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Thursday 6 August 2026
Mexican National Indicted on Charges of Illegal Reentry, False Claim of United States Citizenship, After Assuming Identity of Deceased ChildRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Alejandro Rascon-Perez, 54, of Mexico, was indicted on one count of illegal reentry of a removed alien, and one count of a false claim of United States Citizenship.
According to public court documents, Rascon-Perez illegally entered the United States in March 2012 near El Paso, Texas. Shortly after arriving in the United States, he was prosecuted in Adams County, Colorado, for possessing Flunitrazepam (commonly known as Rohypnol), and was removed to Mexico. Rascon-Perez illegally reentered the United States again in 2012, was convicted of illegal reentry in the Western District of Texas and was again removed to Mexico. He illegally re-entered the United States a third time before being arrested by the Denver Police Department in May 2025 for felony menacing.
United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a detainer for Rascon-Perez, but the Denver Sheriff’s Department released Rascon-Perez back into the community. Rascon-Perez was arrested again in July 2026 for failure to appear in his state criminal case. At that point, ICE obtained a federal criminal arrest warrant and arrested Rascon-Perez.
While federal officers were processing the defendant after his arrest, he claimed he was a United States Citizen with a different identity. Rascon-Perez presented federal officers with documents in the name of Jason Raymond Couture and repeatedly insisted he was Jason Raymond Couture. Upon further investigation, and with assistance from the Social Security Administration, federal agents were able to confirm that Rascon-Perez was not in fact Couture because Couture was a child who had died decades ago. Rascon-Perez continued to insist on the false identity and in interviews with federal officers provided a false date of birth and an incorrect spelling of the name he claimed was his identity.
The charges contained in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by the Violent Crime Section of the United States Attorney’s Office.
Case Number: 1:26-cr-00174-NYW
Mexican National Deported Multiple Times Sentenced to 18 Months in Federal Prison for Illegally Reentering U.S.Read the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JULIO CESAR FERNANDEZ-SALAZAR, 45, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 18 months of imprisonment for illegally reentering the U.S. as a removed alien.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Fernandez-Salazar has used numerous aliases, including Julio Fernandez, Julio Cesar Salazar, J. Cesar Fernandez-Salazar, Paulo Cesar Salazar, Alejandro Lugo, Jorge Ortigoza, and Julio C. Fernandez-Salazar. Fernandez-Salazar was first convicted of an immigration violation in October 2007 in the District of Arizona, was sentenced to 45 days of imprisonment, and was voluntarily returned to Mexico. Prior to this conviction, he had already twice been removed from the United States and had twice returned illegally.
Fernandez-Salazar again unlawfully returned to the U.S. In June 2009, he was convicted in Tempe Municipal Court in Arizona of failure to appear and driving with a suspended license and was again deported to Mexico. In July 2009, U.S. Border Patrol encountered and arrested Fernandez-Salazar near the U.S./Mexico border and he was again deported to Mexico.
Fernandez-Salazar illegally reentered the U.S. and, in October 2014, was convicted in Mesa Municipal Court in Mesa, Arizona, of driving under the influence. In April 2017, he was convicted in Maricopa County, Arizona, of unlawful imprisonment and solicitation to commit misconduct involving weapons. In April 2018, he was convicted in the U.S. District Court in Arizona of unlawful reentry and was again deported to Mexico.
On November 27, 2024, Fernandez-Salazar was arrested by the Connecticut State Police in Colchester and charged with illegal operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and other offenses. He was subsequently released on bond.
On July 18, 2025, the U.S. District Court in New Haven issued a criminal complaint charging Fernandez-Salazar with unlawful reentry. He was located and arrested in Arizona on February 25, 2026, and has been detained since that date. On May 21, 2026, he pleaded guilty in the District of Connecticut to unlawful reentry of a removed alien.
This matter was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Lembo and Daniel P. Gordon.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Memphis Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to Filing False Returns for ClientsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — A Memphis woman pleaded guilty today to helping prepare false tax returns for clients.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Selma Brinson owned and operated a tax preparation business that she used to report false items on clients’ tax returns to generate inflated tax refunds. Among other false items, Brinson reported false fuel tax credits, false claims for residential energy credits and false health savings account deductions on client returns. She received hundreds of thousands of dollars in client fees in exchange for preparing returns. In total, Brinson filed false returns that attempted to defraud the IRS out of more than $5.4 million.
Brinson pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and assisting the preparation of a false tax return. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 10 and faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division and U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Caroline Pearson and Max Willner-Giwerc of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section are prosecuting the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
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Maui Police Department Lieutenant Charged with Taking Bribes from Criminals to Protect Chicken Fighting and Drug Operations on MauiRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced today that Michael Vaituulala, 53, a lieutenant with the Maui Police Department (MPD), was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud.
According to the criminal complaint, Vaituulala used his position as a lieutenant in the Maui Police Department for personal gain over many years. Vaituulala accepted regular cash payments from individuals organizing illegal chicken fights in exchange for using his official position to ensure that MPD did not enforce animal fighting laws against those individuals. Vaituulala and others met with organizers of the chicken fights to discuss logistics and conditions for holding the fights, with Vaituulala providing his approval for the organizers to open a chicken fighting location and the days on which fights could take place.Vaituulala also protected individuals engaged in drug trafficking and improperly shared confidential law enforcement information with them in exchange for cash payments. The information he shared included the identities of confidential sources, evidence photos, the existence of a sealed federal wiretap, the existence of a sealed arrest warrant, and details regarding the subjects and targets of ongoing federal investigations. According to one cooperator, Vaituulala aspired to become the “Larry Mehau” of Maui – a reference to a former Big Island police officer long alleged to have served as the godfather of organized crime in Hawaii.
“It is deeply troubling that a long-tenured and trusted law enforcement officer who swore to serve the people of Maui County faces these allegations, which involve a complete betrayal of his oath of service. Hawaii’s law enforcement officers are critical to the safety and security of our local communities, and nearly always perform with honesty, integrity, and valor,” said U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson. “But on those occasions when one of them elects to betray their commitment to Hawaii and violate the law, or protect the very criminals they are charged to investigate, we will vigorously pursue and prosecute them to the fullest extent permissible under the law.” Sorenson added, “We acknowledge and thank the leadership of the Maui Police Department for its assistance and cooperation with federal enforcement operations this week.”
“As law enforcement officers, we all swear an oath to protect and serve our communities,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. “The overwhelming majority of law enforcement works honorably every day to meet that responsibility. But when an officer violates that oath—breaching the trust contract with their community—they betray the very people they were entrusted to serve and the brave men and women in law enforcement who put their lives on the line each day. This investigation reflects the FBI’s unwavering commitment to protect the public and uphold the integrity of law enforcement, and we will continue to work closely with our partners to ensure that those who misuse their positions of authority are held fully accountable under the law. Additionally, we appreciate the leadership of the Maui Police Department for its cooperation and assistance with our enforcement operations this week, and we value our shared commitment to protecting the community and upholding the highest standards of law enforcement.”
If convicted, Vaituulala faces up to twenty years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, plus a term of supervised release.
The charge in the criminal complaint is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. In the case of conviction, any sentence would be imposed by a United States District Judge based on the statutory sentencing factors and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
The FBI is investigating the case with assistance from the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeannette Graviss and Michael Nammar are prosecuting the case.
Massachusetts Man Indicted for Armed Bank Robbery in NashuaRead the Press Release
CONCORD – Yesterday a federal grand jury indicted a Massachusetts man for armed bank robbery, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces. According to the indictment, on June 12, 2026, Joseph Sawyer, age 52, allegedly used a firearm to rob the St. Mary’s Bank located at 4 Northwest Boulevard in Nashua.
If convicted, Sawyer faces up to 25 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The details contained in the Indictment are allegations. Sawyer is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Sawyer will appear before the Court at a later date.
FBI Boston is leading the investigation. The Nashua Police Department, FBI New Jersey, FBI Albany, New Jersey State Police, New York State Police, Warren County (NY) Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Attorneys’ Offices for the District of New Jersey, Northern District of New York, and District of Massachusetts provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Shannon is prosecuting the case.
Manderson Man Sentenced to over 2 Years in Federal Prison for Failing to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Manderson, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on July 27, 2026.
Christopher Calvin Bald Eagle, 71, was sentenced to two years and nine months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Bald Eagle was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2024. He pleaded guilty on May 4, 2026.
Bald Eagle was convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in September 1992 in United States District Court for the District of South Dakota. Bald Eagle was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison. Based on the conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender for life under the provisions of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). In December 2023, Bald Eagle admitted to a supervised release violation for not updating his address within three business days of a change in his residence. He was released from custody in April 2024. Upon his release from custody, however, Bald Eagle did not update his address as required by law. Bald Eagle was charged for violating the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, again, and eventually arrested.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case.
Bald Eagle was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Man Sentenced to a Decade in Federal Prison for Cyberstalking Iowa ResidentRead the Press Release
Shaninth Michael Ray, age 38, from Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced today to ten years in federal prison.
Evidence in the case revealed between April 2023 and October 2023, Ray continuously threatened to kill an Iowa resident and members of the victim’s family, after a no contact order was issued against Ray. Ray made his threats via telephone, text message, and video, through numerous platforms. Ray stated that he would “end” the victim’s life and “bash [the victim’s] face in with a rock.” He also threatened to kill the victim in other various ways. In one of Ray’s videos, he explicitly threatened to end the victim’s life and displayed a gun.
Ray was arrested in Minnesota in October 2023 for possession of a gun as a convicted felon. Ray continued to contact the victim while in custody in Minnesota and Iowa. Ray’s criminal history also includes numerous domestic abuse convictions, violations of protection orders, interference with emergency communications, assault causing bodily harm, possession of controlled substances, harassment, and obstruction.
Ray was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 120 months’ imprisonment, consecutive to any other term of imprisonment. Judge Strand noted Ray’s atrocious and disgraceful criminal history, as well as the horrific events in which he terrorized the victim and their family in this case. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Ray is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
This case was investigated by the Mason City, Iowa Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-3015.
Las Vegas Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Lead Role in Large-Scale Drug Trafficking OrganizationsRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas man who was a leader within two drug trafficking organization was sentenced today by United States District Judge Richard F. Boulware II to a total of 12 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release for his role in importing substantial quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl into the Las Vegas area, and then selling those drugs to others within Las Vegas and throughout the United States. The government requested a sentence of 300 months.
“Today’s sentence sends a clear message. We will dismantle criminal networks that poison our neighborhoods,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “Our law enforcement partners worked tirelessly to bring this offender to justice. We remain committed to protecting public safety and stopping the flow of illegal drugs into our communities.”
