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Thursday 5 March 2026
Illegal alien transnational drug trafficking leader receives 12 years in federal prisonRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 26-year-old Mexican national who illegally resided in Houston has been sentenced for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Andres Reyes-Morales pleaded guilty Oct. 31, 2024.
U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett has now ordered Reyes-Morales to serve 144 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment.
The investigation began in November 2022 when authorities identified Reyes-Morales as a member of a transnational criminal organization. The organization was responsible for smuggling and distributing methamphetamine from Mexico into South Texas and on to Houston. Reyes-Morales was a conversion lab operator, courier and facilitator.
As part of an undercover operation, authorities purchased approximately five kilograms of methamphetamine from Reyes-Morales. He then coordinated with Moices Moreno-Marin and Franciso Reyes Solorzano-Duarte to complete the deliveries.
On April 14, 2023, authorities executed a search warrant at Reyes-Morales’ residence and seized approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine concealed in a shoe box in a bedroom closet.
Reyes-Morales admitted the narcotics belonged to him.
Moreno-Marin, 38, and Solorzano-Duarte, 27, also Mexican nationals, pleaded guilty for their roles and were sentenced to 36 and 54 months in prison, respectively.
Reyes-Morales will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Day prosecuted the case.
Illegal alien sentenced for trafficking methamphetamine in the Eastern District of TexasRead the Press Release
SHERMAN, Texas –A Mexican national illegally living in Dallas has been sentenced to federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Francisco Ortuno, 29, a Mexican national, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 170 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant, III on March 4, 2026.
According to information presented in court, in 2021, federal agents began investigating a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) operating a narcotics distribution cell in the North Texas area. The investigation led to multiple seizures of methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, firearms, and large amounts of U.S. currency. On October 4, 2022, federal agents executed a search warrant at a residence in Dallas used to traffic narcotics by the DTO. Upon knocking and announcing, agents were fired upon by a suspect inside the house. That suspect and the defendant, Francisco Ortuno, both fled the residence on foot leading to a chase until they were caught and detained. Inside the residence, agents seized over 30 kilograms of methamphetamine, four firearms, multiple drug ledgers, and supplies used to convert methamphetamine.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Wes Wynne.
Illegal alien sentenced for repeatedly smuggling bulk amounts of methamphetamine into the United StatesRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 46-year-old Mexican national has been ordered to federal prison for a conspiracy involving over 15 kilograms of methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Jose Calleros Avila pleaded guilty Nov. 4, 2025.
U.S. District Judge John Kazen has now ordered Avila to serve 87 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.
Avila crossed the Colombia Solidarity Bridge in Laredo June 1, 2025, driving a 2003 Chevrolet Suburban. He claimed he was coming back from Matehuala, Mexico, with two duffel bags full of candy for his children. However, during a routine inspection, authorities located two bundles inside a bag mixed in with children’s candies. The bundles tested positive for methamphetamine, which prompted further inspection and the discovery of a total of 15 bundles weighing 15.44 kilograms.
Avila had planned to transport the drugs to another individual in Dallas for further distribution throughout the United States. After delivering the methamphetamine, Avila would return to the location in Dallas, pick up cash, and wire the money to various individuals throughout Mexico.
He admitted he had transported various narcotics at least five times, doing so for cash payments.
Avila will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tory R. Sailer is prosecuting the case.
Illegal Alien Sentenced for Role in Snap Benefits Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – An illegal alien, who is a citizen of Romania and Ireland, received a federal prison term today for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin sentenced Fabritio Sardaru, 22, to two years in prison for his role in a Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits fraud conspiracy.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Charmeka Parker, U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG) Northeast Region; Chief Marc R. Yamada, Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD); and Chief Gregory Der, Howard County Police Department (HCPD).
According to his plea agreement, Sardaru participated in a conspiracy to defraud the United States and multiple recipients of Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) benefits. In 2022, Sardaru and his co-conspirators obtained EBT information from victims throughout the U.S., including in Maryland, California, Kentucky, Tennessee, New York, and other states. They used skimming devices and other means to carry out the conspiracy.
The co-conspirators played various roles in skimming operations, including acquiring skimming equipment, shipping equipment to co-conspirators, and installing or removing the equipment at the point of sale (POS) terminals at various commercial establishments. They also monitored the activity at POSs where skimming equipment was installed and duplicated victims’ EBT cards using the information collected from the skimming devices. Co-conspirators then fraudulently purchased large bulk items using cloned EBT cards containing numerous victims’ personal identifying information.
On July 21, 2022, in furtherance of the scheme, Sardaru fraudulently obtained $8,770.03 in proceeds. Sardaru and a co-conspirator used cloned EBT cards to purchase 11 cans of baby formula at grocery stores in Howard and Montgomery Counties. Then on the same day, MCPD officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle Sardaru was driving. During the traffic stop, law enforcement uncovered approximately 353 cans of baby formula.
Due to the loss of their SNAP benefits, at least 15 victims were unable to obtain food items until after the replenishment of their funds the following month. The total loss attributed to the conspiracy in Maryland is approximately $343,756.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the USDA-OIG, MCPD, and HCPD for their work in the investigation, along with the Maryland Department of Human Services, Office of Inspector General, for their valuable assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot Higgins who prosecuted the case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Illegal Alien Charged with Fraudulently Voting in 2024 Federal ElectionRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Mahady Sacko, 50, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with fraudulent voting in the 2024 federal election by an illegal alien.
Sacko is an illegal alien who was ordered deported in 2000. Despite being an illegal alien, Sacko allegedly unlawfully voted in person in the 2024 general election for federal office. Sacko falsely represented that he was a U.S. citizen in order to vote and register to vote.
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations.
The charges and allegations contained in the criminal complaint are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Hawaii Couple Convicted at Trial in Tax Refund Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A federal jury in Honolulu convicted a Hawaii couple for their roles in a nationwide tax fraud scheme that involved deceiving the IRS into issuing a nearly $200,000 tax refund and then using shell bank accounts and frivolous legal filings to prevent the government from getting it back.
“The defendants made a deliberate choice to participate in a criminal conspiracy — they paid for false documents, fraudulently claimed an enormous tax refund and then spent years obstructing the IRS’s efforts to get it back,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Schemes like this are not victimless — every dollar fraudulently paid out by the IRS is a dollar stolen from the U.S. Treasury and from the hardworking Americans who fund it. The Criminal Division will deliver accountability for the American taxpayer by continuing to aggressively prosecute those who seek to defraud the IRS.”
“Co-conspirators moved the proceeds of this scheme through business entities, hid it in trusts and invested it across the country. But, every time money moves, there’s a receipt,” said Special Agent in Charge Carrie Nordyke of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Seattle Field Office. “Our agents work to expose tax fraud so that public funds can continue to benefit the public.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, from approximately February 2015 through November 2018, Beverly Braumuller-Hawver and Scott Hawver, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, engaged in a fraudulent tax refund scheme by paying a promoter a series of fees in exchange for fraudulent tax paperwork. Armed with those materials, the Hawvers filed an amended 2014 tax return attaching a fabricated IRS Form 1099-MISC — a document that falsely claimed a mortgage company had paid Hawver $749,163 in income and withheld $424,163 of that amount in federal taxes. The fictitious withholding claim prompted the IRS to issue the Hawvers a tax refund for $192,845 — a refund that Braumuller-Hawver was not entitled to receive.
At trial, the jury heard evidence that the Hawvers moved quickly to put the money out of the government’s reach. They deposited the U.S. Treasury check into a newly opened bank account and then, within days, transferred $170,000 into a separate account held in the name of BeverlyB Music LLC, an unrelated music business the Hawvers operated. On that same day, the Hawvers paid co-conspirators more than $70,000 from the BeverlyB Music account for their roles in the scheme. Braumuller-Hawver later wired $22,000 from that account to a jeweler to purchase gold and silver coins. When the IRS began seeking to recover the fraudulent refund, the Hawvers did not simply ignore the notices — they sent scripted, frivolous correspondence to the IRS, filed a petition in U.S. Tax Court to thwart collection and participated as plaintiffs in multiple frivolous civil RICO lawsuits against IRS employees who were doing their jobs.
The jury convicted Braumuller-Hawver and Hawver of conspiring to defraud the IRS. The jury also convicted Braumuller-Hawver of filing a false tax return and money laundering. Both are scheduled to be sentenced on June 25 and face a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the conspiracy conviction. Braumuller-Hawver also faces maximum penalties of 10 years in prison for each count of money laundering and a maximum penalty of three years in prison for filing a false tax return. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Hawvers’ convictions are among the latest in a series of prosecutions arising from a nationwide tax fraud scheme that drew in more than 200 participants across at least 19 states. In 2022, the main promoters of the scheme were sentenced to 11 years in prison, more than 8 years in prison, and 51 months in prison. In Hawaii, the scheme was organized and led by Rosemarie Lastimado-Dradi, who marketed the operation as the “Escrow Trust Refund” program, recruited clients (including the Hawvers) and directed her cut of their fraudulent refunds — between 25 and 40 percent — into accounts held in the name of fictitious business entities and purported trusts. In January 2026, Lastimado-Dradi was sentenced to a total of nine years in prison. Other Hawaii participants in the scheme have also received significant sentences, including Elvah Miranda (48 months in prison), Marciaminajuanequita Dumlao (33 months in prison), Daniel Miranda (30 months in prison), Brigida Chock (27 months in prison) and Lazerrick Lawrence (20 months in prison).
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Sarah A. Kiewlicz and Megan L. Jones of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section are prosecuting the case.
Hampton felon sentenced to three years in prison for possessing a firearm while still on probationRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hampton man was sentenced yesterday to three years in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, on May 21, 2025, the Hampton Police Division (HPD) and Virginia State Police (VSP) attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Mouctar Balde, 25, pursuant to a search warrant. Balde fled at high speed, running several red lights and driving into oncoming traffic. Balde ultimately struck a curb, which disabled his vehicle, and fled on foot. During the foot pursuit, Balde discarded a firearm immediately before he was apprehended.
HPD promptly recovered the firearm, which had been stolen from the purchaser and was loaded with 16 rounds of ammunition, including one round in the chamber.
Balde previously was convicted of larceny, reckless handling of a firearm, obstruction, evading and eluding, and possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Balde was on probation for the marijuana conviction when he was arrested on May 21, 2025. As a previously convicted felon, Balde cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division, HPD, and VSP investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyson C. Yates prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:25-cr-70.
Gretna Woman Indicted for Bank TheftRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – On February 27, 2026, ALEXA MARIE BRAUD, (“BRAUD”), age 34, of Gretna, was indicted for bank theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2113(b), announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.
According to court documents, on February 4, 2026, BRAUD, entered a Federal Credit Union, located in Gretna, Louisiana, where she was a bank manager, and took $181,000 in United States currency. The deposits of Riverland Federal Credit Union are insured by the National Credit Union Administration.
BRAUD faces a maximum term of imprisonment of ten (10) years, a fine of up to $250,000, restitution, up to three (3) years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Gretna Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Anne Flippo of the Financial Crimes Unit are in charge of the prosecution.
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Ghanaian National Pleads Guilty to Stealing More Than $10 Million via Romance ScamsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced the guilty plea of DERRICK VAN YEBOAH, a/k/a “Van,” for his role in an international criminal organization that stole more than $100 million from victims via romance scams and business email compromises. VAN YEBOAH pled guilty today to conspiracy to commit wire fraud before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian.
