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Friday 6 February 2026
Ohio Man Charged for Threatening to Kill the Vice President of the United StatesRead the Press Release
TOLEDO, Ohio – A federal grand jury returned an indictment earlier this week charging a 33-year-old man with threatening to kill the Vice President of the United States during his visit to the Northwest Ohio region in January.
Shannon Mathre, of Toledo, is accused of making a threat to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon, a successor to the presidency, in violation of Title 18 U.S. Code Section 871(a). In the indictment, he allegedly stated, “I am going to find out where he (the vice president) is going to be and use my M14 automatic gun and kill him.” Mathre was arrested by U.S. Secret Service agents Feb. 6.
The grand jury further charges that from about Dec. 31, 2025, to Jan. 21, 2026, Mathre was also engaged in the receipt and distribution of images that visually depict minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, in violation of Title 18 U.S. Code Section 2252(a)(2). While investigating the threats allegedly made against the vice president, federal agents discovered multiple digital files of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) in Mathre’s possession.
“Our attorneys are vigorously prosecuting this disgusting threat against Vice President Vance,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “You can hide behind a screen, but you cannot hide from this Department of Justice.”
“While arresting this man for allegedly threatening to murder the Vice President of the United States, a serious crime in and of itself, federal law enforcement discovered that he was also in possession of child sexual abuse materials,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Thank you to federal, state and local partners in working together to bring justice twofold to this depraved individual.”
“Hostile and violent threats made against the Vice President, or any other public official, will not be tolerated in our District,” said David M. Toepfer, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. “Anyone threatening this kind of action will face swift justice and prosecution. We commend the actions of our local and state law enforcement who collaborated with U.S. Secret Service to take this individual into custody.”
Mathre made his initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of Ohio Feb. 6. He remains in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for Feb. 11.
If found guilty as charged, Mathre faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum statutory fine of $250,000 for threatening the life of the vice president. Mathre faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a maximum statutory fine of $250,000 if found guilty of the CSAM charge.
U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio and the U.S. Secret Service Toledo and Cleveland Field Offices made the announcement.
An indictment is merely an allegation. Defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to the case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, their role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation.
The United States Secret Service leads the investigation, with valuable assistance from the Toledo Police Department and the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sara Al-Sorghali and Frank H. Spryszak for the Northern District of Ohio.
Oakland County Sleep Specialists Agree to Pay $763,954.74 to Settle False Claims Act AllegationsRead the Press Release
DETROIT - United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. announced today that Troy Sleep Center PLC, Care One Medical Equipment and Supplies, Inc., Michel Alkhalil, M.D., and Peggy Rahal, M.D., have agreed to pay a total of $763,954.74 to the United States and the State of Michigan to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act.
Troy Sleep Center PLC (“TSC”) provides medical services for persons experiencing sleep disorders, including persons enrolled in healthcare programs funded by federal and state governments. Care One Medical Equipment and Supplies, Inc. (“Care One”) provides medical supplies for individuals experiencing sleep disorders, including individuals enrolled in healthcare programs funded by federal and state governments. Dr. Alkhalil and Dr. Rahal are co-owners/members of TSC, while Dr. Rahal owns Care One.
The settlement announced today resolves three sets of allegations. First, from January 1, 2018, through December 31, 2024, TSC, Dr. Alkhalil, and Dr. Rahal improperly billed federal healthcare programs for sleep studies administered without properly trained and certified sleep technicians, as required by federal regulations. Second, TSC, Dr. Alkhalil, and Dr. Rahal obtained $480,000 in Paycheck Protection Program loans while engaged in the alleged improper billing. Third, from January 1, 2018, through May 31, 2024, Care One improperly billed Medicaid for accessories to positive airway pressure (“PAP”) machines, which Medicaid does not permit to be charged separately from the rental rate of PAP machines.
“Billing federal health care programs for services that do not meet required standards compromises patient care and erodes public trust,” said Mario M. Pinto, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Together with our law enforcement partners, we remain steadfast in our commitment to identify and stop fraud that threatens patient well-being and misuses taxpayer dollars.”
The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under a qui tam or whistleblower lawsuit under the False Claims Act: United States ex rel. Kreiner v. Troy Sleep Center PLC, case no. 24-11073, (E.D. Mich.). Under the False Claims Act, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort among the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, the Michigan Attorney General’s Health Care Fraud Division, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of the Inspector General. The matter was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys John Postulka and Gregory Dickinson from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.
North Texas Man Indicted on Federal Charges for Threatening to Assault and Murder U.S. President and ICE AgentsRead the Press Release
A North Texas man who threatened to assault and murder the United States President and unnamed ICE agents was federally indicted on Tuesday this week, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.
Francisco Jesus Mena, 36, of North Richland Hills, Texas was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 3, 2026, on ten counts of threatening a federal official. Mena was previously arrested on a federal complaint for this offense and made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Harold R. Ray, Jr. on January 7, 2026. Mena is set to appear for an arraignment on the charges in the indictment on February 11, 2026. If convicted, he faces up to 96 years in federal prison.
“Any threat against the President, federal officials, and agents will be thoroughly investigated and swiftly prosecuted,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “Some individuals falsely believe that they are immune from criminal penalties by posting vitriol online and not in person. The diligent work of our law enforcement partners time and again uncovers those attempting to hide behind a computer screen.”
“The FBI takes online threats to federal officials and law enforcement seriously. Using online platforms to threaten the lives of others does not insulate an individual from consequences. We are committed to thoroughly investigating these crimes,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “We ask that the public continue to remain vigilant and report suspicious online activity to law enforcement.”
According to the indictment, on several occasions in May 2025, Mena allegedly posted threats on a social media platform, including:
The indictment details other instances of Mena’s alleged violent rhetoric.
FBI Dallas Field Office - Fort Worth Resident Agency and U.S. Secret Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Weybrecht is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Like all defendants, Mena is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Nigerian National Sentenced to over 8 Years in Prison for Orchestrating Multimillion-Dollar Inheritance Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A Nigerian National was sentenced today to more than eight years in prison for participating in a years-long conspiracy to defraud elderly and vulnerable Americans through an inheritance fraud scheme.
According to court documents, Tochukwu Albert Nnebocha, 44, of Nigeria, and his co-conspirators operated a lucrative transnational inheritance fraud scheme that exploited vulnerable people in the United States. Over the course of more than seven years, Nnebocha and his co-conspirators sent hundreds of thousands of personalized letters to elderly individuals in the United States, falsely claiming that the sender was a representative of a bank in Spain and that the recipient was entitled to receive a multimillion-dollar inheritance left by a deceased family member. The conspirators then told the victims that, before they could receive their purported inheritance, they were required to send money for purported delivery fees, taxes, and payments regarding the inheritance. In total, the defendant and his co-conspirators defrauded over 400 U.S. victims of more than $6 million.
In April 2025, Nnebocha was arrested by authorities in Poland and extradited to the United States in September 2025. In November 2025, Nnebocha pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit mail fraud and wire fraud. At sentencing, Nnebocha was sentenced to 97 months in prison, 3 years supervised release, and ordered to pay more than $6.8 million in restitution to the victims of his scheme. This is the second indicted case related to this international fraud scheme. Eight co-conspirators from the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, and Nigeria have previously been convicted and sentenced in connection with this scheme.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida; Inspector in Charge Bladismir Rojo of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s (USPIS) Miami Division; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Ray Rede of the Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) in Arizona made the announcement.
USPIS and HSI investigated the case.
Senior Trial Attorney Phil Toomajian and Trial Attorney Joshua D. Rothman of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) worked with law enforcement partners in Poland to secure the arrest and extradition of Nnebocha. OIA, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, the FBI’s Legal Attache in Poland, INTERPOL, and Polish Authorities, all provided critical assistance.
If you or someone you know is aged 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim, and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed seven days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern time. English, Spanish and other languages are available.
Minocqua Man Sentenced to over Five Years for Wire Fraud and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Cory Kromray, 39, Minocqua, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 5 years and 8 months in federal prison for wire fraud and money laundering in connection with an investment fraud scheme. Kromray pleaded guilty to these charges on November 7, 2025. As part of his sentence, Kromray was ordered to pay $828,266.71 in restitution to the victims of the fraud scheme.
"I applaud the investigative work of the agents in this case,” said U.S. Attorney Elgersma. “Fraud schemes like this one are devastating to victims. The sentence sends a strong message that this office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who defraud others.”
The government’s investigation revealed that Kromray used social media and other online communications to falsely portray himself as a successful trader in stocks, mutual funds, cryptocurrency, and the foreign currency exchange market (forex). Kromray also used social media to display his wealth allegedly acquired from trading, including images or references to expensive watches, a large home, tropical vacations, and exotic sports cars.
During meetings with investors or potential investors, Kromray often bragged about his success as a trader and would often drive expensive vehicles to the meetings, including a 2022 Lamborghini Urus and a 2022 McLaren 720S. Kromray would falsely claim that investors could expect a monthly rate of return of approximately 4% to 8%, with the potential of earning up to 30% a month. Kromray falsely told at least one investor that he was a top 1% trader in the Midwest. Kromray falsely told another investor that he could guarantee a 100% return on their investment.
Despite his promises to investors to use their money for legitimate investments and provide them returns, Kromray often used investor money to pay his personal expenses. Kromray also provided some investors with false information about the success of their investments, including providing fictitious account statements that showed the investors’ supposed current portfolio balance. By providing fictitious account statements, Kromray intended to lull investors into believing that he was actively trading their funds.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Conley stated that Kromray’s investment fraud scheme was “the worst kind of fraud that can be committed,” because he took money from his close friends and lied to them about investing it. Judge Conley noted that Kromray worked hard to dupe investors by portraying a “fantasy luxury life,” including buying high-end cars like Lamborghinis and McLarens. Judge Conley noted that Kromray would often meet face-to-face with his investors and “flat out lie” to them about “things that were demonstrably false” and provide them with “pie in the sky promises.” Judge Conley also noted that Kromray poses a substantial risk of reoffending when he is released from prison because his statements at sentencing sounded like he was still in denial about his crimes. Judge Conley concluded that “if there is a more heinous white-collar crime, I don’t know what it is.”
The charges against Kromray were a result of an investigation conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Wegner.
Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Illegally Reentering the CountryRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Mexican national pleaded guilty on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Portland to illegally entering the U.S. after a prior removal.
According to court records, on November 6, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol Agents encountered Edgar Mandujano-Aguilar, 37, after he requested assistance from the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office to return to his home country of Mexico. After agents arrived at the Sheriff’s Office parking lot, Mandujano-Aguilar acknowledged to them that he was born in Mexico, was not a U.S. citizen, and did not have any authorization to be in the country. Records checks revealed that Mandujano-Aguilar had been previously deported multiple times from the U.S.
Mandujano-Aguilar faces a maximum prison term of up to two years and a maximum fine of $250,000. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office.
U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.
Operation Take Back America: This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Memphis Man Convicted of Making Threats to Murder Federal Prosecutors and a Federal JudgeRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE –Justin Deshun Stiger, 33, of Memphis, Tennessee, was convicted this week of making threats to murder two Memphis federal prosecutors and a Memphis federal judge after a jury trial in Memphis, announced United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Braden H. Boucek. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee was recused from the case because two of that office’s prosecutors were victims and the matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Middle District of Tennessee.
“Threats to law enforcement and the federal judiciary are not just attacks on those individuals. They are threats to the justice system itself. We take those extremely seriously, and we will hold those who make them accountable for their actions,” said United States Attorney Braden H. Boucek. “Federal courtrooms are no place for violent threats, and public servants who are dedicated to serving our communities need to be able to go to work without worrying about someone threating to kill them.”
According to the evidence presented at trial, Stiger was set to be sentenced in federal court in Memphis on April 16, 2025, for his participation in a drug trafficking conspiracy when he began threatening the prosecutors. Witnesses testified that Stiger, who has a prior conviction for a crime of violence and ties to a criminal street gang, pointed at federal prosecutors and said they were “going to die” because of the sentence they intended to recommend. When U.S. District Judge Mark Norris began having Stiger removed from the courtroom after his threats to the prosecutors, Stiger then threatened the judge saying “You’re gonna die too, judge.” When Judge Norris asked if Stiger was threatening him, Stiger responded: “It ain’t no threat. It’s a promise.” According to the evidence at trial, Stiger then told a Deputy U.S. Marshal investigating the matter that “whoever gonna play with my life is gonna die.” Stiger went on to say, in a recorded statement, referring to the prosecutors and the judge: “I ain’t playing bro. Like they gonna die.”