According to court documents in one of the two cases, from April 2, 2019 to April 2, 2024, Calvin Bryant conspired with his co-defendants to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl. Bryant and his co-defendant Kefer Funches purchased drugs on a large scale and redistributed those drugs throughout the country. Numerous co-conspirators worked as couriers and resellers of the drugs. Bryant also engaged in money laundering of the drug proceeds. In that case, law enforcement seized 40.98 kilograms of actual methamphetamine, 34.08 kilograms of methamphetamine, 1,105.3 grams of fentanyl, .5 grams of heroin, and 1 kilogram of cocaine.
At the same time that Bryant was working with Funches, he was also running his own drug trafficking organization operating within Las Vegas. Bryant was charged for this drug conspiracy as well. In this separate organization, Bryant oversaw the renting and use of multiple apartments as trap houses, or addresses used primarily or exclusively for the sale of drugs to end-users.
In each case, Bryant pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and one count of conspiracy to money launder.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Anthony Chrysanthis of the Drug Enforcement Administration Los Angeles Field Division made the announcement.
The DEA Las Vegas District Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Rose prosecuted the case.
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Lackawanna County Man Sentenced to 24 Months Imprisonment for Identity Theft OffenseRead the Press Release
SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Domingo Castillo, a/k/a “Jose Antonio Garcia”, age 62, of Scranton Pennsylvania, was sentenced on August 5, 2026, to 24 months’ imprisonment by Senior United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion for one count of aggravated identity theft.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, Castillo previously admitted that on or about April 9, 2021, in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Castillo knowingly possessed and used a means of identification of another person during and in relation to a felony, namely making a false statement in a passport application.
The case was investigated by the Diplomatic Security Service of the Department of State. Assistant U.S. Attorney James M. Buchanan prosecuted the case.
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Kenel Man Sentenced to over 3 Years in Federal Prison for Aggravated Assault of a Romantic PartnerRead the Press Release
ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a Kenel, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury to a Dating Partner. The sentencing took place on August 3, 2026.
Delyle Ambrose Left Hand, age 55, was sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Left Hand was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024. He pleaded guilty on May 15, 2026.
On September 14, 2023, Left Hand quarreled with his girlfriend at his ranch in rural Kenel, South Dakota, in the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation. Left Hand punched, kicked, and bit her, resulting in extensive bruising to her face, shoulders and legs. Left Hand later failed to appear for his jury trial for this conduct in July 2025.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal Court as opposed to State Court.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.
Left Hand was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to serve his federal sentence.
Kansas man pleads guilty to distributing AI-generated child pornographyRead the Press Release
TOPEKA, KAN – A Kansas man pleaded guilty to distributing obscene AI-generated images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
According to court documents, Michael Steven Podrybau, 43, of Alton pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of obscene visual representation of the sexual abuse of children.
Between March 2023 and April 2023, Podrybau used the online communication platform Wickr Pro to distribute computer-generated images that were obscene and depicted minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 17, 2026. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Walton is prosecuting the case.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
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Kalamazoo Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 18 Years for Gun and Drug CrimesRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey today announced that Lunden Lamon Walker, 40, of Kalamazoo was sentenced to 18 years in prison for trafficking in methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl while also possessing multiple firearms in furtherance of his drug dealing. During sentencing, Chief U.S. District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou emphasized Walker’s “flagrant disrespect for the law.”
In 2025, Walker sold fentanyl on five separate occasions before investigators executed search warrants at multiple residences where he sometimes stayed. In Walker’s car, they found more than 1.5 kilograms of pure methamphetamine. At the Kalamazoo home where Walker’s children were staying, investigators found two safes to which Walker provided the combination. Inside one safe, police found fentanyl, cocaine, more methamphetamine, two guns, ammunition, and other hallmarks of the drug trafficking trade, including baggies and a digital scale. They found a third gun inside the other safe. The following photographs show only some of the evidence recovered:
“Walker was a large-scale drug trafficker whose crimes ravaged a community that has already been deeply affected by drug and gun violence,” said United States Attorney Timothy VerHey. “My office is committed to working with our state and local partners to take these dangerous criminals off the street and help bring safety and stability to our communities.”
“Criminals who make the choice to profit from poisoning our communities and use deadly weapons as part of their criminality, create an even greater threat to this country. This sentence is a reflection of the seriousness of those actions. We are committed to safeguarding American lives by targeting these individuals and organizations and ensuring that west Michigan communities remain safe places to live, work, attend school and raise families.” said DEA Detroit Division Special Agent in Charge Joseph O. Dixon.
“The success of this investigation is a testament to the strength of collaboration between the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team, DEA, and ATF. By combining local proactive investigative efforts with federal resources, this partnership dismantled a major drug trafficking operation and secured the successful prosecution of a large-scale drug dealer, resulting in a lengthy prison sentence. Together, we remain committed to holding those who poison our communities and illegally possess firearms accountable and making our neighborhoods safer.”
The Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team (KVET), a division of the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, along with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Carowan prosecuted it on behalf of the United States.
Justice Department Finds Duke Law School Discriminates Based on Race in AdmissionsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced today investigative findings that Duke University School of Law (Duke Law) intentionally discriminated based on race in granting and denying admission to its 2023, 2024, and 2025 incoming classes. Duke Law’s discriminatory conduct violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin, and the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (SFFA), which banned race discrimination in higher education.
“Duke Law School doesn’t get a free pass to discriminate against white and Asian students simply because it thinks it has good intentions,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Using ‘diversity’ essay questions to identify preferred races for admission is still illegal discrimination based on race, and this Department is committed to eliminating it everywhere we find it, including in our nation’s law schools.”
The Department’s investigation found that post-SFFA, Duke Law emphasized racial diversity in admissions and engaged in a deliberate effort to preserve race-based outcomes for its incoming classes. Duke Law revised its Mission Statement to express its goal to “help build and sustain a dynamic legal profession that embodies a commitment” to a number of stated values, such as equal justice, public service, and a “diversity of perspective and experience.” Duke Law’s application included short answer essay questions, which allowed candidates to discuss how they would further Duke Law’s mission. Admissions reviewers were then instructed to “tag” responses to these short answer questions. To capture answers related to “diversity of perspective and experience” reviewers used the “Diversity/Services” tag. Reviewers were also instructed to use tags to capture specific applicant characteristics that are commonly correlated with race, such as being a Pell grant recipient. Thus, while Duke Law’s published policies assert that admissions reviewers did not see racial demographic data, Duke Law directed its admissions staff to highlight applicant information that could be used to advance Duke Law’s racial diversity goals.
As a result, a black or Hispanic applicant has a substantially higher likelihood of admission to Duke Law than a white or Asian applicant with the same academic credentials. When qualifications are not similar, the result is starker: in 2024 and 2025, the median LSAT scores of rejected white and Asian applicants exceeded the median LSAT scores of admitted black applicants.
As recipients of federal financial assistance, law schools are subject to federal non-discrimination laws. The Department will continue to monitor and ensure their compliance with Title VI and SFFA’s prohibition on race-conscious admissions. Where a violation has been found, the Department will engage in settlement negotiations to ensure the school’s admissions practices are brought into compliance. If those efforts fail, the Department will file suit.
Note: Read the Department’s Findings Letter here.
Justice Department Files Complaint to Stop Nevada Firm from Manufacturing and Selling Adulterated and Misbranded Dental ProductsRead the Press Release
The United States filed a complaint today seeking to permanently enjoin a Nevada-based medical device manufacturer from manufacturing and selling adulterated and misbranded products.
In a civil complaint for permanent injunction filed on Aug. 6, the United States alleges that Gregory S. Steiner and Roslynn L. Steiner (the Steiners), and their company, Steiner Biotechnology LLC., violate the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) by failing to comply with current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) and Quality System (QS) requirements and by selling or holding for sale dental products, including synthetic bone grafting materials and dental cement, that are adulterated. Some of the Steiners’ devices are also adulterated and misbranded for failing to submit premarket applications or adequate premarket notices for their devices.
“Today’s action reflects the Department of Justice’s ongoing commitment to safeguarding patients and maintaining accountability within the medical device industry,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “When medical device manufacturers fail to meet their obligations under federal law, we will take appropriate steps to ensure patient safety.”
“Patients deserve confidence that the medical devices they rely on are safe and effective, said Michelle Tarver, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “The FDA is committed to holding manufacturers accountable when they fail to meet federal requirements and will continue working to safeguard patients and protect the public health.”
The complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, alleges FDA investigators inspected Steiner Biotechnology’s facility at least four times from 2018 to 2025 and observed repeated violations of CGMP and QS requirements, such as failing to: establish and maintain adequate procedures to control the design of the device; adequately validate processes according to established procedures; establish and maintain adequate procedures for validating the device design, including risk analysis; establish and maintain procedures to adequately control environmental conditions; adequately maintain and implement procedures to fully investigate the cause of nonconformities relating to product, processes, and the quality system; identify the action(s) needed to correct and prevent recurrence of nonconforming product and other quality problems; verify or validate the corrective and preventive action to ensure that such action is effective and does not adversely affect the finished device; and to submit relevant information on identified quality problems, as well as corrective and preventive actions, for management review.
FDA also repeatedly warned the Steiners that their company was distributing Class III medical devices for which they do not have an approved premarket application, a cleared premarket notification submission, or an effective investigational device exemption. Despite numerous warnings from FDA over the past seven years and the Steiners’ repeated promises, the Steiners continue to violate the FDCA.
According to the complaint, Steiner Biotechnology’s dental products are sold throughout the country. The government’s lawsuit seeks injunctive relief requiring the Steiners to implement sanitation and process improvements and to comply with the FDCA’s requirements before manufacturing or distributing any additional dental products.
Trial Attorney Kyu Yun Kim of the Enforcement Section of the Civil Division’s Enforcement & Affirmative Litigation Branch is handling the case with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia T. Tomova for the District of Nevada, and Associate Chief Counsel Leah A. Edelman in FDA’s Office of the Chief Counsel.
Additional information about the Enforcement & Affirmative Litigation Branch and its enforcement efforts may be found at www.justice.gov/civil/enforcement-affirmative-litigation-branch.
The claims made in the complaint are allegations that, if the case were to proceed to trial, the government must prove by a preponderance of the evidence.
Jury finds Columbus man guilty of drug crime within Marietta school zone, firearms crimesRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal jury has convicted Stephen Sullens, 29, of Columbus, on all counts as charged, finding him guilty of three drug and gun crimes.
The verdict was announced today following a trial that began on Aug. 4 before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson.
According to court documents and trial testimony, on July 18, 2024, Sullens possessed with intent to distribute fentanyl within 1,000 feet of Saint Mary’s Catholic School. Marietta police officers responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle. Sullens was in the vehicle in an alley behind a residence on 5th Street. When officers encountered the vehicle and its occupants, a police canine alerted, and officers discovered fentanyl and a pistol with a loaded magazine.