“Derrick Van Yeboah pled guilty today to a massive criminal scheme targeting elderly men and women in online romance scams,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Many New Yorkers search for companionship online, and no one deserves to have their vulnerability met with fraud and theft. Van Yeboah cruelly exploited those vulnerabilities for over $10 million in illicit profit. Today’s plea is a reminder to be vigilant online—especially on dating websites, never give money to someone you just met—and if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
According to the charging documents and statements made in public filings and public court proceedings:
VAN YEBOAH was a member of a criminal organization primarily based in Ghana that committed romance scams and business email compromises against individuals and businesses located across the United States. Many of the conspiracy’s victims were vulnerable older men and women who were tricked into believing that they were in online romantic relationships with persons who were, in fact, fake identities assumed by members of the conspiracy. Once members of the conspiracy had gained the trust of their victims, they deceived those victims into sending their money to the enterprise or into helping them launder funds from other victims. The conspirators also committed business email compromises to trick and deceive businesses into wiring funds to the enterprise. In total, the conspiracy stole and laundered more than $100 million from dozens of victims. After stealing the money, the fraud proceeds were then laundered to West Africa.
VAN YEBOAH personally perpetrated many of the romance scams by impersonating fake romantic partners in communications with victims. He is being held responsible for more than $10 million he stole from victims via his romance scams.
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VAN YEBOAH, 40, of Ghana, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. VAN YEBOAH also agreed to make restitution and pay forfeiture, both in the amount of $10,149,429.17.
The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. VAN YEBOAH is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Subramanian on June 3, 2026.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He also thanked Ghana and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for their assistance.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Mead and Mitzi Steiner are in charge of the prosecution.
Four Men Indicted and Arrested on Child Exploitation ChargesRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Today, four individuals were arrested by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) on criminal charges related to child exploitation. On February 26, 2026, a federal grand jury returned four separate indictments charging four individuals for child exploitation, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
The defendants arrested today are:
- Héctor Rafael Cuadrado-Abadía, 44, of Caguas, PR
- Héctor Luis Olmedo-Burgos, 27, of Naguabo, PR
- Frederick Jesús Pinto-Rodríguez, 23, of Yabucoa, PR
- Daniel Delgado-Delgado, 31, of Yabucoa, PR
According to court documents, all the defendants knowingly possessed, received and distributed child pornography using their cellular devices. The four defendants are facing two counts each: (1) receipt/distribution of child exploitation material, and (2) possession of child exploitation material.
“There’s no greater priority than safeguarding our children from those who seek to exploit or harm them,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to continuing our joint efforts with our state, local and federal partners to locate these offenders and ensure that they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“This investigation exposed the disturbing reality behind the exchange of child sexual abuse material - individuals sharing explicit images of minors without remorse and revictimizing those children every time those images are circulated,” said Yariel Ramos, Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI. “Today we shut down that chat with a clear message: if you exploit our children, you will go to jail.”
If convicted, the defendants face the following sentences: (1) receipt and distribution of child exploitation material - a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; (2) possession of child exploitation material - a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant US Attorney (AUSA) Elba Gorbea, of the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit, is prosecuting the cases.
For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from sexual predators, visit iGuardians™: Combating Child Predators and to denounce suspicious activities call 787-729-6969.
For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from online sexual abuse, visit https://www.ice.gov/topics/iGuardians.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Former OSBI Investigator Sentenced for Multiple Counts of Sexual Abuse of A MinorRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jordan Francis Toyne, age 37, of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 109 months in prison for each of three counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country. The Court ordered the sentences to be served concurrently.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Owasso Police Department, together with cooperation and special assistance from Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI).
On January 23, 2025, Toyne was found guilty of the charges by a federal jury at trial. According to investigators, Toyne sexually assaulted a minor beginning in the Summer of 2020 and continuing until 2023, when the victim reached 16 years of age. During the course of investigation, it was discovered that Toyne sexually abused a second minor in 2021.
During this time, Toyne served as an investigator with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit. Toyne resigned from his post prior to the completion of an internal investigation conducted by the OSBI. The victims were unrelated to Toyne’s official duties with the OSBI. However, investigators uncovered evidence showing that Toyne used his specialized knowledge as a Child Crimes Investigator in order to groom the victims and evade detection for his crimes.
The crimes occurred in Pittsburg County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Senior Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Toyne 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 Nicole Paladino and Emily Wittlinger represented the United States.
Former Laguna Niguel Resident Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for Threatening to Kill Judge Who Presided over His Family Law CaseRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A former Orange County resident was sentenced today to 84 months in federal prison for threatening to kill a superior court judge who had presided over his family law case.
Byrom Zuniga Sanchez, 34, formerly of Laguna Niguel, but whose most recent residence was in Mexico, was sentenced by United States District Judge Fred W. Slaughter, who also ordered him to pay $22,790 in restitution.
At the conclusion of a three-day trial, a jury in December 2025 found Sanchez guilty of two counts of threats by interstate and foreign communication. Sanchez has been in federal custody since February 2024.
From May 2023 to July 2023, Sanchez sent multiple death threats via email to the victim judge. Sanchez also threatened to kill or harm others, including other court employees, lawyers, and law enforcement officials.
For example, in July 2023, Sanchez emailed the victim judge’s former courtroom, “I am more committed to murdering you than I am to being present as a father.”
In the same email, Sanchez also wrote, “You’re already dead. The remainder of my life will be dedicated to assassinating judges, attorneys, and a police station’s entire shift staff.”
These communications were sent via interstate commerce, and Sanchez claimed he was in Mexico when he sent the threatening messages. Sanchez was arrested in San Diego in February 2024 after attempting to enter the United States.
“[Sanchez’s] terrifying embrace of his offenses – his delight at the pain of others – and his total lack of remorse increases the already substantial need for specific deterrence,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum.
The FBI investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Alexandra Sloan Kelly of the Transnational Organized Crime Section and Diane B. Roldán of the Major Crimes Section prosecuted this case.
Former Kansas high school coach charged with producing child pornographyRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A former Kansas wrestling coach was charged through criminal complaint for allegedly creating child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) by clandestinely filming minors showering during a high school sporting event.
According to court documents, Ryan Brungardt, 37, of Salina is charged with two counts of production of child pornography and one count of attempted production of child pornography.
Brungardt is a former employee at Lakewood Middle School and former wrestling coach for Salina Central High School in Salina. Brungardt is accused of using a cellphone to record three minors while they showered in a locker room during the Tournament of Champions, a wrestling tournament which was held at Newton High School in Newton, Kansas, in January 2024.
The defendant made his initial court appearance for the criminal complaint on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brooks G. Severson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas. A detention hearing is scheduled for Monday, March 9, 2026.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), Salina Police Department, and Newton Police Department are investigating the case.
Investigators are in the process of reviewing additional seized cellphone videos in this case that are suspected to have been recorded at wrestling meets and tournaments in Newton, Hays, Garden City and Salina, Kansas during the 2023-2024 wrestling season. Anyone who believes they witnessed crimes or any suspicious activity at these events is asked to contact the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at (785) 600-8790 or report at www.kbi.ks.gov/sar.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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.A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former ExThera Medical Corporation Executive Admits to Concealing Patient Deaths from FDA and Company Enters Deferred Prosecution AgreementRead the Press Release
A former California executive was charged today and has agreed to plead guilty in connection with failing to file adverse event reports with the intent to defraud and mislead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in connection with a blood filtration device used on cancer patients who traveled to Antigua for treatment. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the court.
Separately, ExThera Medical Corporation (ExThera) has entered into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the Department of Justice in connection with a criminal information filed in the District of Massachusetts charging it with failure to file adverse event reports with the intent to defraud or mislead the FDA.
According to court documents, Sanja Ilic, 58, of Carlsbad, California, was the Chief Regulatory Officer of ExThera, a Northern California-based medical technology company. ExThera manufactured a blood filtration device that removed pathogens from a patient’s bloodstream. In or around 2024, Ilic concealed reportable adverse events from the FDA with the intent to defraud and mislead, including the deaths of two patients treated with the blood filtration device at a clinic in Antigua.
Before starting the treatments at the Antigua clinic, Ilic notified some of ExThera’s leadership and regulatory staff of potential adverse events, including “life-threatening” complications, that patients could experience from using the device. Some patients at the clinic in Antigua and their treating physicians reported that they believed those patients had subsequently experienced some of these medical events after being treated with the device. In or around March and April 2024, Ilic learned of the declining health and deaths of at least two Antigua clinic patients, who died within days of each other.
Ilic understood that disclosure of the adverse events could have triggered regulatory scrutiny from the FDA, caused clinical trial partners to withdraw their participation and jeopardized ExThera’s and Ilic’s future financial prospects. At the time the clinic began treating patients in Antigua, ExThera had just secured $10 million and the potential for millions more in future distribution agreements, and Ilic was overseeing ExThera’s first U.S. clinical study involving the use of the device to treat cancer. Ilic and ExThera potentially stood to lose financially if negative adverse event reports related to the Antigua clinic were filed with the FDA. Rather than comply with her legal obligation to report the events, Ilic suppressed this critical information to defraud and mislead the FDA.
Following public reporting about the blood filtration device and after Ilic was terminated from ExThera, ExThera filed several adverse event reports with the FDA relating to use of the device to treat cancer outside the United States.
As part of the DPA, ExThera admitted that, through Ilic, the company acted with intent to defraud and mislead the FDA. The DPA requires ExThera to, among other obligations, provide ongoing cooperation with and disclosures to the Department of Justice, implement a compliance and ethics program to prevent violations of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act’s adverse event reporting requirements and report to the Department of Justice regarding remediation and implementation of these compliance measures. As part of the DPA, ExThera also agreed to pay a criminal penalty of $750,000, which was adjusted based on ExThera’s ability to pay. ExThera has agreed to establish an escrow account and deposit $750,000 in the escrow account within 60 days. In the event ExThera is not able to pay amounts owed, if any, in civil litigation, related to the conduct described in the Statement of Facts, the escrow amount shall be used to pay amounts owed. ExThera has also agreed to consent to entry of a forfeiture order of $5,694,750.
The government reached its resolution with ExThera based on several factors, including the nature and seriousness of the offense conduct, and that the company has minimal remaining operations. ExThera also did not voluntarily and timely self-disclose the conduct to the Department of Justice but did receive credit for clearly accepting responsibility for its criminal conduct, fully cooperating with the government’s investigation and timely implementing remedial measures.
Ilic was charged with one count of failure to report adverse events with the intent to defraud or mislead the FDA. She faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison, supervised release for one year, a fine of the greatest of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or twice the gross loss pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3571, forfeiture and restitution. A federal judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FDA, FBI, Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating the case.
Assistant Chiefs Kevin Lowell and William Schurmann and Trial Attorneys John Howard and Sarah Rocha of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mackenzie Queenin, Chief of the Health Care Fraud Unit, and Sarah Hoefle for the District of Massachusetts are prosecuting the case.
