Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
Tuesday 24 February 2026
Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Local Doctor of Almost $500,000Read the Press Release
LYNCHBURG, Va. – A Miramar, Florida man pled guilty yesterday to perpetuating a two-year scheme to defraud a Lynchburg doctor out of nearly a half million dollars.
Tommie Lee Nelson, 65, pled guilty to one count of wire fraud. At sentencing, Nelson faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
According to court documents, beginning around April 2020, the victim, a Lynchburg doctor, sought to purchase a commercial building in Danville, Virginia, in partnership with an agricultural cooperative. Nelson represented himself to the victim as a “hard money” lender who could assist in purchasing the building.
Through Nelson’s fraudulent representations, he convinced the victim to wire him several payments from July 2020 and into 2021, ultimately totaling almost $500,000. Despite Nelson’s representations, these payments did not go toward the building purchase. Instead, Nelson spent the victim’s money at casinos and for his personal benefit.
By 2021, the purchase agreement had fallen through, and Nelson stopped responding to the victim’s calls.
Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci and Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement today.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Inman is prosecuting the case for the United States.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
First Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarcone and Ophardt Meet in VermontRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – On January 29, 2026, First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone and leadership from FBI Albany met with District of Vermont First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt at his office in Burlington. They discussed combating drug and human trafficking and collaboration to shut down drug trafficking and human smuggling networks across the New York–Vermont border.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone stated, “The close partnership between the Northern District of New York and the District of Vermont is essential to disrupting the criminal networks that exploit our shared border. By strengthening coordination among federal prosecutors and our law enforcement partners, including the FBI, we are better positioned to dismantle drug trafficking and human smuggling organizations that threaten the safety and well-being of our communities. Together, we will continue to pursue these cases aggressively and hold offenders accountable.”
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt stated, “Coordination with our colleagues in the Northern District of New York is vital to countering criminal organizations who undermine the safety of Vermonters and New Yorkers alike. I’m grateful for our partnership with the dedicated federal prosecutors in Plattsburgh and Albany, and the support of the FBI in investigating and prosecuting these networks.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig Tremaroli stated, “FBI Albany is fortunate to have such tremendously strong partners in both the Northern District of New York and the District of Vermont. By working together, we can ensure we are dedicating the appropriate resources to identify, investigate, and bring to justice the dangerous criminals crossing our state borders to bring harmful narcotics into our communities and threatening our most vulnerable.”
Pictured above (left to right): Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Albany Special Agent in Charge Craig Tremaroli, Northern District of New York First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III, Vermont First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt, and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Albany Assistant Special Agent in Charge Luis Alvarez.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Speaks at the New York State Sheriff’s Association Winter Training ConferenceRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – On January 21, 2026, First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III gave remarks at the New York State Sheriff’s Association Winter Training Conference. At the conference, First Assistant Sarcone discussed collaboration across the 32 counties in the Northern District of New York to investigate crimes, protect local communities, and ensure dangerous criminals are prosecuted and detained.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarcone stated, “The partnership between federal, state, and local law enforcement across the 32 counties of the Northern District of New York is essential to protecting our communities and one of my top priorities. By working closely with our sheriffs and investigators, we strengthen our ability to disrupt violent crime, combat narcotics trafficking, and ensure that dangerous offenders are prosecuted and held accountable. I truly appreciate the opportunity to give remarks highlighting the critical collaboration between federal and state law enforcement that has taken place in the Northern District of New York.”
Juan Figueroa, Ulster County Sheriff and President of the Sheriff’s Association, stated “The New York State Sheriff’s Association was honored to have the First Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District to discuss prosecution of criminals committing felonies in New York State and how we can collaborate on sensitive investigations.”
John Sarcone speaking at New York State Sheriff’s Association Winter Training Conference
Felon Sentenced to 12 and A Half Years in Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas man was sentenced today by United States District Judge Andrew P. Gordon to 150 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release for possessing methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine with intent to sell from his apartment.
According to court documents, on or about June 29, 2023, Elijah Sylee Shelton possessed with the intent to distribute over 300 grams of methamphetamine, over 45 grams of fentanyl, and nearly six grams of cocaine. Shelton has prior felony convictions including burglaries and using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence. He was on federal supervised release at the time of the current crimes.
In October 2025, a jury convicted Shelton of three counts: (1) possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; (2) possession with intent to distribute fentanyl; and (3) possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Shelton hid most of the drugs in women’s purses inside his apartment’s ventilation system.
First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Christopher S. Delzotto for the FBI Las Vegas Division made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the FBI and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys James Gaeta and Joshua Brister prosecuted the case.
###
Federal Court Sentences Guam Brothers and a Mexican Illegal Alien for Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Hagåtña, Guam – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announces that the U.S. District Court of Guam has imposed sentences on defendants involved in a multi‑state drug‑trafficking and money‑laundering conspiracy operating between Guam and the U.S. mainland.
Jeremy Laitan Cruz, age 40, from Dededo, Guam was sentenced on February 23, 2026 to 120 months imprisonment for his role. He was convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Fifty or More Grams of Methamphetamine Hydrochloride, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), and (b)(1)(A)(viii), and Conspiracy to Engage in Monetary Transactions with Proceeds of Specified Unlawful Activity, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1956(h) and 2. The Court also imposed five years of supervised release, 50 hours of community service, and $200 special assessment fee.
Eric Shawn Cruz, age 35, of Dededo, Guam, previously pleaded guilty and sentenced on October 9, 2025, to 120 months imprisonment for Conspiracy to Distribute Fifty (50) or More Grams of Methamphetamine Hydrochloride (Count 1), in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841 (a)(1) and (b)(1)(A)(viii) and Conspiracy to Engage in Monetary Transactions with Proceeds of Specified Unlawful Activity (Count 34), in violation of 18 U.S.C § 1956(h) and 2. The Court also imposed five years of supervised release, 50 hours of community service, and $200 special assessment fee.
Jonovan Michael Cruz, age 33, from Dededo, Guam, was a co‑defendant and sibling of Jeremy and Eric. His case was dismissed due to his untimely passing.
Jose Quevedo Salazar, age 33, a citizen of Mexico and an illegal alien in the United States, residing in Florida, previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced on October 9, 2025, to 24 months imprisonment, with credit for time served, for Conspiracy to Engage in Monetary Transactions with Proceeds of Specified Unlawful Activity, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1956(h) and 2. The Court also imposed one year of supervised release, 50 hours of community service, and $100 special assessment fee.
From at least September 3, 2023, to September 12, 2023, Jeremy Cruz and his brothers Jonovan and Eric conspired to distribute methamphetamine on Guam. The brothers coordinated the purchase of methamphetamine from the U.S. mainland, arranged for its shipment to Guam, and planned to distribute the drugs locally while sharing the proceeds.
Investigators found that the conspirators used Facebook Messenger to coordinate shipment, pricing, and distribution. In early September 2023, Eric Cruz—then residing in Florida—mailed a parcel containing approximately 228 grams of methamphetamine to a Guam address provided by Jeremy Cruz. Jonovan and Jeremy exchanged tracking information, and a screenshot of the tracking number was inadvertently posted publicly on social media.
On September 12, 2023, federal agents located the parcel upon its arrival in Guam, obtained a search warrant, and seized the methamphetamine before delivery. The brothers exchanged messages afterward expressing concern that the shipment had been intercepted.
From at least July 2023 through October 23, 2023, Jeremy Cruz, his brothers, and Salazar engaged in a money‑laundering scheme designed to conceal the source and ownership of proceeds from methamphetamine distribution. Cruz, his brothers, and Salazar used multiple intermediaries and methods to move funds between Guam, Florida, and California, disguising the illicit nature of the transactions.
“We will continue our aggressive enforcement efforts against drug traffickers who use our mail system to facilitate their illegal activity,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “Anyone involved with the shipment of drugs in the mail can become the target of an investigation and face substantial time in a federal prison. This case demonstrates effective law enforcement in combatting drug trafficking across multiple jurisdictions. I applaud the efforts of our agency partners in this successful operation.”
“Today’s sentencing sends a stern warning to all drug traffickers who peddle drugs and endanger the safety and wellbeing of our island communities. There will be accountability for your actions, and these types of illicit activities will not be tolerated,” said Anthony Chrysanthis, Special Agent in Charge for the DEA Los Angeles Field Division, which oversees Guam. “Our successful partnerships and collaboration with federal, state and local agencies underscore DEA’s unwavering commitment to protect the United States by disrupting the illicit methamphetamine supply chain, reducing its availability, and saving lives.”
“Our message with the sentencing of Jeremy Laitan Cruz is clear: We will aggressively investigate and bring to justice every individual using the U.S. Mail to transport crystal methamphetamine into Guam,” said Stephen Sherwood, Postal Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s San Francisco Division. “Achieving successful case resolutions in Guam such as with U.S. v. Cruz, et al., is only possible due to our strong partnerships with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Guam, members of the Guam Interdictions and Anti-Narcotics Trafficking (GIANT) Task Force, and our federal law enforcement partners. The GIANT Task Force Members include the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency, Guam Police Department, and Guam Army National Guard Counter Drug Program.”
The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency and the Guam Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin K. Petersburg prosecuted the case in the District of Guam.
Falconer man is going to prison for 20 years for his role in a cold case murderRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. — U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Anthony Neubauer, 39, of Falconer, NY, who was convicted of aiding and abetting a kidnapping, was sentenced to serve 20 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Adler and Timothy C. Lynch, who handled the case, stated that on May 27, 2014, Neubauer and Matthew Rudy kidnapped Joseph Anthony and then traveled from Jamestown, NY, to Rudy’s property in Pennsylvania. Anthony was tricked into traveling to Pennsylvania by an offer of cocaine. Neubauer and Rudy took Anthony to Pennsylvania because they believed he was a cooperator. After arriving in Pennsylvania, Neubauer and Rudy told Anthony they did not have any cocaine, before shooting and killing him, and then burying him on Rudy’s property.
Matthew Rudy was previously convicted and sentenced to prison.
“Anthony Neubauer and his co-defendant went to great lengths to silence a person they believed was cooperating in a law enforcement investigation, including kidnapping, crossing state lines, murder and disposing of a body” stated U.S. Attorney DiGiacomo. “A lot of time may have passed, but our law enforcement partners demonstrated perseverance and unwavering determination, which ultimately resulted in uncovering Neubauer’s actions. As a consequence, he will now spend the next two decades in prison.”
“Today’s sentencing of Anthony Neubauer reflects the FBI’s unwavering commitment to pursuing justice, no matter how much time has passed,” said Philip Tejera, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Buffalo Field Office. “When the Jamestown Police Department requested assistance with this cold case murder investigation, the FBI surged resources across Western New York and northern Pennsylvania. By combining investigative technology and proven tactics, we were able to secure justice for the victim and his family.”
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Interim Chief Scott D. Forster and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera. Additional assistance was provided by the Warren County, PA, District Attorney’s Office.
# # # #
Durham Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Kilograms of FentanylRead the Press Release
GREENSBORO, N.C. – On February 23, 2026, Kevin Johnson, age 43 of Durham, was sentenced to 204 months in prison for multiple felony drug offenses.
In October 2025, Johnson pled guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, one count of distributing cocaine, and two counts of distributing fentanyl. Johnson appeared before Judge William L. Osteen, Jr. and was also sentenced to 5 years of supervised release following his prison term.
According to evidence presented at yesterday’s sentencing hearing, Johnson sold cocaine and fentanyl in Durham. He received a kilogram of fentanyl for distribution in early 2025 and purchased two additional kilograms of fentanyl that were intercepted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in May 2025 during the search of a tractor-trailer truck. Agents also recovered twenty kilograms of cocaine destined for another member of the conspiracy. Johnson was employed by Bull City United from June 2023 to January 2024.
Dan Bishop, United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, made the announcement and thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation and partner agencies for their work that led to the seizure and prosecution. Bishop said, “Kevin Johnson held himself out as someone who cared about his community but then sold poison in that same community. We will continue to address the scourge of fentanyl through federal prosecution.”
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 HSTF agencies involved in this case include agents and officers from FBI Raleigh Durham Safe Streets Task Force, Durham County Sheriff’s Office, Chapel Hill Police Department, Durham Police Department, NC DAC Special Operations and Intelligence Unit, NC State Bureau of Investigation, Wake County Sheriff’s Office, and Homeland Security Investigations.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nicole R. DuPré and Eric L. Iverson.
