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14 March 2026
Lawyer Charged with Attempted Extortion of Former Client and Client’s Son over Alleged $500,000 DebtRead the Press Release
Yesterday, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, a complaint was unsealed charging Joshua Nass, an attorney licensed to practice in New York, with attempted Hobbs Act extortion for enlisting an individual to threaten and force a former client and his son into paying Nass $500,000. Nass was arrested yesterday and will make his initial appearance today before United States Magistrate Judge Clay H. Kaminsky.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the arrest and charge.
“As alleged, Nass plotted the violent extortion of one of his own clients and hired an individual to ‘do anything and everything” to force the client’s son to pay for services,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “It will always be a priority of our Office to hold accountable those abusing a position of trust by violating the laws and oaths they have been sworn to support.”
“Rather than honestly representing his client, Joshua Nass allegedly chose to shake him down by hiring an enforcer to extort payment. The FBI prioritizes crushing violent crimes offenses and extortion schemes,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.
As alleged in court filings, starting in early January 2026, Nass recruited an individual (Individual) to force a former client (John Doe 1) and his son (John Doe 2) to pay Nass $500,000 that Nass claimed he was owed for services he purportedly rendered on behalf of John Doe 1. Nass provided the Individual with a phone number and addresses associated with John Doe 2, and Nass instructed the Individual to visit John Doe 2 at his home in an effort to intimidate John Doe 2 into paying Nass. Nass paid the Individual $3,000 in cash in exchange for Individual’s efforts to force John Doe 2 to pay Nass. Additionally, Nass told the Individual to “do anything and everything” to force John Doe 2 to pay the defendant.
Between January 2026 and March 2026, Nass contacted the Individual several times to plan meetings and discuss methods by which the Individual could extort payment by John Does 1 and 2 of the debt purportedly owed to Nass. Nass and the Individual discussed the Individual physically assaulting John Doe 2, or forcing John Doe 2 into a car with masked men and threatening him to make someone in John Doe 2’s family pay Nass. On one occasion, Nass told the Individual that, if John Doe 2 rebuffed an attempt to pay, the Individual could not be a “human being” with John Doe 2. Nass agreed to pay the Individual at least $15,000 for his continued efforts at extorting John Does 1 and 2, with a $5,000 up-front payment and the remainder after John Doe 2 paid Nass.
The charge in the complaint is an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Nass faces up to 20 years in prison.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Victor Zapana, Anna L. Karamigios and Kamil R. Ammari are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Danielle Barber.
The Defendant:
JOSHUA NASS
Age: 34
Charleston, South CarolinaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 26-MJ-54
13 March 2026
Virginia Man Charged with Illegally Selling the Firearm Used in the Campus Shooting at Old Dominion UniversityRead the Press Release
Kenya Mcchell Chapman, 32, of Smithfield, Virginia, appeared in federal court today and was charged by criminal complaint with dealing in firearms without a license in connection with the March 12 shooting at Old Dominion University (ODU), and with three counts of making false statements during purchases of firearms. View complaint here. View affidavit here.
“The Biden Department of Justice declined to prosecute this man and let him off easy with a warning,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Left-wing soft-on-crime policies cost lives — but this Department of Justice doesn’t tolerate crime, we punish it.”
“Chapman allegedly stole a firearm and illegally sold it to a convicted terrorist, who murdered a decorated American veteran, and he will finally face the full weight of justice,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Thanks to the hard work of our dedicated ATF and FBI agents, in partnership with state and local law enforcement officers, we have arrested and charged this safety threat and removed him from the community.”
“If you steal firearms, lie on federal forms, and put weapons in the hands of convicted terrorists, this FBI will find you,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “I want to thank our Norfolk Field Office and partners who continue to work 24/7 to bring to justice those responsible for yesterday’s attack. In the meantime, we continue to keep the victims, their families, and the entire Old Dominion community in our prayers.”
On March 12, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36, committed a shooting at ODU in Norfolk during an Army Reserve Officer’s Training Corp (ROTC) class, killing one victim and wounding two more. Today, law enforcement searched Chapman’s residence and located ammunition consistent with the firearm recovered from the ODU shooting. Chapman allegedly stole the firearm from a vehicle in Newport News one year before the ODU shooting and sold it to Jalloh days before the ODU shooting.
Jalloh was convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia in 2016 of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. As a previously convicted felon, Jalloh could not legally purchase or possess firearms or ammunition.
In addition, according to court documents, in 2021, Chapman allegedly purchased three firearms that were recovered from crime scenes shortly afterward. Two were recovered from the scene of a homicide and another recovered from a drunk in public incident.
If convicted, Chapman faces a maximum penalty of 35 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI’s Norfolk Field Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division are investigating this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Luke Bresnahan and Rebecca Gantt for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Chapman Complaint.pdf Chapman Affidavit.pdfVirginia Man Admits to Identity Theft and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A Henrico, Virginia man has admitted identity theft and money laundering, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
Michael K. Vordjorbe, 30, pled guilty today to aggravated identity theft and transactional money laundering. According to court documents and statements made in court, Vordjorbe worked with others to withdraw funds from accounts at several banks, some in the Northern District of West Virginia, by assuming the identities of the account holders without their knowledge or permission. Once the funds were illegally obtained, Vordjorbe and others would deposit the money into another account to hide the theft. The total amount fraudulent funds obtained totaled $137,000 and total relevant conduct amount of the fraud was between $550,000 and $1.5 million.
Vordjorbe faces up to two years in prison for identity theft and faces up to 10 years for money laundering. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eleanor Hurney is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
Investigative agencies include the FBI; the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations; the U.S. Postal Service, Loudon County, Virginia; and the Stamford, Connecticut Police Department.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Violent Felon Sentenced after Escaping from Federal CustodyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Jackson Williams, 41, of Omaha, Nebraska was sentenced on March 13, 2026, in federal court in Omaha for escaping from federal custody. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr., sentenced Williams to 40 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Williams’s release, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release. Williams was convicted by a federal jury on December 3, 2025.
Williams was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and sentenced to serve a 90-month custodial sentence with the United States Bureau of Prisons followed by three years of supervised release. While housed at United States Penitentiary Florence in Florence, Colorado, Williams applied for a furlough that was approved on December 18, 2024.
The furlough required Williams to sign, date, and place a thumbprint on the document to acknowledge its terms and conditions. One condition required Williams to admit that he remained in the custody of the United States Attorney General. Another condition required Williams to acknowledge that he could be charged with escape if he failed to abide by the explicit instructions provided by the furlough.
The furlough specified that Williams would be transferred from USP Florence in Colorado to Residential Reentry Center Dismas Charities in Omaha. Williams was to travel unaccompanied from Florence, Colorado, to Omaha using public transportation paid for by USP Florence. Once in Omaha, Williams was directed to taxi from the bus terminal to Dismas Charities, but Williams never showed up to Dismas Charities.
On January 10, 2025, USP Florence filed a notice of escape on Williams. According to the notice, Dismas Charities informed USP Florence at 3:14 pm on January 9, 2025, that Williams never reported and that he had not contacted anyone from Dismas or USP Florence about his arrival, and that his whereabouts were unknown.
On July 1, 2025, Deputy United States Marshals investigated a lead that Williams had been spotted near Sienna Francis House in late June 2025. On July 28, 2025, Omaha Police Officers were patrolling the area of 28th and Pinkney streets in Omaha having received information that a wanted federal fugitive was living in the tree line adjacent to a nearby park.
There they observed Williams standing at the northeast corner of the park near a picnic table. When officers approached, Williams acknowledged he was Jackson Williams at which time he was advised that he had an active warrant. He was taken into custody without incident.
Williams had a phone in his hand. On the picnic table in front of him was another phone, a cigarette box, and brown cross-body bag. Williams said everything on the picnic table was his except the bag. Officers searched the bag and found a second pack of cigarettes matching the brand on the picnic table, credit cards, a federal prison identification card with Williams’s name and photo, two small baggies of methamphetamine weighing .5 and .7 grams, and a drug pipe.
This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service with assistance from the Omaha Police Department.
United States Arrests Alleged Tren de Aragua Leader Charged in Chile with Criminal Association, Extortion and Kidnapping Resulting in HomicideRead the Press Release
Venezuelan national and illegal alien Rafael Enrique Gamez Salas, 40, has been arrested at the request of the Government of Chile so that he may be prosecuted on seven charges stemming from his alleged role as a leader of “Los Piratas,” the primary Chilean cell of the Venezuelan transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua (TdA).
Chile accuses Gamez Salas, who was arrested Wednesday, of directing multiple extortions and kidnappings on behalf of TdA, one of which resulted in the highly publicized murder of a former Venezuelan military officer. This arrest brings Gamez Salas, who also has criminal convictions in the United States for human smuggling and illegal reentry after deportation, one step closer to facing justice in Chile after illegally attempting to seek refuge in the United States.
“This illegal alien from Venezuela is an alleged leader of the foreign terrorist organization TdA,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “While in the United States, he was convicted of human smuggling and is accused by Chile of heinous violent crimes. This man is a clear public safety threat and should never have been in this country but reentered the United States illegally under the Biden Administration. The Justice Department, along with our federal and international partners, will continue to put safety and security first.”
“Rafael Enrique Gamez Salas’s arrest for purposes of extradition is evidence of the strong and ongoing cooperation between the United States and our foreign partners to combat transnational crime, dismantle foreign terrorist organizations like Tren de Aragua and hold members accountable for their heinous criminal acts,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The United States is not a safe haven for dangerous criminal aliens. Thanks to the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, which worked extensively with Chilean authorities over the last year to obtain the facts and evidence necessary to initiate these extradition proceedings.”
“Our country must never become a refuge for criminal illegal aliens who are senior members of foreign terrorist organizations,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “We will continue to work closely with our overseas law enforcement partners to ensure this defendant will face justice in a Chilean courtroom.”
Gamez Salas, also known as “Adrian Rafael Gamez Finol” and “Turko,” is accused of overseeing the criminal activities of Los Piratas in Chile. According to Chilean authorities, he planned and coordinated kidnappings, homicides, extortions and other offenses on behalf of the TdA affiliate, which included instructing subordinates to obtain necessary resources to execute the offenses, and ensuring that financial resources generated for Los Piratas were transferred abroad. Chile is seeking Gamez Salas’s extradition so that he may stand trial for one count of criminal association, two counts of extortion, two counts of unjustified firearm discharge, one count of kidnapping resulting in homicide and one count of kidnapping for extortion, arising from separate crimes against multiple victims.
As set forth in the United States’ complaint for provisional arrest with a view toward extradition, Chile alleges, among other things, that Gamez Salas, acting under the supervision of senior TdA leadership, directed and planned the February 2024 kidnapping and murder in Santiago, Chile, of a former Lieutenant in the Venezuelan military.
