Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
28 September 2026
Southern Maine Men Plead Guilty to Federal Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Portland man and a South Portland man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland for their roles in a drug trafficking conspiracy.
According to court records, from May 2024 through April 2025, a group of drug traffickers worked with a Massachusetts supplier to distribute drugs in southern Maine. In November 2024, as part of the investigation into this drug ring, law enforcement officers arrested Daniel Lydon, 46, who was located in a hotel room with over 100 grams of methamphetamine, over 700 grams of fentanyl powder, and approximately $4,000 in cash. A search of Lydon’s phone confirmed he had been working with the Massachusetts supplier and communicating about the distribution of drugs. Later in the investigation, law enforcement developed information that Michael Myrick, 48, was using his South Portland residence to distribute drugs for the same Massachusetts supplier. In March 2025, investigators received evidence of ongoing communications between the Massachusetts supplier and Myrick, which confirmed he was receiving drugs, including fentanyl, and distributing them to associates and customers in southern Maine.
Lydon faces a mandatory minimum term of 10 years and up to life imprisonment, up to a $10 million fine, and up to a lifetime of supervised release. Myrick faces a mandatory minimum term of 5 years and up to 40 years imprisonment, up to a $5 million fine, and up to a lifetime of supervised release.
Both men will be sentenced after the completion of presentence investigative reports by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Additional subjects have been charged with offenses related to the same drug-trafficking ring. Maximo Pepin, aka Manny, 30, of Massachusetts, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on May 7, 2026, having pleaded guilty to a drug conspiracy. Alec Dodge, 35, of South Portland, Matthew Estes, 47, of Falmouth, and Patrick McCarthy, 34, of Scarborough, have previously pleaded guilty to a federal drug conspiracy offense. Peter Call, 31, of Portland, Cassandra Smith, 36, of Old Orchard Beach, and Nicholas Porter, 35, of Windham, are indicted co-defendants with Lydon and Myrick, and are all scheduled for change of plea hearings in U.S. District Court.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case, with assistance from the FBI, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Maine State Police, the Portland Police Department, the South Portland Police Department, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, and the Maine Attorney General’s Office.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. The Maine HSTF comprises agents and officers from FBI; DEA; Homeland Security Investigations; IRS-Criminal Investigations; U.S. Marshals Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Diplomatic Security Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Border Patrol; Coast Guard Investigative Service; and Transportation Security Administration, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine.
###
South Carolina Man Sentenced to 2 Years Imprisonment for Interfering with a Delta Airlines Flight CrewRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A Greenwood, South Carolina man was sentenced on September 23, 2026, to two years in prison for interfering with a Delta Airlines flight crew in December 2025.
According to court documents, Michael Shane Orndoff, Jr., 52, boarded Delta Airlines flight 27 from Atlanta, Georgia, enroute to Seoul, South Korea, when it had to be diverted to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport because of Orndoff’s intoxication and violent behavior.
Approximately one hour after take-off, Orndoff had already consumed four to six large glasses of wine, becoming intoxicated and belligerent toward the flight crew and other passengers. Orndoff began to lean and breathe onto an adjacent female passenger. Around this time, the flight crew refused alcohol service to Orndoff. Orndoff then tried to have other passengers, including a minor, buy alcohol for him, and eventually he stole a bottle of wine from a service cart and locked himself in a bathroom. A short time later, he left the bathroom carrying the empty wine bottle, returned to his seat, and continued to harass nearby passengers. The pilots locked themselves in the cockpit and diverted the flight to Anchorage for safety. The female passenger approached a flight crew member at the front of the plane and asked for a different seat. Orndoff chased her to the front of the plane, pounded on the cockpit door, and demanded more alcohol. It took several passengers and flight crew members to subdue Orndoff with zip-ties.
Airport police boarded the plane when it landed and escorted Orndoff off the plane. Hours after Orndoff stole the bottle of wine, his blood alcohol concentration was .192.
“Regrettably, events such as this have become all too common,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “Air travel is an essential mode of transportation, especially for Alaskans, and we remain committed to ensuring that every passenger can fly without fear of belligerent and dangerous behavior.”
“While onboard a commercial aircraft, Mr. Orndoff’s violent and disruptive behavior jeopardized the safety of the flight crew and his fellow passengers,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Schlegel of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “Interfering with a flight crew is a federal crime that can have catastrophic consequences. The FBI will continue to investigate crimes aboard aircraft, pursue justice for victims, and help ensure the safety and security of all travelers.”
The FBI Anchorage Field Office and the Anchorage Airport Police and Fire Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mandy Mackenzie prosecuted the case.
###
South Burlington Man Charged with Unlawfully Possessing a Firearm as a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
BURLINGTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Kendall Liberty, 25, of South Burlington, Vermont, has been charged by criminal complaint with unlawfully possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Liberty appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle on Friday, September 25, 2026, who ordered that Liberty be detained pending further proceedings in the case.
According to court records, on November 27, 2025, a woman reported to the Burlington Police Department that between that day and the previous day, she had received numerous messages from Liberty, including threats that he was going to find her and hurt her. The woman returned to her residence on November 27, 2025, after learning that police had encountered Liberty, to find her residence in disarray, with blood on the walls. Burlington Police reviewed camera footage from the woman’s residence that confirmed Liberty had been to the woman’s residence when she was not present. A relative of the woman discovered a pistol in cushions of the woman’s couch, which law enforcement’s investigation linked to Liberty. Liberty is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior federal felony conviction.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the complaint contains allegations only and that Liberty is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Liberty faces up to 15 years of imprisonment if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
First Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt commended the investigatory efforts of the Burlington Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and thanked the Rutland Police Department for their assistance.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Matthew J. Lasher. Liberty is represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
Skamania County man charged with possession of child pornography for altering public photos of minors to make it appear they are nudeRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 23-year-old Skamania County man will appear in U.S. District Court in Tacoma today on a federal indictment for possession of images of child pornography after he used a computer program to turn public photos of minors into sexually explicit images, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Brady Bingham Hall will remain in custody pending future hearings.
“Like any other tool, Artificial Intelligence can be used to engage in criminal misconduct,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “If you make a choice to generate AI images, you better be sure they don’t violate the law. In this case sexually lascivious images of minors clearly crosses the line.”
According to the criminal complaint, Hall was arrested by Skamania County Sheriff Deputies on August 29, 2025. In his car Hall had two firearms, ammunition, and controlled substances. Police also seized Hall’s iPhone and obtained a warrant to review the phone’s contents.
A deputy reviewing the phone noted it contained images of many young people he recognized from the Skamania area. The phone contained screen shots from social media of some minors and then the same photos, but with the minors appearing nude.
Hall agreed to speak with investigators and said he had used a phone application that removed clothing from images, making the subject of the image appear nude. Hall had used this app on hundreds of images – some on images of children as young as 12-years-old. At least one of the photos had the words “AI generated” across the photo.
Law enforcement confirmed the identities of some of the children in the original photos and confirmed that they are minors.
“Our children are our future,” said Skamania County Sheriff Summer Scheyer. “We are proud to partner with Homeland Security Investigations on this case. A crime like this has no place in either Skamania County or our country as a whole.”
“We want to commend the diligence of the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office in identifying the child pornography images which led to this charge,” said acting HSI Seattle Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “We will always work with our local, state and federal partners in our fight against the production of these materials and the protection of our children.”
Possession of child pornography is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and up to a $250,000.00 fine.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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 United States 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Hampton.
Sioux Falls Man Sentenced to over 4 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS – First Assistant United States Attorney Gregg Peterman announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on September 21, 2026.
Ryan Tulio, 41, was sentenced to four years and nine months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Tulio was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in July 2025. He pleaded guilty on June 29, 2026.
Tulio was part of a drug trafficking organization that was obtaining methamphetamine from Arizona and then distributing it in the Sioux Falls area. Tulio was personally involved with distributing approximately 2 ½ pounds of methamphetamine during his involvement in the conspiracy.
This case was investigated by United States Postal Inspection Service and the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.
Tulio was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Shiprock Man Pleads Guilty to Second-Degree MurderRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man pleaded guilty in federal court to second-degree murder for the 2025 killing of a woman on the Navajo Nation.
According to court documents, on November 15, 2025, Harlan Joe, 21, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, unlawfully killed Jane Doe at a residence in Shiprock, New Mexico, after a day of drinking. Joe admitted that he punched, kicked, and dragged Jane Doe on the ground and asphyxiated her, causing her death. When officers arrived at the residence, they found Jane Doe deceased outside the house with obvious signs of abuse and trauma and immediately detained Joe. During a subsequent interview, Joe stated that he knew what he was doing and that it was wrong.
Joe pleaded guilty to second degree murder and faces any number of years and up to life in prison at sentencing.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan is prosecuting the case.
Shiprock Man Charged with Four Alleged Sexual AssaultsRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man has been indicted in connection with four alleged sexual assaults that occurred over a two-year period.
According to court documents, on four occasions between May 2018, and May 2020, Pierson Manycattle, 28, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, engaged in sex acts with a minor.
Manycattle is charged with three counts of aggravated sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact and will remain on conditions of release pending trial which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, Manycattle faces up to life in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Salt Lake County Resident Sentenced in a Series of Baggage Thefts at Salt Lake City International AirportRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah –The final defendant in a series of baggage thefts from Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) was sentenced today to 13 months’ imprisonment, and two years of supervised release for her role in the 2022 thefts.
The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Howard C. Nielson Jr., comes after Leticia Marie Torres, 45, of Salt Lake County pleaded guilty on November 19, 2025, to aiding and abetting in the theft of baggage from interstate shipment, and illegal transactions with an access device. Her codefendant, Brianna Marie Taylor, was sentenced on September 17, 2025, to 13 months’ imprisonment. A third defendant, Charles Masters, charged in a separate indictment related to another string of baggage thefts at the Salt Lake City Airport, was sentenced on August 28, 2024, to two months home detention and three years’ probation. As part of their sentence, Masters and Taylor were ordered to pay restitution for their respective cases. The court ordered Torres to pay $36,599.54 jointly and severally with others involved in the offense.
