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13 March 2026
Former Western New York man sentenced for lying while testifying during his fraud trialRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Michael W. Luehrsen, 41, of Miami, Florida, who was convicted of perjury, was sentenced to serve three years’ probation by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. Luehrsen will also pay approximately $2,000,000 in restitution and forfeit approximately $2,000,000 in assets, including investments and real estate proceeds.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles M. Kruly and Grace Carducci, who handled the case, stated that in February 2022, Luehrsen testified under oath in his previous jury trial before the United States District Court for the Western District of New York as follows:
Q. Mike, I want to start by talking about your dad. You told Mr. Kruly that on the days that those prescriptions were faxed you were not in town, is that what you said?
A. That’s correct.
Q. Can you tell the jury, where were you?
A. On June 27, 2014, I was actually in California visiting Cornerstone Pharmacy with two physicians. On July 11, of 2014, I was in Boston, Massachusetts.
Q. And how do you remember that?
A. I have photographs from my phone showing me in those particular cities.
Evidence from Luehrsen’s cellular telephone shows that the testimony quoted above was false. Photographs on the cell phone establish that he was, in fact, in Buffalo on July 11, 2014. In addition, telephone records and financial records established that Luehrsen was in Buffalo on that date. At the time of this testimony, Luehrsen was being tried for, among other crimes, conspiring to commit health care fraud. It was a matter material to the trial whether or not Luehrsen was in Buffalo when an altered compound prescription form was faxed from his father’s home located in the Western District of New York.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera.
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Former USPS employees plead guilty to stealing mail and committing PPP loan fraudRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Former mail recovery clerk Daniqua Clark has pleaded guilty to stealing cash, gift cards, and other items from the mail while working at the Atlanta Mail Recovery Center and fraudulently obtaining two pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, and former mail recovery clerk Deneeka Ferguson has pleaded guilty to participating in the mail theft scheme.
“Clark abused the public’s trust by stealing thousands of dollars of items from the mail and obtaining two fraudulent PPP loans for a non-existent business while serving as a federal employee,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to root out and hold accountable government employees who compromise their integrity and violate the public’s trust for their own personal gain.”
“This guilty plea sends a strong message to any U.S. Postal Service employee who decides to violate the public’s trust in this manner," said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Ulrich of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG). “As proven in this case, our criminal investigators and the legal teams at the U.S. Attorney’s Office will diligently pursue anyone who steals U.S. Mail and attempts to commit COVID-19 fraud and exploit programs created to help legitimate people and businesses affected by the global pandemic.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: In 2023 and 2024, Daniqua Clark and Deneeka Ferguson worked as mail recovery clerks at the Mail Recovery Center in Atlanta, Georgia, the official “lost and found” department for undeliverable and non-returnable mail for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). Between May 2023 and February 2024, Clark worked with Ferguson to steal items from the mail at the Mail Recovery Center. Clark and Ferguson exchanged text messages identifying specific items from the mail to steal and discussing how to steal and conceal the theft of those items, including U.S. currency.
During an interview with law enforcement agents on November 19, 2024, Clark admitted to stealing items from the mail both on her own and with Ferguson. Searches of Clark’s U.S. Postal Service locker and personal car led to the recovery of various stolen items, including gift cards, fragrances, and a pill container in the name of an unknown individual. In an interview with law enforcement agents on February 18, 2025, Ferguson admitted to helping Clark steal mail and receiving stolen mail from Clark in exchange for her help.
The investigation further revealed that Clark fraudulently obtained two PPP loans, totaling $36,402, for a non-existent business. To support her application for the loans, Clark submitted a fake income tax document. The funds from the loans were deposited in the same Atlanta-based bank account into which Clark received her salary from the USPS. Clark used those funds for personal expenses, not payroll expenses as required for PPP loans.
Daniqua Clark, 35, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to commit mail theft, one count of mail theft, and two counts of wire fraud. Deneeka Ferguson, 41, of Atlanta, Georgia pleaded guilty to five counts of obstruction of mail. Sentencing for both defendants is scheduled for June 11, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward C. Robinson Jr. is prosecuting the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Department of Justice established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the Department’s resources in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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.
Former U.S. Marine Corps Intelligence Analyst Charged with Willful Transmission of National Defense InformationRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Texas County, Mo., man has been indicted with two counts of willful transmission of national defense information. The indictment was returned by a Springfield grand jury under seal and was made public today after the arrest and initial appearance of the defendant.
Seth Chambers, 35, a former United States Marine Corps. Intelligence Analyst, was employed as a civilian contractor and stationed in Iraq during the time frame alleged in the indictment. The indictment goes on state that, as part of his duties, he held a security clearance that authorized him to view classified material up to a TOP SECRET level and therefore had access to national defense and classified information.
According to court documents, on two separate occasions, the defendant willfully transmitted SECRET level documents to two separate individuals who were not entitled or authorized to receive it. The first transmission occurred on Dec. 10, 2022, when the defendant transmitted a white paper containing verbatim and near verbatim excerpts from classified U.S. government documents and was sent to an individual in Maryland. The second transmission of a document containing verbatim and near verbatim excerpts from classified U.S. government documents occurred on April 20, 2023, and was sent to an individual believed to be in the People’s Republic of China.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
If convicted, under federal statutes, Chambers is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole on each count. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Kelleher and Trial Attorneys Nicolas Hunter and Sean O’Dowd of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. It was investigated by FBI Kansas City Field Office.
Former Navy servicemember sentenced to two years in prison for defrauding a pandemic relief programRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A former Navy service member and Navy reservist was sentenced yesterday to two years in prison and $128,844 in restitution for wire fraud relating to a fraudulent loan received through a pandemic-era relief program.
According to court documents, on June 26, 2020, Tiara Jenee Bryant, then known as Tiara Washington, 36, incorporated the company Jovialistic-Spaces, LLC. On June 29, 2020, Bryant opened a business checking account in the name of the company, listing herself as the member and manager. On July 6, 2020, Bryant applied to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for a loan under the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, intended to enable small businesses to meet financial obligations and operating expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bryant fraudulently stated on the application that the alleged maid and cleaning service consisted of 11 employees and had gross revenues in 2019 of $250,000. There was no record of her alleged business prior to June of 2020.
On July 23, 2020, the SBA funded Bryant’s EIDL application for $115,000 and transferred the funds, minus a filing fee, to the Jovialistic-Spaces business checking account. On Aug. 28, 2020, Bryant wrote a check from the Jovialistic-Spaces business checking account for $119,395.03, made out to “cash,” and on Aug. 31, 2020, transferred the remaining money in the account to her credit union checking account, leaving a zero balance.
On Feb. 17, 2022, Bryant applied to the SBA for loan modification requesting the principal amount of the loan to be increased to $428,600. This application was declined by the SBA and flagged for suspected EIDL fraud. After being denied the loan modification, Bryant requested relief due to “financial hardship”, which was also subsequently denied.
As of Mar. 5, 2026, the total amount owed, including principal and accrued interest, was $128,844.56.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Norfolk Field Office investigated 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. 2:25-cr-119.
Former Boston Teacher Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Child ExploitationRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former science teacher at Josiah Quincy Upper School in Boston was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for coercing and enticing at least one underage female to engage in sexual conversations online and requesting that she produce and send child sexual abuse material (CSAM) of herself. Defendant, who also previously worked at the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School in Hyde Park and the Brookline Public Schools, possessed CSAM depicting rape of both female and male minors, ranging in age from approximately five to 17 years old.
John Magee Gavin, 35, of Brookline, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In December 2025, Gavin pleaded guilty to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor; one count of receipt of child pornography; and one count of possession of child pornography. Gavin was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2025, and remains in federal custody.
According to court filings, Gavin is a former teacher at the Josiah Quincy Upper School in Boston. Prior to that, he was a 6th grade teacher at the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School in Hyde Park and was a paraprofessional with the Brookline Public Schools.
In January 2025, Gavin was identified as the owner of a Discord account who messaged at least 20 underage females between the ages of 12 and 17 years old located throughout the country, including Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, West Virginia, North Carolina and Florida, as well as the United Kingdom and Canada. In these chats, Gavin disclosed that he was a teacher, engaged in sexual conversations and often asked the minors to send him pictures of themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct – knowing that the children were underaged. He was arrested by local authorities in February 2025 and charged in Brookline District Court with enticing a child under 16, possession of child pornography and other offenses.
A forensic review of evidence seized from Gavin’s Brookline residence revealed approximately 147 files (94 images and 53 videos) on his iPhone depicting CSAM. The CSAM depicted rape of both female and male minors, ranging in age from approximately five to 17 years old.
Further analysis of Gavin’s Discord account identified numerous chats with underage females in which he engaged in online masturbation sessions with the minors; solicitated images from and exchanged images with the minors; and engaged in sexualized conversations with the minors while he was at school.
The chats also included conversations in which Gavin expressed his sexual interest in certain students at Josiah Quincy. In one conversation, Gavin discussed his sexual interest in a freshman student at the school where he was employed as a teacher and fantasied about having sex with her.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Brookline Police Department; the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations; and the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and a member of the Major Crimes Unit, prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.Fitchburg Man Sentenced to 2 Years for Illegally Possessing Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Kavant Smith, 25, Fitchburg, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 2 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Smith pleaded guilty to this charge on December 15, 2025. The prison term will be followed by 3 years of supervised release.
On January 27, 2025, Smith was the sole occupant and driver of a vehicle stopped by Fitchburg police. Officers searched the vehicle and found a loaded Smith & Wesson M&P 9 Shield 9mm handgun with a partially obliterated serial number under the passenger seat. While Smith denied knowing anything about the gun, a later DNA analysis concluded that Smith’s DNA was on swabs taken from the trigger, handle, and slide of the handgun. Smith is prohibited from legally possessing firearms or ammunition due to prior felony convictions.
At sentencing, Judge Peterson remarked that Smith’s criminal history was an aggravating factor as he had two other gun related offenses. Smith was on state probation for a felon in possession conviction at the time of the federal offense. Smith also has a prior felony conviction that involved him committing a robbery with another suspect who was armed.
The charge against Smith was the result of an investigation conducted by the Fitchburg Police Department and the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force, which is comprised of federal agents from ATF as well as state and local agents throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan prosecuted this case.
Federal prosecutions by the U.S. Department of Justice involving drugs and guns are part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Felon Sentenced for Illegal Firearm Possession Used in Marshall County Workplace ShootingRead the Press Release
GREENVILLE, MS – Keena Boyce, 44, of Holly Springs was sentenced to 15 years, 3 years of supervised released today by United States District Court Chief Judge Debra M. Brown. The defendant had previously pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court records, Boyce was in an argument with a coworker when he shot them multiple times at their workplace, Pallet Source Inc., in Marshall County. The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department quickly responded to the scene and captured Boyce in possession of a handgun. Boyce had previously been convicted of a violent offense in Mississippi state courts and was prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law.
U.S. Attorney Scott F. Leary of the Northern District of Mississippi explained, “This case is an example of local and federal law enforcement working together to protect the people of this great State. The Marshall County Sheriff’s office responded quickly and decisively to this shooting. Thereafter, ATF brought federal assets furthering the prosecution of this criminal for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Career offenders commit the majority of crimes, and if they can be taken off the streets our communities will be much safer.”
“In our effort to disrupt violent gun crime in our community, ATF will continue to focus efforts on prohibited individuals who unlawfully possess firearms, especially in the commission of shooting of a co-worker,” said ATF SAC Joshua Jackson. “The sentence imposed today sends a message to convicted felons who are prohibited from possessing firearms that we will continue to work to keep our neighborhoods safe as the top priority for ATF.”