According to Chile, members of Los Piratas arrived at the victim’s apartment building in the middle of the night armed with firearms and in a car equipped with a blue light in an apparent attempt to impersonate officers of the Chilean Investigative Police. After using a battering ram to force entry into the victim’s apartment, the perpetrators handcuffed the victim and forcibly removed him from the building and into a car.
Around one week later, in response to a tip from a witness, authorities discovered the victim’s body by drilling into the concrete floor of a makeshift dwelling in a housing development elsewhere in Santiago, Chile. The victim’s body was found covered in lime, concealed inside a suitcase, buried in concrete more than three feet deep and sealed beneath a concrete slab.
An autopsy determined that the victim’s cause of death was asphyxia due to hanging, and the victim’s body showed signs of suspension by the upper extremities, lesions consistent with torture and partial postmortem dismemberment. Testimony obtained in the Chilean investigation revealed that the victim’s kidnapping and murder was allegedly ordered by leaders of TdA and directed to be paid for from outside of Chile.
Additionally, in an intercepted conversation, Gamez Salas allegedly told other Los Piratas members that he had been assigned “from above” the task of coordinating and executing the crime.
In support of its other charges against Gamez Salas, Chile also alleges that he played a leading role in an April 2024 deadly armed confrontation that killed a Chilean police officer; February and June 2024 kidnappings for extortion; and a March 2024 attempted kidnapping, among other offenses.
In 2023, Gamez Salas was removed from the United States to Venezuela for having entered the United States illegally. He subsequently illegally reentered the United States and was prosecuted for human smuggling by the Val Verde County District Attorney’s Office in Texas. He was convicted in February 2025, after which he was indicted in the Southern District of Texas for illegally reentering the United States. He pled guilty to the illegal reentry charge in April 2025 and was serving his prison sentence in the Central District of California when he was arrested on the extradition warrant. Gamez Salas is also subject to an order of removal to Venezuela, which does not extradite its own nationals.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Marshals Service executed the provisional arrest warrant by transferring Gamez Salas from Federal Bureau of Prisons custody to its custody in the Central District of California. He appeared on Wednesday for his initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles F. Eick for the Central District of California and was remanded into custody. The extradition matter for Gamez Salas is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Lulejian for the Central District of California and Trial Attorneys Reena T. Mittelman and Ruxandra Barbulescu of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
Previously, in September 2025, the United States extradited to Chile another alleged TdA member, Edgar Javier Benitez Rubio, who was charged in Chile with multiple offenses arising from this same kidnapping and murder of the former Venezuelan Lieutenant. That extradition matter was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
Union County Man Sentenced to More than 10 Years in Federal Prison for Distribution of FentanylRead the Press Release
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Dezmond Tobias Tucker, 31, of Union, has been sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison for distribution of fentanyl.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that in October of 2023, investigators with the Union Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration caught Tucker selling fentanyl pills in an undercover drug purchase. Tucker was previously connected to the sale of fentanyl to a 20-year-old Spartanburg woman who died from a fentanyl overdose in December of 2022. Tucker also forfeited a firearm that was recovered when agents executed a search warrant at the home where he was living in March of 2024.
United States District Judge Jacquelyn D. Austin sentenced Tucker to 131 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Union Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Schoen prosecuted the case.###
U.S. Attorney’s Office Secures $23,500 Settlement on Behalf of Sioux Falls Child with Disability Denied Opportunity to Sing with Children’s Choir at Foreigner ConcertRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that the United States has reached a Settlement Agreement with Counter Productions Inc. to resolve allegations that the company violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) when it denied a Sioux Falls student, a member of the Sioux Falls Children’s Choir who uses a wheelchair, the opportunity to perform with the classic rock band Foreigner during their August 2024 concert in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
As part of the resolution, Counter Productions, Inc. agreed to pay the impacted family a sum of $23,500. In addition to securing monetary relief, the agreement requires Counter Productions Inc. to adopt new ADA compliance measures, including policies for future performances and ADA compliance training for its employees.
Title III of the ADA prohibits places open to the public (such as restaurants, hotels, theaters, and stores) from discriminating against people based on a disability, or their association with someone with a disability, in the full and equal enjoyment of the goods or services offered.
This agreement resolves allegations that staff with Counter Productions, Inc. refused to make reasonable accommodations for a member of the Sioux Falls Children’s Choir who required the use of a wheelchair that would have allowed her to sing along with her friends as part of a special song that Foreigner had planned for the concert. The production company claimed that the concert staging area was too hazardous to permit her participation, despite various options proposed by staff at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center, members of the Sioux Falls Children’s Choir, and the parents of the child. As a result, the child and her family were not allowed to be part of the event.
“I want to make clear that the band Foreigner was not responsible for this unfortunate situation and none of its members were even aware it was happening,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “This was a decision by the production company, and I’m glad it has agreed to this resolution. Most importantly, we are delighted that the Bauman family is now able to put this matter behind them. We have been so impressed by the courage and determination of this young woman, for whom a bright future awaits.”
“We are grateful to the DOJ for its persistence in pursuing this Americans with Disabilities Act case to the point of an agreeable settlement,” said Christa Bauman, on behalf of her daughter and the rest of her the family. “We hope this case helps other people who live with a disability to feel seen, heard, valued and empowered to stand up for themselves.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anne Weyer and Sharla Svennes investigated the underlying complaint and negotiated this resolution in collaboration with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. The claims resolved through the Settlement Agreement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
The ADA was passed on July 26, 1990, over 35 years ago. The Act reaffirmed our nation’s continued commitment to ensuring that people with disabilities have the right to live, work, and fully participate in the community alongside their fellow citizens. More information about the ADA is available at the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA Information line at (800) 514-0301 (voice) or (833)-610-1264 (TTY) and via the ADA website at http://www.ada.gov. ADA complaints may be filed by email to [email protected].
U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 133 Border-Related Cases This WeekRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 133 border-related cases this week, including charges of bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city).
In addition to reactive border-related crimes, the Southern District of California also prosecutes a significant number of proactive cases related to terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking and national security. Recent developments in those and other significant areas of prosecution can be found here.
A sample of border-related arrests this week:
- On March 9, Yu Zou, a U.S. citizen, was arrested and charged with Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain. According to a complaint, Zou applied for admission to the U.S. in the vehicle lanes of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry by presenting false immigration documents on behalf of his passenger. Zou was taken into custody after Customs and Border Protection officers determined the passenger was a citizen of China who was unauthorized to enter the U.S.
- On March 10, Carlos David Lizarraga Santos, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, Customs and Border Protection officers found 41 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in the dash and gas tank of the defendant’s vehicle as he applied for admission to the United States at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
- On March 10, Johan Estuardo Garcia-Grajeda, a citizen of Guatemala, was arrested and charged with Attempted Entry after Deportation. The unauthorized immigrant was arrested by Border Patrol agents in the U.S., about five miles west of the Tecate Port of Entry. He was previously deported in October 2025.
The immigration cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection, 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), with the support and assistance of state and local law enforcement partners.
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Added 250 New Immigration Cases This Week in Western District of TexasRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 250 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from March 6 to March 12, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for violent crimes, sex crimes, numerous DWIs, theft, and multiple prior removals.
Among the new cases, Fredy Alberto Guevara-Maldonado, an illegal alien from Honduras, was arrested near Eagle Pass after allegedly resisting arrest and kicking a U.S. Border Patrol canine in the head. A criminal complaint alleges that Guevara-Maldonado subsequently reached for the USBP canine handler agent’s weapon and forcefully grabbed the agent’s genital area. The Honduran national is charged with assault on a federal officer.
Congo national Stephane Mujinga Elonga was arrested and charged with illegal re-entry in Del Rio. Court documents indicate that Elonga was deported to Canada through Champlain, New York in 2019. He was convicted in 2015 for assault while displaying a dangerous weapon, and in 2016 for both Driving Under the Influence and escape. Elonga allegedly entered the U.S. in January 2023 through Maine.
Convicted felon Rene Lima-Morales, an illegal alien from El Salvador, was arrested by USBP agents near Maverick on March 7. Lima-Morales has been previously removed from the U.S. twice. In 2013, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for aggravated sexual assault. He has also been convicted of burglary of habitation, having a fictitious license plate, burglary of a vehicle, and property theft.
Honduran national Eduardo Henrrique Castron was arrested near Maverick on March 9. He was previously deported to Honduras in June 2025, following a 2023 conviction and four-year prison sentence for second-degree criminal sexual conduct in Wyoming. Henrrique Castron has also been convicted for controlled substance use, domestic violence, and operating a vehicle with a suspended or revoked license.
In the El Paso area, Mexican national Charbel Majluf Vargas-Felix was allegedly found to be the foot guide for a group of five illegal aliens who crossed the Rio Grande River on Tuesday. Using surveillance equipment, a USBP agent observed the group running across Texas Highway 20 nearly two miles west of the Fort Hancock Port of Entry. Vargas-Felix and his group of smuggled aliens were then encountered attempting to conceal themselves inside a water drain. According to a criminal complaint, Vargas-Felix stated that he was to guide the group to a pick-up spot on Interstate Highway 10 and would be paid $200 per illegal alien. He is charged with one count of bringing in and harboring aliens.
Honduran national Santos Gabriel Bustillo-Zelaya aka Santos Gabriel Gonzalez was released from the Bexar County Adult Detention Center on Wednesday and turned over to the custody of ICE Enforcement Removal Operations. He had been jailed in Bexar County for assault causing bodily injury of a family member and possession of a controlled substance. In addition to those offenses, Bustillo-Zelaya’s criminal record includes six prior convictions for improper entry to the U.S. by an alien, one conviction for illegal re-entry, a DWI, and convictions for failure to identify, resisting arrest, and evading arrest.
On March 7, ICE ERO agents in Bexar County arrested Mexican national Sergio Lugo-Rodriguez aka Juan Lugo-Godines during a traffic stop in which he was a passenger. Lugo-Rodriguez was previously removed from the U.S. in 2014, following a 2013 conviction for failing to stop and render aid resulting in injury or death. He was also convicted in 2008 for a DWI in Bexar County.
In Austin, Mexican national Juan Jose Esparza Garcia was charged with illegal re-entry. Esparza Garcia who has three prior removals, was found in the Travis County Jail and has been previously convicted of three DWIs, along with theft and improper entry into the U.S.
Benigno Granados Manzano, also an illegal alien from Mexico, was charged with illegal re-entry in Austin and has three DWI convictions in his criminal record. He was also convicted of improper entry in 2015 and has been previously removed from the U.S. three times.
Mexican national Ivan Perez-Saldana was found in the Travis County Jail, where he was in custody after being convicted of domestic assault causing bodily injury. Perez-Saldana was last removed from the U.S. in 2011, following a conviction for improper entry.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
###
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico Weekly Immigration and Border Crimes ReportRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced its immigration enforcement statistics for this week. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies.