According to court documents and statements made at Torres’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, in January 2022, Torres and Taylor stole multiple pieces of baggage over the course of several months from multiple victims with the intent to keep them for their personal use. As part of their scheme to defraud, Torres and Taylor used multiple stolen credit cards belonging to one of the victims and received payment and other items of value during a one-year period, costing the victims $36,599.54 in losses. Even when Torres was not present at the airport, stolen luggage was brought to her home, as revealed by a search warrant executed on her residence. See prior press release: Utah Residents Facing Federal Charges for Alleged Baggage Thefts at Airport.
United States Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case was investigated jointly by an FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department and the Salt Lake City Police Department Airport Division.
Assistant United States Attorney Jawayria Z. Auchter of The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
As part of ongoing efforts to decrease baggage thefts at airports, Salt Lake City Police Department and the Salt Lake City International Airport say the best way to prevent theft is to ensure your bag is never left unattended. Recognizing that flying with carry-on bags is not always feasible, SLCPD recommends the following tips as travelers enter the holiday and ski season in the beehive state:
- Place irreplaceable or high value items in your carry-on baggage (Note: Passengers must know which items are required to be checked or prohibited from being checked or brought onto an aircraft.)
- Reconsider purchasing luxury-branded luggage as this could be an allure to potential thieves.
- Make your checked luggage distinctive using stickers, tape, ribbon or consider purchasing a brightly colored suitcase.
- Keep a record of what you pack and take a photo of your belongings and your luggage. Photos can be helpful during a police investigation and for insurance purposes.
- After landing, avoid unnecessary delays and head to the baggage pick-up area immediately so your bag is not left unattended when on the baggage carousel.
- Ensure your bag is clearly labeled with your contact information. For privacy reasons, an address is not necessary, but a name and phone number should be included.
- If you believe someone has stolen your luggage, be sure to file a police report and file reports with the airline and TSA.
- Report anything suspicious to an airport/airline official or airport police.
The Salt Lake City Police Department’s Airport Division continues to conduct proactive operations to curb baggage theft from Salt Lake City International Airport. Officers and detectives work closely with airline and airport staff to ensure the security of passenger luggage.
Roxbury Man Arrested for Kidnapping and Unlawful Possession of Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Roxbury, Mass. man has been charged with kidnapping a victim from their home in Rhode Island. The defendant allegedly led police on a chase on I-93, crashing into other vehicles and fleeing on foot.
Dominic Hampton-Boyd, 31, is charged with kidnapping and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The defendant is currently being held in state custody on related charges. He will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date
According to the charging documents, on Aug. 12, 2026, Hampton-Boyd is alleged to have entered the victim’s Rhode Island home without the victim’s knowledge. Once in the home, it is alleged that the defendant struck the victim on the side of the forehead with a pistol and choked the victim. Hampton-Boyd allegedly then directed the victim out of the house and into a car, asking the victim if they wanted to “die here or in Boston.”
Hampton-Boyd is alleged to have driven the car across state lines into Massachusetts. The victim attempted to exit the vehicle on several occasions but was unable to. The victim eventually was able to call 911. When law enforcement attempted to initiate a car stop, Hampton-Boyd allegedly accelerated and hit several cars on I-93. After crashing the car, Hampton-Boyd attempted to flee but was subsequently apprehended. According to court documents, a privately made Glock-style semiautomatic firearm loaded with 9mm rounds of ammunition was recovered in the car.
Hampton-Boyd is prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition due to his prior state court convictions, including a prior conviction in Suffolk Superior Court for armed robbery.
The charge of kidnapping provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, five years supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of being a felon in possession provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Massachusetts State Police, East Providence Police Department and Norfolk District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Allegra Flamm and Aidan Lang of the Major Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Rockford Man Sentenced to More Than Two Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Selling Handgun and “Machine Gun” Conversion DevicesRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A Rockford man has been sentenced to more than two years in federal prison for illegally selling a handgun and “machine gun” conversion devices to a convicted felon.
In the spring and summer of 2024, BRIAN RODRIGUEZ sold a handgun, ammunition, and components designed to be assembled into machine gun conversion devices, also known as “Glock switches.” When attached to a firearm, a switch makes the gun capable of firing in fully automatic mode.
Rodriguez, 24, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of knowingly possessing and transferring a machine gun. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins sentenced Rodriguez to 27 months in federal prison.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Christopher Amon, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“The risk of danger to the community when convicted felons possess firearms, especially machine guns, is serious,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor N. Burnett argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “A criminal with a converted Glock handgun can more easily inflict damage on an individual or group of individuals, and can easily hit unintended targets as well, given the automatic firing and the difficulty of controlling the multiple rounds being expelled in short bursts by the handgun.”
Recidivist Ohio Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Cocaine and Methamphetamine ConvictionRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A former resident of Youngstown, Ohio, has been sentenced to 144 months in federal prison on his conviction of cocaine and methamphetamine trafficking, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Senior United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer imposed the sentence on Wade Shaw, 51, also ordering Shaw to serve six years of supervised release after his prison term.
According to information presented to the Court, on September 14, 2023, Shaw possessed with intent to distribute quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine. This conviction was Shaw’s third drug trafficking conviction since 2012, with Shaw having been incarcerated or under court supervision for nearly all of the past 14 years.
Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.
United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Sharon Police Department, the Farrell Police Department, the Mercer County Drug Task Force, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Shaw.
Rapid City Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled SubstanceRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Rapid City, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on September 21, 2026.
Brendon Williams, 32, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, a $1,000 fine, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Williams was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in January of 2025. He pleaded guilty on June 10, 2026.
Beginning at least in January 2024, Williams routinely traveled to the Denver, Colorado, area to purchase large quantities of fentanyl destined for the northern Black Hills. After graduating from Drug Court in May 2023 following convictions for multiple drug offenses in state court, Williams reengaged in drug trafficking and became one of the larger fentanyl suppliers in the northern Black Hills. Through informants, surveillance, search warrants, and subpoenas, investigators determined Williams was trafficking thousands of counterfeit M/30 fentanyl pills on a bi-weekly basis into South Dakota. In total, the investigation established Williams was responsible for transporting and distributing at least 3.5 kilograms, or 35,000 counterfeit M/30 fentanyl pills, in South Dakota. Over 322 grams of fentanyl were seized during the investigation.
“I’m very proud of our federal prosecutors and the UNET investigative team for cornering this fentanyl dealer and putting him behind bars,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “Anyone else dealing this poison in South Dakota can expect a similar fate.”
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Through PSN, the District of South Dakota seeks to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET). UNET is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the South Dakota Highway Patrol and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward C. Tarbay prosecuted the case.
Williams was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Porcupine Man Sentenced to over 2 Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Abusing a Minor in the Pine Ridge ReservationRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Porcupine, South Dakota, man convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor. The sentencing took place on September 14, 2026.
Griffin Cross, 31, was sentenced to two years and nine months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Cross will also be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
Cross was indicted for Sexual Abuse of a Minor by a federal grand jury in February 2026. He pleaded guilty on June 9, 2026.
In November of 2025, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety received a report of Cross sexually assaulting a thirteen-year-old girl in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Cross exchanged nude pictures with the victim over a social media site, sending her a picture of his private anatomy. Cross then met up with the victim at his residence and sexually abused her.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case.
Cross was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Peoria Man Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison for Distribution of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois man, Dione D. Alexander, 37, was sentenced on September 18, 2026, to 120 months’ imprisonment for distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual), to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.
At sentencing the government provided information that between September 4, 2024, and November 14, 2024, individuals purchased methamphetamine and other drugs from Alexander on multiple occasions, including 3.4 grams of methamphetamine, 474.2 grams of methamphetamine (actual), 15.2 grams of fentanyl, and 69.5 grams of cocaine. On December 2, 2024, law enforcement agents searched Alexander’s residence and located additional narcotics, a firearm, drug packaging and other materials used in the distribution of controlled substances. In total, Alexander was accountable for the unlawful distribution of 9,542.70 kilograms of converted drug weight.
Alexander was arrested on a complaint in December 2024 and indicted two weeks later. He entered a guilty plea in March 2026. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest.
The statutory penalties for distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual) are 10 years to life imprisonment, to be followed by at least 5 years of supervised release.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Springfield Resident Office, Pekin Police Department, Peoria Multi-Agency Enforcement Group (P-MEG), and Illinois State Police investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz represented the government in the prosecution.
The case against Alexander 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.
Pakistani National Charged with Defrauding US Postal Service of over $100 Million by Selling Counterfeit Postage OnlineRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida has returned an indictment charging a Pakistani national with operating an unauthorized website that allegedly sold more than 5 million counterfeit U.S. postage labels, causing more than $126 million in losses to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).
According to court records, Faheem Akram, 33, of Khanewal, Pakistan, operated LabelsBank.com, an online website that allegedly sold counterfeit U.S. postage at a fixed rate — typically $2 per label — regardless of a package’s weight, size, or destination. LabelsBank.com was not authorized to sell USPS products and services. The counterfeit labels allegedly allowed customers to ship packages at rates far below legitimate USPS prices, resulting in substantial lost revenue and shipping costs to the Postal Service.
“The alleged scheme was simple but massive: sell counterfeit postage online at fixed, cut-rate prices, as little as $2 per label, regardless of a package’s weight, size, or destination, enabling customers to avoid legitimate Postal Service charges,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The indictment alleges more than 5.1 million counterfeit labels and more than $126 million in losses. Through the work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and our prosecutors, the website has been shut down, the domain seized, and federal charges brought against its alleged operator, a Pakistani national.”
“Our reach goes beyond our borders,” said Inspector in Charge Bladismir Rojo of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Miami Division. “Transnational criminal organizations defrauding the Postal Service and targeting U.S consumers by pushing phony postage, will be found and brought to justice.”
The investigation revealed that over 5,200 individuals used LabelsBank.com to purchase more than 5.1 million counterfeit shipping labels, resulting in more than $126 million in alleged losses to USPS. In conjunction with the indictment, USPS obtained a court order authorizing the seizure and shutdown of the website.