###
Department of Justice Selects U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago as Leading Prosecutorial Partner on Trade Fraud Task ForceRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, today announced that the Department of Justice has selected the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago to be a lead prosecutorial partner on a task force designed to bring robust enforcement against importers, purchasers, supply chain actors, and other parties who seek to defraud the United States. Those with information about serious trade fraud schemes should consider filing a False Claims Act case in the District or making a voluntary disclosure or criminal referral under one of the avenues available for cooperators or whistleblowers.
The Department of Justice recently created the Trade Fraud Task Force to aggressively pursue enforcement actions against parties who seek to evade federal customs laws, as well as smugglers who seek to import prohibited goods into the American economy. Those engaged in fraud increasingly are attempting to illegally import below-market, industry-destabilizing goods without paying lawful duties or smuggling prohibited items that violate laws addressing public health, safety, intellectual property rights, and national security by allowing dangerous, restricted, or adversarial materials to bypass critical screening protocols. Trade fraud not only deprives the government of vital revenue used to reinvest in the country, but also threatens critical domestic industries, undermines consumer confidence, and weakens national security. At an economic level, illegally transshipped, mislabeled, and misdeclared merchandise also creates a two-tier pricing structure for imported products: higher prices for buyers and sellers unwilling to transact in transshipped, mislabeled, and misdeclared merchandise, and cheaper prices for those willing to do so or who are otherwise indifferent.
In a significant policy speech on Monday at the Forum on Trade Investigations Enforcement and Litigation in Arlington, Va., the Head of the Department of Justice’s Trade Fraud Task Force, Cody Matthew Herche, announced that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago will serve as a lead prosecutorial partner on the Task Force, along with attorneys from the Department of Justice and agents from the Department of Homeland Security and the Environmental Protection Agency. In the speech, Mr. Herche praised U.S. Attorney Boutros for his “partnership and extensive thought leadership in highlighting and combatting trade fraud” as well as his decades-long work in the space both as a federal prosecutor and thereafter.
When U.S. Attorney Boutros served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago from 2008 to 2015, he led what still stand as the Department of Justice’s largest-ever criminal trade fraud prosecutions, spanning 27 corporate and individual defendants across multiple indictments[1], with losses totaling approximately $260 million. Those cases provide valuable insight into how the Trade Fraud Task Force will build future criminal prosecutions. After his initial public service as a federal prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Boutros handled many matters and investigations involving trade fraud, authored numerous articles and book chapters on the subject, and served as the keynote speaker at several noteworthy legal conferences throughout the country.
“As Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. observed, ‘[A] page of history is worth a volume of logic,’” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “Early in my career as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in this Office, I led a series of momentous trade fraud prosecutions that laid the groundwork for the Trade Fraud Task Force. There were many unprecedented challenges in these difficult cases, but I was determined by a strong sense of the law and all equities, while also being fortified by an unwavering agency partner in the Department of Homeland Security in Chicago. Together we persevered and worked relentlessly for years to bring what still stand as the largest and most significant criminal trade fraud cases in our nation’s history. I take great pride in knowing that we were the architects of this enforcement area and that we were decades ahead of our time. It is also deeply satisfying that the vision we had for this enforcement area nearly 20 years ago has now been adopted at the very highest levels of the Department and is being implemented across the whole of government.”
The Northern District of Illinois spans 18 counties—from the Lake Michigan shoreline on the eastern edge of Illinois to the Mississippi River on the state’s western border—and serves as a major transit hub in the middle of the United States. Air and water transportation centers in northern Illinois are critically important global, national, and regional connectors. The Illinois International Port District, also known as the Port of Chicago, annually moves more than 19 million tons of cargo. Located along Lake Michigan on Chicago’s Southeast Side, the Port of Chicago provides the means to move bulk commodities across the Chicago region and beyond, whether by water, train, or truck. O’Hare International Airport in Chicago was the 13th largest air cargo hub in the world in 2024 (the most recent year for which final data is available), moving more than two million tons of cargo, while Chicago Rockford International Airport in Rockford, Ill., moves more than a million tons of cargo per year, making it the 13th busiest airport for cargo in the United States. Under our federal criminal laws, any offense involving the importation of an object may be inquired of, and prosecuted in, any district from, through, or into which the imported object or person moves.
“Chicago is one of the largest and most significant inland ports in the United States, allowing for expansive venue opportunities for criminal and civil trade fraud matters,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “Trade compliance is a key concern for not only our region’s economic security, but also that of our entire nation’s. The Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office will be strongly committed to holding parties accountable for their fraudulent schemes that undermine honest American competitors. We are proud to stand with our Department of Justice and agency partners as a prosecutorial leader of the Trade Fraud Task Force. I applaud the Administration for bringing greater focus, intensity, efficiency, and impact to prosecuting all varieties of trade fraud and safeguarding American ingenuity and security.”
The Trade Fraud Task Force will advance President Trump’s America First Trade Policy by pursuing those who violate customs laws through duty and penalty collection actions under the Tariff Act of 1930, actions under the False Claims Act, and, where appropriate, parallel criminal prosecutions, penalties, forfeitures, and seizures. The Trade Fraud Task Force encourages importers, their agents, purchasers, other supply chain actors, and industrial and commercial end-users to conduct thorough audits of their sourcing, purchasing, and importing practices, and voluntarily self-disclose and remediate unlawful behavior. In addition, the Trade Fraud Task Force welcomes False Claims Act filings as well as referrals and cooperation from the domestic industries that are most harmed by unfair trade practices and trade fraud.
[1]Among the cases U.S. Attorney Boutros brought as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois in the criminal trade fraud area were: U.S. v. Giesselbach, et al., 08 CR 417; U.S. v. Yong Xiang Yan, 09 CR 424; U.S. v. Hung Ta Fan, 10 CR 198; U.S. v. Shu Bei Yuan, 11 CR 84; U.S. v. Couture, 11 CR 781; U.S. v. Hung Yi Lin, 13 CR 125; U.S. v. Groeb Farms, Inc., 13 CR 137; U.S. v. Murphy, et al., 13 CR 138; U.S. v. Jun Yang, 13 CR 139; and U.S. v. Urbain Tran, 13 CR 140.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to More than Eight Years in Prison for Firearms and Identity Theft OffensesRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A convicted felon was sentenced Feb. 3 to 104 months in federal prison after a drive-by shooting investigation uncovered firearms, contraband, and stolen personal information.
U.S. District Judge David S. Leibowitz imposed the sentence on Keith Bethel, 34, after a federal jury found him guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices, and aggravated identity theft.
“What began as a drive-by shooting investigation led to the discovery of illegal firearms, stolen identities, and a calculated fraud operation,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Federal investigators uncovered a dangerous combination of violence and identity theft that harmed real people — from a foster care specialist to a young Air Force firefighter. The Southern District of Florida will continue working with our partners to dismantle criminal enterprises and protect our community.”
According to evidence presented at trial, on July 18, 2023, law enforcement responded to a high-caliber drive-by shooting at a residence in a Lauderhill neighborhood. Law enforcement learned that Bethel — who was on an ankle monitor at the time due to a prior felony conviction — fled the residence after the shooting.
A search of the residence, described as a “trap house,” revealed multiple firearms, including a large-capacity Draco-style firearm, ammunition, and extensive evidence of identity-theft activity. Investigators uncovered folders containing victims’ personal identifying information, stolen mail, blank checks, and a ledger with scripts and instructions for defrauding individuals and financial institutions.
Victims in the case included a Florida basketball coach, a foster care specialist, a retired nurse, and a young U.S. Air Force firefighter, all of whom suffered the theft and misuse of their personal information.
U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami, made the announcement.
HSI Miami investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kseniya Smychkouskaya and General Crimes Chief Joseph Egozi prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-60103.
###
Contractor Who Committed $1.7 Million in Pandemic Fraud Sentenced to 3 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Cristian M. Stevens on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis area contractor who fraudulently obtained $1.7 million in pandemic loans to three years in prison and ordered her to repay the money.
Coretta “Cory” Elliott, 53, owned and operated CMT LLC, a contractor that provided commercial construction, demolition, roofing, landscaping and remediation services. CMT also did business as CMT Roofing LLC. Elliott fraudulently obtained a first draw Paycheck Protection Program loan of $875,000 for CMT Roofing in 2020 and a second draw loan of $833,333 in 2021 by falsely certifying that the loans would be used for business-related purposes. She also inflated her company’s monthly payroll to get larger loans. She later received forgiveness of the loans by falsely claiming in two applications that she used the money for payroll and other legitimate business expenses.
PPP loans were intended to help save businesses and the jobs of their employees during the COVID-19 pandemic by funding payroll, lease payments, utility payments and other business expenses. Elliott saw the loans as a way to “save herself financially,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith said during Tuesday’s hearing. Elliott diverted $200,000 into her investment account and used a total of $559,455 to pay dues owed by her companies to various construction unions. Those union dues pay for health insurance, sick pay and vacation pay. She used more of the PPP loan money for other personal purposes.
"We will never know whether Coretta Elliott’s business would have legitimately qualified for disaster relief funds. However, by submitting substantial false information across multiple applications, she fraudulently secured $1.7 million in funds," said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. "Her deceit not only led to her unlawfully obtaining far more than she may have otherwise been entitled to, but it also gave her an unfair competitive advantage over other local contractors. This type of criminal conduct, driven by greed, undermines the integrity of the disaster relief system and harms those who play by the rules."
Elliott pleaded guilty in November in U.S. District Court to two counts of wire fraud.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith prosecuted the case.
Chinese illegal alien sentenced to 8 years in prison for role in fraud scheme targeting elderly Americans’ retirement & savings accountsRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – Xiangyang He, 41, a Chinese national and illegal alien living in Los Angeles, was sentenced in U.S. District Court here to 96 months in prison for his role as a courier in a fraud scheme that targeted elderly Americans. He personally picked up more than half a million dollars in cash and gold from older victims, including at least one victim in Ohio.
“Retired Americans unknowingly give away their hard-earned retirement savings to criminals like He, an illegal alien who preyed on a vulnerable population,” said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II. “This sort of conspiracy uses deceptive tactics and fear to steal millions of dollars in savings and retirement accounts from hardworking Americans. My office will do everything we can to protect our elderly citizens. And we want folks to be aware of these schemes so they can protect themselves from future fraud attempts.”
According to court documents, victims of the scam are usually contacted initially through a message sent to their computer or cell phone or an unsolicited phone call by a person purporting to be an employee or customer service representative from a legitimate business.
A conspirator then directs the victim to contact either a “security official” for the given company or a “government employee” for more information. The conspirators represent to the victim that an IP address, bank account or other account has been compromised, and victim information has been used in some sort of criminal activity for which they are being investigated.
The scheme perpetrators often use fictitious employee identification numbers or names of legitimate government employees. They also tell victims there is a warrant for their arrest or their life savings will be seized.
Finally, elderly victims are instructed to withdraw large amounts of cash or purchase gold bars from online brokers and give the cash or gold to a “government employee” at a specific time and place for purported safe keeping in secure government accounts.
From late February through early April 2024, He flew to at least six different states to pick up approximately 17 packages from victims ages 65 or older. Packages included $35,000 to $73,000 in cash or gold. On April 4, 2024, He traveled to the Southern District of Ohio to retrieve funds from a victim and was subsequently arrested.
The defendant was indicted by a grand jury in April 2024 and pleaded guilty in November 2024 to conspiring to commit wire and bank fraud.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Jason Rees, Special Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service, announced the sentence imposed on Feb. 23 by U.S. District Court Judge Michael J. Newman. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth L. McCormick and Special Assistant United States Attorney Dwight K. Keller are representing the United States in this case.
Anyone who suspects they or a loved one is a victim of such a fraud can report it by calling the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11, or go to the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative website for more information at www.Justice.gov/elderjustice.
# # #
Carlyle man sentenced to prison for maintaining a drug houseRead the Press Release
BENTON, Ill. – A district judge sentenced a Carlyle man to 46 months’ imprisonment after he admitted to operating a drug house near a park.
John E. Kock, 52, pleaded guilty to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises. Following imprisonment, Kock will serve three years of supervised release.
“Operating a drug house steps away from a park puts families and children at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to prosecuting cases with a strong community impact in neighborhoods of all sizes, and we will hold offenders accountable.”
According to court documents, Kock allowed others staying at his residence to use and distribute meth between March 2020 and October 2023. Law enforcement conducted controlled buys of meth from people living in the home and executed search warrants which recovered drug paraphernalia.