Stiger is set to be sentenced on June 18, 2026, in U.S. District Court in Memphis. He faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison for each of the three counts of conviction.
The case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire and Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Hinkle prosecuted the case.
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Memphis Man Convicted of Making Threats to Murder Federal Prosecutors and a Federal JudgeRead the Press Release
Nashville, TN – Justin Deshun Stiger, 33, of Memphis, Tennessee was convicted this week of making threats to murder two Memphis federal prosecutors and a Memphis federal judge after a jury trial in Memphis, announced United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Braden H. Boucek.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee was recused from the case because two of that office’s prosecutors were victims and the matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Middle District of Tennessee.
“Threats to law enforcement and the federal judiciary are not just attacks on those individuals. They are threats to the justice system itself. We take those extremely seriously, and we will hold those who make them accountable for their actions,” said United States Attorney Braden H. Boucek. “Federal courtrooms are no place for violent threats, and public servants who are dedicated to serving our communities need to be able to go to work without worrying about someone threating to kill them.”
According to the evidence presented at trial, Stiger was set to be sentenced in federal court in Memphis on April 16, 2025, for his participation in a drug trafficking conspiracy when he began threatening the prosecutors. Witnesses testified that Stiger, who has a prior conviction for a crime of violence and ties to a criminal street gang, pointed at federal prosecutors and said they were “going to die” because of the sentence they intended to recommend. When U.S. District Judge Mark Norris began having Stiger removed from the courtroom after his threats to the prosecutors, Stiger then threatened the judge saying “You’re gonna die too, judge.” When Judge Norris asked if Stiger was threatening him, Stiger responded: “It ain’t no threat. It’s a promise.” According to the evidence at trial, Stiger then told a Deputy U.S. Marshal investigating the matter that “whoever gonna play with my life is gonna die.” Stiger went on to say, in a recorded statement, referring to the prosecutors and the judge: “I ain’t playing bro. Like they gonna die.”
Stiger is set to be sentenced on June 18, 2026, in U.S. District Court in Memphis. He faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison for each of the three counts of conviction.
The case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire and Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Hinkle of the Middle District of Tennessee prosecuted the case.
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Members of a Large-Scale Nationwide Fentanyl Trafficking Organization Sentenced in Washington D.C.Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Andrew Henrry Rodriguez, 24, of Ontario, California, Santos Balmore Martinez, 23, of Los Angeles, California, Jose Anthony Contreras, 32, of Fullerton, California, Anthony Guadalupe Olguin, 29, of South El Monte, California, and others have been sentenced in United States District Court for the District of Columbia for their roles in obtaining fentanyl from Mexico, and distributing it in California and throughout the United States, including Washington, D.C. The fentanyl trafficking organization distributed tens of thousands of deadly doses of illegal fentanyl using covert social media platforms, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
On September 20, 2024, Rodriguez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl before the Honorable Judge Amit P. Mehta, United States District Court Judge, for the District of Columbia. On May 13, 2025, Judge Mehta sentenced Rodriguez to 63 months imprisonment followed by 60 months of supervised release.
On November 13, 2024, Martinez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. On February 21, 2025, Judge Mehta sentenced Martinez to 48 months imprisonment followed by 36 months of supervised release.
On December 6, 2024, Contreras pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. On March 21, 2025, Judge Mehta sentenced Contreras to 120 months imprisonment followed by 60 months of supervised release.
On September 4, 2025, Anthony Olguin pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. On February 6, 2026, Judge Mehta sentenced Olguin to 120 months imprisonment, followed by 60 months of supervised release. Judge Mehta ordered part of the sentence to run concurrently with a separate conviction that Olguin is serving out of the Southern District of Iowa, where he was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment on November 13, 2025, for another drug trafficking conspiracy.
Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in announcing the sentences were DEA Special Agent in Charge Christopher Goumenis, of the Washington Division Office, and Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division.
According to court documents, the group was part of a large-scale fentanyl distribution conspiracy that obtained tens of thousands of fentanyl pills. Between 2023 and 2024, the DEA, with the assistance of a confidential source and an undercover law enforcement officer, conducted numerous controlled fentanyl pill purchases from Rodriguez, who shipped fentanyl pills from California through the USPS to a mailing address in the District of Columbia. Rodriguez sent about 4,713 fentanyl pills (weighing over 400 grams in total) and prepared to send an additional 21,000 fentanyl pills to the DEA undercover officer, but law enforcement arrested him at his residence in Ontario, California, before the plan could be completed. Thereafter, Martinez, Contreras, Olguin, and others, were arrested, and search warrants were executed. From those searches, law enforcement recovered a cache of illegal substances and evidence of the drug trafficking conspiracy.
This case was investigated by the DEA’s Washington Division Office, the United States Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division, and the Hermosa Beach California Police Department with the assistance of the DEA’s Los Angeles Division Office and the United States Marshals Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Scarpelli and Daniel Seidel, of the Violence Crime and Narcotics Trafficking (VCNT) section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
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Members of Tacoma street gang are indicted for drug and gun traffickingRead the Press Release
Seattle – Law enforcement fanned out to some 17 locations in Washington, Oregon, and California, on Wednesday February 4, 2026, making 14 arrests following a wiretap investigation of a drug and gun trafficking organization affiliated with the Black Gangster Disciples street gang, announced First Assistant United States Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Lead defendant Kevin Salgado, 27, of Puyallup, Washington, is alleged to have led the group distributing counterfeit oxycodone and Xanax pills, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine. Some members of the drug trafficking group also conspired to possess firearms to further their drug distribution. Members of the group were heard on the wiretap talking about exchanging drugs for firearms.
“The defendants in this indictment allegedly engaged in a wide range of criminal conduct – pressing narcotic pills for distribution, trafficking firearms and switches to make them machine guns, using those guns to settle scores with rival gangsters,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Neil Floyd. “Ringleader Kevin Salgado allegedly distributed the pills he manufactured in western Washington and across the country through the mail. So far three overdose deaths have been connected to Salgado’s activity.”
“Together with our Homeland Security Task Force, we’ve struck a major blow against violent crime—dismantling a dangerous criminal enterprise and making our communities safer,” said Homeland Security Investigations Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “HSI is relentless in taking down transnational criminal organizations, seizing their drugs, removing their guns, cutting off their money, and bringing their members to justice. Protecting our neighborhoods from illicit activity remains our top priority.”
In addition to Salgado, these defendants are indicted in the case:
Haley Filler, 30, of Puyallup, Washington
Gabriel Tovar, 29, Puyallup, Washington
Kevin Andreas, 28, Puyallup, Washington
Joshua Bailey, 30, University Place, Washington
Tyson Latchie, 28, University Place, Washington
Kahlil Bland, 29, Tacoma
Ian Newman, 29, Yucaipa, California
Edgar Adrian Hernandez, 26, Yamhill, Oregon
Isaac Briones, 24, Sunnyside, Washington
Roman Jackson, 25, Lakewood, Washington
Geeneva Morandarte, 26, Lakewood, Washington
Christian Ericson, 26, Tacoma
Michelle Ford-Jackson, 50, Olympia, Washington
Each of the defendants had different involvement in the drug and gun conspiracy. For example, in March 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant on the Auburn residence of Gabriel Tovar after seeing social media posts showing him holding high-powered firearms with extended magazines and machinegun conversion switches. Agents seized 11 firearms. Five of them were stolen. They also seized a total of 9 machinegun conversion devices.
Some of the defendants were involved in hacking into drug distribution companies and rerouting shipments of controlled substances so they could sell them on the streets. Searches of iCloud accounts and phones associated with members of the organization indicated Newman and Bland were diverting shipments to an address in Lynnwood, Washington, and later conspired to do the same in Florida.
And another of the defendants allegedly paid kickbacks to a pharmacist in Oregon for filling fake prescriptions for oxycodone and other narcotics. In June 2025, Isaac Briones was arrested in Davenport, Washington where he was picking up a fraudulent prescription of promethazine and codeine.
In all, up until the searches Wednesday, law enforcement seized 38 firearms (nine of which had machinegun conversion devices) and seven were stolen firearms. A lengthy list of narcotics has been recovered including more than four kilograms of methamphetamine, more than two kilos of Phenazepam and seven kilograms of counterfeit oxycodone pills.
On Wednesday alone law enforcement seized 39 firearms and more than 100 “Glock switches” – a part designed to turn a semi-automatic firearm into a machinegun. Law enforcement also seized approximately 887.9 grams of fentanyl pills; 924 grams of fentanyl powder, 355.3 grams of methamphetamine, 557.6 grams of cocaine; 3.5 kilograms of counterfeit oxycodone pills; 236.2 grams of oxycodone pills; and 268.8 grams of Xanax pills.
“DEA will aggressively target anyone who traffics drugs, diverts controlled substances, or uses guns to fuel criminal activity,” said Robert A. Saccone, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “This Tacoma street gang flooded our communities with fentanyl, meth, cocaine, and stolen prescription drugs while arming themselves with stolen firearms and Glock switches. DEA will continue working shoulder to shoulder with our federal, state, and local partners to dismantle violent drug trafficking organizations and hold those responsible accountable for the harm they inflict on our communities as we build a Fentanyl Free America and save American lives.”
“This operation and its results are a prime example of what’s possible when agencies collaborate,” said ATF Seattle Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais. “But this type of teamwork is not an anomaly. Every single day, ATF special agents and our law enforcement partners work tirelessly to prevent violent criminals from obtaining and using weapons that put lives at risk, and ATF will continue to work alongside our federal, state, and local partners to identify, investigate, and prosecute these offenders and their organizations.”
“Narcotics are destroying lives and devastating communities across the region. Every gram, every pill, and every sale of these drugs has the potential to ruin lives,” said Inspector in Charge Anthony Galetti, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Seattle Division. “Postal inspectors remain committed to working with our law enforcement partners to stop the flow of these deadly drugs through the mail and hold criminals who profit from poisoning our neighborhoods accountable.”
“It’s always a win to get illegal drugs and guns off our streets. Our friends and neighbors are safer today due to the extraordinary efforts of our agents and of our law enforcement partners,” said Special Agent in Charge Carrie Nordyke, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Seattle Field Office. “We celebrate our success today, but we know that there’s much work to be done. Together, we are committed to making a continued difference by combatting drug trafficking and the violence that comes with it.”
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This investigation 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. HSTF Seattle comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), The United States Marshals Service (USMS), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), the United States Secret Service (USSS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.
This investigation is being led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with key participation by United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation (CI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agents and Diversion Investigators, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Tacoma Police Department (TPD), Seattle Police Department (SPD).
During the investigation special assistance was provided by Department of State (DoS) Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), United States Marshal Service (USMS), Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, Spokane Police Department (SPD), Centralia Police Department (CPD), Northwest HIDTA.
On the day search and arrest warrants were served, these additional agencies provided support: Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), United States Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Patrol (WSP), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), San Bernardino County, California, Probation Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Elyne Vaught and Michael Harder.
Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Exploiting Child While Serving in U.S. MilitaryRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A 32-year-old man pled guilty in federal court to child sexual abuse crimes. Daniel Lara-Salazar, charged with sexually exploiting a child, committed these crimes while serving in the U.S. Military.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Special Agent in Charge Christopher R. Heck, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Maryland; Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, Frederick County Sheriff’s Office; and J. Charles Smith III, State’s Attorney for Frederick County.
According to his guilty plea, Lara-Salazar, who was stationed in Pallyup, Washington, coerced and enticed a minor female victim, who resided in Maryland, to engage in sexually explicit conduct. From June 2024, through July 2024, Lara-Salazar sexually exploited her by producing and causing the production of sexually explicit images and videos.
In June 2024, Lara-Salazar began using Snapchat to message the minor victim. Lara-Salazar demanded the minor victim send sexually explicit images and videos to him. Snapchat has a feature that causes images to disappear upon receipt. In some instances, the minor victim sent images to Lara-Salazar that were not retained or visible when law enforcement reviewed the account.
Law enforcement later discovered that Lara-Salazar used Snapchat to communicate with three other minor females, who lived in Texas and elsewhere. He also coerced and enticed them to send sexually explicit images.