In the one-week period ending March 13, 2026, the United States Attorney’s Office brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico:
- 75 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326)
- 5 individuals were charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324)
- 31 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325)
- 73 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325), violation of a military security regulation (50 U.S.C. 797) and Entering Military, Naval, or Coast Guard Property (18 U.S.C. 1382), arising from the newly established National Defense Area in New Mexico.
Many of the defendants charged pursuant to 8 U.S.C. 1326 had prior criminal convictions for aggravated assault, narcotics trafficking, theft, aggravated DUI, and prior immigration offenses.
In a significant case, during a vehicle stop, a Homeland Security Investigations task force officer located 20 kilograms of methamphetamine, 100 grams of fentanyl, and a loaded Glock .45 caliber pistol in a vehicle driven by Jesus Meza Lopez, a Mexican citizen. Lopez was charged with illegal reentry, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. He will remain in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for March 16, 2026.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
These statistics represent prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico only. The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the District of New Mexico. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The District of New Mexico consists of 33 counties and shares 180 miles of international border with Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from Albuquerque and Las Cruces work directly with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to prosecute immigration-related and other federal offenses.
U.S. Arrests Alleged Tren de Aragua Leader Charged in Chile with Criminal Association, Extortion, and Kidnapping Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Venezuelan national and illegal alien has been arrested at the request of the Government of Chile so that he may be prosecuted on seven charges stemming from his alleged role as a leader of “Los Piratas,” the primary Chilean cell of the Venezuelan transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua (TdA), the Justice Department announced today.
Rafael Enrique Gámez Salas, 40, who was finishing serving a federal prison sentence in San Bernardino County, was arrested by the United States Marshals Service (USMS) and was transferred to USMS custody in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Chile accuses Gámez Salas of directing multiple extortions and kidnappings on behalf of TdA, one of which resulted in the highly publicized murder of a former Venezuelan military officer. This arrest brings Gámez Salas, who also has criminal convictions in the United States for human smuggling and illegal reentry after deportation, one step closer to facing justice in Chile after illegally attempting to seek refuge in the United States.
“Our country must never become a refuge for criminal illegal aliens who are senior members of foreign terrorist organizations,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “We will continue to work closely with our overseas law enforcement partners to ensure this defendant will face justice in a Chilean courtroom.”
“This illegal alien from Venezuela is an alleged leader of the foreign terrorist organization TdA,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “While in the United States, he was convicted of human smuggling and is accused by Chile of heinous violent crimes. This man is a clear public safety threat and should never have been in this country but reentered the United States illegally under the Biden Administration. The Justice Department, along with our federal and international partners, will continue to put safety and security first.”
“Rafael Enrique Gámez Salas’s arrest for purposes of extradition is evidence of the strong and ongoing cooperation between the United States and our foreign partners to combat transnational crime, dismantle foreign terrorist organizations like Tren de Aragua and hold members accountable for their heinous criminal acts,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The United States is not a safe haven for dangerous criminal aliens. Thanks to the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, which worked extensively with Chilean authorities over the last year to obtain the facts and evidence necessary to initiate these extradition proceedings.”
Gámez Salas, also known as “Adrian Rafael Gámez Finol” and “Turko,” is accused of overseeing the criminal activities of Los Piratas in Chile. According to Chilean authorities, he planned and coordinated kidnappings, homicides, extortions and other offenses on behalf of the TdA affiliate, which included instructing subordinates to obtain necessary resources to execute the offenses, and ensuring that financial resources generated for Los Piratas were transferred abroad.
Chile is seeking Gámez Salas’s extradition so that he may stand trial for one count of criminal association, two counts of extortion, two counts of unjustified firearm discharge, one count of kidnapping resulting in homicide and one count of kidnapping for extortion, arising from separate crimes against multiple victims.
As set forth in the United States’ complaint for provisional arrest with a view toward extradition, Chile alleges, among other things, that Gámez Salas, acting under the supervision of senior TdA leadership, directed and planned the February 2024 kidnapping and murder in Santiago, Chile, of a former Lieutenant in the Venezuelan military.
According to Chile, members of Los Piratas arrived at the victim’s apartment building in the middle of the night armed with firearms and in a car equipped with a blue light in an apparent attempt to impersonate officers of the Chilean Investigative Police. After using a battering ram to force entry into the victim’s apartment, the perpetrators handcuffed the victim and forcibly removed him from the building and into a car.
Around one week later, in response to a tip from a witness, authorities discovered the victim’s body by drilling into the concrete floor of a makeshift dwelling in a housing development elsewhere in Santiago. The victim’s body was found covered in lime, concealed inside a suitcase, buried in concrete more than three feet deep and sealed beneath a concrete slab.
An autopsy determined that the victim’s cause of death was asphyxia due to hanging, and the victim’s body showed signs of suspension by the upper extremities, lesions consistent with torture and partial postmortem dismemberment. Testimony obtained in the Chilean investigation revealed that the victim’s kidnapping and murder was allegedly ordered by leaders of TdA and directed to be paid for from outside of Chile.
Additionally, in an intercepted conversation, Gámez Salas allegedly told other Los Piratas members that he had been assigned “from above” the task of coordinating and executing the crime.
In support of its other charges against Gámez Salas, Chile also alleges that he played a leading role in an April 2024 deadly armed confrontation that killed a Chilean police officer; February and June 2024 kidnappings for extortion; and a March 2024 attempted kidnapping, among other offenses.
In 2023, Gámez Salas was removed from the United States to Venezuela for having entered the United States illegally. He subsequently illegally reentered the United States – where he was found in December 2024 – and was prosecuted for human smuggling by the Val Verde County District Attorney’s Office in Texas. He was convicted in February 2025, after which he was indicted in the Southern District of Texas for illegally reentering the United States.
He pleaded guilty to the illegal reentry charge in April 2025 and was serving his prison sentence in the Central District of California when he was arrested on the extradition warrant. Gámez Salas is also subject to an order of removal to Venezuela, which does not extradite its own nationals.
On Wednesday, the United States Marshals Service executed the provisional arrest warrant by transferring Gámez Salas from Federal Bureau of Prisons custody to its custody in the Central District of California. He made his initial appearance on Wednesday for his initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles F. Eick in Los Angeles and was remanded into federal custody.
Assistant United States Attorney John J. Lulejian of the Criminal Division and Justice Department Trial Attorneys Reena T. Mittelman and Ruxandra Barbulescu of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs are handling the Gámez Salas extradition matter.
Previously, in September 2025, the United States extradited to Chile another alleged TdA member, Edgar Javier Benitez Rubio, who was charged in Chile with multiple offenses arising from this same kidnapping and murder of the former Venezuelan Lieutenant. That extradition matter was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
Two Maryland Residents Admit to Drug Trafficking in the Eastern PanhandleRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Two Maryland residents have admitted to selling illegal narcotics in Berkeley County, West Virginia, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
Terrell Antonio Henderson, 34, of Halethorpe, Maryland, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the distribution of cocaine base. According to court records and his plea agreement, Henderson conspired with others to traffic drugs from Baltimore to the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The investigation culminated in a controlled buy at a parking lot in Spring Mills, where law enforcement witnessed the transaction. A subsequent search of Henderson’s vehicle uncovered the buy money, additional drugs, and various drug paraphernalia.
In a separate matter, 31-year-old Elisa Owens of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine, cocaine base, methamphetamine, and fentanyl. Owens acted as a distributor for a trafficking ring operating between Hagerstown and Berkeley County, West Virginia. Following a period of surveillance, officers conducted a traffic stop and a probable cause search of her vehicle, which resulted in the seizure of cocaine.
Henderson and Owens each face up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the cases on behalf of the government.
Investigative agencies include the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the Drug Enforcement Administration, Hagerstown, Maryland; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Maryland State Police; the Hagerstown Police Department; and the Washington County (MD) Sheriff’s Office.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Fentanyl has been designated by President Donald Trump as a weapon of mass destruction due to its extreme lethality which poses a grave threat to public safety, even in trace amounts. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, and repel the invasion of illegal immigration.
Teen Hitmen for Sinaloa Cartel Sentenced to 25 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Two teenage gang members were sentenced in federal court today to 25 years in prison for attempting to murder a target of the Sinaloa Cartel, and for the collateral death of a fellow gang member who was fatally shot during one of the failed murder attempts.
“California Senate Bill 1391 made state prosecutions of 14- and 15-year-olds a practical impossibility regardless of the seriousness of the crime. Then, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Mexican Mafia-affiliated Westside Wilmas recruited accordingly,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon, “No. No to the Sinaloa Cartel recruiting juveniles. No to the Mexican Mafia directing gangland hits in San Diego. No to a lack of consequences for juveniles who would do their bidding.”
“The sentencing of these teenagers sends a clear message: individuals who commit acts of violence, regardless of age, will be held fully accountable under the law,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge TJ Holland of the FBI San Diego Field Office. “The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to identify, dismantle, and eliminate the violent gangs, cartels, and criminal organizations responsible for this violence. FBI San Diego and our law enforcement partners will continue to investigate anyone threatening the safety of our communities, including those who mistakenly believe they can exploit juveniles to carry out violent crimes without consequence.”
In issuing the court’s sentence, U.S. District Judge Todd W. Robinson likewise warned that the Sinaloa Cartel, Mexican Mafia, Westside Wilmas, and similarly situated gangs “need to be put on notice that you don’t get a pass when you have a juvenile commit an offense like this.”
Andrew Nunez and Johncarlo Quintero – who were both 15 at the time of the crimes on March 26 and 27, 2024 – pleaded guilty in December 2025 to murder and attempted murder charges, admitting they were acting as hired hitmen for the Sinaloa Cartel when they made two attempts in five hours to kill the cartel’s target.
Nunez and Quintero were members of the Mexican Mafia-affiliated Westside Wilmas gang from the greater Los Angeles area. They drove from Wilmington, California to a Chili’s restaurant in Chula Vista, where their target was dining with his family.
The target and his family were leaving the Chili’s restaurant when Quintero and Nunez pulled up behind them in the parking lot. Quintero got out of the car and fired a single bullet that struck the victim’s legs. After that single shot, Quintero’s firearm jammed, and he was unable to unjam the weapon in time to shoot again. Quintero got back into the car Nunez was driving, and Nunez attempted unsuccessfully to hit and kill the intended victim with the vehicle. The teen gunmen then fled the scene.
Later that night, in the early hours of March 27, 2024, the teen hitmen showed up at the intended victim’s home to finish the job. They were joined this time by an older accomplice, 28-year-old Ricardo Sanchez. Nunez and Quintero each expected to be paid approximately $50,000. The trio approached the target’s home, carrying at least one firearm apiece.
Two family members and a friend of the intended victim were present in the home. Sanchez banged on the front door, and once the friend responded, Quintero and Nunez shot at the friend and fired indiscriminately at the family home. According to the plea agreements, Nunez and Quintero acted with the intent of ending the life of the friend and anyone within the kill zone they created in targeting the intended victim.