Today’s announcement is the first resolution of a corporate defendant by the Health Care Fraud Unit’s New England Strike Force since it expanded to Massachusetts. More information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-expands-health-care-fraud-unit-target-health-care-fraud-massachusetts.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of eight strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Former CFO sentenced to two years in prison for $35 million theft from start-up tech firmRead the Press Release
Seattle – A Mercer Island, Washington, man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to two years in prison for four counts of wire fraud for taking and misusing some $35 million from his former employer, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Nevin Shetty, 42, was found guilty on November 7, 2025, following a nine-day jury trial. At the sentencing hearing Judge Tana Lin told Shetty, “The loss had significant and severe effects on the company. Your actions threw into complete turmoil the lives of those 60 people (who were laid off) …. You almost put the company out of business…. You were playing with money that wasn’t yours.”
“Mr. Shetty brazenly schemed to line his own pockets with his employer’s money. Through years of pretrial litigation and then at trial, he steadfastly deflected blame and even went so far as to claim that his fraud was somehow meant to help his former company,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “His lies did not fool the jury.”
According to records in the case, Shetty was hired as the CFO of a private software company in March 2021. The company was raising capital for its work in multiple rounds of funding. The company, with Shetty, drafted a policy governing how the money raised should be kept safe while the company worked to grow its business. The company adopted an investment policy statement that called for company cash to be invested only in money market accounts or other conservative investments. The company’s overriding objective was to preserve its capital for use in operating and growing the business.
Even though Shetty helped draft the policy and disseminate it to the board of directors for approval, he secretly moved approximately $35 million in company funds to a cryptocurrency platform he controlled as a side business. Shetty created that side business, called HighTower Treasury, in early 2022. It had no other outside customers. In April 2022, shortly after he was told he could not continue as CFO at his employer due to concerns about his performance, Shetty secretly transferred the funds out of his employer’s account.
Between April 1 and 12, 2022, using wire transfers he ordered from a Chase bank branch near his home, Shetty moved $35,000,100 of his employer’s money to an account for HighTower Treasury. No other executives or board members at the company knew of these transfers. Shetty, through HighTower, then placed the money in a realm of cryptocurrency sometimes referred to as decentralized finance or “DeFi.” Shetty chose high-yield DeFi lending protocols that promised to generate returns of 20% or more. Shetty’s idea was that HighTower would pay Shetty’s company a comparatively small, fixed amount and keep the remainder of the returns for itself. As an owner of HighTower, Shetty stood to personally share in those profits, which could have been substantial. In the first month alone, Shetty’s scheme earned roughly $133,000 of profit for himself and his HighTower business partner.
However, the cryptocurrency investments that Shetty made with the stolen funds soon began declining and by May 13, 2022, the value of the investments was nearly zero. After the $35 million was essentially gone, Shetty told two of his fellow executives what he had done. He was immediately fired.
In asking for a nine-year prison sentence, Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip Kopczynski wrote to the court, “Shetty’s serious crime deserves stern punishment. This was a calculated scheme motivated by greed and meticulously carried out over many months. Shetty created a web of lies. He lied to people up and down the chain of command at [his employer], people at outside institutions like Stifel and Chase, and to his HighTower business partner…. Adapting to the massive loss from Shetty’s fraud required [his former employer]to lay off 60 people. Those are 60 people whose lives and careers were irrevocably damaged by Shetty’s greed.”
“In less than one month, Mr. Shetty stole $35 million from his employer that he knew was meant to be kept in conservative investments to help grow the company,” said Jonathan Dean, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “Instead, he lost almost of all it through risky cryptocurrency investments. As the company’s CFO, Mr. Shetty was not only part of the investment planning but also had the access and trust to move the money. I commend the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office who worked tirelessly on a difficult case to bring this embezzler to justice.”
Shetty was ordered to pay $35,000,100 and will be on supervised release for three years after prison. Judge Lin imposed a special condition that he not serve as an officer or director of a company without prior permission from the probation office.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Philip Kopczynski and Grace Zoller.
Florida man sentenced to over two years in prison for striking a U.S. Marine MP with his truckRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Florida man was sentenced today to two years and three months in prison for assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon.
According to court documents, on May 15, 2024, Roger Pierre Laberge, 69, approached Gate 1 at Marine Corps Base Quantico driving a pickup truck with a tow-trailer. At the checkpoint, Laberge explained to two U.S. Marine Corps Police Officers (MPs) that he did not have a driver’s license or vehicle registration. The MPs determined that Laberge did not have authorization to enter the base and directed him to drive his truck into a nearby turnaround zone, which was enclosed by traffic barriers. One of the MPs moved a barrier, allowing Laberge to drive into the designated turnaround zone, then repositioned it to secure the enclosure.
The MP informed Laberge that he would need to run a check of the truck’s license plates before he would be permitted to leave the Quantico base. As the MP indicated that he was about to move the traffic barrier for Laberge and stepped in front of Laberge’s vehicle, Laberge accelerated the truck forward. Laberge slammed on the brake, narrowly avoiding hitting the MP with the vehicle.
The MP extended his arm and hand as a signal to stop and loudly called for Laberge to stop. In response, Laberge yelled, “I’m going!” and accelerated his vehicle forward, striking the MP with his truck, and continued through the traffic barrier. As Laberge continued accelerating, he made a sharp turn towards the nearest exit and slammed his vehicle into a curb, which momentarily flipped the trailer onto its side causing objects to fall out onto the street. Laberge then fled the scene of the incident, disregarding the MP’s commands to stop.
Among other previous convictions, Laberge was convicted in 1996 of aggravated fleeing to elude and resisting an officer with violence; in 2016 for fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer; and in 2024 for fleeing with disregard of safety to persons or property and driving while suspended for a third time or more.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service Washington D.C. Field Office investigated this case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jake Drucker and Richard Krupczak and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin S. Starr prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-205.
First Defendant Sentenced for Scheme to Bribe Feeding Our Future JurorRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Abdulkarim Farah, a Minneapolis man, was sentenced in United States District Court to 57-months imprisonment followed by one year of supervised release for his role in providing a cash bribe to a juror in the first Feeding Our Future trial, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.
On April 22, 2024, seven defendants went to trial before U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel for their roles in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme. Two of the defendants on trial were brothers of Abdulkarim Shafii Farah, 25. During the trial, Abdulkarim Farah conspired with his brothers and others to provide a cash bribe to one of the jurors—Juror 52—in exchange for returning a not guilty verdict in the trial.
According to Mr. Farah’s plea agreement, after his co-defendants identified and decided to target Juror 52, Mr. Farah conducted surveillance of Juror 52 and Juror 52’s house. Mr. Farah also sent a map of where Juror 52 parked during jury service. Co-defendant Ladan Ali was recruited to deliver the bribe money to Juror 52, and Mr. Farah was instructed to drive Ali to Juror 52’s house and record a video of Ali delivering the bribe. After meeting Ali in the vicinity of Juror 52’s house, Mr. Farah drove to a Target store to purchase a screwdriver. Mr. Farah used the screwdriver to remove the license plate from Ali’s rental car in order to avoid detection by law enforcement.
On June 2, 2024, at approximately 8:50 p.m., Mr. Farah drove Ali to Juror 52’s house and recorded her delivering a gift bag containing the bribe money. As Ali handed the money to a relative of Juror 52, she explained that there would be more money if Juror 52 voted to acquit the defendants. After the bribe money was delivered, Mr. Farah sent the video he had taken to his brother, Abdiaziz Farah. After the bribe had been disclosed in court, on June 3, 2024, Mr. Farah uninstalled and deleted the encrypted messaging app Signal from his iPhone in order to destroy the messages he and his co-defendants exchange concerning the bribery attempt.
Abdulkarim Farah was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Eric C. Tostrud to 57 months imprisonment—the high end of Mr. Farah’s federal sentencing guidelines range and the sentence advocated for by the government. While handing down the sentence, Judge Tostrud said that “properly functioning juries are the core of our criminal justice system” and that it is the role of the federal judiciary to safeguard citizens’ rights to fair and impartial juries. Judge Tostrud also expressed gratitude to Juror 52 for resisting the temptation to accept the very substantial bribe.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI with assistance from IRS – Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Rebecca E. Kline and Matthew C. Murphy prosecuted the case.
Federal Felon Sentenced for EscapeRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Derek Somerset, 46, of Tallahassee, Florida was sentenced to two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to escape from the custody of the Attorney General and the Attorney General’s authorized representative. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I appreciate the excellent work of the U.S. Marshals Service, in collaboration with our local law enforcement partners, to locate this fugitive and return him to federal custody. This successful prosecution reflects my office’s steadfast resolve to keep our communities safe from criminals like this defendant who have no regard for the law.”
Court documents reflect that on October 15, 2024, Somerset was furloughed from the Federal Correctional Institute at Hazelton, where he was serving a 48-month sentence after being convicted of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Somerset was to report to a residential re-entry facility in Tallahassee to complete his sentence. Somerset, though, failed to report and was found a little over two months later in a motel parking lot, overdosing on fentanyl.
“This case demonstrates the successful collaboration of federal and local law enforcement partners working together to ensure a safer community,” said Acting U.S. Marshal Greg Leljedal. “Thanks to the dedication of all involved, Somerset is now back in prison to serve an additional term of incarceration.”
The conviction and sentence were the result of a joint investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department and the United States Marshals Service. The case was 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.
Ex-Felon Sentenced to Prison for Trying to Bribe ICE OfficerRead the Press Release
Ex-Felon Sentenced to Prison for Trying to Bribe ICE Officer
CONCORD – A native of the Dominican Republic who pleaded guilty to attempting to bribe a law enforcement officer to secure his release from custody will serve an extra 18 months of incarceration as a result, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces.
On November 5, 2025, Marlon Aramis Suazo-Santos, 46, pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to bribe a public official. According to the charging documents and statements made in court, U.S. Immigration and Customers Enforcement (“ICE”) personnel transported Suazo-Santos from Berlin to Manchester on July 18, 2025. Suazo-Santos was completing a term of incarceration resulting from a 2020 federal conviction and was subject to removal to the Dominican Republic. While he was being transported to ICE’s Manchester facility, Suazo-Santos offered $100,000 to the ICE officer in exchange for his release. The ICE officer promptly reported the bribe offer to other Homeland Security personnel, and the transport vehicle was equipped with an electronic audio recording device. That same day, while the same ICE officer transported Suazo-Santos to a local detention facility, Suazo-Santos made additional inculpatory statements regarding the bribe to secure his release which were recorded.
Suazo-Santos remained in ICE custody until he was arrested on a criminal complaint on August 15. A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment on September 3, 2025.
“Mr. Suazo-Santos sought to bribe an official to secure his release from federal custody and avoid deportation. At a time when ICE officers are facing unprecedented attacks, threats, and vilification, the ICE officer displayed highest standard of integrity in the discharge of his official duties. Mr. Suazo-Santos will now serve an extra 18 months in prison as a result.”
“Suazo-Santos was convicted, served time for fraud, and was due to be deported but instead of facing the consequences of his criminal actions, he attempted to bribe government officials to escape. Thanks to the integrity of the ICE officers involved, Suazo-Santos was caught once again and will now serve additional prison time and face inevitable deportation,” said Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England.
The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations within the United States Department of Homeland Security. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Rombeau is prosecuting the case.
Ellis County woman sentenced for trafficking cocaine in the Eastern District of TexasRead the Press Release
SHERMAN, Texas –An Ennis woman has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for trafficking cocaine in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Isabel Salas, 42, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant, III on March 4, 2026.