As a previously convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
Sullens was originally indicted in this case in June 2025. He was convicted of three counts as charged in a superseding indictment in July 2026.
Sullens faces at least six years and up to life in prison. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Jorge Rosendo, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); Marietta Police Chief Katherine Warden; and officials with the Southeast Major Crimes Task Force announced today’s verdict. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin W. Kelley and Nicole Pakiz are representing the United States in this case.
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Jamestown man sentenced on multiple drug chargesRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Jun N. Martinez, 33, of Jamestown, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 100 grams or more of acetyl fentanyl; 400 grams or more of fentanyl; 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; and 500 grams or more of cocaine, was sentenced to time served (approximately 70 months) by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.
During the conspiracy, Martinez received several large packages of cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin via mail from an out of state source. He also provided large quantities of crystal methamphetamine and heroin/fentanyl to an individual known to law enforcement, who then sold the drugs to others for profit. The individual then provided additional funds to Martinez for more narcotics. During a trip in September 2020, to acquire more narcotics, Martinez’s vehicle was stopped by an Illinois State Police Trooper. A search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of approximately 9,589 grams of methamphetamine, 3,157 grams of fentanyl, 2,241 grams of cocaine, and marijuana products. In October 2020, during the execution of a search warrant at Martinez’s Wescott Street residence, investigators recovered methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, a drug ledger and approximately $62,000.
This case was 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 Buffalo comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, Department of Homeland Security Enforcement and Removal Operations, Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Diplomatic Security Service, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Jamestown Metro Drug Task Force, under the direction of Jamestown Police Chief Scott Forster, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Farhana, New York Field Division.
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Jamestown man charged with fentanyl and gun chargesRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, NY — U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Dasai Bradberry, 24, of Jamestown, NY, was charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes, which carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of life.
According to the complaint, on August 4, 2025, the Jamestown Metro Drug Task Force and Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at a Bush Street residence associated with Bradberry. During the search, investigators recovered a semi-automatic rifle, ammunition, approximately 22 grams of suspected fentanyl, Oxycodone pills, $1,303.00 in cash, and drug paraphernalia.
Bradberry made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and was detained pending trial.
This is HSTF. This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Buffalo comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, Department of Homeland Security Enforcement and Removal Operations, Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Diplomatic Security Service, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti. The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Farhana Islam, New York Field Division, and the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Scott Forster.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Jamaican National Sentenced for Role in Sweepstakes Fraud Scheme Targeting Elderly VictimsRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Jamaican national residing in Georgia has been sentenced in federal court in Rhode Island for his role in a nationwide sweepstakes fraud scheme that targeted elderly victims.
Owen Demoy Byfield, 33, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose to 24 months imprisonment, ordered to pay $1.7 million in restitution, and received a judicial order of removal, allowing for his deportation once he completes his sentence.
Byfield pleaded guilty on January 13, 2026, to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to court documents, between March 2022 and October 2024, Byfield and his co‑conspirators operated a sweepstakes scam that falsely claimed victims had won large cash prizes. Elderly victims across the United States, including Rhode Island, were contacted through mailings, commercial carriers, phone calls, text messages, and other communications and were instructed to send money or grant access to their financial accounts to obtain their supposed winnings.
The conspirators used fictitious names and directed victims to speak with individuals posing as “prize representatives.” Victims were told they needed to pay taxes, fees, or other costs, or risk being removed from a fabricated “winner list.” In one instance, Byfield used approximately $171,635 of fraudulent proceeds to make a down payment on a residence in Georgia.
“Byfield helped run a scheme that preyed on older Americans and stole from some of the most vulnerable members of our communities,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles C. Calenda. “When criminals target elderly victims, hide behind fake identities, and move fraud proceeds through complex channels, federal prosecution is not just appropriate — it is necessary. This office will continue to pursue and disrupt schemes that exploit seniors for profit.”
“Byfield and his co-conspirators hooked their victims by offering them the dream of a life-changing sweepstakes prize before extracting hundreds of thousands of dollars from them for fake ‘fees’ and ‘taxes’ that were swiftly laundered before victims could even realize they’d been scammed,” said Homeland Security Investigations New England Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Grimming. “After HSI’s investigation with our law enforcement partners, Byfield is not only facing federal prison time, he will be removed from the United States. Exploitation of vulnerable members of our community can’t be tolerated, and we’ll use all tools at our disposal to seek justice for victims.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John P. McAdams.
The matter was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security–Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Warwick Police Department.
More information about the Department’s efforts to support older Americans is available through the Elder Justice Initiative. Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov or by calling 877‑FTC‑HELP. Additional resources for elder fraud victims are available through the Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime at www.ovc.gov
Interim Jackson County Executive Philip LeVota Indicted for BriberyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Interim Jackson County Executive has been indicted by a federal grand jury for engaging in a bribery scheme related to the 2026 election for Jackson County Executive.
Philip LeVota, 61, was charged in a five-count sealed indictment on July 16, 2026, by a federal grand jury sitting in Kansas City, Mo. The indictment was unsealed today upon LeVota’s initial court appearance. LeVota is charged with honest services fraud, federal program bribery, Travel Act violations, and making a false statement to federal law enforcement agents.
As alleged in the indictment, from March 16, 2026, to March 31, 2026, LeVota took multiple actions aimed at inducing a specific candidate to abandon the 2026 election for Jackson County Executive. As part of the scheme, LeVota entered into an agreement for the candidate to abandon the election in exchange for the candidate and a colleague of the candidate receiving full-time positions in the government of Jackson County. When approached by federal law enforcement agents on April 6, 2026, LeVota made false statements related to the agreement.
“The allegations contained in the indictment are incredibly serious and should send a clear warning to any officeholders who violate their oath. My office will aggressively pursue all allegations of public corruption and will work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to hold wrongdoers accountable. Bottom line, the citizens in the Western District deserve to have faith in their public officials, whether elected or appointed.” said United States Attorney Matthew Price.
“The citizens of Jackson County deserve honesty, transparency, accountability, and integrity from those entrusted with public office. Today’s indictment announcement alleges serious breaches of those principles and represents a significant moment for our community.” said Chris Ormeord, FBI Kansas City- Special Agent in Charge. “Public trust is the foundation of an effective government. Citizens must have confidence that public officials will uphold the law and serve the public interest above all else.”
The charges contained in the indictment are simply accusations and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsels Patrick D. Daly and Nicholas P. Heberle and Assistant United States Attorney J. Benton Hurst. This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Attached is a copy of the indictment:
levota_indictment.pdfIllinois Man Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison for Unlawful Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
HAMMOND – Shaquille Strauther, 33 years old, of Sauk Village, Illinois, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after pleading guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.
Strauther was sentenced to 37 months in prison followed by 1 year of supervised release.
“A convicted felon and parolee will spend the next three years in prison after being caught with a stolen gun. On February 26, 2026, Shaquille Strauther illegally possessed a loaded .45 caliber, semi-automatic pistol in his waist during a traffic stop in Schererville, Indiana. At the time he possessed the firearm, which had previously been reported stolen, Strauther was on parole following a prior felony conviction for home invasion with a firearm. Thanks to the efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, the case was able to be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dean R. Lanter. The Defendant has been incarcerated, the gun was recovered, and our community and nation is safer,” said U.S. Attorney Adam L. Mildred.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.
Illinois Man Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Failing to Pay Employment TaxesRead the Press Release
Brad D. Schimel, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on July 30, 2026, United States District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller sentenced George Dilles (age 55) of Inverness, Illinois, to 15 months in prison. Dilles had pled guilty to one count of failure to truthfully account for and pay employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7202.
According to court records, Dilles was the president and part-owner of NG Enterprises, Inc. (d.b.a. Visiting Angels), a company that provided elderly home personal care in the Milwaukee area and employed from 50 to 110 workers. Dilles was required to withhold federal income taxes, Social Security taxes, and Medicare taxes from his employees’ wages, hold those amounts in trust, and pay them over to the IRS. Additionally, he was responsible for filing quarterly tax returns (Forms 941) reporting those amounts to the IRS, and for paying the employer’s matching portion of Social Security and Medicare taxes.
For 17 quarters from 2019 through 2023, Dilles willfully failed to file employment tax returns and pay over taxes to the IRS of more than $1.2 million. Dilles used some of the funds on personal expenses, including mortgage payments and purchases of a Maserati and a McLaren. He also used employment tax returns, which he had not filed with the IRS, to obtain a Paycheck Protection Program loan in the amount of $312,500.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Stadtmueller emphasized the serious nature of Dilles’ conduct, the substantial loss to the IRS, and the need to provide adequate deterrence to others who might engage in similar conduct. He also ordered Dilles to pay more than $1.2 million in restitution and to serve three years of supervised release.
“This was not a mistake or oversight. The defendant was alerted by his accounting firm repeatedly that he needed to submit these tax payments but ignored the warnings and used the money to finance a luxurious lifestyle,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Schimel. “As Judge Stadtmueller observed, there is an important message sent by this prison sentence that hopefully will deter others from considering engaging in illegal conduct such as this.”
“Failure to pay over withheld payroll taxes is a serious criminal offense because it harms employees by jeopardizing their Social Security and Medicare benefits,” said Adam Jobes Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Office. “Employers have a clear duty to withhold these taxes and remit them to the IRS, and IRS Criminal Investigation will continue to pursue anyone who collects these funds and fails to pay them over.”
Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. Scully prosecuted.
On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
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For further information contact:
Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
(414) 297-1700
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Illegal immigrant from Honduras pleads guilty to reentering the country and stealing the identity of a U.S. citizenRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An illegal immigrant from Honduras pled guilty today to aggravated identity theft and reentering the United States following a previous removal. Carlos Alexis Chavez-Paz was sentenced to two years and one day in prison and remains subject to the previous order of removal.
According to court documents, Chavez-Paz has illegally entered or reentered the United States four times and has been deported on three previous occasions.
On Jan. 10, 2025, at a DMV customer service center in Stafford County, Carlos Alexis Chavez-Paz presented an authentic Kentucky driver’s license bearing a picture that appeared to be Chavez-Paz, but with the name of another person. Chavez-Paz also presented a counterfeit Puerto Rican birth certificate, a counterfeit Social Security card, and mail in the in the identity theft victim’s name. The Social Security card contained the victim’s Social Security number. He presented the documents in support of an application for a Virginia driver’s license in the victim’s name in an effort to evade detection by immigration authorities.
Theophani K. Stamos, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Eric Weindorf, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Eitzen 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.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:26-CR-100.
Illegal alien living in Dallas sentenced to 13 years in federal prison as part of Homeland Security Task Force investigation for trafficking methamphetamine in the Eastern District of TexasRead the Press Release
PLANO, Texas – An illegal alien has been sentenced to 13 years in federal prison as part of a Homeland Security Task Force investigation for trafficking methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Jose Romero-Sanchez, 25, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute or possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 156 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan on August 6, 2026.