The friend was shot in the hand, arm, and face by Quintero and Nunez, but he survived. In response to Quintero and Nunez’s actions, the friend shot toward Nunez, Quintero and Sanchez to protect himself and the others within the home and, in so doing, he shot and killed Sanchez—a provocative-act murder to which Nunez and Quintero pleaded guilty. After that, the hitmen fled the scene.
The defendants admitted they were tapped to murder the cartel’s target because they were minors and, specifically, only 15 at the time. According to admissions in their plea agreements, the defendants knew—if apprehended for this conduct—that they were ineligible to be transferred to adult status under the laws of the State of California because they were under the age of 16 at the time of the offense. For example, among other discussions Nunez had with his co-defendant after being arrested, Nunez and Quintero talked about not being able to “catch a…707” because of their age at the time, which referred to not being subject to adult transfer under California Welfare & Institutions Code Section 707.
In February 2026, a federal grand jury indicted alleged Sinaloa Cartel associates Poly Antunez, Antonio Quinones, and Jovanny Enriquez for conspiring with the teens to execute the cartel target. The 15-year-olds were thought to be too young for serious legal consequences. That indictment charged the defendants with Conspiracy to Commit Murder in Aid of Racketeering, Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Aid of Racketeering, Conspiracy to Commit Murder for Hire, and Use of Interstate Facilities in Commission of Murder for Hire. That related case, Case Number 26cr402-TWR, is pending.
These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Goff, Peter Horn and Joshua Mellor.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 25cr4822-TWR
Andrew Nunez
aka “Shooter,” aka “Felon” Age: 16 Wilmington, CA
Johncarlo Quintero Age: 17 Wilmington, CA
aka “Dumper”
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Attempted Murder in Aid of Racketeering (Title 18, U.S.C., Secs. 1959(a)(5) and 2)
Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison, $250,000 fine
Murder in Aid of Racketeering (Title 18, U.S.C., Secs. 1959(a)(1) and 2).
Maximum penalty: Life in prison; $250,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Chula Vista Police Department
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
United States Marshals Service
California Highway Patrol
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF San Diego comprises agents and officers from FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals, Department of Defense, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Interpol, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
Teen Gets 10 Years in Prison for October 2024 Armed CarjackingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Eric Woods, 18, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today for an armed carjacking of a man in October 2024, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Woods, who was 17 years old when he committed the carjacking and who was charged as an adult pursuant to Title 16, pleaded guilty on June 30, 2025, to one count of armed carjacking and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
The Honorable Judge Robert Salerno sentenced Woods to 10 years in prison for the armed carjacking followed by 5 years of supervised release, and a concurrent sentence of 5 years in prison for the possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. Judge Salerno denied Woods’ request to be sentenced pursuant to the Youth Rehabilitation Act.
According to the government’s evidence, at 1:33 a.m. on October 11, 2024, Woods and a second suspect were driving a black sedan near Hanover Place and North Capitol Street NW when they spotted the victim sitting inside a Hyundai Elantra. Woods drove in front of the victim’s car and exited the black sedan to approach the victim with an assault rifle-style firearm. Woods demanded the victim get out of the car, removed a garage remote from the victim’s pockets, and got into the victim’s car. Woods drove away in the victim’s vehicle while the second suspect drove away in the black sedan.
The victim and a relative were able to track the vehicle shortly thereafter and called 911. Members of Metropolitan Police Department’s 6th and 7th Districts, with the assistance of MPD’s Air Support Unit, were able to track the vehicle, which had stopped in front of 2719 Jasper Street SE. Woods and another individual bailed out of the stolen vehicle and fled on foot. After bailing out of the vehicle, Defendant Woods threw what was ultimately determined to be a loaded black .22 caliber Smith & Wesson M&P Sport 15-22 semi-automatic rifle into a nearby trash can. Officers located Woods and found him in possession of a black balaclava mask, black beanie, a Dodge car key, and a Hyundai car key, which belonged to the victim. Woods was arrested the same day and has been in custody since.
Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery W. Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Interim Chief Carroll thanked those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Goldstein, who prosecuted the case.
Tallahassee Man Receives 10 Years in Prison for Trafficking MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Paul Anthony Hart, 42, of Tallahassee, Florida, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, consecutive to an existing Georgia sentence for trafficking in cocaine. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “The citizens of the Northern District of Florida deserve safe, drug-free streets, and President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Bondi launched Operation Take Back America to devote the full might of the Department of Justice toward dismantling the drug trafficking networks that have plagued our communities for far too long. I am proud to continue delivering on that promise with yet another successful prosecution and lengthy prison sentence for this peddler of poisonous drugs.”
Court documents reflect that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had been investigating the defendant’s methamphetamine trafficking activity. On April 2, 2025, DEA observed the defendant traveling from Dothan, Alabama into Tallahassee, Florida. The Leon County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on the defendant’s vehicle to arrest him for an active warrant out of Georgia. During the traffic stop, deputies found over 100 grams of methamphetamine, along with a set of digital scales.
“Trafficking methamphetamine in the Pan Handle continues to be an all too frequent occurrence,” said Drug Enforcement Administration Tampa Field Division Special Agent in Charge Daniel Escobar. “I’m proud of our agents and law enforcement partners with Leon County Sheriff’s Office for bringing this criminal to justice.”
The case involved an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Leon County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Smithfield man charged with illegally selling the firearm used in the campus shooting at Old Dominion UniversityRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Kenya Mcchell Chapman, 32, of Smithfield, appeared in federal court today and was charged by criminal complaint with dealing in firearms without a license in connection with the March 12 shooting at Old Dominion University, and with three counts of making false statements during purchases of firearms. View complaint here. View affidavit here.
On March 12, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36, committed a shooting at Old Dominion University (ODU) in Norfolk during an Army Reserve Officer’s Training Corp (ROTC) class, killing one victim and wounding two more. Today, law enforcement searched Chapman’s residence and located ammunition consistent with the firearm recovered from the ODU shooting. Chapman allegedly stole the firearm from a vehicle in Newport News one year before the ODU shooting and sold it to Jalloh days before the ODU shooting.
Jalloh was convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia in 2016 of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. As a previously convicted felon, Jalloh could not legally purchase or possess firearms or ammunition.
In addition, according to court documents, in 2021, Chapman allegedly purchased three firearms that were recovered from crime scenes shortly afterward. Two were recovered from the scene of a homicide and another recovered from a drunk in public incident.
If convicted, Chapman faces up to 35 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI’s Norfolk Field Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division are investigating this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Luke Bresnahan and Rebecca Gantt are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:26-mj-74.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Sex offender sentenced to prison after found in possession of child pornographyRead the Press Release
TOPEKA, KAN. – A previously convicted sex offender was sentenced to 137 months in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) while he was on supervised release for similar offenses.According to court documents, Michael Pinkerton, 48, of Topeka pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor – possession of child pornography.
In September 2010, a U.S. District Court judge in the Western District of Missouri sentenced Pinkerton to 120 months in prison followed by 60 months of supervised release after convictions for attempted receipt of child pornography and attempted possession of child of pornography.
In April 2024, while Pinkerton was living in Kansas on supervised release, two U.S Probation Office officers went to his home in Topeka. They observed Pinkerton attempting to hide something and asked him what it was. Pinkerton admitted to having an unauthorized smartphone that contained saved images of CSAM. Investigators later confirmed the phone contained CSAM.
“After child sex offenders complete their prison sentences, tools like supervised release and registries are used to monitor them and try to keep our communities safe from deviant behavior. These mechanisms worked in this case thanks to the proactive work of our probation officers,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Probation Office, and Topeka Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Walton prosecuted the case.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.###
Saline County man sentenced to 9 years for receiving child sexual abuse materialRead the Press Release
BENTON, Ill. – A district judge sentenced a Saline County man to 9 years’ imprisonment after he admitted to receiving child sexual abuse material.
James Troy Martin, 51, of Carrier Mills, pleaded guilty to two counts of receipt of child pornography.
“These are not just images. They are real children enduring horrific acts of sexual abuse and exploitation. Every download, share, or receipt of child pornography revictimizes those innocent children, prolonging their trauma and fueling a marketplace built on their suffering,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “Those who participate in this trade are complicit in the ongoing rape and torment of kids who deserve protection, not the perpetuation of their victimization.”
According to court documents, Martin received at least two images of child sexual abuse material depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct in Saline County between February and April 2024.
“This sentencing sends a clear message: those who exploit children by receiving child sexual abuse material will be held accountable,” said HSI Chicago Special Agent in Charge, Matthew Scarpino. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting children and pursuing justice for victims. HSI will continue to work with our partners to ensure offenders face the consequences of their actions.”
Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Sanders prosecuted the case.
Port Charlotte Man Sentenced to 24 Years for Producing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Tyler Kuhn (30, Port Charlotte) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven to 24 years in federal prison for producing child sexual abuse material. Kuhn pleaded guilty in December 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, in October 2019, Kuhn engaged in an online conversation with another individual. During the conversation, Kuhn produced a video and image of child sexual abuse material involving himself and a toddler. Kuhn distributed this video and image over the internet, to the individual to whom he was speaking.
This case was investigated by the FBI – Tampa and Houston Field Offices, and the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Omaha Man Sentenced to 235 Months for Fentanyl Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Duane Walker, Jr., 29, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on March 12, 2026, in federal court in Omaha for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr., sentenced Walker Jr. to 235 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Walker’s release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release.
In November 2024, an FBI task force began investigating Walker as a fentanyl pill dealer in Omaha. In January 2025, law enforcement facilitated purchases of fentanyl pills from Walker three times. On February 3, 2025, investigators seized a USPS package destined for an address in Omaha, which was later determined to belong to Walker’s grandmother. Investigators searched the package pursuant to a warrant and found almost 5,000 fentanyl pills inside. Walker was arrested on an unrelated warrant with a backpack containing $49,688 in cash.
A postal inspector determined the package was mailed from Seattle by co-defendant Alvin Mitchell. Postal records uncovered seven earlier packages that were mailed from Seattle to the same address in Omaha dating back to October 2024. Cell phone evidence secured pursuant to search warrants uncovered text message conversation between Walker and Mitchell about the packages. At sentencing, Walker was held responsible for a drug weight equivalent to approximately 29,000 fentanyl pills based off the weights of the earlier packages.
Mitchell, 38, of Seattle, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison at sentencing, scheduled for March 20, 2026. The cash seized from Walker will be forfeited to the United States as proceeds of drug trafficking.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Omaha Police Department, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Ohio Man Indicted for Possessing Contraband in PrisonRead the Press Release
SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Sharion Motley-Lipscomb, age 29, of Cleveland, Ohio, was indicted on March 10, 2026, by a federal grand jury on one count of possessing contraband in prison.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, the indictment alleges that Motley-Lipscomb, an inmate at Federal Correctional Institute Schuylkill, possessed a weapon, specifically a four-inch piece of plexi-glass sharpened to a point with a cloth handle on January 17, 2016, in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.