Akram is charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to make and sell counterfeit postage stamps, five counts of making and selling counterfeit postage stamp labels, and four counts of wire fraud. If convicted, Akram faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the conspiracy and counterfeit postage counts and 20 years in prison on each wire fraud count.
The USPIS Miami Division is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jon Juenger and Jacqueline DerOvanesian are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff is handling asset forfeiture.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.sdfl.uscourts.gov, under case number 26-cr-60249.
###
Ocala Man Pleads Guilty to Multiple Counts of Distributing Methamphetamine and FentanylRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Ervin Jones, III (36, Ocala), a/k/a “Downy,” has pleaded guilty to five counts of distribution or possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. He faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court records, between August and September 2025, Jones distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl to an undercover law enforcement officer on four separate occasions. Additionally, on October 8, 2025, Jones was found to be in possession of fentanyl which was intended for distribution. Jones was arrested on February 26, 2026. He remains detained pending the resolution of the case.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Marion County Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
Ocala Man Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Methamphetamine and CocaineRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Israel Reyes (27, Ocala) has pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine. He faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court records, between October and December 2025, Reyes distributed methamphetamine and cocaine to an undercover law enforcement officer on four separate occasions. He was arrested on June 26, 2026, and remains detained pending the resolution of the case.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Marion County Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
Ocala Man Indicted for Distributing Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Illegally Carrying a FirearmRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Qua’Darius Dajohn Lamar Johnson (25, Ocala), a/k/a “GuapBoyz General,” a/k/a “Quavo,” has been charged by indictment with five counts of distribution of controlled substances (methamphetamine and cocaine) and one count of carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. If convicted on all counts, Johnson faces a minimum sentence of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. Johnson was arrested on September 18, 2026, and is detained pending the resolution of the case. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to the indictment, on five occasions between August 26 and September 17, 2026, Johnson distributed either cocaine or 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Additionally, on August 26, 2026, Johnson carried a firearm equipped with an extended magazine during and in relation to the drug trafficking offense.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Marion County Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
Northern Nevada Man Pleads Guilty to Improperly Using His Government Credit Card for Personal PurchasesRead the Press Release
RENO – A former U.S. Department of the Army employee and Sparks, Nevada, resident pleaded guilty today to using his Army credit card to make nearly $2,800 of purchases for his personal vehicle.
“Government charge cards are strictly distributed to facilitate official operations, not to serve as personal expense accounts,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “Public servants and government contractors are held to rigorous ethical and legal standards. Our office will continue working alongside our inspector general partners to identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals who abuse their access to public resources for personal gain.”
“The Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), the law enforcement arm of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, remains firmly committed to safeguarding programs and equipment funded by the American taxpayer,” said Special Agent-in-Charge John E. Helsing of the DCIS Western Field Office. “This investigation underscores our determination to hold accountable anyone who misuses government resources and to protect the integrity of the Department’s operations. DCIS will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners and the Department of Justice to identify, investigate, and dismantle schemes designed to personally profit from public funds.”
“The Department of the Army Criminal Investigative Division remains committed to protecting the integrity of the United States Army,” said Special Agent in Charge Keith K. Kelly, Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division Fraud Field Office. “Today’s outcome reflects the unwavering commitment of Army CID and our investigative partners to pursue those who attempt to defraud the US Army and exploit their position of trust which can adversely impact the Army’s warfighting capabilities.”
“Federal officials who use public funds for personal financial gain will be held accountable,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan Gregg of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) Western Investigations Division. “GSA OIG special agents will continue working with our law enforcement partners to fight fraud and safeguard taxpayer dollars.”
According to court documents, from September 21, 20220, to August 11, 2021, Tamilo Pale Fe’a, also known as “T,” made about 69 transactions with an Army fuel fleet credit card for his personal benefit at various gas stations in Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and California. Fe’a has also agreed to pay more than $80,000 in restitution to the government for the military equipment the indictment alleged that he stole.
Fe’a pleaded guilty to one count of access device fraud. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison at sentencing on January 4, 2027, before U.S. District Judge Anne R. Traum. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service; U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division; and General Services Administration—Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Richard Anthony Lopez is prosecuting the case.
###
North Dakota woman sentenced to 15 months in prison for drunk driving crashRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A North Dakota woman who seriously injured two people after she drove into their car while intoxicated was sentenced Friday to a year and three months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Kaylee Shy Ann Little Coyote, 26, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Little Coyote, with a blood alcohol content nearly three times the legal limit, drifted into oncoming traffic while driving her pickup truck on Highway 212 outside of Lame Deer. The wreck happened just before 6 a.m. on April 6, 2025.
First to arrive on the scene were BIA officers, who found a Ford F-150 and an SUV on the side of the highway, both with heavy front end damage. A woman was on the ground next to the SUV calling out in pain and a man was pinned inside between the dashboard and the driver’s seat. Little Coyote and her passenger in the truck were both injured; all four were taken to an area hospital for treatment. The two injured in the SUV were eventually taken to St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Billings. The woman had multiple vertebral and rib fractures and a perforated colon, which required surgery. The man sustained injuries to his lungs and shoulder.
Investigators learned Little Coyote had been traveling at 80 mph when she crossed the center line of the highway and struck the SUV. At the clinic, medical staff drew Little Coyote’s blood and found it had an alcohol concentration of 0.216%.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Yerger prosecuted the case. The BIA, Montana Highway Patrol, and Rosebud County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
New York Man Sentenced to over 24 Years for Fentanyl and Meth Conspiracy in Southwest MissouriRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A New York man was sentenced in federal court yesterday for his role in a large-scale fentanyl and methamphetamine conspiracy responsible for distributing more than 47 pounds of methamphetamine in southwest Missouri.
Ahmaad Jarvis, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 24 years and three months in federal prison without parole, followed by five years of supervised release. On March 18, 2026, following a two-day trial, a jury convicted Jarvis of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, unlawful use of a communications device, possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, and possession of fentanyl with the intent to distribute.
In October of 2023, investigators with the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted a wiretap investigation into a large-scale drug trafficking organization. As part of that investigation, law enforcement intercepted telephone calls where Jarvis discussed traveling to Los Angeles to obtain narcotics and bring them to Springfield, Mo., for distribution. On Oct. 20, 2023, during a traffic stop of Jarvis, investigators seized 10 pounds of methamphetamine and approximately 400 grams of fentanyl.
Jarvis is among 13 defendants who were charged in this case and is the 8th defendant to be sentenced. The remaining defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cameron A. Beaver and Hannah R. Lucas. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Greene County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Office, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Homeland Security Task Force
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Kansas City comprises agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri.
New Orleans Man Sentenced to 165 Months Imprisonment for Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On September 22, 2026, THOMAS VIRGIL, a/k/a “Savage,” a/k/a “Tom Virgil,” (“VIRGIL”), age 30, was sentenced by United States District Judge Brandon S. Long to 105 months as to Counts One, Five, and Fifteen, and 5 years as to Count 13 of the superseding indictment pending against him, in addition to a consecutive term of 60 months as to Count Three, for a total of 165 months, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle. VIRGIL was also sentenced to 5 years of supervised release and payment of a $500 mandatory special assessment fee.
Count One charged VIRGIL with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C) and (b)(1)(D). Count Three charged VIRGIL with possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A). Count Five charged VIRGIL with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). Count Thirteen charged VIRGIL with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(D). Count Fifteen charged VIRGIL with being a felon in possession of firearms, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).
According to court documents, VIRGIL, possessed fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana with intent to distribute in Orleans Parish and Jefferson Parish. VIRGIL also possessed firearms despite being a prohibited person, and also to further his drug trafficking crimes.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joshua K. Vanderhooft of the Narcotics Unit.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
* * *
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Drug-Trafficking and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – ROBERT POLK (“POLK”), age 23, of New Orleans, was sentenced on September 24, 2026 by Chief U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter to 80 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, along with a $400 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute tapentadol, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C); possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(a)(i); being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8); and possessing a stolen firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(j) and 924(a)(2), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
According to court documents, since at least 2024, POLK was selling tapentadol and marijuana in the New Orleans area. On May 20, 2024, New Orleans Police Department (“NOPD”) officers encountered POLK at a tire shop on North Claiborne Avenue. POLK was in possession of a loaded handgun and tapentadol pills and marijuana that he intended to sell. POLK was arrested but later released. On December 11, 2025, POLK stole a Glock Model 23 pistol from an associate. On December 30, 2025, law enforcement searched POLK’s residence and found the stolen Glock pistol hidden inside a cooler. POLK is prohibited from possessing a firearm because of prior felony convictions in Arkansas for aggravated assault on a family or household member and terroristic threatening in the first degree.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
New Jersey Man Sentenced to 70 Months in Threatening Red Mass Attendees at St. Matthew’s CathedralRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Louis Geri, 42, of Vineland, New Jersey, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 70 months in prison in connection with threatening to detonate more than 100 homemade explosive devices on the steps of St. Matthew's Cathedral during the annual Red Mass attended by U.S. Supreme Court Justices and other senior government officials, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Geri pleaded guilty March 5 before Judge Randolph M. Moss to a count of Hobbs Act extortion by wrongful use of force, violence, or fear, and to a count of possession of an unregistered firearm (destructive device). In addition to the 70-month prison sentence, Judge Moss ordered Geri to serve three years of supervised release. Federal prosecutors had requested a prison term of 87 months.
“The First Amendment will be respected in the District of Columbia. Threatening to detonate explosive devices at a house of worship during an important historic religious service, known as the Red Mass, is an attack on our community and on the fundamental right to worship freely,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Defendant Geri chose to terrorize a sacred space, St. Matthew’s Cathedral, and endanger officers and parishioners, thereby preventing Supreme Court Justices from attending an annual religious event. Seventy months in federal prison reflects the seriousness of his conduct and our commitment to protecting every community from extremist threats and violence.”
