic relief funds were created to support businesses in crisis, not enrich individuals like Mr. Thompson,” said FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley. “The FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate and hold accountable anyone who abuses public trust and defrauds critical government programs for personal gain.”
“SBA Office of Inspector General remains committed to aggressively pursuing individuals who exploited pandemic relief programs for personal gain,” said Jason Xerri, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the SBA OIG’s Eastern Regional Office. SBA-OIG will continue working with our law enforcement partners to investigate fraud, protect taxpayer funds, and ensure those who abused these critical programs are held accountable.”
The case involved a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric W. Welch.
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 for the Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Federal Child Pornography & Immigration Charges for Pensacola Illegal AlienRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Osman Edgardo Cubas-Alvarenga, 36, of Pensacola, Florida, was indicted by a federal grand jury charging him with one count of production of child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography, and one count of illegal reentry into the United States by an unlawful alien. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges today.
Jury trial is scheduled for April 20, 2026, at 8:30 am before United States District Court Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II.
If convicted, Cubas-Alvarenga faces a mandatory minimum 15 years’ imprisonment and up to 30 years’ imprisonment. Cubas-Alvarenga remains in the custody of the United States Marshals Service in the Santa Rosa County Jail pending trial.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case 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.
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 comprises agents and officers from multiple agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.
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 available 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.
Eagle River man sentenced to 10 years for possessing a firearm as a felon during a crime of domestic violenceRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Eagle River man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for using a prohibited firearm during a crime of domestic violence.
According to court documents, in November 2023, Anchorage police officers were called after a bystander contacted a female victim after she escaped a domestic violence assault. The victim told police that Kyle Reynolds, 28, strangled her, slashed the tires of her vehicle and threatened her with a pistol. Reynolds also took the victim’s phone so she could not report the assault.
Anchorage police officers arrested Reynolds that same day. Officers recovered the knife Reynolds used to slash the victim’s tires and a handgun in Reynolds’ truck.
Shortly after his arrest, Reynolds called his mother and co-defendant, Elizabeth Chardome, 68, from custody and allegedly instructed her to force entry to his residence and attempt to secure a second firearm. Court documents alleged that Chardome, knowing that her son was prohibited from possessing firearms, purchased for Reynolds the firearm used to assault the victim.
Before the charged conduct, Reynolds had a prior felony conviction for assault and failing to stop at the direction of a peace officers resulting in injury. Reynolds is also a recidivist domestic violence offender.
On April 22, 2024, Reynolds was charged by complaint with one count of being a felon in possession of firearms. On Aug. 21, 2024, Chardome and Reynolds were indicted by a federal grand jury with crimes related to the November 2023 incident. Chardome is charged with one count of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm and is scheduled for trial on April 27, 2026.
During sentencing, the Court also ordered Reynolds to serve three years on supervised release following the completion of his custodial sentence.
“Mr. Reynolds’ extensive criminal history reflects repeated abuse of women and a persistent disregard for the law,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “This sentence sends a clear message that violent crimes committed with prohibited firearms will be met with significant penalties under federal law. I commend the survivor’s remarkable courage and the swift actions of law enforcement in holding Reynolds accountable.”
“This sentence reflects the seriousness of the defendant’s actions. Mr. Reynolds escalated an already dangerous domestic violence situation with a firearm he was prohibited from possessing,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais of the ATF Seattle Field Division. “When someone with a history of violence chooses to arm themselves, both the victim and community are at even greater risk. Our agency will continue to prioritize protecting survivors and ensuring that those who repeatedly commit acts of violence face meaningful consequences.”
The ATF Anchorage Field Office and Anchorage Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Alexander prosecuted the case.
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Dominican National Pleads Guilty to Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national unlawfully residing in Lawrence, Mass. pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Jose Alberto Tejeda Turbi, 46, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for April 2, 2026. In January 2026, Tejeda Turbi was indicted by a federal grand jury.
In July 2015, Tejeda Turbi was convicted in federal court in Boston of heroin distribution and conspiracy, for which he was sentenced to five years in prison and four years of supervised release. Tejeda Turbi was deported from the United States in March 2020 upon his completion of the sentence imposed.
Sometime after his March 2020 removal, Tejeda Turbi illegally reentered the United States without permission.
In June 2024, Tejeda Turbi was sentenced in Lawrence District Court to two years in prison for assault and battery resulting in serious bodily injury and three years of probation for remaining charges.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad A. Rocheville of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
Department of Justice Releases First-Ever Corporate Enforcement Policy for All Criminal CasesRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice released today the first-ever Department-wide corporate enforcement policy for criminal matters, promoting uniformity, predictability, and fairness in how it pursues white-collar cases to protect the American people.
“This Department of Justice is committed to transparency and fairness, and our first-ever Department-wide corporate enforcement policy is yet another example of that,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “This policy draws on decades of experience across the Department and creates incentives for companies to come forward and do the right thing when misconduct occurs so that we may hold accountable the individual wrongdoers. Well-intentioned businesses know that, across the Department, they will be rewarded when they self-disclose wrongdoing, cooperate with our investigations, and remediate the misconduct. But for those that do not, make no mistake — we will not hesitate to seek appropriate resolutions against companies and individuals alike that perpetrate white collar offenses that harm American interests.”
“The Criminal Division has a long and storied history of corporate enforcement, and the corporate enforcement policy announced today takes the principles the Division has long promoted — disclosure, cooperation, and remediation — and applies them uniformly across the Department,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Division’s own corporate enforcement policy traces its roots to 2016. Since that time, based on our experience prosecuting the most sophisticated white-collar schemes, we refined our approach, culminating in the revisions announced in May 2025. Having helped craft the Department-wide policy, our prosecutors will continue to reward good corporate behavior, seek individual accountability, and root out criminal conduct in our mission to protect the American people.”
The Department-wide Corporate Enforcement Policy (CEP) provides concrete benefits to incentivize companies to voluntarily disclose discovered misconduct, cooperate with our investigations, and timely and appropriately remediate the wrongdoing. For companies that do, absent certain limited aggravating circumstances, the Department will decline to prosecute the company. Incentivizing corporate self-disclosures — while still permitting prosecutions in appropriate circumstances — allows the Department to quickly pursue culpable individuals, secure justice for victims, and deter white-collar crime, all while not unduly burdening American businesses. The CEP also provides predictability for companies and their counsel that approach these issues as it applies to all corporate criminal cases across the Department (aside from those relating to antitrust), superseding all component-specific or U.S. Attorney’s Office-specific corporate enforcement policies currently in effect.
Cincinnati man sentenced to prison for laundering proceeds of romance fraud conspiracy that scammed dozens of victims out of more than $2 millionRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – Richard Opoku Agyemang, 41, of Cincinnati, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 41 months in prison for laundering the proceeds of a romance fraud conspiracy involving more than $2 million in losses to dozens of victims.
For years, Agyemang laundered millions of dollars in fraud proceeds to others in the United States and abroad and kept a substantial sum for himself.
The targets of the conspiracy were elderly or recently bereaved people who were looking for love on dating websites. As part of the romance fraud scheme, other individuals used stolen photographs and false information to create profiles on dating websites and establish online romantic relationships with victims. Victims were tricked into sending money under the false pretense that doing so would support a romantic partner for things like medical expenses.
Victims in this case detailed having to sell their homes and vehicles, cash in life insurance policies and 401k accounts, and max out credit cards because of their financial losses from the scam.
Many perpetrators were individuals living in Ghana. Because Agyemang lived in the United States, he was able to open American bank accounts to receive the fraud proceeds, which he then laundered to other accounts in the United States and in foreign countries.
According to court documents, victims sent more than $2 million by either wiring money or depositing checks to accounts controlled by Agyemang.
Separately from his money laundering, Agyemang also defrauded the Small Business Administration during the COVID-19 pandemic by fraudulently obtaining a Paycheck Protection Program loan requesting pandemic relief funds. He ultimately received a loan for nearly $21,000 that was later forgiven.
The defendant was charged federally in April 2024 and pleaded guilty in September 2025. As part of his sentence, the Court has ordered him to pay nearly $1.4 million in restitution to the individual victims who could be identified and approximately $20,800 in restitution to the Small Business Administration.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Lesley Allison, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Pittsburgh Division, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Matthew W. McFarland. Assistant United States Attorneys Julie D. Garcia and Ebunoluwa A. Taiwo are representing the United States in this case.
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Chief Judge Orders Another Lengthy Federal Sentence in Smuggling Case Involving Kidnapping and Rape of a Pregnant WomanRead the Press Release
DEL RIO, Texas – An Eagle Pass man was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio on Monday to 170 months in prison for conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens causing serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.
According to court documents, Rodolfo Daniel De Hoyos aka “Rufles,” 22, was arrested on Nov. 22, 2021, in Kinney County. A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper observed three passengers in De Hoyos’s vehicle, each wearing dirty clothing, hiking boots, and camouflage backpacks. De Hoyos admitted that the three passengers were illegal aliens whom he was transporting to Del Rio. He said he would be paid $1,500 for smuggling the aliens, who were determined to be from Guatemala.
De Hoyos was arrested again in August 2023 for transporting illegal aliens for co-conspirator Anthony Ballones Jr. Information corroborating the admission was found in De Hoyos’s cell phone. The August 2023 smuggling event involved transporting a family of illegal aliens from San Antonio to Austin. The family, consisting of a man, a pregnant woman, and their seven-year-old child, were taken hostage by the Alien Smuggling Organization. In addition to sexually assaulting the pregnant woman, the defendants threatened to kill the woman’s seven-year-old boy if payments were not made, and they also threatened to sell the woman’s unborn baby if they did not get the money they sought. On July 9, 2023, a relative paid at least $1,000 to the ASO due to the threats made toward the family. Still, the ASO continued to demand payment to different accounts as a condition for the release of the aliens.
