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6 March 2026
Members of the “Shorty” Drug Trafficking Group Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
The final defendant in a group charged with drug trafficking crimes in the Cedar Rapids area was sentenced today to twenty-seven years in federal prison.
Lavelle Davies, age 32, from Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced to 324 months’ imprisonment and ordered to serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. Davies was sentenced following a July 25, 2025, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.
Davies’ codefendants were previously sentenced as follows:
Tanea Browning, age 29, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was sentenced on September 4, 2025, to 156 months’ imprisonment and ordered to serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and two counts of distribution of a controlled substance.
Andre Corone McNairy, age 34, from Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced on September 24, 2025, to 210 months’ imprisonment and ordered to serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.
Jeffery Lamonte Hayes, age 32, from Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced on September 8, 2025, to 151 months’ imprisonment and ordered to serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term after pleading guilty to two counts of distribution of a controlled substance.
Javonte Carpenter, age 32, from Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced on August18, 2025, to 123 months’ imprisonment and ordered to serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.
Evidence presented during court hearings showed that the group collectively was referred to as “Shorty.” Th group passed phones around taking calls and making deliveries of cocaine and methamphetamine in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, area. In October 2023, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, law enforcement officers stopped a car that Davies, Browning, Hayes, and Carpenter were in. Officers found over five kilograms of methamphetamine in the car. While officers were later searching an apartment occupied by Davies and Browning, Davies threw a loaded gun out of a window. In April 2024, officers stopped McNairy driving in a car with over two kilograms of methamphetamine.
All five defendants were sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams and are in custody of the United States Marshal’s Service or the Bureau of Prisons.
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.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily K. Nydle and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Muscatine County Drug Task Force, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-cr-43.
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Massachusetts Man Arrested and Charged with Falsely Impersonating U.S. Army Veteran for over 30 YearsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Pittsfield, Mass. man has been arrested and charged with falsely impersonating a United States Army veteran for over 30 years to obtain medical care at Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers and other benefits.
James D. Sommers, whose age is unknown, has been charged with one count of false statements. Sommers was arrested yesterday in Pittsfield, Mass., where he was staying under the guise of a victim’s identity at Soldier On, a facility that provides transitional housing to United States military veterans. Sommers remains in federal custody and will next appear in federal court on March 9, 2026.
According to the charging documents, beginning as early as 1994, Sommers has falsely impersonated a United States Army veteran who served honorably from 1979 to 1982. It is alleged that Sommers used the victim’s stolen identity to obtain thousands of dollars in Social Security benefits and nearly $30,000 in medical care and medications from VA medical centers. Most recently, Sommers falsely impersonated the victim on Feb. 20, 2026, to obtain medical care at the VA Medical Center in Northampton, Mass.
It is further alleged that Sommers has numerous prior convictions in New York State in 1994, 1997, 2001 and 2011 all under the victim’s name, for offenses including: criminal possession of stolen property; intent to obtain transportation without paying; sale of a controlled substance; possession of a forged instrument; attempted grand larceny; grand larceny; and forgery.
The charge of false statements provides for a sentence of up to five 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 and Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Mason City Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Luke Braniff, 26, from Mason City, Iowa, pled guilty on March 3, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City to felon in possession of ammunition. Braniff was previously convicted of two counts of Lascivious Acts with a Child in 2017, and Sex Offender Registry Violations, in 2018, 2023, and 2025, all convictions were in Iowa. These convictions prohibit Braniff from possessing any firearms or ammunition.
At the plea hearing, Braniff admitted to possessing ammunition knowing he was prohibited from doing so due to his previous convictions. Law enforcement became aware of Braniff’s illegal possession of ammunition during an investigation regarding reports of Braniff sending vulgar sexual messages on Snapchat to a minor female and requesting nude images of the child.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Braniff remains in custody of the United States Marshal and will remain in custody pending sentencing. Braniff faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and not more than three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the Mason City Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-3039. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Marion County man charged with assaulting mail carrier in the Eastern District of TexasRead the Press Release
MARSHALL, Texas – A Jefferson man has been arrested in connection with the alleged assault of a mail carrier in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Alton Ray Jackson, 43, was arrested pursuant to a federal complaint charging him with assault of a federal employee. Jackson was brought before U.S. Magistrate Judge Roy S. Payne on March 6, 2026, for an initial appearance.