According to information presented in court, in July 2022, federal agents began investigating a suspect who had been arrested with eight kilograms of heroin in Chicago. Salas was identified during this investigation, and a search warrant was executed at her Ennis residence on November 30, 2022, resulting in the seizure of over 600 grams of cocaine, eight firearms, and over $28,000 in U.S. currency.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Wes Wynne.
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Duo pleads guilty to stealing mail from local residentsRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Two San Antonio residents have admitted to an identity theft scheme involving stolen mail, postal keys, and locks throughout the Corpus Christi area, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
From August 2025 through December 2025, Summer Muniz and Eusebio Valdez conspired to steal mail from hundreds of residents in Corpus Christi. Additionally, Muniz stole a postal lock, and Valdez used counterfeit postal keys to access apartment building mailboxes. Muniz used information gained from the stolen mail to steal at least $2,500 from a victim’s bank account.
Sentencing has been set before U.S. District Judge David Morales June 3. At that time, Valdez faces up to 10 years for possessing the postal keys. Muniz faces a mandatory two years of imprisonment for the identity theft conviction and will pay restitution for damages to the apartment mailboxes, and for the amount the victims lost.
Valdez and Muniz have been and will remain in custody pending their sentencing hearings.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation with assistance of San Antonio Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley A. Pruitt prosecuted the case.
Daytona Beach Man Sentenced to over Four Years for Conspiracy and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – Craig Stevens (34, Daytona Beach) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. to four years and six months in federal prison for conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. As part of his sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $19,762.38, the proceeds Stevens obtained from the scheme. Stevens pleaded guilty on October 23, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, Stevens was employed as a personal care assistant for an elderly victim at an assisted living facility in Palm Coast. Stevens obtained and shared the victim’s personal identifiable information with his co-defendants, Jataiya Johnson and Aaron Harden. Between December 2019 and February 2020, the group used the victim’s personal information to access the victim’s bank accounts and apply for credit cards and loans under the victim’s name. They then used the bank accounts and credit cards to make fraudulent personal purchases and transactions.
Jataiya Johnson and Aaron Harden have pleaded guilty to their roles in this case. They are awaiting sentencing.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diane S. Hu. The forfeiture is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole M. Andrejko.
Dark web fentanyl distributor sentenced to 42 months in prisonRead the Press Release
Tacoma – A Puyallup, Washington man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 42 months in prison for operating a ‘dark web’ marketplace selling fentanyl tainted pills, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Trevor Stephen Haahr, 34, of Puyallup, Washington, distributed more than 100,000 fentanyl pills designed to look like legitimately manufactured pain medications. When investigators searched his storage unit, which Haahr used as a parcel packaging center, they located nearly another kilogram of fentanyl pills. At sentencing U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright said, “This was not a matter of small-time drug dealing to supplement an individual habit; this took sophisticated efforts to sell large amounts of fentanyl.”
“This defendant was sending dangerous pills through the mails at the height of the fentanyl overdose crisis,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “His dark web distribution endangered not only those across the country who bought his pills, it endangered those postal workers who might be exposed to the fentanyl from a damaged package or shipping mishap.”
“Just one fentanyl pill has the potential to take a loved one, destroy a family, and forever change a community” said Inspector in Charge Anthony Galetti. “The U.S. Mail remains one of the most trusted forms of shipping in the world. When people misuse it to harm our communities, it’s our duty and responsibility to do everything we can to hold people like Haahr accountable. The sentencing today should serve as a warning to all. If you ship illegal and dangerous narcotics, we will find you. We thank the HSI and the FBI for their assistance on this case.”
According to the statements in the plea agreements, in early 2023, law enforcement began an investigation into sales of fentanyl pills on a marketplace located on the dark web. After ordering some of the pills that were labeled to appear as M30 oxycodone pills, law enforcement testing revealed they were fentanyl pills.
Through various investigative techniques, Trevor Stephen Haahr was identified as the operator of the marketplace on the dark web. In February 2024, Haahr mailed a package in Pierce County that was searched and contained more than 10,000 fentanyl pills.
On March 11, 2024, law enforcement executed search warrants at Haahr’s residence, office, storage locker, vehicle. At Haahr’s office he was signed on to the dark web vender profile. In his truck and storage locker investigators found drug proceeds, fentanyl pills, and supplies for shipping the drugs.
Law enforcement also seized bitcoin that Haahr had received in payment for the drugs. At the time it was seized the bitcoin was worth approximately $50,000. Haahr is forfeiting the bitcoin as proceeds of his drug dealing.
In asking for the 5-year prison sentence prosecutors noted that Haahr’s pill distribution occurred as fentanyl deaths were peaking in Kin County. “By 2023, the number of fentanyl-involved overdoses in King County rose to 1,086. Although the number of fentanyl-involved overdoses peaked in 2023 in King County, in 2024 there were still 788 fentanyl-involved overdoses. This data only reflects the local fatal impact of fentanyl, and overdose deaths, of course, are but one aspect of the fentanyl crisis in America. The overdose-deaths metric fails to show the long-term impact of fentanyl on surviving users, their families, and the community.”
Kaeli Arielle Albert, 35, of Orting, Washington, conspired with Haahr to provide the pills. She was sentenced earlier this year to 18 months in prison.
“By distributing more than 100,000 fentanyl laced pills, Mr. Haahr and his co-conspirators were spreading dangerous and highly addictive drugs into our communities,” said Jonathan Dean, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “The FBI and our partners will continue to pursue drug traffickers and hold them accountable, including those who might think they are hiding on the dark web.”
“As today’s sentence proves, the anonymity of the dark web does not shield criminals from facing justice,” said HSI Seattle Acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “Haahr will serve time in federal prison for putting lives at grave risk by flooding our communities with fentanyl‑laced counterfeit pills disguised as legitimate medicine. HSI, USPIS, and the FBI identified the source of this deadly online marketplace, tracked his supply chain and finances, and dismantled his operation. If you traffic fentanyl—on the street or online—we will find you and hold you accountable.”
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Brian Wynne and Casey Conzatti.
Dallas woman sentenced for trafficking methamphetamine in the Eastern District of TexasRead the Press Release
SHERMAN, Texas –A Dallas woman has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Samantha Mendoza, 35, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant, III on March 4, 2026.
According to information presented in court, in 2021, federal agents began investigating a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) operating a narcotics distribution cell in the North Texas area. The investigation led to multiple seizures of methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, firearms, and large amounts of U.S. currency. On December 15, 2022, federal agents observed Mendoza provide a weighted package to another person. A search warrant was executed at Mendoza’s residence resulting in the seizure of 950 grams of methamphetamine, three firearms, multiple drug ledgers, methamphetamine conversion supplies, and over $85,000 in U.S. currency.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Wes Wynne.
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Convicted Felon Discharges Gun Inside Apartment BuildingRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – Antonio Jones, age 46, of Nashville, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C. Section 922(g)(1), announced United States Attorney Braden H. Boucek for the Middle District of Tennessee.
According to court documents, on November 16, 2024, Metro Nashville Police Department officers responded to a shooting inside an apartment building located at 331 Plus Park Boulevard. Following the shooting, officers located Jones in a specific apartment unit and a loaded Taurus, Model 85, .38 Special caliber revolver was recovered from inside that same apartment unit.
Jones has felony convictions, including Aggravated Assault and Possession of Cocaine for Resale.
If convicted, Jones faces a maximum of 15 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph P. Montminy is prosecuting the cases.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Convicted Felon Charged with Unlawful Possession of Ammunition Stemming from 2023 HomicideRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE –LaGarrion Lamontez Blacksmith, age 36, of Nashville, was charged yesterday with possession of ammunition by a felon for his role in a 2023 homicide, announced United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Braden H. Boucek.
On February 18, 2023, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) responded to a shooting at Club Trvth on the 2900 block of Dickerson Pike in Nashville, Tennessee. The shooting resulted in the death of victim C.E. When uniformed patrol officers arrived at the scene of the shooting, they located C.E. deceased from what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds.
A witness made a statement to the police that he and C.E. were together inside the nightclub, and they had a verbal altercation with other patrons. When they attempted to leave the club, security guards told them it was unsafe to leave. However, they disregarded the guards’ warnings. As they left the club, the altercation continued into the parking lot, ultimately culminating in a shooting. Through the course of the investigation, MNPD homicide detectives determined multiple individuals were shooting during the incident and at least two people were shot. Surveillance video captured Blacksmith in an area by himself firing a weapon near two vehicles.
The MNPD Crime Lab conducted analysis on shell casings recovered from the scene and determined 16 fired cartridge casings were fired from the same firearm. This analysis, along with the surveillance video and crime scene photographs, attributed a group of shell casings to an individual shooter, Blacksmith. MNPD homicide detectives also recovered an iPhone that they were able to connect to Blacksmith near these casings.
At the time that he possessed the ammunition in this case, Blacksmith was a convicted felon. He has prior convictions in Davidson County Criminal Court for Theft over $1,000; Attempted Possession More Than 0.5 Grams Cocaine for Resale, and Felon in Possession of a Weapon.
If convicted, Blacksmith faces up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Stephens is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Convicted Domestic Abuser Sentenced to over Four Years in Federal Prison for Possessing a GunRead the Press Release
A man with multiple prior domestic violence convictions who unlawfully possessed a gun while committing another domestic assault was sentenced today to more than four years in federal prison.
Travis Terrell Jordan, age 41, from Memphis, Tennessee, received the prison term after a September 12, 2025, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a person convicted of domestic violence.
Information from the sentencing hearing showed that Jordan had been convicted of a domestic abuse crime four times prior to December 2024. On December 13, 2024, Jordan assaulted a woman in an apartment in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Jordan hit the victim in the face and pointed the gun at her while threatening to shoot her. The victim’s two minor children were also in the apartment at the time.
Jordan was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Jordan was sentenced to 53 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Jordan is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
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.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Nagin and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cedar Rapids Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-cr-20.
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Columbia Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Fatal Quantity of Fentanyl to USC StudentRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Vernon Antwan Martin, 37, of Columbia, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for the distribution of fentanyl to a 20-year-old University of South Carolina student, resulting in her death.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that in May 2023, Columbia Police officers conducted a welfare check on a woman at a Columbia apartment after family and friends reported that they were unable to contact her. Officers found the woman dead in her apartment. An autopsy report confirmed the victim died from a fentanyl overdose.
Based on evidence collected during the investigation, law enforcement determined on May 30, 2023, Martin distributed a counterfeit pill to the victim, which she believed to be Percocet but actually contained fentanyl. Following the victim’s death, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted a search at Martin’s residence, where they located additional narcotics, a firearm, and approximately $30,000.
“There is always danger in taking prescription pills that are not prescribed to you by a legitimate health care provider. This case demonstrates how deadly a small amount of fentanyl can be,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “This case is the result of law enforcement coordination at the local and federal level, and we’ll continue to aggressively prosecute those who bring fentanyl into our community. Our hearts are with this young woman’s family and loved ones as they remember a life cut short.”
“This case is a tragic example of the deadly consequences of counterfeit pills,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “The victim thought they were purchasing Percocet, but they were handed fentanyl, a synthetic opioid driving overdose deaths across our nation. The defendant knew exactly what he was selling. As the DEA continues its Fentanyl-Free America campaign, today’s sentencing underscores our mission to protect communities and aggressively pursue those who knowingly distribute lethal substances.”