De Hoyos had been working with Ballones Jr. for approximately one year. He pleaded guilty to count one of a six-count indictment on Nov. 26, 2024.
On Feb. 11, co-defendant Juan Antonio Flores was sentenced to 212 months for his role in the case. Co-defendants Edwin Alfredo Barrientos-Mateo and Nelson Abilio Castro-Zelaya were sentenced to 360 months and 180 months in federal prison, respectively. Tomas Estrada-Torres was sentenced to 151 months. Four other co-defendants, Ambar Obregon, Pedro Ruiz Gonzalez, Armando Garcia-Martinez, and Ballones Jr., have pleaded guilty and are pending sentencing. Chief U.S. District Judge Alia Moses presides over the case.
ICE Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Miner prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
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California Man Sentenced to over 5 Years in Federal Prison for Multimillion-Dollar Fraud Scheme Targeting More Than a Dozen VictimsRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Richard Patterson, Jr., 44, of Norco, California, was sentenced yesterday to 68 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release for conspiring to commit wire fraud and failing to appear for a court hearing. Patterson was also ordered to pay $2,030,000 in restitution to more than 15 identified victims.
As admitted in his August 2025 plea agreement, Patterson and his two coconspirators, Dashawn Hill and Judy Ramos, carried on an “advance payment scheme,” wherein they made fraudulent representations to solicit upfront investments of between $5,000 and $550,000 from victims. Patterson and his coconspirators claimed they would use these upfront monies to pay fees for financial products that would generate 200% to 1000% risk-free returns. Patterson and his coconspirators instead used the victims’ money to pay for their living expenses, travel, entertainment, rent, and other personal expenses. According to court documents, Patterson used the money to live a millionaire’s lifestyle, renting a luxury condominium at Ala Moana, buying luxury goods, and enjoying luxury travel. As part of the scheme, Patterson held himself out under the alias “Xavier Carter,” used a fake accent, and claimed to be a foreign national when presenting himself as “Xavier Carter.” Collectively, Patterson and his coconspirators defrauded victims of over $2 million.
A week before his federal fraud trial was set to begin on October 28, 2024, Patterson failed to appear for two in-person court hearings. Patterson ceased communications with his counsel, refused to travel to Hawaii, and then fled the Central District of California, where he was out on bond. Patterson was arrested in the Southern District of California and brought back to Hawaii. His flight led to the continuance of the scheduled trial.
Co-defendants Dashawn Hill and Judy Ramos each also pled guilty pursuant to plea agreements and are scheduled to be sentenced on June 2, 2026 and May 13, 2026, respectively.
The FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Albanese prosecuted the case.
Bridgeport Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking FentanylRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ANGEL ECHEVARRIA, also known as “Frenchie” and “Gordo,” 30, of Bridgeport, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to 60 months of imprisonment and four years of supervised release for distributing fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2024, the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and Bridgeport Police Department investigated an open-air drug market that was operating in the area of Noble Avenue and Shelton Street in Bridgeport. The investigation included court-authorized wiretaps, physical surveillance, and controlled purchases of narcotics. Between March and September 2024, investigators made 11 controlled purchases of narcotics, primarily fentanyl, from various sellers, including Echevarria. At the time, Echevarria had pending state firearm possession and narcotics distribution charges and was released on bond.
Echevarria has been detained in state custody since September 11, 2024. On October 27, 2025, he pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
This investigation has been conducted by the FBI Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force, the Bridgeport Police Department, and the Stratford Police Department. The Task Force is composed of personnel from the FBI, Connecticut State Police, and the Bridgeport, Norwalk, and Trumbull Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren C. Clark.
Binghamton Man Charged for Threats to President, ICE AgentsRead the Press Release
BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK – Jeffrey Scott Hamm, Jr., age 32, of Binghamton, NY appeared in federal court Friday, February 27, for an initial appearance on a charge of making threats to the President and federal agents using interstate communications.
First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Division Craig Tremaroli made the announcement.
The Complaint alleges that on multiple dates in January, 2026, Hamm posted comments on YouTube threatening violence against the President, unnamed ICE agents, and supporters of the President.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarcone stated: “The defendant used interstate communications to threaten President Trump, ICE agents, and others with acts of violence. This Office, together with the FBI, will pursue anyone who makes such threats swiftly and aggressively. The defendant would have been better off saving his breath; now he’ll have plenty of time to reflect on his words while facing the consequences for them in federal court. Threats of this nature will not be tolerated, and anyone who ignores this warning will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Special Agent in Charge Tremaroli stated: “Mr. Hamm tried to hide behind a keyboard, but this arrest should prove if you’re making dangerous threats of violence online, the FBI will find you and hold you accountable. Threats of violence against the President, public officials, law enforcement, or any member of our community are illegal and will not be tolerated. FBI Albany will continue to leverage the partnerships and resources of our Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) to identify, investigate, and ensure anyone taking part in such illegal activity is brought to justice.”
Hamm appeared in federal court on Friday, February 27 in Binghamton, New York before United States Magistrate Judge Miroslav Lovric and was ordered detained pending further proceedings.
The charges in the Complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The charge filed against Hamm carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
The FBI is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen C. Green is prosecuting the case.
Beaverton Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Sexually Exploiting Minors Online and Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Beaverton, Oregon, man was sentenced to federal prison today for sexually exploiting multiple minors online and receiving sexually explicit images and videos of the minor victims.
Misael Flores Ramirez, 35, was sentenced to 262 months in federal prison and 15 years of supervised release.
According to court documents, it was reported that, from April 2023 through September 2023, Flores Ramirez was in contact with a 12-year-old minor victim. Flores Ramirez sent over 30 sexually explicit images and videos of himself to a minor victim who he met on the social media application Wink. Flores Ramirez requested and received over 30 images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from the minor victim and threatened to stop talking if the images were not sent.
A search of Flores Ramirez’s phone revealed over 2,000 images of CSAM and contact with other minors. Specifically, beginning in February 2023 through March 2023, Flores Ramirez requested and received sexually explicit images from a 14-year-old minor victim. He then shared the videos and images of the minor victim with multiple Telegram users. Flores Ramirez used WhatsApp and Telegram chatrooms devoted to trading CSAM to receive images and share videos of minor victims.
On September 10, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a five-count indictment charging Flores Ramirez with sexual exploitation of children, transfer of obscene matter to a minor, and distributing, receiving, and possessing child pornography.
On September 18, 2025, Flores Ramirez pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of children and receipt of child pornography.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charlotte Kelley prosecuted the case.
Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children is encouraged to contact HSI at (866) 347-2423 or submit a tip online at report.cybertip.org.
This case was brought in collaboration with Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Arrest Made in Domestic Violence ShootingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Tyjuan Bazemore, 35, of Washington, D.C., was arrested and charged for shooting and killing his former girlfriend Nyesha Tranae Walden-Hatcher in the early hours of February 2, 2026, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Bazemore was charged with one count of second-degree murder while armed and made his initial appearance before Superior Court Magistrate Judge Renee Raymond on March 10, 2026, where Judge Raymond found probable cause that Bazemore committed the offense and ordered that Bazemore be held without bond pending trial.
Bazemore will next appear before Judge Park for a preliminary hearing on March 20, 2026.
According to court documents, while Bazemore and Walden-Hatcher were in his apartment, Bazemore shot the victim once in the head, causing her death. In between the homicide and the date of his arrest, Bazemore fled to Connecticut. Members of the Connecticut Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force located Bazemore and assisted with his extradition to D.C.
At the time of this killing, Bazemore had an open domestic violence assault case concerning the victim. Bazemore was ordered, as a condition of his release, to stay away from her.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Dinan.
These charges are 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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Akron Career Offender Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Trafficking Meth, Fentanyl, and CocaineRead the Press Release
AKRON, Ohio – A Summit County man has been sentenced to prison for possessing and intending to distribute more than 1,400 grams of methamphetamine, as well as distribution quantities of fentanyl and cocaine, and for possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon.
Cedric Thomas, 47, of Akron, Ohio, was sentenced to 240 months (20 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge J. Philip Calabrese after pleading guilty in December 2025 to the following charges:
- Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
- Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl
- Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine
- Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition; prior convictions include Trafficking in Cocaine and Possession of Cocaine in 2008; and Trafficking in Marijuana in 2020.
Thomas was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release after imprisonment. Due to Thomas’ previous drug convictions, he was designated as a career offender.
According to court documents, detectives from the Akron Police Department Narcotics Unit began investigating Thomas’ suspected drug trafficking activity in November 2023. On Jan. 24, 2024, investigators executed a search warrant at his residence and caught Thomas attempting to flush drugs down a toilet. Investigators found that Thomas possessed 1,400 grams of methamphetamine, 29 grams of fentanyl, and 28 grams of cocaine, all intended for distribution throughout Northeast Ohio. Agents also seized:
- $2,132 in U.S. currency
- A Smith & Wesson model Bodyguard .380 caliber semiautomatic pistol
- A Taurus model GC3 9mm caliber semiautomatic pistol
- Miscellaneous ammunition
The investigation was conducted by the Akron Police Department Narcotics Unit.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter E. Daly for the Northern District of Ohio.
Aetna Agrees to Pay $117.7 Million to Resolve Allegations that it Violated the False Claims Act by Submitting or Failing to Correct Inaccurate Diagnoses for Medicare Advantage EnrolleesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced today that Aetna Inc., a national insurer incorporated under the laws of Pennsylvania, has agreed to pay $117,700,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting or failing to withdraw inaccurate and untruthful diagnosis codes for its Medicare Advantage Plan enrollees in order to increase its payments from Medicare.
“The government pays Medicare Advantage Organizations to facilitate vital healthcare to our seniors and other vulnerable citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “When corporations or individuals threaten the Medicare Advantage program by diverting those limited government resources through fraud, waste, or abuse, we will continue to pursue all available remedies against them.”