This case is 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 Attorney’s 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 justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
Lara-Salazar faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years for Sexual Exploitation of a Child as well as up to lifetime supervised release and lifetime registration as a sex offender.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended HSI, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, and Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn and Special Assistant United States Attorney Joyce R. King who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Memphis Man Sentenced for Illegal Possession of Gun After a High-Speed Chase into MississippiRead the Press Release
OXFORD, Miss. – Sharka Corbin of Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced yesterday to over ten years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possessing a firearm as a prior convicted felon. Corbin was charged after he fled law enforcement from Tennessee into the Northern District of Mississippi.
At the time of his arrest, the 34-year-old Corbin was wanted for several violent offenses in Shelby County, Tennessee. He was pursued by law enforcement in a high-speed chase wherein he wrecked his vehicle and was arrested. A pistol was recovered from the prior convicted felon by the Desoto County Sheriff’s Department. Corbin pled guilty to the charge on a prior date.
Senior U.S. District Court Michael P. Mills sentenced Corbin to 125 months imprisonment followed by a 3 year term of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Scott F. Leary states, “Prosecuting habitual offenders is a top priority for the Northern District of Mississippi, especially offenders that violate firearm laws. This case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that works with all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and gun violence. Our goal is, simply, to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone, which can only be accomplished by maintaining a strong working relationship with state and local law enforcement. Through this comprehensive approach, we hope to build trust in the communities we serve.”
PSN brings 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, DOJ 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.
“In our effort to disrupt violent gun crime in our community, ATF will continue to focus efforts on prohibited individuals who unlawfully possess firearms,” said ATF New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson. “The sentence imposed today sends a message to convicted felons who are prohibited from possessing firearms that we will continue to work to keep our neighborhoods safe as the top priority for ATF.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, along with the Desoto County Sheriff’s Department, investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Addison prosecuted the case.
Louisville Man Sentenced as an Armed Career Criminal to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A Louisville man was sentenced on February 4, 2026, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge John Nokes of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Chief Paul Humphrey of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.
According to court documents, Clarence Stiff, 44, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
On October 27, 2023, Stiff was detained by Louisville Metro Police Department detectives and ATF task force officers, who were attempting to execute a search warrant for Stiff’s DNA. Stiff fled from the detectives. The officers caught Stiff after a brief foot chase. Stiff had a loaded Ruger, New Model Blackhawk, .45 caliber revolver in his sweatshirt pocket.
Stiff was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses.
On December 22, 1999, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Kentucky, Stiff was convicted of assault in the first degree.
On December 22, 1999, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Kentucky, Stiff was convicted of assault under extreme emotional disturbance and wanton endangerment in the first degree.
On September 4, 2007, in Clark Superior Court, Indiana, Stiff was convicted of dealing in cocaine.
On December 20, 2007, in Oldham Circuit Court, Kentucky, Stiff was convicted of promoting contraband in the first degree.
On September 5, 2013, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Kentucky, Stiff was convicted of manslaughter in the first degree (two counts), burglary in the first degree, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, wanton endangerment in the first degree, and tampering with physical evidence.
On August 15, 2013, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Kentucky, Stiff was convicted of robbery in the second degree (two counts), assault in the second degree, and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon.
On August 15, 2013, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Kentucky, Stiff was convicted of torture of a dog/cat with serious physical injury/death.
On April 10, 2023, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Kentucky, Stiff was convicted of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a controlled substance in the first degree, and receiving stolen property (firearm).
Based upon his criminal history, Stiff was sentenced as an Armed Career Criminal. A defendant is an Armed Career Criminal if (1) the defendant possesses a firearm after having a felony conviction and (2) the defendant has three previous convictions for a violent felony or serious drug offense or both, committed on occasions different from one another.
United States Attorney Kyle Bumgarner stated, “Stiff has terrorized the citizens of Louisville since 1999. He has repeatedly left victims and tragedy in his wake. No more! Stiff will spend the next 15 years in federal prison thanks to the dedicated work of the Louisville Metro Police Department, ATF and the United States Attorney’s Office. This office, along with LMPD and ATF, will continue to investigate and prosecute these violent career criminals aggressively and we will continue to make Louisville safer.”
LMPD Chief Paul L. Humphrey stated, “A dangerous repeat offender who victimized our community for years is now off the streets. This outcome is the direct result of outstanding police work and the strong partnerships we maintain with the ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Our agencies remain united in our commitment to protecting the public and ensuring that those who threaten the safety of our neighborhoods are held accountable.”
ATF Special Agent in Charge John Nokes stated, “This investigation demonstrates the impact a strong partnership between ATF, LMPD, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office can have on public safety. Clarence Stiff is a repeat violent offender, and his 15-year federal sentence will make Louisville a safer community.”
There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by LMPD and ATF.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erwin Roberts prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
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Las Cruces man charged with possessing unregistered destructive deviceRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Las Cruces man appeared in federal court after allegedly using Molotov cocktails to ignite multiple fires at an apartment complex.
According to court documents, on January 12, 2026, Las Cruces Fire Department responded to a reported fire at the Villa Del Telshor Apartments in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Fire investigators determined the fire originated in a second-floor apartment and was intentionally set using an improvised incendiary device, commonly known as a Molotov cocktail. Surveillance footage from a neighbor’s Ring camera captured Richard Sepulveda, 47, who resided on the first floor of the complex, carrying two bottles upstairs moments before a bright flash is seen coming from upstairs. Sepulveda is then seen returning down the stairs holding one lit Molotov cocktail. He then appeared to inadvertently start a second smaller fire on the first floor, which he extinguished.
On January 13, 2026, ATF agents reviewed the footage, confirmed Sepulveda’s identity through lease records and driver’s license photographs, and verified he was not registered to possess or manufacture such a destructive device. On January 15, 2026, agents executed a search warrant at Sepulveda’s apartment and recovered shoes with apparent burn marks matching those seen in the video, multiple lighters, and Miller High Life bottle caps consistent with the incendiary devices used.
Sepulveda is charged with possession of a firearm, specifically a destructive device (Molotov cocktail), that was not registered to him in the National Firearms Act. He will remain detained pending trial, which has not been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Sepulveda faces ten years in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Shawn Stallo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement today.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case with assistance from the Las Cruces Fire Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Grant Gardner is prosecuting the case.
View the Criminal Complaint (Sepulveda).pdfAn indictment or criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
La Center, Washington man sentenced to ten years in prison for scheme to hack Snapchat accounts to access private images and harass teensRead the Press Release
Tacoma – A 32-year-old La Center, Washington, man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to ten years in prison and 15 years of supervised release for his scheme to access multiple teens’ private photos by posing as a Snapchat tech support person. Dylan Rex pleaded guilty in August 2025 to seven counts of Wire Fraud; seven counts of Computer Fraud; one count of Possession of Child Pornography; and one count of Attempted Enticement of a Minor. Rex was taken into custody at sentencing to being serving his prison term. Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo told him, “For three years, you were acting like a creature. In the end, your behavior caused unimaginable pain for the victims.”
“This defendant is the dangerous stranger lurking on the Internet that every parent fears,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “And he made the deception even worse by posing as tech support to get access to private images. I commend the cyber investigators at the FBI for bringing him to justice.”
“For several years, Mr. Rex deceived his victims by pretending to provide security for their social media accounts. Instead, he used his ill-gotten access to those accounts to steal their personal photos and videos, which he then circulated on the internet,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “Even worse, he offered payment to the mother of a child under the age of 10 to sexually abuse the minor child, film that abuse, and send him the imagery. When law enforcement searched Mr. Rex's residence, they uncovered media depicting the mother abusing her minor child along with hundreds of images of child sexual abuse material on multiple devices. He had gone on to distribute some of these images online, inflicting further damage on the victims each time he did. The FBI and our partners will continue to pursue child predators and those who victimize others through the internet so they can be held accountable for their harmful actions.”
According to records filed in the case, between July 2020 and March 2023, Rex defrauded over 170 victims of their private and intimate photos and videos stored in their Snapchat accounts. He would use false phone numbers and false email addresses that made it appear he was a member of the Snapchat tech support team. He would trigger a password reset message to the victim and then ask the victim to provide the six-digit code to assist them in getting back into their account. Once the victim gave up the code Rex locked them out of their account and stole the images he wanted. Many of the images and videos he stole he circulated on the internet, leading to harassment and extortion of the victims.
On March 29, 2023, law enforcement searched Rex’s residence and seized several digital devices. In all agents found more than 600 images of child sexual abuse material on eight different devices.
“What Dylan Rex did was calculated, cruel, and downright depraved. He impersonated a member of Snapchat’s customer support, targeted over 170 victims’ accounts across the country, and stole their photos which were later weaponized against them. To make matters worse, he possessed and distributed child sexual abuse material and even went as far as enticing a young mother into sexually abusing her own child, and documenting that abuse for his own sick gratification,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “With today’s sentence, he’s been held accountable for his crimes, and will be locked away, where he can’t victimize anyone else.”
In asking for the ten-year sentence and 15 years of supervised release prosecutors wrote to the court, “Rex’s sole purpose of hacking into the victims’ Snapchat accounts was to hunt for intimate and sexually suggestive photographs and/or videos of young women that he would in turn share or trade on the internet. Although Rex may not have participated directly in the harassment and intimidation of these victims using their stolen imagery, he undoubtedly contributed to it. His actions created a living nightmare for many of these victims.”
The search of Rex’s devices led to one state court conviction as well. On October 16, 2025, Rex was sentenced to 90 days in custody after pleading guilty to two counts of Voyeurism in Clark County Superior Court. In that case, Rex photographed and filmed victims, including minors, without their knowledge or consent. Rex used a recording device that he placed in a bathroom to capture these images.
The case was investigated by the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elyne M. Vaught.
Life Sentence Imposed in Federal Human Trafficking CaseRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Chad Cornelious Seymore, a/k/a “Circle City Pimp”, 50, of Dothan, Alabama, was sentenced to Life in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; four counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; two counts of interstate travel in aid of racketeering; and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Seymore’s co-defendant, Kimberly Robinson Gandy, 48, of Gulfport, Mississippi, was found guilty by a federal jury in June 2025 of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Gandy was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment. The sentences were announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “January was Human Trafficking Prevention Month, during which we raised awareness of this heinous crime to educate the public how to recognize the signs of human trafficking and report it to law enforcement. To be clear, every month must be Human Trafficking Prevention Month. For our part, my office will continue to aggressively prosecute human traffickers, like these defendants, who enslave their victims by threat and by force, and we will seek maximum punishments for their crimes to ensure they cannot victimize others ever again.”
Court documents reflect that over a four-year period Seymore conspired with others to bond adult women out of county jails and then forced or coerced them to commit commercial sex acts in Alabama and across North Florida. Seymore also recruited women suffering from drug addictions at hotels and through online advertisements. He threatened and physically abused his sex trafficking victims. Gandy conspired with Seymore to traffic women in Panama City Beach and Destin. They used online money exchange platforms to transfer funds received from commercial sex acts.
“These sentences send a clear message – those who exploit and traffic vulnerable individuals will be relentlessly pursued and brought to justice,” said Homeland Security Investigations Tampa acting Special Agent in Charge Mike Cochran. “HSI is committed to working alongside our law enforcement partners to dismantle trafficking networks, protect victims, and hold offenders accountable. We will continue to use every resource available to ensure that our communities are safe from those who would profit from human suffering.”
“The actions of these two individuals were not impulsive mistakes,” said FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley. “They were calculated decisions that caused significant and lasting harm to numerous victims. The outcome in this investigation serves as a reminder that these crimes are happening in our communities—and that law enforcement will continue to pursue those responsible and seek justice for victims. Human trafficking isn’t always a violent crime—but it is a devastating one, and it continues to increase across the country. The FBI will continue to work closely with our partners to identify, prioritize, investigate, and deter individuals from exploiting victims.”
Chief Talamantez said: “This case started with officers doing exactly what they are trained to do, pay attention and act when something isn’t right. That awareness drove a relentless, coordinated effort with our state and federal partners to dismantle a violent human trafficking operation. These defendants preyed on vulnerable victims through fear and abuse, and today they are being held fully accountable. Panama City Beach will not be a place where traffickers operate. If you exploit people here, we will find you and remove you.”
The convictions were the result of a joint investigation by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Dothan, Alabama Police Department, the Panama City Beach Police Department with assistance from the Panama City Police Department, United States Marshal’s Service, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, the State Attorney’s Office for the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama. The case was prosecuted by First Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Spaven.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF comprises agents and officers from multiple agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access 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.
Jefferson County Man Sentenced to 210 months for Producing and Distributing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Wednesday sentenced a man to 210 months in prison for child pornography offenses involving three teens.