In addition to ATF, this case was also investigated by the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Herzog Jr. prosecuted the case.
Project Safe Neighborhood brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department of Justice 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.
Federal Jury Convicts Three Women for Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud Related to Rocky Hill PharmacyRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On March 13, 2026, following a 15-day trial, a jury convicted Tiffany Haney, 43, Anne Warren, 45, and Tina Roper, 40, all of Knoxville, of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349. The jury also convicted Haney and Warren of committing specific acts of wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343, submitting false statements relating to health care matters in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1035, and aggravated identity theft in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A. The defendants remain on pre-trial release until sentencing, which will be scheduled at a later date in front of the Honorable Thomas A. Varlan, United States District Judge, in the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville.
At trial, six healthcare providers testified that alterations made to their prescriptions were not authorized. Three other healthcare providers testified that prescriptions that were submitted by the pharmacy using their names were unauthorized. Witnesses also testified that Medicare, TennCare, and other health benefit payors would not have paid for the fabricated and altered prescriptions if they had been aware that the prescriptions were not authorized. The evidence presented at trial established that the defendants conspired to defraud various health benefit programs, including Medicare and TennCare, by altering healthcare provider prescriptions without authorization and then submitting claims for payment for the added medications. The evidence also established that defendants Haney and Warren submitted false statements and used the identity of a healthcare provider without authorization.
United States Attorney Francis M. (Trey) Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee, Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the Nashville Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Special Agent in Charge Kelly Blackmon, of Health and Human Services OIG (HHS-OIG), made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeremy S. Dykes and Brian P. Samuelson prosecuted the case.
This case was investigated by the FBI, HHS-OIG, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
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Federal Jury Convicts Denham Springs Man of Assaulting a Postal EmployeeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Kurt L. Wall announced the conviction of Cody Gaspard, age 27, of Denham Springs, Louisiana. After a three-day trial before U.S. District Court Judge Brian A. Jackson, the jury unanimously convicted Gaspard of assaulting a postal employee.
As the evidence at trial demonstrated, Gaspard approached a United States Postal Service worker who was delivering mail at an apartment complex in Livingston Parish and began using aggressive and racially charged language. Gaspard’s conduct interfered with the postal worker’s duties and quickly rose to intimidation, assault, and a physical confrontation, which caused bodily injury to the postal worker.
As a result of his conviction, Gaspard now faces a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty years, as well as a fine of up to $250,000 and supervised release.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jamie L. Flowers, Jr. and Ellison C. Travis.
Federal Felon Pleads Guilty to Gun Charges Related to Shootout at Carter-Howell-Strong ParkRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Joseph C. Williams, 63, of Tallahassee, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “When President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi launched Operation Take Back America to marshal the full resources of the Department of Justice toward protecting our communities from violent criminals, this defendant was precisely the type of serial, violent felon they had in mind. My office remains committed to aggressively prosecuting these cases until our communities are safe from thugs like this.”
Court documents reflect that on November 19, 2024, the defendant was stopped for traffic violations while riding an electric bicycle on the roadway. During the traffic stop, the police officer observed a firearm barrel sticking out of the defendant’s shorts. The officer handcuffed the defendant and then removed the firearm.
The defendant subsequently bonded out of jail and, on April 11, 2025, the defendant was involved in a gunfight in broad daylight at Carter-Howell-Strong Park in Tallahassee. During the shootout, the defendant was shot in the foot and sought medical attention at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. Law enforcement found blood and a firearm in the backseat of the defendant’s girlfriend’s car. The firearm ballistics matched shell casings recovered from the park shooting.
The defendant was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to multiple felony convictions, including four state convictions for armed robbery and federal convictions for Armed Bank Robbery and Using and Carrying a Firearm during and in Relation to a Crime of Violence.
The defendant faces at least 15 years’ imprisonment, and up to life imprisonment, at sentencing.
The case involved an investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 28, 2026, at 9:00 at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before United States District Judge Robert L. Hinkle.
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.
As part of its PSN strategy, the United States Attorney’s Office is encouraging everyone to lock their car doors, particularly at night. Burglaries from unlocked automobiles are a significant source of guns for criminals in the Northern District of Florida. Please do your part and protect yourself by locking your car doors.
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.
Eleven Indian Nationals Charged with Visa Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Eleven Indian nationals have been charged in connection with a conspiracy to carry out staged armed robberies of convenience stores for the purpose of allowing store clerks to falsely claim they were crime victims on immigration applications.
The following defendants have been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud:
1. Jitendrakumar Patel, 39, unlawfully residing in Marshfield, Mass.; 2. Maheshkumar Patel, 36, unlawfully residing in Randolph, Mass.; 3. Sanjaykumar Patel, 45, unlawfully residing in Quincy, Mass.; 4. Dipikaben Patel, 40, deported to India after unlawfully residing in Weymouth, Mass.; 5. Rameshbhai Patel, 52, unlawfully residing in Eubank, Ky.; 6. Amitabahen Patel, 43, unlawfully residing in Plainville, Mass.; 7. Ronakkumar Patel, 28, unlawfully residing in Maryland Heights, Miss.; 8. Sangitaben Patel, 36, unlawfully residing in Randolph, Mass.; 9. Minkesh Patel, 42, unlawfully residing in Perrysburg, Ohio; 10. Sonal Patel, 42, unlawfully residing in Perrysburg, Ohio; and
11. Mitul Patel, 40, unlawfully residing in Worcester, Mass.Jitendrakumar Patel, Maheshkumar Patel, Sanjaykumar Patel, Amitabahen Patel, Sangitaben Patel and Mitul Patel were arrested in Massachusetts and released following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston earlier today. Rameshbhai Patel, Ronakkumar Patel, Sonal Patel and Minkesh Patel were arrested and made their initial appearances in Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio. They will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
According to the charging documents, in March 2023, Rambhai Patel and his co-conspirators set up and carried out staged armed robberies of at least six convenience/liquor stores and fast food restaurants in Massachusetts and more elsewhere. It is alleged that the purpose of the staged robberies was to allow the clerks present to claim falsely that they were victims of a violent crime on an application for U non-immigration status (U Visa). A U Visa is available to victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and who have been helpful to law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity.
In the course of the alleged staged robberies, the “robber” would threaten store clerks and/or owners with an apparent firearm before taking cash from the register and fleeing, while the interaction was captured on store surveillance video. The clerks and/or owners would then wait five or more minutes until the “robber” had escaped before calling police to report the “crime.” The “victims” are alleged to have each paid Patel to participate in the scheme. In turn, Patel allegedly paid the store owners for the use of their stores for the staged robbery.
Patel, the “robber,” and the getaway driver were previously charged and convicted. The 11 defendants charged today are alleged to have either arranged with the organizer to set up each robbery, or paid for themselves or a family member to participate as a “victim.”
The charge of conspiracy to commit visa fraud 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. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of New York, the Western District of Washington, the Northern District of Ohio, the Eastern District of Missouri, and the Eastern District of Kentucky; FBI’s New York, Seattle, Louisville, Cleveland and St. Louis Field Offices; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; Massachusetts State Police; Worcester County District Attorney’s Office; and the Boston, Dedham, Hingham, Malden, Marshfield, Randolph, Somerville, Weymouth, Worcester, Upper Darby, (Pa.), West Pittston (Pa.), Louisville, (Ky.) and Bean Station (Tenn.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elianna J. Nuzum and Jessica L. Soto of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Dulce Man Convicted of Aggravated Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – After a three-day trial, a federal jury convicted Herbert Ben, Jr. of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse.
At trial, the United States presented witness testimony showing that Ben, Jr., 57, an enrolled member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, molested two young girls, both under 12, between 2016 and 2022. The United States also presented testimony that Ben, Jr. molested another high-school-age female in approximately 2019 as she babysat Ben, Jr.’s stepdaughters. Finally, the United States presented evidence that from roughly 2010 to 2012, Ben, Jr. molested another young female relative while she was in elementary and middle school.
For these actions, jurors found Ben, Jr. guilty of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse, a crime that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years of imprisonment. In addition to this prison sentence, Ben, Jr. will be subject to mandatory victim restitution for the full amount of a victim’s losses, which include medical services relating to physical, psychiatric, or psychological care. After serving his prison sentence, Ben, Jr. will also be required to register as a sex offender and will be subject to a term of supervised release of between five years and life.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Jicarilla Apache Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Zachary C. Jones and Amy Mondragon are prosecuting these cases.
Drug trafficking leader to serve 25 years for multi-state fentanyl and methamphetamine operationRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 43-year-old Conroe man has been sentenced to federal prison for his role in operating a fentanyl-laced pill distribution network, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Johnny Quoc Tran pleaded guilty Oct. 19, 2023.
Senior U.S. District Judge Sim Lake has now ordered Tran to serve 300 months in federal prison, to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence detailing Tran’s leadership role in a drug trafficking organization responsible for manufacturing and distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine-laced pills. Tran distributed the narcotics through members of the organization, including Devon Williams who acted as a courier.
In imposing the sentence, Judge Lake determined Tran led a large, well-organized drug trafficking organization and was involved at every level of the operation. The court also noted Tran distributed thousands of fentanyl pills and emphasized fentanyl is a deadly poison.
The investigation began in March 2019 when authorities identified a Houston-based drug trafficking organization with additional operations in Dallas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. Authorities determined Tran led the organization and operated a pill press laboratory out of an auto repair shop.
His wife, Amber Logston, assisted him by maintaining drug ledgers and concealing drug trafficking proceeds through financial transactions.
On Nov. 21, 2019, authorities executed a search warrant at Tran’s residence and auto shop. They seized approximately 180 kilograms of fentanyl-laced pills and fentanyl powder, more than 90 kilograms of methamphetamine laced pills, four pill press machines and other equipment used to manufacture and distribute narcotics.
Williams, 46, Houston, and Logston, 44, Conroe, also pleaded guilty for their roles in the case and have now been sentenced to federal prison.
Tran has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Texas Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Investigations Division, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, Houston Police Department, IRS Criminal Investigation and Harris County Constable’s Office Precinct 4 conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jimmy Leo prosecuted the case.
This investigation and prosecution is now part of the Homeland Security Task Force 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 U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes these organizations commit, 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 Houston comprises agents and officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security investigations; DEA; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Department of Transportation/IRS; Interpol/Department of State and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas leading the prosecution.
Dominican National Previously Convicted of Drug Trafficking Offense Charged with Illegally Reentering U.S.Read the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New England, today announced that YUNIOR BENAVIDES, 49, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with illegally reentering the United States after being deported.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in 2009, Benavides and others were charged with federal offenses related to their participation in a Hartford area narcotics distribution conspiracy. He pleaded guilty, was sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment and, in November 2013, was deported to the Dominican Republic. Benavides subsequently illegally reentered the U.S. On March 6, 2026, HSI agents stopped a car in West Hartford in connection to a drug trafficking investigation. Benavides, the driver of the car, was identified as being unlawfully present in the U.S. and was taken into custody.
Benavides appeared yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish in Hartford and was ordered detained.
If convicted of the charge of unlawful reentry, Benavides faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.
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.
Dominican Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Dominican Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Methamphetamine
CONCORD – A Dominican man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to drug offenses, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces.
Ariel Castillo-Solano a/k/a Jose Antonio Santiago, 36, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, specifically methamphetamine. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Samantha Elliot scheduled Castillo-Solano’s sentencing for June 18, 2026.