Under the Medicare Advantage (MA) Program, also known as Medicare Part C, Medicare beneficiaries may opt out of traditional Medicare and enroll in private health plans offered by insurance companies known as Medicare Advantage Organizations, or MAOs. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) pays MAOs a fixed monthly amount for each enrolled Medicare beneficiary. CMS adjusts these monthly payments to account for various “risk” factors that affect expected health expenditures for the beneficiary. In general, CMS pays MAOs more for sicker beneficiaries expected to incur higher healthcare costs and less for healthier beneficiaries expected to incur lower costs. To make these “risk adjustments,” CMS collects medical diagnosis codes from the MAOs.
Aetna owns and operates MAOs that offer MA plans to beneficiaries across the country. The United States alleges that Aetna submitted inaccurate and untruthful patient diagnosis data to CMS in order to inflate the payments it received from CMS, failed to withdraw the inaccurate and untruthful diagnosis data and repay CMS, and falsely certified in writing to CMS that the data was accurate and truthful. The settlement announced today resolves these allegations.
The United States contends that, for payment year 2015, Aetna operated a “chart review” program, under which it retrieved medical records (also known as “charts”) from healthcare providers documenting services provided to Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Aetna’s MA plans. Aetna retained diagnosis coders to review those charts to identify all medical conditions that the charts supported and to assign the beneficiaries diagnosis codes for those conditions. Aetna relied on the results of those chart reviews to submit additional diagnosis codes to CMS that the healthcare providers had not reported for the beneficiaries to obtain additional payments from CMS. According to the United States, Aetna’s chart reviews did not substantiate some diagnosis codes reported by providers that had previously been submitted by Aetna to CMS. Aetna did not delete or withdraw these inaccurate and untruthful diagnosis codes, however, which would have required Aetna to reimburse CMS. The United States alleges that Aetna used the results of its chart reviews to identify instances where Aetna could seek additional payments from CMS while improperly failing to use those same results when they provided information about instances where Aetna was overpaid. $106,200,000 of the settlement amount resolves those allegations.
The remaining $11,500,000 of the aggregate settlement amount resolves further allegations that, for payment years 2018 to 2023, Aetna obtained increased payments from CMS by knowingly submitting or failing to delete inaccurate and untruthful diagnosis codes for morbid obesity for individuals whose recorded BMI was inconsistent with a diagnosis of morbid obesity. The settlement related to morbid-obesity codes resolves a lawsuit filed under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private parties to sue on behalf of the government when they believe that a defendant has submitted false claims for government funds and receive a share of any recovery. The settlement provides for the whistleblower, a former Aetna risk-adjustment coding auditor, to receive a $2,012,500 share of the settlement amount. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Mary Melette Thomasv. Aetna Inc., et. al., No. 24-cv-339 (E.D. Pa.).
“The government pays private insurers over $530 billion each year to care for Americans enrolled in Medicare Advantage,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department's Civil Division. “We will continue to hold accountable insurers that knowingly submit inaccurate or unsupported diagnoses to improperly inflate reimbursement.”
“Medicare Advantage relies on accurate reporting and attempts to manipulate the system undermine both the program’s integrity and the beneficiaries it serves,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott J. Lampert of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Today’s settlement makes clear that no company is beyond accountability, no matter how large or well known. Those who seek to exploit Medicare Advantage should expect to be identified and held responsible, and HHS‑OIG will continue to protect taxpayer funds and the integrity of this vital program.”
The matter was handled in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter Carr and Gregory B. in den Berken, former auditor George Niedzwicki, and litigative consultant Lauren M. Cordrey, along with Civil Fraud Section attorney Nelson Wagner and Assistant Director, Edward C. Crooke. HHS-OIG assisted the investigation.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrate the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare 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 https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud/ or 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
3 Texas Tax Preparers Plead Guilty to Tax CrimesRead the Press Release
AUSTIN, Texas – A Texas return preparer pleaded guilty today to conspiring with his employees to defraud the United States by filing false federal tax returns on behalf of clients. This plea follows recent guilty pleas of two other Texas return preparers who both admitted to filing false tax returns on behalf of clients as part of the same scheme.
The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: From approximately January 2019 to October 2022, Mathews Chacko conspired with others to file returns for clients that contained false business expenses. These false expenses artificially reduced the taxes that Chacko’s clients owed to the IRS, which enabled them to receive refunds to which they were not entitled. At times, Chacko and his co-conspirators included false business expenses on client returns without their clients’ knowledge, then sometimes provided false explanations to clients justifying the false items. At other times, Chacko and his co-conspirators informed clients by email that they were submitting false information to the IRS. Chacko admitted to causing a tax loss to the United States exceeding $3.5 million but less than $9.5 million.
Chacko admitted to the conspiracy shortly after two of his co-conspirators also pleaded guilty to committing federal tax crimes. Over the same period, from approximately January 2019 to October 2022, Anish Pillai and Mou Kundu both prepared federal tax returns for clients that included materially false items, which resulted in clients receiving refunds larger than they were entitled to receive. Pillai admitted that he caused approximately $1.5 million to $3.5 million in losses to the United States. Kundu admitted that she caused between $250,000 and $550,000 in losses to the United States.
All three individuals will be sentenced at a later date. Chacko faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the IRS. Pillai and Kundu both face maximum penalties of three years in prison for helping clients file false tax returns. A federal district court judge will determine any sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the cases.
Trial Attorneys Marissa R. Brodney and Michael L. Jones of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section are prosecuting the cases.
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Monday 9 March 2026
Wholesale steel distributors settle Paycheck Protection Program false claimsRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – Seven Allied Crawford corporations who are wholesale steel distributors incorporated in seven separate states, including Virginia (Allied Companies), have agreed to pay $3,316,973.98 to settle civil False Claims Act (FCA) allegations arising from the submission of statements on their applications for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, specifically, that each of the Allied Companies falsely certified it was eligible to receive the loans.
The United States alleged that the Allied Companies received PPP loans of more than $2.7 million, which later were forgiven, after submitting statements on loan applications falsely certifying eligibility, and again on applications for forgiveness of the loans between February 2021 and October 2021.
The settlement began with a lawsuit, United States ex rel. GNGH2, Inc. v. Allied Crawford (Petersburg), Inc., filed under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims presented to the federal government and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. The whistleblower will receive a ten-percent share of the settlement. The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McIntosh.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Case records may be found on PACER under case number 3:25-cv-200.
The civil claims settled are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.
United States Asserts New Civil Forfeiture Theory Alleging Michael J. Miske Committed Suicide to Obstruct Criminal Forfeiture ProceedingRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that the government has moved for leave to amend its civil forfeiture complaint regarding the criminal proceeds of Michael J. Miske (“Miske”). The motion is based on evidence uncovered in an ongoing criminal investigation showing that Miske and others conspired to obstruct an earlier criminal forfeiture proceeding by smuggling fentanyl into prison so that Miske could die by overdose and thereby thwart the forfeiture of his criminal proceeds, estimated at over $20 million.
According to court documents, Miske was in prison pending sentencing at the time of his death on or about December 1, 2024, having been convicted by a federal jury on July 18, 2024 of racketeering conspiracy, murder, and 11 other felony charges. On July 24, 2024, in a related criminal forfeiture proceeding, the jury also found 27 assets seized from Miske forfeitable as property constituting or derived from proceeds of Miske’s racketeering activity. Miske’s death, however, resulted in the abatement of the criminal proceeding and criminal forfeiture proceeding. This abatement thwarted the government’s effort to obtain title to the assets subject to forfeiture because it terminated the criminal forfeiture proceeding. The government subsequently filed a civil forfeiture action as to those assets.
As alleged in court documents, an ongoing criminal investigation has uncovered evidence that Miske conspired with others to smuggle fentanyl into the Federal Detention Center, Honolulu (“FDC Honolulu”), which Miske used to commit suicide. Miske’s motivation in committing suicide was to interfere with the government’s criminal forfeiture of Miske’s seized assets, based upon advice Miske had received from his attorney(s). Miske arranged to provide a vehicle to another inmate who had been released from federal custody on conditions of supervised release. The vehicle was payment for the inmate deliberately violating his release conditions and smuggling fentanyl for Miske into FDC Honolulu when arrested and remanded into custody. Miske used small amounts of fentanyl in the day(s) leading up to his suicide, believing it would mislead investigators into thinking his death was an accidental overdose. As noted in court filings, the criminal investigation is still ongoing.
“Our criminal prosecution of Michael Miske demonstrated that he was a thug who used robbery, felony assaults, drug trafficking, fraud, chemical weapons attacks on his competitors, murder, and criminal obstruction to terrorize and intimidate Hawaii for many years,” said United States Attorney Ken Sorenson. “When he was found guilty by a brave Hawaii jury, Miske then resorted to a plan to frustrate the lawful forfeiture of his criminally derived property by scheming to kill himself while in federal custody awaiting sentencing. Today’s amended complaint demonstrates our solemn resolve to pursue criminally derived proceeds and deny criminals like Miske the power to dictate the fate of their ill-gotten gains.”
The assertions in the proposed second amended civil forfeiture complaint are merely accusations, and any potential defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. In the case of conviction, any sentence would be imposed by a United States District Judge based on the statutory sentencing factors and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
The FBI is investigating the criminal case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aislinn K. Affinito and Joseph McGinley and Trial Attorney Stephanie Williamson of the Money Laundering, Narcotics, and Forfeiture Section are prosecuting the civil forfeiture case.
Undocumented Romanian Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Fraud of Nearly $200,000 in 22 StatesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Monday sentenced a Romanian national to 21 months in prison and ordered him to repay the almost $200,000 he stole from a nationwide retailer via “sleight-of-hand” schemes.
Bobi Covaciu, 39, tricked store cashiers in at least 22 states into believing that he had paid the full amount of cash for a purchase. Covaciu counted out cash matching the purchase price and then took the cash back from cashiers and secretly pocketed bills, shortchanging the retailer by hundreds of dollars or more per transaction. Covaciu would then return the merchandise to a different store for a full cash refund. In at least 90 fraudulent transactions from February 2022 to September 2024, Covaciu stole about $196,220 in money and property.