According to information presented in court, Romero-Sanchez, a Mexican national illegally living in Dallas, was part of a drug trafficking organization that distributed methamphetamine imported from Mexico into Dallas and the North Texas area. Romero-Sanchez received 40-45 kilograms of methamphetamine from his source in Mexico at a time. Romero-Sanchez stored the illegal drugs at his Dallas residence before distributing the drugs in the Eastern District of Texas and elsewhere. A search of Romero-Sanchez’s residence resulted in the seizure of over 49 kilograms of methamphetamine, a digital scale, bulk U.S. currency, a drug ledger, and a bill counter.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Dallas comprises agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Dallas Field Office; U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations - Dallas (ICE-HSI); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Dallas Field Division; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Dallas Field Division; Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations (IRS-CD; United States Postal Service, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Transportation Security Administration, Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS); United States Secret Service (USSS); Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DSS); TEXOMA HIDTA; and U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Eastern District of Texas with the prosecution being led by Eastern District of Texas Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Johnson.
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Homeland Security Task Force Investigation Delivers Federal Jury Conviction of Pensacola Armed Drug TraffickerRead the Press Release
Pensacola, Florida – Jovon “Playa Pat” Booker, 33, of Pensacola, Florida, was convicted by a jury in federal court on one count of discharging a handgun in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and a separate count of possessing firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Prior to the jury being selected in Pensacola, Booker pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, and five counts of money laundering through high end jewelry purchases. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the convictions.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This case exemplified the unified commitment of our state and federal law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe by ridding our streets of a violent, drug peddling thug. Thanks to the aggressive prosecution by my office and outstanding trial work by my prosecutors, his reign of terror has come to an end and he’ll spend his days locked behind federal bars where he belongs.”
At trial, the jury received evidence that Booker ran a multi-million dollar interstate drug trafficking network wherein he transported hundreds of kilograms of highly potent marijuana from the Seattle area into Pensacola, Florida, between 2020 – 2025. Booker used the proceeds of his crimes to purchase vehicles, such as a Lamborghini Urus, as well as diamond encrusted jewelry and Cartier and Patek Philippe watches. The jury heard evidence that Booker did not report a single dollar of legitimate income to the government during this timeframe. During the course of his drug trafficking conspiracy, on May 12, 2024, at the Paparazzi Bistro & Lounge in Pensacola, Booker shot one of his own co-conspirators at point-blank range in an attempt to murder him over a drug debt owed to Booker. At a later date, in July 2025, multiple law enforcement agencies executed a federal search warrant at Booker’s residence and located a loaded assault rifle he possessed to protect all the controlled substances in the house. The jury received all of this evidence and found Booker guilty as charged.
Booker is scheduled for sentencing before United States District Judge M. Casey Rodgers at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola, Florida, on November 5, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.
Booker faces and mandatory minimum 20 years up to life imprisonment on the charges. In addition, law enforcement seized over $500,000 of jewelry, vehicles, firearms, and United States currency from Booker that will all be forfeited to the government.
The case was jointly investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, and the Pensacola Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David L. Goldberg and Thomas Geeker.
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.
Guatemalan Man Sentenced to Prison for Attacking ICE OfficerRead the Press Release
Enrique Lopez-Mejia injured the officer attempting to arrest him following his eighth illegal reentry into the United States
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey today announced that Enrique Lopez-Mejia, 41, a citizen of Guatemala, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou to 24 months in prison for assaulting and resisting a United States Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officer.
The assault occurred when immigration agents attempted to stop a vehicle occupied by Lopez-Mejia and other illegal aliens. He attempted to evade officers by driving erratically, stopping abruptly, then fleeing from his car in Grand Rapids. When caught, Lopez-Mejia pushed an officer to the ground and wrestled with him until other officers succeeded in handcuffing him and securing him in their patrol car. The defendant injured an officer’s knee during the confrontation, which required medical treatment.
Lopez-Mejia is illegally in the United States for the eighth time, after having been ordered removed by an immigration judge in 2005 and being deported seven times between 2005 and 2016. After the completion of his sentence, he will again be removed to his native Guatemala.
U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey said, “This case deserves our attention because it is an example of the dangerous work we ask our immigration officers to do every day. Lopez-Mejia has been removed from the United States seven times since 2000. He has been convicted numerous times for illegally re-entering the United States, and for committing state offenses once he got here. He is already subject to a lifetime ban from this country. This time, when he was found here yet again, he attacked and injured one of the officers who was trying to apprehend him. My office fully supports the important and dangerous work our immigration officers are asked to do and will always vigorously prosecute attacks like this one.”
“ICE officers put themselves in harm’s way every day to uphold our nation’s immigration laws and protect our communities,” said ICE ERO Detroit Field Office Director Matthew Putra. “This sentencing sends a clear message that individuals who assault federal officers will be held accountable. I commend our officers and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan for their work in bringing this case to justice.”
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations - Grand Rapids investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Daniels prosecuted it.
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.
Four Managers and Supervisors of Illinois Mine Indicted for Failing to Evacuate Miners During Underground Fire, Conspiracy to Obstruct Investigators, and Falsifying RecordsRead the Press Release
Ronald Dale Koontz, 69, of Hendersonville, Tennessee, Demitrios George Macropoulos, 38, of Buckeye, Arizona, Randy L. Nowland, 67, of Waltonville, Illinois, and Cory Taylor Humphrey, 37, of Prospect, Kentucky, have been charged with multiple crimes related to an underground fire that occurred in the MC#1 Mine in Franklin County, Illinois, in August 2021.
The indictment returned Tuesday charges Koontz, Macropoulos, Nowland, and Humphrey with conspiring to defraud the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) by concealing the fire and other hazards at the mine and taking steps to interfere with MSHA’s investigation of the fire and administration of safety-related orders in the aftermath of the fire. The Indictment charges the defendants with keeping miners underground and continuing to mine coal for all or portions of three shifts while unsuccessfully fighting a fire. The defendants are charged with failing to evacuate the mine and notify MSHA as required by mandatory safety standards under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act (the Mine Act). Nowland and Humphrey are also charged under the Mine Act with falsification of records required to document mine hazards. Koontz and Macropoulos are charged with obstruction of an MSHA proceeding for entering the mine in violation of an MSHA safety order withdrawing miners from the mine. Koontz is further charged with obstruction for directing another supervisor to delete a record reflecting a telephone call he made. A fifth conspirator and former mine manager, Brandon Timothy Parsons, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud MSHA on Aug. 28, 2025 in a related criminal proceeding filed in August 2025.
“As Congress has long recognized, a strong, productive coal industry depends on miners who feel safe and trust that their leaders are not putting them at unnecessary risk,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Energy and Natural Resources Division. “Supporting MSHA’s work to protect coal miners is an important part of ENRD’s mission.”
“When people in positions of authority conceal deadly conditions and then cover up their actions, they put lives at risk and prevent federal authorities from doing the job the law requires them to do. That kind of obstruction is unacceptable,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft for the Southern District of Illinois. “These charges hold accountable those who chose to protect the company’s financial interests over the safety of the people they are obligated to protect.”
As alleged in the Indictment, in August 2021, Koontz was the general manager of a company that provided oversight and services to the corporate operator of the MC#1 Mine. Macropoulos was the mine superintendent of the MC#1 Mine and Nowland and Humphrey were shift mine managers. On or about the afternoon of Aug. 13, 2021, an underground fire was ignited while mine personnel used cutting torches to cut collapsed steel beams in the mine. According to the Indictment, when the fire could not be extinguished within 10 minutes, rather than implementing the approved Mine Emergency Evacuation and Firefighting Plan, the defendants, and their co-conspirator Parsons, allegedly agreed that they would not evacuate miners or notify MSHA. Instead, the defendants are alleged to have directed coal mining to continue during ad hoc firefighting efforts through the morning of Aug. 14. Nowland and Humphrey are charged with signing records of required mine examinations, falsely certifying that no hazardous conditions existed in the mine.
On August 14th, Parsons tried to conceal the existence of the fire from those not already aware of it by evacuating the mine of hourly employees on the false pretense that a belt used to carry coal from underground to the surface was broken. Members of the conspiracy, including Koontz, Macropoulos, and Parsons, are alleged to have then gone underground to continue their attempts to fight the fire.
Later that morning, MSHA received an anonymous tip about the fire and, by that afternoon, ordered that the mine be evacuated after inspectors confirmed the existence of the fire. Despite the evacuation order, over the next several days, it is alleged that conspirators re-entered the mine in violation of MSHA’s order on two occasions to assess the fire and manipulate the conditions underground to fool underground gas detectors so that MSHA would allow mining to resume. When MSHA began collecting portable gas detectors worn by miners during the fire as part of its investigation, a member of the conspiracy allegedly encouraged another co-conspirator to get rid of the portable gas detector he had worn. That co-conspirator concealed his portable gas detector away from the mine.
If convicted, the defendants each face possible incarceration. If found guilty, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Energy and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft for the Southern District of Illinois, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General Anthony P. D’Esposito, Special Agent in Charge of the DOL-OIG Great Lakes Region Megan Howell, Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge Ryan Presley of the FBI Springfield Field Office made the announcement.
The Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General and FBI investigated the case.
Senior Trial Attorney Lana N. Pettus of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin F. Burke for the Southern District of Illinois are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Four Managers and Supervisors of Franklin County Mine Indicted for Failing to Evacuate Miners During Underground Fire, Conspiracy to Obstruct Investigators, and Falsifying RecordsRead the Press Release
BENTON, Ill. – Ronald Dale Koontz, 69, of Hendersonville, Tennessee, Demitrios George Macropoulos, 38, of Buckeye, Arizona, Randy L. Nowland, 67, of Waltonville, Illinois, and Cory Taylor Humphrey, 37, of Prospect, Kentucky, have been charged with multiple crimes related to an underground fire that occurred in the MC#1 Mine in Franklin County, Illinois, in August 2021.
The indictment returned Tuesday charges Koontz, Macropoulos, Nowland, and Humphrey with conspiring to defraud the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) by concealing the fire and other hazards at the mine and taking steps to interfere with MSHA’s investigation of the fire and administration of safety-related orders in the aftermath of the fire. The Indictment charges the defendants with keeping miners underground and continuing to mine coal for all or portions of three shifts while unsuccessfully fighting a fire. The defendants are charged with failing to evacuate the mine and notify MSHA as required by mandatory safety standards under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act (the Mine Act). Nowland and Humphrey are also charged under the Mine Act with falsification of records required to document mine hazards. Koontz and Macropoulos are charged with obstruction of an MSHA proceeding for entering the mine in violation of an MSHA safety order withdrawing miners from the mine. Koontz is further charged with obstruction for directing another supervisor to delete a record reflecting a telephone call he made. A fifth conspirator and former mine manager, Brandon Timothy Parsons, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud MSHA on Aug. 28, 2025 in a related criminal proceeding filed in August 2025.