According to the court documents and statements made in court, beginning in early 2024, the DEA began an investigation into an unknown individual who was selling multiple-ounce quantities of methamphetamine in the Rochester, New Hampshire area. During the investigation, a DEA cooperating source (or “CS”) communicated with the defendant, Ariel Castillo-Solano. At the time, Castillo-Solano, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, was using the identity of Jose Antonio Santiago, an American citizen from Puerto Rico. Between October 21, 2024 and January 10, 2025, the DEA, using a CS and a DEA undercover Task Force Officer, negotiated several sales totaling more than five pounds of methamphetamine from Castillo-Solano. Between January 10, 2025 and January 23, 2025, Castillo-Solano arranged to sell the undercover officer an additional 15 pounds of methamphetamine, about 21 ounces cocaine, and 40 grams of fentanyl. They agreed to a purchase price of $69,000. On January 24, 2025, Castillo-Solano met the undercover officer in a parking lot in Seabrook, where Castillo-Solano stated that his “brother,” later identified as Joel Castillo-Soto, would be arriving in an Uber to deliver the product. Thereafter, Castillo-Soto arrived and delivered the methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl to the undercover officer, at which point the DEA arrested both Castillo-Solano and Castillo-Soto.
The charges of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance carry a sentence of up to 20 years’ incarceration, not less than 3 years of supervised release, and a fine up to $1,000,000. 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.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Hunter is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
District of Arizona Charges 197 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Mar. 7 through Mar. 13, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 197 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 132 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 59 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 6 cases against individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Marcos Antonio Arguelles-Miranda. On Mar. 6, 2026, Marcos Antonio Arguelles Miranda was charged by criminal complaint with Bringing in Illegal Aliens. According to the complaint, Horse Patrol Unit (HPU) agents were called that day to assist Field Training Units in tracking three sets of footprints near Gila Bend, Arizona. HPU agents ultimately located three individuals, including Arguelles-Miranda, under a tree. The two other individuals in the group identified Arguelles-Miranda as their foot guide and stated that Arguelles-Miranda had abandoned another illegal alien traveling with them because he could no longer walk. Immigration checks confirmed that all three subjects are citizens of Mexico, unlawfully present in the United States. [Case Number: 26-MJ-3083]
United States v. Saul Rodriguez-Vazquez. Saul Rodriguez-Vazquez was charged by criminal complaint with Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit, Placing in Jeopardy the Life of Any Person. On Mar. 10, 2026, Border Patrol Agents (BPAs) attempted to stop a driver suspected of alien smuggling. The driver, Rodriguez-Vazquez, failed to yield to BPAs and a pursuit ensued. At one point, someone opened the passenger side door and a female subject jumped from the moving vehicle. Several BPAs disengaged from the vehicle pursuit to apprehend her while other BPAs continued to pursue the vehicle. Agents finally arrested Rodriguez-Vazquez after a vehicle immobilization device was deployed as he drove through an immigration checkpoint. In an interview with the female subject who had jumped from Rodriguez-Vazquez’s vehicle, she admitted to being a citizen of Guatemala, illegally present in the United States. She stated that when BPAs started chasing Rodriguez-Vazquez, he told her to jump out. She refused because the vehicle was still moving, but he argued with her and became aggressive. Rodriguez-Vazquez told her, "salta a la verga," so when the vehicle slowed down, she jumped out even though it was still moving. [Case Number: 26-MJ-5900]
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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-048_March 13, 2026 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Department of Justice to Return $470,735 to Victims of Cryptocurrency Investment SchemeRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine announced today that the Department of Justice will return about $470,735 to two Maine victims of a cryptocurrency investment scheme.
According to court records, more than $800,000 belonging to the victims was transferred to cryptocurrency wallets controlled by criminal actors in 2022. The FBI seized 470,773 USDT (Tether)—a form of cryptocurrency equivalent in value to the dollar—traced to the victims’ payments. The U.S. Attorney’s Office subsequently filed a civil forfeiture complaint alleging these proceeds were traceable to wire fraud and were involved in money laundering offenses. The U.S. District Court ordered the proceeds to be forfeited to the United States, which is now providing the funds to the two victims.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office warns that cryptocurrency investment schemes are all too common.
In many cryptocurrency investment schemes, scammers engage in social engineering to steal a victim’s funds. Scammers often use a fake identity and cold-contact a victim through messaging apps, social media, dating apps, or other platforms. Scammers may pretend to have contacted the wrong number but then continue communicating with the victim. The scammers establish a relationship and build trust with the victim by continuing to message over days, weeks, or months. Frequently, the scammers then make up a fake investment opportunity or an emergency to induce the victim to send payments in cryptocurrency. Scammers may convince the victim to use fake websites or apps to “invest” in cryptocurrency, and will often coach the victim through the “investment” process and show the victim fake returns on their “investment.” Rather than investing money on a legitimate platform, the victim is tricked into sending cryptocurrency to wallets controlled by the scammers. If the victim tries to withdraw money from the fake site or app, the victim is often told to pay additional fees or taxes—but the scammers do not return the victim’s funds after the fake fees or taxes are paid.
For more information about cryptocurrency investment schemes, please visit https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2023/PSA230824.
If you believe you or someone you know may be a victim of a cryptocurrency scam, in addition to reporting to your local police department, you should immediately submit a report to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or contact your local FBI Field Office.
The FBI handled this case. The Department of Justice would like to acknowledge Tether for its assistance in effectuating the transfer of these assets.
Davenport Man Sentenced to 90 Months in Federal Prison for Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Davenport man was sentenced March 12, 2026, to 90 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon.
According to public court documents, Cedrick Dequn Willingham, 39, fled from officers in Bettendorf, after they attempted to stop his vehicle. During an August 2024 search of Willingham’s residence, officers located a firearm, a drum magazine, and many rounds of ammunition. Willingham is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition because of his felony convictions, including a 2025 conviction in the Iowa District Court for Scott County for possession of a controlled substance, third or subsequent offense.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Willingham will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Scott County Sherriff’s Office investigated the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Crownpoint Man Pleads Guilty to Strangulation and Assaulting OfficerRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Crownpoint man pleaded guilty in federal court to strangling a woman and attacking a tribal police officer with a taser.
According to court documents, on March 18, 2025, Jason K. Thompson, 40, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, attempted to strangle Jane Doe. Law enforcement responded to the domestic violence call and attempted to take Thompson into custody. During a struggle with a Navajo Nation Police Department officer, Thompson grabbed the officer’s taser and deployed it against him with the intent to injure him. Thompson was then handcuffed and placed in the back of an NPD patrol unit. He later kicked out a window of the unit and escaped, but NPD officers recaptured him that night.
Thompson pleaded guilty to assault by strangulation and assault with a deadly weapon. At sentencing he faces up to 10 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 Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Probasco is prosecuting the case.
Correctional officer sentenced to 10 years for trafficking meth in federal prisonRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A correctional officer has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Martel Devante Gilliam, 22, of Beaumont, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on March 11, 2026.
According to information presented in court, in March 2024, Gilliam, a correctional officer at the Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) in Beaumont, was identified as a source of supply for illegal drugs at the prison. On March 8, 2024, after Gilliam reported to work, a canine alerted to the presence of narcotics on Gilliam’s vehicle during an open-air sniff. A search of the vehicle revealed approximately 125 grams of methamphetamine; 28 grams of cocaine; 459 grams of synthetic marijuana; vacuum sealed packages of tobacco and marijuana; $5,700 cash; and a pistol.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
This case was investigated by the FBI, Bureau of Prisons, and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell James.
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Connecticut Man Arrested, Charged with Assaulting a Federal Officer and Failing to Report Arrival to the USRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Manchester, Connecticut man was arrested today and charged by criminal complaint with assaulting a federal officer and failing to report his arrival and present for inspection on February 22, 2026.
As alleged in the criminal complaint, Devin Austin Bishop, 29, drove at high speed across the bridge from Campobello Island, Canada into the U.S., at one point veering into the outbound lane to travel into Lubec. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations officer who was on duty at the Lubec Port of Entry pursued Bishop in an agency vehicle. Bishop got out of his car on a road in Lubec. He forcibly assaulted and resisted the officer when the officer attempted to arrest him, grabbing for the officer’s firearm. During the struggle, the firearm discharged but no one was hit. The officer was eventually able to take Bishop into custody with the assistance of a passing motorist.
If convicted, Bishop faces up to eight years in prison on the assault charge and one year in prison on the failure to report charge.
The FBI is investigating the case with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
A complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
California Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Distribution Conspiracy in the Northern District of FloridaRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Manuel Alejandro Palomino Amador, 33, of San Diego, California, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Thanks to the outstanding investigative work of a multi-state coalition of our state and federal law enforcement partners, this significant drug trafficking network has been dismantled, and this successful prosecution ensures this defendant will face full accountability for flooding our streets with deadly drugs in the Northern District of Florida. The Homeland Security Task Force was established by President Donald J. Trump to eradicate the threats to our citizens’ safety posed by the foreign cartels and transnational criminal organizations pumping violence and deadly drugs into our communities, and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute these cases to keep our streets safe and drug-free.”
Court documents reflect that investigators identified the defendant as a significant supplier of methamphetamine from Southern California to the Northern District of Florida. Upon learning of a methamphetamine shipment bound for North Florida, agents surveilled the transaction in San Diego. Thereafter, law enforcement stopped the buyer as he was returning to his home in Banning, California, searched his vehicle and discovered 35.9 kilograms of methamphetamine. Later that day, law enforcement stopped the defendant as he was driving his own vehicle and discovered 1.9 kilograms of methamphetamine and $51,166 in U.S. currency. Agents also located a key to a storage facility that led to the discovery of an additional 36.4 kilograms of methamphetamine and 4,037 grams of fentanyl.
Amador faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled for June 4, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before United States District Judge T. Kent Wetherell, II.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, and the Escondido Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Walter Narramore.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF comprises agents and officers from multiple agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Buffalo woman pleads guilty to her role in conspiracy to steal mailRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Alexandria Duncan, 23, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy to conspiracy to commit mail theft, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright, who is handling the case, stated that between October 9 and October 14, 2024, Duncan conspired with co-defendant Timothee S. Tidwell to steal mail from receptacles in Hamburg, NY, and take articles from inside the letters and envelopes that were stolen. For instance, in the early morning hours of October 14, 2024, Duncan drove a vehicle to Camp Road with Tidwell, who exited the vehicle and approached a row of mailboxes outside the post office on Camp Road with a postal arrow key he was not legally entitled to possess. After Tidwell exited the vehicle, Duncan drove the vehicle across the street to a gas station where she was approached by a Village of Hamburg Police officer. While the police officer interacted with Duncan, Tidwell fled the scene.
Duncan and Tidwell used a postal arrow key to open various mailboxes in the Hamburg area to steal multiple mail items. On October 14, 2024, law enforcement recovered opened and unopened mail addressed to other people from Duncan’s vehicle. The opened mail included checks from various individuals and businesses and totaled approximately $369,104.92.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Village of Hamburg Police, under the direction of Chief Richard Schara, and the United States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector-in-Charge Nicholas J. Bucciarelli, Boston Division.
Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
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Boone County Man Sentenced for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
COVINGTON, Ky. – A Walton, Ky., man, Ronald Knox, 55, was sentenced on Friday to 168 months by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning, for the distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography.
According to court documents, in January 2025, Knox distributed a depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct to an undercover law enforcement officer by means of a BitTorrent peer-to-peer network. In May 2025, law enforcement seized Knox’s devices from his residence. A search of those devices revealed a significant amount of child pornography, including the distributed image and other depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Knox admitted that he viewed child pornography and that he had been doing so for years.
Under federal law, Knox 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 20 years.