Covaciu will be deported after his release from prison.
Covaciu’s criminal history shows that he became involved in the fraud scheme as early as December 2016, just one month after he illegally entered the U.S., a sentencing memo filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf says.
Covaciu pleaded guilty in December in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of wire fraud.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf prosecuted the case.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Concludes Investigation into Drug Overdose While in Police CustodyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced today that there is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights or District of Columbia charges against two officers with the Metropolitan Police Department arising out of the death of a 56-year-old District resident from a drug overdose that occurred on July 22, 2025.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Metropolitan Police Department Internal Affairs Division conducted a comprehensive review of the incident, which included a review of law enforcement and civilian accounts, Body Worn Camera footage, physical evidence, recorded radio communications, forensic reports, autopsy and toxicology reports, and reports from MPD.
According to the evidence, on July 22, 2025, two officers arrested Darrell Cox inside of a convenience store located in the 2900 block of Martin Luther King Avenue, S.E., Washington, D.C. Cox originally followed one of the officers into the store after he had been acting erratically outside on the sidewalk. Cox’ erratic behavior continued inside. When the owner of the store requested that Cox leave, a minor altercation ensued, and Cox was placed under arrest.
As the officers were waiting to transport Cox, his physical condition began to deteriorate. An ambulance, which had already been summoned to the scene, arrived and Cox was placed in the care of the medical technicians. The decision was made to take Cox to the Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center. Cox became completely unconscious shortly after arriving at the hospital. The physicians were unable to revive him, and he died on the scene. A subsequent autopsy revealed that Cox’s death was accidental and resulted from ingesting a combination of cocaine and phencyclidine (PCP).
After a careful, thorough, and independent review of the evidence, federal prosecutors found insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer willfully violated the civilian’s rights.
Investigations generally
The U.S. Attorney’s Office reviews all police-involved fatalities to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to conclude that any officers violated either federal criminal civil rights laws or District of Columbia law.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office remains committed to investigating allegations of excessive force by law enforcement officers and will continue to devote the resources necessary to ensure that all allegations of serious civil rights violations are investigated fully and completely. The Metropolitan Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division investigates all police-involved fatalities in the District of Columbia.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Begins March with 187 New Immigration Cases in Western District of TexasRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 187 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Feb. 27 to March 5, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for violent crimes, DWIs, and multiple prior removals.
Among the new cases, Mexican national Erick Eduardo Carillo-Fierro was charged with illegal re-entry after being arrested by USBP agents near Val Verde. His first deportation was Feb. 6, but he has been convicted three times in California. In 2009, Carillo-Fierro was sentenced to 15 years and 8 months in prison for carjacking and fleeing with a weapon from a pursuing officer. While serving that sentence in 2011, he was convicted for manufacturing a weapon in prison. In 2022, he was convicted for possessing narcotics, drugs, or alcohol in prison.
U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested Mexican national Jorge Salinas-Cabrera near Kinney on Monday. Salinas-Cabrera is charged with illegal re-entry after being previously deported four times, the most recent being on Aug. 16, 2025. In addition to a 2013 illegal re-entry conviction, his criminal history includes two convictions for assault causing bodily injury, one conviction for driving while intoxicated, and one for evading arrest.
Mexican national Luis Fidel Leos-Angel was encountered at the Bexar County Jail in January after he was arrested for assault causing bodily injury to a family member and evading arrest. He was released from the jail on Tuesday and transported to ICE Enforcement Removal Operations San Antonio for processing. Leos-Angel’s criminal history revealed he was previously convicted of aiding and abetting the transportation of an unlawful alien and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
In Austin, a Guatemalan national was arrested for a supervised release violation after serving a 27-month federal prison sentence. Freyman Mejia-Vasquez has been removed from the U.S. seven times, and his criminal record includes interfering with an emergency call, a DWI, and assault causing bodily injury.
Salvadoran national Oscar Enrique Ramos-Tepas is charged in Austin with illegal re-entry, having been previously removed from the U.S. twice. In 2024, he was convicted for assault impeding breath or circulation and tampering with evidence with intent to impair. Ramos-Tepas has also been convicted of a DWI, two violations of a protective order and two additional assaults causing bodily injury.
Mexican national Miguel Angel Torres-Rueda aka Everado Torres-Rueda was found in the Travis County Jail and detained by ICE. Torres-Rueda has been deported twice. His prior convictions include two DWIs, one assault causing bodily injury, and an improper entry by an alien.
Guatemalan national Efrain Celso Garcia-Pedro was found approximately 5.7 miles east of the Tornillo Port of Entry on Feb. 28. He had previously been removed on Aug. 29, 2025, four months after receiving 20 years of probation and community service in Cherokee County, Georgia for exploiting and inflicting pain to deprive essential services to a disabled or elder person.
Mexican national Armando Jose-Gaspar aka Armando Pedro Juan was also arrested in El Paso after he was found near the 4000 block of Truman Avenue. Jose-Gaspar has been removed from the U.S. 10 times, the last being in December through Nogales, Arizona.
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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Two ISIS Supporters Charged with Attempting to Detonate Explosive Devices During Protests Outside Gracie MansionRead the Press Release
Today, the Department of Justice announced charges against Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi alleging that they attempted to detonate two explosive devices in the vicinity of Gracie Mansion, and that they were acting in support of ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
“This was an alleged ISIS-inspired act of terrorism that could have killed American citizens,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will not allow ISIS’s poisonous, anti-American ideology to threaten this nation—our law enforcement officers will remain vigilant, as they were when these devices were brought to a protest.”
“These men allegedly sought to inflict mass casualties in service to ISIS with the hope of exceeding the carnage of the Boston Marathon bombing,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “We are tremendously grateful to the brave law enforcement officers who ran into harm’s way to apprehend these individuals and disarm the explosives before anyone was harmed. Thanks to the quick investigative work by federal law enforcement, this Department of Justice will prosecute these men who pledged allegiance to a foreign terrorist organization to the fullest extent.”
“The defendants allegedly support ISIS and tried to follow the path of that deadly group by attempting to detonate explosive devices in a crowd,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The FBI and our partners have no tolerance for terrorist organizations or those inspired by them to engage in attacks. We are committed to stopping acts of violence and will hold accountable those who seek to harm our citizens. I want to commend the brave NYPD officers who took action to prevent injuries or loss of life on the streets of New York.”
“This alleged act of terrorism, including the packing of metal shrapnel into explosive devices, reveal an intent to cause multiple deaths or serious injuries,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “This is a sober reminder of the threat posed by ISIS and its despicable ideology. NSD will continue to use all tools at its disposal to protect this Nation and its people.”
“As alleged, on Saturday, March 7, during a protest taking place outside Gracie Mansion on the Upper East Side, Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi attempted to detonate two improvised explosive devices amongst the protesters,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York. “Moreover, after being apprehended by NYPD officers, both Balat and Kayumi stated they were aligned with ISIS. Free speech and peaceable assembly are the bedrock of American democracy. Violence is not protected speech, and it’s not protected protest. In New York, violence—particularly acts of terror—will be met with swift justice. This investigation remains ongoing, and we encourage anyone with further information to please contact tips.fbi.gov online or 1-800-CALL-FBI.”
As alleged in the Complaint:
On or about March 7, 2026, a protest called “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City, Stop New York City Public Muslim Prayer” and a counter-protest called “Run Nazis Out of New York City” were held outside of Gracie Mansion in Manhattan, New York. Gracie Mansion is the official residence of the Mayor of New York City.
At approximately 12:15 p.m., Balat ignited and threw an explosive device (Device-1) toward the area where the protesters were gathered, as pictured below:
Immediately after throwing Device-1, Balat ran to another location down the block and received a second explosive device (Device-2) from Kayumi, as pictured below:
After apparently igniting Device-2, Balat dropped Device-2 near where several NYPD officers were standing, ran away from the NYPD officers, and jumped over a barricade. He was tackled and arrested by NYPD officers shortly thereafter, as was Kayumi. Pictured below are Balat mid-flight and Device-2 hitting the ground:
Following his arrest, while en route to the NYPD precinct, Balat stated to NYPD officers: “this isn’t a religion that just stands when people talk about the blessed name of the prophet . . . We take action! We take action!”; and “if I didn’t do it someone else will come and do it.” Then, after arriving at the NYPD precinct, Balat requested a piece of paper and, after being given a paper and pen, wrote the following: “All praise is due to Allah lord of all worlds! I pledge my allegiance to the Islamic State. Die in your rage yu [sic] kuffar! Emir B.” “Kuffar” is an Arabic term that refers to “non-believers” or “infidels,” and “Die in your rage” is a slogan used by ISIS.
Law enforcement officers later asked Balat if he was familiar with the Boston Marathon bombing, and if that was what Balat had hoped to accomplish. Balat responded: “No, even bigger. It was only three deaths.”
After Kayumi was arrested, and as he was being placed inside an NYPD vehicle to be transported from the scene to an NYPD precinct, an individual from the surrounding crowd yelled to Kayumi and asked why Kayumi had done this. Kayumi responded, “ISIS.” Then, at the NYPD precinct, in response to a question from law enforcement about whether he was affiliated with ISIS, Kayumi indicated that he was. He further stated, in substance and part, that: (i) he has watched ISIS propaganda on his phone; (ii) his actions that day were partly inspired by ISIS; (iii) he did not feel comfortable holding the Devices earlier that day; and (iv) he would not feel comfortable if the Devices were in the interrogation room with him.