According to the plea agreement, on the evening of Oct. 4, 2025, Geri rode his motorcycle to St. Matthew's Cathedral, on the 1700 block of Rhode Island Ave. NW, and erected a tent on the church's front steps. Inside the tent, he assembled more than 100 explosive devices he had manufactured from materials — including nitromethane, magnesium, charcoal, and thermite — purchased in Arkansas and assembled in Virginia. He also carried a nine-page list of written demands.
The Red Mass, a high-profile annual religious ceremony attended by members of the Supreme Court, Cabinet, Congress, and the diplomatic corps, was scheduled at the cathedral for the following morning.
About 5 a.m. on Oct. 5, 2025, Metropolitan Police Department officers approached Geri's tent while patrolling the area before the service. When officers told him he would need to move, Geri refused and threatened to throw one of his explosive devices into the street to demonstrate its destructive power. He told officers that "several of your people are gonna die from one of these" if federal agents did not come to negotiate his demands.
Geri's written demands included hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments to himself and others, extended accommodations at the Mayflower Hotel, an expatriation flight to Japan, and requests that the Supreme Court remove Arizona from the United States and declare it a “foreign enemy.” He also made numerous demands directed at leaders of the Catholic and Jewish faiths.
Law enforcement established a barricade around the tent and apprehended Geri about 5:53 a.m. when he briefly emerged. Officers found one explosive device in his pocket along with a butane lighter. A search of the tent revealed more than 100 additional devices. Testing by an FBI laboratory confirmed the devices were improvised explosive devices in operable condition.
Following his arrest, Geri waived his Miranda rights and described the devices as “grenades” and “rockets.” He admitted that he intended to use the threat of force to coerce negotiations and that he was willing to use the devices to harm people and property — including St. Matthew's Cathedral, the White House, the Washington Monument, the U.S. Capitol, and the Supreme Court.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department, with valuable assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives, Washington Field Division.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Satter for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
The defendant holding destructive devices in his tent.
Items—including destructive devices—found inside of the defendant’s tent.
One of the six homemade destructive devices examined by the FBI laboratory.
26cr32
Follow us on X, Instagram, and YouTube
Or at https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc
Michigan man sentenced to 10 years prison for trafficking methRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A Michigan man who was trafficking methamphetamine in Billings was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Jemichael Leon McCoy, Jr., 23, pleaded guilty in June 2026 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.
The government alleged in court documents that McCoy was found hiding baggies of meth in the bathroom of a Billings man on state probation. Montana Probation and Parole had arrived at the house on May 19, 2026, after learning that the probationer there may have been interacting with a woman from whom he was barred contact.
Upon entering the home, officers found the probationer; the woman was hiding in the basement. Officers noticed drug paraphernalia scattered about and heard noises from the bathroom. Inside they found McCoy with a black backpack and a black plastic shopping bag. Officers contacted the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and sought a warrant to search the entire house.
With the warrant, they found 25 clear plastic baggies with a pound and a half of suspected meth hidden inside the toilet tank. They found a Ruger handgun, a small digital scale, a clear plastic baggy with suspected meth, and $700 cash in McCoy’s backpack.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department and the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force conducted the investigation.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
Mexican citizen sentenced to 2 years prison for cocaine traffickingRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A Mexican national who was trafficking cocaine in Billings and illegally owned a pair of handguns was sentenced Friday to two years in prison, after which he will be remanded to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Raul Molina-Mendoza, 34, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and unlawfully possessing a firearm.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement began investigating Molina-Mendoza in June 2025 after learning from a source that he was trafficking cocaine into Billings. Molina-Mendoza travelled to Denver that month to pick up a quarter-pound of cocaine.
In September 2025, investigators learned Molina-Mendoza was working with his brother Jose Molina-Mendoza to sell cocaine. After learning the brothers were planning another trip to Denver, law enforcement placed a tracker on the White Escalade they were driving.
Billings police pulled over the brothers on Oct. 9, 2025, after watching the Escalade make an illegal U-turn. A drug-sniffing dog alerted officers that illicit material was possibly inside. Investigators then sought warrants for the vehicle and for the house where the two men lived.
Searching the house, investigators found 137 grams of cocaine, two 9MM handguns, and $16,000 cash. They found another 127 grams of cocaine in the garbage can, 21 baggies filled with 1 gram of cocaine each, and cell phones. In the vehicle, investigators discovered $4,203 in cash and drug paraphernalia.
Jose Molina-Mendoza pleaded guilty to drug charges in February 2026. He was sentenced last month to time served and was remanded to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation proceedings.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Yerger prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department, FBI, and the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force conducted the investigation.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and the Fraudulent Use of Government SealsRead the Press Release
Ocala, FL – Mario Cesar Dos Santos, Jr. (50, Massachusetts) has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of fraudulent use of government seals. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 18, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, Dos Santos was the president of an organization called Chaplain Emergency Management Agency, Inc. (CEMA), which he falsely claimed was a government agency endorsed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In doing so, Dos Santos fraudulently used the seals of FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to fraudulently portray CEMA as a federal government agency and charge individuals to attend “Chaplaincy Training Courses” in Florida and other states, as well as abroad. Neither Dos Santos nor CEMA have authorization to use the seals of DHS, FEMA, or FBI, nor are they otherwise affiliated with these agencies or any other department or agency of the federal government.
As outlined in the court documents, Dos Santos organized numerous CEMA Chaplaincy Training Courses. At these trainings, Dos Santos falsely told attendees that CEMA partnered with FEMA and that CEMA and its courses were endorsed by FEMA. The courses were free to attend, but Dos Santos charged attendees approximately $400 to $450 to receive a chaplaincy certificate. After attendees completed the course and paid the associated fees, Dos Santos provided them with identification cards, law enforcement badges, and course completion certificates containing the seals of various departments and agencies of the United States. Dos Santos told attendees that the ID cards and badges authorized them to support law enforcement during emergency situations and take control of emergency situations until law enforcement arrived. He also told them that their status as CEMA chaplains would give them a level of immunity from immigration enforcement and would keep them safe from deportation. These claims were false.
As shown in the images below, the ID cards contained one of CEMA’s logos, which consists of the DHS seal, modified to state, “U.S. Department of Homeland Chaplain.” The back of the ID cards contained the DHS/FEMA seal. The certificates contained the FBI seal and a slightly different version of the CEMA logo—an older version of the FEMA seal, modified to state, “U.S. Department of Homeland Chaplain.”
Dos Santos also offered various CEMA merchandise for sale, including polo shirts, bumper stickers, jackets, badges, and badge holders—all bearing either the DHS or FEMA seal. During an undercover operation conducted at a training held on September 27, 2025, a confidential informant purchased merchandise items, pictured below. Approximately 30 to 45 individuals attended the training.
As part of the undercover operation, the confidential informant also obtained access to a CEMA group chat which had more than 750 members at the time the investigation began in August 2025. Dos Santos used the group chat to promote upcoming courses, including by sending digital flyers of such courses.
CEMA’s website and social media accounts all displayed the CEMA logo (an altered version of the DHS seal) and falsely identify CEMA as a government organization or federal agency. The website also falsely claimed that CEMA was “fully accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and the American Council on Education (ACE).”
Dos Santos was arrested February 19, 2026, at the Orlando International Airport, after he traveled from Boston to Orlando for a CEMA training that was scheduled for February 21. At the time of his arrest, Dos Santos was wearing a CEMA polo shirt with the DHS seal on the sleeve and chest.
Dos Santos is a Brazilian national who came to the United States in 2016. He has overstayed his visa and is undergoing deportation proceedings.
“Impersonating federal government agencies and/or officials is a serious crime,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “The collective values and missions of these agencies represent the communities they serve and must be protected.”
DHS Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D., said, “We condemn the misuse of any government seal to defraud victims for personal gain. We want to thank all our federal, state and local partners for their work leading up to this arrest.”
“This plea demonstrates the importance of holding accountable those who misuse the credibility and symbols of the federal government for personal gain,” said FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to investigate fraud schemes that deceive the public and undermine the trust in legitimate government agencies.”
If you believe you have been a victim of this fraudulent scheme, please contact the FBI via email at [email protected] no later than October 30, 2026.
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service’s Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate, and the Federal Air Marshal Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Belkis H. Callaos.
Marshall County Man Admits to Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA — A Glen Dale, West Virginia man has admitted to receiving hundreds of images and videos containing child sexual abuse material, U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey announced today.
Jason Matkovich, 39, pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography. According to court documents, Matkovich downloaded more than 600 child sexual abuse images and videos from a subscription-based file-sharing website. These downloads, some of which depicted physical violence against children, occurred weekly or biweekly for nearly two months in 2025.
Matkovich is scheduled for sentencing on December 22, 2026.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Perri is prosecuting the case. The West Virginia State Police investigated.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.
Marion County Man Pleads Guilty to Multiple Counts of Distribution of Methamphetamine and FentanylRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Jeremy De Jesus Almonte Contreras (20, Marion County) has pleaded guilty to six counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. He faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to the plea agreement, on six separate occasions between December 2025 and January 2026, Almonte Contreras sold methamphetamine and fentanyl to a confidential informant working with law enforcement. Almonte Contreras was arrested on April 8, 2026. He remains detained pending the resolution of the case.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Marion County Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
Man Caught Twice with Kilos of Meth Sentenced to 200 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man who was twice involved with trying to transport kilograms of methamphetamine to St. Louis was sentenced Monday to 200 months in prison.
Courtney D. McDonald, 30, pleaded guilty in April to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. He admitted paying an undercover agent of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations $1,005 on Jan. 24, 2025, for the delivery of a 2006 Toyota Highlander that had once been packed with 55.18 kilograms of meth. The New Mexico State Police had intercepted the Highlander two days earlier and removed the meth.
On May 21, 2025, Drug Enforcement Administration agents arrested McDonald in Kansas City, Missouri after he got off a train. A drug-sniffing K-9 alerted to McDonald’s suitcase, which contained about 18 kilos of meth. McDonald’s backpack contained 3.27 grams of cocaine and $4,873 in cash.
Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the New Mexico State Police investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
Little Eagle Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Abuse of a MinorRead the Press Release
ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a Little Eagle, South Dakota, man convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor. The sentencing took place on September 22, 2026.
Arthur Lane Taken Alive III, age 23, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Taken Alive was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2025. He pleaded guilty on March 25, 2026.
Around 11:00 p.m. on December 27, 2024, a 15-year-old girl was walking home across the footbridge in Bullhead, South Dakota when Taken Alive accosted her. When the girl declined his invitation to come with him, Taken Alive dragged her to a nearby root cellar and raped her. Bullhead is a community in the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal Court as opposed to State Court.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.
Taken Alive was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to serve his federal sentence.
Justice Department Announces Charges and Guilty Pleas Involving 12 Individuals for Election CrimesRead the Press Release
Today, the Justice Department announced charges and guilty pleas involving 12 individuals, including three illegal aliens, in connection with illegal voting, fraudulent voter registration, and related election crimes across the country. The cases include voting by aliens in federal elections, false claims of U.S. citizenship to register or vote, false statements on citizenship applications, and the alleged disposal of approximately 300 mail-in ballots by a former postal carrier.
Case details are as follows:
Middle District of Florida
Christiane Vinette Young, 75, an illegal alien from Canada, was charged by information with three counts of voting by an alien. Young voted in three federal elections – the 2024 general election, 2022 general election, and 2022 primary – despite knowing that she was not a citizen of the United States.
Southern District of Florida
Haitian national Valery Zidor, on Temporary Protected Status at the time of voting, falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen to register to vote and voted in the 2024 General Election. Zidor pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of making a false claim of citizenship in order to vote and one count of voting by an alien.
District of Kansas
Nigerian national George Olawunmi Johnson, a lawful permanent resident, was charged with one count of false claim to United States citizenship, one count of false claim to United States citizenship in order to vote, one count of fraudulent election conduct, and one count of voting by an alien in a federal election. Johnson is accused of falsely indicating that he is a U.S. citizen while registering to vote in February 2010 and allegedly cast a ballot in the November 2024 election.
Nigerian national George Olawunmi Johnson, a lawful permanent resident Nigerian national George Olawunmi Johnson, a lawful permanent residentDistrict of New Jersey
Two aliens were charged with illegally voting in a federal election and making false statements while applying for United States citizenship.
- Jamaican national Patrick Terrance Reid, 61, a lawful permanent resident, voted in person in the presidential elections held in November 2012 and November 2016, and via mail-in ballot in the presidential elections in November 2020 and November 2024. Additionally, Reid was charged with making false statements while applying for U.S. citizenship.
- Venezuelan national Danubis Bernat, 49, a lawful permanent resident, voted in person in the 2024 general election. Additionally, Bernat was charged with making false statements while applying for U.S. citizenship.
Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Four aliens, including two illegal aliens, were charged with election-related crimes.
- Cliff Sanon, 39, an illegal alien from Haiti who has been residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was charged by criminal complaint with one count of submitting a fraudulent voter registration application. Sanon allegedly submitted a voter registration application in February 2026 prior to the May 2026 primary election, despite being a citizen of Haiti and not an American citizen. The complaint further alleges that this was among eight fraudulent voter registration applications submitted by Sanon, who also voted in the November 2022 election.
- Dilea Ochoa-Perez, 43, an illegal alien from Mexico who has been residing in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, was charged by information with two counts of voting as an alien. According to the information, Ochoa-Perez allegedly illegally voted in Chester County in the November 2022 and November 2024 general elections, even though she was a citizen of Mexico at the time of both elections and not a U.S citizen.
- Trinidad & Tobago national Sade Guppy, 37, a lawful permanent resident, was charged by information with one count of voting as an alien. According to the information, Guppy allegedly illegally voted in Philadelphia County in the November 2022 general election, even though she was not a U.S. citizen.
- Mexican national Eduardo Gallardo Maldonado, 66, a lawful permanent resident, was charged by information with one count of voting as an alien. According to the information, Maldonado allegedly illegally voted in Philadelphia County in the November 2024 general election, even though he was not a U.S. citizen.
Western District of Texas
Mexican national Imelda Magallanes, 51, a lawful permanent resident, was charged with one count of voting by an alien in a federal election. Voting records from the Midland County Elections Office indicate that Magallanes first registered to vote in October 2020 using her Texas driver’s license as identification. Voting records also reveal that Magallanes voted in the November 2024 general election.
District of Hawaii
Filipino national Bernadette Acaso, 20, a lawful permanent resident, pleaded guilty to unlawfully voting as an alien. Acaso voted in the 2024 election by casting a mail-in ballot.
District of Utah
Damon Matai Seei, 34, of Payson, Utah with U.S. Postal Service (USPS) was charged with unlawful secretion, destruction, and delay of mail after he allegedly unlawfully threw away mail that he was entrusted to deliver – including approximately 300 mail-in ballots to registered voters in Utah.
Image of ballot Image of dumpster in church parking lotA complaint, indictment, and information merely contain accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Jacksonville Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Attempting to Entice and Meet a 13-Year-Old Child for Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Adeis Jonathan Francis (26, Jacksonville) has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison by United States District Judge Wendy W. Berger for attempting to entice and meet a 13-year-old child to engage in sexual activity. Francis was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender. He was arrested on March 6, 2026, and has remained in custody. He pleaded guilty on May 28, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, between February 17 and March 6, 2026, an FBI agent (UC), posing as a 13-year-old child, conducted an undercover operation in north Florida using an online social media application (“app”) to identify adults who were seeking to make contact with and engage in sexual activity with children. During this period, UC and app user “Jay,” exchanged several online messages on the app and by text messaging. After UC advised “Jay” that the “child” was 13 years old, “Jay,” who was identified as Francis, asked the “child” if “she” was ok talking with him, and requested the “child” to send him photos. On March 5, 2026, Francis asked the “child” if she was a “virgin” and texted, “I can show you how to have sex ...” Francis also described by text message the sexual acts that he wanted to perform on the “child.” After more text conversations discussing his plans and desire to meet the “child” in person for sex, on March 6, 2026, Francis traveled to the vicinity of the “child’s” purported residence where he was arrested by FBI agents. During an interview, Francis stated, among other things, “I’m not gonna get to go home for months,” and “so I’m going to prison.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jacksonville and Pensacola. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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, rescue, and seek justice for child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Irving couple convicted of federal conspiracy charges related to a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme targeting investors in the Eastern District of TexasRead the Press Release
SHERMAN, Texas – An Irving couple has been convicted in federal court of charges related to a multi-million-dollar fraud conspiracy in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Marina Brooks, 70, and Charles Brooks, 74, were both found guilty by a jury of conspiring to commit wire fraud. The verdicts were reached on September 28, 2026, following a week-long trial before U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant.
According to information presented in court, the defendants engaged in a multi-year, multi-million-dollar investment fraud scheme targeting Hispanic victims, including American citizens and immigrants. The defendants fraudulently solicited investments, including investments in entertainment and cryptocurrency ventures, including through radio advertisements. Evidence at trial showed that the defendants’ lies included promises and representations that the investments they sold would earn 100%, that shares in a private company would go up and never down, and that one of the cryptocurrencies they sold carried no risk. The defendants used much of the investor funds for their own purposes, including paying themselves and soliciting investments from additional victims. In all, the defendants fraudulently took at least $9.5 million from over 700 victim investors.
“For years, Marina and Charles Brooks repeatedly victimized hardworking members of the community in the Eastern District of Texas and elsewhere,” said U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. “Through their lies, the family stole life savings and retirement earnings from people who had worked for decades to realize the American dream. Working with our law enforcement partners like the FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigation, our office will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who lie for money and to vigorously seek justice for their victims.”
“Today’s guilty verdict provides justice to the victims whose lives were financially impacted by this investment scheme. Through fraudulent representations and fake business ventures, these defendants solicited funds from vulnerable investors and diverted them for their own personal gain,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “The FBI remains committed to working closely with our partners to ensure that individuals who engage in fraudulent conduct are held accountable.”
“The evidence against Charles and Marina Brooks was overwhelming, and it begins with the bravery of their victims to come forward and help us put an end to this fraud. This conspiracy deceived the victims for years, targeting many in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and beyond. It is why IRS Criminal Investigation, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office pool our resources to stop these criminals,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. Altemus Jr., of IRS Criminal Investigation's Texas Field Office. “Investor fraud is often a story of misplaced trust and grand promises. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is and you should walk away.”
The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is up to 20 years in federal prison, a potential fine, and restitution at sentencing. The maximum statutory sentence is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case was investigated by the FBI and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter T. Thomas and Ashlyn Scott.
###
Iowa Attorney Sent to Federal Prison in Medicaid Fraud Scheme Involving His Rolls-Royce Vehicle CollectionRead the Press Release
An Iowa attorney who made a false statement to Iowa Medicaid was sentenced on September 11, 2026, to six months in federal prison. Timothy Mark Anderson, age 67, from Garner, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 30, 2025, guilty plea to one count of false statement relating to a health care matter.
Evidence at Anderson’s plea and sentencing hearings showed that Anderson is an attorney licensed to practice in Iowa. Anderson offers financial, tax, and estate planning services from his law office in Garner. Anderson’s legal services have included assisting elderly clients with Medicaid eligibility. Anderson is also an avid collector of Rolls-Royce and other luxury vehicles.
Medicaid is a cooperative federal-state health care benefit program for low-income persons and others, including the elderly. As part of his legal practice, Anderson prepared and submitted applications for Iowa Medicaid-funded nursing home care. Iowa Medicaid has rules for eligibility, including an evaluation of the financial resources available to the applicant. In determining the resources of an individual, one automobile is exempt, regardless of value, if it is used for the transportation of the Medicaid applicant or a member of the applicant’s household.