Paul McCaffrey, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; and Chief Craig Patrick Sorrell, Campbell County Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Campbell County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Spievack 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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Antifa Cell Members Convicted in Prairieland ICE Detention Center ShootingRead the Press Release
Nine North Texas Antifa Cell operatives were convicted today by a federal jury in Fort Worth, Texas for their roles in rioting, using weapons and explosives, providing material support to terrorists, obstruction, and attempted murder of an Alvarado police officer at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center on July 4, 2025.
In a 12-day trial that began on Feb. 23, jurors heard testimony from more than 45 witnesses and considered over 210 exhibits supporting the charges against nine indicted defendants: Cameron Arnold, also known as Autunm Hill; Zachary Evetts; Benjamin Song; Savanna Batten; Bradford Morris, also known as Meagan Morris; Maricela Rueda; Elizabeth Soto; Ines Soto; and Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada. Seven others, Seth Sikes, Nathan Baumann, Joy Gibson, Susan Kent, Rebecca Morgan, Lynette Sharp, and John Thomas, pleaded guilty last year to one count of providing material support to terrorists.
“Antifa is a domestic terrorist organization that has been allowed to flourish in Democrat-led cities — not under President Trump,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Today’s verdict on terrorism charges will not be the last as the Trump administration systematically dismantles Antifa and finally halts their violence on America’s streets.”
“These guilty verdicts and convictions rightly reflect the vicious, armed attack that these Antifa cell members planned and executed against law enforcement and detention center officers on the night of July 4 last year,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas. “Their terrorist acts, attempted murder, vandalism, and explosives launched at a detention facility were a far cry from some peaceful protest or First Amendment expression. Because of the prompt action of first responders that night and tenacious work of our law enforcement partners in tandem with the prosecutors in my office, sixteen people have been brought to justice for these violent acts and their attempts to conceal them. We will continue in this mission to hold others accountable who perpetrate such violence and fund these ANTIFA groups in the Northern District of Texas.”
“Today’s verdict shows the FBI remains committed to identifying, locating, and dismantling Antifa and its funding networks across the country,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Acts of violence against our law enforcement partners will not be tolerated, and we continue our work to protect communities across the country from domestic terrorism.”
“The coordinated attack on the Prairieland Detention Center required a whole of government approach from the initial response throughout the investigation and trial. The FBI’s JTTF led this collective effort resulting in convictions and guilty pleas by those who committed violent acts against our law enforcement partners,” said Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the FBI Dallas Field Office. “I want to thank all the law enforcement agencies that collaborated with us on this investigation. Our collective goal remains to ensure the safety and security of our communities in North Texas.”
“This case marks a historic moment as it represents the nation’s initial federal indictment targeting a coordinated group of Antifa cell members engaged in violent criminal activity,” said HSI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard. “The charges demonstrate our unwavering commitment to confronting domestic terrorism and protecting our communities from organized threats.”
Testimony and other evidence at trial established that the defendants were members of a North Texas Antifa Cell, part of a larger militant enterprise made up of networks of individuals and small groups primarily ascribing to an ideology that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and the system of law. An expert testifying in the government’s case told the jury that Antifa’s coordinated efforts involve obstructing Federal law through organized riots, violent assaults, and armed confrontations with law enforcement officers, increasingly targeting agents and facilities related to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement in opposition to the agency’s deportation actions.
Evidence at trial revealed that most of the Antifa Cell involved in the Prairieland attack looked to Benjamin Song as a leader. Song acquired firearms that he distributed to co-defendants and recruited members at gun ranges and combat sessions he conducted, as well as from various ideologically aligned groups. For example, defendants Ines Soto, Elizabeth Soto, and Savanna Batten were part of a group that created and distributed insurrectionary materials called “zines,” according to trial evidence.
Trial testimony reflected that, late at night on July 4, at least 11 of the defendants rioted and attacked the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, which the DHS was using to house illegal aliens awaiting deportation. The defendants dressed in “black bloc” — dark clothing with head and face coverings that concealed their identities — designed to hide each individual’s identity but also to aid and abet those members engaged in illegal acts by making members indistinguishable from one another to law enforcement. Evidence introduced at trial revealed that the defendants brought eleven firearms, body armor, and eleven military-grade first aid kits with tourniquets and other items for gunshot wounds to the scene of the attack. Many of these items were introduced by the government as exhibits. Additionally, fingerprint evidence linked many of the defendants to the items at the scene, and evidence obtained on phone locations supported that those who participated in the attack all turned off their phones or placed them in Faraday bags to prevent tracking on the night of the attack.
After Antifa Cell members arrived at Prairieland, they began shooting off and throwing fireworks (explosives) at the facility and vandalizing vehicles and a guard shack on Prairieland property:
Witnesses testified that an Alvarado police officer responded to the scene after correctional officers called 911. When the officer began issuing commands to defendant Nathan Baumann, Benjamin Song can be heard on police bodycam video yelling, “get to the rifles!” and then he opened fire on the officers, striking the Alvarado police officer in the neck as the unarmed correctional officers ducked and ran for cover. Police arrested most of the Antifa Cell shortly after the attack, many near the scene. Benjamin Song escaped and remained at large with the help of others until his capture on July 15, 2025.
Trial evidence demonstrated that collectively, the Antifa Cell acquired over 50 firearms in the Fort Worth/Dallas area prior to July 4. During trial, the government introduced numerous chats of the members, who used an encrypted messaging app to coordinate with each other that had auto-delete functions, permanently deleting some Antifa Cell members’ communications. They also used monikers in group chats to hide their identities, and some of the planning chats included only trusted participants. The chats introduced at trial revealed that members in this limited group conducted reconnaissance and discussed what to bring to the riot, including firearms, medical kits, and fireworks:
Witnesses who testified during the government’s case included the Alvarado police officer who was shot in the neck by Song, detention officers present that night who also took cover from rapid fire, multiple additional responding officers, numerous investigative agents, and cooperating codefendants, including Baumann, Sharp, Thomas, and Kent. Among other things, Kent testified that the night before the attack at a “gear check,” Song proposed to free the detainees at Prairieland and told the group that they should wear black bloc and bring rifles, because he (Song) wasn’t going to be arrested. Evidence at trial also revealed that some of the defendants attended a peaceful daytime protest at Prairieland on July 4 — without the gear they brought that night — and that they reported back to other defendants details regarding security at the facility:
The jury convicted the nine defendants of the following offenses:
- Riot, with the intent to commit an act of violence, involving conduct such as shooting and throwing fireworks and explosives, slashing tires on a government vehicle, spraying graffiti on property and vehicles, destroying a closed circuit camera, shooting at officers, and dressing in black bloc.
- Defendants convicted: Cameron Arnold, Zachary Evetts, Benjamin Song, Savanna Batten, Bradford Morris, Maricela Rueda, Elizabeth Soto, Ines Soto
- Providing Material Support to Terrorists, including property, services, training, communications equipment, weapons, explosives, personnel (including themselves), and transportation.
- Defendants convicted: Arnold, Evetts, Song, Batten, Morris, Rueda, E. Soto, and I. Soto
- Conspiracy to Use and Carry an Explosive, and Using and Carrying an Explosive, during a riot.
- Defendants convicted: Arnold, Evetts, Song, Batten, Morris, Rueda, E. Soto, and I. Soto
- Attempted Murder of Officers and Employees of the United States, involving the unlawful attempt to kill with malice aforethought Correctional Officers-1 and 2, and an Alvarado Police Officer.
- Defendants convicted: Song
- Discharging a Firearm During, and in Relation to, and in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence, i.e., the attempted murder of two correctional officers and an Alvarado Police Officer.
- Defendants convicted: Song
- Corruptly Concealing a Document or Record, by transporting a box containing numerous Antifa materials, such as insurrection planning, anti-law enforcement, anti-government, and anti-immigration enforcement documents and propaganda from Sanchez Estrada’s residence to a location in Denton, Texas, intending to conceal the box’s contents and impair its availability for use in a federal grand jury and federal criminal proceeding.
- Defendant convicted: Daniel Rolando Sanchez Estrada
- Conspiracy to Conceal Documents and other objects that would implicate Maricela Rueda in the riot and shooting at the Prairieland facility.
- Defendants convicted: Sanchez Estrada and Maricela Rueda
Song faces a minimum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. Arnold, Evetts, Morris, Rueda, Batten, Elizabeth Soto, and Ines Soto each face a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 60 years in prison. Sanchez Estrada faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.
The sole count of providing material support to terrorists to which Baumann, Gibson, Kent, Morgan, Sharp, Thomas, and Sikes pleaded guilty mirrors the material support offense in the charges presented to the jury at trial. Each of these defendants faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
Sentencing hearings for the 16 defendants are pending in front of U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman for the Northern District of Texas who oversaw the trial.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Dallas Field Office, HSI, ATF, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Alvarado Police Department, and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank Gatto, Shawn Smith, and Matt Capoccia for the Northern District of Texas prosecuted the case.
- Riot, with the intent to commit an act of violence, involving conduct such as shooting and throwing fireworks and explosives, slashing tires on a government vehicle, spraying graffiti on property and vehicles, destroying a closed circuit camera, shooting at officers, and dressing in black bloc.
Antifa Cell Members Convicted in Prairieland ICE Detention Center ShootingRead the Press Release
Nine North Texas Antifa Cell operatives were convicted today by a federal jury in Fort Worth, Texas for their roles in rioting, using weapons and explosives, providing material support to terrorists, obstruction, and attempted murder of an Alvarado police officer and unarmed correctional officers at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center on July 4, 2025, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.
In a 12-day trial that began on February 23, 2026, jurors heard testimony from more than 45 witnesses and considered over 210 exhibits supporting the charges against nine indicted defendants: Cameron Arnold, a/k/a Autunm Hill, Zachary Evetts, Benjamin Song, Savanna Batten, Bradford Morris, a/k/a Meagan Morris, Maricela Rueda, Elizabeth Soto, Ines Soto, and Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada. Seven others, Seth Sikes, Nathan Baumann, Joy Gibson, Susan Kent, Rebecca Morgan, Lynette Sharp, and John Thomas, pled guilty last year to one count of providing material support to terrorists.
“Antifa is a domestic terrorist organization that has been allowed to flourish in Democrat-led cities — not under President Trump,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Today’s verdict on terrorism charges will not be the last as the Trump administration systematically dismantles Antifa and finally halts their violence on America’s streets.”
“These guilty verdicts and convictions rightly reflect the vicious, armed attack that these Antifa cell members planned and executed against law enforcement and detention center officers on the night of July 4 last year,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “Their terrorist acts, attempted murder, vandalism, and explosives launched at a detention facility were a far cry from some peaceful protest or First Amendment expression. Because of the prompt action of first responders that night and tenacious work of our law enforcement partners in tandem with the prosecutors in my office, sixteen people have been brought to justice for these violent acts and their attempts to conceal them. We will continue in this mission to hold others accountable who perpetrate such violence and fund these ANTIFA groups in the Northern District of Texas.”
“Today’s verdict shows the FBI remains committed to identifying, locating, and dismantling Antifa and its funding networks across the country,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Acts of violence against our law enforcement partners will not be tolerated, and we continue our work to protect communities across the country from domestic terrorism.”
“The calculated, violent attack at ICE’s Prairieland facility was an abhorrent way for antifa terrorists to ‘protest’ the way this agency enforces the law — but these verdicts make clear that those who choose violence over lawful expression will face the full force of the American justice system,” said ICE Director Todd M. Lyons. “The men and women who serve at these facilities deserve to do their jobs without facing intimidation or violence. Let today’s outcome serve as a warning: Those who target federal officers with intimidation, ambush tactics or political violence will be investigated, prosecuted and held accountable.”