“As Congress has long recognized, a strong, productive coal industry depends on miners who feel safe and trust that their leaders are not putting them at unnecessary risk,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Energy and Natural Resources Division. “Supporting MSHA’s work to protect coal miners is an important part of ENRD’s mission.”
“When people in positions of authority conceal deadly conditions and then cover up their actions, they put lives at risk and prevent federal authorities from doing the job the law requires them to do. That kind of obstruction is unacceptable,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “These charges hold accountable those who chose to protect the company’s financial interests over the safety of the people they are obligated to protect.”
As alleged in the Indictment, in August 2021, Koontz was the general manager of a company that provided oversight and services to the corporate operator of the MC#1 Mine. Macropoulos was the mine superintendent of the MC#1 Mine and Nowland and Humphrey were shift mine managers. On or about the afternoon of Aug. 13, 2021, an underground fire was ignited while mine personnel used cutting torches to cut collapsed steel beams in the mine. According to the Indictment, when the fire could not be extinguished within 10 minutes, rather than implementing the approved Mine Emergency Evacuation and Firefighting Plan, the defendants, and their co-conspirator Parsons, allegedly agreed that they would not evacuate miners or notify MSHA. Instead, the defendants are alleged to have directed coal mining to continue during ad hoc firefighting efforts through the morning of Aug. 14. Nowland and Humphrey are charged with signing records of required mine examinations, falsely certifying that no hazardous conditions existed in the mine.
On August 14th, Parsons tried to conceal the existence of the fire from those not already aware of it by evacuating the mine of hourly employees on the false pretense that a belt used to carry coal from underground to the surface was broken. Members of the conspiracy, including Koontz, Macropoulos, and Parsons, are alleged to have then gone underground to continue their attempts to fight the fire.
Later that morning, MSHA received an anonymous tip about the fire and, by that afternoon, ordered that the mine be evacuated after inspectors confirmed the existence of the fire. Despite the evacuation order, over the next several days, it is alleged that conspirators re-entered the mine in violation of MSHA’s order on two occasions to assess the fire and manipulate the conditions underground to fool underground gas detectors so that MSHA would allow mining to resume. When MSHA began collecting portable gas detectors worn by miners during the fire as part of its investigation, a member of the conspiracy allegedly encouraged another co-conspirator to get rid of the portable gas detector he had worn. That co-conspirator concealed his portable gas detector away from the mine.
If convicted, the defendants each face possible incarceration. If found guilty, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Energy and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft for the Southern District of Illinois, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General Anthony P. D’Esposito, Special Agent in Charge of the DOL-OIG Great Lakes Region Megan Howell, Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge Ryan Presley of the FBI Springfield Field Office made the announcement.
The Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General and FBI investigated the case.
Senior Trial Attorney Lana N. Pettus of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin F. Burke for the Southern District of Illinois are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Four Georgia Men Sentenced for $17 Million Pandemic-Relief FraudRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ga. – Four Georgia men who conspired to defraud taxpayers by unlawfully claiming millions in pandemic relief funds designed to help small businesses and workers have been sentenced to prison following a National Fraud Enforcement Division investigation that stemmed from Operation Sweet Silence, a major organized crime takedown in Columbus.
“Stopping fraud and protecting taxpayer resources is a central mission for this office and DOJ,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes. “This multimillion-dollar pandemic fraud was uncovered during Operation Sweet Silence, a coordinated law enforcement effort that dismantled a major criminal gang in Columbus. With our law enforcement partners, we will pursue every lead wherever it goes to ensure justice and safeguard the public.”
"This scheme attempted to steal nearly $17.5 million from programs meant to help struggling workers and small businesses survive the pandemic—not bankroll luxury purchases and personal gain,” said Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta Marlo Graham. “The FBI will aggressively pursue anyone who exploits national emergencies for profit."
“These defendants took COVID relief funds meant for businesses working to keep employees on payroll,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation special agents and our federal partners are actively investigating and will continue to hold accountable those who defrauded these programs at a time when the country was most in need of economic relief. Protecting taxpayer funds remains a top priority.”
Christopher Upshaw, aka “Troub,” 26, was sentenced to serve 96 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $411,112.21 in restitution to the U.S. Treasury. Upshaw pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud on Feb. 4.
Johnathon Swift, aka “JB,” aka “John Boy,” 34, was sentenced to serve 63 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $417,095.56 in restitution to the U.S. Treasury. Swift previously pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud on Jan. 21.
Dontavis Williams, aka “Turk,” 41, was sentenced to serve 115 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $156,531.74 in restitution to the U.S. Treasury. Williams pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud on Jan. 21.
Donterious Sparks, 37, was sentenced to serve 41 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $311,072.55 in restitution to the U.S. Treasury. Sparks previously pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud on Jan. 21.
U.S. District Judge Clay Land sentenced the defendants on Aug. 5. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, law enforcement first noticed unusually large IRS deposits into the bank accounts of Tommie Mullins, 32, of Columbus, as part of Operation Sweet Silence, a broader organized crime investigation. Almost simultaneously, court-ordered wiretaps captured Mullins discussing a 20% cut from a fraudulent Employee Retention Credit (ERC) scheme. Law enforcement consulted with IRS agents and opened a formal investigation into the pandemic tax fraud. The ERC was a tax credit created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to encourage businesses to keep people employed. To learn more about Operation Sweet Silence, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/op-sweet-silence-ends-zohannon-gang-seizes-guns-and-drugs-columbus
Upshaw registered DOPE! Apparel, LLC with the Georgia Secretary of State’s office on June 26, 2022. As part of the scheme, Upshaw filed five falsified returns on April 29, 2023, using this business to fraudulently claim COVID-related tax credits, including credits to assist employers with the cost of keeping staff employed and to assist with the cost of employers providing paid sick and family leave wages to employees for COVID-related leave. As a result of these falsified returns, the IRS issued five refunds to Upshaw’s business: $65,990.85, $109,680.76, $64,945.17, $65,328.07, and $105,167.36, totaling $411,112.21. Investigators discovered Upshaw did not have any W-2s filed from 2019 through 2023; there was also no record of Upshaw filing any tax returns for 2019, 2020, 2022, or 2023, despite claiming COVID-related tax credits for 2022.
In addition, the Georgia Department of Labor records revealed Upshaw did not file Georgia individual income tax returns for 2020 and 2022 through 2023, nor did the agency have any records whatsoever for Dope! Apparel, LLC, or that Upshaw’s company employed any staff or paid any of the qualified wages or sick and family leave wages that were claimed on the Form 941 returns. Upshaw cashed the checks and used some of the money to purchase a luxury vehicle.
Swift, Williams, and Sparks similarly filed falsified tax returns, fraudulently claiming they were entitled to COVID tax credits: Swift obtained $417,095.56; Williams obtained $156,531.74; and Sparks obtained $311,072.55. All three co-defendants used LLCs registered to their names to file false tax returns claiming COVID tax credits they were not entitled to. The four co-defendants received a combined 16 checks totaling $1,295,812.06. The checks were deposited into bank accounts controlled by the defendants or cashed. The total attempted loss was $2,250,423.67.
The defendants also recruited others to participate in this scheme. In exchange for a percentage of the refund, the defendants would electronically file returns on behalf of others. They also assisted some people with establishing a limited liability company and obtaining an EIN. The defendants submitted over 150 Form 941 returns on behalf of others, resulting in an additional total combined attempted and actual loss amount of $15,239,326.17. The total combined attempted and actual loss to federal taxpayers was $17,489,749.80.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
The FBI and the IRS investigated the case.
Deputy Criminal Chief Veronica Hansis prosecuted the case for the Government.
Founder of Cryptocurrency Financial Services Firm “MyTrade” Sentenced for Market Manipulation and Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The founder and primary operator of “MyTrade,” a financial services firm known in the cryptocurrency industry as a “market maker,” was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for his role in a wide-ranging conspiracy to manipulate cryptocurrency markets on behalf of client cryptocurrency companies.
Liu Zhou, 41, a Canadian citizen and Chinese national, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to pay a fine of $10,000. In October 2024, Zhou was charged along with 17 co-conspirators and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit market manipulation and wire fraud.
MyTrade provided financial services to cryptocurrency clients through its “MyTrade MM” website and online application. Those services included the wash trading of client cryptocurrencies across multiple cryptocurrency exchanges. Wash trading occurs when a single trader, or a number of traders working in coordination, buy and sell the same asset repeatedly in order to mislead the market by artificially inflating the trading volume or price of the asset via trades that have no lawful commercial purpose. Wash trading is a form of fraud intended to stimulate interest in an asset. MyTrade MM’s clients had access to a dashboard available through MyTrade MM’s website that allowed clients to specify the desired amount of daily wash trades, a service described as “Volume Support,” on identified cryptocurrency exchanges. MyTrade MM used computer programs known as “bots” to generate the fraudulent wash trades for clients.
MyTrade MM’s unlawful wash trading service was identified through an undercover law enforcement operation which included the creation of NexFundAI, a purported cryptocurrency company that had a website ((https://nexfundai.com) and an Ethereum-based token that traded on the Uniswap cryptocurrency exchange before being disabled by law enforcement.
In discussions with purported NexFundAI promoters, Zhou described how MyTrade MM “does self-trades - a buy and a sell in the same second,” and that its volume bot can be used to execute “pump and dumps.” Zhou also described the “objective” as finding “other buyers from the community, people you don’t know about or don’t care about” because “we have to make [the other buyers] lose money in order to make profit.” As of Oct. 1, 2024, MyTrade MM was providing the “volume support” function, which consisted of wash trades made by trading bots, to dozens of clients.
As part of Zhou’s plea in October 2024, MyTrade MM was required to cease providing “Volume Support” services and to permanently deactivate its wash trading bots, which had been responsible for millions of dollars’ worth of daily wash trades for approximately 60 different cryptocurrencies. MyTrade MM was also required to add the following disclaimer to its website: “Volume support is a form of wash trading and illegal under the laws of the United States.”
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Holcomb of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
Fort Wayne Man Sentenced to 150 Months in Prison for Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – Antonio Kelly, 43 years old, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.
Kelly was sentenced to 150 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release.
“A convicted felon chose to possess a firearm on October 13th, 2024, and will spend 12 and a half years in prison and 3 years on supervised release as a result of his choices. The Defendant’s criminal history included felonies for Resisting Law Enforcement and Possession of Methamphetamine. Thanks to the cooperation of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Fort Wayne Police Department, the case was brought by Assistant United States Attorney Lesley J. Miller Lowery as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods,” said United States Attorney Adam Mildred.