Dylan James, 26, recorded a sexual act with a 13-year-old in 2024 and then distributed that recording. He also provided alcohol and “possibly some vapes” in exchange for sexually explicit images from a 15-year-old, James’ plea agreement says. James paid a 16-year-old for sexually explicit videos in 2023.
James pleaded guilty in August to one count of production of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography.
“Dylan James preyed on vulnerable children, using gifts to manipulate and sexually exploit them -- a tactic all too common among predators,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “In these cases, there is no ambiguity: the children are the victims, and we will hold accountable those who are responsible.”
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Indian National Indicted for Smuggling Illegal Aliens Across Canadian Border into United StatesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – A federal grand jury returned an indictment on January 28, 2026, charging an Indian national for his role in a scheme to smuggle Indian nationals from Canada across the northern border into the United States.
According to court documents, Shivam Lnu, 22, directed smuggling operations from January 2025 through June 2025, coordinating the illegal transport of aliens across the U.S.-Canada border into Clinton County, New York. On Jan. 26, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol agents attempted to stop two vehicles traveling in tandem near the U.S-Canada border. Both vehicles accelerated to avoid agents, triggering a pursuit. One vehicle went off the road and became immobilized, while the other was later stopped in Mooers, New York. The vehicles contained a total of 12 undocumented aliens. WhatsApp messages between one of the drivers and a number connected to Shivam allegedly revealed coordination of smuggling illegal aliens into the U.S. from Canada on numerous occasions in and prior to January 2025, including exchanging proof of life photographs and directions to safe houses in upstate New York.
Shivam is charged with one count of conspiracy to illegally bring aliens to the United States and four counts of illegally bringing aliens to the United States for the purpose of private financial gain. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each count. If convicted of all four counts of illegally bringing aliens to the United States, Shivam faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of fifteen years. Shivam was initially charged by criminal complaint on June 13, 2025, with one count of conspiracy to transport aliens.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III for the Northern District of New York, and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) made the announcement.
Acting U.S. Attorney Sarcone stated: “As alleged, this defendant was a manager in an international smuggling operation that was responsible for sneaking an untold number of illegal aliens into our country. We will do everything we can to hold him and every member of his organization accountable under the law. No smuggler is safe in the Northern District of New York.”
Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan stated: “Human smuggling across our northern border poses a serious threat to national security and public safety, and exposes vulnerable individuals to extreme risks as they endure harsh elements to illegally enter our country. The indictment underscores how an individual — who himself was unlawfully present in the United States — allegedly orchestrated this smuggling operation that escalated into a dangerous pursuit, compounding the risks and challenges faced by our communities. HSI Massena remains unwavering in our commitment to disrupt these networks and safeguard our communities, working closely with our law enforcement partners to hold those who profit from illegal smuggling accountable.”
The investigation and charges are supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant United States Attorney-detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/ HSI and CBP/BP and OFO, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 435 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 385 U.S. convictions; more than 330 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
The HSI Rouses Point and U.S. Border Patrol Burke Station are investigating the case, with substantial assistance from HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. and CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force.
Trial Attorney Chelsea Schinnour of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Stitt of the Northern District of New York are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Illegal Immigrant Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Jesus Aranda-Martinez, 24, from Mexico, pled guilty on February 6, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City to one charge of possession of child pornography. Aranda-Martinez is a citizen of Mexico and is currently pending removal from the United States.
At the plea hearing, Aranda-Martinez admitted that from April 2024 through July 2025, he received, distributed and possessed child pornography. Aranda-Martinez admitted using apps such as TamTam, ICQ, Mega, and Telegram. He further admitted to liking females in middle school or younger. Aranda-Martinez admitted he had received child sexual abuse material (CSAM) over the internet including depictions of children having sex with adults. A forensic review of Aranda-Martinez’s phone showed he engaged in distribution to “send to receive” groups and that he possessed at least 62 images and 42 videos of child pornography. The images and videos involved material that portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct with prepubescent minors.
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 Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Aranda-Martinez remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Aranda-Martinez faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office and the Rock Valley Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-4053.
Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Guatemalan national who attempted to kill his wife sentenced for illegally reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Guatemalan national was sentenced today to eight years and 10 months in prison in addition to the two and a half years he has already served for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and unlawfully reentering the United States following a previous removal.
According to court documents, Joel Guerra Eraso, 41, was removed from the United States in 2013, after which he unlawfully reentered the United States.
On August 30, 2023, Guerra Eraso wanted to engage in sex with his wife, but she was unable due to pain in her back. Guerra Eraso became angry, held his wife down so she could not escape, and battered her. Guerra Eraso placed a firearm to his wife’s head and pulled the trigger twice, but the firearm did not discharge. Guerra Eraso then pointed the gun at a pillow and pulled the trigger, firing the weapon and striking his wife’s phone.
Guerra Eraso later violated a protective order by contacting her through other inmates while he was incarcerated. Guerra Eraso pled guilty on July 22, 2024, in Northampton County to attempted first degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a violent felony, maliciously shooting in a dwelling, assault and battery of a family or household member, brandishing a firearm, reckless handling of a firearm, and misdemeanor destruction of property.
Guerra Eraso was previously convicted of possession of cocaine, as well as reckless handling of a firearm for an incident in which he was intoxicated and fired a gun multiple times inside a residence while his wife hid in a closet.
Guerra Eraso remains subject to removal from the United States.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Washington, D.C. investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton D. LaForge 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 and 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 No. 2:24-cr-40.
Guatemalan National Sentenced to Prison for Assaulting ICE Officers in Lake Worth BeachRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A Guatemalan national has been sentenced to federal prison after he assaulted two federal officers attempting to arrest him.
U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks sentenced Fredy Aureliano Morales-Ramirez, 39, residing in Lake Worth Beach, to one year and one day in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to forcibly assaulting a federal officer.
“Assaulting federal officers will never be tolerated here,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “These officers were doing their jobs, lawfully executing an arrest warrant, and they were met with violence. Today’s sentence makes clear that if you attack federal law enforcement in South Florida, you will go to prison.”
According to court records, on Aug. 13, 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportation officers attempted to execute an arrest warrant for Morales-Ramirez, who was illegally present in the U.S. Officers located Morales-Ramirez during a vehicle stop near his residence.
During the stop, Morales-Ramirez refused to comply with officers’ commands, attempted to place his vehicle into drive, and actively resisted arrest by pushing the deportation officers and grabbing their handcuffs. Morales-Ramirez then attempted to flee on foot by exiting through the passenger-side door.
The officers pursued Morales-Ramirez and attempted to restrain him. Morales-Ramirez continued to resist, striking the officers on their arms and torsos. With assistance from a deputy with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, officers were eventually able to restrain Morales-Ramirez on the ground.
U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Acting Field Office Director Kelei Walker of ICE, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), made the announcement.
ICE ERO investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Ralston 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 25-cr-80140.
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Grandmother Who Bought Firearms for Juvenile Grandson Sentenced in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
A woman who purchased three firearms for her fourteen-year-old grandson was sentenced on February 4, 2026, to five years of probation.
Virginia Prescott, age 64, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the sentence after a July 29, 2025, guilty plea to false statement during purchase of firearm.
Information from a plea agreement and sentencing proceedings showed that Prescott bought three handguns from a licensed firearms dealer in Cedar Falls between March and August 2024. Prescott lied on forms during these purchases, claiming that she was the actual buyer of the guns. The guns were for Prescott’s fourteen-year-old grandson, who was not old enough to purchase or possess firearms. All three guns were recovered by law enforcement officers in connection with criminal activity. One gun was linked by ballistics testing to a shots-fired incident that occurred in Waterloo on August 3, 2024.
On October 1, 2024, law enforcement agents searched Prescott’s home. She reported that her grandson, who lived in the same household, had threatened to destroy her property and kill her dog if she did not buy a gun for him. Prescott’s grandson was on state probation when she bought guns for him.
Prescott was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Prescott was sentenced to five years of federal probation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyndra Lundquist and investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Falls Police Department.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-CR-2042.
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Goffstown Man Pleads Guilty to Firearms and Narcotics OffensesRead the Press Release
Goffstown Man Pleads Guilty to Firearms and Narcotics Offenses
CONCORD – Mark Williams, 45, pleaded guilty today to one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces.
According to the charging documents and statements made in court, in the early morning hours on October 27, 2023, Williams was driving a vehicle that he had borrowed from an acquaintance when he became involved in a single-car accident in Goffstown, New Hampshire. Williams walked away before Goffstown Police arrived. The unoccupied vehicle sustained disabling damage and was later towed. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a loaded 9mm handgun and distribution-level quantities of methamphetamine (41 grams), cocaine (73 grams), and fentanyl (452 grams). Williams was later arrested.
The charging statute for the drug trafficking offense provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison, at least 3 years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $1,000,000. The charging statute for the firearm violation provides for a sentence of not less than 5 years and up to life in federal prison, consecutive to any prison term imposed on the drug trafficking offense, up to 5 years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $250,000. U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Laplante scheduled sentencing for May 14, 2026.
The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Goffstown Police Department, and the Manchester Police Department. Valuable assistance was additionally provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Rombeau is prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Glastonbury Men Charged with Using Thousands of Stolen Identities to Defraud FanDuel and Other Online Gambling Sites of $3 MillionRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, and Bryan T. Cafferelli, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned a 45-count indictment charging AMITOJ KAPOOR, 29, and SIDDHARTH LILLANEY, 29, both of Glastonbury, with fraud, identity theft, and money laundering offenses stemming from a scheme to use stolen identities to defraud FanDuel and other online gambling companies of millions of dollars.
The indictment was returned on February 3, 2026, and Kapoor and Lillaney were arrested yesterday. They appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria E. Garcia in New Haven and were each released on a $300,000 bond.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, Kapoor and Lillaney conspired to defraud online gambling companies, primarily FanDuel, by signing up for accounts using the personal identifying information (“PII”) of identity theft victims in Connecticut and elsewhere in order to take advantage of promotional “bonuses,” “credits,” or “bonus bets” that were offered when a user opened an account or made an initial bet. To open the gambling accounts, Kapoor and Lillaney purchased the PII of thousands of victims on the darknet and through the encrypted messaging service Telegram. They also maintained accounts at websites such as BeenVerified.com and TruthFinder.com to obtain additional background information on identity theft victims, and used the information to answer verification questions when signing up for the gambling accounts. If Kapoor and Lillaney won a bet using a bonus bet, the winnings were transferred to virtual stored value card, backed by an FDIC-insured financial institution, which FanDuel allowed account holders to use to make deposits to and withdrawals from their FanDuel account. They then transferred the proceeds from their scheme from the stored value cards to bank accounts and investments accounts they controlled.
It is alleged that since 2021, Kapoor and Lillaney used the PII of approximately 3,000 identity theft victims to open FanDuel and other online gambling accounts, and generated approximately $3 million in profits during the scheme.
“As alleged, these two men used thousands of stolen identities to open online gambling accounts and exploit new user incentives, which for several years allowed them to gamble with stolen money,” said U.S. Attorney Sullivan. “Their winning streak is now over. I thank our partners with IRS-Criminal Investigation and Connecticut’s Department of Consumer Protection for their extraordinary investigative efforts, and for continuing to work diligently to identify all who have been victimized by this criminal conduct.”
“Individuals who commit identity theft of this magnitude deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” said Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office. “It’s alleged those charged caused immeasurable hardship to the victims of their identity theft scheme. IRS Criminal Investigation remains committed to unraveling complex financial transactions and money laundering schemes where criminals attempt to conceal the true source of their money.”
“Although this started as a gaming-related investigation, the scope of the alleged identity theft and fraud, with thousands of potential victims across the country, quickly became the primary focus of this investigation,” said DCP Commissioner Bryan T. Cafferelli. “First and foremost, we are a consumer protection agency, and protecting the public by preventing and rooting out fraud is our top priority. If you believe you are a victim of identity theft, visit IdentityTheft.Gov to report the fraud and take steps to recover your identity. Thank you to our skilled team of DCP Gaming investigators as well as the IRS Criminal Investigation Division for their diligent work on this case. We look forward to working with the U.S. Attorney's office to see this case through to its conclusion.”
The indictment charges Kapoor and Lillaney with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and identity fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years; 23 counts of wire fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count; eight counts of identity fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years on each count; two counts of aggravated identity theft, an offense that carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of two years; one count of money laundering conspiracy, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; and 10 counts of money laundering, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being conducted by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division and the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. McGarry.