The Bureau of Prisons and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney James M. Buchanan is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 5 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following the finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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New Orleans Lawyer Indicted for Defrauding Client’s FamilyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On Friday, March 13, 2026, a Federal Grand Jury indicted TANZANIKA RUFFIN (“RUFFIN”), age 48, for wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
According to the indictment, RUFFIN defrauded approximately $250,000 from her clients’ family. RUFFIN made numerous misrepresentations to the family regarding the $250,000. RUFFIN falsely told her client and his family that they had to compensate a New Orleans Police Department (“NOPD”) officer for various fictitious injuries and harms that the officer had allegedly suffered. RUFFIN also falsely represented that she had confected a “Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement” (“NDA”) with the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office and the NOPD officer. According to RUFFIN, this fabricated NDA required her client’s family to keep confidential any discussions about a financial settlement. In truth and in fact, no such NDA existed. Instead, RUFFIN spent all the money on personal and unauthorized expenditures and did not give any funds to the NOPD officer.
If convicted, RUFFIN faces a maximum penalty of twenty (20) years of imprisonment, up to three (3) years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and payment of a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. United States Attorney David I. Courcelle of the Eastern District of Louisiana and Assistant United States Attorney Maria M. Carboni of the Public Integrity Unit are in charge of the prosecution.
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New Britain Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking CocaineRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that ELI SAMUEL O’FARRILL-FERNANDEZ, also known as “Maple,” 48, of New Britain, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 120 months of imprisonment and five years of supervised release for trafficking cocaine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2024, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and New Britain Police Department investigated a drug trafficking organization, headed by Wilfredo Ortiz, that was operating out of Supreme Automotive, a car dealership located on Main Street in New Britain. The investigation included the use of court-authorized wiretaps, physical and electronic surveillance, and several controlled purchases of narcotics, primarily cocaine, from Ortiz and other members of the conspiracy.
Investigators identified O’Farrill-Fernandez as a supplier of cocaine to Ortiz. On September 24, 2024, O’Farrill-Fernandez supplied Ortiz with approximately two kilograms of cocaine, and on October 12, 2024, he delivered four kilograms of cocaine to Ortiz at Supreme Automotive.
O’Farrill-Fernandez, Ortiz, and other members of this drug trafficking organization were arrested on November 14, 2024. In association with the arrests, investigators conducted court authorized searches of Supreme Automotive and residences and other locations connected to the organization and seized more than five kilograms of cocaine, more than 200 grams of fentanyl, approximately 30 grams of heroin, a kilogram press, seven firearms, ammunition, approximately $75,000 in cash, and 26 vehicles. A search of O’Farrill-Fernandez’s residence on Maple Street revealed numerous items used to process and package narcotics, including multiple metal press plates used for pressing narcotics into kilogram size bricks.
O’Farrill has been detained since his arrest. On November 17, 2025, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.
Wilfredo Ortiz pleaded guilty to the same charge and, on March 9, 2026, was sentenced to 135 months of imprisonment.
This investigation has been conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Connecticut State Police, the Connecticut Department of Correction, the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles Police, and the New Britain, Hartford, West Hartford, Waterbury, Naugatuck, East Hartford, Brookfield, Milford, Norwich, Orange, North Haven, Meriden, Berlin, and Manchester Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Freismuth, Reed Durham, and David Nelson.
Murder investigation leads to federal drug trafficking and firearms chargesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 49-year-old Houston resident is now facing federal charges for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Johna Robinson has now been taken into federal custody.
He is set to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina A. Bryan March 16.
According to allegations in the criminal complaint filed under seal Feb. 27 and unsealed upon the arrest of Robinson, authorities were conducting a murder investigation Feb. 24 at a Houston apartment complex where a victim was found shot to death. Per the criminal complaint, a vehicle linked to Robinson had been used in the shooting.
Law enforcement located Robinson at a nearby residence and observed him entering and exiting the location several times before departing in a different vehicle, according to the complaint. Court documents show authorities conducted a stop after Robinson committed a traffic violation. At that time, they allegedly discovered a loaded Taurus .38-caliber revolver in his waistband.
The criminal complaint further alleges Robinson has prior federal convictions for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances in the Northern District of Florida and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine in the Southern District of Texas. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition per federal law, according to court documents.
The investigation also revealed law enforcement had allegedly encountered Robinson during a traffic stop in July 2025. Robinson fled the scene, but authorities soon took him into custody, according to the charging document. A search of his vehicle allegedly yielded a plastic bag in the rear passenger floorboard area containing 972.8 grams of methamphetamine.
The criminal complaint states that the drugs were intended to be used to press pills, a method commonly associated with the manufacture of counterfeit pharmaceuticals. Authorities also allegedly discovered communications involving Robinson related to drug trafficking.
If convicted, Robinson faces up to life in federal prison if convicted of the drug offense with a mandatory minimum of 25 years and a possible $20 million maximum fine. He could also receive up to 15 years and a possible $250,000 maximum fine on the firearm charge.
The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of Houston Police Department; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron H. Black is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Mexican illegal alien and convicted felon both face federal charges after Norcross drug bustsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Benjamin Alberto Lozoya, a convicted felon, and Arturo Carreno-Rivera, an illegal alien from Mexico, face federal charges after law enforcement seized at least 30 pounds of fentanyl, 10 pounds of methamphetamine, and two loaded firearms in drug trafficking operations in Norcross, Georgia this week.
“The defendants conducted their alleged narcotics trafficking in public with no fear of being caught,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “These arrests and charges send yet another strong message to the methamphetamine and fentanyl traffickers operating in our communities: we work in lockstep with our law enforcement partners to take your deadly drugs off the street and prosecute you in federal court.”
“Fentanyl and methamphetamine destroy lives, and those who traffic these drugs while carrying firearms put entire communities at risk,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Through the DEA’s Fentanyl Free America Campaign, we will continue to pursue and dismantle the networks responsible for distributing these deadly substances.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On the afternoon of March 11, 2026, DEA agents observed Benjamin Alberto Lozoya allegedly sell over four pounds of methamphetamine to an individual in a Norcross, Georgia parking lot. Agents then followed Lozoya to a trailer residence a short distance away. While watching the area, agents observed Lozoya exit a nearby shed, walk to another suspected drug transaction, and deliver approximately $11,000 in cash to a waiting vehicle. Agents quickly arrested Lozoya and found a stolen loaded handgun in his pocket and approximately six pounds of methamphetamine in his backpack. Agents searched the shed and found over 18 pounds of fentanyl in the form of purple bricks, as well as about 25 pounds of a white crystalline substance that was consistent in appearance with methamphetamine.
The investigation revealed that Lozoya was previously convicted in DeKalb County Superior Court in April 2023 of drug distribution, possessing a firearm or knife during the commission of a felony, and evidence tampering.
That same afternoon, DEA agents observed Arturo Carreno-Rivera allegedly conduct a suspected drug transaction with an individual at a Norcross gas station. A short time later, a Georgia State Patrol trooper conducted a traffic stop of Carreno-Rivera’s car on Buford Highway in Norcross. During a search of the vehicle, law enforcement found over a pound of fentanyl. DEA agents subsequently executed a search warrant atCarreno-Rivera’s Norcross residence, where they located an additional 11 pounds of fentanyl and a loaded semi-automatic handgun.
The investigation revealed that Carreno-Rivera is a Mexican national with no legal status in the United States.
Benjamin Alberto Lozoya, 27, of Chamblee, Georgia, and Arturo Carreno-Rivera, 45, of Mexico, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Elizabeth McBath earlier today on criminal complaints charging them with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine (Lozoya) and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl (Carreno-Rivera).
Members of the public are reminded that the criminal complaints only contain charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with valuable assistance provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Gwinnett County Police Department, and the Georgia State Patrol.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas M. Forsyth, III, Johnny Baer, and Bernard Eyth are prosecuting the cases.
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.
These prosecutions are also part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. The Atlanta Wilhelm HSTF comprises agents and officers from ATF, CGIS, DEA, FBI, ICE-HSI, IRS-CI, DOL-OIG, DSS, USMS, USPIS, and USSS, as well as numerous state and local agencies, with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Mexican National with Multiple Felony Convictions Charged for Illegally Reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Mexican national who has multiple drug-related felony convictions made his initial court appearance Thursday to face charges of illegally reentering the United States after previously being removed from the country.
Elvin Francisco De La Rosa-Alvarez is charged with one-count of deported alien found in the United States. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 26, 2026, before United States Magistrate Judge Nancy J. Koppe.
According to allegations contained in the criminal complaint and statements made during court proceedings, De La Rosa-Alvarez is a citizen and national of Mexico who was previously deported on June 13, 2013, and reentered the United States illegally.
On February 25, 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Fugitive Operations Team took De La Rosa-Alvarez into custody after he was encountered in Las Vegas, Nevada. De La Rosa-Alvarez has two separate drug trafficking convictions from 2010, one from Mineral County, Nevada and a second from Clark County, Nevada. De La Rosa-Alvarez was also convicted in 2022 in the Eighth Judicial District Court, Clark County, Nevada, for Conspiracy to Violate Uniform Controlled Substance Act, and High-Level Possession of Controlled Substance. On February 9, 2022, De La Rosa-Alvarez was sentenced to 24 to 60 months in custody and ordered to self-surrender on February 11, 2022. De La Rosa-Alvarez failed to surrender and there is an active warrant for his arrest in that case.
If convicted, De La Rosa-Alvarez faces the maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison, a three-year term of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Salt Lake City Acting Field Office Director Ruben Levya made the announcement.
The ICE Salt Lake City, Las Vegas Sub-Office investigated the case; and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada is prosecuting the case.
Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
A complaint is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Mexican Firearms Smuggler Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison, $15,000 Fine in Del RioRead the Press Release
DEL RIO, Texas – A Mexican national was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 180 months in prison for conspiracy to traffic firearms, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.
According to court documents, Jose De La Cruz-Cardoza, 52, of Piedras Negras, provided a negative declaration for firearms, ammunition, or currency over $10,000, during an outbound inspection at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry on July 12, 2025. A Customs and Border Protection search of his vehicle revealed eight handguns and 19 magazines.
USA v. Hernandez-Nino et. al. Case 2:25cr1979Cruz-Cardoza stated he would be paid between $150 and $200 for each firearm he smuggled to Mexico. He further stated that he had smuggled firearms to Mexico on approximately 10-12 previous occasions. Cruz-Cardoza pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to traffic firearms in September.