“Community safety is a top priority for this office. Sentences like this one show that we will hold accountable anyone who turns their home into a hub for illegal drug activity and threaten the safety of hardworking families," said FBI-Springfield Acting Special Agent in Charge Ruben Marchand-Morales. "Our work doesn't stop here; we remain committed to continuing working with our law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate and disrupt drug trafficking, reduce violent crime, and ensure that every neighborhood is a safer place to live, work, and raise a family."
The property was located in the 1600 block of Livingston Street in Carlyle across the street from a park.
The FBI Springfield Field Office, TOC-West Task Force and Carlyle Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of Clinton County Sherrif’s Office and Fayette County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Hudson prosecuted the case.
Carjacking Nets D.C. Woman 70 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — Angel Hall, 25, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 70 months in prison for her role in a 2024 armed carjacking of a woman in Southeast, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Hall and her co-defendant Brian Allison, 56, each pleaded guilty on Sept. 23, 2025, to one charge of carjacking and aiding and abetting. In addition to the prison term, Judge Tanya S. Chutkan ordered Hall to serve three years of supervised release. Allison is scheduled to be sentenced next month.
According to court documents, on Feb. 1, 2024, about 11 p.m., Allison and Hall followed the victim into a takeout restaurant on the 4500 block of Benning Road, SE. Allison and Hall left without ordering, but followed the victim as she left with her food.
Allison approached the victim as she walked to her vehicle. As Hall stood lookout, Allison flashed the butt of a pistol that he was carrying in his pocket, and said, “Gimme those f---ing keys or I’m gonna bust your head.”
After the victim handed over her keys, Allison demanded her phone and wallet. Allison then asked for the PIN number to her debit card. The victim provided the number. Allison told the victim if the PIN was not correct, he would kill her.
Using the key fob, Allison tried to open the trunk to force the victim into it. Allison could not get the trunk open, so he ordered her into the front passenger's seat. Hall got into the back seat. Allison got into the driver’s seat and pulled away.
Allison drove the victim and Hall to a grocery store in Capitol Heights, Maryland. Allison then told Hall to “bust” the victim if she tried to leave.
Allison entered the store with the victim’s debit card, withdrew $500 from an ATM, and bought some food and other items. He returned to vehicle and drove them all back to the District.
Allison parked the car on the 5700 block of Southern Avenue SE. Once stopped, he took one of the victim’s gloves and wiped down the victim’s keys and the steering wheel. Allison returned the phone, keys, and wallet to the victim. Allison and Hall fled on foot towards Central Avenue, SE. The victim drove to the 6th District Station house and reported the incident.
Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement were FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office and Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole.
24cr157
Canadian who traveled to Virginia intending to meet a minor for sex sentenced to 10 years in prisonRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Canadian man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.
According to court documents, on May 9, 2025, Tommy Varesh, 54, of Toronto, used a publicly-viewable online discussion platform to contact a person he believed to be a 15-year-old girl in the Washington area, but who was actually an undercover law enforcement officer (UC). Varesh indicated he was from New York and willing to travel to meet the UC for sex. Varesh asked the UC if she used birth control and told her he would buy emergency contraception. Varesh sent graphic sexual images of himself and persistently requested sexual images from the UC even though the UC expressed reluctance.
Varesh often reiterated the need for his relationship with the UC to remain a secret, especially from the UC’s mother and other adults and to ensure their communication was private. He also attempted to hide his intentions by moving their conversations to a platform from which messages were automatically deleted while also sending false messages to the original platform deceptively stating that he and the UC would not engage in sex.
On June 16, 2025, Varesh traveled to Virginia to meet the UC for sex. When he was arrested, he was carrying black lingerie and emergency contraception.
The FBI Washington Field Office and the Fairfax County Police Department investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Halper and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoe Bedell prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the 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.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-306.
Butte man sentenced to 3 years in prison for illegal firearm possessionRead the Press Release
MISSOULA – A Butte man who illegally possessed multiple firearms was sentenced today to 37 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Shawn Troy Thumper Saccheri, 49, pleaded guilty in October 2025 to one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
The government alleged in court documents that on November 27, 2024, law enforcement conducted a search at Saccheri’s residence after receiving information he possessed firearms. Prior to the search, Saccheri admitted he possessed prohibited items. Law enforcement located the following five firearms and ammunition at his residence:
- Harrington & Richardson model 765 Pioneer, .22 caliber rifle
- Winchester model 1912, 12-gauge shotgun with a shortened barrel
- Western Auto Supply Revelation model 120, .22 caliber rifle
- Remington model 870, 12-gauge shotgun
- Winchester model 97, 12-gauge shotgun
- Harrington and Richardson model Bay State shotgun receiver
- Assorted ammunition and a magazine
On October 11, 2018, Saccheri was convicted of distribution of dangerous drugs, a felony, in Flathead County and sentenced to six years to the Montana Department of Corrections. On June 9, 2023, he was convicted of possession of dangerous drugs, a felony, in Yellowstone County and sentenced to five years all suspended with credit for 160 days in custody. Each conviction is a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year which prohibits Saccheri from owning firearms.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katy Stack prosecuted the case. The ATF conducted the investigation.
XXX
Bridgeport Man Sentenced to 54 Months in Prison for Role in Southwestern Connecticut Drug RingRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TERRELL WILLS, 52, of Bridgeport, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 54 months of imprisonment and four years of supervised release for trafficking narcotics in southwestern Connecticut.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and Stamford Police Department identified Rodney Canada as the leader of a drug trafficking organization that was distributing large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine in Stamford and elsewhere in southwestern Connecticut. An investigation in 2024, which included court-authorized wiretaps and controlled purchases of narcotics, revealed that Canada and others orchestrated the street level distribution of narcotics through other members of the conspiracy. Investigators intercepted more than 5000 text messages and calls in which Canada coordinated his drug trafficking activities.
Wills, who formerly resided in Darien, was a trusted associate of Canada who primarily distributed cocaine. He also managed cash for the drug trafficking organization, and acted as a middleman between Canada and other drug sellers.
Wills, Canada, and other members of the conspiracy were arrested on May 14, 2024. On that date, investigators conducted court-authorized searches at locations in Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport, and Darien, and seized approximately three kilograms of cocaine, nearly 400 grams of raw fentanyl, more than 500 bags of fentanyl, five firearms, a bulletproof vest, and seven vehicles.
On October 10, 2025, Wills pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
Wills’ criminal history spans approximately 30 years and includes numerous convictions, including a federal narcotics trafficking conviction in March 2014 for which he was sentenced to 48 months in prison.
Wills, who is released on a $150,000 bond, is required to report to prison on April 24.
Canada pleaded guilty and, on December 15, 2025, was sentenced to 110 months of imprisonment.
This investigation has been conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, the Stamford Police Department, the Bridgeport Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Connecticut State Police, and the Norwalk, Danbury, and Darien Police Departments. The DEA HIDTA Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Bridgeport Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Milford, and Danbury Police Departments.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia Stolfi Collins and Geoffrey M. Stone.
Arizona man pleads guilty to assault and firearms offensesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – An Arizona man has pleaded guilty to federal charges for assaulting a woman with a rifle after she tried to intervene in a suspected domestic violence incident.
According to court documents, on August 24, 2024, Jane Doe 2 saw Curley Nakai Jr., 25, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, engage in what she believed was a domestic violence incident involving Jane Doe 1. Concerned, she followed the pickup truck in which Nakai was a passenger to the Basha’s grocery store parking lot.
At the parking lot, Nakai exited the truck carrying a rifle, made threatening gestures toward Jane Doe 2, including pointing the rifle at her, and told her to leave. Jane Doe 2 drove some distance away but remained in the parking lot. During the incident, Jane Doe 1 exited the vehicle and walked away.
Nakai pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. At sentencing, Nakai faces not less than five years and up to life in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting the case.
Arizona Surgical Hospital Agrees to Pay $5.6M to Resolve Alleged False Claims Act ViolationsRead the Press Release
Southwest Orthopedic and Spine Hospital LLC doing business as OASIS Hospital (OASIS), United Surgical Partners International Inc. (USPI), and Dignity/USP Phoenix Surgery Centers LLC, have agreed to pay $5.6 million to resolve alleged False Claims Act violations relating to improper financial relationships between OASIS and Southwest Orthopedic and Spine Hospital Physicians Group LLC (Southwest Physicians). OASIS is a surgical hospital located in Phoenix, Arizona. USPI disclosed the arrangements at issue to the government following a 2019 internal compliance review and independent investigation.
The settlement resolves allegations that from 2011 through 2018 OASIS made improper financial contributions to Southwest Physicians, a physician group that referred patients to OASIS. Those financial contributions allegedly took the form of interest payments on convertible bonds issued to the physicians’ group. The United States alleged that these arrangements violated both the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) and the Physician Self-Referral Law, commonly known as the Stark Law. The AKS prohibits the provision of remuneration to induce the referral of services or items that are paid for by a federal health care program. The Stark Law prohibits hospitals from billing for certain services referred by physicians with whom the hospital has a financial relationship, unless that relationship satisfies one of the law’s statutory or regulatory exceptions. A claim submitted in violation of the AKS or the Stark Law can also violate the False Claims Act.
“The AKS and Stark Law are designed to ensure that decisions about patient care are not influenced by physicians’ personal financial interest,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “As this settlement reflects, we will hold accountable those who violate these important safeguards, but we will also give credit when resolving such misconduct to those who fully disclose their mistakes, take appropriate remedial actions, and meaningfully cooperate with the government’s investigation.”
“Kickback schemes undermine the medical decision-making of medical professionals – including physicians – when such professional judgements should only serve the health and well-being of patients,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott J. Lampert at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Both those who pay and those who receive kickbacks enrich themselves from such deals, but these schemes are corrosive to the integrity of our health care system and drive up the cost of health care for all of us. HHS-OIG will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to protect taxpayer-funded health care programs and the millions of people in our country who rely on them.”
In connection with the settlement, the United States acknowledged that OASIS and USPI took a number of significant steps entitling them to credit for cooperating with the government. Following an internal compliance review and independent investigation, OASIS and USPI promptly took remedial actions and disclosed the relevant arrangements to the government. OASIS and USPI also provided the government with a detailed and thorough written disclosure and cooperated with the government throughout its investigation.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
The matter was handled by Fraud Section Senior Trial Counsel David Finkelstein.
The claims resolved by the United States in the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Anchorage man sentenced to 14 years for drug trafficking, firearms crimesRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage man was sentenced last week to 14 years in prison for trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl and for possessing a firearm as a felon.
According to court documents, prior to the charged conduct, Christopher Nickalaskey, 34, had one state felony drug conviction and one 2017 federal conviction for possessing a firearm as a felon. In that case, Nickalaskey instigated a violent altercation with APD officers, pulling a loaded firearm during the struggle. Nickalaskey was sentenced to four years in federal prison for his conduct in the 2017 case.
On Sept. 7, 2023, Nickalaskey possessed two pistols and a backpack containing over a kilogram of methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Alaska, U.S. v. Nickalaskey, Case #: 2:24-cr-00026Nickalaskey planned to sell those drugs, as he received text messages asking about them on the day he was arrested.
Nickalaskey was later released on state bail.
On Oct. 1, 2023, APD received information that Nickalaskey was trespassing and possibly armed. APD arrived on scene and tried to pat down Nickalaskey, but he resisted, pulled out a gun and dropped to the floor. He struggled with several APD officers who were trying to tase and disarm him. The gun went off, and the bullet passed through Nickalaskey’s hip before hitting an APD officer in the knee. After the gun went off, an APD sergeant managed to pull the gun from Nickalaskey’s hand, but only after he bit the sergeant’s finger forcefully. Both officers recovered despite the serious injuries Nickalaskey caused.
In handing down the sentence, the Court also ordered Nickalaskey to serve 10 years on supervised release upon release from prison. The Court noted the defendant’s serious criminal history, including prior drug-related and violent convictions, when delivering the sentence.
“Mr. Nickalaskey is a repeat and dangerous criminal,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman of the District of Alaska. “His lawlessness peaked when he brandished a prohibited weapon and injured two dedicated Anchorage police officers, earning himself 14 years behind bars. My office takes the threat of repeat, undeterred offenders seriously and will ensure they face the full weight of the law.”
“The defendant’s crimes involved drug trafficking, illegal possession of firearms, and acts of violence against law enforcement in our community – none of which will be tolerated by the FBI,” said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “Those who commit such crimes will be removed from our streets and met with decisive justice.”