Four Wisconsin Residents Charged with Fraud in Embezzlement SchemeRead the Press Release
Brad D. Schimel, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on February 3, 2026, a federal grand jury indicted Brandi Ellis (45), Jason Flanders (51), Ramon Hernandez (45), and Jezlia Barajas (39), in a fifteen-count indictment related to an embezzlement scheme perpetrated against a Milwaukee-area non-profit.
According to the indictment, Ellis, the finance director of the non-profit, and Flanders, the non-profit’s Chief Financial Officer, engaged in a scheme to issue unauthorized checks to themselves and third parties on the non-profit’s bank accounts. The indictment also charges that Ellis used the non-profit’s credit cards to make personal purchases, including at Gucci and the Venetian/Palazzo in Las Vegas.
The Indictment charges Ellis with six counts of Bank Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344, one count of Money Laundering Conspiracy, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956(h), one count of Aggravated Identity Theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028A, two counts of Wire Fraud, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 1343, and one count of Intimidation of a Witness, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1512.
The Indictment charges Flanders with three counts of Bank Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344, and one count of making False Statements, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001.
The Indictment charges Hernandez and Barajas each with one count of Bank Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344, and one count of Money Laundering Conspiracy, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956(h).
If convicted of the Bank Fraud charges, each defendant faces up to 30 years’ imprisonment and a fine up to $1,000,000 per count. If convicted of the Wire Fraud, Money Laundering, or Intimidation charges, the defendants face up to 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine up to $250,000. If convicted of the False Statement charge, Flanders faces up to 5 years’ imprisonment and a fine up to $250,000.
Four other individuals were charged in related cases, via Information, on the same day.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Julie F. Stewart.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove them guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Former USPS Employee Faces Additional Charges in Postal Contract Bribery SchemeRead the Press Release
AKRON, Ohio – As a result of an ongoing investigation into the criminal activities of a former U.S. Postal Service (USPS) worker, a Summit County man now faces additional accusations in a highly coordinated conspiracy to award USPS contracts to specific business entities.
In a superseding indictment filed Feb. 4, a federal grand jury charged Josef Ratcliff, 60, of Akron, with the following:
- Conspiracy to Commit Honest Services Mail and Wire Fraud
- Conspiracy to Commit Extortion Under Color of Official Right
- Honest Services Mail and Wire Fraud
- Extortion Under Color of Official Right
- Receipt of Bribes by Federal Official
- Concealment Money Laundering
Ratcliff was initially charged with receiving bribes in the original indictment filed in July 2025.
According to the allegations, Ratcliff was employed as a purchasing and supply management specialist with USPS. As part of his official duties he solicited, received, and reviewed bids from contractors, focusing on logistics services for transporting the mail. Some of the contracts were worth more than $10 million. In performing his duty to review bids, Ratcliff had access to highly confidential information which was not to be shared outside the USPS. After reviewing bids, he provided the contracting officer with his recommendations—which they typically followed—and contracts were awarded to the companies Ratcliff had chosen.
As described in the superseding indictment, Ratcliff conspired to provide confidential competing bid numbers, and other favorable treatment, to companies from across the country including Spokane, Washington; Las Vegas, Nevada; Raeford, North Carolina; Bronx, New York; and Middletown, New York. Some of these entities were not previously in the trucking or logistics business before connecting with the defendant. Examples include one that was a chemical company, and another that provided cellphone related services. Another company was only formed after the owner connected with Ratcliff. Nonetheless, these businesses were awarded USPS trucking contracts. In return for his guidance, Ratcliff’s co-conspirators regularly paid him bribes worth thousands of dollars in the form of checks, electronic money transfers, and cash.
Court documents further allege that the electronic transfers often included notes in attempts to conceal the true purpose of the payments. Note descriptions included “car oil leak,” “birthday present for big boy,” or “pop rocks for little daddy.” Other transfers were simply noted as “happy birthday” or “rent.” In less than a year, six of the bribes were designated for a birthday. One transfer in the amount of $3,500 was ostensibly for a “coffee maker and beans.” One co-conspirator alone sent 14 bribes totaling $38,900.
Ratcliff is also alleged to have been explicit about the scheme in his phone calls with co-conspirators. He provided specific bid information, including the amounts of the lowest and second-lowest bids. Ratcliff also explained plans for spending the bribe money on his car and buying a new house. Part of the scheme involved the co-conspirators, with Ratcliff’s help, getting extensions of time to submit their bids, so Ratcliff could provide the full picture of the competitors’ bids to help co-conspirators craft winning bids. On calls, he discussed how a co-conspirator should obtain such an extension, including how the co-conspirator should first reach out to the contracting officer alone, who would then bring Ratcliff in, making it appear that the extension request process started with the contracting officer and not the defendant. Later in the scheme, he warned that he would soon be losing access to some of the contract information, saying, “what we doin’, this s--t is about to dry the f--k up” because the co-conspirator “won’t be able to get no information from me on” those contracts.
The following co-conspirators were charged separately in connection with their roles in the conspiracy and have all previously pleaded guilty. Sentencing dates are:
- William Michael Clark, 50, of Las Vegas, Nevada: April 7.
- Zoma M. Shaikh, 43, of Bronx, New York: TBD.
- Vakar Maniar, 70, of Raeford, North Carolina: April 21.
- Jilani Ahad, 66, of Bronx, New York: April 20.
- Rafeh Ahad, 26, of Fort Myers, Florida: April 20
- Eric Asante Wiredu, 57, of Middleton, New York: March 24
An indictment is merely an allegation. Defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, the defendant sentence will be determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to the case, including each defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, their role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation.
The United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General leads the investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elliot Morrison for the Northern District of Ohio.
Former Postal Employee Pleads Guilty to Federal Obstruction and Video Voyeurism ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A New Hampshire man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to obstruction and video voyeurism charges.
Nicholas Testagrossa, 43, of Rindge, N.H., pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction and attempted obstruction of an official proceeding, and two counts of video voyeurism. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for May 12, 2026. Testagrossa was charged in December 2025.
In March 2025, Testagrossa – then a U.S. Postal Worker at the Westminster, Mass. – secretly placed a hidden camera inside the women’s restroom at the Westminster Post Office in an effort to record his female co-workers while they were undressed and using the bathroom. The device was discovered on March 28, 2025, after a postal employee noticed it concealed beneath a vent. A subsequent investigation revealed that the camera had been placed in the restroom on multiple occasions and had captured video recordings inside the women’s bathroom on several dates in February 2025 and March 2025, including recordings of two victims undressed without their knowledge or consent.
Investigators recovered video files showing Testagrossa personally installing the hidden camera in the restroom, positioning it to obtain a recording vantage point, and testing the device both inside the post office and at his home. The recordings clearly showed Testagrossa’s face and documented his repeated efforts to conceal and operate the camera. The evidence confirmed that the recordings were intentional and part of a pattern of conduct targeting female co-workers.
After the hidden camera was discovered and secured by the Postmaster, Testagrossa removed the device from the Postmaster’s desk without authorization and attempted to destroy evidence by damaging the camera’s memory card and USB ports. His efforts were unsuccessful because the memory card had already been removed and preserved.
The charge of obstruction and attempted obstruction of an official proceeding provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charges of video voyeurism provide for a sentence of up to one year in prison, up to one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $100,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General, Northeast Area Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danial E. Bennett of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
Former MLB Player Found Guilty of Obstructing Justice and Lying to Federal Officials Investigating Illegal Sports Gambling RingRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former Major League Baseball (MLB) player was found guilty by a jury today of lying to federal law enforcement officials about bets on sporting events that he placed with an illegal gambling operation.
Yasiel Puig Valdés, 35, of Miami, was found guilty of one count of obstruction of justice and one count of making false statements. Puig played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cincinnati Reds, the Cleveland Indians, and professional baseball teams in Mexico and South Korea.
According to evidence presented at a 13-day trial, in May 2019, Puig began placing bets on sporting events through Donny Kadokawa, a sub-agent of the illegal gambling business run by Wayne Joseph Nix, 49, of Newport Coast. Puig called and sent text messages to Kadokawa with wagers on sporting events. Kadokawa then submitted the bets to the Nix gambling business on Puig’s behalf. By June 2019, Puig owed Nix’s gambling business $282,900 in sports gambling losses.
Kadokawa and Benny Bonilla, another person who assisted Puig with payments to Nix, instructed Puig to make a check or wire transfer payable to a Nix gambling business client – Joseph Schottenstein – to whom the business owed at least $200,000 in gambling winnings.
On June 25, 2019, Puig withdrew $200,000 from a Bank of America branch in Glendale then purchased two cashiers’ checks for $100,000 each that were made payable to Schottenstein. Puig did not immediately send the checks because of a dispute over the balance and access to Nix-controlled websites used to place sports bets. Nix refused to allow Puig access to the betting websites until Puig’s gambling debt was paid.
After Puig paid the $200,000, Nix provided Puig direct access to the betting websites. From July 4, 2019, to September 29, 2019, Puig placed 899 additional bets on tennis, football, and basketball games through the websites. Puig placed many of these bets at MLB ballparks just before and after games in which he played. Puig ran up a gambling debt with Nix’s illegal bookmaking operation of nearly $1 million, a debt he never paid.
In January 2022, federal investigators interviewed Puig in the presence of his lawyers. During the interview, despite being warned that lying to federal agents is a crime, Puig lied several times. During the interview, he falsely stated that he “only” knew Kadokawa from baseball and that he never discussed gambling with him, when in fact Puig discussed sports betting with Kadokawa hundreds of times on the telephone and via text message.
After agents showed Puig a copy of one of the cashiers’ checks he purchased on June 25, 2019, Puig falsely stated that he did not know the person who instructed him to send $200,000 in cashiers’ checks to Schottenstein. Puig also falsely stated that he had placed a bet online with an unknown person on an unknown website that resulted in a loss of $200,000.
In March 2022, Puig sent Bonilla an audio message via WhatsApp in which he admitted to lying to federal agents and to obstructing their grand jury investigation during his interview two months earlier.
In 2019, as part of his naturalization process, Puig – a Cuban national – lied on a U.S. government immigration form and while under oath during his naturalization interview by stating that he had never engaged in illegal gambling or received income from illegal gambling.
Nix pleaded guilty in April 2022 to one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal sports gambling business and one count of filing a false tax return. Nix is expected to be sentenced in the coming months.
United States District Judge Dolly M. Gee scheduled a May 26 sentencing hearing, at which time Puig will face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison on the obstruction of justice charge and up to five years in prison for the false statement charges. Puig remains free on his own personal recognizance.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter. The HSI agents are part of the El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force.
Assistant United States Attorneys Juan M. Rodriguez, Michael J. Morse, and Laura A. Alexander of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section are prosecuting this case with assistance from Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey P. Mitchell of the Northern District of California.
Former Leader of Panama’s Largest Drug Trafficking Organization Found Guilty of Shipping Hundreds of Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – The former leader of Panama’s largest drug trafficking organization that conspired to smuggle tons of cocaine into the United States has been found guilty by a jury of a federal narcotics trafficking charge, the Justice Department announced today.
Jorge Rubén Camargo-Clarke, 46, a.k.a. “Cool nene,” was found guilty late Thursday of one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine for the purpose of unlawful importation.
Camargo has been in federal custody since March 2023 when he was extradited from Costa Rica.
According to evidence presented at a four-day trial, Camargo was the head of the Bagdad syndicate, the largest drug trafficking organization in Panama. From that position, Camargo directed the actions of approximately 4,000 narcotraffickers in Panama and Colombia, all working in service of his drug trafficking enterprise.
Camargo and the Bagdad syndicate controlled the importation and exportation of cocaine along the majority of Panama’s Pacific coast. In 2017 alone, Panama’s national security forces seized approximately 7.9 tons of cocaine from areas in Panama under Camargo’s control.
Camargo communicated via Blackberry Messenger with various co-conspirators, including Colombian cocaine sources of supply, to move thousands of kilograms of cocaine north from their source in Colombia to Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and elsewhere. Camargo personally coordinated numerous large-scale cocaine shipments by boat out of Colombia for the purpose of distribution in the United States and elsewhere, and instructed co-conspirators where to deliver, hide, and then transfer cocaine along his supply routes for purposes of moving the cocaine north, for ultimate importation into the United States.
Among other seizures, in November 2017, law enforcement in Panama seized more than 200 kilograms (441 pounds) of cocaine from an earth trap in the Rio Caimito area of Panama that Camargo had personally ordered shipped from Colombia to Panama, and that he intended to traffic to the United States.