On July 16, 2025, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, together with the San Antonio Police Department and ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, executed a search warrant for the San Antonio residence of co-conspirator and illegal alien Reymundo Hernandez-Nino. A total of 24 firearms were immediately recovered, to include handguns, AR-15 style assault rifles, and a shotgun. ATF also recovered more than 4,000 rounds of ammunition from the residence and multiple sets of body armor. Based on other evidence obtained during the investigation, ATF determined that the weapon, ammunition and accessories were bound for a Mexican drug cartel.
USA v. Hernandez-Nino et. al. Case 2:25cr1979“My office remains committed to prosecuting the most serious criminal conspiracies, particularly those benefiting Mexican drug cartels,” said U.S. Attorney Simmons. “Great things happen when aggressive prosecutors are combined with federal law enforcement agencies determined to disrupt and ultimately dismantle criminal organizations without concern for which agency ultimately gets the credit. This case is the model for how a Homeland Security Task Force should work.”
"The illegal trafficking of firearms to Mexico directly fuels cartel violence and threatens the safety and communities on both sides of the border,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Michael Weddel. “ATF remains committed to working with our federal, state, local, and international partners to identify and disrupt firearms trafficking networks and hold those responsible, accountable.”
Co-defendant Francisco Cardoza Jr. pleaded guilty in October to one count of conspiracy to traffic firearms and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 23. Edgar Josue Montelongo-Loera pleaded guilty to the same charge on Feb. 23 and is pending a sentence hearing. Hernandez-Nino and Kenia Lizbeth Montelongo both pleaded guilty to two counts each on Feb. 26 and are awaiting sentencing.
ATF and ICE are investigating the case with assistance from state and local partners.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Miner is prosecuting the case.
This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America. HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal 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.
USA v. Hernandez-Nino et. al. Case 2:25cr1979 Additional La Santa Muerte (Saint Death) statues inside Reymundo Hernandez-Nino’s San Antonio residence, where law enforcement executed a search warrant on July 16, 2025. La Santa Muerte is a spiritual icon found among members of various Mexican drug cartels.###
Mescalero Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Mescalero man pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual acts with a minor.
According to court documents, between December 2019, and February 2021, Deverne Torres, Jr., 45, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, performed multiple sex acts with Jane Doe, a minor who had not attained the age of 16.
Torres pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor. At sentencing he faces up to 15 years in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorneys and Tanisha V. Henson and Kirk Williams are prosecuting the case.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is seeking other potential victims of Torres. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Bureau of Indian Affairs at (575) 464-4479.
Memphis Woman Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison on Gun and Methamphetamine Distribution ChargesRead the Press Release
U.S. District Judge Jonathan E. Hawley sentenced 30-year-old Kristain Harris, of Memphis, Tennessee, to 120 months imprisonment on each of three counts of distribution of 50 or more grams of methamphetamine (“ice”) and one count of distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine (“ice”), all to be served concurrently. She must also serve five years of supervised release.
At the sentencing hearing on March 10, 2026, the government presented information that beginning in June 2024, a confidential informant with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) purchased methamphetamine from Harris in Peoria, Illinois. Unbeknownst to Harris, each of the purchases was recorded. In total, ATF purchased a total of 597.7 grams of ice methamphetamine from Harris. During one of the purchases, Harris also sold a 9 mm pistol to the confidential informant. Harris was indicted in September 2024 and pleaded guilty in October 2025.
The statutory penalties for distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine are a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life imprisonment, followed by a minimum five-year term of supervised release. Distribution of five grams or more of methamphetamine requires a mandatory minimum sentence of imprisonment of five to 40 years’ imprisonment, followed by a minimum four-year term of supervised release.
The Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force, comprised of agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Peoria Police Department; the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department; Illinois Department of Corrections; and the Illinois State Police, investigated the case. Criminal Chief Darilynn J. Knauss represented the government in the prosecution.
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.
Massachusetts Man Arrested and Charged with Making ThreatsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Massachusetts man has been arrested and charged with making threats in interstate commerce.
Alden Welch Ruml, 26, was charged with one count of transmitting in interstate commerce a threat to injure the person of another. Ruml will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston later today.
According to the indictment, on Feb. 28, 2026, Ruml allegedly sent an email to the victim’s email account. In that email, Ruml is alleged to have referred to the victim in obscene terms and stated that he would be “happy” when her face is “canoed by an assault rifle.”
The charge of transmitting in interstate commerce a threat to injure the person of another provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Looney 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.
Man with History of Violence Who Threated Two People with a Loaded Firearm Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Capri Rogers, age 37, from Alexandria Virginia, was sentenced today to more than 7 years in federal prison, after pleading guilty on October 1, 2025, to possession of a firearm by a felon.
Evidence in the case revealed on July 4, 2025, law enforcement responded to a report of harassment and that the subject had a firearm. Rogers had approached two women who were riding bicycles and threatened them with the firearm. Later in the day, law enforcement located Rogers. Rogers denied any knowledge of the incident and fled on foot from the officer, dropping a firearm in the street as he ran. A child was within feet of the weapon when it struck the pavement. Rogers was taken into custody.
Rogers’ criminal history includes two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon in 2022, an assault and battery of a family member in 2016, the use of a firearm in a robbery in 2008, and a robbery in 2008. At the sentencing hearing, evidence showed that during the 2022 firearm offense Rogers had actually used the firearm to subject a live-in girlfriend to prolonged abuse.
Rogers was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 90 months’ imprisonment. Judge Strand described Rodgers’ conduct relating to the 2022 firearms offense as “sadistic.” Rogers must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
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.
Rogers is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was investigated by the Sioux City, Iowa Police Department and the United States Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF). This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-4043.
Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Man Federally Charged with Assaulting Officers at Dallas Love Field Security CheckpointRead the Press Release
A man has been federally charged with assaulting a federal officer at Dallas Love Field Airport after he punched two TSA officers and seriously injured a Dallas police officer while attempting to proceed through security without identification, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.
According to a federal complaint filed on Wednesday this week, Idress Vinay Solomon, 33, of Oakland, California, was ticketed for a Southwest Airlines flight to the Oakland International Airport in California on March 10, 2026. Solomon approached the security checkpoint at Dallas Love Field Airport without any identification. A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer directed Solomon to a different lane so that TSA could attempt to properly identify Solomon using TSA’s ConfirmID process. When the process failed to verify Solomon’s identity, Solomon allegedly became verbally disruptive and aggressive.
“Violent conduct perpetrated against TSA and law enforcement officers will never be tolerated in the Northern District of Texas,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “We will prosecute such offenses to the fullest extent to seek justice for the victims here and to deter others from resorting to aggressive attacks against officers responsible for ensuring the public’s safety while traveling.”
The complaint alleges that after the TSA officer called for a supervisor because of Solomon’s escalating behavior, Solomon punched him in the back of the neck. Dallas Police Department officers were present in the main lobby and responded to the disturbance to assist TSA. Solomon then allegedly punched one of the Dallas Police Department officers multiple times in the face, causing a serious orbital blowout fracture to his left eye that required him to seek treatment from an ophthalmologist at Parkland Hospital.As alleged in the complaint, Solomon next punched a second TSA officer multiple times before additional Dallas Police Department officers subdued Solomon. Surveillance video at Dallas Love Field captured Solomon’s alleged assaults of the officers, as depicted below in still shots from the video:
Solomon was eventually handcuffed and arrested. As a uniformed Dallas Police Department officer attempted to put Solomon into a police vehicle, Solomon deliberately spit saliva onto the officer’s right arm, according to the complaint. Throughout the incident, Solomon allegedly refused to follow lawful verbal commands and continued to yell and pull away from officers even after he was handcuffed.If convicted, Solomon faces a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison for the charge of forcibly assaulting a federal officer and inflicting bodily injury. Solomon remains in custody pending further court proceedings.
TSA, the FBI, and DPD conducted the investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas is prosecuting the case.
A complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Lewiston Man Sentenced to Fifteen Years in Prison for Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a ChildRead the Press Release
COEUR D’ALENE – Michael Benjamin Hendren, 35, of Lewiston, Idaho, was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison for attempted sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today.
According to court records, as part of their efforts to combat exploitation of children online, investigators with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) in Colorado ran undercover profiles pretending to be minors on a social media application in May of 2024. A user, later identified as Hendren, initiated contact with two separate undercover investigators at JCSO during this time. In both conversations, Hendren repeatedly solicited sexually explicit materials from the purported minors and sent them sexually explicit images of himself.
The same month, Hendren chatted on the same social media application with an investigator from the Evesham Township Police Department in New Jersey, who also maintained an undercover social media profile on the application to combat online child exploitation. In that chat, Hendren again attempted to persuade the purported minor to produce sexually explicit materials for him.
Hendren chatted with a fourth user, who was not an uncover law enforcement officer, on the same social media application. Hendren sent sexually explicit images of himself and attempted to persuade the user to produce sexually explicit images for him.
Following a thorough investigation, law enforcement identified the fourth user as a fifteen-year-old girl. They discovered that Hendren had engaged in sexually explicit conversations with several other purported children on the online messaging application.
Chief United States District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford ordered that Hendren be placed on supervised release for 10 years following completion of his prison sentence. Hendren will be required to register as a sex offender because of this conviction.
U.S. Attorney Davis commended the collaboration of the Lewiston Police Department, the Idaho State Police, the Moscow Police Department, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the Evesham Township Police Department, the Nez Perce County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which led to the charges. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Johnson and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney April Smith prosecuted this 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. As part of Project Safe Childhood, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the Idaho Attorney General’s Office partner to marshal 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.
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Lehigh County Man Who Defrauded Victims of Nearly $2 Million Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Chinedu Ekuma, 45, of Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison, two years of supervised release, a $10,000 fine, and $1,751,968 in restitution by United States District Judge John M. Gallagher yesterday for carrying out a scheme that defrauded victims of nearly $2 million through various internet scams.
The defendant was charged by information and pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud in November of last year.
As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, from about August 2020 through March 2023, Ekuma was part of a scheme to defraud victims and to obtain money and property of these victims by materially false pretenses, representations, and promises. The victims were individuals and businesses that intended to make payments to businesses and individuals for personal and/or business reasons. Several of the victims were led to believe their money was being used for investment opportunities (which turned out to be nonexistent) and several more were victims of romance/friendship scams.
Ekuma owned entities called Intelaris Solutions, LLC (“Intelaris Solutions”) and Verge Capital (“Verge Capital”), and opened several bank accounts in the name of these entities.
He and others caused the fraud victims to send payments to the Intelaris Solutions and Verge Capital bank accounts, by falsely representing to the victims that those accounts were associated with the businesses and individuals who the victims intended to pay, when, in fact, the Intelaris Solutions and Verge Capital bank accounts were controlled by Ekuma, and Intelaris Solutions and Verge Capital had no legitimate relationship with any of the victims. After the fraud proceeds were received into the Intelaris Solutions and Verge Capital bank accounts, Ekuma transferred most of the fraud proceeds to other co-schemers and retained other amounts of the fraud proceeds for himself.