“APD is grateful to all parties involved in the curtailing of drugs and illegal firearms within the community,” said Anchorage Police Department Chief Sean Case. “This decision by the court continues to send the strong message that APD and our Federal partners are committed to keeping our streets and communities safe. APD would also like to thank the FBI for helping during this investigation. Our partnership reflects the highest standards of law enforcement services provided in Anchorage.”
The FBI Anchorage Field Office and Anchorage Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Ivers and Mac Caille Petersson prosecuted the case.
###
Activity in the U.S. Attorney's OfficeRead the Press Release
Assault
Dustin Vance Big Medicine, Jr, 24, of Riverton, Wyoming, was sentenced to four months and 11 days imprisonment with three years of supervised release for assaulting a federal officer. According to court documents, on June 4, 2025, a Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) officer was dispatched to tribal housing on the Wind River Reservation for a report of the defendant being violent towards emergency medical services employees. The officer arrested the defendant, and while the officer was walking the defendant to the patrol car, he gathered saliva in his mouth and then spat saliva on the officer’s ear and face. The BIA investigated the crime and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kerry J. Jacobson prosecuted the case. Big Medicine was indicted on Sept. 16, 2025, and pleaded guilty on Dec. 10, 2025. Chief U.S. District Judge Kelly H. Rankin imposed the sentence on Feb. 18, 2026, in Cheyenne. Case No. 24-CR-00134
Owen Thunder Kennedy, 25, of Farmington, New Mexico, was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment with one year of supervised release for assault by striking, beating, or wounding. According to court documents, the defendant and the victim in the case were seasonal workers at Yellowstone National Park in the Old Faithful area. On the night of Sept. 15, 2021, while the defendant was visibly intoxicated, he forcibly shoved his hand under the victim’s shorts and grabbed her genitalia hard enough to cause the victim pain. Yellowstone National Park Law Enforcement investigated the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kerry J. Jacobson prosecuted the case. The defendant was indicted on Sept. 16, 2025, and pleaded guilty on Dec. 5, 2025. Chief United States District Judge Kelly H. Rankin imposed the sentence on Feb. 20, 2026, in Cheyenne. Case No. 25-CR-00133
Drug Trafficking
Christine Holly Jensen, 55, from Fort Lupton, Colorado, was sentenced to 168 months’ imprisonment with four years of supervised release to follow for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. According to court documents, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation was investigating Gerald White, of Medicine Bow, Wyoming (Case No. 25-00057) on drug trafficking charges. The investigation showed that on February 2, 2025, White drove to the defendant’s home in Fort Lupton, Colorado. Upon his return to Wyoming, officers stopped him and found approximately 670.4 grams (about 1.5 pounds) of methamphetamine in his truck. On October 9, 2025, the defendant was arrested at her home in Fort Lupton. She admitted to selling methamphetamine to White since 2023. The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration and Albany County Sheriff’s Office investigated the crime. Jensen was indicted on Sept. 16, 2025, and pleaded guilty on Dec. 19, 2025. Chief U.S. District Judge Kelly H. Rankin imposed the sentence on Feb. 17 in Cheyenne. Case No. 25-CR-00127
The United States Attorney’s Office is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation involving the United States in the District of Wyoming, including all criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law, civil lawsuits brought by or against the government, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers. The Office is involved in several programs designed to make our communities safer. They include:
Project Safe Childhood
Project Safe Childhood (PSC) is a DOJ initiative that combats the proliferation of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children. The threat of sexual predators soliciting children for sexual contact is well-known and serious.
Operation Take Back America
Operation Take Back America is 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. It also streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).Victim Witness Program
The Victim Witness Coordinator for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming is dedicated to ensuring victims of federal crimes and their family members are treated with compassion, fairness, and respect.To report a federal crime, go to: https://www.justice.gov/actioncenter/report-crime
A Multi-Convicted Felon Sentenced to over 10 Years in Federal Prison on Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
DETROIT – A Dearborn Heights man was sentenced today for his role in several fraud schemes totaling $1.2 million, announced United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr.
Joining in the announcement was Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Field Division.
Joseph Miller, 53, of Dearborn Heights, was sentenced to 129 months in federal prison after having pleaded guilty to two counts of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud, and Aggravated Identity Theft.
According to court records, Miller, who has an extensive criminal history including 18 prior felony convictions, participated in three separate fraud schemes. In the first scheme, Miller used stolen identities to open charge accounts in the names of unsuspecting victims. Miller and others used those charge accounts to make $912,000 in fraudulent purchases from two separate retailers. Second, Miller also used stolen identities to obtain fraudulent loans from a financial institution. In total, he, working with others, defrauded the financial institution with approximately $172,000 in loans. Finally, Miller and his co-conspirators caused fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications to be submitted for several businesses. EIDL is a program run by the Small Business Administration to provide low-interest financing to small businesses affected by declared disasters. In total Miller and his co-conspirators obtained $203,970 in fraudulent relief funds from this program.
Miller was sentenced by United States District Judge Mark A. Goldsmith
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Wyse. Related forfeiture and restitution matters are being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly Fasbinder.
Monday 23 February 2026
Wewoka Resident Sentenced for Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily InjuryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Erin Nicole Hodge, age 30, of Wewoka, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 21 months in prison for one count of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Seminole Nation Lighthorse Police Department.
On August 12, 2025, Hodge pleaded guilty to the charge in federal district court. According to investigators, on February 10, 2024, during a confrontation outside a Seminole, Oklahoma business, Hodge bit the victim on the face. The crime occurred in Seminole County, within the boundaries of the Seminole Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable John F. Heil, III, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Hodge will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.
U.S. Attorney Acknowledges Lee County Law Enforcement Upon Successful Conclusion of Operation OverloadRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Acknowledges Lee County Law Enforcement Upon Successful Conclusion of Operation Overload
TUPELO — On this date, more than a dozen agencies across North Mississippi came together for a press conference hosted by Lee County District Attorney Jason Herring. The conference announced the successful conclusion of “Operation Overload,” which resulted in multiple arrests for illegal drug and firearm related charges. Such operations are only successful because of the powerful partnerships of these local, state and federal agencies.
Operation Overload included eight strategically planned saturations, which resulted in 793 citations, 51 illegal drug and firearm related charges, and 23 non-drug firearm related charges. Additionally, sixteen illegal aliens were arrested or retained by ICE because of the operation. DA Jason Herring pointed out in the news conference that these numbers are more than statistics but represent, “accountability, safer streets and disrupted criminal activity.” He points out that drug trafficking is the root of criminal activity in this district. He reminds those that choose to do so will suffer the consequences of their actions through initiatives such as these.
U.S. Attorney Scott Leary stated in the press conference that beginning in 2020, our borders opened up and drugs spilled into this country. Law enforcement witnessed the price of methamphetamine drop by 80%. Fentanyl pills that used to cost $30 a pill now cost dollars, and our young people paid the price. Cartels moved in, flooded our streets with drugs, took our money and killed our children. Lee County has provided an excellent example of what community policing looks like. Our goal is to assist local law enforcement in such successful endeavors. Leary reiterated: “We cover all northern MS and when I come to Lee County I just smile because this is what it looks like. It is our honor to work with you. We work for the citizens of this state, and they expect us to work together. To the degree it has not happened in the past, we are going to work hard to change that. This is an effective operation that will continue and hopefully we can get this violent crime spree and these cheap drugs addressed and off the street.”
Operation Overload was a partnership between several law enforcement agencies including Lee County Sheriff’s Department, North Mississippi Narcotics Unit, Tupelo Police Department, Mississippi Alcoholic Beverage Control, Shannon Police Department, Verona Police Department, Plantersville Police Department, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office, and federal partners.
Two Defendants Indicted for Forced Labor, Victim Tampering, Aggravated Identity Theft, Mail Fraud, and Wire Fraud involving Yakima and Benton County H-2A WorkersRead the Press Release
YAKIMA, Washington – Two individuals from the Yakima area have been indicted by a federal grand jury for illegally transporting over 100 temporary foreign agricultural workers over the border of the United States and engaging in both forced labor practices and victim tampering. Cesar Jamie Rebolledo Diaz and Socorro Ramos, both of Yakima, Washington, were charged in a ten-count Indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Yakima, Washington, on February 11, 2026. The United States Marshal Service and other law enforcement agencies are currently attempting to execute the arrest warrants for both Rebolledo Diaz and Ramos.
The federal Indictment alleges that Rebolledo Diaz and Ramos fraudulently obtained 103 temporary work visas under the H-2A program by falsely representing they both worked for Marquez Farms LLC, in Wapato Washington, on documentation submitted to the United States Department of Labor, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the United States Department of State. Additionally, Ramos fraudulently held herself out to the public, while working to obtain temporary work visas, as the co-owner of Marquez Farms LLC.
The Indictment further alleges Rebolledo Diaz and Ramos recruited foreign laborers from Mexico under false pretenses of providing a temporary paying job at Marquez Farms LLC, which they promised included adequate housing, food, paid travel and visas, and predictable location and hours of work. Rebolledo Diaz and Ramos then transported 103 foreign laborers from the border of the United States and Mexico to the Eastern District of Washington. This transportation was done in overcrowded school buses with no available air conditioning or water. Upon arriving in the Eastern District of Washington, some of the workers found themselves without the work promised, and others found themselves working for no pay. Moreover, the workers were not consistently provided food or adequate housing facilities. The Federal Indictment alleges that when authorities from the state of Washington began to investigate how Rebolledo Diaz and Ramos were treating the foreign laborers in their employ, Rebolledo Diaz and Ramos instructed the foreign laborers to remain silent and to report on foreign laborers who were interacting with state investigators.
First Assistant United States Attorney Pete Serrano stated, “My office is committed to seeking justice for these vulnerable victims and protecting the integrity of a federal program vital to the success of our agricultural sector in the Eastern District of Washington.”
Department of Labor Inspector General Anthony P. D’Esposito said, “The Office of Inspector General is unwavering in our commitment to protect the integrity of the Department of Labor’s Foreign Labor Certification programs. When bad actors exploit vulnerable workers or attempt to game the system, we investigate, we expose, and we hold them accountable. At the same time, we safeguard the U.S. employers who follow the law and play by the rules. We will continue working with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to ensure these programs serve legitimate labor needs — not criminal enterprises. Fraud will not be tolerated. Accountability is not optional.”
The charges contained in this Indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Courtney R. Pratten, Jeremy J. Kelley, and Tyler H.L. Tornabene. They were investigated by the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and the Department of State Diplomatic Security Service.
Three Mexican Citizens Charged with Trafficking Agricultural Workers into Servitude on Farms in Virginia, North Carolina, and FloridaRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury returned a 35-count indictment, unsealed Friday, charging three Mexican citizens for trafficking Mexican farmworkers into forced labor and harboring them in the United States after their visas expired for the defendants’ financial gain.
“Three individuals have been indicted for exploiting the H-2A visa program to lure vulnerable workers from Mexico to the United States with promises of legitimate employment, only to then confiscate their identity documents and force them to labor in inhumane conditions,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These charges reflect the Department’s commitment to protecting the integrity of our lawful immigration system and holding accountable those who corrupt it to exploit and abuse foreign workers. The Criminal Division will continue to investigate and prosecute forced labor and human trafficking wherever it occurs.”
“We will find and eradicate any illegal immigration we find here in the EDNC,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle for the Eastern District of North Carolina (EDNC). “We do not tolerate abuse of the system to hurt unsuspecting victims of human trafficking.”
According to court documents, Martha Zeferino Jose, 42, a permanent resident of the United States and citizen of Mexico, owned and operated Las Princesas Corporation (Las Princesas), a farm labor contracting company based in Washington, North Carolina that recruited workers from Mexico to come to the United States on temporary H-2A agricultural visas. She ran Las Princesas alongside her partner (John Doe), identified at the time of arrest as Jose Rodriguez Munoz, a citizen of Mexico illegally residing in the United States, and her son Jeremy Zeferino Jose, 23, a permanent resident of the United States and citizen of Mexico.
Between approximately August 2021 and July 2022, Martha Zeferino Jose allegedly submitted fraudulent applications to the Department of Labor and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in which she falsely certified that Las Princesas would comply with all required employment conditions and labor laws – including promises not to charge workers recruitment fees, not to confiscate their documents, and to provide proper wages, meals, housing, and transportation. According to the indictment, Martha Zeferino Jose never intended to honor those commitments.