“The coordinated attack on the Prairieland Detention Center required a whole of government approach from the initial response throughout the investigation and trial. The FBI’s JTTF led this collective effort resulting in convictions and guilty pleas by those who committed violent acts against our law enforcement partners,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “I want to thank all the law enforcement agencies that collaborated with us on this investigation. Our collective goal remains to ensure the safety and security of our communities in North Texas.”
“This case marks a historic moment as it represents the nation’s initial federal indictment targeting a coordinated group of Antifa cell members engaged in violent criminal activity,” said HSI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard. “The charges demonstrate our unwavering commitment to confronting domestic terrorism and protecting our communities from organized threats.”
Testimony and other evidence at trial established that the defendants were members of a North Texas Antifa Cell, part of a larger militant enterprise made up of networks of individuals and small groups primarily ascribing to an ideology that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and the system of law. An expert testifying in the government’s case told the jury that Antifa’s coordinated efforts involve obstructing Federal law through organized riots, violent assaults, and armed confrontations with law enforcement officers, increasingly targeting agents and facilities related to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement in opposition to the agency’s deportation actions.
Evidence at trial revealed that most of the Antifa Cell involved in the Prairieland attack looked to Benjamin Song as a leader. Song acquired firearms that he distributed to co-defendants and recruited members at gun ranges and combat sessions he conducted, as well as from various ideologically aligned groups. For example, defendants Ines Soto, Elizabeth Soto, and Savanna Batten were part of a group that created and distributed insurrectionary materials called “zines,” according to trial evidence.
Trial testimony reflected that, late at night on July 4, at least eleven of the defendants rioted and attacked the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, which the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was using to house illegal aliens awaiting deportation. The defendants dressed in “black bloc”—dark clothing with head and face coverings that concealed their identities—designed to hide each individual’s identity but also to aid and abet those members engaged in illegal acts by making members indistinguishable from one another to law enforcement. Evidence introduced at trial revealed that the defendants brought eleven firearms, body armor, and eleven military-grade first aid kits with tourniquets and other items for gunshot wounds to the scene of the attack. Many of these items were introduced by the government as exhibits. Additionally, fingerprint evidence linked many of the defendants to the items at the scene, and evidence obtained on phone locations supported that those who participated in the attack all turned off their phones or placed them in Faraday bags to prevent tracking on the night of the attack.After Antifa Cell members arrived at Prairieland, they began shooting off and throwing fireworks (explosives) at the facility and vandalizing vehicles and a guard shack on Prairieland property:
Witnesses testified that an Alvarado police officer responded to the scene after correctional officers called 911. When the officer began issuing commands to defendant Nathan Baumann, Benjamin Song can be heard on police bodycam video yelling, “get to the rifles!” and then he opened fire on the officers, striking the Alvarado police officer in the neck as the unarmed correctional officers ducked and ran for cover. Police arrested most of the Antifa Cell shortly after the attack, many near the scene. Benjamin Song escaped and remained at large with the help of others until his capture on July 15, 2025.
Trial evidence demonstrated that collectively, the Antifa Cell acquired over 50 firearms in the Fort Worth/Dallas area prior to July 4. During trial, the government introduced numerous chats of the members, who used an encrypted messaging app to coordinate with each other that had auto-delete functions, permanently deleting some Antifa Cell members’ communications. They also used monikers in group chats to hide their identities, and some of the planning chats included only trusted participants. The chats introduced at trial revealed that members in this limited group conducted reconnaissance and discussed what to bring to the riot, including firearms, medical kits, and fireworks:
Witnesses who testified during the government’s case included the Alvarado police officer who was shot in the neck by Song, detention officers present that night who also took cover from rapid fire, multiple additional responding officers, numerous investigative agents, and cooperating codefendants, including Baumann, Sharp, Thomas, and Kent. Among other things, Kent testified that the night before the attack at a “gear check,” Song proposed to free the detainees at Prairieland and told the group that they should wear black bloc and bring rifles, because he (Song) wasn’t going to be arrested. Evidence at trial also revealed that some of the defendants attended a peaceful daytime protest at Prairieland on July 4—without the gear they brought that night—and that they reported back to other defendants details regarding security at the facility:
The jury convicted the nine defendants of the following offenses:
- Riot (Count 1), with the intent to commit an act of violence, involving conduct such as shooting and throwing fireworks and explosives, slashing tires on a government vehicle, spraying graffiti on property and vehicles, destroying a closed circuit camera, shooting at officers, and dressing in black bloc.
- Defendants convicted: Cameron Arnold, Zachary Evetts, Benjamin Song, Savanna Batten, Bradford Morris, Maricela Rueda, Elizabeth Soto, Ines Soto
- Providing Material Support to Terrorists (Count 2), including property, services, training, communications equipment, weapons, explosives, personnel (including themselves), and transportation.
- Defendants convicted: Arnold, Evetts, Song, Batten, Morris, Rueda, E. Soto, and I. Soto
- Conspiracy to Use and Carry an Explosive (Count 3), and Using and Carrying an Explosive (Count 4), during a riot.
- Defendants convicted: Arnold, Evetts, Song, Batten, Morris, Rueda, E. Soto, and I. Soto
- Attempted Murder of Officers and Employees of the United States (Count 7), involving the unlawful attempt to kill with malice aforethought the Alvarado Police Officer.
- Defendant convicted: Song
- Discharging a Firearm During, and in Relation to, and in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence (Counts 8, 9, and 10), i.e., the attempted murder of two correctional officers and an Alvarado Police Officer.
- Defendant convicted: Song
- Corruptly Concealing a Document or Record (Count 11), by transporting a box containing numerous Antifa materials, such as insurrection planning, anti-law enforcement, anti-government, and anti-immigration enforcement documents and propaganda from Sanchez Estrada’s residence to a location in Denton, Texas, intending to conceal the box’s contents and impair its availability for use in a federal grand jury and federal criminal proceeding.
- Defendant convicted: Daniel Rolando Sanchez Estrada
- Conspiracy to Conceal Documents (Count 12) and other objects that would implicate Maricela Rueda in the riot and shooting at the Prairieland facility.
- Defendants convicted: Sanchez Estrada and Maricela Rueda
Song faces a minimum penalty of 20 years and a maximum of life imprisonment. Arnold, Evetts, Morris, Rueda, Batten, Elizabeth Soto, and Ines Soto each face a sentence ranging from a minimum of ten years up to sixty years in federal prison. Sanchez Estrada faces up to 40 years in federal prison.
The sole count of providing material support to terrorists to which Baumann, Gibson, Kent, Morgan, Sharp, Thomas, and Sikes pled guilty, mirrors the material support offense in the charges presented to the jury at trial. Each of these defendants face a sentence of up to fifteen years in federal prison.
Sentencing hearings for the sixteen defendants are pending in front of United States District Judge Mark Pittman, who oversaw the trial.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI—Dallas, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), ATF, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Alvarado Police Department, and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank Gatto, Shawn Smith, and Matt Capoccia prosecuted the case.
- Riot (Count 1), with the intent to commit an act of violence, involving conduct such as shooting and throwing fireworks and explosives, slashing tires on a government vehicle, spraying graffiti on property and vehicles, destroying a closed circuit camera, shooting at officers, and dressing in black bloc.
Another week of border enforcement results in 461 people chargedRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A total of 459 cases have been filed in immigration and related matters from March 6-12, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
The Southern District filed 193 criminal complaints for illegal entry, while another 235 people face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felony convictions, including narcotics offenses, violent crimes, and immigration-related offenses. The cases also include charges against 26 people allegedly involved in human smuggling. The remaining seven cases filed this week involve other immigration crimes.
Among the new cases are three men from distinct countries, all charged with felony reentry after removal.
Authorities allegedly found El Salvadoran national Josue Alberto Villalobos-Bonilla and Honduran national Brayan Arman Hernandez-Mendez near La Grulla without legal authorization to be in the United States. According to the criminal complaints, both had previously been removed July 25 and July 26, 2025, respectively. Villalobos-Bonilla has a prior conviction for sexual solicitation of a minor, while Hernandez-Mendez has prior convictions for illegal reentry and evading arrest.
Law enforcement also allegedly discovered Mexican national Juan Barrientos-Soto near San Juan after he had been removed Dec. 24, 2025. Court records reflect prior convictions for illegal reentry, theft of property and assault.
Another defendant charged in a separate case is Mexican national Jordan Velasco-Martinez. The criminal complaint alleges he attempted to unlawfully reenter the United States within two months of his most recent removal. According to the complaint, authorities removed him Feb. 1. The charges also allege Velasco-Martinez has prior convictions for felony driving while intoxicated and illegal reentry. Law enforcement allegedly discovered him near Roma without legal authorization to be in the United States.
All face up to 20 years in prison, if convicted.
In addition to the new cases, in Corpus Christi the ringleader of a human smuggling organization received a 36-month federal prison sentence. From October 2024 to May 2025, Hugo Jimenez Jr. oversaw numerous alien smuggling operations throughout South Texas. He conspired with others to transport illegal aliens further into the United States and recruited local drivers to conceal them in vehicle cargo areas areas to circumvent Border Patrol checkpoints. Jimenez also scouted checkpoints in advance and coordinated rendezvous points north of inspection sites. At times, he personally transported the illegal aliens to San Antonio and Houston.
Several others also received federal prison sentences in Houston for illegal reentry, including Mexican nationals Edgar Jaramillo-Escobar, Jose Guadalupe Mendoza-Cabrera and Faustino Rosales-Hernandez. Each has prior felony convictions including illegal reentry, driving under the influence of alcohol, family violence assault and assault causing bodily injury.
Mexican national Jose Mario Cervantes-Luna was also ordered to federal prison for illegally reentering the country. He has prior convictions for illegal reentry, driving while intoxicated and sexual assault of a minor. Authorities previously removed him in 2004, 2011 and three times in 2012.
In another case, Sergio Benavides-Melgar pleaded guilty to illegal reentry after law enforcement discovered him illegally present in the United States after being removed. According to court records, he has prior convictions for illegal reentry as well as aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal histories, including convictions for human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.
An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Adobe Agrees to $150 Million Settlement and Injunction to Resolve Alleged Violations of the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence ActRead the Press Release
SAN JOSE – The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a proposed stipulated order that, if entered by the court, will resolve a case against software company Adobe Inc. and two of its employees, Maninder Sawhney and David Wadhwani. The proposed order requires Adobe to pay $75 million in civil penalties and offer customers $75 million in free services to resolve allegations that the company’s subscription practices violated the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA).
ROSCA generally requires companies offering online subscriptions to clearly disclose important subscription information and to provide subscribers with simple ways to cancel. In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the government alleged that Adobe violated ROSCA by using fine print and inconspicuous hyperlinks to hide important information about Adobe’s subscription plans, including information about a hefty Early Termination Fee that customers may be charged when they cancel their subscriptions. The government also alleged that Adobe thwarted subscribers’ attempts to cancel, subjecting them to convoluted and inefficient cancellation processes filled with unnecessary steps, delays, unsolicited offers, and warnings.
“American consumers deserve the right to make informed choices when deciding where to spend their hard-earned money,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Justice Department will strongly oppose any attempt to harm Americans with deceptive and unfair business practices.”
“Consumers should not have to navigate a digital maze to cancel a subscription,” said United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian for the Northern District of California. “We will continue to hold responsible any company that uses deceptive business practices to harm the consumer.”
In addition to civil penalties and free services, the stipulated order provides strong protections for American consumers going forward. Adobe will be required to clearly disclose any Early Termination Fee and how the fee is calculated before enrolling customers in subscriptions. For any free trial lasting longer than seven days, Adobe must also remind customers before converting them into a paid subscription with an Early Termination Fee. Furthermore, Adobe will be required to provide its subscribers with easy ways to cancel their subscriptions.