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.
Fort Myers Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Enticing Minors to Engage in Sexual Activity, and Receiving, Possessing and Accessing Child Sexual Abuse Images and VideosRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – Michael Lawrence Milewski (32, Fort Myers) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kyle C. Dudek to 30 years in federal prison for enticing minors to engage in sexual activity, receiving and possessing images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, and transferring obscene matter to a minor. Milewski was also sentenced to a term of life of supervised release and ordered to register as a sex offender. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
Milewski had entered a plea of guilty on April 30, 2026.
According to court documents, from December 2024, through February 2025, Milewski used a social media application to persuade, induce, and entice minors to engage in sexual activity for which Milewski could have been charged with a criminal offense of sexual performance by a child or production of child pornography.
In June 2025, law enforcement launched an investigation into Milewski, after a minor disclosed that she had been communicating with an adult online who had requested images and videos of her engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Milewski’s social media account records revealed messages that were sexual in nature and that Milewski had engaged in with several minors, and images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct that Milewski requested and received from the minors.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fort Myers Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and with assistance from the Cape Coral Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.
This 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 and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Former Sisseton-Wahpeton Housing Officials Plead Guilty to EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that Eric Shepherd, age 53, of Wilmot, South Dakota, and Olivia Locke, age 60, of Sisseton, South Dakota, appeared before U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann on August 3, 2026, and pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Theft from a Program Receiving Federal Funds.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is five years in custody, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
Shepherd was the executive director of the Sisseton Wahpeton Housing Authority (SWHA) between September 2019 and July 2025. Locke was the chief financial officer. During that time, Locke and Shepherd issued and cashed over $3,500,000 in unauthorized SWHA checks for their personal enrichment.
“Stealing from the government is stealing from the American people,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “Our federal prosecutors are dedicated to ensuring that criminals like these are caught and sentenced to federal prison, so it becomes abundantly clear that crime does not pay.”
“Olivia Locke and Eric Shepherd abused their positions of trust by engaging in multiple fraud schemes and stealing more than $3.5 million in federal funds intended to serve some of the community’s most vulnerable residents,” said Special Agent in Charge Machelle Jindra with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG). “This is not an isolated act of misconduct but a deliberate effort that diverted millions of dollars in critical resources designed to assist those most in need. HUD OIG remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate and hold accountable individuals who misuse public funds and exploit positions of trust for personal gain.”
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, the United States Attorney’s Office, and the Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem
A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date was set for November 9, 2026. The defendants were detained pending sentencing.
Former Ionia Township Treasurer Pleads Guilty to Bank FraudRead the Press Release
Marilyn Harp took nearly $750,000 in Township funds for her own use
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey today announced that Marilyn Ethel Harp, 74, of Ionia, Michigan pleaded guilty to bank fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1344. Harp is scheduled to be sentenced on December 3, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney VerHey filed a bank fraud charge against Harp on June 30, 2026. The Felony Information specifies that Harp served as the treasurer of Ionia Township between 1984 and 2025. Her position put her in charge of collecting property taxes from residents of Ionia Township, which she was supposed to deposit into Township bank accounts and be used for public services. The criminal charge alleges that Harp committed fraud between 2014 and 2025 when she diverted much of this money-- $747,025-- for her own benefit.
On August 6, 2026, Harp appeared before Chief U.S. District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou and admitted her fraud. She agreed that she took Township funds and used them for herself, which included building a vacation home, taking vacations and purchasing luxury items. When others began to suspect that Harp was stealing public funds, she attempted to cover her tracks by fabricating some records and destroying others. As part of her plea agreement, Harp agreed to forfeit $647,698 that federal investigators connected to the fraud scheme and seized during the investigation.
U.S. Attorney VerHey said, “As a corrupt public official who was stealing public funds, Marilyn Harp deserved to be charged with the most serious crime available. Harp’s crime is worse than that, though. The money she stole from her neighbors was intended to fund her community’s school system. For over ten years she took this money from the people in her community and spent it on a vacation home and other luxuries that were out of reach for many of her neighbors. I look forward to telling Judge Jarbou all about this at the sentencing hearing.”
“Holding public office is a public trust, not a personal opportunity for financial gain. Ms. Harp deliberately broke that trust, and today’s guilty plea is an important step toward her accountability to the people of Ionia,” said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “I am grateful for the exceptional work of our FBI Grand Rapids Resident Agency, in partnership with the Michigan State Police, whose professionalism, dedication, and collaboration were instrumental throughout this investigation. FBI Detroit will continue working with our partners to protect the integrity of public institutions and preserve the confidence our communities place in those institutions.”
The Grand Rapids office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Michigan State Police investigated this case. The prosecution was personally handled by United States Attorney Timothy VerHey, after consultation with the Ionia County Prosecutor’s Office.
Former Goldman Sachs Investment Banker Convicted of Foreign Bribery and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
BROOKLYN, NY – Asante Kwaku Berko, a dual citizen of the United States and Ghana, was convicted today by a federal jury in Brooklyn on all counts of an indictment charging conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), violating the FCPA, and money laundering conspiracy for paying bribes to Ghanaian government officials in connection with the development of a power plant in Ghana. The verdict followed a nine-day trial before United States District Judge Diane Gujarati. When sentenced, Berko faces up to 30 years in prison. Berko was ordered remanded pending sentencing.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, A. Tysen Duva, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office, announced the verdict.
“Today’s verdict marks another significant victory in this Office’s longstanding commitment to rooting out corruption,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “The defendant abused his access to high-level foreign government officials and his platform as an investment banker at a prestigious American firm to line his own pockets with millions of dollars.”
“We live in a global economy that American companies must be able to compete in fairly,” said Assistant Attorney General Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This defendant corrupted that fair competition. He abused his position at a world-renowned American investment bank by helping bribe Ghanaian officials, so he and his co-conspirators, including senior executives at a Turkish company, could make money. Today’s conviction makes clear that criminals who undermine our country’s interests by corrupting foreign governments and cutting off fair competition will face the full force of the Department of Justice.”
“Today’s verdict highlights the importance of domestic and international partnerships, and the magnitude of success that working together creates. The FBI is thankful for the assistance from the Department of Justice and the United Kingdom – specifically to the Office of International Affairs, U.S. Marshals Service, and INTERPOL – in pursuing justice to protect our country’s financial integrity,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.
U.S. Attorney Nocella also expressed his appreciation to the Government of the United Kingdom, the U.K. National Centre Bureau for INTERPOL, the Embassy of the United States in London, the Department’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Marshals Service for providing substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of the defendant.
As proved at trial, Berko conspired to pay more than $1 million in bribes to multiple Ghanian government officials in connection with the development and financing of a power plant estimated to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in profits.
Beginning in December 2014, Berko, a former Executive Director in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs group, was responsible for securing and managing a deal between the Republic of Ghana and Aksa Enerji Uretim A.S. (Aksa), a Turkish energy company and Goldman client, for the construction and financing of a power plant in Ghana amidst a national energy crisis in the country.
During the scheme, Berko and his co-conspirators paid and conspired to pay bribes to individuals at numerous levels of the Ghanaian government to ensure that Aksa won its bid to build and operate the power plant. For example, in April 2015, Berko and the conspirators discussed paying $1 million to the Ghanaian Minister of Power who was responsible for securing key approvals enabling the project to progress and $250,000 to his senior adviser. Bribes were also paid to five Ghanaian officials during an all-expenses-paid trip to Turkey to view equipment for the power plant. After the power plant deal was ratified by the Ghanaian parliament in July 2015, Berko and his co-conspirators exchanged detailed emails regarding bribe payments. For example, in August 2015, they discussed $250,000 in bribe payments paid to various individuals, including $46,000 to members of the Ghanaian Parliament, which ratified the agreement between Aksa and the government of Ghana, paid by Berko himself. Also in August 2015, the co-conspirators discussed how a bribe recipient was waiting for the “holy rain” (i.e., the bribe payment) and “would appreciate it sooner rather than later.”
To conceal the scheme from Goldman and others, Berko lied to the compliance team at Goldman that was responsible for vetting the deal. Berko also used his personal email account, instead of his Goldman business email account, to discuss the deal and the bribe payments and directed his co-conspirators to do the same. In addition, Berko and his co-conspirators concealed and laundered the bribe payments using shell companies, sham invoices, nominee account holders and cash withdrawals. Payments in furtherance of the bribery scheme were laundered through U.S. and foreign bank accounts. Goldman ultimately withdrew from the deal due to corruption concerns.
The government’s case is being handled by the Business and Securities Fraud Section of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica Weigel, Nick M. Axelrod and Tara McGrath are prosecuting the case with Assistant Chief Katherine Raut and Senior Trial Attorney Katherine Nielsen, and with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Melina Piatti-Chayan, Isha Jayadev and Teresa Dolan.
The Defendant:
ASANTE KWAKU BERKO
Age: 52
United Kingdom / GhanaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-328 (DG)
Former Federal Correctional Officer Pleads Guilty to Distributing Methamphetamine in Federal Prison in Lassen CountyRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Antonio Ray Ramirez, 35, of Susanville, pleaded guilty today to one count of distributing methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, in August 2024, while working as a Correctional Officer, Ramirez knowingly distributed 869 grams of methamphetamine and 127 grams of heroin in the Federal Correctional Institution in Herlong. When beginning an overnight shift, Ramirez smuggled the drugs into the prison by evading security screening, hid them in a laundry room, and told an inmate where to find them. Ramirez received $15,000 in payment for smuggling the drugs. The drugs were eventually recovered from the inmate by other correctional officers.
The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dhruv M. Sharma and Nicholas Fogg are prosecuting the case.
Ramirez is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta on Jan. 21, 2027. Ramirez faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Former Clarksville Resident Sentenced to 10 Years for Distributing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – Brandon Wesley Rogers, formerly of Clarksville, Tennessee, was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in federal prison for distributing child sexual abuse material, announced U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Chief U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell, Jr. also ordered Rogers to serve 10 years of supervised release following his prison term, pay $14,000 in restitution, and forfeit the electronic devices used to commit the offenses.
“Every time child sexual abuse material is distributed, the children depicted are victimized again,” said U.S. Attorney Boucek. “Our office and our law enforcement partners will continue identifying those who traffic in this material and holding them accountable in federal court.”
“This sentence sends a clear message that anyone who distributes child sexual abuse material will be tracked down and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law," said Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “I commend the FBI Clarksville Resident Agency and our law enforcement partners for their commitment to identifying this offender and bringing him to justice. Their work ensures he can no longer prey on the most vulnerable members of our communities.”
Rogers pleaded guilty on December 9, 2024, to five counts of distributing child sexual abuse material.