United States District Judge André Birotte Jr. scheduled a June 12 sentencing hearing, at which time Camargo will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
This investigation was led by the Southern California Drug Task Force (SCDTF), a Drug Enforcement Administration-led multi-agency task force within the Los Angeles High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program. Substantial assistance was also provided by DEA Panama City Panama, Panama’s Servicio Nacional Aeronaval (SENAN), Panamá Nacional Policia Dirección de Investigación Judicial (PNP DIJ), Panama’s Instituto de Medicina Legal y Ciencias (IMELCF), and Procuraduria General de la Nación, Ministerio Público de Panamá. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with the Government of Costa Rica to secure the arrest and March 2023 extradition from Costa Rica of Camargo.
Assistant United States Attorneys Declan T. Conroy and Jehan Pernas Kim of the Transnational Organized Crime Section are prosecuting this case.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
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.
Folsom Man Arrested, Charged with Receiving Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
us_dis_caed_2_26cr14_d77010933e236_indictment_as_to_paul_joseph_richards_1_count_1_de.pdfA Folsom man, Paul Richards, 51, was arrested today after a federal grand jury indicted him for receiving child sexual abuse material, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, from December 2023 through April 2025, Richards used the peer-to-peer file sharing program BitTorrent to receive images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Harman is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Richards faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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.
Five Men Charged with Immigration Law Violations in Northwestern OhioRead the Press Release
TOLEDO, Ohio – Federal grand juries returned indictments charging four people from Honduras and one from Mexico with violating immigration laws. These are separate cases and not related.
The following were charged with illegal reentry of a previously removed alien, in violation of Title 8 U.S. Code 1326. They were found in the Northern District of Ohio without the consent of the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary for Homeland Security for readmission.
- Marcos Bardales-Lopez, 26, a citizen of Honduras, was previously removed from the United States on at least one occasion with the most recent being Dec 6, 2019. He was found in Maumee, Ohio (Lucas County) on Jan. 12.
- Rigoberto Gomez-Arguijo, 45, a citizen of Honduras, was previously removed from the United States on at least one occasion with the most recent being Oct. 28, 2010. He was found in Marion (Marion County) on Jan. 8.
- Oscar Mendoza, 52, a citizen of Honduras, was previously removed from the United States on at least one occasion with the most recent being Jan. 17, 2008. He was found in Maumee, Ohio (Lucas County) on Jan. 12.
Additionally, the following defendants were charged with two counts of Possession of a Fraudulent Identification Document:
- Jimy Antonio Portillo-Ramirez, 23, a citizen of Honduras, was found in Vickery, Ohio (Sandusky County) on Jan. 6.
- Jose Alfredo Reyes-Gonzalez, 33, a citizen of Mexico, was found in Oak Harbor, Ohio (Ottawa County) on Jan. 18.
The investigations in these cases were conducted by U.S. Border Patrol-Sandusky Bay Station and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ava Rotell Dustin, Dexter L. Phillips, and Frank H. Spryszak for Northern District of Ohio.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Five Fentanyl Traffickers Sentenced to Combined 91 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Two of five defendants in a Lubbock drug-trafficking ring were sentenced to 19 and 20 years in federal prison today for their roles in distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.
Adam Whitehead Baber, 45, of Lubbock, was sentenced to 228 months in federal prison. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl in October 2025. Jessica Clauson, 43, of Lubbock, was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison. She pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl in September 2025.Three others charged as part of the drug trafficking ring include:
• Sean Burns, 43, of Lubbock, was sentenced in December 2025 to 204 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl in August 2025.
• Charles Srnek, also known as “Dreds,” 38, of Lubbock, was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison in December 2025 after pleading guilty in August 2025 to one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual).
• Kiyle Jackson, 33, of Lubbock, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison in December 2025 after pleading guilty in August 2025 to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.Court documents reflect that beginning in early 2024, the defendants conspired to travel out of state to purchase massive quantities of fentanyl to distribute in Lubbock. The investigation revealed that the defendants would purchase up to 10,000 fentanyl pills at a time, which they referred to as “yachts” of fentanyl. In total, the group was found responsible for distributing over 100,000 fentanyl pills and 20 pounds of methamphetamine in Lubbock.
According to court records, in January 2024, Baber and Burns were arrested in New Mexico with 1,669 fentanyl pills (184.5 grams) destined for Lubbock. Later, in May 2024, agents executed a search warrant at the Lubbock home of defendants Clauson and Srnek and found 568 grams of fentanyl, 625 grams of methamphetamine, and four firearms. In July 2024, Jackson was caught with 140 fentanyl pills during a traffic stop.
United States District Judge James Wesley Hendrix sentenced each of the defendants.
Agents with the Lubbock, Texas Anti-Gang (TAG), the Drug Enforcement Administration, Caprock High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Texas Department of Public Safety, Lubbock Police Department, and Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Rancourt prosecuted the case.
First week of February sees another 365 people charged in border security-related matters in the Southern District of TexasRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A total of 363 cases have been filed related to immigration-related crimes from Jan. 30-Feb. 5, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
A total of 220 people have been charged with felony reentry after removal, and another 116 face allegations of illegal entry. Most have felony convictions for narcotics, violent crime, various immigration offenses and more. The filed cases also include 23 individuals accused of human smuggling, while the remaining six matters are related to other immigration crimes.
One of those charged is Honduran national Nixon Ariel Villalobos-Quijada. The criminal complaint alleges he attempted to unlawfully reenter the United States within six months of his most recent removal. He was previously removed Aug. 17, 2025, according to the complaint. The charges allege Villalobos-Quijada has a prior conviction for tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. Authorities allegedly discovered him again near Roma without any legal authorization.
Additional complaints allege two previous felons had also illegally reentered the country. Mexican nationals Alvaro Zavala-Valdez and Ricardo Enede Rodriguez-Alvarez had both been previously removed Aug. 7, 2013, and May 10, 2022, according to their respective charges. However, both were allegedly found in the McAllen area this week. According to court documents, Zavala-Valdez has a previous conviction for illegal reentry, while Rodriguez-Alvarez was sentenced for transportation/harboring illegal aliens.
If convicted, all three men face up to 20 years in federal prison.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal histories, including convictions for human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.
An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Felon Sentenced for Illegally Possessing a Gun to almost 5 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Federal Judge sentenced Marcus Terrell Burney, 44, to 4.8 years in federal prison for possession of a gun by a felon. Inmate Burney pleaded guilty to the crime.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Inmate Burney drove his car on I-40 in Sampson County with an expired registration. Sampson County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop and during an open-air sniff, K-9 “Rocky” gave a positive alert for the presence of narcotics. That led to the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office along with ATF to conduct a probable cause search of the car, which yielded a loaded S7W M&P 40 caliber gun in the center console, an open bottle of tequila, digital scales with powder residue, and marijuana residue. Inmate Burney had a blood alcohol content level of 0.13 when tested on the roadside.
This conviction is Inmate Burney’s third federal conviction. First, in 2004, Inmate Burney was convicted of federal felony offenses Possession with the Intent to Sell Marijuana and Possession of a Gun in Furtherance of a Drug Crime. Second, in 2012, Inmate Burney was convicted of the federal felony offenses Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Sell Crack Cocaine and Hydrocodone. Inmate Burney was on Federal Supervised Release at the time of the third offense.
“It’s really easy to avoid this type of crime. If you cannot legally possess a gun, then don’t even try. Stay away from drug dealing, too, unless you want to go to prison for many years.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle.
“Thanks to the alert work of our deputies, a traffic stop led to the arrest of an individual who was already on federal probation and illegally in possession of a firearm. This case highlights the importance of proactive policing and traffic enforcement in keeping dangerous weapons off our streets. I’m proud of our deputies for their dedication to public safety and their commitment to holding offenders accountable” said Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton.
W. Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. Sampson County Sheriff’s Office and ATF investigated the case and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, Aria Q. Merle and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Severo prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Federal grand jury indicts convicted felon on multiple drug and weapons chargesRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Martino Carter, 38, of Sloan, NY, with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of firearms and ammunition by person subject to domestic violence protective order. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of life and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt I. Kass, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment and a previously filed complaint, on June 5, 2025, the Buffalo Police Department, ATF and FBI executed a search warrant at Carter’s Jackson Avenue residence in Sloan. During the search, investigators recovered two firearms, a magazine, and approximately 25 pounds of suspected marijuana. Carter was taken into custody at the scene.
In May 2009, Carter was convicted of two felonies in Erie County Court and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm. In addition, at the time of his arrest, he had an active order of protection against him, which also legally prohibited him from possessing a firearm.
Carter was arraigned this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and was detained.
The indictment is the result of an investigation by the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Acting Police Commissioner Craig Macy, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan DiGirolamo.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Federal Inmate and Four Others Charged with 2016 Kidnappings and Murders in Oakland Park and LauderhillRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Palacio Valdes Farley, 45, a federal inmate serving consecutive sentences totaling 34 years for conspiring to commit drug-trafficking and money laundering offenses, and conspiring to rob drug-traffickers of narcotics, money, and other property, made his initial appearance in federal court on Jan. 27 to face new charges arising from the August 2016 kidnapping and murders of two victims.
According to court records, Farley and his co-conspirators allegedly planned and carried out the robbery of an apartment in Oakland Park used to store narcotics and drug-trafficking proceeds. Farley recruited Frederic Wayne Mordon, Jr., 44, Emmanuel Xavier White, 51; Walter James Tillman, 37; Andrew Francois Martin, 33; and Joassaint Josiah Aristil, Jr., 30, to execute the robbery.
In preparation, the defendants allegedly purchased GPS tracking devices, clothing bearing the letters “DEA,” masks, holsters, and flashlights, and rented two vehicles. They placed a GPS tracking device on a vehicle belonging to a drug-trafficker, “John Doe,” who used the Oakland Park apartment as a narcotics stash house.
On Aug. 18, 2016, the defendants met at a staging location in Lauderhill and used the GPS tracking device to locate Doe’s vehicle, which was parked at an apartment complex in Lauderhill. The defendants drove to the apartment complex in the two rental vehicles. When the defendants arrived, Doe was seated in the driver’s seat of his vehicle, with his acquaintance, Tiara Jeanne Register, seated in the front passenger seat. Farley, Mordon, and White allegedly approached wearing DEA-style shirts and masks and carrying firearms, announced they were the DEA, and ordered Doe and Register to put their hands up.
Farley forcibly removed Doe at gunpoint from the vehicle and placed him in the back seat, while Martin got into the driver’s seat. White removed Register from the vehicle and handed her to Mordon, who placed her into one of the rental cars. Aristil and Tillman allegedly served as lookouts during the carjacking and kidnappings of Doe and Register.
After leaving the Lauderhill complex, Mordon took Register back to the staging location and handed her over to Aristil to hold her captive. Meanwhile, Martin, Farley, and White drove Doe to the Oakland Park stash apartment. Upon arrival, Farley and White took Doe out of his vehicle, intending to use Doe to access his apartment. However, Doe’s associate, Eric Orlando McNair, was standing at the bottom of the stairs smoking a cigarette, saw them, and fled upstairs to the apartment. Doe struggled with White, attempting to disarm him. Farley allegedly shot Doe twice, and Doe fell to the ground. Doe survived and fled the scene.
Farley and White then pursued McNair upstairs. Inside the stash apartment, Farley and White pursued McNair into a bedroom, where Farley fatally shot McNair in the head and the neck, killing him. Farley and White collected narcotics and cash from inside the apartment and fled the scene in Doe’s vehicle, driven by Martin.
Following the robbery, Martin, Farley, White, Mordon, and Tillman met up at White’s residence in Lauderhill. Soon after, Aristil arrived in one of the rental cars, with Register. Farley handed Martin a firearm and instructed him to take Register to a nearby cul-de-sac and kill her. Martin and Aristil drove Register to the dead end, where Martin shot her in the head, killing her. Aristil and Martin then returned to White’s house, where Martin reported to Farley that he had executed Register.
The defendants are charged with two counts of kidnapping resulting in death and one count of causing the death of a person in furtherance of a crime of violence and a drug trafficking crime. Farley, Martin, and Aristil are also charged with killing a witness. If convicted, the defendants face mandatory sentences of life imprisonment on the kidnapping counts. The maximum penalty for all counts is death or life in prison.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, Sheriff Dr. Gregory Tony of the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO), and Chief Constance Stanley of the Lauderhill Police Department (LPD) made the announcement.