The United States is represented in this action by Trial Attorneys Francisco L. Unger and Zachary L. Cowan and Assistant Director Zachary A. Dietert, from the Enforcement Section of the Civil Division’s Enforcement and Affirmative Litigation Branch, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Savith S. Iyengar for the Northern District of California, in coordination with staff at the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
Adobe Agrees to $150 Million Settlement and Injunction to Resolve Alleged Violations of the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence ActRead the Press Release
Note, the release has been updated to include a quote from U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian for the Northern District of California.
The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a proposed stipulated order that, if entered by the court, will resolve a case against software company Adobe Inc. and two of its employees, Maninder Sawhney and David Wadhwani. The proposed order requires Adobe to pay $75 million in civil penalties and offer customers $75 million in free services to resolve allegations that the company’s subscription practices violated the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA).
ROSCA generally requires companies offering online subscriptions to clearly disclose important subscription information and to provide subscribers with simple ways to cancel. In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the government alleged that Adobe violated ROSCA by using fine print and inconspicuous hyperlinks to hide important information about Adobe’s subscription plans, including information about a hefty Early Termination Fee that customers may be charged when they cancel their subscriptions. The government also alleged that Adobe thwarted subscribers’ attempts to cancel, subjecting them to convoluted and inefficient cancellation processes filled with unnecessary steps, delays, unsolicited offers, and warnings.
“American consumers deserve the right to make informed choices when deciding where to spend their hard-earned money,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Justice Department will strongly oppose any attempt to harm Americans with deceptive and unfair business practices.”
“Consumers should not have to navigate a digital maze to cancel a subscription,” said U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian for the Northern District of California. “We will continue to hold responsible any company that uses deceptive business practices to harm the consumer.”
In addition to civil penalties and free services, the stipulated order provides strong protections for American consumers going forward. Adobe will be required to clearly disclose any Early Termination Fee and how the fee is calculated before enrolling customers in subscriptions. For any free trial lasting longer than seven days, Adobe must also remind customers before converting them into a paid subscription with an Early Termination Fee. Furthermore, Adobe will be required to provide its subscribers with easy ways to cancel their subscriptions.
The United States is represented in this action by Trial Attorneys Francisco L. Unger and Zachary L. Cowan and Assistant Director Zachary A. Dietert, from the Enforcement Section of the Civil Division’s Enforcement and Affirmative Litigation Branch, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Savith S. Iyengar for the Northern District of California, in coordination with staff at the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
For more information about the Enforcement & Affirmative Litigation Branch and its enforcement efforts visit www.justice.gov/civil/enforcement-affirmative-litigation-branch.
12 March 2026
Wichita woman sentenced to prison for trafficking fentanylRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas woman was sentenced to 48 months in prison for drug trafficking.
According to court documents, Shakorra D. Bonds, 36, of Wichita pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of a controlled substance.
In March 2024, the Kansas Bureau of lnvestigation (KBI) received information that Bonds was selling fentanyl in Wichita. Agents coordinated a purchase of controlled substances from Bonds which resulted in the sale of 1,000 fentanyl pills. In her plea agreement, Bonds admitted to selling pills that she knew contained fentanyl.
“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug overdoses are the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 44, with fentanyl as a major culprit in causing many lives to be tragically cut short,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “We at the Department of Justice are grateful for our state and local law enforcement partners who work hand in hand with us to try to rid our communities of this toxic substance.”
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katie Andrusak prosecuted the case.
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West Haven Man Sentenced to 6 Years in Federal Prison for Receiving Child Sex Abuse Material through Telegram AppRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ADAM C. SALGADO, JR., 32, of West Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to 72 months of imprisonment and seven years of supervised release for receiving and possessing child sex abused material.
According to court documents and statements made in court, a cloud-based storage company that provides services for wireless customers made multiple CyberTipline reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (“NCMEC”) that a user, identified as Salgado, had videos of child sexual abuse stored on the account. Subsequent investigation revealed that Salgado had a history of downloading and deleting the encrypted messaging app Telegram, which he used to connect with others who traded in child sex abuse material and to view and download hundreds of child sex abuse images and videos.
Salgado was arrested on June 5, 2024, in Texas where he was serving in the U.S. Army. On November 10, 2025, he pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography.
Salgado, who is released on a $100,000 bond, is required to report to prison on April 16.
This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance of the Middletown Police Department and the Army Criminal Investigation Division. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel George.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
Volusia County Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Entice a 13-Year-Old Child to Produce Child Sexual Abuse PhotosRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Shane Christopher Abrams (38, Deland) has pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a 13-year-old child to produce and send him photos depicting her own sexual abuse. Abrams faces a minimum penalty of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison and a potential life term of supervised release. His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for June 25, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, on April 3, 2024, an undercover FBI agent posing as a 13-year-old child engaged in text conversation on an online social media application with a user named “Malicious_Malediction,” who was subsequently identified as Abrams. During this conversation, the “child” advised that “she” was 13 years old, and Abrams asked “her” inappropriate questions about “her” body. The next day, the conversation between Abrams and the “child” continued by text messaging using cellphones. Between April 4 and April 20, 2024, Abrams and the “child” exchanged numerous text messages. On multiple occasions during their text conversation, Abrams solicited the “child” to produce and send him photos of “her” genitalia, giving the “child” explicit instructions as to how to comply with his demands. As part of his efforts to entice the “child” to take and send him sexually explicit photos of “herself,” Abrams sent the “child” an explicit video and several photos.
On May 20, 2024, Abrams was arrested by FBI agents in a parking lot near his workplace in South Daytona.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. 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 May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify, rescue, and seek justice for child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI Continue Their Fight Against Sex Trafficking in New York – Pearl River Man and Woman ChargedRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), James C. Barnacle, Jr., announced the arrest of TYRON DUMEL, a/k/a “Boogie,” and NICOLE DUMEL in connection with a sex trafficking operation based in Rockland County, New York. TYRON DUMEL and NICOLE DUMEL were arrested March 11, 2026, and presented in White Plains federal court on Thursday, March 12, 2026, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Victoria Reznik. TYRON DUMEL was ordered detained, and NICOLE DUMEL was released on bond.
“The message from New York families is clear: stop the sex trafficking,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “It is corroding our communities. Since August 2025, the defendants have allegedly conspired to traffic at least 10 women to engage in commercial sex. In furtherance of that operation, Tyron Dumel allegedly exerted ruthless control over sex trafficking victims through lies, intimidation, violence, and psychological abuse, while he and Nicole Dumel allegedly reaped thousands of dollars in profits. This kind of conduct should shock the conscience of every New Yorker, and it will not be tolerated. This Office and our law enforcement partners are committed to bringing the perpetrators of such crimes to justice.”
“These defendants allegedly operated a human trafficking network in which Tyron Dumel forced victims to engage in sexual acts for profit through physical and psychological coercion, while Nicole Dumel collected their illicit proceeds,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. ‘The Dumels allegedly exploited and abused nearly a dozen women across the country to generate a twisted cash flow. The FBI will target human traffickers who abuse and torment victims for personal enrichment.”
As alleged in the Indictment:[1]
From at least in or about August 2025 through at least in or about February 2026, TYRON DUMEL and NICOLE DUMEL conspired to traffic women to engage in prostitution (the “DUMEL Trafficking Operation”). TYRON DUMEL advertised the DUMEL Trafficking Operation on a popular social media platform, which he used to recruit women to engage in commercial sex. As part of the DUMEL Trafficking Operation, and in furtherance thereof, TYRON DUMEL transported at least ten women to locations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Arizona, Tennessee, and Michigan, among other places, to engage, at his direction and under his supervision, in commercial sex.
TYRON DUMEL used means of force, fraud, and coercion to cause a victim (“Victim-1”) and others to engage in commercial sex acts. He physically assaulted Victim-1 and others, threatened to cause physical harm to Victim-1 and others, sprayed Victim-1 and others with pepper spray, forced Victim-1 and others to engage in sexual intercourse with him, required Victim-1 and others to tattoo their bodies with his personal “brand,” used his control of the proceeds of his sex trafficking operation to coerce Victim-1 and others to accede to his demands by withholding, and threatening to withhold, food, and lied to Victim-1 and others concerning the whereabouts of the proceeds of the DUMEL Trafficking Operation.
Also as part of the DUMEL Trafficking Operation, and in furtherance thereof, NICOLE DUMEL agreed, among other things, to (i) set up an online account that TYRON DUMEL used to post commercial sex advertisements; (ii) edit digital photographs of at least one female commercial sex worker for the purpose of creating commercial sex advertisements; and (iii) receive electronic funds transfers from purchasers of commercial sex to accounts controlled by NICOLE DUMEL and route such funds to accounts controlled by NICOLE DUMEL and TYRON DUMEL. From in or about August 2025 through in or about February 2026, NICOLE DUMEL received thousands of dollars in proceeds from commercial sex acts conducted as part of the DUMEL Trafficking Operation.
* * *
TYRON DUMEL, 28, is charged with one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, one count of transportation for purposes of prostitution, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and one count of conspiracy to transport individuals for purposes of prostitution, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
NICOLE DUMEL, 30, is charged with one count of conspiracy to transport individuals for purposes of prostitution, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI New York Office Westchester Safe Streets Task Force, Greenburgh Police Department, Clarkstown Police Department, White Plains Police Department, and Orangetown Police Department.
The case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake Sidransky is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the Indictment and the descriptions of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Two Sentenced for Kidnapping St. Louis County ToddlerRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Thursday sentenced Kendal “KD” White, one of the men who kidnapped a toddler in St. Louis County, Missouri in a bid to recover missing guns, to 20 years in prison.
Cam’Ron Henderson, 21, of St. Louis, was sentenced in January to 130 months in prison. Both men previously pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping.
White, 21, of St. Charles, believed that the father of the 2-year-old kidnapping victim had taken items from him, including firearms. On Aug. 10. 2023, White, Henderson and others began looking for the man and eventually found their way to the victim’s mother’s apartment in St. Louis County. When she did not answer the door, White and Henderson kicked it in. Both men were armed. After learning that their quarry was not in the apartment, White demanded that the mother turn over her daughter. When she refused, White struck her in the head with his gun repeatedly before grabbing the toddler and fleeing. The toddler’s mother called police.
When White and Henderson learned that an Amber Alert had been issued and included a description of the Hyundai Elantra they were driving, White paid three women to return the toddler to her uncle’s home.
“This was an incredibly violent offense,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski said during Thursday’s hearing.
The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski prosecuted the case.
Two KC Area Men Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute Meth and FentanylRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Two Kansas City, Mo., men were sentenced in federal court for their role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Donnique H. Kelley, also known as “Banks,” 36, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 200 months in federal prison without parole for participating in a conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
Eugene Thomas, also known as “Texas,” 55, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 135 months in federal prison without parole for participating in a conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
According to court documents, Kelley, Thomas, and others sold fentanyl pills, fluor-fentanyl (a fentanyl analogue), cocaine, and methamphetamine to law enforcement between Oct. 19, 2022, and Dec. 13, 2023. During the investigation, law enforcement conducted multiple controlled purchases from Thomas, Kelley, and others.
In addition, on Sept. 12, 2023, following a car stop on East 63rd Street, Kansas City, Mo., a co-conspirator and source of supply of fentanyl and methamphetamine for the conspiracy was found in possession of 4.45 kilograms of methamphetamine, 2.02 kilograms of marijuana, and $14,382.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Jackson County Drug Task Force, the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department and the Overland Park, Kansas Police Department.
Homeland Security Task Force
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Kansas City comprises agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri.