As part of the scheme, the defendant and co-schemers created, or caused the creation of, fraudulent documentation that falsely represented that Intelaris Solutions and Verge Capital were entitled to payments from the victims.
In total, the scheme resulted in victims losing over $1.75 million and attempted to cause an additional approximately $650,000 in losses.
This case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Allentown Resident Agency and IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Francis A. Weber.
Lame Deer man sentenced to 12 years in prison for assaulting federal officers on the Northern Cheyenne Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A Lame Deer man who assaulted federal officers on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 150 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.
Caleb Raymond Carter, 40, was found guilty at a December 2025 trial of two counts of assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon, and one count of use of a firearm during or in relation to a crime of violence.
U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.
The government alleged in court documents and at trial that John Does 1 and 2 are federal law enforcement officers employed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. On May 2, 2025, John Doe 1 responded to a 911 call in Lame Deer. The caller, Jane Doe, advised Carter was drunk and was yelling at her mother, causing her to fear for her mother’s safety. By the time Doe 1 responded, the disturbance had subsided. Doe 1 contacted Jane Doe and her brother and confirmed they were safe. He instructed Jane Doe to call 911 again if there were any other issues. He cleared the residence.
Later the same day, Jane Doe called 911 again to report Carter had woken up and was “yelling around.” Again, Jane Doe expressed concern for her family’s physical safety. She also advised Carter may be armed with a firearm. John Does 1 and 2 responded to the residence in separate, marked patrol vehicles. Both officers activated their emergency lights and parked at the northeast corner of the property.
They approached a camper trailer on the property Carter had been using as a bedroom but no one responded to their knock on the door or their announcement that they were BIA police.
John Doe 1 proceeded to the nearby residence and was greeted at the door by Jane Doe’s brother. As he was speaking with the brother, Doe 1 heard a loud bang that he immediately recognized as a gunshot. Both Doe 1 and Doe 2 drew their duty weapons and retreated from the door. They advised dispatch that shots had been fired and commanded the occupants of the camper to exit. Eventually, Carter and his wife emerged from the trailer with their hands raised and both were taken into custody.
Law enforcement searched and photographed the camper trailer, noting a hole in the door consistent with a gun shot. They seized a 20-gauge shotgun in an overheard cabinet across from the door of the camper and observed a spent shell casing stuck inside the chamber. They also located and seized a box of 20-gauge ammunition from a kitchen cabinet.
During an interview with law enforcement, Carter claimed he had had “issues” with law enforcement entering onto the property in the past, and had posted a “No Trespassing” sign on the gate in an effort to deter them from doing so. He admitted he watched John Doe 1 access the property the first time and said he locked a gate after the officer left.
An FBI analyst examined the firearm and determined it functioned normally and would not have discharged accidentally.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Yerger prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the BIA.
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Kansas City Man Sentenced to 5 1/2 Years for Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court yesterday for illegally possessing a stolen Taurus 9mm handgun.
Zyair J. Taylor, 24, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips, to sixty-six months in prison without parole for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On May 21, 2025, officers conducted surveillance of a residence in the 400 block of Lawn Avenue, Kansas City, Mo., to arrest Taylor for his outstanding warrants. When Taylor exited the residence and saw officers, he fled on foot. During the foot chase, Taylor retrieved from his jacket a black handgun with a large drum magazine. Despite commands from officers to drop the gun, Taylor threw the handgun over his head as he continued to run. Thereafter, Taylor was physically combative with officers as they attempted to place him under arrest. Following arrest, officers retrieved the handgun, a Taurus, Model G3c 9mm handgun that was loaded with one round in the chamber and 49 rounds in the drum magazine. The firearm had been reported stolen in 2023 from Columbia, Mo.
Taylor, who is a convicted felon, had been found guilty of five prior felony offenses before yesterday’s hearing.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.
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.
Jury Finds D.C. Man Guilty of Armed Kidnapping of Case WorkerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Thomas Venable, 59, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a Superior Court jury yesterday of charges stemming from an incident where he held his case worker hostage in his apartment in September 2025, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Venable was found guilty of one count of armed kidnapping, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, one count of threatening to kidnap or injure a person, and related weapons offenses on March 12, 2026. Sentencing is scheduled for May 29, 2026, before Superior Court Judge Judith Pipe.
According to the government’s evidence, on September 29, 2025, at approximately 12:30 p.m., Venable was in his home located in the 5400 block of Connecticut Avenue NW. Venable had secured his apartment with assistance from “Friendship Place,” an organization that helps homeless people get back on their feet. The victim, Venable’s case worker, had stopped by Venable’s apartment for a monthly check-in, as he had done for the past six months.
The victim knocked on Venable’s door for their scheduled check-in when Venable answered the door, holding a metal pole. Venable believed Friendship Place had been taking his Bitcoin and failing to help him with his bedbug infestation. Venable refused to allow the victim to leave until the victim called his supervisor. The victim called, but his supervisor did not answer. Enraged, Venable picked up an axe. The victim tried to leave, but Venable ordered the victim to “sit the f**k down” and that there was “no way you're leaving this apartment unless it’s in a million little pieces.” Venable told the victim, “I’m going to jail or I’m going to hell, and I’m not going back to jail.” After a tense negotiation, the victim’s supervisor called him back and convinced Venable to let the victim go. Venable was arrested the next day and has been in custody since.
Joining the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Augustin Horner.
2025 CF3 012651
Jamestown man pleads guilty to sex trafficking conspiracy and drug conspiracy chargesRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Kelvin Thomas, 43, of Jamestown, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of life.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who is handling the case, stated that between October and December 2022, Thomas conspired with Zaid Mendoza and Cora Waddington to conduct a sex trafficking operation involving two individuals with drug addictions, Victim 1 and Victim 2. As part of the conspiracy, Thomas, Mendoza, and Waddington, provided shelter to the victims at a W. Main Street residence in Falconer, NY, and provided them with food, clothing, and daily quantities of heroin/fentanyl in exchange for their performance of commercial sex acts for money, with the proceeds going to Mendoza. Thomas assisted the operation by securing and communicating with commercial sex buyers, posting online advertisements with photographs of Victim 1 and Victim 2 on Skipthegames.com, transporting Victim 1 and Victim 2 to “out calls” away from the residence, and providing protection and assistance to sex trafficking victims while they were on out calls. In exchange for his assistance, Thomas was paid in drugs by Mendoza or Waddington.
Thomas’s involvement in the sex trafficking conspiracy also involved him in Mendoza and Waddington’s drug trafficking operation. He distributed heroin/fentanyl and methamphetamine for Mendoza and Waddington, in addition to using the drugs himself. Between August 30 and October 30, 2023, investigators conducted three controlled purchases fentanyl and methamphetamine from Thomas. On November 1, 2023, a search warrant was executed at a Newland Avenue residence associated with Thomas, during which quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine HCL were seized.
Mendoza and Waddington were previously convicted.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department Metro Drug Task Force, under the direction of Acting Chief Scott Forster, the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office County Drug Task Force, under the direction of Sheriff James Quattrone, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Farhana Islam, New York Field Division.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 22, 2026, before Judge Sinatra.
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Jacksonville Man Indicted for Attempting to Entice a 13-Year-Old Child to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Adeis Jonathan Francis (25, Jacksonville) has been charged by indictment with attempted enticement of a child to engage in sexual activity. If convicted, Francis faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to the indictment and other court documents, between February 17 and March 6, 2026, an FBI agent (UC), posing as a 13-year-old child, conducted an undercover operation in Jacksonville and Pensacola using an online social media application (“app”) to identify adults who were seeking to make online contact with and engage in sexual activity with children. During this period, UC and app user “Jay” exchanged several online messages on the app and by text messaging. After UC advised “Jay” that the “child” was 13 years old, “Jay,” who was subsequently identified as Francis, asked the “child” if “she” was ok talking with him, and requested the “child” to send him photos.
On March 5, 2026, Francis asked the “child” if she was a “virgin” and texted, “I can show you how to have sex ...” Francis also described by text message the sexual acts that he wanted to perform on the “child.” After more text conversations discussing his plans and desire to meet the “child” in person for sex, on March 6, 2026, Francis boarded a bus in Jacksonville and rode to the vicinity of the “child’s” purported residence, where he was arrested by FBI agents.
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 in Jacksonville and Pensacola. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify, rescue, and seek justice for child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Illegal Alien and Convicted Felon Sentenced to More than 15 Years in Prison for Trafficking Cocaine Across US-Mexico BorderRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – A Mexican national has been sentenced to federal prison for illegally entering the United States and then trafficking kilogram-quantities of cocaine in Northeast Ohio.
Jaime Ortega-Urquidi, 63, was sentenced to 188 months (15 years and 6 months) in prison by U.S. District Judge John R. Adams after pleading guilty in November 2025 to the following charges:
- Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine, with Notice of Prior Serious Drug Felony Conviction; and
- Illegal Reentry of Alien Following Removal, with Notice of Prior Aggravated Felony Conviction.
According to court documents, on May 28, 2025, Lorain police officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in which Ortega-Urquidi was a passenger. During the stop, a drug detection K-9 alerted to the odor of illegal drugs in the vehicle. Officers searched the vehicle and found cocaine weighing approximately two kilograms. Officers also seized more than $29,000 in cash. During further investigation into Ortega-Urquidi, law enforcement discovered he was part of an organization that smuggled kilograms of cocaine across the US-Mexico border. The organization then shipped the cocaine from Texas to Ohio, where Ortega-Urquidi distributed it to local drug dealers in the city of Lorain. Investigators also learned that Ortega-Urquidi was in the United States illegally at the time of his arrest. He was previously removed in October 2017, after serving a sentence for Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Cleveland Division, the Lorain Police Department, the U.S. Border Patrol-Sandusky Bay Station, and the Elyria Police Department.
The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorney James Lewis for the Northern District of Ohio.
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 to protect communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Illegal Alien Sentenced to 10 Years for Seventh Illegal Reentry ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Mexican national was sentenced to 10 years in prison following her seventh conviction for re-entry of a removed alien.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court records, on October 11, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered Elena Ernestina Pedroza, 60, a Mexican national, in Doña Ana County, New Mexico. Records revealed that Pedroza had previously been convicted of re-entry of a removed alien and deported to Mexico six times, most recently in August 2025. Pedroza was previously sentenced to a total of 88 months (7 years, 3 months) for all her prior reentry convictions combined. The United States requested a longer sentence for deterrence.
Pedroza subsequently pled guilty to re-entry of a removed alien and was sentenced to 120 months in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Chief Patrol Agent Jesse D. Muñoz of the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector made the announcement today.
The U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Silvia Delgado prosecuted the case.