"Our officers worked closely with federal partners to investigate this case and ensure the individual responsible was held accountable,” said Columbia Police Chief W. H. “Skip” Holbrook. “We urge the public to understand the serious risk of taking pills that are not prescribed by a legitimate medical provider - just one can kill."
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Martin to 240 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. Judge Lewis also ordered that Martin pay approximately $19,000 in restitution to the victim’s family.
To learn more about DEA’s Fentanyl Free America campaign, including resources for getting help, visit DEA.gov/FentanylFree.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the City of Columbia Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elle E. Klein and Ariyana Gore prosecuted the case.
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Columbia Man Charged with FirearmRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Columbia, Mo., man has been charged by a federal grand jury with possession of a firearm after a prior felony conviction.
Dorian Colby Gardner, 38, is charged with possession of a firearm in Cooper County, Mo., on Nov. 24, 2025. Gardner is prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law due to prior felony convictions.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren E. Kummerer. It was investigated by the Boonville, Mo. Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Operation Take Back America
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.
Colombian National Sentenced to 42 Months in Federal Prison for Role in Nationwide Jewelry Theft RingRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that EDIXON RINCON PUENTES, 45, a citizen of Colombia last residing in Los Angeles, California, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 42 months of imprisonment for his involvement in an organized jewelry theft ring that targeted mall-based stores and kiosks across the country.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from May 2023 through April 2024, Rincon Puentes and several other Colombian nationals burglarized jewelry stores and kiosks in malls in Connecticut and other states and then transported the stolen property or the proceeds from it across state lines. Before the burglaries, the co-conspirators surveilled the stores and kiosks to formulate game plans and, as part of that reconnaissance, posed as legitimate customers to examine the desired merchandise and assess the establishment’s security measures.
Rincon Puentes, who primarily served as a lookout and driver, and his co-conspirators burglarized jewelry establishments at the Connecticut Post Mall in Milford, Connecticut, on October 5, 2023; in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, on October 27, 2023; and in Henrico, Virginia on November 4, 2023. Other members of the conspiracy burglarized additional jewelry establishments in New Jersey, Ohio, Indiana, New York, and Illinois, and Virginia. Rincon Puentes and his associates also cased jewelry stores and kiosks in other states.
Losses from the burglaries exceed $4.4 million, and the total loss from the three burglaries Rincon Puentes participated in is $938,148.
To date, none of the stolen jewelry has been recovered by law enforcement. The investigation revealed that much of the stolen jewelry was sold to the owner of a jewelry store in Queens, New York, who then sold it to others, including those he knew would melt down the gold.
Rincon Puentes has been detained since July 17, 2024. On November 8, 2024, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy.
This investigation has been conducted by the FBI New Haven’s Transnational Organized Crime Task Force with the assistance of the Milford (Conn.) Police Department, the Hamilton Township (N.J.) Police Division, the Delaware State Police, the Henrico County (Va.) Police Division, the New York State Police, the New York Police Department, the Pensacola (Fla.) Police Department, the Paterson (N.J.) Police Department, the Mentor (Ohio) Police Department, the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Police Department, the Greece (N.Y.) Police Department, and the Lombard (Ill.) Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David T. Huang and Conor M. Reardon.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, and FBI Field Offices in New York, Dallas, Miami, and Tampa for their assistance.
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 toward 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 New Haven comprises agents and officers from the FBI, DEA, HSI, ATF, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, U.S. Department of Labor, and Connecticut State Police, with prosecutions led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.
Chief Regulatory Officer for ExThera Medical Charged with Concealing Adverse Events, Including Deaths, from FDA; ExThera Medical Corporation Resolves InvestigationRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A California woman was charged today and has agreed to plead guilty in the District of Massachusetts for failing to report adverse events with the intent to defraud or mislead the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) in connection with a blood filtration device used on cancer patients who traveled from the United States to Antigua for treatment.
Separately, ExThera Medical Corporation (“ExThera”) has entered into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement in connection with a criminal information filed in the District of Massachusetts charging it with failure to file adverse event reports with the intent to defraud or mislead in connection with the device. Today’s announcement marks the first resolution of a corporate defendant by the Health Care Fraud Unit’s New England Strike Force since announcing its partnership with the District of Massachusetts.
According to court documents, Sanja Ilic, 58, of Carlsbad, Calif., is charged with one count of failing to report adverse events with intent to defraud or mislead the FDA. Ilic will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
Ilic was the Chief Regulatory Officer of ExThera, a Northern California-based medical technology company. ExThera manufactured a blood filtration device that removed pathogens from patients’ bloodstreams. Despite Ilic’s experience, training and knowledge of FDA adverse event reporting, Ilic intentionally concealed reportable adverse events, including the deaths of two patients treated with the blood filtration device at a clinic in Antigua.
Prior to the start of treatments at the Antigua clinic, Ilic circulated an email to ExThera’s leadership and regulatory staff demonstrating that she understood potential adverse events, including “life-threatening” complications, that patients could experience from use of the Device. Ilic understood that disclosure of such information would have triggered regulatory scrutiny from the FDA, caused clinical trial partners to potentially withdraw their participation and jeopardized ExThera’s and Ilic’s future financial prospects. Rather than comply with her legal obligation to report the events, Ilic concealed this critical information from the FDA. Ilic and ExThera potentially stood to lose financially if negative adverse event reports related to the Antigua clinic were filed with the FDA.
Following public reporting about the blood filtration device and after ExThera terminated Ilic, ExThera filed several adverse event reports with the FDA relating to use of the Device to treat cancer outside the United States.
As part of the deferred prosecution agreement, ExThera admitted that, through Ilic, it acted with intent to defraud and mislead the FDA. ExThera will be required to, among other obligations, provide ongoing cooperation with and disclosures to the Justice Department; implement a compliance and ethics program to prevent violations of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act’s adverse event reporting requirements; and report to the Justice Department regarding remediation and implementation of these compliance measures.
ExThera also agreed to pay a criminal penalty of $750,000 which has been adjusted based on ExThera’s ability to pay. ExThera will establish an escrow account and deposit $750,000 within 60 days. In the event ExThera is not able to pay amounts owed, if any, in any related civil litigation, the money in escrow shall be used to pay amounts owed. ExThera also agreed to entry of a forfeiture order of $5,694,750.
The government reached this resolution with ExThera based on a number of factors, including the nature and seriousness of the offense conduct, and that ExThera has only minimal remaining operations. ExThera did not voluntarily and timely self-disclose the conduct to the Justice Department but did receive credit for accepting responsibility, cooperating with the investigation and engaging in timely remedial measures.
Ilic faces up to three years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of the greatest of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or twice the gross loss. She is also subject to forfeiture and restitution. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Fernando McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, New York Field Office; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Boston Division; Roberto Coviello Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Health and Human Services, Officer of Inspector General; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Nicholas Bucciarelli, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mackenzie A. Queenin and Sarah Hoefle of the Health Care Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case, along with Assistant Chiefs Kevin Lowell and William Schurmann and Trial Attorneys John Howard and Sarah Rocha of the Justice Department’s Fraud Section.
More information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-expands-health-care-fraud-unit-target-health-care-fraud-massachusetts.
Carter County Resident Sentenced for Robbery and Felony AssaultRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Timmy Lynn Tatum, age 18, of Sulphur, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 87 months in prison for one count of Robbery in Indian Country, and 87 months for one count of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to Do Bodily Harm in Indian Country. The Court ordered the terms served concurrently.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Sulphur Police Department, the Murray County Sheriff’s Office, and the Chickasaw Nation Lighthorse Police.
On April 1, 2025, Tatum pleaded guilty to the charges in federal district court. According to investigators, on June 30, 2024, Tatum broke into a Sulphur home, attacked and beat the victim with a firearm, and robbed the victim at gun point. Tatum left the residence, taking several items of value.
The crimes occurred in Murray County, within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Senior Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Tatum will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Edith A. Singer represented the United States.
California Siblings Convicted of Drug Conspiracy ChargesRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – Jurors on Thursday convicted Lorenzo A. Marquez, 32, and Adam A. Marquez, 27, for their role in a large-scale conspiracy to distribute significant quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine to a drug-trafficking organization in Southeast Missouri. The verdict was reached following a nine-day trial before U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau.
Evidence presented during the trial showed that the Marquez brothers were California-based suppliers of illegal drugs that were shipped to Southeast Missouri via couriers using checked baggage on commercial airlines. Drugs and cash were seized by law enforcement officers at airports in Detroit, Memphis, and Nashville, as well as during a traffic stop in Perry County, Missouri.
During an airport seizure on March 3, 2022, three drug couriers were intercepted in Detroit on their way to Southeast Missouri with approximately 60 pounds of methamphetamine and almost three pounds of cocaine. Lorenzo Marquez had provided the couriers with suitcases containing the drugs in Los Angeles. Evidence at trial showed that the couriers had made several flights between Southeast Missouri and Los Angeles, California, transporting drugs and cash.
The trial began on February 23. The Marquez brothers are scheduled to be sentenced on June 11, 2026. They both face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office, the Perry County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston Department of Public Safety, the Sikeston Department of Public Safety, the Cape Girardeau Police Department, Memphis (Tennessee) Airport Police, the Nashville (Tennessee) Airport Police, the Detroit (Michigan) Airport Police, and Cobb County (Georgia) Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chris Shelton and Paul Hahn are prosecuting the case.
California Attorney Guilty of Federal Contempt Charge for Failing to Ensure Distribution of Settlement Funds to Relatives of Victims of Lion Air Flight 610Read the Press Release
CHICAGO — A California attorney pleaded guilty today in Chicago to a criminal contempt of court charge for disobeying a court order that called for settlement funds to be distributed to relatives of victims killed in the crash of Lion Air Flight 610.
KEITH GRIFFIN, 54, of Temple City, Calif., entered the plea before U.S. District Judge LaShonda A. Hunt in the Northern District of Illinois. Judge Hunt set sentencing for Aug. 6, 2026.
Griffin worked for the California personal injury law firm Girardi Keese, which represented relatives of victims who were killed in the 2018 crash in the Java Sea. Girardi Keese filed civil lawsuits in federal court in Chicago against the plane’s manufacturer, Boeing Co., and settled the suits in 2020. In connection with the settlements, U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin ordered that the settlement funds, which included a total of $7.5 million, be sent to each client as soon as practicable. Although Boeing wired the settlement funds into Girardi Keese’s client trust account in March 2020, Griffin admitted in a plea agreement that he knew for the next eight months that the firm failed to distribute the full amount of money to the clients, in contravention of Judge Durkin’s order and despite the clients’ repeated inquiries and demands for the money.
Griffin stated in the plea agreement that on multiple occasions he confronted another attorney at the firm, THOMAS GIRARDI, about paying the money to the clients. Griffin knew, however, that Girardi was not distributing those funds as required by Judge Durkin’s order over that eight-month period, the plea agreement states. The Lion Air victims eventually received their settlement funds when another law firm’s insurer paid them.
Griffin’s guilty plea was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared Hasten and Emily Vermylen.