Recruiters working for Las Princesas allegedly charged the workers significant fees for the opportunity to come to the United States, saddling them with debt before they even arrived. Once the workers were in the country, the defendants allegedly confiscated their passports, visas, and identification documents to prevent them from leaving. The workers were then allegedly compelled to perform physically demanding labor at farms and plant nurseries across three states under degrading conditions. According to the indictment, the defendants made the workers labor for extensive hours without adequate breaks or access to water; housed them in crowded, unsanitary residences that lacked heat, air conditioning, hot water and bedding; failed to pay required wages; withheld food; and denied medical care.
The defendants allegedly imposed strict rules to keep the workers isolated and under their control – prohibiting them from leaving, going anywhere alone, or speaking with people outside the group. They allegedly monitored the workers’ activities and created a climate of fear by threatening to report workers to immigration authorities, have them arrested and deported, and ensure they lost future employment opportunities. When some workers’ H-2A visas expired, the defendants allegedly told workers to stay in the country rather than informing them of their legal obligation to depart and then harbored the workers with expired visas in residences and at worksites for the defendants’ own financial benefit.
When the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division launched an investigation into Las Princesas, Martha Zeferino Jose and her partner allegedly obstructed the investigation. According to the indictment, Martha Zeferino Jose returned the workers’ confiscated passports and identification documents before investigators arrived and instructed the workers to tell investigators that everything was fine and that Las Princesas had never taken their documents. Munoz allegedly threatened the workers that they would be deported if they told investigators the truth.
Each of the defendants is charged with forced labor, conspiracy to commit forced labor, alien harboring for financial gain, conspiracy to commit alien harboring for financial gain, and document servitude offenses. Additionally, Martha Zeferino Jose is charged with visa fraud, Munoz is charged with obstruction, and they are both charged with conspiracy to obstruct proceedings before agencies. If convicted, the defendants face maximum penalties of 20 years in prison for each count of forced labor and conspiracy to commit forced labor, 10 years in prison for each count of alien harboring for financial gain and conspiracy to commit alien harboring for financial gain, and five years in prison for document servitude. Additionally, Martha Zeferino Jose faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for visa fraud, Munoz faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for obstruction, and Martha Zeferino Jose and Munoz face a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to commit obstruction.
Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General are investigating the case. The U.S. Marshals Service provided valuable assistance.
Trial Attorney Matthew Thiman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Blondel for the Eastern District of North Carolina are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Texas Tech Professor and Two Others Federally Charged with Fentanyl Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A Texas Tech University marketing and supply chain management professor and two others were federally charged for their roles in a fentanyl distribution conspiracy, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.
Daniel Taylor, 50, of Lubbock, Texas, was charged by federal complaint on February 18, 2026, with conspiracy to distribute or possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. Taylor is an assistant professor of marketing and supply chain management with Texas Tech’s Rawls College of Business. Also charged are Alisha Red-Eagle, 21, and Mackenzie Gilcrease, 28, both of Lubbock.
According to the complaint, Taylor distributed two variations of fentanyl powder: one called “Pink Flamingo” and the other called “Ghost.” The complaint alleges that Taylor has been under investigation for drug distribution over the last several months. Specific instances of alleged drug activity include January 12, 2026, when law enforcement agents saw Alisha Red-Eagle enter and exit Taylor’s vehicle at a Lubbock convenience store, and then Red-Eagle entered a white SUV that left the location. When a Lubbock County Sheriff’s Deputy stopped the SUV for a traffic violation, the SUV’s occupants—which included Red-Eagle—advised that a male in the back seat was overdosing on suspected fentanyl supplied by Red-Eagle. Narcan and EMS services were administered. While searching the SUV, officers found five fentanyl pills, a clear baggie containing fentanyl, five aluminum foil wrappers containing fentanyl residue, and a pink baggie containing fentanyl powder.
“Instead of focusing on teaching students supply chain management, the defendant, as alleged, was developing and implementing his own supply chain of lethal fentanyl into the streets of Lubbock,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “As alleged, at least in one instance, the fentanyl the defendant peddled through his drug trafficking organization caused an overdose. We hope the students of Texas Tech and the Lubbock community understand that my office will vigorously prosecute drug dealers and drug traffickers no matter if you are a professor or a street level dealer.”
“This arrest underscores the stark and troubling irony that an individual entrusted with educating others instead chose to distribute one of the deadliest drugs facing our communities today,” said DEA Dallas Field Division Special Agent in Charge Joseph B. Tucker. “While this conduct is in no way reflective of Texas Tech University, it highlights that fentanyl trafficking can emerge from any corner of our society, and DEA, alongside our federal, state, and local partners, remains committed to identifying and holding accountable those who choose to profit from this poison.”
The complaint further alleges that on the evening of February 17, 2026, agents saw Mackenzie Gilcrease meet Taylor at his residence, enter and exit his apartment, and leave the location in a pickup truck. A Lubbock County Sheriff’s Deputy stopped the truck for a traffic violation and identified Gilcrease as the driver and sole occupant. After a K-9 alerted to the vehicle for the odor of narcotics, deputies searched the truck and found three pink plastic baggies of fentanyl inside of a pink envelope that contained a pink flamingo graphic. They also found a pink plastic baggie containing methamphetamine. Just after midnight on February 18, 2026, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant for Taylor’s home, locating multiple quantities of white powder and a crystal-like substance that tested positive for methamphetamine, along with pink envelopes, plastic baggies with pink flamingo stickers, and baggies containing a ghost graphic.
All three defendants appeared before a United States Magistrate Judge in Lubbock this morning for initial appearances on the charges. They remain in federal custody pending further court proceedings. If convicted, each defendant faces a statutory maximum sentence of twenty years in federal prison.
This investigation was a joint operation of the Texas Anti-Gang Center and the Caprock Hi-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. This group is composed of agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lubbock Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Rancourt is prosecuting the case.
A complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
taylor_-_complaint_-_affidavit.pdfTennessee Man Pleads Guilty in Fentanyl Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A Tennessee man, who trafficked fentanyl-laced pills and fentanyl powder into Southwest Virginia, pled guilty recently in U.S. District Court in Abingdon.
Jermaine Crayton Jr., 20, pled guilty recently to one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of possession with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
According to court documents, following a law enforcement operation in August 2025, investigators with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Smyth County Sheriff’s Office, City of Bristol Virginia Police Department, Washington County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office, and Drug Enforcement Administration developed intelligence that Crayton was trafficking fentanyl-laced pills and powder fentanyl. The intelligence indicated that Crayton had repeatedly brought large quantities of fentanyl pills into Smyth County for further distribution.
In August 2025, law enforcement arranged a controlled purchase of 1,000 fentanyl pills and two ounces of fentanyl powder from Crayton at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Bristol, Virginia.
Following a positive identification of Crayton, law enforcement converged on Crayton’s vehicle, at which time Crayton fled on foot. While fleeing, Crayton dropped several items, including a baggie containing pressed fentanyl pills and a baggie containing powder fentanyl.
Following his arrest, it was determined that Crayton possess 2,372 fentanyl pills and 58.72 grams of fentanyl powder. The type of pills Crayton was distributing are increasingly common, and extremely dangerous. They are known as “pressed” pills or “M30” pills, and they are designed to resemble a pharmaceutical preparation of oxycodone pills. However, they often contain fentanyl, often in inconsistent doses that can lead to overdose and death.
Robert N. Tracci, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, and Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division, made the announcement.
The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Smyth County Sheriff’s Office, City of Bristol Virginia Police Department, Washington County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office, and Drug Enforcement Administration.
Assistant United States Attorney Whit Pierce is prosecuting the case for the United States.
Tallahassee Sexual Predator Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Distribution and Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Richard Alan Spivey, a/k/a “Rick”, 62, of Tallahassee, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for distribution of child pornography and receipt of child pornography. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “The threats posed to our children from sexual predators like this defendant demand our constant vigilance to ensure more innocent minors are not victimized and exploited, and fortunately our local and federal law enforcement partners are up to the task of finding these disgusting criminals wherever they lurk online. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute these crimes and seek maximum punishments to keep our kids safe and these offenders locked away in prison.”
Court documents reflect that in July 2024, the Tallahassee Police Department received a Cybertip report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alleging that the defendant uploaded child pornography to a social media platform when sending it to another user as part of his chat messages. The investigation revealed that the defendant was a registered sexual predator based on his prior convictions for sex crimes. Law enforcement obtained search warrants for the defendant’s social media account and cell phone, which led to the discovery of online communications between the defendant and others during which he received and distributed child pornography videos.
“This case reinforces the FBI’s unwavering commitment to investigate child exploitation crimes and safeguard children from those who seek to exploit them,” said FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley. “Through strong collaboration with our state and local law enforcement partners, we are working to ensure there is one less predator targeting the most vulnerable members of our community.”
Spivey’s imprisonment will be followed by a lifetime term of supervised release, meaning if he violates any of the conditions of his supervision, he will potentially face an additional period of incarceration.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Suspended Los Angeles Lawyer Sentenced to More Than 7 Years in Federal Prison for Receiving $2.1 Million Bribe Payment from Oil CompanyRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Los Angeles-area lawyer was sentenced today to 87 months in federal prison for receiving a $2.1 million bribe while serving as an officer of Nigeria’s state-owned oil company in connection with negotiating favorable drilling rights for a subsidiary of a Chinese state-owned oil company.
Paulinus Iheanacho Okoronkwo, 58, a.k.a. “Pollie,” of Rancho Cucamonga, was sentenced by United States District Judge John F. Walter, who also ordered him to pay $923,824 in restitution to the IRS and ordered that Okoronkwo forfeit $1,039,997, the net proceeds of the sale of a home involved in the laundering of the bribe money.
At the conclusion of a four-day trial, a jury in August 2025 found Okoronkwo guilty of three counts of transactional money laundering, one count of tax evasion, and one count of obstruction of justice.
Okoronkwo, who is a dual citizen of the United States and Nigeria and who practiced immigration, family, and personal injury law out of an office in Koreatown, was a foreign official who served as the general manager of the upstream division of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC). The NNPC is a state-owned company through which Nigeria’s government developed that nation’s fossil fuel and natural gas reserves, including through partnerships with foreign oil companies. In this role, Okoronkwo owed a fiduciary duty to the Nigerian government and was a public official.
In October 2015, Addax Petroleum, a Switzerland-based subsidiary of Sinopec, a Chinese state-owned petroleum, gas, and petrochemical conglomerate, wired a payment of $2,105,263 to an Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Account (IOLTA) in the name of Okoronkwo’s Los Angeles law firm, purportedly for his work as a consultant who negotiated and completed a settlement agreement with the NNPC with respect to Addax’s drilling rights in Nigeria. According to the indictment, Addax calculated that it stood to lose billions of dollars if its favorable drilling rights were not secured.
The engagement letter that Addax signed that month with Okoronkwo’s law office – with a fake address in Lagos, Nigeria – was a ruse intended to conceal the fact that its payment to Okoronkwo was a bribe in exchange for his influence in securing more favorable financial terms relating to its crude oil drilling in Nigeria.
To conceal the illegal bribery scheme, Addax falsely characterized the $2.1 million payment as a payment for legal services, lied to an auditor about the payment, and fired executives who questioned the payment’s propriety. To create the false impression that the bribe payment constituted client funds, Okoronkwo received the payment in his law firm’s IOLTA.
After receiving the bribe into his IOLTA, between February 2016 and 2018, Okoronkwo routed funds to a company called IPO Capital LLC. From there, Okoronkwo used the bribery funds to pay for family expenses, a car, and a home. Specifically, in November 2017, Okoronkwo used $983,200 of the illegally obtained funds to make down payments on a house in Valencia.
Okoronkwo also omitted the $2.1 million bribe payment from his 2015 federal income tax return. He also obstructed justice in June 2022 when he lied to federal investigators when he told them he did not use any of the $2.1 million to purchase a house and that the money represented client funds rather than income to his law office.
In January 2026, the State Bar of California suspended Okoronkwo’s law license.
The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance.
Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander B. Schwab, Acting Chief of the Criminal Division, Nisha Chandran of the Major Frauds Section, and Alexander Su of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section are prosecuting this case.
Sinaloa Cartel Leader Charged in Massive Drug Trafficking SchemeRead the Press Release
MIAMI – An alleged leader of the Sinaloa Cartel made his initial appearance in federal court today to face charges for leading a large-scale drug trafficking operation responsible for moving fentanyl and other narcotics into the United States.