Between 2017 and 2022, Anderson told elderly individuals and their heirs to engage in a series of purported transactions with his vehicle collection. Anderson directed families to have the elderly person purportedly “buy” one of his Rolls-Royce or other luxury vehicles before applying for Medicaid benefits. Later, Anderson told the families to have the elderly persons “gift” the same vehicles to the heirs, who then “sold” the vehicles back to Anderson at a lower price. The purported purchasers of Anderson’s vehicles never drove the vehicles and, for the most part, never saw them.
For example, in 2021, an elderly couple had over $400,000 assets, including a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox valued at $30,000. The couple wanted to become eligible for Iowa Medicaid, have Iowa Medicaid pay for nursing home expenses, and pass on their assets to their heirs. The husband in the couple was receiving nursing home care at the time without public assistance.
In October 2021, Anderson deposited a $186,000 check from the wife into his personal savings account and provided her a certificate of title to a 1961 Rolls-Royce Phantom V. Anderson signed the title for the Phantom V over to her. Anderson also created a bill of sale for the transaction, stating that the car was transferred on October 18, 2021. Two days earlier, on October 16, 2021, Anderson had driven the Phantom V and got into an accident. The car suffered front-end damage, was inoperable, and was towed to a farm shop.
On November 4, 2021, Anderson wrote Iowa Medicaid and provided a series of documents to qualify the husband for Iowa Medicaid benefits. Anderson provided a document that stated that the Phantom V had a fair market value of $194,000. At the time Anderson submitted the form to Iowa Medicaid, he knew that the fair market value of the car was not $194,000.
Anderson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Anderson was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment and fined $25,000. He was ordered to make $184,274.36 in restitution to Iowa Medicaid. He must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. In sentencing Anderson, Judge Strand found that Anderson’s luxury vehicle sales to the elderly Medicaid applicants were “obviously fraudulent and illegal.”
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Anderson was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on a date yet to be set. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 25-CR-3053.
Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Illinois Man sentenced to 36 Months’ Imprisonment for Stolen Check Negotiating SchemeRead the Press Release
Brad Schimel, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on September 25, 2026, Coran D. Smith (age 47) was sentenced to 36 months’ incarceration for committing a scheme to attempt to negotiate two stolen checks, with a total value of nearly two million dollars. One of the checks was a U.S. Treasury check, and the other was a State of Illinois check. Both had been stolen from the mail.
According to court records, in March 2023, Smith participated in a bank fraud scheme that involved the production of a false driver’s license in the name of another real person, as well as other false documents in that same person’s name. These false documents were designed to mislead two financial institutions into negotiating the stolen checks. Thanks to alert personnel at each targeted financial institution, Smith and his accomplices failed in their attempts to negotiate either stolen check.
“Federal law enforcement is committed to pursuing and catching those who commit fraud against the people of the United States,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Schimel. “As this case demonstrates, if you steal from the taxpayers, you will be held accountable.”“The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) aggressively investigates individuals who attempt to exploit U.S. Treasury refund checks meant for hardworking taxpayers for their own private gain,” said TIGTA Special Agent in Charge Kelly Moening. “TIGTA’s mission is to protect the integrity of our nation’s tax administration system. We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to ensure that those who violate federal laws are prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.”
Nicholas Bucciarelli, Inspector in Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, added, “The sentencing in this case shows the Postal Inspection Service does not tolerate mail theft and will hold those individuals who choose to steal U.S. Mail accountable through criminal prosecution.”
The case was investigated by the Postal Inspection Service and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephen A. Ingraham.
# # #
For further information contact:Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
(414) 297-1700
Follow us on X
Illegal Alien with Two Prior Deportations and Multiple Felony Convictions Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Illegally Reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – An illegal alien from Mexico was sentenced today by United States District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey to 24 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for illegally reentering the United States after having been removed from the country on two prior occasions. The government recommended a sentence of 24 months in prison.
“This defendant has shown a complete indifference to American law by illegally reentering the country after being deported multiple times, all while carrying a criminal history marked by multiple felony convictions,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “Our office, alongside our federal law enforcement partners at ICE, remains steadfastly committed to removing individuals who pose a risk to public safety and ensuring that those who illegally breach our borders face meaningful criminal consequences.”
According to court documents and statements made during court proceedings, Ismael Bernal Olguin was found in the United States by immigration officials on March 9, 2026, after Nevada Highway Patrol arrested him for Possession of Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and False Statement to Obstruct Public Officer.
Olguin was previously deported to Mexico on or about December 11, 2018, and again on March 1, 2022.
Olguin has prior felony convictions for Attempt Possession of Stolen Vehicle; Attempt Battery with Substantial Bodily Harm; and Deported Alien Found Unlawfully in the United States. This is his second conviction for illegally reentering the United States after being deported.
Olguin pleaded guilty to one count of Deported Alien Found in the United States. After serving his two-year prison sentence, he will be deported to Mexico for a 3rd time.
First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Salt Lake City Field Office Director Jason Knight made the announcement.
The ICE Salt Lake City, Las Vegas Sub-Office investigated the case, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada prosecuted the case.
Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.
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.
###
Illegal Alien with Prior Deportations and Felony Convictions Charged for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Mexican national, with felony convictions, made his initial court appearance today to face charges of illegally reentering the United States after previously being removed from the country.
“Our immigration laws are designed to protect the integrity of our borders and the safety of our communities Individuals who repeatedly violate removal orders and return to the United States after committing serious felonies will be held accountable,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “This office remains committed to prosecuting repeat offenders who disregard our laws.”
Gerardo Macias-Gonzalez is charged with one count of deported alien found in the United States. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 9, 2026, before United States Magistrate Judge Brenda Weksler.
According to allegations contained in the criminal complaint and statements made during court proceedings, Macias-Gonzalez is a citizen and national of Mexico who was previously deported on or about October 8, 2019, and July 27, 2020, and reentered the United States illegally.
On September 14, 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Las Vegas Fugitive Operations Team arrested Macias-Gonzalez in a targeted operation.Macias-Gonzalez has prior felony convictions for Battery Resulting in Substantial Bodily Harm, and Deported Alien found Unlawfully in the United States, the same offence he is currently charged with.
If convicted, Macias-Gonzalez faces the maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison, a three-year term of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Salt Lake City Field Office Director Jason Knight made the announcement.
The ICE Salt Lake City, Las Vegas Sub-Office investigated this case; and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada is prosecuting the case.
Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
A complaint is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
###
Illegal Alien Arrested and Charged for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Guatemalan national unlawfully residing in Marlborough, Mass., has been arrested and charged with illegally reentering the United States after deportation.
Alcario Lorenzo Lopez, 32, was charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. The defendant remains detained following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston on Sept. 24, 2026.
According to the charging documents, Lopez is alleged to have been previously deported from the United States in 2017 and unlawfully reentered at an unknown date thereafter. Lopez allegedly returned to the United States and was arrested for rape of a child in May 2025. The state charges are pending.
The charge of illegal reentry provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern he determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and David T. Wesling, Acting Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Conroy of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Eric Wade Thompson, 36, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 28 grams or more of cocaine base, also known as “crack.”
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 26, 2026, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Thompson’s apartment in Huntington and seized approximately 123.5 grams of fentanyl, approximately 92 grams of crack, and $1,763. As part of his guilty plea, Thompson admitted that he possessed and intended to distribute the seized controlled substances, that the seized cash was proceeds from drug sales, and that officers executed the search warrant after he sold fentanyl to a confidential informant on multiple prior occasions.
Thompson also admitted that he arranged the sale of approximately 6.5 grams of fentanyl by another individual in Huntington on February 11, 2026, and personally sold approximately 6.9 grams of fentanyl on March 11, 2026, and approximately 9 grams of fentanyl on March 20, 2026, each time inside his residence. All three sales were to a confidential informant.
Thompson is scheduled to be sentenced on February 16, 2027, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $5 million.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah N. Hudson and Joseph F. Adams are prosecuting 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. 3:26-cr-66.
###
Honduran Illegal Alien Guilty of Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DARWIN NOE MENDOSA-CRUZ, age 29, a citizen of Honduras, pled guilty on September 22, 2026, to reentry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. His sentencing is set before U.S. District Judge William J. Crain on December 15, 2026.
According to the bill of information, DARWIN NOE MENDOSA-CRUZ reentered the United States sometime prior to May 7, 2026, after having been previously removed on or about November 27, 2023.
DARWIN NOE MENDOSA-CRUZ faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 2 years, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to three years of supervised release after imprisonment, and payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Irene González of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
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.
Heart Butte man sentenced to over 2 years in prison for shooting at family on Blackfeet Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Heart Butte man who shot at a family, including two children, on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was sentenced today to two years and three months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said. The court also imposed a $7,500 fine as part of its sentence.
Raymond David Boggs, Jr., 53, pleaded guilty in June 2026 to assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of felony child abuse.
U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.
The government alleged in court documents that a woman and her son called 911 on May 14, 2024, to report that Raymond Boggs was firing a gun at them. The woman and her son were cleaning out a family property along with the woman’s 12-year-old nephew and her 11-year-old niece.
When law enforcement arrived, the woman and her son explained that Boggs had yelled at them from his property while he watched them from a golf cart. He later returned in a truck, pulled a gun, and fired at the group while they were outside. He continued to shoot into the house when the four took shelter inside. The woman and her nephew described hearing two different sounding gunshots. They then pointed out Boggs to the officers as he drove around on a golf cart. Law enforcement canvassed the area between the two houses and ultimately contacted Boggs, who was riding in a golf cart and had a shotgun with him. Boggs was detained, and the shotgun was taken into evidence.
Law enforcement found spent shell casings and a spent shotgun shell where Boggs had been shooting; ballistic evidence showed the shotgun shell had been fired from Boggs’ shotgun. Officers also found bullet holes in the exterior of the house that traveled into the house, and they found bullet holes in vehicles parked alongside the house. They also recovered a bullet from a couch inside the home. When the occupants of the house were interviewed after the shooting, all four named Boggs as the shooter. The quartet described feeling terrified that they would be hurt or killed as Boggs shot into the house.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The BIA, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, Glacier County Sheriff’s Office, and Pondera County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
Four Members and Associates of Paterson Based Gang known as “4K” Sentenced for Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering for Their Role in a ShootingRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Four members of the Paterson based neighborhood street gang known as “4K” were sentenced for their roles in a shooting, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced today.