Two Defendants Involved in Pharmacy Burglary Ring Across Multiple States Are Sentenced to Serve a Combined Time of More Than 25 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Antoinen Dion Hampton and Reginald Tremayne Jackson, both of Houston, Texas, will spend a combined time of 308 months in federal prison for their role in a criminal organization that was responsible for dozens of pharmacy burglaries and stolen controlled substances worth millions of dollars. Jonathan D. Ross, United States attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentences, which were handed down today by United States District Judge Brian S. Miller.
Hampton, 39, who is a multi-convicted felon, will spend the next 188 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute oxycodone, hydrocodone, alprazolam, and other Schedule II, III, IV, and V controlled substances and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Jackson, 35, who was serving a 36-month federal sentence in the Western District of Missouri at the time of his arrest, will spend another 120 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute oxycodone, hydrocodone, alprazolam, and other Schedule II, III, IV, and V controlled substances.
On November 8, 2023, a federal grand jury indicted Hampton and Jackson, along with 16 other defendants, and on July 2, 2024, the indictment was superseded to add an additional 24 defendants. On October 23, 2025, Hampton pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, hydrocodone, alprazolam, and other Schedule II, III, IV, and V controlled substances and conspiracy to commit money laundering. On September 4, 2025, Jackson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute oxycodone, hydrocodone, alprazolam, and other Schedule II, III, IV, and V controlled substances.
An investigation revealed that Hampton and Jackson were involved in a drug trafficking organization that included documented gang members from the 5th Ward area in Houston, Texas. Investigators discovered more than 96,000 tablets of Schedule II controlled substances—including oxycodone, hydrocodone, Adderall, and others—were stolen were stolen from pharmacies throughout the United States, including pharmacies Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, and Florida. The street value of all controlled substances stolen by the organization in the Arkansas burglaries alone is close to $1.6 million. Investigators also seized six firearms, approximately $79,000 in U.S. currency, and custom jewelry retailing approximately $330,000. The quantity of Schedule II controlled substances stolen from pharmacies and distributed has a street value of more than $12,000,000.
Hampton’s criminal history includes several felony convictions for burglary with intent to commit theft, burglary of a building with intent to commit theft, and burglary of a dwelling structure. Hampton participated in over 50 burglaries in pharmacies across the United States, including in Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Utah, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and Wyoming.
Because Jackson has at least two prior convictions for a violent felony or serious drug offense, he is classified as a career offender. Jackson participated in 10 burglaries of pharmacies across Arkansas and Oklahoma. Jackson’s criminal history includes a September 20, 2023, federal conviction for burglary of a business premises registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and he was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison, three years’ supervised release, and ordered to pay $9,347.45 in restitution. Jackson has felony state convictions for second-degree robbery and aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon.
Judge Miller also sentenced Hampton and Jackson each to three years’ supervised release. Restitution will be ordered at a later date. There is no parole in the federal system.
On September 4, 2024, Keith Wayne Brown, 36, of Humble, Texas, who was the leader of the pharmacy burglary ring, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to commit money laundering. On January 16, 2025, Judge Miller sentenced Brown to serve 209 months, over 17 years, in federal prison, three years’ supervised release, and ordered him to pay $272,937.42 in restitution.
On April 18, 2025, Judge Miller sentenced Alexis Simone Garner, 33, also from Houston, to serve one year and one day in federal prison for conspiracy to money launder. Judge Miller also sentenced Garner to three years’ supervised release and ordered her to pay $67,572.73 in restitution.
Investigators with the DEA, Little Rock District Office, worked in conjunction with the following law enforcement partners:
DEA New Orleans Division (Little Rock District Office, Fayetteville Resident Office, Shreveport Resident Office, Mobile Resident Office),
DEA Special Operations Division,
DEA Houston Division (Houston TDS Group, Galveston Resident Office),
DEA Omaha Division,
DEA Rocky Mountain Division (Salt Lake City District Office, Cheyenne Resident Office),
DEA Atlanta Division (Columbia District Office),
DEA Miami Division (Pensacola District Office),
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Little Rock Field Office,
FBI Cast Team,
U.S. Marshals Service,
Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics,
Harris County Sheriff’s Office,
League City Police Department (Dickinson, Texas),
Houston (Texas) Police Department Northeast Division Crime Suppression Team,
Houston (Texas) Police Department CID, and
Arkansas State Police.
The case is being prosecuted in the Eastern District of Arkansas by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda Fields.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Little Rock comprises agents and officers from state and local task force agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
X (formerly known as Twitter):
@USAO_EDAR
Two Colorado Women Charged in Multi State Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Two Colorado women and an associate are charged in a drug‑trafficking and money‑laundering conspiracy that allegedly funneled methamphetamine and cocaine from Mexico through New Mexico into other locations in the United States.
According to court records, between November 2023 and July 2025, Ebajelina Silva, 41, of Arvada, Colorado, and Tania Maldonado, 42, of Denver, Colorado, allegedly participated in a drug-trafficking and money-laundering conspiracy that moved methamphetamine and cocaine from Mexico through New Mexico to other locations in the United States. Court records allege Silva coordinated narcotics pickups and deliveries with Reymondo Mandonado, 43, of Thornton, Colorado, while Maldonado allegedly helped transmit drug proceeds to individuals in Mexico through money service businesses using structured wire transfers. The investigation tied the conspiracy to repeated border crossings, communications and location data, financial records, and a July 7, 2025, traffic stop in Otero County, New Mexico, during which law enforcement seized 146.7 net kilograms of pure methamphetamine and 4.875 net kilograms of cocaine from a concealed compartment in an enclosed trailer driven by Mandonado.
Silva and Maldonado are each charged with one count of conspiracy and conspiracy to launder money. They will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled. If convicted, they both face a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison.
Mandonado pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. At sentencing, Mandonado faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison made the announcement today on behalf of the Homeland Security Task Force
Assistant U.S. Attorney Renee Camacho is prosecuting the cases.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Region II CORE 7 is comprised of agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Customs and Border Protection – Office of Field Operations (OFO), U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) and Air and Marine (AMO), Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), United States Department of the Interior – Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Joint Task Force North (JTF-N), United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), United States Marshal Service (USMS), Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DSS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Texas Department of Public Safety (TXDPS), El Paso Police Department (EPPD), New Mexico State Police (NMSP), West Texas / New Mexico High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA), Albuquerque Police Department, New Mexico Sixth Judicial District, Las Cruces/Dona Ana County Metro Narcotics Agency, and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Districts of Western Texas and New Mexico.
View the Criminal Complaint (Mandonado).pdf View the Criminal Complaint (Silva and Maldonado).pdf View the Indictment (Silva and Maldonado).pdfAn indictment or criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Two Cambria County Residents Indicted for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Two residents of Cambria County, Pennsylvania, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of violating federal narcotics and firearms laws, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Dustin Blough, 30, of South Fork and Charles Triplin, 48, of Johnstown were named as the sole defendants in separate Indictments.
According to the seven-count Indictment against Blough, in and around September and October 2024, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Blough possessed with intent to distribute various quantities—including 500 grams or more on one occasion, and 50 grams or more on another—of mixtures and substances containing methamphetamine. Further, in and around November 2024, Blough possessed with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine, along with quantities of fentanyl. During that same November period, Blough—who had been previously convicted of a felony—unlawfully possessed a firearm and ammunition. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon. The Indictment additionally charges Blough with possessing with intent to distribute quantities of mixtures and substances containing fentanyl and heroin on various dates in and around August 2024.
According to the one-count Indictment against Triplin, in and around December 2025, Triplin possessed with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Triplin had previously been convicted in August 2023 of attempting to possess with intent to distribute a quantity of fentanyl (read the guilty plea news release related to this case here).
For each defendant, the law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to life in prison, a fine of up to $10 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense(s) and the prior criminal history of the defendant. Both defendants have been ordered detained pending trial.
Assistant United States Attorneys Arnold P. Bernard Jr. and Maureen Sheehan-Balchon are prosecuting these cases on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s FBI Safe Streets Task Force, Cambria County Drug Task Force, and Cambria County District Attorney’s Office conducted the investigations leading to the Indictments.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Two Additional Men Sentenced for Role in Mail and Bank Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Today, Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson announced two additional sentencings in a mail theft and bank fraud conspiracy involving four defendants.
On March 5, 2026, 24-year-old Tra’von Charles Rogers, of Prattville, Alabama, received a sentence of 24 months in federal prison. Two days prior, on March 3, 2026, a judge ordered 27-year-old Joseph Deshun Sheppard, Jr., of Montgomery, Alabama, to serve 24 months in prison. Both men previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank and mail fraud. Following their prison terms, Rogers and Sheppard will each serve three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to their plea agreements and other court records, from March 2022 through February 2025, Rogers and Sheppard participated in a scheme with Kahneil Jahe Oliver, 28, of Montgomery, to steal mail and illegally alter or counterfeit stolen checks. The conspirators then deposited the fraudulently altered checks into numerous bank accounts under their control.
At sentencing, the court ordered forfeiture money judgments of $159,742.65 against Rogers and $62,050 against Sheppard.
A sentencing hearing for a fourth co-conspirator, Cedric Lanoid Hunter, Jr., 24, of Montgomery, is scheduled for next month. Previously, Kahneil Jahe Oliver was sentenced to 130 months in prison for his role in the scheme. On March 5, 2026, the court also ordered Oliver to pay $14,718.48 in restitution to a financial institution that incurred losses as a result of the conspiracy.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency State Bureau of Investigation, and the Montgomery Police Department, with assistance from the Prattville Police Department and Fulton County, Georgia Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney J. Patrick Lamb is prosecuting the case.
Three Sentenced in Methamphetamine Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky. – A group of defendants from Somerset, Ky., were sentenced this week by U.S. District Judge Robert Wier for their roles in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy.
Robert Allen, 55, Larry Ellison, 41, and Rebecca Garlandios, 45, were sentenced to 150 months, 164 months, and 70 months and two days, respectively, for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to their plea agreements, from January 2024 through December 19, 2024, Allen, Ellison, and Garlandios conspired with each other to distribute methamphetamine from local sources of supply to purchasers in the Pulaski County area. Specifically, on January 23, 2024, law enforcement worked with a confidential informant to purchase two ounces of methamphetamine from Allen, who, during a subsequent traffic stop, was found with 56 grams of methamphetamine on his person. Law enforcement conducted a search of the house shared by Allen and his sister Garlandios that same day, and recovered a baggy from the bottom of a toilet bowl, a container Garlandios attempted to conceal in her pants, digital scales and baggies, and more than 48 grams of methamphetamine.
On December 19, 2024, law enforcement stopped Ellison during a traffic stop and recovered empty plastic bags, digital scales, and a bag containing 29.59 grams of methamphetamine. Ellison admitted that the methamphetamine came from a series of regular deliveries from a local source of supply, including a recent half-pound delivery of methamphetamine to his girlfriend, Garlandios. Ellison also confirmed that at the time of the earlier January 2024 traffic stop, he regularly drove Allen to deliver two ounces of methamphetamine to a customer.
Under federal law, Allen, Ellison, and Garlandios must serve 85 percent of their prison sentence. Upon their release from prison, they will each be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for four 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 Pearce Nesbitt is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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Three Charged for Interstate Wildlife ViolationsRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Three people are facing charges for illegally transported wildlife across state lines, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
A federal indictment charges Brian Poling, 51, of Albright, West Virginia; Levi S. Weaver,74, of Fredericksburg, Ohio; and Leroy M. Miller, 40, of Millersburg, Ohio; with violations of the Lacey Act. As charged in the indictment, Poling, the manager of Dream Mountain Ranch in Preston County, West Virginia, conspired with Miller and Weaver, to illegally transport in interstate commerce live deer without health certificates as required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“West Virginians have long depended on a healthy and diverse wildlife population to feed our families, make memories, and enjoy our great outdoors.” said U.S. Attorney Harvey. “It is our shared heritage and will be protected.”