Jackson faces up to eight years in federal prison if convicted.
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, to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
This case is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Jefferson Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dustin Farahnak and Whitney Tharpe.
A federal complaint is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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March Federal Grand Jury 2026-A Indictments AnnouncedRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the March Federal Grand Jury 2026-A Indictments.
The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.
Saul Flores-Sanchez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Flores-Sanchez, 27, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in November 2017 and January 2023. Homeland Security Investigations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Dill is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-072
Ashley Lineth Godoy Lopez; Angel Gabriel Malvaez Alvarez. Drug Conspiracy. Godoy Lopez, 22, a Honduran national, and Malvaez Alvarez, 21, a Mexican national, are charged with conspiring together and with others to distribute fentanyl. The Drug Enforcement Administration Tulsa Resident Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko Boulieris is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-073
Luis Alberto Lopez-Quiroz. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Lopez-Quiroz, 45, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in May 2010. Homeland Security Investigations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Dill is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-074
Christopher Joel Velasco. Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor Under 12 Years of Age in Indian Country (Counts 1, 3, and 5); Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor Under 12 Years of Age in Indian Country (Counts 2, 4, and 6). Velasco, 36, of Tulsa, is charged with knowingly engaging in a sexual act with three separate minor children under the age of 12. Additionally, Velasco is charged with knowingly causing sexual contact with three minor children under 12-years-old. The FBI is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Ihler is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-077
Rodrigo Yepez-Balderas; Ana Fabiola Solis-Padilla. Drug Conspiracy (Count 1); Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute (Count 2); Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premise (Counts 3 and 4). Yepez-Balderas, 30, of Tulsa, and Solis-Padilla, 39, a Mexican national, are charged with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine from August 2025 through February 2026. Solis-Padilla is additionally charged with knowingly possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Lastly, both are charged with maintaining residences for drug distribution. The Drug Enforcement Administration Tulsa Resident Office, the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Nasar is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-071
Mansfield Man Arrested for Unlawful Possession of AmmunitionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Mansfield man was arrested yesterday for unlawfully possessing ammunition as a convicted felon. At the time of the alleged offense, the defendant was on supervised release for a prior 2021 conviction for being a felon in possession of ammunition.
Michael Kennedy, 48, was charged with one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition and remains detained in federal custody following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston.
According to the charging documents, Kennedy had been ordering firearms parts online to be shipped to his residence, including parts utilized to complete and/or manufacture M-16 type and AR-15 type rifle. During a search of his Mansfield residence, it is alleged that numerous privately made firearms frames, a 3D printer and ammunition in varying calibers were located. One firearm, a 5.7 pistol, was allegedly found tucked into the arm of a reclining chair where Kennedy had been sleeping. The pistol was loaded with 22 rounds of ammunition including one round in the chamber. The ammunition allegedly recovered included CBC 9mm ammunition, JAG 9mm ammunition and FN 5.7 x 28mm ammunition.
Kennedy is prohibited from possessing ammunition due to prior convictions in the District of Massachusetts for bank robbery and felon in possession of ammunition and in Norfolk Superior Court for armed robbery and witness intimidation.
The charge of being a felon in possession provides for a sentence of up to 15 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 and Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Mansfield Police Department and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorney Allegra Flamm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Manitowoc Resident Indicted for Transportation of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Brad D. Schimel, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on March 3, 2026, a federal grand jury indicted Zachariah R. Breihof (Age: 27) of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, for transportation of child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A(a)(1).