After Balat and Kayumi were arrested and the Devices were secured, an FBI Special Agent Bomb Technician (SABT) conducted a preliminary examination of the Devices and determined that they were each approximately the size of a mason jar; that they each had an attached fuse; and that they each had nuts and bolts attached to the exterior, surrounded by duct tape. A preliminary analysis of Device-1, the device that Balat threw into the crowd of protesters, showed that it contained TATP, a highly volatile explosive that is colloquially known as the “Mother of Satan” and extremely sensitive to impact, friction, and heat. TATP has been used in multiple terrorist attacks over the last decade.
Pictured below are the contents inside Device-1 after it was opened by law enforcement:
On or about March 8, 2026, law enforcement officers located a parked vehicle registered to a family member of Balat a few blocks from Gracie Mansion. From inside the vehicle, law enforcement officers recovered a coiled green material consistent in appearance with hobby fuse, an empty metal can of the same approximate dimensions and appearance as the can recovered from inside Device-1, and a notebook containing handwritten notes. One page of the notebook contains the note “TATP explosive”; another page contains a list of chemical ingredients, including “hydrogen peroxide,” “sulfuric acid,” and “acetone”; and a third page contains a list of components and quantities, such as “aluminum can x6,” and “a box of bolts ect [sic] 2x.”
As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the charging instrument to date constitutes only allegations, and every fact described herein should be treated as an allegation.
Balat, 18, of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and Kayumi, 19, of Newtown, Pennsylvania, are charged with attempted provision of material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; use of a weapon of mass destruction, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison; transportation of explosive materials, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; interstate transportation and receipt of explosives, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; and unlawful possession of destructive devices, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The minimum and maximum potential sentences 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 efforts of the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force of the FBI, which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the NYPD, and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies. Mr. Clayton also thanked the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the New York State Police, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI Newark Field Office, the FBI Philadelphia Field Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their assistance.
This case is being handled by the National Security and International Narcotics Unit for the Southern District of New York. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan L. Bodansky and Jane Y. Chong are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney James Donnelly of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and paralegal specialist Juan Muñoz.
Two ISIS Supporters Charged with Attempting to Detonate Explosive Devices During Protests Outside Gracie MansionRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, Attorney General for the United States, Pamela Bondi, Deputy Attorney General for the United States, Todd Blanche, Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), James C. Barnacle, Jr., and Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), Jessica S. Tisch, announced today charges against EMIR BALAT and IBRAHIM KAYUMI alleging that they attempted to detonate two explosive devices in the vicinity of Gracie Mansion, and that they were acting in support of ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
“As alleged, on Saturday, March 7, during protests taking place outside Gracie Mansion on the Upper East Side, Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi attempted to detonate two improvised explosive devices amongst the protesters,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Moreover, after being apprehended by NYPD officers, both Balat and Kayumi stated they were aligned with ISIS. Free speech and peaceable assembly are the bedrock of American democracy. Violence is not protected speech, and it’s not protected protest. In New York, violence—particularly acts of terror—will be met with swift justice. This investigation remains ongoing, and we encourage anyone with further information to please contact tips.fbi.gov online or 1-800-CALL-FBI.”
“This was an alleged ISIS-inspired act of terrorism that could have killed American citizens,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will not allow ISIS’s poisonous, anti-American ideology to threaten this nation—our law enforcement officers will remain vigilant, as they were when these devices were brought to a protest.”
“These men allegedly sought to inflict mass casualties in service to ISIS with the hope of exceeding the carnage of the Boston Marathon bombing,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “We are tremendously grateful to the brave law enforcement officers who ran into harm’s way to apprehend these individuals and disarm the explosives before anyone was harmed. Thanks to the quick investigative work by federal law enforcement, this Department of Justice will prosecute these men, who pledged allegiance to a foreign terrorist organization, to the fullest extent.”
“Inspired by ISIS, a designated terrorist organization, Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi allegedly threw one improved explosive device, and attempted to toss another, into a crowd gathered on East End Avenue,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. “Balat and Kayumi sought to incite fear and mass suffering through this alleged attempted terror attack. Alongside the NYPD, the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force will not tolerate those who use violence against targets in New York City to broadcast their terrorist ideologies.”
“As alleged in the complaint, the crimes committed by Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi were not random,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “This was an act of ISIS-inspired terrorism. From the first moments since the attack, the NYPD has been working seamlessly with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, and I am deeply grateful for their partnership in this investigation. The men and women of the NYPD will continue to stand watch over this city and selflessly run towards the danger to keep the public safe.”
As alleged in the Complaint:[1]
On or about March 7, 2026, a protest called “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City, Stop New York City Public Muslim Prayer” and a counter-protest called “Run Nazis Out of New York City” were held outside of Gracie Mansion in Manhattan, New York. Gracie Mansion is the official residence of the Mayor of New York City.
At approximately 12:15 p.m., BALAT ignited and threw an explosive device (“Device-1”) toward the area where the protesters were gathered, as pictured below:
Immediately after throwing Device-1, BALAT ran to another location down the block and received a second explosive device (“Device-2”) from KAYUMI, as pictured below:
After apparently igniting Device-2, BALAT dropped Device-2 near where several NYPD officers were standing, ran away from the NYPD officers, and jumped over a barricade. He was tackled and arrested by NYPD officers shortly thereafter, as was KAYUMI. Pictured below are BALAT mid-flight and Device-2 hitting the ground:
Following his arrest, while en route to the NYPD precinct, BALAT stated to NYPD officers: “this isn’t a religion that just stands when people talk about the blessed name of the prophet . . . We take action! We take action!”; and “if I didn’t do it someone else will come and do it.” Then, after arriving at the NYPD precinct, BALAT requested a piece of paper and, after being given a paper and pen, wrote the following: “All praise is due to Allah lord of all worlds! I pledge my allegiance to the Islamic State. Die in your rage yu [sic] kuffar! Emir B.” “Kuffar” is an Arabic term that refers to “non-believers” or “infidels,” and “Die in your rage” is a slogan used by ISIS.
Law enforcement officers later asked BALAT if he was familiar with the Boston Marathon bombing, and if that was what BALAT had hoped to accomplish. BALAT responded: “No, even bigger. It was only three deaths.”
After KAYUMI was arrested, and as he was being placed inside an NYPD vehicle to be transported from the scene to an NYPD precinct, an individual from the surrounding crowd yelled to KAYUMI and asked why KAYUMI had done this. KAYUMI responded, “ISIS.” Then, at the NYPD precinct, in response to a question from law enforcement about whether he was affiliated with ISIS, KAYUMI indicated that he was. He further stated, in substance and part, that: (i) he has watched ISIS propaganda on his phone; (ii) his actions that day were partly inspired by ISIS; (iii) he did not feel comfortable holding the Devices earlier that day; and (iv) he would not feel comfortable if the Devices were in the interrogation room with him.
After BALAT and KAYUMI were arrested and the Devices were secured, an FBI Special Agent Bomb Technician (“SABT”) conducted a preliminary examination of the Devices and determined that they were each approximately the size of a mason jar; that they each had an attached fuse; and that they each had nuts and bolts attached to the exterior, surrounded by duct tape. A preliminary analysis of Device-1, the device that BALAT threw into the crowd of protesters, showed that it contained TATP, a highly volatile explosive that is colloquially known as the “Mother of Satan” and extremely sensitive to impact, friction, and heat. TATP has been used in multiple terrorist attacks over the last decade.
Pictured below are the contents inside Device-1 after it was opened by law enforcement:
On or about March 8, 2026, law enforcement officers located a parked vehicle registered to a family member of BALAT a few blocks from Gracie Mansion. From inside the vehicle, law enforcement officers recovered a coiled green material consistent in appearance with hobby fuse, an empty metal can of the same approximate dimensions and appearance as the can recovered from inside Device-1, and a notebook containing handwritten notes. One page of the notebook contains the note “TATP explosive”; another page contains a list of chemical ingredients, including “hydrogen peroxide,” “sulfuric acid,” and “acetone”; and a third page contains a list of components and quantities, such as “aluminum can x6,” and “a box of bolts ect [sic] 2x.”
* * *
BALAT, 18, of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and KAYUMI, 19, of Newtown, Pennsylvania, are charged with attempted provision of material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; use of a weapon of mass destruction, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison; transportation of explosive materials, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; interstate transportation and receipt of explosives, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; and unlawful possession of destructive devices, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The minimum and maximum potential sentences 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 efforts of the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force of the FBI, which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the NYPD, and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies. Mr. Clayton also thanked the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, the New York City Police Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the New York State Police, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI Newark Field Office, the FBI Philadelphia Field Office, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their assistance.
This case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan L. Bodansky and Jane Y. Chong are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney James Donnelly of the Counterterrorism Section and paralegal specialist Juan Muñoz.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the charging instrument to date constitutes only allegations, and every fact described herein should be treated as an allegation.
Two Admit Roles in Scheme Involving Millions of Dollars Stolen from Victims of Online ScamsRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that two men have pleaded guilty in Hartford federal court to conspiracy charges related to receiving, moving, and converting millions of dollars stolen from victims of online scams.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Richard Fasanella, a U.S. citizen who resided in Venezuela, connected with others who used various online scams, including romance scams, to defraud dozens of primarily elderly victims of millions of dollars. Between approximately 2018 and 2024, Fasanella opened numerous bank accounts in his own name and in the name of various sham companies, and he directed associates, including John J. Intoci, to open bank accounts in the name of various sham companies that Fasanella ultimately controlled. Fasanella, Intoci, and others used these bank accounts to deposit nearly $9 million in checks, cash, and money orders that had been mailed to them from scam victims. Fasanella, Intoci, and others kept a percentage of these funds for themselves, and Fasanella, with the assistance of Intoci and others, moved the remaining money to other bank accounts or financial institutions, and ultimately to the cryptocurrency wallets of the scam operators.
On several occasions, bank employees and law enforcement informed Fasanella that the money he received was from scammed victims, and Fasanella had several accounts closed and had money seized by law enforcement due to fraud. However, he continued to launder money for scammers he met on the internet.