According to court records, Fidel Felix-Ochoa, 53, of Mexico, was one of the primary leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel responsible for directing, managing, and overseeing the organization’s drug trafficking and money laundering activities. Felix-Ochoa allegedly coordinated the smuggling of hundreds of kilograms of fentanyl and cocaine into the United States using couriers who transported narcotics by vehicle and through the U.S. mail. The Sinaloa Cartel is a transnational criminal group based in Mexico. On Feb. 20, 2025, the Sinaloa Cartel was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
“The charges target an alleged senior leader of the Sinaloa Cartel who is accused of directing the flow of massive quantities of fentanyl and other deadly narcotics into the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “While these are allegations that must be proven in court, this case reflects our Office’s unwavering commitment to dismantling transnational criminal organizations and protecting American communities from the devastating consequences of drug trafficking. No cartel leader is beyond the reach of the rule of law.”
Once the narcotics entered the United States, Felix-Ochoa allegedly directed co-conspirators to store the drugs at multiple stash houses before distributing them to drug dealers and customers throughout the country, including Florida, Arizona, California, Texas, and Massachusetts.
During the investigation into Felix-Ochoa and his co-conspirators, law enforcement seized approximately 73,000 fentanyl pills, 21 kilograms of pure fentanyl, 243 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, two kilograms of cocaine, and 24 firearms.
Felix-Ochoa was amongst 37 Mexican nationals wanted for serious crimes in the United States transferred into U.S. custody on Jan. 20. The Justice Department Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs coordinated the transfers.
Prior to Felix-Ochoa’s arrest, the United States Attorney’s Office successfully apprehended and prosecuted seven members of his organization in a related case, under case number 23-cr-60111.
Felix-Ochoa is charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. If convicted, Felix-Ochoa faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Jason Stankiewicz of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division, made the announcement.
The ATF Miami Field Office is investigating the case with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami, Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO), ATF Los Angeles Field Division, U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ajay Alexander is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Paster is handling asset forfeiture.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Miami comprises agents and officers from ATF, DEA, HSI, BSO, USMS, and USPIS with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
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.sdfl.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.sdfl.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-cr-60150.
###
Sea Box, Inc. Agrees to Pay $2.6 Million to Settle Claims it Used Foreign-Flagged Vessels to Transport Shipping Containers for Army, Air ForceRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – SEA BOX, Inc., a corporation specializing in the design, modification, and manufacturing of shipping containers headquartered in Cinnaminson, New Jersey, has entered into a settlement agreement with the United States resolving allegations that it violated the Cargo Preference Act and its contracts with the Department of War by using foreign-flagged vessels to transport shipping containers manufactured for the Department of the Army, Department of the Air Force, and Defense Logistics Agency, Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello announced.
According to the contentions of the United States contained in the settlement agreement, since approximately 1904, any supplies bought for any Department of War agency may only be transported by sea in a vessel of the United States. This requirement is found both in the Cargo Preference Act and in the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations, and it is incorporated into defense contracts. The requirements protect American shipping and ensure that the United States has a merchant marine capable of commercial and military use.
Between late 2017 and late 2021, SEA BOX was awarded approximately 35 contracts to provide shipping containers consistent with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards for the Department of the Army and Department of the Air Force, primarily through the Defense Logistics Agency. Notwithstanding the legal prohibitions on doing so, SEA BOX arranged to have these containers delivered on less expensive, foreign-flagged vessels. In so doing, SEA BOX not only deprived U.S.-flagged shipping of revenue, but it also reduced the cost of its own bids, undercutting competition that followed the statutory and contractual requirements. When confronted by military authorities about the issue, SEA BOX presented inaccurate, misleading information about its actions. SEA BOX has agreed to settle claims under the civil False Claims Act for a payment of $2.6 million, plus interest, over a three-year schedule.
“Protecting American business is a critical part of the mission of the Department of Justice and of the United States military. We support American shipping through contracting and enforcement, and this Office will prosecute any entity that takes from American business in order to win contracts with the United States government.”
- Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello
“Ensuring companies follow statutory and contractual requirements is an important part of protecting the Department of Defense procurement process,” said Christopher M. Silvestro, Special Agent in Charge, DCIS Northeast Field Office, the law enforcement arm of the Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General. “DCIS will continue to work with the Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners to pursue those companies that try to corrupt and compromise the integrity of the system.”
“This settlement sends a clear message: AFOSI will not tolerate those who prioritize profit over the integrity of the federal procurement process,” said Special Agent in Charge William W. Richards of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI). “We, alongside our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners, will work tirelessly to combat fraud threatening the Department of the Air Force.”
Senior Counsel Lamparello credits special agents of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Department of the Army’s Criminal Investigative Division, the Department of the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations, and members of the Defense Contract Audit Agency, Defense Logistics Agency, and U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul W. Kaufman of the Healthcare Fraud and Opioid Enforcement Unit.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
###
Counsel for SEA BOX: John Brownlee and John McAdams, Holland & Knight, Washington, D.C.
seabox.agreement.pdfSalvadoran Child Predator Gets 20 Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Re-EntryRead the Press Release
DEL RIO, Texas – A Salvadoran national was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to the statutory maximum 20 years in prison for illegal re-entry, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.
According to court documents, Celso Rivas-Gonzalez was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents on July 26, 2025. In 2024, Rivas-Gonzalez was convicted of both illegal re-entry and indecency with a child. Prior to that, in 2021, he was convicted of a harassment felony that had been reduced from one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child. Rivas-Gonzalez has been deported from the U.S. twice, the last time being on Feb. 19, 2025. U.S. District Judge Ernest Gonzalez sentenced Rivas-Gonzalez exactly one year later.
“I hope the message is now clear, but if not, I’ll say it plainly. If you’re an illegal alien that has committed the types of heinous offenses that were committed by the defendant in this case, we will hold you to account.” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “The 20-year max imprisonment imposed here rightfully demonstrates that we will not let convicted sexual predators come into this country illegally and jeopardize the safety of Americans. I appreciate our law enforcement partners who vigilantly patrol our borderlands for their dedication to the mission to combat illegal immigration and keep Americans safe from this and many other types of criminals.”
“This case reflects the hard work of the men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol to keep our communities free of sex offenders and other criminals,” said Chief Patrol Agent Anthony S. Good, Del Rio Border Patrol Sector. “It also highlights the cooperation with other entities to bring those criminals to justice.”
The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carli Tuttle and Daisy Gonzalez prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
###
Sacramento Man Sentenced to 25 years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of MinorsRead the Press Release
Raymond James Cornett, 53, of Sacramento, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb to 25 years in prison for sexual exploitation of children, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, Cornett requested and received videos and images of a 6-year-old and a 7-year-old victim engaged in sexually explicit conduct from a woman in Canada. In addition, Cornett admitted to requesting images and videos of sexually explicit conduct from two additional minor victims. Evidence from Cornett’s social media accounts corroborated the admissions. Cornett pleaded guilty on Aug. 11, 2026.
The Sacramento Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Yang prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.
Rockford Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
A man who received images and videos of child pornography pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids. Anthony Paul Harden, age 47, from Rockford, Iowa, was convicted of one count of receipt of child pornography.
Evidence in a plea agreement and at a prior hearing showed that in August 2025, law enforcement officers searched Harden’s home in Rockford and seized four electronic devices that contained child pornography. Between May 2023 and July 2025, Harden received and possessed hundreds of images and videos of child pornography, including of toddlers and sadistic and masochistic conduct.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Harden was taken into custody by the United States Marshal after the guilty plea and will remain in custody pending sentencing. Harden faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, special assessments of $35,100, and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Floyd County Sheriff’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-CR-2065.
Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Richmond man sentenced to over 10 years in prison for armed robbery committed while on probation for previous firearms convictionsRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to 10 years and 10 months in prison for robbery and using a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to court documents, on Oct. 13, 2022, Jarviontae Tykee McLaurine, 26, and two accomplices robbed a Dollar General store and people inside the store. Each of the robbers entered the store armed with a firearm and wearing a mask. One of the robbers ordered the clerk to open the register and get on the floor. Another robber ordered a customer to lie on the floor, and another customer was ordered to the front of the store at gunpoint.
The robbers held the store manager at gunpoint and ordered the manager to open the register. Two of the robbers then forced the manager and the clerk to accompany them to the back office where they attempted to gain access to more money. McLaurine and his accomplices then fled the store.
In June 2023, Mclaurine was convicted in Richmond Circuit Court of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In August 2023, Mclaurine was convicted in Hanover Circuit Court of making a false statement on a criminal history consent form and attempting to possess a firearm as a convicted felon. Two months later, Mclaurine was arrested again and on Feb. 1, 2024, was convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Mclaurine was on supervised probation for two convictions when he robbed the Dollar General store.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and the Richmond Police Department investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen E. Anthony and Janet Jin Ah Lee prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 3:23-cr-164 and 3:25-cr-97.
Previously deported illegal alien faces federal charges for trafficking fentanyl in BrookhavenRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Abelardo Avila Gomez, an illegal alien who was previously deported from the United States, appeared in federal court to face charges related to his alleged trafficking of 37 pounds of fentanyl from a Brookhaven apartment.
“Avila Gomez allegedly trafficked a staggering amount of deadly fentanyl stored in his metro Atlanta apartment,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Diligent efforts by our law enforcement partners stopped this illegal alien and removed his lethal stash from our streets.”
“With the seizure of 17.9 kilograms of fentanyl, our agents have removed an extraordinary amount of deadly poison from the streets,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Fentanyl is measured in milligrams, not grams and this quantity had the potential to cause catastrophic harm. Through the Fentanyl Free America campaign, DEA and our law enforcement partners are aggressively targeting every level of the supply chain. Our mission is to save lives and protect our communities from those who profit off addiction and death.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg and the criminal complaint filed in federal court: On February 19, 2026, DEA Atlanta agents executed a federal search warrant at a Brookhaven apartment, where they located 15 rectangular-shaped “bricks” of fentanyl, weighing a total of approximately 37 pounds. Agents arrested Avila Gomez in the apartment parking lot, who allegedly confirmed that he lived in the apartment, illegally reentered the United States in March 2023, and was involved in the distribution of fentanyl.
The investigation further revealed that Avila Gomez is a citizen and national of Mexico with no legal status in the United States. Immigration records allegedly confirm that Avila Gomez was previously deported from the United States to Mexico in November 2014.
Abelardo Avila Gomez, 46, of Acapulco, Mexico, appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge earlier today on a criminal complaint that charged him with possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and illegal re-entry by a previously removed alien.
Members of the public are reminded that the criminal complaint only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with valuable assistance provided by the Atlanta Police Department, Doraville Police Department, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office, Dekalb County Police Department, Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Clayton County Police Department, Walton County Sheriff’s Office, and Sandy Springs Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney James Hwang is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Pennsylvania Man Arrested at Castaic Motel Federally Charged After Grooming Minor Victim into Engaging in Acts of Self-HarmRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Pennsylvania man has been arrested and federally charged after grooming a girl who recently turned 13 years old to send him sexually explicit material of herself and images of self-harm over the internet, a pattern of abuse consistent with nihilistic violent extremist (NVE) ideology that culminated in law enforcement rescuing her at a Santa Clarita Valley motel.
Matthew Edward Pysher, 18, of Bangor, Pennsylvania, was arrested late Friday in Castaic and is expected to make his initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
Pysher is charged in a federal criminal complaint with travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, a felony punishable by up to 30 years in federal prison.
“The facts charged in this case are chilling,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “If your children have access to use the internet, sadistic predators may have access to your kids. Law enforcement will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who seek to harm children. We advise parents to keep their kids offline.”
“The subject arrested this weekend is one of a growing number of alleged nihilistic violent extremists who prey on children and talk them into compromising sex acts and self-mutilation,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners are committed to finding and holding accountable these sadistic predators and ensuring they face serious consequences for their vile acts.”
“Violent online exploitation that targets our children through manipulation, coercion, and fear has absolutely no place in our communities, whether on our streets or behind a computer screen,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna. “Because of the swift and coordinated efforts of local and federal law enforcement, and the decisive action of a vigilant mother who immediately contacted law enforcement, this young victim was safely recovered, and further harm was prevented. We will continue to work with our local and federal partners, using every investigative tool available, to protect our youth and hold predators accountable in Los Angeles County.”
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, from at least December 2025 until February 20, Pysher groomed and encouraged the victim to send him material of herself engaging in sexually explicit acts. He also encouraged the victim to cut herself and engage in other acts of self-harm.