Girardi, 86, of Seal Beach, Calif., was convicted in 2024 by a federal jury in Los Angeles of embezzling millions of dollars in settlement funds from other clients. In connection with Girardi’s sentencing in that case, prosecutors in Los Angeles apprised the Court that Girardi had misappropriated the settlement funds in the Lion Air matter. Girardi was sentenced last year to more than seven years in federal prison.
Two other Girardi Keese employees were charged in Chicago as part of this investigation. Attorney DAVID LIRA, 65, of Pasadena, Calif., pleaded guilty last year to a criminal contempt charge for his willful failure to abide by Judge Durkin’s settlement payment order. Lira was sentenced to four months in federal prison and four months of home confinement and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service. The firm’s former Chief Financial Officer, CHRISTOPHER KAMON, 51, of Palos Verdes, Calif., pleaded guilty last year to a wire fraud charge for helping Girardi embezzle the victims’ settlement funds. Kamon was sentenced to more than five years in federal prison, which will run concurrently to a ten-year sentence that Kamon received in federal court in Los Angeles for a related embezzlement scheme.
u.s._v._griffin_-_plea_agreement.pdfBryant Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Tyler Dane Wooten will spend 360 months in federal prison for production of child pornography. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by United States District Judge Lee P. Rudofsky.
On October 9, 2024, Wooten, 36, of Bryant, was indicted by a federal grand jury in a 12-count Superseding Indictment on six counts of distribution of child pornography, one count of production of child pornography, two counts of distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography, two counts of receipt and attempted receipt of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography. Judge Rudofsky also sentenced Wooten to a lifetime of supervised release and ordered him to pay $81,000 in restitution. There is no parole in the federal system.
In April 2024, an FBI Online Covert Employee (OCE), using an online platform, began chatting with a user whose display name was “Bad Daddy.” An investigation identified “Bad Daddy” as the defendant, Wooten. The OCE and Wooten belonged to a chat group that that was devoted to the exchange of child pornography and videos. A further investigation revealed that on several occasions in April through June 2024, Wooten and other members of the group exchanged child pornography that contained videos depicting adults performing sex acts on children, including toddlers and infants.
On April 24, 2024, Wooten and the OCE were in a private conversation and Wooten stated he previously had “100+ gigs of stuff,” meaning child pornography. Wooten stated to the OCE that he had a “guilty conscience” and a “paranoid episode” and deleted the child pornography but was “just starting back into collecting” and was “…in search of harder and hurtcore baby and toddler stuff” because he “loves good toddler baby stuff.”
A review of Wooten’s online account revealed that he was chatting with another user who was sexually abusing a child at Wooten’s direction and the user filmed the abuse.
On July 30, 2024, Wooten was arrested and at the time of his arrest, law enforcement officers discovered 3,945 videos of child pornography on his devices.
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 https://www.justice.gov/psc. Parents are encouraged to always monitor your children’s online activity.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kristin Bryant.
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Bryan resident sentenced to 14 years for sadistic exploitation of childrenRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 27-year-old area man has been ordered to federal prison after coercing and enticing minors and possession of child sexual abuse material, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Reuben Waller Boyer pleaded guilty Sept. 23, 2025.
U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal has now sentenced Boyer to 14 years for the coercion and enticement of minors and 10 years for possession of child pornography convictions, respectively. They will run concurrently for a total 168-month term of imprisonment. In handing down the prison terms, the court noted the danger the Boyer presents to the community. Boyer was further ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to an identified victim and will serve five years on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Boyer will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
On Feb. 19, 2021, law enforcement discovered an online user, later identified as Boyer, sharing files containing child sexual abuse material in a public KIK chat room. The investigation led to the discovery of a MEGA link containing approximately 70 videos of CSAM.
Authorities subsequently discovered communications between Boyer and a 14-year-old minor which detailed the live child pornography Boyer had the child create for Boyer’s sexual gratification.
Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Boyers’ residence and seized his electronic devices. Forensic analysis resulted in the discovery of over 1,000 images and videos of CSAM depicting the sadistic sexual abuse of pre-pubescent minors.
Boyer will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the future.
FBI - Bryan Resident Agency conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luis Batarse prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
Brothers from Mexico sentenced to prison for multi-year drug distribution conspiracyRead the Press Release
Seattle – One of two brothers from Mexico, who were both caught with a total of more than 30 pounds of fentanyl powder and pills and a kilo of heroin, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 42 months in prison, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Benito Perez Aguilar, 29, of Kent, Washinton, and his brother Antonio Perez Aguilar, 32, of Mill Creek, Washington, were arrested in May 2025 following a drug trafficking investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The men shared the moniker “Miguel” in their drug trafficking from 2022-2025. The investigation documented various drug sales throughout western Washington. Neither brother has legal status in the U.S.
“These men were moving large amounts of fentanyl pills and powder in our community – they were not small-time dealers,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “Particularly concerning, Benito Perez Aguilar, while driving impaired, caused a traffic accident on I-5 in n 2017. He remained a fugitive on a state court warrant related to that case, until his federal arrest last year.”
“This investigation shut down a significant fentanyl and heroin distribution operation that was putting lives at risk across western Washington,” said Robert A. Saccone, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “As part of our commitment to a Fentanyl Free America, DEA is committed to disrupting the fentanyl supply chain, reducing the availability of these deadly drugs, and saving American lives. Investigations like this show that DEA and our partners will continue to target the criminal networks responsible for trafficking these deadly drugs and hold those who profit from this poison accountable.”
According to records filed in the case, the DEA moved in on the residences of both brothers on May 16, 2025. At Benito’s residence, law enforcement recovered approximately 76.5 grams of M-30 pills, 1,169 grams of fentanyl powder, as well as scales,
baggies, and $20,285 in cash. In Antonio’s residence, officers seized 1,992.3 grams of M-30 pills; 11,320 grams of fentanyl powder, 1,271.8 grams of heroin, and $12,396 in cash.
In November, Benito Perez Aguilar pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
In asking for a five-year prison term, prosecutors noted the danger of the drugs the brothers trafficked in the community, and evidence that Mr. Perez had engaged in drug trafficking previously. “On December 15, 2017, Mr. Perez caused a multi-vehicle collision while driving under the influence. He then attempted to escape the scene by offering another driver up to $2,000 to drive him away. After Mr. Perez was located by law enforcement, he was observed to have bloodshot eyes and the
odor of intoxicants. Police officers later conducted a court-authorized search of Mr. Perez’s vehicle and recovered 411 grams of heroin, six scales, five phones, and a box of Ziploc baggies. Mr. Perez failed to appear in court as directed by a summons in 2018. There was an active warrant for Mr. Perez based on this criminal conduct for over seven years, until he was arrested in 2025.”
U.S. District Judge Jamal N. Whitehead ordered Benito Perez Aguilar to serve four years of supervised release following his prison term. However, he likely will be deported following prison due to a lack of legal status in the United States.
Last month Antonio Perez Aguilar was sentenced to four years in prison. He had already been convicted in 2018 of Solicitation to Delivery of a Controlled Substance, Cocaine, in state court, for purchasing $105,000 worth of cocaine. He was sentenced to four months in prison in that case.
The case was investigated by the DEA.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Yemini.
Brookhaven Man Faces Federal Charges for Trafficking Fentanyl and Cocaine in Metro AtlantaRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Quincy Adam Rogers, who was on pretrial release for federal drug trafficking charges in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, faces new federal charges related to his alleged distribution of fentanyl and cocaine in Atlanta.
“Dealing drugs while on bond in another case demonstrates shocking disrespect for the law,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Rogers’s alleged conduct evinces complete disregard for the consequences of his actions, which are severe. Because of the lethal danger posed by fentanyl and cocaine, trafficking the amounts alleged in this case is punishable by life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.”
“This case underscores the persistent threat fentanyl traffickers pose,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Even while facing federal charges, this defendant continued to distribute a drug that kills Americans every day. The DEA’s Fentanyl-Free America Initiative is focused on ensuring that those who continue to endanger lives, especially repeat offenders, face swift and serious consequences.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg and the criminal complaint filed in federal court: Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration were conducting surveillance at an apartment complex in Atlanta on February 5, 2026. The agents observed Quincy Adam Rogers with a drawstring bag near a vehicle. Later, agents saw Rogers place a duffle bag in the trunk of a different vehicle that had just arrived. After both vehicles left the complex, DeKalb County Police Department (DCPD) stopped the second vehicle as it was traveling on Interstate 85 in Braselton, Georgia.
While searching that vehicle, officers found bags like those that Rogers had been carrying. In the bags, DCPD Officers discovered approximately 825 grams of suspected fentanyl powder and five kilograms of cocaine, along with a kilogram press. A kilogram press is used to form drugs into uniform bricks for transportation and distribution. The wholesale street value of the seized drugs was well over $100,000. DEA agents subsequently arrested Rogers.
At the time of the drug seizures, Rogers was on federal pretrial release for drug trafficking charges pending in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Quincy Adam Rogers, 39 of Brookhaven, Georgia, appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge on March 5, 2026, on a criminal complaint that charged him with possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.
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 Brookhaven Police Department, Clayton County Police Department, DeKalb County Police Department, and Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John DeGenova is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
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.
Brockton Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Selling Fentanyl; Multiple Machineguns and Kilograms of Fentanyl Recovered During SearchesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brockton man associated with Brockton-based Harvard Street Gang (HSG) was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for selling fentanyl to a cooperating witness during multiple controlled purchases. At the time of the controlled purchases, the defendant was on probation for a 2019 fentanyl conviction and on pretrial release for a separate March 2024 drug arrest.
Joshua Tavares, 29, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy to 12 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In May 2025, Tavares pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and fentanyl analogue. In December 2024, Tavares was indicted by a federal grand jury.
As discussed during the sentencing hearing today, in 2023, Tavares was identified as a member of HSG. Tavares conducted six sales of fentanyl and fentanyl analogue to a cooperating witness from September to November of 2024. Over the course of the six transactions, Tavares sold approximately 549 grams of fentanyl analogue to a cooperating witness. All of the transactions were captured on video recording.
After the controlled purchases, an arrest warrant and search warrants were executed on Dec. 3, 2024 at multiple residences and stash houses in Brockton. During the searches, approximately four kilograms of suspected fentanyl, cocaine, packaging materials for distribution of controlled substances and over $89,000 in cash were recovered. A .40 caliber Glock firearm and a 9mm Glock firearm with a machinegun conversion device were also located in the residence where Tavares was located.
A 9mm Glock firearm with a machinegun conversion device and a tactical laser sight was recovered from a stash location along with numerous rounds of ammunition and multiple loaded magazines, including a 50 round “drum” style magazine. Machinegun conversion devices, commonly referred to as “switches,” are designed to convert firearms into fully automatic weapons.
In February 2026, eight members and associates of HSG were charged with drug and firearm offenses. The court papers related to those arrests, refer to Tavares and his membership in HSG. According to court documents, the Harvard Street Gang (HSG) has been subject to federal investigation since 2019. During this time, more than 20 leaders, members and associates of HSG have been charged with state and federal drug trafficking and firearm crimes. Over 100 kilograms of drugs, including cocaine and fentanyl, and over 45 firearms, including multiple machine guns, have been seized. According to court documents, HSG has been involved in gang violence, including shootings, murders and witness intimidation. Numerous HSG leaders, members, and associates have been convicted of drug trafficking and firearm crimes in federal court because of this investigation. At least six defendants have been sentenced to 10 years or more in federal prison, and one member who was convicted after trial was sentenced to 32 years in prison.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Brockton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
Boonville Man Charged with Drugs, FirearmRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Boonville, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury with cocaine, methamphetamine, and gun charges.