FBI Miami, BSO, and LPD are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dwayne E. Williams is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Miami comprises agents and officers from FBI Miami, Broward Sheriff’s Office, and the Lauderhill Police Department with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
An indictment/complaint 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 numbers 25-cr-60305, and 24-cr-60063 (Mordon).
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Father and son going to prison for killing Niagara Falls man in furtherance of drug conspiracyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. –U.S. Attorney Office Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Lavon Parks, a/k/a Dutch, 35, and his father, James C. Parks, 61, both of Niagara Falls, NY, were sentenced to serve 30 years and 20 years in prison respectively, by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. The defendants were convicted following a jury trial of narcotics conspiracy, discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and discharge of firearm causing death. In addition, Lavon Parks was also convicted of attempting to possess, with intent to distribute, 500 grams or more of cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Assistant U.S. Attorney P. Richard Antoine, who handled the prosecution of the case, stated that between May 2017, and March 2019, the defendants were part of a conspiracy to sell cocaine in the Niagara Falls and Buffalo, NY areas. On the afternoon of January 21, 2018, Kevin Turner was murdered in a shooting in front of a Niagara Street residence in Niagara Falls. Turner was an alleged crack cocaine dealer who had recently moved from Buffalo to Niagara Falls, where, the night before the shooting, he was staying just a few blocks from the scene of the shooting. The afternoon of the shooting, Turner went to the Niagara Street residence to sell crack cocaine. After exiting the residence, Turner was shot and killed. Evidence was presented by the Government that Lavon Parks and James Parks were driving around the area in a truck immediately before the shooting, apparently looking for someone. Video evidence placed a truck registered to Lavon Parks’ then-girlfriend in the immediate area of the shooting both before and after the murder. Ballistics recovered from the scene of the shooting matched a firearm that was recovered approximately two weeks later from an individual in Niagara Falls who was not near the scene at the time of Turner’s death. The firearm, however, was one of several firearms that were illegally trafficked from Pittsburgh, PA, by an individual who testified that he sold this type of firearm, along with at least seven others, to Lavon Parks in exchange for drugs.
The investigation included a series of controlled buys and payments involving defendant Lavon Parks. Investigators seized approximately 8.5 kilograms of cocaine and $52,000 in U.S. currency from postal parcels shipped from Puerto Rico to various locations in the Western District of New York, Florida, Alaska, Georgia, and Pennsylvania using the United States Postal Service. The shipments were made to co-conspirators. Additionally, the investigation identified $55,700 in U.S. currency and/or money orders shipped in parcels from co-conspirators to Puerto Rico as payment to the source of supply for the cocaine.
The sentencings are the result of an investigation by the Niagara Falls Police Department, under the direction of Superintendent Nicholas Ligammari; the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Farhana Islam, New York Field Division; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan DiGirolamo, New York Field Division; and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector-in-Charge Nicholas J. Bucciarelli, Boston Division.
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Documented Shelltown Gang Member Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Stolen FirearmRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO –David Gilbert Gomez, a documented San Diego gang member also known as “Choker,” was sentenced in federal court today to 87 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm on March 12, 2024. Gomez previously pleaded guilty in federal court to that charge.
According to court records, officers with the City of Imperial Police Department were conducting a routine traffic stop when they observed two men standing near an unoccupied vehicle. Upon seeing police presence, both men ran into a nearby residence. Inside the unoccupied vehicle, police observed a semiautomatic firearm with an extended magazine located on the front passenger’s seat. Police recovered the firearm, which was determined to be a 9mm Glock loaded with approximately 17 rounds of ammunition. A records search of the firearm’s serial number revealed it to be reported stolen out of Maricopa County, Arizona.
A further search of the unoccupied vehicle revealed a black bag with a lighter bearing the words “Choker” and “Shelltown.” At the time of the firearm seizure, there was an active “Be on the Lookout” (BOLO) for an individual named David Gomez a/k/a “Choker” with a documented affiliation to the San Diego-based “Shelltown” gang. Police positively identified Gomez from the BOLO as one of the individuals who fled into the residence.
The investigation was then taken over by federal investigators, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). A federal search warrant for Gomez’s DNA was obtained and while executing the warrant, Gomez admitted to stealing the firearm from another person.
Twelve prior felony convictions prohibit Gomez from possessing a firearm. He was therefore charged with unlawful firearm possession, following investigation by ATF. In fact, Gomez had previously been federally convicted for unlawful firearm possession, among other crimes such as escape and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
While discussing Gomez’s criminal history at sentencing, Chief U.S. District Judge Cynthia Ann Bashant noted her sentence reflected a “worry about protection of the public” given Gomez’s continued criminal conduct.
DEFENDANT Case Number 24CR1962
David Gilbert Gomez Age: 43 Imperial, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Felon in Possession of a Firearm — 18 U.S.C. §922(g)(1)
Maximum Penalty: Fifteen years in prison and $250,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Federal Bureau of Investigation
City of Imperial Police Department
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 gun violence and other violent crime, 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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
District of Arizona Charges 139 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Jan. 31 through Feb. 6, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 139 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 84 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 40 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 13 cases against 15 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), ICE- Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Pedro Nunez-Espino. Nunez-Espino was charged by complaint with Re-entry of Removed Alien, Feb. 6, 2026. The defendant was previously removed from the United States on May 3, 2015, and was previously convicted of Possession of Narcotic Drugs for Sale, a felony, in the Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County. In that case, Nunez-Espino was sentenced to six months of imprisonment followed by three years of probation. 26-6046MJ, Phoenix.
United States v. Pedro Cazares-Diaz. Cazares-Diaz was charged by complaint with Re-entry of Removed Alien, Feb. 4, 2026. The defendant was previously removed from the United States on May 18, 2010, after being convicted of Assault with a Deadly Weapon/Force Likely to Cause Great Bodily Injury, and Receiving Stolen Property, felonies, in the Superior Court of California, San Diego, South County Division. In that case, Cazares-Diaz was sentenced to two years of imprisonment and one year and four months of imprisonment, respectively for each count, to be served concurrently. 26-6036MJ, Phoenix.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-023_February 6 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Detroit man sentenced for shooting 24 rounds into home where his six-year-old daughter sleptRead the Press Release
DETROIT – Jevonte Cassidy Doakes, 33, of Detroit, Michigan, who shot into his ex-girlfriend’s home in May 2024 while his own child was sleeping inside, was sentenced yesterday to 110 months in federal prison on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. announced.
Gorgon was joined in the announcement by James Deir, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Detroit Field Division and Chief Todd Bettison, Detroit Police Department.
In May 2024, Doakes fired 24 shots into his ex-girlfriend’s home where she and her family, including his own six-year-old daughter, slept. One bullet struck a closet door in the child’s bedroom. Another went through a couch beside where other children slept. A few hours after the shooting, Doakes called his ex-girlfriend, saying, “Bitch, you still alive?” before hanging up. Fired casings from the May 2024 shooting matched other recent shootings, including a felonious assault in River Rouge, so the ATF began investigating Doakes.
Agents executed search warrants at Doakes’s house and the flop house next door where Doakes kept some of his guns. Agents found 7 guns, including two machineguns between the two houses. One of the machineguns matched the fired casings from the May 2024 shooting into Doakes’s ex-girlfriend’s house. Doakes and another man, Joshua Griggs, 21 of Detroit, were arrested.
Griggs, who was caught on video holding another gun at the house while on probation, was sentenced to 24 months prison in August 2025 for receipt of a firearm while under indictment.
“These are the acts of a crooked man who loves violence and hates innocent life. I am thankful for our strong alliance with our federal and Detroit Police partners. This is how we keep our city safe,” said U.S. Attorney Gorgon.
“Javonte DOAKES is the one of the most deserving candidates for federal prison. Using an illegal machine, he recklessly fired 24 rounds into a home full of sleeping children, one of whom was his daughter. These types of acts of gun violence have consequences,” said James Deir, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Detroit Field Division. “Calling the mother of his child afterward asking if she survived only highlights DOAKES’ complete and utter disregard for human life. ATF will continue working with our partners to identify prolific shooters in the community and hold them accountable for their acts by helping them pack their bags for an extended stay in federal prison.”
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Detroit Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew R. Picek and Philip Jacques.
Detroit Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Federal Drug and Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Antonio Shelby Jr., 33, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced on Thursday, February 5, 2026, to 12 years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
A federal jury found Shelby guilty of both counts on August 19, 2025, following a two-day trial. Evidence at trial showed that on January 10, 2024, a law enforcement officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Shelby in the Institute area of Kanawha County. The officer smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle, asked Shelby to exit the vehicle, and told him that the vehicle would be searched. Shelby fled in the vehicle, driving at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour on West Virginia Route 25 and Interstate 64 while trying to elude law enforcement.
The pursuit ended when Shelby crashed his vehicle while attempting to exit I-64 at South Charleston. Officers encountered Shelby climbing out of the vehicle and detained him. When officers lifted Shelby from the ground, they found a Keltec model P3 AT .380-caliber pistol, loaded and with a round in the chamber, on the ground underneath him. Officers also seized over 60 grams of methamphetamine in multiple baggies, over 100 grams of fentanyl, marijuana, digital scales, and $2,495 from the vehicle.
Shelby has a criminal history that includes prior felony convictions for fleeing from a police officer and reckless driving causing serious impairment of a body function.
“This defendant possessed and transported distribution-level quantities of lethal drugs into our community while armed. He doubled down on his disregard for our people and their safety by fleeing from law enforcement, creating a substantial risk of serious injury or death to the public and responding officers,” said United States Attorney Moore Capito. “We are unrelenting in our commitment to attacking the drug crisis with the utmost toughness.”
Capito commended the law enforcement agencies involved in apprehending Shelby, investigating the case, and securing the convictions at trial: the Nitro Police Department, the Dunbar Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys JC MacCallum and Jeremy B. Wolfe prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-197.
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Detroit Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – James Richard Mathis, 30, of Detroit, Michigan, pleaded guilty on Thursday, February 5, 2026, to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 3, 2024, Mathis possessed over 90 grams of methamphetamine and over 20 grams of fentanyl in or near Dunbar, West Virginia, that he intended to distribute.
Mathis is scheduled to be sentenced on May 20, 2026, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $5 million.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), which is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-87.
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Defendant Sentenced to federal prison for Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: A Columbia County, Georgia woman was sentenced to federal prison for using stolen and counterfeit business checks to commit Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft.
Dechanta Benning, 35, was sentenced to 70 months in prison, along with substantial financial penalties and five years of supervised release upon completion of any prison term, said Margaret E. Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Randall Hall also ordered Benning to pay a $2,500 fine and $300 in special assessments. There is no parole in the federal system.
As described in court documents and at sentencing, the Defendant obtained business checks stolen from the United States Postal Service, altered them, deposited the altered checks into the bank accounts of co-conspirators as well as her own accounts, then withdrew the money. The money was withdrawn before the banks were able to recognize the checks as fraudulent. The Defendant stole approximately $1,000,000 through this scheme.
“There were hundreds of citizens and businesses in this District and nationwide, who were victimized by this Defendant. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to protecting and defending the nation’s mail system from theft and aggressively pursuing those who would commit fraud in this district. With the collaborative efforts of our law enforcement partners, fraudsters who use stolen mail to steal will be brought to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Heap.
“Financial fraud schemes like this don’t just impact banks — they devastate small businesses, families, and entire communities,” said Matthew Ploskunak, Supervisory Senior Resident Agent of FBI Atlanta's Augusta office. “By exploiting stolen mail and stolen identities, the defendant attempted to steal nearly $1 million and left hundreds of victims in her wake. The FBI remains committed to working alongside our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and hold accountable anyone who uses deception and theft for personal gain.”
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is responsible for protecting the sanctity of the nation’s mail system. We remain resolute in our investigative efforts to bring those to justice who defraud the U.S. Postal Service, or those who fraudulently use the nation’s mail system in the furtherance of their deceptive schemes. Make no mistake, those who choose this path, will be held responsible for their actions in sentencing,” said Rodney M. Hopkins, Postal Inspector in Charge, Atlanta Division.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigations and prosecuted by First Assistant U.S. Attorney David H. Estes.
For any questions, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.
Convicted murderer sentenced to over three years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearmRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced yesterday to three years and 10 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on Jan. 11, 2025, a Richmond Police officer encountered Raheem Bennie Smith, aka Too-Too, 44, asleep at the wheel of a vehicle at an intersection in Richmond. The vehicle was running and still in gear. The officer awakened Smith by tapping on his window and asked Smith to put the vehicle in park.