On February 10, the victim’s mother contacted the FBI because she was concerned her daughter was being encouraged to harm herself by a person named “Matthew,” whom the victim met on the Discord online platform. The victim encountered Pysher on a Discord server related to individuals suffering from mental illness.
On February 20, Pysher traveled to Los Angeles to engage in sexual activity with the victim. On that day, Pysher met the victim near her home and took her to a motel in Castaic.
When law enforcement arrived at the motel room, they encountered Pysher and the victim and found condoms, a knife, lubricant, razor blades, bloody tissues, and a boarding pass for Pysher’s flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. Law enforcement also found a faraday bag, commonly used to block electronic signals, near Pysher’s cellphone. The victim told law enforcement that Pysher and she had engaged in sexual conduct and that he had used a knife to repeatedly cut her.
Based on a review of the contents of the victim’s smartphone and Pysher’s online activities, law enforcement believes that Pysher is associated with NVE ideology.
The complaint details the nature of NVEs, including 764, a group whose members are known to the FBI to engage in criminal conduct within the United States and abroad in furtherance of political, social, or religious goals that derive primarily from a hatred of society at large and a desire to bring about its collapse by sowing indiscriminate chaos, destruction, and social instability.
NVEs often target vulnerable individuals, including minors, and frequently use social media platforms to share child sexual abuse material or gore material or to groom victims toward committing acts of violence. NVEs and their members frequently extort or blackmail victims into complying with NVE demands, which vary but may include self-mutilation; online and in-person sexual acts; harm to animals; sexual exploitation of siblings and others; acts of violence; and threats of violence, suicide, and murder.
A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, which is comprised of various agencies including the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, and California Highway Patrol, is investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Colin S. Scott of the National Security Division and Brandon E. Martinez-Jones of the Major Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.
Orthodontist Sentenced to 60 Years in Prison for Exploiting ChildrenRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey today announced that Thomas Shannon, 44, previously of Byron Center, was sentenced to 60 years in prison for sexual exploitation of children.
U.S. Attorney VerHey said he was not surprised at the sentence imposed. “Shannon’s selfish and senseless exploitation of these children has exposed them to a lifetime of emotional damage. I sincerely hope they can overcome it. But preying on our children must stop, and we will seek long sentences against people like Shannon until it does stop.”
From 2019 through 2024, Thomas Shannon exploited at least eighteen children online, ranging in ages from 12 to 17. Police discovered Shannon’s crimes when a16-year-old minor in North Carolina reported that she had been sexually exploited on Snapchat. Investigators identified the perpetrator as Shannon, then an orthodontist in Grandville. Investigators reviewed Shannon’s Snapchat account and found at least 16 additional minor victims, one of whom was only twelve years old. One additional minor victim came forward. Shannon met and exploited her through a different online application while he was on bond for state child pornography charges. He did this from his yacht in Ottawa County, which was forfeited as part of the criminal prosecution.
“Protecting children from exploitation is at the heart of Homeland Security Investigations’ mission,” said HSI Detroit acting Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphey. “This offender preyed on vulnerable children, but through extensive collaboration between HSI and our law enforcement partners, we were able to identify victims and ensure the defendant was held accountable. We hope this sentence delivers some measure of justice to his victims. We relentlessly investigate these crimes and tirelessly pursue those who exploit children.”
“This investigation demonstrates how local, state, and federal partners work together to identify offenders, locate victims, and hold those responsible accountable,” said Kent County Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young. “Our Human Trafficking Task Force continues to work aggressively to identify both victims and suspects in cases involving the exploitation of children.”
This case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations, the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, the Fuquay-Varina Police Department, and Prince George’s County Police Department.
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.
Orlando Man Convicted for Extensive Child Sextortion Scheme Involving More than 50 Child VictimsRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida– A federal jury has found Montrey Roseberry (20, Orlando) guilty of three counts of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, three counts of production of child sexual abuse material, and one count of possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Roseberry faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 28, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, from at least July 14, 2023, through at least April 2024, Roseberry operated a scheme to extort, intimidate, and threaten children into producing CSAM. Roseberry, while impersonating a woman, coerced young victims he identified on social media into producing images and videos of themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct. After obtaining the CSAM, Roseberry used the images and videos to extort the victims into producing increasingly perverse content involving, sadomasochism, coprophilia, bestiality, and the sexual abuse of other children.
If the child victims did not comply, Roseberry threatened to disseminate prior images and videos they had sent him that were sexual in nature to the child victims’ family members, friends, and classmates. In some cases, Roseberry threatened the child victims with death. As part of the scheme, and to further scare and extort the victims into complying with his demands, Roseberry sent the child victims photographs of their homes and names of their schools, friends, and family members. As a result of this scheme, Roseberry obtained CSAM of over 50 victims.
This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Noah P. Dorman and Kaley Austin-Aronson.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by 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 locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Ohio Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Sexual Assault on Cruise ShipRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Antonio Salazar Munos, 23, of Columbus, Ohio has been sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison for assaulting a dating partner by suffocation.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that in April 2023, Munos, the victim, and other family members traveled from their home in Ohio to Charleston, South Carolina for a three-day cruise. While onboard the Carnival Sunshine, Munos physically assaulted the victim at various locations onboard the ship before the two returned to their cabin. Upon returning to the cabin, Munos sexually and physically assaulted the victim. The victim notified the Sunshine’s onboard security team, who investigated the incident and then reported it to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel sentenced Munos to 30 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Whit Sowards prosecuted the case.
###
Office of U.S. Attorney Moore Capito Collects $4,322,154.61 in Civil and Criminal Actions in Fiscal Year 2025Read the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Moore Capito announced today that the Southern District of West Virginia collected $4,322,154.61 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2025. Of this amount, $2,400,940.61 was collected in criminal actions and $1,921,214.00 was collected in civil actions.
Additionally, the Southern District of West Virginia worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $2,339,409.44 in cases pursued jointly by these offices. Of this amount, $3,082.92 was collected in criminal actions and $2,336,326.52 was collected in civil actions.
“Public money is not a personal piggy bank, and crime has real victims. Whether it’s fraud, violence, or exploitation, we will use every civil and criminal tool available to hold offenders accountable,” Capito said. “Our mission is clear: protect taxpayer dollars, make victims whole, and ensure justice is done. I am incredibly proud of the tireless work of our attorneys and professional staff who fight every day to deliver those results.”
The collections include $451,237.51 in criminal restitution and a $451,237.51 civil penalty paid by Mark William Bailey, 53, of Beckley, after he pleaded guilty to theft of government monies. Bailey admitted to stealing COVID-19 relief loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
The civil collections also include $1,207,600.00 from Horne LLP, of Ridgeland, Mississippi, to resolve civil allegations that it received improper payments from federal disaster recovery grant funds in connection with services it provided in 2017 and 2018 in West Virginia. Another $191,070 was paid by Thompson Construction Group Inc., of Sumter, South Carolina, to resolve civil allegations that it violated the federal False Claims Act by submitting false claims for payment from federal disaster recovery grant funds and by falsely certifying that homes it had constructed were compliant with contract conditions. Both civil collections involve disaster recovery services provided in response to the severe and deadly flooding that struck parts of the Southern District of West Virginia in June 2016.
The collections also include $146,771.37 in criminal restitution and a $5,000 fine paid by Luther A. Hanson, 73, of Charleston, after he pleaded guilty to willful failure to pay over taxes. Hanson admitted that he willfully and intentionally did not withhold or pay employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for two employees of his accounting services businesses.
The civil collections in jointly pursued cases include $415,112.00 secured by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Southern District of West Virginia in a lawsuit alleging employment discrimination by Wal-Mart Stores East LP.
The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.
Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Southern District of West Virginia, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $1,264,871 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2025. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.
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.
###
Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA –Ronald Pate Newman, III, 27, of Youngstown, Ohio, pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of the production of child pornography. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This case exemplifies the threats our kids face online from disgusting predators like this defendant who seek to sexually exploit and victimize them. My office is committed to aggressively prosecuting cases like these, and will seek maximum punishments to keep monsters like him locked away in prison and unable to exploit more children.”
Court documents reflect that on April 28, 2025, law enforcement became aware that a previously convicted sex offender was using an 11-year-old child from Florida to produce images of the child engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The defendant met the victim on a “safe for work” account, meaning all posts must be publicly appropriate, but he soon convinced the child to message him privately where he began grooming and then directing the child to create explicit photographs, which he posted in other accounts. The defendant was arrested in Ohio, and a subsequent forensic analysis of seized devices identified over 500 images of child pornography.
Due to his prior convictions, Newman faces a mandatory minimum of thirty-five years’ imprisonment and up to Life imprisonment, and a lifetime of supervision upon release.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Levy County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christie S. Utt.
Sentencing for is scheduled for April 28, 2026, at 3:00 pm, at the United States Courthouse in Gainesville, Florida before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Norwood Man Sentenced for Making Violent Threats Against Law EnforcementRead the Press Release
DURANGO – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces Bryan Cornwell, 42, formerly of Norwood, Colorado, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison after being convicted by a jury of two counts of transmitting threats in interstate commerce. Cornwell was also sentenced to serve a three-year term of supervised release.
According to the facts established at trial and at sentencing, from late August through later October 2023, Cornwell knowingly sent over 80 emails containing graphic and threatening messages to a law enforcement official. The messages included threats to kill and seriously injure the official, such as “You will beg me… beg and plead and scream in pain by my hand tick tok m***** f***er,” and repeated statements that “I AM GOING TO KILL YOU.” At the time that Cornwell sent the threatening messages, he was pending sentencing on a prior case where he admitted to threatening to blow up the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office.
“Do not make threats against law enforcement officials,” said United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Peter McNeilly. “Doing so will land you in federal prison.”
“This FBI will not tolerate threats against any law enforcement professionals. The defendant sent more than 80 emails threatening violent death in a calculated scheme to terrorize his target -- all while on bond in a similar case,” said Amanda Koldjeski, Special Agent In Charge of FBI Denver. “It is not permissible to tell an agent, deputy, or officer ‘I am going to kill you.’ The FBI will identify you, arrest you, and ensure justice is served.”
United States District Judge Gordon Gallagher handled the sentencing.
This case was investigated by the FBI Denver Field Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey K. Graves handled the prosecution.
Case Number: 24-cr-047-GPG-JMC
New Brighton Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of New Brighton, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to federal drug and firearm charges, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Chad Antoine Lindsay, 35, pleaded guilty to one-count of possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base, in the form commonly known as crack; a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine; and a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl. Lindsay also pled guilty to one-count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime, before United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand.
According to admissions made during Lindsay’s plea hearing, on June 17, 2025, a resident of New Brighton, Pennsylvania called 911 related to Lindsay damaging her home. The caller reported that Lindsay deals drugs and that he was moving the drugs out of the house into his vehicle. Authorities attempted a traffic stop of Lindsay as he drove his vehicle shortly after it departed the 911 caller’s residence. Lindsay fled in the vehicle before crashing. A search warrant executed upon the vehicle resulted in the seizure of two loaded handguns, over 40-rounds of ammunition, two cellular phones, drug packaging material, over $4,000, about 43 grams of cocaine base, in the form commonly known as crack, about 343 grams of cocaine, and about 10 grams of fentanyl. Following the search, authorities determined that one of the handguns recovered from Lindsay’s vehicle was reported stolen.
At the time Lindsay possessed the loaded handguns, he had previously been convicted of eight (8) felonies. Under federal law, felons are prohibited from the possession of firearms and ammunition.
Judge Wiegand scheduled sentencing for June 23, 2026. The maximum penalty for the drug trafficking crime committed on June 3, 2022, is a term of imprisonment of at least ten (10) years and a maximum of life, as well as a $10,000,000 fine. The maximum penalty for possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime is a term of imprisonment of at least five (5) years and a maximum of life, which must be served consecutively to the sentence imposed on the drug trafficking crime. There is also a maximum fine of $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, Judge Wiegand ordered Lindsay remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal Service.Assistant United States Attorneys Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. The New Brighton Area Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
Members of Jacksonville Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to Prison for Roles in Drive-By Shooting on I-95Read the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – James Toney (20, Jacksonville) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Harvey Schlesinger to 16 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute marijuana, committing a drive-by shooting in furtherance of a major drug offense, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
Judge Schlesinger also sentenced Javon Davis (27, Jacksonville) to 7 years in federal prison and Christian Guyton (23, Jacksonville) to 8 years and 4 months in federal prison, both for conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute marijuana.