According to court documents, the investigation began after the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received a CyberTip reporting that a user of the Kik messaging platform had uploaded and shared files containing suspected child sexual abuse material. The FBI identified Rogers as the user of the account and determined that, on May 26 and 27, 2022, he distributed five videos to other Kik users. The videos included depictions of the sexual abuse of prepubescent children. Rogers was living in Clarksville at the time of the offenses.
On August 3, 2023, federal agents executed a search warrant at Rogers’ residence in Powell, Tennessee, and seized multiple electronic devices. During an interview with investigators, Rogers admitted that he had received and distributed child sexual abuse material, including images depicting children as young as four and five years old. He also admitted that additional material was stored in a password-protected folder on his cell phone.
Rogers will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
FBI Nashville investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica R. Morrison prosecuted the case.
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Former Banker Convicted for Scheme to Bribe Ghanaian OfficialsRead the Press Release
Today, a federal jury convicted a dual U.S.-Ghanaian citizen for his role in a scheme to bribe Ghanaian officials in connection with the development and financing of a multi-million-dollar power plant in Ghana.
“We live in a global economy that American companies must be able to compete in fairly,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This defendant corrupted that fair competition. He abused his position at a world-renowned American investment bank by helping bribe Ghanaian officials, so he and his co-conspirators, including senior executives at a Turkish company, could make money. Today’s conviction makes clear that criminals who undermine our country’s interests by corrupting foreign governments and cutting off fair competition will face the full force of the Department of Justice.”
“Today’s verdict marks another significant victory in this Office’s longstanding commitment to rooting out corruption,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. “The defendant abused his access to high-level foreign government officials and his platform as an investment banker at a prestigious American firm to greedily line his own pockets.”
“Engaging in bribery damages the reputation of businesses and destroys fair competitions,” said Acting Assistant Director Matthew B. Floyd of FBI’s Criminal Division. “Berko intentionally lied to his company to continue his scheme. The FBI will not tolerate dishonesty or corruption from anyone who wishes to disturb the business market.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Asante Kwako Berko, 52, conspired to pay more than $1 million in bribes to multiple Ghanaian government officials in connection with the development and financing of a power plant estimated to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.
Beginning in December 2014, Berko, a former Executive Director in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs, was responsible for securing and managing a deal between Aksa Enerji, a Turkish energy company and client of Goldman Sachs, and the Republic of Ghana, for the construction and financing of a power plant in Ghana amidst a national energy crisis in the country.
During the scheme, Berko and his co-conspirators paid and conspired to pay bribes to individuals at numerous levels of the Ghanaian government to ensure that the Turkish Energy company won its bid to build and operate the power plant. In April 2015, Berko and the conspirators discussed paying $1 million to the Minister of Power who was responsible for securing key approvals enabling the project to progress.
Bribes were also paid to five Ghanaian officials during an all-expenses-paid trip to Turkey to view equipment for the power plant, during which the officials each received $5,000. After the power plant deal was ratified by the Ghanaian parliament in July 2015, Berko and his co-conspirators emailed about their bribe payments at length. The evidence further detailed tens of thousands of dollars in bribes that Berko had personally paid and for which he was still owed.
To conceal the scheme from Goldman Sachs and others, Berko lied to Goldman’s compliance team that was responsible for vetting the deal and he used his personal, non-official-business email account when talking about the bribes. Berko and his co-conspirators also concealed and laundered the bribe payments using shell companies, sham invoices, nominee account holders and cash withdrawals. Payments in furtherance of the bribery scheme were laundered through U.S. and foreign bank accounts, including several in Berko’s name. Goldman ultimately withdrew from the deal due to corruption concerns.
The jury convicted Berko of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), violating the FCPA, and money laundering conspiracy. Sentencing is set for Nov. 10. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI is investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the FBI’s Law Enforcement Attaché in Accra worked with the International Cooperation Unit of the Office of the Attorney-General of Ghana, and Ghana’s Office of the Special Prosecutor, to provide significant assistance to this prosecution. The UK’s National Extradition Unit, the Crown Prosecution Service of England and Wales, the U.S. Embassy in London, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Marshals Service provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of the defendant.
Assistant Chief Katherine Raut of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, Senior Trial Attorney Katherine Nielsen of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics, and Forfeiture Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Weigel, Nick M. Axelrod, and Tara McGrath for the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case.
The Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting FCPA and Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (FEPA) matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA and FEPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-fraud/foreign-corrupt-practices-act.
Florida Man Pleads Guilty to $14M Fraudulent Check SchemeRead the Press Release
A Florida man pleaded guilty today to wire fraud for using fraudulent, unauthorized checks to steal money from victims’ bank accounts.
According to court documents, Eri Guzman Ortiz, 69, formerly of Miami-Dade County, created and deposited about $14 million in fraudulent checks into the bank accounts of sham companies in the United States. The fraudulent checks were used to steal victims’ money by transferring it from the victims’ bank accounts to the bank accounts of the sham companies without the victims’ authorization.
Guzman Ortiz’s client in Canada sent him lists of thousands of people and businesses who had purportedly made purchases from sham companies and had purportedly agreed for their bank accounts to be debited by the sham companies. Guzman Ortiz used these lists to create fraudulent checks and deposit them into bank accounts for sham companies, knowing that these people and businesses had not made purchases from the sham companies and had not authorized debits from their bank accounts.
Guzman Ortiz pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 5 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida; Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Criminal Investigations Group; and Special Agent in Charge Vincent R. Zehme of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG) Chicago Region made the announcement.
USPIS and FDIC-OIG are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Daniel Zytnick and Anna Forgie of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff for the Southern District of Florida is handling forfeiture.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III Attends U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area Change of Command Ceremony at Historic Faneuil HallRead the Press Release
Boston, Mass. — First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III of the Northern District of New York recently attended the U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area Change of Command Ceremony held in the historic Great Hall of Faneuil Hall in Boston, Massachusetts. The ceremony marked an important transition in leadership as Rear Admiral Michael Platt was relieved by Rear Admiral Matthew Lake.
Faneuil Hall—known as the “Cradle of Liberty”—has served for centuries as a gathering place for civic engagement, public debate, and pivotal national events. Its Great Hall has hosted generations of American leaders and historic moments, making it a particularly meaningful and symbolic setting for this Coast Guard ceremony.
Sarcone’s participation underscored the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s deep and ongoing commitment to supporting federal partners across the region. He recognized the Coast Guard’s essential role in safeguarding communities throughout the Atlantic area and highlighted their continued support of the Northern District of New York’s mission.
“The Coast Guard’s partnership strengthens our collective efforts to protect the public and uphold federal law,” Sarcone said. “This ceremony honored exceptional leadership and reaffirmed the critical collaboration that allows us to serve our communities effectively.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office looks forward to continued collaboration with Rear Admiral Lake and expresses gratitude to Rear Admiral Platt for his dedicated service and steadfast support of federal law enforcement initiatives.
Felon Pleads Guilty to Possessing Hundreds of Ghost GunsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Somerville, Mass. man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. The defendant possessed more than 100 privately made firearms (PMFs), more commonly known as, “ghost guns,” at his residence – including machine guns and firearm silencers, as well as a 3D printer and ammunition in varying calibers.
Robert Butland, 39, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm before U.S. Senior District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton who scheduled sentencing for Nov. 10, 2026. Butland was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in August 2025 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2025. The defendant remains in federal custody.
During an August 2025 search of Butland’s residence, a locked closet inside his bedroom was found to contain numerous PMFs as well as numerous solvent traps commonly used as illegal firearm suppressors. Additional ghost guns were found in nightstands, backpacks and coffee table drawers throughout the bedroom. Multiple 3D printers, firearm parts and accessories purchased from companies across the country, filament, a workbench and tools consistent with the assembly and manufacture of firearms were also recovered from the residence. Ammunition in multiple calibers – including 9mm Luger, 5.56 Hornady Frontier and 7.62x39mm rounds – were also seized.
Butland is prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior state convictions in Lawrence District Court for assault and battery on a police officer, resisting arrest and wanton destruction of property. According to court document’s Butland also has state convictions for negligent operation of a motor vehicle, possession of a Class B controlled substance and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
The charge of possession of a firearm or ammunition by a felon provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Feld Division; and Jason Buckley, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Somerville Police Department; the Boston Police Department; and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
Federal Jury Convicts Panama City Man of Attempting to Entice A Minor to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Tallahassee, Florida – Michael Ray Pennington, 60, of Panama City, Florida, was found guilty by a federal jury of attempting to entice a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity. The verdict was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This successful trial verdict was built upon the excellent investigative work of our state and federal law enforcement partners and secured thanks to the outstanding courtroom advocacy of my federal prosecutors. My office remains firmly committed to protecting our communities by aggressively prosecuting predators, like this defendant, who seek to sexually exploit and victimize children through online platforms and apps.”
Trial testimony revealed that in November 2025, federal and local law enforcement conducted an undercover operation to identify and apprehend offenders who use the internet to sexually exploit children. During the operation, an undercover law enforcement officer posted a fictitious advertisement on a website commonly used for prostitution. The defendant responded to the ad and was informed by the undercover agent that he was speaking to a 15-year-old child. The defendant then expressed an interest in engaging in sexual activity with the child in exchange for money. Upon arrival at an arranged meeting location, the defendant was arrested. A search of the defendant’s phone confirmed that he was the person communicating with the undercover agent through both text messaging and phone calls.
Pennington faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum of life imprisonment. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Emma Schwan and Meredith L. Steer.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 13, 2026, at 2:00 pm at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before United States District Judge Mark E. Walker.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Dover Resident Charged with Defrauding Elderly Victim of over $1 Million and Using Proceeds for His Personal BenefitRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that William D. Brenner, age 62, was indicted on August 5, 2026, by a federal grand jury on charges of wire fraud and unlawful monetary transactions in connection with an alleged fraud scheme against an elderly victim.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, Brenner allegedly defrauded an elderly victim, who was born in 1936, of over $1 million by persuading her and her power of attorney, who was also the alleged victim’s daughter, that he could offer them a better investment opportunity than what the elderly woman already had in place. The alleged victim and her power of attorney were led to believe that the funds would be placed in an investment account, which Brenner would personally manage and would earn fixed interest payments over a two-year period. In reality, Brenner then used the funds to purchase a commercial property in his own name, without the victim’s lawful authorization.
Brenner also allegedly forged an agreement that appeared to show the elderly woman and her power of attorney authorizing him to use the money to purchase the commercial property, which is located in Caneyville, Kentucky. Brenner allegedly created this forgery by using authentic signatures that he obtained from the elderly woman and her power of attorney on a different document.