Jatrail Avent, a/k/a “Curry” (“Avent”), Shequan Roberts, a/k/a “Shingy” (“Roberts”), Jahmir Moody, a/k/a “Jahdi” (“Moody”), and Wiziar Johnson, a/k/a “Wababy” (“Johnson”), all of Paterson, each previously pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti to Superseding Informations charging them each with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and one count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
On September 2, 2026, Avent was sentenced to 96 months’ imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release. Thereafter, on September 9, 2026, Roberts was sentenced to 104 months’ imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release and Moody was sentenced to 84 months and one day’s imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. Most recently, on September 15, 2026, Johnson was sentenced to 96 months’ imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release.
These charges are the result of a long-running investigation coordinated between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, among other law enforcement agencies.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Avent, Roberts, Moody, and Johnson were all members and associates of the neighborhood-based street gang known as “4K,” which operates in the area of Rosa Parks Boulevard near Lyon Street, Keen Street, and Mercer Streets in Paterson, New Jersey (the 4K Enterprise). Members and associates of the 4K Enterprise have engaged in numerous criminal acts in furtherance of their gang, including shootings, robberies, homicides, and drug trafficking. Members and associates of the 4K Enterprise have also engaged in acts of violence against members of rival gangs.
In the early morning hours of November 6, 2022, Avent, Roberts, Moody, and Johnson opened fire in a residential area of Paterson on members of a rival gang, called the 230 Boys, who were inside a van, as part of a dispute between 4K and the 230 Boys. In total, the 4K members fired over 60 rounds during this shooting.
U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer credited law enforcement members with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka; the New Jersey State Police, Gangs and Organized Crime North Unit, under the direction of Acting Superintendent Jeanne Hengemuhle; the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Thomas Adamo; the Paterson Police Department, under the direction of Officer in Charge Patrick Murray, with the investigation leading to today’s charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Kober and Harry Morgenthau of the Organized Crime/Gangs Unit and Daniel Rosenblum of the Narcotics and International Trafficking Unit in Newark.
###
Defense counsel:
Jatrail Avent – Michael T Simon
Shequan Roberts - Richard J. Verde
Jahmir Moody - Ernesto Cerimele
Wiziar Johnson - Mary E. Carpenito
Former Texas Detective Pleads Guilty to Five Counts of Attempted Transfer of Obscene Material to MinorsRead the Press Release
Tallahassee, Florida – John Frederick Black, 46, of Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty to five counts of attempted transfer of obscene material to minors. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the guilty plea.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I truly appreciate the dedication of our state and federal law enforcement partners to target, identify, and incapacitate the sexual predators, like this defendant, seeking to sexually exploit and victimize kids online. My office is committed to aggressively prosecuting those sick individuals to ensure they are locked away behind federal bars where they belong.”
Court records reflect that in January 2026, detectives with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office participated in an undercover operation in Tallahassee focused on identifying adults who used the internet to sexually exploit children. During the operation, the defendant contacted the undercover officer, who he believed to be a 13-year-old child, and engaged in sexually explicit conversation. The defendant also sent obscene photographs and videos of himself. The investigation revealed that the defendant resided in Texas and was employed as a police detective with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in Houston, Texas.
Black will be sentenced in federal court before United States District Judge Robert L. Hinkle in Tallahassee, Florida, on December 3, 2026, at 2:00 p.m.
Black faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment on each count.
The case involved an joint investigation by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christie S. Utt.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Former Tallahassee Postal Employee & Accomplice Sentenced for Federal CrimesRead the Press Release
Tallahassee, Florida –Taija Avion Smith, 25, and Jaheed Anthony Williams, 24, both of Tallahassee, Florida, have been sentenced in federal court after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit mail theft, theft of a mail key, bank fraud conspiracy, and multiple counts of aggravated identity theft. Williams, who also previously pleaded guilty to 14 counts of bank fraud, was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment. Smith was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. The sentences were announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Our citizens deserve to be able to rely upon the U.S. Postal Service to quickly, efficiently, and securely deliver the mail, but this former postal employee violated the position of trust she occupied to enrich herself and her accomplish. Thanks to the excellent investigative work by the USPIS and Postal Inspector General, with support from our local law enforcement partners, these criminals are being sent to federal prison.”
Court documents reflect that between March 11, 2021, and May 21, 2024, Smith was employed by the United States Postal Service, in Tallahassee, Florida. Due to her employment, Smith had access to a postal key, which she stole and gave to her co-defendant, Williams. Together, Smith and Williams conspired to steal U.S. Mail, which included stealing mailed checks that they fraudulently deposited in financial institutions and thereafter split the proceeds of their scheme. Court records also show that Smith fraudulently received and used online bank login credentials of other individuals as part of the conspiracy.
“Individuals who engage in crimes that violate the laws protecting the United States mail, whether employees or non-employees, will be pursued by the Postal Inspection Service alongside our state, local and federal partners,” said Bladismir Rojo, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Miami Division. “These federal prison sentences should serve as a warning to criminals who consider mail theft and check fraud a lucrative endeavor.”
This case was jointly investigated by the Tallahassee Police Department, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the United States Postal Service - Office of Inspector General. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric K. Mountin.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Former MBTA Employee Pleads Guilty to Conspiracies to Falsify Track Inspection Reports and Collecting Fraudulent Overtime PaymentsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) employee pleaded guilty on Sept. 24, 2026 in federal court in Boston to multiple conspiracies, including conspiring to falsify Red Line track inspection reports as well as committing overtime fraud.
Jensen Vatel, 43, of Brockton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to falsify records; conspiracy to commit wire fraud; wire fraud, aiding and abetting; falsification of records, aiding and abetting; and false statements, aiding and abetting. Vatel was indicted in May 2025 along with four others. In July 2026, a superseding indictment added two additional defendants and 30 additional charges.
Vatel was a former Red Line Maintenance of Way employee, where he was a track inspector. As track inspector, Vatel’s job duties included completing track inspections for the Red Line. In order to complete the inspections, track inspectors used MBTA-issued cellular phones with an application called MaxTrax to record information regarding their track inspections, including whether the inspection was completed. The application then generated a report with details concerning the inspection:
Rather than complete inspections, from Jan. 1, 2024, to Oct. 16, 2024, Vatel and the alleged co-conspirators either falsified track inspection reports or aided and abetted the submission of falsified inspection reports. Vatel and the alleged co-conspirators did this by not completing their inspections and creating falsified inspection reports with information found online and extending the duration of such “inspections” on the MaxTrax applications to make the inspection period appear longer than they were, so senior MBTA executives did not complain about the length of inspections.
Additionally, during the times when some of Vatel’s inspections were reported as having been conducted, Vatel was actually present inside Cabot Yard – an MBTA location that contained a coffee and breakroom for Red Line inspection employees. Cabot Yard also contained a large garage, which Vatel and alleged co-conspirators treated and operated as an automobile repair shop to work on non-MBTA vehicles during work hours. While some co-conspirators allegedly worked on the vehicles, others had their non-MBTA vehicles worked on, including Vatel.
From Jan. 1, 2024 to Oct. 16, 2024, Vatel and the alleged co-conspirators also submitted false overtime sheets, for hours that they did not work, in order to receive overtime payment from the MBTA. Rather than work their overtime shifts, Vatel and the alleged co-conspirators did not show up at all for the shift; showed up hours late for their shifts; or showed up at the beginning of the shift, used the hand scan and then disappeared for hours (sometimes to sleep in their vehicles) before returning to work.
The charge of conspiracy to falsify records provides a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charges of falsification of records, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of false statements provides a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of aiding and abetting provides that an individual who aids and abets is punishable as a principal. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Brian C. Gallagher, Special Agent in Charge, Northeastern Region, U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General; and Anthony D’Esposito, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucy Sun of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy Sentenced to Nearly 2 Years in Prison for Violating Rights on Crypto-Criminal’s Behalf, Cheating on TaxesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) was sentenced today to 21 months in federal prison for abusing his law enforcement powers to threaten and intimidate a now-imprisoned, self-styled cryptocurrency businessman’s perceived adversaries, to advance that criminal’s interests, and for concealing from the IRS more than $373,000 in income he obtained from that criminal.
Eric Chase Saavedra, 42, of Chino, who once served as an LASD detective and federal task-force officer, was sentenced by United States District Judge Percy Anderson, who also ordered him to pay $90,984 in restitution.
Saavedra pleaded guilty in February 2025 to one count of conspiracy against rights and one count of false subscription to a tax return.
As part of his plea agreement, Saavedra agreed to forfeit several items he purchased as part of the conspiracy, including 32 Louis Vuitton bags, 27 pairs of Gucci shoes, five Louis Vuitton wallets, and a money-counting machine.
According to court documents, Adam Iza, 26, who resided in Beverly Hills and Newport Beach, was a self-styled cryptocurrency businessman who hired off-duty LASD deputies to act as his personal enforcers against his enemies. As part of the conspiracy to violate civil rights, Iza had the deputies assist him in carrying out extortion, intimidation, setting people up for arrest, and abuse of legal process.
One of the deputies Iza employed was Saavedra, who was assigned to LASD’s Operation Safe Streets Bureau and served as a federal task force officer assigned to the United States Marshals Service’s Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force.
Saavedra founded a private security company, Saavedra & Associates LLC, which provided private security for its clients and often employed active LASD deputies and other law enforcement officers.
From August 2021 to March 2022, Iza – who then lived in a Bel Air mansion – hired Saavedra & Associates to provide him round-the-clock private security at a typical cost of $100,000 per month. Iza hired the company again from July 2024 until Iza’s arrest in September 2024.
Starting in the fall of 2021, Saavedra illegally and regularly used his LASD credentials to access sensitive law enforcement databases to obtain personal identifiable information (PII) for Iza, including PII for people with whom Iza had personal or business disputes, their associates, and their family members.