Johntelle Bona Millens, 40, is charged with possessing a Heckler and Koch, model VP9, 9 mm semi-automatic handgun between June 17 and July 24, 2025, in Cooper and Howard Counties. Millens is prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law due to prior felony convictions. The indictment also alleges that Millens possessed, with the intent to distribute, methamphetamine and cocaine in Cooper County on July 24, 2025.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren E. Kummerer. It was investigated by the Boonville Police Department, the Cooper County Sheriff’s Office, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Operation Take Back America
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.
Beckley Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Jazmir Tyheem Young, 24, of Beckley, was sentenced today to one year and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of more than 5 grams of methamphetamine and a quantity of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 1, 2024, Young sold more than 5 grams of methamphetamine and a quantity of fentanyl to a confidential informant in a Harper Road parking lot in Beckley. As part of his guilty plea, Young admitted to the transaction.
Young has a criminal history that includes two prior felony convictions. At the time of this offense, Young was on probation for a state-level criminal conviction.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, which consists of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office, and the Beckley Police Department.
Chief United States District JudgeFrank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney D. Keith Randolph prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:25-cr-119.
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Bangladeshi national to make initial appearance following arrest by the FBI in international sextortion caseRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A Bangladeshi national is scheduled to make his initial appearance today in the District of Alaska after he was charged by the United States in 2022 with operating an international child sexual exploitation enterprise.
According to court documents, in July 2022, Zobaidul Amin, 28, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Alaska with charges related to his alleged abuse and exploitation of hundreds of minor victims in Alaska, and elsewhere in the United States and abroad. According to court documents, Amin used social media applications including Instagram and Snapchat to identify and coerce minor victims to produce images and videos of sexually explicit and sadistic conduct.
The FBI and the Justice Department have been working in coordination with Malaysian authorities since September 2022, when Amin was charged by the Attorney General’s Chambers of Malaysia with 13 counts related to the possession and production of child pornography. Amin was living in and attending medical school in Malaysia prior to the charges. Amin was transferred from Malaysia to Alaska by the FBI on March 4, 2026.
“Yesterday’s return from Malaysia of a Bangladeshi national who allegedly abused and sexually exploited hundreds of minor victims worldwide is another successful example of the Administration’s increased efforts to find criminals hiding abroad,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Together with our international partners and the U.S. Department of State, we are countering online child sexual exploitation, protecting our most vulnerable, and bringing these sick abusers to face justice on American soil.”
“The FBI’s commitment to protecting our children from exploitation doesn’t change whether an offender is here in the U.S. or overseas,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “In collaboration with our partners, we will continue to ensure perpetrators like Amin are held accountable and brought to justice.”
“The impact of this case is that of international magnitude. It stands as one of the most prolific cases of alleged online child exploitation the United States has ever seen,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “We are grateful for the steady, strong collaboration among the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, law enforcement agencies and Malaysian partners that made this transfer possible, enabling us to move forward and seek justice for victims.”
“Demonstrated by this significant step taken by the FBI, those who target children online cannot hide behind anonymity or borders,” said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “FBI Anchorage’s successful transport and arrest operation is a testament to the strength of our international law enforcement partnerships, and the FBI’s relentless pursuit of justice for victims.”
Amin is charged with one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography, one count of conspiracy to receive and distribute child pornography, one count of child exploitation enterprise, one count of production of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography, one count of cyberstalking, two counts of aggravated identity theft and five counts of wire fraud. The defendant is scheduled to make his initial court appearance today at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kyle F. Reardon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, he faces between 20 years to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Anchorage Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case, with support from the following agencies:
Alaska State Troopers; Anchorage Police Department; Royal Malaysia Police; Laramie Police Department (Wyoming); Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation; Wyoming Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force; Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office (Oregon); Mercer County Sheriff's Office (West Virginia); Raleigh County Sheriff's Office (West Virginia); Kanawha County Sheriff's Office (West Virginia); Guernsey County Sheriff's Department (Oregon); Clay County Sheriff's Office (Florida); Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office (Oregon); Homeland Security Investigations Wenatchee, Washington/Bend, Oregon; and the FBI Field Offices in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Denver, Detroit, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Newark, Oklahoma City, Pittsburgh, Portland, Sacramento, Salt Lake City and Seattle.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alaska thanks the Government of Malaysia, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the FBI’s Law Enforcement Attaché in Kuala Lumpur for working collaboratively to secure Amin’s appearance in the District of Alaska.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Alexander and Jennifer Ivers are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and 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 Justice.gov/PSC.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Bangladeshi National Returned to the United States in International Sextortion CaseRead the Press Release
Amin surrendered in Malaysia.A Bangladeshi national is scheduled to make his initial court appearance today in the District of Alaska to face charges that he operated an international child sexual exploitation enterprise.
According to court documents, in July 2022, Zobaidul Amin, 28, was indicted by a federal grand jury with charges related to his alleged abuse and exploitation of hundreds of minor victims in Alaska, and elsewhere in the United States and abroad. As alleged in the indictment, Amin used social media applications including Instagram and Snapchat to identify and coerce minor victims to produce images and videos of sexually explicit and sadistic conduct.
Prior to the U.S. charges, Amin was living in and attending medical school in Malaysia. In September 2022, Amin was charged by the Attorney General’s Chambers of Malaysia with 13 counts related to the possession and production of child pornography. The FBI and the Justice Department has been working in coordination with Malaysian authorities, and Amin was transferred from Malaysia to Alaska on March 4.
“Yesterday’s return from Malaysia of a Bangladeshi national who allegedly abused and sexually exploited hundreds of minor victims worldwide is another successful example of the Administration’s increased efforts to find criminals hiding abroad,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Together with our international partners and the U.S. Department of State, we are countering online child sexual exploitation, protecting our most vulnerable, and bringing these sick abusers to face justice on American soil.”
“The FBI’s commitment to protecting our children from exploitation doesn’t change whether an offender is here in the United States or overseas,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “In collaboration with our partners, we will continue to ensure perpetrators like Amin are held accountable and brought to justice.”
“The impact of this case is that of international magnitude. It stands as one of the most prolific cases of alleged online child exploitation the United States has ever seen,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “We are grateful for the steady, strong collaboration among the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, law enforcement agencies and Malaysian partners that made this transfer possible, enabling us to move forward and seek justice for victims.”
“Demonstrated by this significant step taken by the FBI, those who target children online cannot hide behind anonymity or borders,” said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “FBI Anchorage’s successful transport and arrest operation is a testament to the strength of our international law enforcement partnerships, and the FBI’s relentless pursuit of justice for victims.”
FBI Special Agents awaiting Amin's arrival in Alaska.Amin is charged with conspiracy to produce child pornography, conspiracy to receive and distribute child pornography, child exploitation enterprise, production of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, cyberstalking, aggravated identity theft and wire fraud. The defendant is scheduled to make his initial court appearance today at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kyle F. Reardon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Anchorage Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case, with support from the following agencies: Alaska State Troopers; Anchorage Police Department; Royal Malaysia Police; Laramie Police Department (Wyoming); Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation; Wyoming Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force; Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office (Oregon); Mercer County Sheriff's Office (West Virginia); Raleigh County Sheriff's Office (West Virginia); Kanawha County Sheriff's Office (West Virginia); Guernsey County Sheriff's Department (Oregon); Clay County Sheriff's Office (Florida); Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office (Oregon); Homeland Security Investigations Wenatchee, Washington/Bend, Oregon; and the FBI Field Offices in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Denver, Detroit, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Newark, Oklahoma City, Pittsburgh, Portland, Sacramento, Salt Lake City and Seattle.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska thanks the Government of Malaysia, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the FBI’s Law Enforcement Attaché in Kuala Lumpur for working collaboratively to secure Amin’s appearance in the District of Alaska.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Alexander and Jennifer Ivers for the District of Alaska are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and 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 Justice.gov/PSC.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Baltimore Man Sentenced for Role in Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A Baltimore man received his sentence today for his role in a drug-trafficking conspiracy.
U.S. District Court Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Rivers Stewart, 55, to eight years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – Washington Division; Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI – Baltimore Field Office; Secretary Carolyn J. Scruggs, Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS); Commissioner Richard Worley, Baltimore Police Department (BPD); and Chief Robert McCullough, Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD).
According to court documents, in June 2021, based on confidential source information and surveillance, law enforcement identified Carlos Scovens, 59, of Baltimore, Maryland, as an upper-level drug distributor operating in the Baltimore Metropolitan area. As a result, DEA investigators began monitoring Scovens’ drug trafficking activities and determined Stewart was an associate.
Based on a wiretap investigation and confidential informants, law enforcement also discovered that Stewart engaged in a conspiracy to distribute controlled substances with Scovens and others. Investigators intercepted calls between Stewart and Scovens discussing the distribution of controlled substances, including fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and cocaine base.
During the investigation, law enforcement observed Stewart, along with Scovens, Keyshawna Ellis, 29, of Baltimore, Maryland, and other co-conspirators using a Northeast Baltimore residence as a stash location. Investigators observed Scovens and Stewart meeting at this location on multiple occasions.
On April 18, 2022, investigators executed a search warrant at the stash location where they recovered approximately 3,645 grams of fentanyl, 1,000 grams of cocaine, 399 grams of cocaine base, and 500 grams of heroin/fentanyl mixture. Stewart possessed approximately 3,645 grams of fentanyl and 500 grams of heroin/fentanyl mix with the intent to distribute them prior to the search.
Additionally, law enforcement executed search warrants at multiple other locations it observed Scovens meeting Stewart and at Stewart’s house. Through the additional searches, investigators recovered approximately $45,413, and $17,925, at separate locations associated with Stewart, which are believed to be drug proceeds from other locations.
On January 16, 2026, Judge Hollander sentenced Scovens to 100 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a detectable amount of fentanyl. In December 2024, Ellis pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a detectable amount of fentanyl. Then in May 2025, Ellis received a two-year federal-prison term.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative, which seeks to end the presence of criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations through a collaborative and comprehensive response to the growing threat to public safety and national security. The HSTF integrates personnel, including law enforcement agents, intelligence analysts, and professional staff, from federal agencies to combat crime in our communities.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the DEA, FBI, DPSCS, BPD, and BCPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys LaRai Everett and Jon Tsuei who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Baltimore County Man Pleads Guilty to Bribing Former Baltimore City Finance OfficialRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A Baltimore County man pled guilty in federal court today to bribing a Baltimore City official.
James Carroll Erny, Jr., 55, of Glen Arm, Maryland, who is charged with bribery, admitted to paying at least $25,000 in bribes to Joseph Gillespie, a former Baltimore City Department of Finance employee. In exchange, Gillespie extinguished various financial obligations Erny owed to the City of Baltimore. As a result of the criminal conduct, the City of Baltimore suffered financial losses of more than $145,000.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Braithwaite, Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG), Eastern Region; and Chief Robert McCullough, Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD).