Brenner allegedly obtained control of the elderly victim’s retirement savings by persuading her and her power of attorney to move the funds into an account at a local federal credit union where he was a board member and where he maintained accounts in the names of other businesses. That account was created in August 2021. Once the funds were in that account, Brenner allegedly used them for his own and his family members’ benefit. By September 2021, Brenner allegedly depleted almost all of the funds from the account.
Brenner is charged with several counts of monetary transactions in criminal derived property for use of the elderly woman’s funds. In addition to buying the commercial property, Brenner allegedly purchased a new Dodge Ram pickup truck, a skid steer, and other tools and motorized equipment.
The indictment also contains forfeiture allegations, including for the commercial property located in Caneyville, Kentucky.
The United States Secret Service is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravi Romel Sharma is prosecuting the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
The maximum penalty for wire fraud is 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. The maximum penalty for monetary transactions in criminally derived property is 10 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Dominican National Pleads Guilty to Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national unlawfully residing in Boston pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Angel Daniel Cruz-Sanchez, 51, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for Nov. 12, 2026. Cruz-Sanchez was charged in April 2026.
Cruz-Sanchez is a citizen of the Dominican Republic who was deported in 2019 and 2023. In 2003, 2008 and 2018, Cruz-Sanchez was convicted in separate drug trafficking cases.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and David T. Wesling, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
Dominican National Pleads Guilty Pleads Guilty for Role in Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CONCORD – Eddy Balbuena-Gomez, age 32, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to a one-count Superseding Indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, namely, fentanyl and methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces. Balbuena-Gomez is scheduled to be sentenced in the case by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Samantha Elliott on December 10, 2026.
According to court documents and statements, in early 2024, law enforcement agencies began investigating a drug-trafficking organization (DTO) based in Massachusetts and operating in New Hampshire. During the course of the conspiracy, the DTO trafficked multiple kilograms of fentanyl and methamphetamine. Balbuena-Gomez worked as a “runner” for the DTO, who would drive from Massachusetts to New Hampshire to sell drugs, including to an undercover officer. Balbuena-Gomez has been detained since his arrest in October 2024.
This charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life, a $10,000,000 fine, or both, and not less than 5 years of supervised release. 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 Department of Homeland Security led the investigation with valuable assistance from the Strafford County Sheriff’s Office and New Hampshire State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mike Shannon and Yasir Sadat are prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF New Hampshire comprises agents and officers from FBI, HSI, IRS, DEA, ATF, USMS, and DSS with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire.
Dominican National Indicted for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national unlawfully residing in Lawrence, Mass. has been indicted for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Eddy Antonio Perdomo, 32, is charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Perdomo will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston on Aug. 10, 2026.
Perdomo previously pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien in July 2025. He was subsequently sentenced to time served (approximately four months in prison) on Sept. 5, 2025 and removed from the United States on Sept. 15, 2025. It is alleged that sometime after his September 2025 removal, Perdomo illegally reentered the United States without permission.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and David T. Wesling, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Conroy of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Dominican National Charged with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Walnel Mordan Soto, age 37, of the Dominican Republic, who most recently resided in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of illegal reentry into the United States.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, the indictment alleges that Mordan Soto was encountered at the Schuylkill County Jail on July 6, 2026, after having previously been removed on or about October 6, 2016, via Alexandria, Louisiana, subsequent to a conviction for committing an aggravated felony. Mordan Soto did not receive permission to reenter the United States, as required by law.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Scalera is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is up to 20 years of imprisonment, plus a fine and a term of supervised release. A sentence following the finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Deming Man Sentenced for Machinegun Offenses and Fleeing Border Patrol CheckpointRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Deming man was sentenced to 101 months in prison after admitting he possessed a machinegun in furtherance of cocaine trafficking and fled a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint, leading agents on a pursuit that reached approximately 140 mph on Interstate 10.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents and Lopez's plea agreement, on February 11, 2025, an undercover law enforcement officer conducted a controlled purchase of cocaine from Gerald Anthony Lopez, 20. During the transaction, Lopez displayed a Glock handgun equipped with an extended magazine and a machinegun conversion device (MCD), commonly known as a "switch." Lopez offered to sell the firearm for $1,300 with the switch installed or $1,000 without it and stated he could supply additional firearms, conversion devices, and narcotics.
On February 20, Lopez met with an undercover law enforcement officer and sold cocaine and the Glock handgun equipped with the MCD for $1,300. During the sale, Lopez demonstrated how the switch converted the firearm from semiautomatic to fully automatic fire and confirmed the extended magazine was loaded with 30 rounds. In his plea agreement, Lopez admitted that he knowingly possessed and carried the machinegun in furtherance of his cocaine trafficking, that he understood the switch converted the firearm into a machinegun, and that he had personally modified the firearm with the device.
In a separate incident on May 6, 2025, Lopez fled from a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in Luna County after agents referred him to secondary inspection. According to court documents and Lopez's plea agreement, he led agents on a high-speed pursuit, reaching speeds of approximately 140 mph on Interstate 10, where the posted speed limit was 75 mph.
Lopez pleaded guilty to high-speed flight from an immigration checkpoint, using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, illegal possession of a machinegun, and possession of a firearm not registered with the national firearms registration and transfer record. Upon his release from prison, Lopez will be subject to three years of supervised release.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison, Special Agent in Charge A.J. Gibes of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Chief Patrol Agent Jesse D. Muñoz of the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector made the announcement today.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the firearms offense in partnership with the New Mexico State Police. The U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector is investigating the immigration-related offense. The Las Cruces Branch Office of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico is prosecuting the case.
Machine gun conversion devices and auto sears are illegal devices that transform semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic weapons capable of continuous firing with a single trigger pull. The possession, manufacture, and sale of these devices without proper licensing is a federal offense carrying severe penalties, including up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $250,000.
The proliferation of these devices poses an immediate and critical threat to public safety. Between 2018 and 2023, the ATF recovered thousands of machine gun conversion devices, indicating an alarming trend in their availability and use. Violent street gangs are increasingly employing these devices, devastating communities and neighborhoods with unprecedented firepower.
This dramatic increase in illegal automatic weapons puts both civilians and law enforcement at extreme risk. Officers responding to incidents may find themselves severely outgunned, facing weapons capable of firing hundreds of rounds per minute. The potential for mass casualties in such encounters is staggering.
Law enforcement agencies are working to seize these illegal devices racing against time to intercept these devices before they can be used in violent crimes. Public cooperation is crucial in combating this threat. If you have information about illegal firearms or conversion devices, please contact the ATF immediately:
Call: 1-888-ATF-Tips (1-888-283-8477)
Email: [email protected]
Visit: www.atf.gov/atf-tips
Your tip could save lives and prevent these dangerous weapons from falling into the wrong hands. The time to act is now, before our community falls victim to the devastating impact of these illegal automatic weapons.
Defendant in Largest Methamphetamine Seizure in New Jersey History Admits to Drug Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – An Illinois man admitted to conspiring to distribute over 260 pounds of methamphetamine into New Jersey—the largest seizure of methamphetamine in the state’s history—U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced today.
Marcos Cesar Acosta, 47, most recently of Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Wiliams in Camden federal court to a one-count Information charging him with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On April 28, 2026, Acosta traveled to New Jersey to supervise the delivery of hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine coming into the state by truck. That evening, after the truck arrived in New Jersey loaded with the methamphetamine, law enforcement officers arrested Acosta and another co-conspirator. Law enforcement seized three black storage boxes, one duffel bag, and a garbage bag from the truck cab, all of which contained methamphetamine. Collectively, the seized methamphetamine from the truck weighed over 260 pounds.
The conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000. Sentencing is scheduled for December 17, 2026.
U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) MOPOD Enforcement Group 11 and the DEA Camden Resident Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Towanda R. Thorne-James, for the investigation leading to the guilty plea. He also thanked the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy in Newark, and IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan, for their assistance in the investigation.
This operation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative. The HSTF is a United States government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, transnational gangs, and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) worldwide. This initiative identifies TCOs engaged in a wide range of criminal schemes that violate federal law, while dismantling cross-border human smuggling and trafficking networks that fuel violence and instability that threatens the safety and security of the United States and its global partners.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Garelick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
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Defense counsel: Margaret M. Grasso, Esq.
acosta.information.pdfDallas drug dealer sentenced to 30 years in federal prison in the Eastern District of Texas in connection with a 2022 overdose deathRead the Press Release
PLANO, Texas – A Dallas drug dealer has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison in the Eastern District of Texas in connection with an overdose death, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Dauerashawn Carr, 49, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine and was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan on August 6, 2026.
According to information presented in court, on June 26, 2022, an unresponsive individual was dropped off at an Irving hospital and ultimately died from the toxic effects of a drug overdose. An investigation revealed the victim had purchased drugs from an individual working directly for Carr. Further investigation revealed Carr was using at least four separate rooms at a Dallas hotel as his residence and his personal stash house where he stored, packaged, and sold a multitude of illegal and counterfeit drugs. According to drug ledgers found in the hotel rooms, the following drugs were distributed on a regular basis: Adderall, Blue M-30, Cocaine, Ketamine, LSD, MDMA, Marijuana, Mushrooms, and Xanax.
“Every drug overdose death leaves countless victims,” said U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. “The victims are the dead, taken too early, families who lose loved ones, and the community that has been torn apart. This case embodies the devastating impact illicit drugs have on individuals, families, and communities. Our deepest sympathies are with the victim and his family, as well as with all others who have lost loved ones due to fentanyl or other controlled substances. Let this 360-month sentence send an unmistakable message: if you choose to profit from distributing these deadly substances, my office will pursue you relentlessly and hold you fully accountable. We will continue to use every tool available to identify, investigate, and prosecute those responsible for poisoning our communities.”
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.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Little Elm Police Department, and Lewisville Police Department and prosecuted by Eastern District of Texas Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Johnson.
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D.C. Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Federal Prison for Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – William Edwin Allaun IV, 44, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison in connection with his possession of child sexual abuse material depicting images of the rape and torture of young children, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Allaun pleaded guilty on Dec. 15, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth to one count of possession of child pornography. In addition to the 60-month prison term, Judge Lamberth ordered Allaun to serve 10 years of supervised release. Federal prosecutors had requested a 78-month prison term, followed by 15 years of supervised release. Judge Lamberth also ordered Allaun to register as a sex offender.
According to court documents, in May 2025, Allaun was added to a group chat on an encrypted messaging application that was used to distribute child sexual abuse material. Allaun received multiple videos depicting the sexual abuse of prepubescent children and expressed interest in receiving additional material.
A search of Allaun's residence in July 2025 led to the recovery of additional videos depicting child sexual abuse material, sent through the same group chat.
As part of his sentence, Allaun agreed to forfeit an iPad and an iPhone seized during the investigation. He also agreed to pay restitution to the victims.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Richard Kelley.
It was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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