According to court documents, Toney, Davis, and Guyton served as armed distributors for a Jacksonville-based drug trafficking organization (DTO), operated and led by Nathaniel Hatcher, III. Hatcher’s DTO trafficked bulk marijuana from Northern California to Jacksonville by smuggling the drug on commercial airlines, shipping it through the mail, and transporting it by vehicle across state lines. Once the marijuana arrived in Jacksonville, Hatcher and the other DTO members transported the marijuana to various short-term rental homes throughout Jacksonville where they stored, packaged, and distributed the marijuana. Hatcher and other members of the DTO carried and possessed firearms at these residences to protect themselves, their drugs, and their drug proceeds during drug sales. In addition to trafficking, transporting, smuggling, and selling marijuana, Toney was also responsible for carrying out violence on behalf of the DTO. Hatcher had assistance from a former correctional officer, Desmond Maxwell, to unlawfully buy firearms on behalf of Hatcher and members of the DTO.
On September 18, 2023, Hatcher, Toney, and other DTO members arranged a bulk marijuana transaction with subjects whom they had met that evening in Jacksonville. The drug transaction, which occurred at a gas station along Old St. Augustine Road, failed. The other subjects never provided the promised marijuana, and instead, stole approximately $45,000 from Hatcher and Toney. After the failed drug transaction, Hatcher contacted a former police officer who illegally accessed law enforcement databases to provide Hatcher with the names and addresses of the subjects who had stolen the money. For nearly a month, Toney, Davis, Guyton, and other DTO members tracked, surveilled, and cyber-stalked the other subjects and their family members. In text messages, they plotted retaliation for the robbery, including committing acts of violence.
On October 15, 2023, Briyhon Johnson and Toney traveled to the Jacksonville International Airport to break into a rental car lot. They stole two cars with the intention of using one of the stolen cars in the planned retaliation.
Two days later, on October 17, 2023, Toney traveled to the Duval County courthouse for a scheduled court date in an unrelated pending criminal matter. Toney and other DTO members knew that one of the subjects from the September 18 failed drug transaction also had court that day for a separate criminal matter. After court concluded, Hatcher and other DTO members surveilled this subject as he exited the Duval County courthouse, accompanied by a female subject, and entered his vehicle.
Toney traveled to meet with Johnson, who provided Toney with a firearm. Johnson, Toney, Hatcher, and Tavarius Blue were operating multiple vehicles, including a stolen sedan and an SUV. They followed the subject’s vehicle from downtown Jacksonville to I-95, traveling southbound toward St. Johns County. Darion Jerido was driving a separate sedan, acting as the lookout for the others and keeping pace with the subject’s car. Johnson was driving the stolen sedan, with Toney traveling in the passenger seat. Blue was driving the SUV, with Hatcher traveling in passenger seat. At approximately 11:20 a.m., during the pursuit along I-95 South, the stolen sedan and the SUV boxed the subject’s sedan into the left lane of traffic. Toney and Hatcher discharged dozens of rounds of 7.62 caliber ammunition at the subject’s sedan. According to witness interviews, Johnson and Toney were both wearing masks. Following the shooting, the red sedan and the gray SUV fled the scene.
Officers with the St. Johns County Sheriffs’ Office and emergency medical personnel arrived on scene. The male subject from the courthouse sustained one gunshot wound but survived and was air-lifted to a trauma unit. The front passenger of his vehicle, the female subject from the courthouse, suffered injuries from broken glass. The sedan sustained gunshots to the passenger side, the rear, the front and hood, the front windshield, the interior, and the engine block. On scene, deputies recovered approximately 25 spent 7.62 caliber shell casings. According to ballistics analysis, two different firearms were used during the shooting.
Status of Hatcher DTO Co-conspirators
NameStatusNathaniel Hatcher, IIISentenced to 35 years federal prisonTavarius BlueSentenced to 12 years federal prisonYaquasia DelcarmenSentenced to 8 years in federal prisonAl’Donta EasterlingSentenced to 10 years in federal prisonDarion JeridoSentenced to 6 years and 6 months federal prisonBriyhon JohnsonSentenced to 14 years and 3 months federal prisonDesmond MaxwellPleaded guilty to straw-purchasing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and faces up to 25 years in federal prisonJahson HatcherPleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana and faces a minimum penalty of 5 years, up to 40 years, in federal prisonThis case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Highway Patrol. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elisibeth Adams.
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 Neighborhoods (PSN).
McKees Rocks Man Charged with Possession of Ammunition by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
The one-count Indictment named Kevin Damont Scott, age 26, as the sole defendant.
According to Indictment, on July 28, 2025, Scott, who had been previously convicted of several crimes punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, knowingly possessed 9 mm ammunition. Additionally, Scott was found in possession of one 9 mm caliber Polymer 80, Inc. handgun bearing no serial number, which law enforcement determined to be an unregistered ghost gun. Scott is prohibited from possessing both firearms and ammunition as a result of his felony convictions for two counts of aggravated assault, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, and three counts of firearms not to be carried without a license.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 15 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Kelly M. Locher is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the McKees Rocks Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Maryland Man Charged with Murder for a September Stabbing After Court Finds Probable CauseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Shawn Conway, 50, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, was charged today for second degree murder while armed, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Judge Dayna Dayson found probable cause to charge Conway following a preliminary hearing which was held on February 18, 2026, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Judge Dayson also ordered the defendant’s continued detention at D.C. Jail.
According to court documents, at approximately 3:53 a.m., on September 13, 2025, 9-1-1 calls were placed to the Office of Unified Communications for the report of a stabbing victim in front of 2000 14th Street NW. The first responding patrol officers located a male victim laying on the sidewalk in front of the location, suffering from apparent sharp force injuries to the body. The victim, later identified as Jermaine Foster, was unconscious and unresponsive. Members of the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services transported the victim to Howard University Hospital in NW, where despite all lifesaving efforts, he was pronounced dead at 4:41 a.m.
Based on several witness interviews coupled with social media postings and surveillance video footage, the defendant was identified as the person seen stabbing the victim several times.
Joining the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nebiyu Feleke.
A complaint or indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
2025 CF1 015806
Man from Netherlands sentenced to 20 years in prison for drug trafficking and money launderingRead the Press Release
MISSOULA – A man from the Netherlands who trafficked more than ten kilograms of fentanyl into Montana and other states was sentenced today to 240 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Gerad Nigel Punch, 40, pleaded guilty in October 2025 to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
“This defendant and his organization mailed a staggering quantity of drugs from Arizona to Montana and other states and laundered the proceeds,” said U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme. “The sentence he received today sends a message to drug traffickers around the country that we will take the fight to them to keep Montana safe. I’m grateful to the lawyers and staff in our office and our law enforcement partners for working so hard to dismantle this criminal organization.”
“This investigation and subsequent conviction are a great example of how we can work with our federal partners to keep Montana communities drug free. I’m especially proud of the work that was done by the Division of Criminal Investigation to get this poison off our streets,” Attorney General Austin Knudsen said. “As Attorney General, I will continue to use every resource available to the state to keep drugs out of our communities, criminals behind bars, and Montana safe.”
“While the enforcement of our nation’s tax laws remains our top priority, IRS Criminal Investigation plays a critical role in the battle against narcotics trafficking as well,” said Amanda Prestegard, IRS-CI Denver Field Office Special Agent in Charge. “We target the illicit financial networks that fund these criminal organizations, and work side-by- side with our law enforcement partners to ensure drug traffickers cannot continue profiting from addiction and suffering in our communities.”
“Today’s sentencing of Punch sends a clear message that those who traffic dangerous and deadly narcotics through our communities will be held accountable,” said Inspector in Charge Anthony Galetti. “The Postal Inspection Service along with our partners fights every day to keep these poisonous drugs from reaching communities across Montana. One pill, one gram, that’s all it takes to change the course of someone’s life. Removing someone like Punch from the streets is one step closer to the goal of ending this epidemic”
“This investigation successfully dismantled a major drug trafficking and money laundering organization responsible for moving over 300,000 fentanyl pills into Montana in 2024 before they were arrested,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Deputy Special Agent in Charge for the Rocky Mountain Region Charles Engle. “HSI would like to thank all of its investigative partners for the outstanding work. The collaborative investigation led to charges against 14 defendants, making a significant impact on Montana and its communities.”
The government alleged in court documents that Between February 2023 and March 2025, members of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) headed by Gerad Nigel Punch transported fentanyl into Montana for distribution. Punch and his coconspirators mailed and transported fentanyl from Phoenix, Arizona, for distribution to local dealers in Texas, Washington, and Montana.
When the fentanyl arrived in Montana, Punch either directly distributed those drugs to local traffickers or arranged for other coconspirators to sell the drugs. Punch was paid several different ways for the drugs he provided, including through coconspirators depositing money in Montana bank accounts he controlled, but were opened in the names his coconspirators. Punch would then withdraw the funds the coconspirators deposited as payment for the drugs. Punch also utilized money transfer services, like Cash App and Western Union, to both receive and distribute money to further the DTO.
During the investigation of Punch’s DTO, law enforcement seized over 10 kilograms of fentanyl. Punch was personally caught with over 2,000 grams of fentanyl, which he sold to an undercover officer in Butte in October 2024.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Lowney and Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, and the Southwest Montana Drug Task Force, which includes agents from the Montana Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation.
XXX
Man Sentenced for Receiving and Distributing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A Tulsa man was sentenced today for receiving and distributing thousands of images and videos showing children being sexually abused, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill sentenced Evan Christopher Lee, 36, for Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography. Judge Hill ordered Lee to serve 87 months of imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release, and to pay $24,000 in restitution. Upon his release, Lee will be required to register as a sex offender.
While FBI agents were conducting an undercover operation online in 2024, agents discovered an IP address sharing files that contained child sexual abuse material. After further investigation, agents executed a search warrant at Lee’s apartment and seized several electronic devices. Agents reviewed the devices and found thousands of images of children being sexually abused, as well as thousands of images of computer-generated child sexual abuse material. Court records show that Lee also possessed images and videos of children under the age of 12 and infants being sexually abused.
The child sexual abuse material found by agents was sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Child Victim Identification Program. They identified at least 93 known victims, and victim impact statements were provided to the court. Restitution paid by Lee will go directly to the victims who requested restitution.
While awaiting trial, Lee was released on bond. He was taken into custody after pleading guilty and will remain in custody until transferred to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The FBI investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Robert prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual. 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.
Leader of Transnational Criminal Organization Extradited from Jamaica Sentenced to 57 Months in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Smuggle Firearms to Trinidad and TobagoRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Shem Wayne Alexander (36, Port of Spain, Trinidad) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge John L. Badalamenti to four years and nine months in federal prison for conspiracy to smuggle firearms from the United States to Trinidad and Tobago. The court also ordered Alexander to forfeit firearms seized during the offense. Alexander previously pleaded guilty. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to the plea agreement and court records, between April 2019 and April 2022, Alexander and his co-conspirators unlawfully exported firearms, firearms components (including upper/lower receivers and gun parts kits), and related items from Florida to Trinidad and Tobago. Alexander is a national of Trinidad and Tobago. In total, more than 200 firearms were smuggled from the United States into Trinidad and Tobago.
On April 21, 2021, members of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and Customs and Excise Division at the Piarco International Airport in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, seized a shipment containing two punching bags.
X-ray photo of one of the punching bags showing the firearms and firearm components concealed inside.
One of the punching bags cut open.
Trinidad and Tobago Police Service revealing the hidden firearms components.
Concealed firearms, firearms components, and ammunition retrieved from the punching bags.
Alexander and his co-conspirators had sent the shipment from the United States to Trinidad and Tobago describing the contents of said shipment as “household items.” In reality, concealed within the two punching bags were approximately eleven 9mm pistols, two .38 caliber special revolvers, a 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun, three AR-15 barrel foregrips, 19 lower pistol grip assemblies, 11 forearm bolt assemblies, three AR-15-style barrels with forearm grips, 32 AR-15 magazines, one AR-15 drum magazine, 470 rounds of AR-15 ammunition, 34 9mm magazines, three 9mm drum magazines, 284 9mm rounds, fifteen .38 caliber rounds, 36 shells, six magazine couplers, and two shotgun chokes. Alexander and his co-conspirators arranged this shipment without written notice to the shipper as to the contents of the shipment.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, including HSI’s Attaché, Caribbean, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance provided by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (Transnational Organized Crime Unit and Special Investigations Unit), United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the United States Customs and Border Protection, and the Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the Jamaica Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, and the Jamaica Constabulary Force provided critical support in the extradition of Alexander. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam W. McCall.