While speaking with Smith, the officer observed a firearm in the front passenger seat and instructed Smith not to reach for it. Another officer opened the passenger door and recovered the loaded handgun and Smith was arrested. The officers also found cocaine in Smith’s pants.
At the time of his arrest, Smith previously had been convicted of, among other crimes, possession of cocaine, eluding the police, continuously driving with a suspended or revoked license, and second degree murder. As a convicted felon, Smith cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and the Richmond Police Department investigated this case.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Groover, an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney with the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, 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 No. 3:25-cr-112.
Convicted drug trafficker pleads guilty mid-trial to methamphetamine traffickingRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – After one day of trial testimony, an Albuquerque woman pleaded guilty to methamphetamine trafficking.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on May 18, 2023, the FBI Violent Gang Task Force executed a search warrant at the northeast Albuquerque residence of Nora Baca, 67. During the search, agents located approximately three pounds of methamphetamine in the bedroom of Baca’s housemate and codefendant.
On September 10, 2024, following an investigation into a significant intergang drug trafficking conspiracy involving both incarcerated and non-incarcerated gang members linked to the Cibola County Correctional Center in Milan, New Mexico, Baca was charged in a superseding indictment with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Subsequently, on October 30, 2024, the FBI Violent Gangs Task Force and the U.S. Marshals Service conducted a coordinated operation executing search warrants at 13 locations across New Mexico, including the home of Baca. Despite being tipped off that agents were coming, more methamphetamine and a firearm were found in Baca’s home.
During the trial, the government presented evidence that Baca was a known large-scale methamphetamine dealer who had supplied others with drugs. This is Baca’s second federal conviction for drug trafficking. She was previously sentenced to 120 months in prison in 2012, which was later reduced to 92 months pursuant to the retroactive application of new federal sentencing guidelines for drug offenses, followed by four years of supervised release.
Baca pled guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Following her plea, the Court ordered Baca held in custody until sentencing. At sentencing, Baca faces five years in federal prison pursuant to the plea agreement, as well as supervised release and other penalties.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison, Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, and David Barnett, U.S. Marshal for the District of New Mexico, made the announcement today.
The FBI Albuquerque Division Violent Gang Task Force (VGTF) and United States Marshals Service jointly investigated this case with assistance from the CoreCivic Intelligence Unit and the New Mexico State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Paul Mysliwiec and David Hirsch are prosecuting these cases.
Convicted Rapist from Mexico Charged with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Mexican national, currently serving a state prison sentence for rape, has been charged with illegally re-entering the United States after deportation.
Eugenio Isidro Victoriano, 54, is charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. The defendant is currently serving a state prison sentence for rape, indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 years of age and larceny.
According to court documents, Isidro Victoriano was first encountered as being unlawfully present in the United States in April 2004, when he was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol near El Paso, Texas. He was subsequently removed from the United States to Mexico.
It is alleged that sometime thereafter, Isidro Victoriano unlawfully reentered the United States without inspection or authorization.
In February 2021, Isidro Victoriano was arrested in Great Barrington, Mass., for operating under the influence of alcohol. According to court documents, fingerprints taken during that arrest matched Victoriano’s prior immigration records. Isidro Victoriano was released from state custody before immigration authorities could take action.
It is alleged that, in December 2022, Isidro Victoriano was again arrested by local law enforcement in Great Barrington, Mass., for rape, indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 years of age and larceny under $1,200. Isidro Victoriano pleaded guilty to those charges in November 2025 and was sentenced to four to six years in prison, with credit for time served. Immigration authorities lodged a detainer following his arrest.
According to the charging documents, following his November 2025 state conviction, Isidro Victoriano admitted that he was not a U.S. citizen, that he paid a smuggler to enter the United States and that he had no legal authorization to do so.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil L. Desroches, Chief of the Springfield Branch Office, is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Contractor Agrees to Pay $2.4 Million to Settle False Claims Act AllegationsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. B A Vernon, New Jersey company will pay $2.4 million to resolve allegations that it overbilled the United States Postal Service on facilities management contracts, Senior Counsel Phillip Lamparello announced today.
The settlement resolves allegations that from August 1, 2020 through August 12, 2025, Phillips-Glenwood Construction, Inc. made false claims in conjunction with its contract for construction and facilities maintenance of USPS facilities in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. More specifically, Phillips-Glenwood allegedly submitted to the USPS false and altered documentation inflating its labor hours and materials purchases in its requests for payment for work performed.
Senior Counsel Lamparello credited special agents of the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Colleen Ehlich, for the investigation of the allegations against Phillips-Glenwood.
The United States is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark C. Orlowski of the U.S. Attorney’s Health Care Fraud and Opioids Enforcement Unit in Newark.
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Defense Counsel for Phillips-Glenwood is Dennis J. Francis, Esq., Little Ferry, New Jersey.
phillips_glenwood.agreement.pdfColombian National Convicted of Voter Fraud; Federal Benefit Fraud; and Identity Theft OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Colombian woman, unlawfully residing in Boston, was convicted today following a five-day jury trial in federal court in Boston of identity theft offenses, including receiving rental assistance, Social Security and Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, as well as voter fraud under the stolen identity. The defendant also applied for a United States passport and obtained a Massachusetts Real ID and eight other state IDs.
Lina Maria Orovio-Hernandez, 59, was convicted of one count of false representation of a Social Security number; one count of making a false statement in an application for a United States passport; one count of aggravated identity theft; three counts of receiving stolen government money or property; and one count of fraudulent voting. Orovio-Hernandez was charged by superseding indictment in May 2025. She was previously charged in an indictment in February 2025 and has remained in federal custody since that time.
Orovio-Hernandez, a Colombian national without lawful status in the United States, has lived under a stolen identity for more than 20 years. Using the stolen identity, Orovio-Hernandez obtained nine state IDs, including a Massachusetts Real ID and applied for a U.S. passport.
Orovio-Hernandez also used the stolen identity to cast a fraudulent ballot in the November 2024 presidential election. In addition, Orovio-Hernandez improperly received approximately $400,000 in federal benefits: $259,589 in Section 8 rental assistance benefits from October 2011 through January 2025; $101,257 in Social Security disability benefits from July 2014 through January 2025; and $43,348 in SNAP benefits from April 2005 through January 2025.
“Ms. Orovio-Hernandez has lived in this country illegally for two decades, during which time she repeatedly made false statements, stole, committed fraud and even voted illegally,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “Her repeated criminal acts are a slap in the face to all those who come into this country legally and abide by our laws. The air of entitlement is astounding. This case is yet another example of our commitment to rooting out those who violate our immigration laws and steal from United States Citizens.”
“This investigation highlights the critical role of DSS in protecting the American public from identity and document fraud,” said Special Agent in Charge Nathan Hebert of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Boston Field Office. “This conviction reflects the tireless efforts of our special agents and the strength of our partnerships across agencies.”
“This verdict sends a clear message: identity theft and fraud against federal benefit programs will not go undetected or unpunished,” said Amy Connelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General (SSA OIG), Boston–New York Field Division. “The jury confirmed that the defendant used a stolen identity to illegally collect Social Security benefits, commit voter fraud, and undermine public trust. SSA OIG is committed to investigating and holding accountable anyone—including illegal immigrants—who exploit Social Security programs.”
“Orovio-Hernandez’s calculated deception caused her to fraudulently receive over $400,000 in federal benefits including more than $250,000 in HUD rental assistance. These taxpayer funds were intended to provide housing assistance to our most at-risk populations—low income, disabled, and elderly United States citizens,” said Special Agent in Charge Shawn Rice with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG). “Her actions were not a onetime mistake or accident. She lived under a stolen identity for over two decades, taking numerous actions and steps to further defraud the United States Government. HUD OIG remains steadfast in its commitment to working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue those who engage in activities that threaten the integrity of HUD programs.”
The charge of false representation of a Social Security number provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of making a false statement in an application for a United States passport provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory two-year sentence to run consecutively to any other sentence imposed, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charges of receiving stolen government or property provide for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of fraudulent voting provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
U.S. Attorney Foley; DSS SAC Hebert; SSA OIG SAC Connelly; HUD OIG SAC Rice; and Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations – Northeast Region made the announcement. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the United States Postal Inspection Service. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg and Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm of the Major Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case.
Carlsbad Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Role in Fatal Fentanyl Overdose of Carlsbad WomanRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Cameron William Fulston of Carlsbad was sentenced in federal court today to 144 months in prison for coordinating the sale of the fentanyl that resulted in the fatal overdose of 25-year-old Carlsbad resident Danielle Good in 2023.
“Danielle’s life was much more than her final moments,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon, “Danielle was a beloved daughter and sister. Our office prosecutes these fatal drug distribution cases in part because we value the humanity of those victims of the fentanyl epidemic.”
“Fentanyl continues to steal lives,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge James Nunnallee. “The defendant in this case didn’t just arrange a deadly sale, he abandoned a young woman in her final moments and then chose deception over accountability. His selfish actions denied the victim and her family the future they deserved.”
According to court documents, on September 9, 2023, Fulston contacted the victim on social media and arranged for her to come meet him and his co-defendant and source of supply, prolific drug dealer Bryan Kim Bullard. Fulston coordinated with Bullard to supply Good with fentanyl at a Mission Valley apartment. As Bullard supplied the fatal fentanyl to the victim, he sent Fulston to a nearby restaurant to pick up food, then messaged him quickly thereafter to ask for Narcan at 11:17 p.m.
Despite early signs of a medical emergency, the defendants both failed to seek help for over an hour while Good lay dying of an overdose in a bathtub. It was not until more than an hour later, at 12:22 a.m., that Bullard called 911 from Good’s phone, then fled the scene before help arrived. During the critical delay, Fulston and Bullard had two Facebook video conversations during which, despite Good’s rapidly deteriorating condition, no one sought help for her. Instead, Bullard engaged in multiple Facebook video chats and sent disturbing messages, including a video showing the unconscious and unclothed victim in the bathtub.
During Bullard’s 9-1-1 call, he stated, “overdose, overdose,” and that he was calling from “…her phone…” While the dispatcher was trying to explain life saving measures, Bullard stopped talking, and the call ended.
San Diego Police officers were dispatched immediately, at approximately 12:23 a.m., to the Mission Valley apartment complex. Bullard fled the scene before police arrived. While law enforcement was on scene, Fulston arrived back at the apartment. Fulston told police a series of lies in an effort to distance himself from the overdose but eventually admitted that Good originally came to the apartment with him, as seen on video surveillance. The evidence in the case reflected that Fulston let Bullard know when police and paramedics had left so that it was safe to return. Afterwards, the defendants immediately resumed distributing drugs, with Fulston offering to provide drugs to at least three different users on Facebook in the span of just a few hours that same morning.
Prosecutors argued for a significant sentence, arguing that the defendant’s egregious conduct in this case resulted in the loss of life and his indifference towards continued drug distribution put the public at continuous risk and demanded a significant custodial sanction.
Fulston pleaded guilty to Distribution of a Controlled Substance in September 2025. Bullard, who pleaded guilty to the same charge in December 2024, was sentenced in July 2025 to 20 years in prison, the statutory maximum sentence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill Streja.
Special Agents and Task Force Officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Overdose Response Team (formerly known as Team 10) led the investigation. This case is the result of ongoing efforts by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the San Diego Police Department, the La Mesa Police Department, National Guard Counterdrug Task Force and the California Department of Health Care Services to investigate and prosecute the distribution of dangerous illegal drugs—fentanyl in particular—that result in overdose deaths. The Drug Enforcement Administration created the Overdose Response Team as a response to the increase in overdose deaths in San Diego County.
The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, provides assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States. This grant program is administered by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). There are currently 33 HIDTAs, and HIDTA-designated counties are located in 50 states, as well as in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 24cr1063
Cameron William Fulston Age: 31 Carlsbad
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Distribution of Controlled Substance (fentanyl), in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 841(a)(1)
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Drug Enforcement Administration
San Diego County District Attorney’s Office
Homeland Security Investigations
San Diego Police Department
La Mesa Police Department
California Department of Health Care Services
California Man Charged with CyberstalkingRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Jeremy Ryan (38, San Diego, CA) has indicted for cyberstalking by a federal grand jury. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to the indictment, from October through December 2025, Ryan used electronic communications to message Victim 1 with the intent to kill, injure, harass, and intimidate Victim 1.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Abigail K. King.