Fasanella, 56, was deported from Bogota, Colombia, and has been detained since January 26, 2024. On March 3, 2026, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and illegal monetary transactions, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 26.
Intoci, 65, of Spring Hill, Florida, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years. He was arrested on January 16, 2025, and is currently released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for May 29.
This investigation is being conducted the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Global Illicit Financial Team (GIFT); and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and Migración Colombia. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Judicial Attaché Office in Bogotá provided assistance. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather Cherry and Stephanie Levick.
Tallahassee Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Theodore Roosevelt Robinson, Jr., 32, of Tallahassee, Florida, pleaded guilty to the federal charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi launched Operation Take Back America to devote the full power of the Department of Justice toward cleaning up our streets and removing violent criminals like this defendant from our communities. Our citizens deserve to live in safety, and that is exactly what my office will deliver with aggressive prosecutions of dangerous criminals.”
A federal investigation revealed that on or about September 16, 2025, the defendant sold a 12-gauge shotgun during a law enforcement operation. At the time of the firearm sale, the defendant was a felon and could not legally possess a firearm, based upon his prior convictions on state charges of possession of methamphetamines, drug trafficking, and attempted armed robbery.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 2, 2026, at 1:00 PM at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before District Judge Mark E. Walker. He faces up to fifteen years in prison, three years supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
The case involved an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph A. Ravelo prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
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.
Stilwell Resident Pleads Guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Tyler Morgan Doyle, age 37, of Stilwell, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Involuntary Manslaughter in Indian Country, punishable by up to eight years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Indictment alleged that on December 6, 2024, Doyle unlawfully killed the victim in the commission of an unlawful act not amounting to a felony, specifically, failing to devote full time and attention to driving, failing to comply with required obedience to traffic laws, and operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol.
The crime occurred in Wagoner County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Doyle will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lewis M. Reagan represented the United States.
Statement of U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton on the Convictions of Alon, Oren, and Tal AlexanderRead the Press Release
Federal sex offenses are all too prevalent in our society and all too often go unreported and unpunished. The truth is sex trafficking and other federal sex offenses are present in many walks of life and we have not done enough to root it out. The abuse inflicted upon the victims is disgusting, scarring, and should not be tolerated. Our prosecutors, and our law enforcement partners, are committed to breaking these conspiracies, bringing the perpetrators to justice, and sending a message to anyone who would commit or enable these horrific acts.
Today, we take an important step in our fight against sex trafficking.
Moments ago, a unanimous Manhattan jury found three brothers, Alon, Oren, and Tal Alexander guilty of multiple federal sex offenses, including conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. The verdict comes after a weekslong trial where evidence and testimony from 11 brave victims demonstrated that the Alexander brothers conspired to repeatedly lure, drug, and rape young women. These are chilling, reprehensible, and unacceptable acts. We commend the victims for their courage in coming forward and testifying at the trial. They bravely overcame the pain of reliving the abuses inflicted upon them and, as a result, prevented others from becoming victims.
We also commend the jury of New Yorkers for their attention, care, and commitment to our judicial system. The jury saw the Alexander’s conduct for what it was—calculated, brutal sexual abuse that, unimaginably, the defendants celebrated.
This verdict cannot undo the effects of heinous abuse the Alexanders’ many victims endured, but it does send a message: New Yorkers want to bring an end to sex trafficking in all our communities. We encourage anyone who has been a victim of federal sex offenses, or suspects such conduct, to contact our office or our law enforcement partners.
We also acknowledge and thank the women and men of this Office’s Civil Rights and Human Trafficking Unit and our valued colleagues at FBI-NYPD Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force for their commitment to this case. They worked tirelessly on behalf of all victims of sexual abuse and with an unwavering commitment to stopping sex trafficking.
If you have been the victim of sexual abuse, or believe you have seen evidence of sexual abuse, please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
St. Lawrence County Man Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Michael St. Denny, Jr., 36, of St. Lawrence County pled guilty on March 4, 2026, to distribution of child pornography.
First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) made the announcement.
As part of his guilty plea, St. Denny admitted that, in 2024, he distributed multiple child pornography files to other users of a social media messaging application, including files depicting the sexual abuse of prepubescent children including some as young as infants.
First Assistant United States Attorney Sarcone stated: “As the Supreme Court recognized over 40 years ago, distribution of child pornography is deeply harmful because the victims are forever haunted by the knowledge that the worst moments of their lives have been memorialized and perpetually viewed by perverted people looking for sexual gratification at their expense. My Office will never stop pursuing those who sexually exploit children, and I applaud our partners at HSI for vigorously investigating these matters.”
HSI Special Agent in Charge Keegan said: “Exploiting children is among the most appalling conduct our agents encounter, and the material distributed in this case reflects a level of cruelty that is simply beyond words. Each day, HSI Massena personnel utilize every tool at our disposal to find and bring to justice anyone who creates, shares, or profits from the sexual abuse of minors. Together with our law enforcement counterparts, HSI will not waver in our mission to stand between predators and the most vulnerable members of our communities.”
At sentencing on July 3, 2026, St. Denny faces a term of imprisonment of at least 5 and up to 20 years, a term of post-release supervision of at least 5 years and up to life, a fine of up to $250,000, restitution to the victims, forfeiture of the property he used to commit the offense, and registration as a sex offender. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statute the defendant violated, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case was investigated by HSI with the assistance of the New York State Police Computer Crimes Unit and the St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Gadarian as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
South Charleston Woman Sentenced to Prison for Role in Kanawha County Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Amanda Marie Mace, also known as “A,” 43, of South Charleston, was sentenced today to five years and 10 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Mace admitted to her role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the Charleston area between June 2024 and May 2025.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Mace took part in the conspiracy between June 2024 and April 2025. As part of her guilty plea, Mace admitted that she obtained at least 30 pounds of methamphetamine during the time period from co-conspirator Robert Ford, that Ford transported the drugs to West Virginia from Detroit, Michigan, and that she distributed the drugs to multiple customers including significant methamphetamine dealers within the Southern District of West Virginia.
Mace further admitted that she made $200 to $300 for each pound of methamphetamine she sold for Ford, and that her main customers who re-distributed the methamphetamine that she sold to them included co-conspirators Quanda Kiev Wilborne and Michael Allen Corkhill.
Mace has a criminal history that includes two prior convictions for drug-dealing offenses.
Mace, Ford, Wilborne, and Corkhill are among 16 individuals indicted as the result of a federal investigation on charges alleging they participated in the distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the Charleston area between June 2024 and May 2025. Five defendants in the main indictment pleaded guilty in addition to Mace. Wilborne, also known as “Quan” and “Queso,” 30, of Charleston, was sentenced on December 18, 2025, to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Corkhill, also known as “Mike” and “Mike Mike,” 31, of Dunbar, is scheduled to be sentenced on April 27, 2026, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Four additional defendants pleaded guilty in separate cases that resulted from the investigation. The indictment against Ford, also known as “Jason” and “J,” 44, of Van Buren Township, Michigan, and the remaining defendants is pending. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), which is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-78.
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Seminole Resident Sentenced for Federal Firearm CrimeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Byron Keith Spencer, age 54, of Seminole, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 92 months in prison for one count of Possession of Stolen Firearm.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Wewoka Police Department, the District 22 Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On June 9, 2025, Spencer pleaded guilty to the charge in federal district court. According to investigators, on May 9, 2023, law enforcement conducting a traffic stop in Wewoka discovered Spencer in possession of a Walther PK380 .380 handgun previously reported as stolen. At the time of the offense, Spencer knew or had reasonable cause to believe the firearm had been stolen.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Senior Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Spencer will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan E. Soverly and Edith A. Singer represented the United States.
Savani Group Owners and Associate Convicted of Racketeering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that three individuals were convicted today at trial in connection with a racketeering conspiracy encompassing multiple fraud schemes.
The defendants, charged in a 42-count indictment in January 2023, have been convicted as follows:
Dr. Bhaskar Savani, age 60, of Ambler, Pennsylvania, was convicted of one count of conspiring to violate the RICO law; one count of conspiring to commit visa fraud; one count of visa fraud; one count of conspiring to obstruct justice; one count of conspiring to commit healthcare fraud; eleven counts of healthcare fraud; one count of conspiring to engage in money laundering; twelve counts of money laundering; one count of conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service; one count of wire fraud as to a false tax return; and one count of conspiring to violate the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
Arun Savani, age 58, of Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, was convicted of one count of conspiring to violate the RICO law; one count of conspiring to commit visa fraud; one count of visa fraud; one count of conspiring to obstruct justice; one count of conspiring to commit healthcare fraud; eleven counts of healthcare fraud; one count of conspiring to engage in money laundering; twelve counts of money laundering; one count of conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service; and one count of wire fraud as to a false tax return.
Aleksandra Radomiak, a/k/a “Ola”, age 48, of Lansdale, Pennsylvania, was convicted of one count of conspiring to violate the RICO law; one count of conspiring to commit healthcare fraud; and one count of healthcare fraud.
As proven at trial, the brothers Bhaskar Savani and Arun Savani built a complex criminal enterprise (the “Savani Group”) that amassed millions of dollars through multiple fraud schemes. Defendant Bhaskar Savani was a dentist by training. Defendant Arun Savani generally controlled the finances of the Savani Group. Through their criminal enterprise, Bhaskar and Arun Savani orchestrated long-running schemes to enrich themselves, including through:
- A visa fraud scheme to file false H-1B visa applications and petitions with the U.S. Department of Labor and U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to exploit a workforce comprised of foreign nationals, mostly from India, who were dependent on the Savani Group and forced to kickback wages and fees to the Savani Group.
- A health care fraud scheme to fraudulently obtain Medicaid contracts and fraudulently bill Medicaid using nominee business owners after Savani Group dental practices were terminated from Medicaid insurance contracts. The Savani Group defrauded Medicaid of more than $30 million through the scheme.