Illegal Alien Arrested for Possessing Fentanyl Meant for Distribution in TulsaRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A criminal complaint was unsealed charging an illegal alien with possessing fentanyl with the intention of distributing it after previously being deported.
In January, Juan Lopez Olvera, 25, a Mexican national, was pulled over for a traffic violation in Tulsa. When officers approached the vehicle, they could smell marijuana and asked the driver to step out of the vehicle. Officers searched the vehicle and found a large bag of white powdery substance. A laboratory test determined that the substance was fentanyl. While officers booked Lopez Olvera into jail, they discovered that he was deported in February 2024 and has not lawfully returned to the United States.
The complaint shows that Lopez Olvera is charged with Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute and Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien. Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko Boulieris is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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.
Honduran Man Sentenced for Assaulting a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Marvin Aleman Zepeda, 37, originally of Honduras, was sentenced on March 13, 2026, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, following his December 16, 2025, jury trial conviction for forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, or interfering with a federal officer. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr., sentenced Zepeda to imprisonment for a term of 14 months. There is no parole in the federal system. Zepeda will be removed to Honduras by immigration authorities after he completes his sentence.
Despite the defendant requesting a time-served sentence at the hearing Friday, Chief Judge Rossiter issued the 14-month sentence.
Evidence at trial established that on June 10, 2025, law enforcement, including Deputy United States Marshals, were assisting with the execution of a court-authorized civil search warrant at Glenn Valley Foods in Omaha when they encountered Zepeda hiding in a crawl space. Despite receiving repeated commands from law enforcement to come out and surrender, Zepeda refused to comply. After more than 30 minutes of Zepeda failing to comply with law enforcement commands, two Deputy United States Marshals entered the crawl space to secure Zepeda. As the Deputy United States Marshals approached Zepeda, giving him commands to show his hands, Zepeda instead armed himself with a box cutter, or utility knife, with an open blade.
Additional attempts were made to secure Zepeda’s compliance, including the presence of a K9 officer and a K9. All told, it took nearly 90 minutes for law enforcement to ultimately secure Zepeda into custody.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Marshals Service, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement, and Douglas County Sheriff’s Office assisted in securing Zepeda.
Hillsborough County High School Teacher Sentenced to Prison for Conspiring to Provide Firearms to Trinidad-Based Transnational Criminal OrganizationRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Shannon Nicole Samlalsingh (47, Temple Terrace) was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William F. Jung to one year and one day in federal prison for conspiracy to make false statements to a firearms dealer. The court also ordered Samlalsingh to forfeit the firearms purchased as a result of the offense. Samlalsingh pleaded guilty on June 20, 2025. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, Samlalsingh, then a Hillsborough County high school teacher, bought seven firearms for a Trinidad-based transnational criminal organization. Samlalsingh falsely stated on Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives forms that those firearms were for her. In actuality, Samlalsingh gave the firearms to members of the transnational criminal organization. Those individuals then smuggled the firearms into Trinidad.
On April 21, 2022, Trinidad authorities seized a shipment from the United States containing two punching bags and other goods at Piarco International Airport. Concealed within the two punching bags were approximately eleven 9mm pistols, two .38 caliber special revolvers, a 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun, three AR-15 barrel foregrips, 19 lower pistol grip assemblies, 11 forearm bolt assemblies, three AR-15-style barrels with forearm grips, 32 AR-15 magazines, one AR-15 drum magazine, 470 rounds of AR-15 ammunition, 34 9mm magazines, three 9mm drum magazines, 284 9mm rounds, fifteen .38 caliber rounds, 36 shells, six magazine couplers, and two shotgun chokes. Samlalsingh had purchased four of the seized firearms: a SAR-9 9mm pistol, a Ruger-9 9mm pistol, a Taurus G3 9mm pistol, and a Taurus G2C 9mm pistol.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, including HSI’s Attaché, Caribbean, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance provided by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (Transnational Organized Crime Unit and Special Investigations Unit), United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, United States Customs and Border Protection, and the United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam W. McCall.
Helena man sentenced to over 11 years in prison for trafficking meth and fentanylRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Helena convicted of selling methamphetamine and fentanyl was sentenced Wednesday to 136 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.
Michael Wayne Hagman, 40, pleaded guilty in November 2025 to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement intercepted a package in February 2025 containing two pounds of methamphetamine and destined for Hagman’s residence. They searched that residence on February 28, 2025, and seized a large quantity of methamphetamine and fentanyl, $39,704 in U.S. Currency, and several firearms.
During an interview with law enforcement on March 20, 2025, Hagman admitted he was receiving meth and fentanyl from a co-conspirator and distributing the drugs in the Helena area. The co-conspirator would sometimes front Hagman drugs to sell. Hagman said he sold fentanyl powder for the same price he paid for it and his source compensated him with user amounts of the drug. He also discussed the purchase and sale prices of meth, fentanyl, and M30s (fentanyl pills) and admitted he resold the meth at a higher price to make a profit.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Missouri River Drug Task Force, Helena Police Department, Lewis & Clark County Sheriff’s Office, and FBI Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force conducted the investigation.
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Harrison County Man Admits to Selling Fentanyl Near SchoolsRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A Clarksburg, West Virginia man has admitted to selling fentanyl near two schools, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
Joseph Angiulli, also known as “Joey,” 32, pled guilty to the distribution of fentanyl within 1000 feet of a protected location. According to court documents, Angiulli was selling fentanyl from his home, which is near North View Elementary School and Emmanuel Christian School, both protected locations.
Angiulli is facing at least one year and up to 40 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda Wesley is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
The Greater Harrison Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Fentanyl has been designated by President Donald Trump as a weapon of mass destruction due to its extreme lethality which poses a grave threat to public safety, even in trace amounts. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, and repel the invasion of illegal immigration.
Greer Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Wire Fraud, Money Laundering related to Cares Act FraudRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Jonathan Wade Sumter, 54, of Greer, has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for wire fraud and money laundering related to a scheme to defraud the Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) programs of over $1.8 million.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that between June 2020 and January 2022, Jonathan Wade Sumter, his twin brother Jason Elijah Sumter, and Gerothia McCullough devised a scheme to defraud the PPP and EIDL programs by applying for funds on behalf of sham or defunct companies. Jonathan Sumter and the others submitted applications containing phony company expenses, employee wage statements, and other false documents on behalf of the sham companies Living Water Outreach, High Consulting, Lyons Transport, GSM Home Care, Challenge Consulting, and Omni Holdings. Using these fraudulent applications, they obtained over $1.8 million of EIDL and PPP payments. Jonathan Sumter was the ringleader and submitted the applications on behalf of and with the permission of the others. When the loans were funded, the three split the proceeds.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Johathan Sumter to 80 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. Jonathan Sumter’s sentence will run concurrent with a 92-month sentence he was already serving for a 2023 federal conviction for health care fraud. Jason Elijah Sumter was recently sentenced to three years for his role in the fraud and Gerothia McCullough was sentenced to 12 months for her role.
To recover ill-gotten gains from the defendants, Jonathan Wade Sumter was ordered to pay $1,802,741 in restitution. Jason Elijah Sumter was ordered to pay $739,786 in restitution and he was ordered to forfeit a parcel of real property in Orangeburg County. Gerothia McCullough was ordered to pay $478,366 in restitution and she was ordered to forfeit a 2018 GMC Canyon.
This case was investigated by the Small Business Administration and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney T. DeWayne Pearson prosecuted the case.
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Garryowen man sentenced for vehicular death on Crow Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A Garryowen man who caused the death of his female passenger in a motor vehicle crash was sentenced today to 24 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.
Cade Cleatus Birdinground, 20, pleaded guilty in November 2025 to one count of involuntary manslaughter.
U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.
The government alleged in court documents that at approximately 4:30 A.M. on May 18, 2024, police responded to a motor vehicle crash on Highway 384 near Hardin, Montana on the Crow Reservation. There, police located a truck that had gone off the road and was partially submerged in the Big Horn River. Upon recovering the vehicle from the river, police discovered the body of a deceased female on the floorboard in the passenger seat area.
Police learned Birdinground had been taken in by neighbors near the scene of the crash. He had the key to the truck in his pocket and was intoxicated. Birdinground’s blood alcohol content was 218 mg/dL at 6:00 a.m., approximately 90 minutes after the crash.
Through the investigation, witnesses identified Birdinground as the driver. Police learned Jane Doe was a passenger in the vehicle at the time of the crash. Witnesses reported Birdinground was driving recklessly and crashed the truck. The Montana Highway Patrol conducted a crash investigation and confirmed the driver failed to negotiate a curve in the road and crashed down an 18-foot embankment into the river.
An autopsy revealed Jane Doe’s cause of death was drowning and the manner of death was an accident related to being a passenger in a motor vehicle collision into a river.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Hendricks prosecuted the case. The BIA, FBI, Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office, and Montana Highway Patrol conducted the investigation.
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Gallatin County Man Sentenced for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
COVINGTON, Ky. – A Warsaw, Ky., man, David Vonarb, 26, was sentenced on Friday to 132 months by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning, for the distribution of child pornography.
According to his plea agreement, on June 13, 2024, an online covert employee with the FBI engaged in a direct-messaging conversation with user “dirtydad69” on an end-to-end encrypted application, in which the user distributed child pornography to the online covert employee. Following the direct messaging conversation, the user continued to distribute depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct in various chatrooms. In total, the user distributed at least 13 videos and 8 images. Law enforcement discovered that the user was Vonarb, and on October 23, 2024, law enforcement searched his residence, and he admitted that he used the encrypted application to receive, view, and distribute child pornography, and that he had used the application the day before the search. A forensic review of Vonarb’s laptop revealed evidence of thousands of images and videos of child pornography.
Under federal law, Vonarb must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 25 years.
Paul McCaffrey, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Winslow is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Former commander of local AMVETS Post sentenced to more than 3 years in prison for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollarsRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – A former local AMVETS Post commander was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 41 months in prison for embezzling more than $620,000 from the non-profit organization’s bank accounts.
Danny Dale Gordon, 49, of Kettering, served as the commander for AMVETS Post #24 on Leo Street in Dayton from January 2022 until May 2024.
According to court documents, during that timeframe, Gordon engaged in more than 1,900 fraudulent banking transactions using the Post’s credit and debit cards to make ATM withdrawals.
Gordon used the money at various local gambling casinos, for travel and hotel expenses, to pay for his personal truck loan and to frequent a Dayton-area “gentlemen’s club.”
Gordon was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2025 and pleaded guilty in October 2025 to wire fraud.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jason Cromartie, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal; and Lt. Col. Seth Newfang, Commander of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, 10th Field Investigations Squadron; announced the sentence imposed on March 12 by U.S. District Judge Michael J. Newman. Special Assistant United States Attorney Dwight K. Keller and Assistant Deputy Criminal Chief Amy M. Smith are representing the United States in this case.
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