Under U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations, anyone who transports live deer in interstate commerce (across state lines) is required to ensure that the animals are accompanied by an Interstate Certificate of Veterinarian Inspection (ICV) and proof of a tuberculosis test. These regulations are aimed at curtailing the spread of a variety of deadly diseases including tuberculosis, brucellosis, and chronic wasting disease - a fatal, contagious neurological illness that can infect some deer and other animals like elk and moose. Additional information about cervid disease prevention and management is available here: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/cervid.
"The illegal transport of live deer poses a serious threat to people, wildlife, and the economy. Deer can carry deadly zoonotic diseases that may be spread to humans, livestock, and other animals. Without proper safeguards, outbreaks can occur that disrupt hunting traditions and jeopardize farm livelihoods,” said Doug Ault, Assistant Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement. “We remain firmly committed to working with our state and federal partners to protect the American public and preserve our nation's natural resources for sustainable use by future generations.”
"This investigation is a clear example of why partnerships between state and federal agencies are so vital,” said Col. Alberto Maza, director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Division of Law Enforcement. "The investigators and agents involved in this case should be commended for their dedication and hard work that led to these charges.”
Poling, Weaver, and Miller each face up to 5 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Warner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Tallahassee Man Charged for Threats to Kill the President, Member of Congress, & Federal Reserve ChairmanRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Diego M. Villavicencio, 36, of Tallahassee, was indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with two counts of interstate communication of threats, one count of impeding or retaliating against a federal official, and one count of threats against the President. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges today.
Villavicencio appeared for his arraignment in federal court before United States Magistrate Martin A. Fitzpatrick in Tallahassee, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for May 5, 2026, before Chief District Court Judge Allen C. Winsor.
If convicted, Villavicencio faces up to five years’ imprisonment on each count of interstate communication of threats and threatening the President and ten years’ imprisonment for impeding or retaliating against a federal official.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Capitol Police, the Federal Reserve Board Protective Service, and the United States Secret Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric W. Welch.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
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 available 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.
Swansea man accused of robbing a credit unionRead the Press Release
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A man appeared in federal court Wednesday to face a federal charge for allegedly robbing a credit union in Swansea.
Deondre E. Jones, 55, is facing one count of bank robbery.
“Thanks to a strong, coordinated response by law enforcement, this defendant’s attempt to rob the credit union ended almost as quickly as it began,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “Anyone who robs or attempts to rob a bank will face certain justice in a federal prison.”
According to the complaint, Jones is accused of robbing a credit union on North Illinois Street in Swansea around 2:14 p.m. on March 6. He allegedly approached the teller, demanded cash and said he had a firearm. After receiving the cash, Jones took off from the credit union on foot. Minutes later around 2:22 p.m., officers with the Swansea Police Department took Jones into custody.
“The rapid response by Swansea Police Officers was critical in neutralizing this bank robbery,” said FBI Springfield Acting Special Agent in Charge, Ruben Marchand-Morales. “The quick action by the Officers paved the way for a successful arrest, highlighting how collaboration between local and federal partners ensures we use every available resource to protect our community.”
A complaint is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The FBI Springfield Field Office is being jointly investigated with support from the Swansea Police Department, Fairview Heights Police Department, Belleville Police Department, and Illinois State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Arshi is prosecuting the case.
Suburban Chicago Man Charged with Sending Threatening Letters to Two Federal JudgesRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man has been charged in federal court with sending threatening letters to federal judges in Texas and Florida.
JAMES LEBUHN, 65, of Libertyville, Ill., is charged with two counts of mailing a threatening communication, according to a criminal information filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Arraignment is set for March 26, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis.
According to the information, Lebuhn mailed letters in March of last year to U.S. District Court judges in Amarillo, Texas, and Fort Pierce, Fla. Lebuhn mailed the letters for the purpose of making a true threat and knowing that the letters would be viewed as such, the information states. When mailing the letters, Lebuhn also recklessly disregarded the substantial risk that others would regard the communications as a threat, the charges allege.
The charges were announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. The case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Federal Protective Service, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard M. Rothblatt of the Northern District of Illinois.
“The Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to holding accountable anyone who seeks to intimidate and instill fear in members of the federal government, including the esteemed public servants on the bench,” said U.S. Attorney Boutros. “When a threat such as this occurs, our Office will find, arrest, and prosecute those responsible to the fullest extent of the law. We are grateful for the close collaboration with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the Northern District of Texas and Southern District of Florida and the fine work they provided in support of this prosecution.”
“In today’s times of increasing threats of violence, these criminal charges should serve as a warning to others contemplating such behavior,” said Ryan Raybould, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. “I applaud the investigative efforts of our agents in this District and the prosecution team in the Northern District of Illinois for their outstanding work.”
The public is reminded that an information is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Each count in the information is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
lebuhn_information.pdfSt. Louis County Felon Admits to Crime Related to Toddler’s Accidental ShootingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon from St. Louis County on Thursday admitted lying about the accidental shooting of a toddler last year.
As part of a plea agreement, Rodrick Miller, 36, admitted that on March 6, 2025, he and his girlfriend, the toddler’s mother, cleaned an Anderson Manufacturing, AM-15 semiautomatic pistol and left it on a couch in the girlfriend’s Wellston home. Miller’s plea says he is unaware of how the toddler was shot, but afterwards, Miller and his girlfriend took the boy to the hospital with severe injuries to his calf. On the way, Miller stopped in a wooded area and hid the gun behind a tree. They then told North County Police Cooperative officers that the boy had been shot by a stray bullet during a gun battle between two vehicles, while Miller’s girlfriend was walking home. Miller told officers that he left work to take his girlfriend and her son to the hospital. Police later recovered the gun.
Miller, of Pine Lawn, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. As a convicted felon, he is barred from possessing firearms.
He is scheduled to be sentenced in June and faces up to 15 years in prison.
The North County Police Cooperative, the St. Ann Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Franks is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Southwest Georgia Repeat Offender Sentenced for Illegal Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
ALBANY, Ga. – A Moultrie, Georgia, resident with prior felony convictions was sentenced to prison for illegally possessing four firearms discovered during an investigation into armed drug trafficking in the community.
Johnny Will Murray, Jr., 41, of Moultrie, was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release by Senior U.S. District Judge W. Louis Sands. Murray, Jr. was found guilty at trial of one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on Nov. 3, 2025. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Repeat offenders who illegally arm themselves, disregard the law and endanger the community will be prosecuted in federal court,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes. “Our highest priority is to ensure justice and work alongside our law enforcement partners to strengthen public safety for everyone in the Middle District of Georgia.”
According to court documents and statements referenced at trial, on Nov. 11, 2021, the Moultrie Police Department executed a search warrant at Murray, Jr.’s home on suspicion of armed drug trafficking. Officers found approximately two ounces of methamphetamine, two digital scales, several empty vacuum-sealed bags and a rifle in his bedroom. Inside the bedroom closet was a safe with three more firearms, magazines, ammunition and $5,600. Officers also found a plastic baggie containing methamphetamine floating on top of the water in a toilet. Murray, Jr. has several past felony convictions; it is illegal for a felon to possess a firearm.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The Moultrie Police Department and the Colquitt County Sheriff’s Department’s Narcotics Division investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Daniels prosecuted the case for the Government.
South Portland Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking CocaineRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A South Portland man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to distributing controlled substances.
According to court records, in February and March 2024, an undercover agent with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency posing as a drug runner purchased cocaine from Lynel Moultrie, 43, on at least three occasions. Investigators surveilled and recorded the transactions.
Moultrie faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, and at least three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, South Portland Police Department, and Gorham Police Department investigated this case.
South Carolina Couple Sentenced for Cyberstalking Scheme That Targeted Vulnerable Victim and His FamilyRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A man and woman from South Carolina were sentenced today for carrying out a cyberstalking scheme targeting a vulnerable victim and his immediate family members using extortive and threatening text messages, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Reid Davis, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in North Carolina, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
Trysten Anthony Cullon, 27, and Jade Ashlynn Stone, 27, both of South Carolina, were sentenced to 41 months and 27 months in prison, respectively. They were also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after they are released from prison, and to pay restitution in the amount of $26,699.65. Cullon and Stone previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit cyberstalking.
“This case is heartbreaking,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson, “there was not a dry eye in the courtroom at sentencing. To fuel their drug addiction, Cullon and Stone turned to preying on the most vulnerable among us. Christopher had a developmental disability and lent his phone to a stranger out of kindness – only to have that stranger, Cullon, use the phone to steal Christopher’s money using financial apps. Even that wasn’t enough – Cullon and Stone then stole the phone and threatened to spread lies about Christopher, which drove him to suicide,” Ferguson added.
“This couple intentionally tormented a young man with intellectual disabilities for personal enrichment. While Christopher’s life is priceless and his family is forever changed, we hope a federal prison sentence will bring some form of justice and comfort for his loved ones,” said Special Agent in Charge Davis.
According to court records, from September 5 to September 8, 2024, the defendants engaged in a cyberstalking scheme against Christopher Tsoulos, a 27-year-old with an intellectual disability who was classified as “Educable Mentally Disabled.” Because of his disability, Christopher relied heavily on the support of his immediate family and did not live on his own. Christopher was also employed at a fast-food restaurant in Charlotte.
Court documents show that, on September 5, 2024, Cullon visited the fast-food restaurant where he encountered Christopher while he was at work. Cullon obtained Christopher’s phone, and because the phone was unlocked, Cullon and Stone had unfettered access to the financial applications on the phone, including mobile payment apps and Christopher’s bank account. Between September 5 and September 7, Cullon and Stone made repeated unsuccessful attempts to obtain funds from Christopher’s accounts.
Court documents show that Cullon and Stone then began to send Christopher’s family members multiple harassing and intimidating text messages demanding money and threatening to provide derogatory and embarrassing information to Christopher’s employer unless they were paid. Their salacious claims included false allegations that Christopher was a pervert, that he harassed girls, and that he paid girls for sexual pictures.
As a result of the substantial emotional distress caused by the extortive and threatening text messages sent by Cullon and Stone and fearing he would lose his job or go to jail, Christopher died by suicide.
In handing down Cullon and Stone’s sentences, U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn, Jr. said, “this is a particularly egregious version of this crime, resulting in a victim killing themselves.”
Cullon and Stone remain in federal custody. They will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended the FBI for their investigation of the case, along with substantial assistance from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte handled the prosecution.
Sioux Falls Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Sioux Falls man convicted of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on March 9, 2026.
Tyler Hausten, 46, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Hausten was indicted for Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in April 2025. He pleaded guilty on December 22, 2025.
On November 24, 2024, Sioux Falls Police conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle being operated by Hausten. During the course of the stop, officers located a bag under the driver’s seat containing 132 grams of methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Sioux Falls Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Joyce prosecuted the case.
Hausten was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Silvis Man Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Silvis, Illinois man was sentenced on March 12, 2026, to five years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon.
According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, John Able Rubingh, Sr., 45, ran from police at a convenience store and dropped a loaded pistol. Rubingh then rushed at the officer and struggled with him. Rubingh was eventually detained. Rubingh was prohibited from possessing firearms as a felon, including a 2022 conviction for felony eluding in the Iowa District Court for Scott County. Rubingh was on parole for a drug charge in the Illinois Circuit Court for Rock Island County at the time of the offense.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Rubingh will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Davenport Police Department investigated the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.