- A health care fraud scheme to submit false bills to Medicaid using another dentist’s National Provider Identifier (NPI) on dates when the other dentist was physically outside of the United States and for dental services performed by uncredentialed dentists.
- A money laundering scheme to transfer and conceal health care fraud proceeds from the nominee-owned dental practices through a complex web of Savani group corporate entities’ bank accounts that ultimately benefited the Savani brothers and their associated corporate entities.
- A tax and wire fraud scheme involving false business expenses and the failure to report some taxable payroll to fraudulently decrease the amount of personal and payroll taxes due and owing. Through the scheme the Savani brothers and their companies failed to pay taxes on approximately $1.6 million of unreported personal income and $1.1 million of their employees’ unreported income. They failed to pay personal and payroll taxes and fraudulently expensed through their businesses, among other personal expenses, college tuition payments, personal property taxes, and pool and lawn maintenance costs for their personal homes.
- A mail fraud scheme and Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) conspiracy to place prototype dental implants, labeled “Not For Human Use,” not cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in human patients without their knowledge or consent.
The defendants will be sentenced in July 2026. Bhaskar and Arun Savani, respectively, face a statutory maximum sentence of 420 years’ imprisonment and 415 years’ imprisonment, along with fines. Defendant Aleksandra Radomiak also faces a substantial sentence, with up to 40 years’ imprisonment and fines.
“This sprawling investigation and prosecution meant untangling a complex web of fraudulent billing practices and sham medical entities,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Our office worked with numerous state and federal partner agencies to unravel and prove the multiple healthcare fraud schemes at the heart of this operation. It’s gratifying to dismantle this crooked enterprise and hold those responsible to account. Fraud and abuse cost U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars a year and rob the healthcare system of vital resources.”
“This significant prosecution exemplifies the commitment of the Department of Justice and its law enforcement partners to protect taxpayer-funded programs from fraudsters and corrupt healthcare professionals who seek their own personal enrichment by bilking government programs and then laundering their ill gotten gains,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva. “The Criminal Division, and all of our partners including the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, will continue using every law enforcement tool available to identify, disrupt and dismantle organized fraud and those who corruptly manipulate the worker visa and Medicaid programs. Fraudsters and money launderers like Bhaskar and Arun Savani and their associates who do so will pay a heavy price.”
“This conviction demonstrates the critical importance of partnerships across law enforcement agencies when confronting complex financial and organized criminal activity,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, special agent in charge of FBI Philadelphia. “By leveraging our collective expertise and resources, we were able to expose and dismantle a racketeering enterprise built on deception and fraud. The FBI, working closely alongside our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners, will continue to pursue those who exploit others for personal profit and bring them to justice.”
“Today’s verdict sends a clear message: those who corrupt the Medicaid program for personal gain—no matter how elaborate their schemes—will be held fully accountable,” said Maureen Dixon, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS‑OIG). “The Savani Enterprise exploited vulnerable patients, manipulated government programs, and siphoned taxpayer dollars for their own benefit. HHS‑OIG, alongside our federal and state law enforcement partners, remains unwavering in our commitment to protect the integrity of Medicaid and to defend the public’s trust in our healthcare system.”
“The defendants orchestrated a years‑long scheme to defraud Medicaid, evade taxes, and launder millions of dollars through a complex network of companies and accounts,” stated Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan, IRS Criminal Investigation, Newark Field Office. “These crimes do not just enrich wrongdoers, they drain vital public resources and erode trust in government programs. These convictions make clear that those who defraud the government will be held accountable. IRS‑CI will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to dismantle financial fraud schemes and protect the public.”
“Today’s convictions send a clear message that those who build criminal enterprises on the backs of vulnerable patients, exploited workers, and U.S. taxpayers will be held to account,” said Special Agent in Charge of HSI Philadelphia, Eric McLoughlin, “For years, the Savani Group manipulated our immigration system, corrupted healthcare programs, and laundered their illicit proceeds through a maze of shell companies and accounts. This investigation and resulting prosecution reflect the strength of our partnerships with federal and state agencies and our shared commitment to dismantling complex fraud schemes wherever they take root.”
“Visa fraud undermines our legal immigration system and often victimizes those seeking legitimate opportunities in the United States,” said Anthony Tortora, Resident Agent in Charge at the DSS Philadelphia Resident Office. “The Diplomatic Security Service is committed to investigating these schemes and protecting the integrity of the visa process. This conviction sends a clear message that such fraud will not be tolerated.”
“The FDA’s approval process exists to protect patients from untested medical devices,” said Fernando McMillan, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, Metro Washington Field Office. “These defendants deliberately circumvented that safeguard by implanting unapproved dental devices into unsuspecting patients. The FDA will not tolerate such disregard for public safety and federal law.”
“Today’s verdict holds the defendants accountable for their criminal conduct. The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General is unwavering in its commitment to protect the integrity of the Foreign Labor Certification programs. When bad actors exploit vulnerable workers or attempt to game the system, we investigate, we expose, and we hold them accountable,” said Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. “We will continue working with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to ensure these programs serve legitimate labor needs — not criminal enterprises. Fraud will not be tolerated. Accountability is not optional.”
This case was investigated by the FBI, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony D. Scicchitano, Paul Shapiro, and J. Andrew Jenemann, and Department of Justice Money Laundering, Narcotics, and Forfeiture Section Attorneys Kenneth P. Kaplan and Chelsea R. Rooney.
Registered sex offender sentenced to three years in prison for possession of child sexual abuse imagesRead the Press Release
Seattle – A Seattle registered sex offender who was communicating with another person who has since been federally indicted for child sexual abuse, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to three years in prison and 15 years of supervised release for possession of images of child sexual abuse, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Christopher Randall Hamilton, 39, came to the attention of law enforcement because of disturbing communications he had with a Port Orchard, Washington, man who was arrested in a law enforcement sting operation for seeking to have sex with children. At today’s sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Kymberly K. Evanson said Hamilton’s conduct was “extremely troubling. The images involved very young children and were violent. The discussions [with the other defendant] are very concerning.”
According to records filed in the case, Hamilton was arrested in March 2025, when the analysis of his phone revealed that he possessed approximately 180 videos and 1,500 images of child sexual abuse. Hamilton had been communicating with a man who was arrested after he drove to eastern Washington believing he was meeting with an adult who would allow him to sexually assault a young child. The child was fictitious, and the man was arrested and charged federally. A review of his phone led to Hamilton. The two men had discussed locating a mother with young children at a mall such as Southcenter Mall, so that they could sexually molest children.
In court today, prosecutors argued for, and the judge approved, a 15-year term of supervised release to follow prison so that Hamilton’s communications and electronic devices can be monitored by federal probation. Hamilton was previously convicted in Michigan of possession of images of child sexual abuse.
The case was investigated by the Washington State Patrol (WSP), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Seattle Police Department (SPD).
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Laura Harmon. Ms. Harmon is a Senior Deputy Prosecutor for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, specially designated to prosecute child exploitation crimes in federal court.
Quincy Man Sentenced to over One Year in Prison for Bank Fraud and Money Laundering as Part of Stolen Treasury Check RingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Quincy man was sentenced On March 4, 2026 in federal court in Boston for bank fraud and money laundering.
Eric Banks, 71, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper 14 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In November 2025, Banks pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and five counts of money laundering.
Banks obtained a stolen U.S. Treasury check for $1,127,331.80 made out to a New York-based company. Banks formed a Massachusetts-based entity with the same name, opened a bank account for that fake entity and deposited the check. Banks then conducted multiple illegal money transactions designed to conceal the source of the funds from the stolen Treasury check. In addition, Banks created a second fake entity and opened a bank account in the name of this second fake entity. Other individuals who obtained and deposited stolen U.S. Treasury checks transferred over $1.3 million to this bank account created by Banks. This was part of a scheme involving seven other defendants charged in separate charging documents:1. Gino Rosario Tyler Alexander Allegra, 31, of Brockton, charged with theft of $861,646 in government funds;
2. Jesse El-Ghoul, 31, of Leominster, charged with theft of $1,355,863 in government funds;
3. Nnamdi Opara, 30, of Woburn, charged with theft of $700,767 in government funds;
4. Gurprit Singh, 34, of Framingham, charged with theft of $2,547,508 in government funds;
5. Amarpreet Singh, 33, of Framingham, charged with theft of $536,214 in government funds;
6. Lonnie Smith-Matthews, 33, of Hyde Park, charged with theft of $150,000 in government funds and bank fraud of $232,588; and
7. Domingo Villari, 49, of Framingham, charged with theft of $1,288,575 in government funds.United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; Michael Carpenter, Special Agent in Charge of the Treasury Inspector General; and Nicholas Bucciarelli, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Needham Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Sullivan and Seth Kosto of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the cases.
Psychiatrist Reaches Civil Settlement of $360,000 to Resolve Allegations of False Claims to Federal Health Care ProgramsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri and a Missouri psychiatrist have reached a $360,000 civil settlement that will resolve False Claims Act (FCA) allegations, U.S. Attorney Thomas C Albus announced Monday.
The settlement resolves allegations that from Jan. 1, 2019, through May 31, 2024, Dr. Shazia Malik falsely indicated to both Medicare and Missouri Medicaid that she provided face-to-face psychotherapy to patients, including by submitting false claims for payment for services when she was out of town and for services that were provided by other practitioners. Dr. Malik was employed at Behavioral Health Services LLC which was owned and operated Psych Care Consultants in St. Louis, Missouri.
The settlement with Dr. Malik consists of $155,000 in restitution to Medicare and $25,000 to Missouri Medicaid. The restitution amount is doubled under the FCA.
The civil settlement contains no admission of liability. In December of 2025, Dr. Shazia Malik pleaded guilty to two counts of making false statements related to health care matters.“Health care professionals who knowingly submit false claims to federal health care programs undermine the financial integrity of those taxpayer-funded programs,” stated Special Agent in Charge Linda T. Hanley of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Today’s settlement reflects HHS-OIG’s commitment to ensuring Medicare and Medicaid are billed only for services actually provided and to continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to protect the well-being of patients and to safeguard public funds.”