Saavedra knew he was not authorized under LASD rules to access this information for non-law enforcement matters or to share it with private clients. He did so because he wanted to impress Iza with his access to law enforcement information and to continue to receive lucrative business from Iza, according to court documents.
Saavedra used his powers as a sworn law enforcement officer to improperly obtain court-authorized search warrants related to individuals with whom Iza had disputes, including a warrant to search an individual’s residence that Saavedra helped facilitate and a warrant to obtain location information associated with another individual that Saavedra directly obtained.
Iza, Saavedra and others used confidential information that the LASD deputies obtained in their official capacities to locate, intimidate, harass, threaten and extort individuals with whom Iza had disputes and their associates, according to court documents. They also used Telegram and other encrypted communications apps to avoid law enforcement detection.
For example, in late 2021 or early 2022, Iza – believing a victim possessed a laptop computer containing more than $100 million in cryptocurrency – discussed and agreed that Saavedra would obtain a search warrant for GPS location associated with that victim’s telephone number. In January 2022, Saavedra applied for and obtained a search warrant under false pretenses from a Los Angeles Superior Court judge. In an affidavit supporting the search warrant application, Saavedra falsely stated that the victim’s telephone number was associated with a suspect in a firearms investigation.
After securing the illegal warrant, Saavedra tracked down the victim and provided the victim’s address to Iza. In March 2022, Iza caused three armed individuals to try to force entry into the victim’s home to steal the laptop. The individuals fled after the victim fired a gunshot in their direction. Afterward, Iza sent the victim a video of the attempted home invasion robbery.
Saavedra further admitted to receiving approximately $373,146 in unreported income and subscribed to a false tax return for 2021.
Iza, who has been in federal custody since September 2024, pleaded guilty in January 2025 to one count of conspiracy against rights, one count of wire fraud, and one count of tax evasion. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 5 before Judge Anderson.
Iza is serving a 15-year federal prison sentence for his involvement in an attempted robbery of Bitcoin and a kidnapping in Connecticut in August 2024.
Saavedra is the fifth former LASD deputy to be sentenced in this matter. The other four former LASD deputies are:
- Michael David Coberg, 45, of Eastvale, is serving a 63-month federal prison sentence for helping Iza extort a rival and arranging the sham illegal drug possession arrest of another adversary in Paramount in 2021. Judge Anderson sentenced Coberg on March 16.
- Scott Allen Simpkins, 34, of Brea, was sentenced on July 13 to 18 months in federal prison for obstructing a federal investigation into Iza’s extortion of $25,000 from a party planner at Iza’s Bel Air mansion.
- David Anthony Rodriguez, 45, of La Verne, was sentenced on July 20 to one year in federal prison and who had worked for Iza as a private security guard, pleaded guilty to submitting a false search warrant application to a state court judge on behalf of a different client.
- Christopher Michael Cadman, 34, of Fullerton, was sentenced on September 14 to 21 months in federal prison and was ordered to pay $25,000 in restitution for abusing his status as a law enforcement officer to threaten and intimidate adversaries of a now-imprisoned, self-proclaimed cryptocurrency businessman, and for cheating on his taxes.
Relatedly, Judge Anderson on September 21 sentenced Iris Rabaya Au, 37, of Irvine, to 18 months in federal prison and ordered her to pay $1,484,343 in restitution for failing to report more than $2.6 million in ill-gotten gains she obtained via the criminal activities of Iza, her former boyfriend.
The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provided assistance.
Assistant United States Attorney Maxwell K. Coll of the National Security Division prosecuted this case.
Former Federal Employee Sentenced for Time-and-Attendance SchemeRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A former federal senior official, who pled guilty to theft charges, received a federal sentence, today, in connection with a timecard scheme.
Chief Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Sullivan sentenced Evester Edd, 64, of Silver Spring, Maryland, to two years of supervised probation, including three months of home confinement on electronic monitoring, for theft of government property. Additionally, Judge Sullivan ordered Edd, a former Peace Corps (PC) senior human resources employee, to pay $20,758.50 of restitution and perform 250 hours of community service.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Inspector General Joaquin E. Ferrao, Peace Corps Office of Inspector General (Peace Corps OIG); James Hodge, Acting Principal Deputy Inspector General, performing the duties of Inspector General,Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General (FHFA-OIG); and Inspector General Robert J. Feitel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of the Inspector General (NRC OIG). This prosecution supports the objectives of the Trump Administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
According to court documents, Edd worked daily from his duty station at PC headquarters in Washington, D.C., or an alternate site, as the agency also allowed teleworking. Beginning in September 2024, and continuing through November 2024, Edd falsely recorded work hours that he did not work in PC’s time-and-attendance system. During this time frame, Edd submitted his time and attendance sheet electronically from his alternative telework duty station. The false entries resulted in PC paying Edd for hours he did not work.
After NRC OIG’s Cyber Crimes Unit investigators analyzed Edd’s NRC-issued laptop for the specified timeframe, they found that on nearly a daily basis, Edd signed on from his residence to work for the NRC during his PC work hours. Additionally, on nine of the days that he worked as a contractor, Edd, remotely signed into the NRC network but did work for the NRC while sitting in his workspace at PC headquarters during the PC workday.
Investigators also determined that Edd sent numerous government documents from the agencies’ accounts to his personal AOL email account. Many documents were related to employment actions and included personally identifiable information (PII), along with other confidential details.
When law enforcement executed a search warrant on Edd’s Silver Spring residence, investigators searched his electronic media. During the search, investigators identified a thumb drive that contained government documents, including documents containing federal employees’ PII. The documents on the thumb drive dated back to Edd’s previous periods of federal employment from at least the 1990s. In December 2024, Edd retired from federal service during the pending criminal investigation.
This prosecution is the result of a yearslong investigation led by the Peace Corps OIG in partnership with FHFA-OIG, NRC OIG, and other law enforcement partners.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the Peace Corps OIG, FHFA-OIG, and NRC OIG for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Baldwin who prosecuted the federal 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.
# # #
Former Bank Teller Charged with Bank FraudRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Mercedes Henry, a former banker at Ameris Bank, was arrested last week on federal charges of bank fraud, access device fraud, and bribery after she allegedly defrauded Ameris Bank out of more than $900,000.
“Henry allegedly stole sensitive information to facilitate nearly $1 million of fraudulent transfers from victims’ bank accounts to cryptocurrency accounts controlled by her co-conspirators,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “We will work with our partners in law enforcement and the private sector to identify, arrest, and punish greedy criminals who lie, cheat, and steal to enrich themselves.”
“Ms. Henry and her conspirators allegedly stole consumers’ hard-earned money directly from their bank accounts,” said Marlo Graham, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Crimes of greed and opportunity will not go unpunished as the FBI and our law enforcement partners use all the tools at our disposal to uncover these illegal acts.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: In 2021, Ameris Bank employed Mercedes Henry as a universal banker at Ameris Bank at multiple locations in the Atlanta area. On at least six occasions from September 2021 to November 2021, Henry allegedly used six Ameris customers’ bank account numbers and identifiers to link the customers’ Ameris accounts to accounts at Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange platform that allows account holders to buy different cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin. Through this scheme, Henry and her conspirators caused the fraudulent transfer of approximately $931,500 from victims’ accounts at Ameris Bank to Coinbase accounts controlled by the conspirators. Henry received more than $1,000 in exchange for her participation in the scheme.
On September 25, 2026, Mercedes Henry, 35, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, appeared in federal court following her arrest after a federal grand jury returned an indictment on September 22, 2026.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Cathelynn Tio is prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Flores Family Agrees to Pay Additional $2.5 Million in Civil Penalties for Defrauding United StatesRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – The United States has reached agreements with KDHK, Inc., Kenneth Flores, Irma Flores, and Christopher Flores to resolve allegations they defrauded the United States by submitting false claims in connection with contracts for housekeeping services at U.S. Army medical facilities. The agreements require the defendants to collectively pay $2.5 million in civil penalties under the False Claims Act.
In August 2023, Kenneth, Irma, and Christopher Flores pleaded guilty to criminal fraud and gratuities charges. Shortly after they were sentenced in September 2024, the United States filed a civil lawsuit against these three individuals as well as KDHK, Inc., Kenneth Flores’ company, in federal court in San Antonio. See United States v. KHDK, Inc. et al., Civil Action No. 5:24-cv-1023. The United States alleged that the defendants unlawfully conspired with federal employees to steer a housekeeping contract in Hawaii and increase the value of a second housekeeping contract in Washington. In furtherance of that scheme, Christopher Flores and his company submitted fabricated invoices for cleaning supplies to the other defendants, which were then used to fund gratuity payments to the federal employees.
Under the terms of the civil resolutions announced today, KDHK, Inc., Kenneth Flores, and Irma Flores will jointly pay the United States $2,000,000, and Christopher Flores will individually pay the United States $500,000, for their respective roles in perpetuating this fraud. The United States previously obtained judgments imposing a total of $547,613.92 in civil penalties against the two federal employees who conspired with the Flores family. See United States v. Kelley, Civil Action No. 5:24-cv-558; United States v. Mathes, Civil Action No. 5:24-cv-980.
“This settlement shows my office does not leave any stone unturned when it comes to those who defraud the United States,” said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons. “The convicted members of the Flores family already confessed to betraying the American public and stealing from taxpayers. It was imperative that we follow through to ensure those responsible in the scheme were held fully accountable for their actions. Our Civil AUSAs who work these types of cases are laser focused on protecting the public fisc from thieves like these.”
“Safeguarding the integrity of the Department of Defense’s contract procurement system is essential to ensuring our warfighters receive unsurpassed equipment and services at a fair price to American taxpayers,” said Special Agent in Charge Chad Gosch, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southwest Field Office. “As the criminal investigative arm of the Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General, DCIS will ardently pursue those who corrupt the procurement process for personal gain.”
DCIS and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division led the investigation of this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Parnham negotiated the civil resolutions on behalf of the government.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
###