According to the plea agreement, beginning in December 2019, and continuing until August 2023, Erny engaged in a bribery scheme in which Gillespie abused his position of trust as a public official for his own personal gain. During this period, Erny — who owned at least eight properties in Baltimore City — routinely paid bribes in exchange for Gillespie delaying, removing, or extinguishing financial obligations owed to the City. This included unpaid citations, tax obligations, and water obligations, thereby causing losses to the City.
Erny primarily paid these bribes by cash, providing Gillespie with envelopes containing as much as $1,000 each while the former City employee worked at the Abel Wolman Municipal Building. Sometimes, Erny met Gillespie in a men's bathroom in the City-owned building to give him envelopes containing cash bribes. Erny also routinely provided Gillespie bribe payments via Cash App and Zelle.
Additionally, Erny admitted to engaging in a separate scheme to obtain fraudulent COVID-19 relief loans under both the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. Ultimately, Erny fraudulently obtained $996,240 in fraudulent PPP funds as part of the scheme, and he attempted to obtain more than a $100,000 worth of EIDL funds.
Erny faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for bribery. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett scheduled sentencing for Tuesday, June 9, at 11 a.m. In February 2025, Judge Bennett sentenced Gillespie to four years in prison in connection with the wire-fraud conspiracy.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI, SBA-OIG, and BCPD for their work in the investigation. U.S. Attorney Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean Delaney and Joseph Wenner who are prosecuting the case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Auburn Woman Pleads Guilty to Filing False Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: An Auburn woman pleaded guilty on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Portland to filing a false tax return and interfering with the administration of federal tax laws.
According to court records, Rakiya Mohamed, 30, filed false federal income tax returns for 2018 and 2019 and provided false records to the IRS when those tax returns were audited. Mohamed owned a language interpretation business called Reliable Language Resources. Mohamed reported the income and expenses for the business on her individual income tax returns. Mohamed reported false and fraudulent expenses for contract labor and office expenses for Reliable Language Resources on those tax returns. The IRS audited Mohamed’s 2018 and 2019 tax returns, and Mohamed provided the auditors with falsified business records to substantiate the false and fraudulent expenses.
Mohamed faces a maximum term of imprisonment of three years, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a maximum term of supervised release of one year. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Arizona Drug Trafficker Who Fled State Charges Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jose Ramon Lopez, 30, of Yuma, Arizona, was sentenced to 120 months in prison for one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and the United States Marshals Service.
On August 4, 2025, Lopez pleaded guilty to the charge in federal district court. According to investigators, on May 2, 2021, a trooper conducting a traffic stop on Interstate 40 in Sequoyah County discovered Lopez in possession over 5,000 counterfeit OxyContin pills containing a combined net weight of 562 grams of fentanyl. Law enforcement arrested Lopez and charged him in Sequoyah County District Court, but Lopez posted bond and fled to Mexico. The United States indicted Lopez in February 2022. On December 30, 2024, U.S. Marshals apprehended Lopez coming through the port of entry into Arizona and returned him to Oklahoma to face federal drug trafficking charges.
“This sentence is a warning to those who threaten the safety and peace of our streets by trafficking in illicit drugs,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “The Department of Justice is proud to stand side by side with state, local, and Tribal law enforcement to defend our communities.”
“Drug dealers manufacture and traffic counterfeit pills which look like alprazolam, hydrocodone, or oxycodone but can contain lethal doses of fentanyl. Mr. Lopez was one of those dealers,” said Joseph B. Tucker, DEA Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Division. “This sentence reflects our continued resolve to partner with our law-enforcement counterparts to fight greed, violence, and substance abuse in Eastern Oklahoma communities.”
“The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is proud of the work our troopers conducted in this case. It underscores our commitment to our most important mission, keeping Oklahomans safe,” said OHP Chief, Colonel Joe Williams. “Fentanyl is an extremely dangerous drug and even a small amount can be deadly. Like all states, we have seen the tragedy that results from this deadly drug. Justice has finally caught up with Jose Ramon Lopez, and this case highlights the importance of strong cooperation with our federal partners in disrupting drug trafficking and protecting our communities. We appreciate the diligent work of the prosecution and thank the court for its careful handling of this case. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol remains committed to continued collaboration with our federal partners to keep Oklahoma safe.”
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 Honorable Ronald A. White, Senior Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Lopez 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.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia Staubus represented the United States at sentencing.
Ada Resident Pleads Guilty to Federal Assault ChargesRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Isaiah Marshall Harjo, age 28, of Ada, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country, punishable by up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and one count of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to Do Bodily Harm in Indian Country, punishable by up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Indictment alleged that on September 25, 2025, Harjo assaulted the victim, resulting in serious bodily injury. The Indictment further alleged that on that same day, Harjo assaulted a second victim with a dangerous weapon, intending to do bodily harm.
The crimes occurred in Pontotoc County, within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Ada Police Department.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Harjo will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lewis M. Reagan represented the United States.
18th Street Gangsters, Associates Arrested on Indictments Alleging Murder, Extortion, Drug Trafficking in L.A.’s MacArthur Park AreaRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Twelve members and associates of 18th Street – Los Angeles’s largest street gang – were arrested today on criminal charges, including the murder of a drug trafficker who failed to pay the gang’s extortionate “taxes,” and further alleging that the gang controlled the city’s MacArthur Park as an open-air drug marketplace, using tents to blend in with the homeless population and avoid detection by law enforcement.
Five of the defendants arrested today are expected to make their initial appearances and be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
During this investigation, federal and local law enforcement have seized more than 175 pounds of methamphetamine and fentanyl. Today, law enforcement seized approximately $80,000 in cash, 10 pounds of fentanyl, five pounds of methamphetamine, and six firearms.
A total of seven federal grand jury indictments have been returned against members and associates of 18th Street. The main federal indictment, which contains seven counts, charges the following seven Los Angeles-based members and associates of 18th Street, with one count of racketeering conspiracy:
- Keiko Marie Gonzalez, 59, a.k.a. “Moms,” “La Señora,” and “La Reina,”
- Edward Escalante, 49, a.k.a. “Toro,”
- Edward Alvarenga, 27, a.k.a. “Tito,”
- George Carillo, 60, a.k.a. “Chuco,”
- Carlos Beltran, 48, a.k.a. “Negro,”
- Felipe De Los Angeles, 51, a.k.a. “Indio,” and
- Edwin Martinez, 32, a.k.a. “Dreamer.”
Law enforcement is looking for six fugitives in this matter. One fugitive is believed to be in Mexico and another is believed to be in Guatemala.
“For far too long, 18th Street and other criminals have been allowed to turn one of the city’s most beautiful public spaces into a crime-infested pit. That ends today,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “We are committed to eliminating violent organized crime and open-air drug markets from Los Angeles.”
“The distribution of illegal narcotics in our communities is unacceptable, as is the associated violent crime that many times affects innocent residents,” said Robert Molvar, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. “This investigation should send a message to 18th Street Gang members and their Mexican Mafia overlords that we’re going to continue to work with our law enforcement partners to target those responsible for the distribution of illegal narcotics which enrich the gang while they prey on and poison members of our community.”
According to the indictment, 18th Street is historically a Mexican-American street gang that has grown into a transnational gang with more than 100,000 members within the United States, and operates across Mexico, Central and South America, and elsewhere. 18th Street controls numerous neighborhoods in and around Los Angeles, including MacArthur Park and its surrounding blocks.
“MacArthur Park served as an open-air marketplace for drug trafficking by 18th Streeters, many of whom operated within tents to conceal the nature of their drug trafficking and to avoid law enforcement detection,” the indictment alleges. “18th Street also controlled a substantial portion of the drug trafficking activities in the Skid Row area of Downtown Los Angeles.”
The gang controls its “territory” through violence and threats of violence against rivals and others, controls and participates in drug trafficking including that of fentanyl and methamphetamine, operates illegal gambling establishments (casitas) and collects extortionate “taxes.”
18th Street is affiliated with the Mexican Mafia prison gang and the Mexican Mafia member who maintained ultimate control over 18th Street is an unindicted co-conspirator – identified in the indictment as “Co-Conspirator 1” – who is an inmate at a California state prison.
From at least July 2020 to March 2026, Gonzalez – the second in command and street boss of 18th Street – directly communicated with Co-Conspirator 1. In this role, Gonzalez had decision-making authority, oversaw the gang’s criminal activity, disciplined members, collected rent, “taxes,” and fines from the gang’s members and associates, and ordered murders of individuals in the gang, the gang’s rivals, or drug traffickers. Gonzalez and others also directed drug trafficking, violent acts, and other criminal activities.
For example, on July 27, 2022, Gonzalez ordered the murder of a victim who failed to pay 18th Street’s extortionate taxes on her drug trafficking activities in the gang’s territory. The victim – identified in the indictment as “M.Z.” – was shot to death. Carillo and Beltran are charged with one count of murder in aid of racketeering for their roles in that murder.
Gonzalez, Escalante, Alvarenga, and De Los Angeles also are charged with one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion (Hobbs Act). Escalante additionally is charged with three counts of attempted Hobbs Act extortion, and one count of knowingly and intentionally distributing nearly two pounds of methamphetamine.
“Gang criminals and drug peddlers have been exploiting the MacArthur Park community for far too long,” said Anthony Chrysanthis, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration Los Angeles Field Division. “18th Street has been moving product in MacArthur Park at will. The collaborative work poured into this multi-agency operation is a testament to our resolve to turn the tide. We want to return MacArthur Park back to the community.”
“This indictment exposes a criminal enterprise that relied on illegal activities that generated steady illicit income,” said Tyler Hatcher, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-CI Los Angeles Field Office. “By uncovering the financial structure that supported this organization, we are helping dismantle the network that allowed it to operate and profit at the expense of our communities. IRS CI will continue to use our financial expertise to ensure that violent gangs cannot hide their proceeds and cannot use those profits to fuel further harm.”
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
If convicted, Carillo and Beltran would face a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment, Gonzalez would face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, Alvarenga would face up to 40 years in federal prison, De Los Angeles and Martinez would face up to 20 years in federal prison, and Escalante would face a 10-year mandatory minimum prison sentence and a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
The FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Los Angeles Police Department are investigating this matter with assistance from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the United States Marshals Service.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jena A. MacCabe of the Major Crimes Section and Daniel H. Weiner of the Transnational Organized Crime Section are prosecuting these cases.
Wednesday 4 March 2026
York County Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Production of Child Pornography and Enticement of A Minor to Engage in Illegal Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jonah Allen Sassam Watt, age 32, of Dover, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on March 3, 2026, by United States District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson to 30 years in federal prison for charges related to the production of child pornography and for his online enticement of minors to engage in illegal sexual activity.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, over the course of several months in 2022, Watt used various social media platforms to coerce children (ranging between the ages of 12-16) to create sexually explicit content of themselves. In some instances, Watt offered them payment for their images and in others, Watt threatened the children to create the images and videos, or he would “hack” their social media accounts. At the time he was intercepted by law enforcement in this case, Watt was in possession of additional images of child pornography, to include children as young as infants and toddlers being sexually assaulted.
In sentencing Watt, Judge Wilson echoed the statements of one of the victim’s mothers who called Watt’s conduct predatory, calculated, and evil.
Judge Wilson also ordered Watt to pay $54,710.00 in restitution and following Watt’s period of incarceration, he is to serve an additional 15 years on federal supervised release.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luisa Honora Berti is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
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