Dr. Malik’s brother, Modh Azfar Malik, was part-owner of Behavioral Health Services. In July of 2025, he entered a civil settlement resolving similar conduct and paid $501,556. In April of 2025, he pleaded guilty to making a false statement to a federal health care program. In January, his medical license was revoked for four years as part of a settlement with the Missouri State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts.
This investigation was a result of the combined work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, HHS-OIG Office of Investigations, the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the FBI.
Prolific fentanyl dealer with alleged cartel ties faces federal chargesRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Kevin Martinez appeared in federal court earlier today on charges related to his alleged distribution of significant quantities of fentanyl in the metro-Atlanta area. Martinez allegedly operated under the direction of the La Nueva Familia Michoacana drug cartel.
“Martinez allegedly worked on behalf of a terrorist drug cartel, flooding our communities with massive quantities of lethal fentanyl,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “As a result of the tireless and courageous work of law enforcement, Martinez is in federal custody, and the cartel’s deadly drugs are off the street.”
“This arrest demonstrates DEA’s unwavering commitment to combating the fentanyl crisis,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “The distribution of fentanyl poses an extreme danger to our communities, and we will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle those responsible. Through the Fentanyl Free America Initiative, DEA is intensifying efforts nationwide to keep this deadly drug off our streets and protect the American public.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: A DEA investigation revealed that Martinez was allegedly distributing large quantities of fentanyl in metro-Atlanta. The fentanyl was uniquely stamped with a “Pacman” symbol eating an “LV” symbol. Agents seized six pounds of this stamped fentanyl during traffic stops in Fulton County, Georgia and Henry County, Georgia on February 4, 2026, and February 18, 2026.
On March 6, 2026, agents executed a federal search warrant at Martinez’s apartment in Doraville, Georgia. During the search, agents located approximately 44 pounds of fentanyl concealed in car batteries, as well as six firearms and a money counter. The DEA investigation revealed that Martinez allegedly has ties to the Mexico-based La Nueva Familia Michoacana drug cartel.
Kevin Martinez, 20, of Doraville, Georgia, appeared before a federal magistrate judge earlier today on a criminal complaint that charged him with possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl.
Members of the public are reminded that the criminal complaint only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with valuable assistance provided by the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office, the Fulton County Police Department, and the Henry County Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric White and Sandy Strippoli 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Previously Convicted Felon on Probation Sentenced for Possession of AmmunitionRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Charles Washington, Jr., 34, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 27 months in prison for illegally possessing ammunition while he was on probation, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Washington pleaded guilty Nov. 12, 2025, before Judge Reggie B. Walton to one count of unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon. In addition to the prison term, Judge Walton ordered Washington to serve three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, Metropolitan Police officers responded at 4:05 p.m. on March 12, 2025, to the 2800 block of Alabama Ave. SE, for reported firearms.
Multiple individuals, including Washington, were gathered near a grey car. Washington was seen leaning on the vehicle. As MPD officers arrived, Washington took off running while holding his waistband. At one point, he stopped, hunched over a sewer drain, and appeared to toss an object down the drain. The officers observed Washington was no longer holding his waistband.
Shortly after discarding the item, Washington tripped and officers apprehended him. Officers went to the sewer drain, lifted the manhole cover, and recovered a black “ghost gun,” a privately made firearm with a Polymer 80 frame, with an attached Glock 23 slide and barrel, loaded with 12 rounds and one in the chamber.
Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement were ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
This case was investigated by the MPD and the ATF. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole.
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Pennsylvania Brothers Convicted of Decades Long Racketeering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Three individuals were convicted today at trial in connection with a racketeering conspiracy encompassing multiple fraud schemes, including visa fraud to employ foreign workers unlawfully, soliciting salary kickbacks from the employed workers, and health care fraud billing schemes resulting in over $32 million in losses to Pennsylvania Medicaid.
As proven at trial, Bhaskar and Arun Savani built a complex criminal enterprise they dubbed “the Savani Group” that amassed tens of millions of dollars through outright fraud at every turn. Bhaskar was a dentist by training and controlled the numerous dental practices of the Savani Group, and Arun generally controlled the finances and real property holdings of the Savani Group. Ola Radomiak was a long-term employee and executive at the Savani Group and facilitated the Savanis’ conspiracy to defraud Medicaid. Through their criminal enterprise, Bhaskar and Arun Savani substantially enriched themselves over the course of a decade. Their offenses included filing numerous false H-1B visa applications, fraudulently billing health care benefit programs in the names of non-treating dentists, obstructing a grand jury investigation, laundering fraud proceeds through a complex web of financial transactions, wire fraud, and mail fraud. By their fraud, they obtained more than $32 million from Medicaid through nominee-owned dental practices used to bill Medicaid after the Savani Group’s Medicaid contracts were terminated.
“This significant prosecution exemplifies the commitment of the Department of Justice and its law enforcement partners to protect taxpayer-funded programs from fraudsters and corrupt healthcare professionals who seek their own personal enrichment by bilking government programs and then laundering their ill gotten gains,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. “The Criminal Division, and all of our partners including the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, will continue using every law enforcement tool available to identify, disrupt and dismantle organized fraud and those who corruptly manipulate the worker visa and Medicaid programs. Fraudsters and money launderers like Bhaskar and Arun Savani and their associates who do so will pay a heavy price.”
“This sprawling investigation and prosecution meant untangling a complex web of fraudulent billing practices and sham medical entities,” said U.S. Attorney David Metcalf for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “Our office worked with numerous state and federal partner agencies to unravel and prove the multiple healthcare fraud schemes at the heart of this operation. It’s gratifying to dismantle this crooked enterprise and hold those responsible to account. Fraud and abuse cost U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars a year and rob the healthcare system of vital resources.”
“This conviction demonstrates the critical importance of partnerships across law enforcement agencies when confronting complex financial and organized criminal activity,” said Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs of the FBI Philadelphia Field Office. “By leveraging our collective expertise and resources, we were able to expose and dismantle a racketeering enterprise built on deception and fraud. The FBI, working closely alongside our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners, will continue to pursue those who exploit others for personal profit and bring them to justice.”
“Today’s verdict sends a clear message: those who corrupt the Medicaid program for personal gain — no matter how elaborate their schemes — will be held fully accountable,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott J. Lampert of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “The Savani Enterprise exploited vulnerable patients, manipulated government programs, and siphoned taxpayer dollars for their own benefit. HHS‑OIG, alongside our federal and state law enforcement partners, remains unwavering in our commitment to protect the integrity of Medicaid and to defend the public’s trust in our healthcare system.”
“The defendants orchestrated a years‑long scheme to defraud Medicaid, evade taxes, and launder millions of dollars through a complex network of companies and accounts,” said Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Newark Field Office. “These crimes do not just enrich wrongdoers, they drain vital public resources and erode trust in government programs. These convictions make clear that those who defraud the government will be held accountable. IRS‑CI will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to dismantle financial fraud schemes and protect the public.”
“Today’s convictions send a clear message that those who build criminal enterprises on the backs of vulnerable patients, exploited workers, and U.S. taxpayers will be held to account,” said Special Agent in Charge of Eric McLoughlin of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Philadelphia Field Office. “For years, the Savani Group manipulated our immigration system, corrupted healthcare programs, and laundered their illicit proceeds through a maze of shell companies and accounts. This investigation and resulting prosecution reflect the strength of our partnerships with federal and state agencies and our shared commitment to dismantling complex fraud schemes wherever they take root.”
“Visa fraud undermines our legal immigration system and often victimizes those seeking legitimate opportunities in the United States,” said Resident Agent in Charge Anthony Tortora of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Philadelphia Resident Office. “The Diplomatic Security Service is committed to investigating these schemes and protecting the integrity of the visa process. This conviction sends a clear message that such fraud will not be tolerated.”
“Today’s verdict holds the defendants accountable for their criminal conduct,” said Inspector General Anthony P. D’Esposito of the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG). “The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General is unwavering in its commitment to protect the integrity of the Foreign Labor Certification programs. When bad actors exploit vulnerable workers or attempt to game the system, we investigate, we expose, and we hold them accountable. We will continue working with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to ensure these programs serve legitimate labor needs — not criminal enterprises. Fraud will not be tolerated. Accountability is not optional.”
Brothers Bhaskar and Arun Savani, charged in January 2023, have now been convicted by a jury of conspiracy to conduct a racketeering enterprise, conspiracy to commit visa fraud, visa fraud, conspiracy to obstruct justice, conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, money laundering conspiracy, concealment and transactional money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Treasury, and wire fraud. Bhaskar Savani was also convicted of conspiracy to distribute in interstate commerce an adulterated and misbranded medical device.
Bhaskar and Arun Savani, respectively, face a statutory maximum penalty of 420 years in prison and 415 years in prison. Sentencing hearings are scheduled on July 8 for Bhaskar Savani and July 9 for Arun Savani.
Aleksandra “Ola” Radomiak was convicted of conspiracy to conduct a racketeering enterprise, conspiracy to commit health care fraud, and health care fraud. Ola Radomiak’s sentencing hearing is scheduled before the Honorable Jeffrey L. Schmehl on July 14.
This case was investigated by the FBI, HHS-OIG, IRS-CI, HSI, DSS, Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, DOL-OIG, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, and the State of Iowa Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Kenneth Kaplan and Chelsea Rooney of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section and Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony Scicchitano, Paul Shapiro, and J. Andrew Jenemann for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
The Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section’s (MNF) mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.
MNF’s Money Laundering and Forfeiture Unit investigates and prosecutes sophisticated money laundering schemes involving financial facilitators, gatekeepers, and other individuals and entities laundering criminal proceeds, and litigates complex civil forfeiture cases to recover assets on behalf of victims.