The indictment alleges that in January 2025, Breihof “did knowingly transport and ship in interstate commerce … a visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.” If convicted of the offense, Breihof faces a mandatory 5 years’ imprisonment and up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a maximum $250,000 fine, and from 5 years to a lifetime on supervised release.
This case was investigated by the City of Manitowoc Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Humble.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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 U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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For further information contact:Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
(414) 297-1700
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Mexican National Residing in Georgia Sentenced to 120 Months for Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
United States Kurt L. Wall announced that U.S. District Court Judge Brian A. Jackson sentenced Victorino De La Cruz, age 43, of Mableton, Georgia, to 120 months in federal prison following his conviction for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. The Court further sentenced De La Cruz to serve five years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment and ordered him to complete sex offender treatment and register as a sex offender upon his release. De La Cruz, a Mexican national who is present in the United States on a now-revoked work visa, may also be deported from the United States upon completing his sentence.
De La Cruz used social media applications and the name “Code_Magnolia” to convince someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to have an illegal sexual relationship with him. Over the course of several months, De La Cruz engaged in sexually explicit communications, among other things, to entice her to engage in sexual acts. The 14-year-old girl was actually an undercover law enforcement officer. De La Cruz also sent the undercover officer pictures of himself and his genitals and requested that she send him sexually explicit videos and images of herself. Further, De La Cruz asked for the undercover law enforcement officer’s location, expressed his desire to engage in illegal sexual acts in person, and discussed and planned an arrangement with the undercover law enforcement agent where De La Cruz would visit the undercover law enforcement agent in Baton Rouge to engage in illegal sexual activity. De La Cruz was arrested by law enforcement in December 2024.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Benjamin Anderson and Edward H. Warner, who also serves as Lead Homeland Security Task Force Trial Attorney, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Allen Ross.
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 http://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was also part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Long Island Man Charged with Sex Trafficking, Enticing, and Exploiting a MinorRead the Press Release
Jimmy Francois, also known as “Bentley Bugz,” will be arraigned this afternoon, in federal court in Brooklyn, on a six-count indictment charging him with the sex trafficking of a minor using force, fraud, and coercion; coercing and enticing a minor; sexually exploiting a child; and interstate prostitution. The charges in the indictment arise from the defendant sex trafficking a 16-year-old minor victim (Jane Doe) using force, fraud, and coercion, including physically assaulting the victim and intimidating the victim using threats and by physically assaulting other women in her presence. Francois also created sexually explicit images of Jane Doe, some of which were posted online in prostitution advertisements. Francois was arrested on January 29 in Miami, Florida, and transported in custody to the Eastern District of New York earlier this week by the United States Marshals Service. Today’s proceeding will be held before United States Magistrate Judge Clay H. Kaminsky.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Michael Alfonso, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI New York), and Frank Russo, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, New York (CBP), announced the arrest and charges.
“As alleged, the defendant preyed on a vulnerable child and sold her body for his own profit, while subjecting her to physical violence and threats,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “With today’s arrest, Francois is being held to account for his cruel and depraved crimes. Our Office will continue to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of sex trafficking that threatens the safety of our communities.”
“As alleged, the defendant’s exploitation and trafficking of an innocent teenager — across state lines and over the course of months — can only be described as depravity in its most vile form. He hid his dark life of threats and abuse behind a facade of power and luxury. Together with our law enforcement partners, HSI New York is wholeheartedly focused on protecting victims as we relentlessly pursue those who dehumanize and debase them for their own selfish gain and satisfaction,” stated HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Alfonso.
“This case began with the vigilance of our CBP officers, who recognized indicators of possible exploitation and took action,” stated CBP Director of Field Operations Russo. “From that first encounter, our Task Force Officers worked tirelessly with Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, and state and local law enforcement across multiple states to help identify, locate, and apprehend the defendant. Their determination and close collaboration with our partners were critical to bringing this alleged trafficker into custody and protecting a vulnerable child from further harm.”
As alleged in court filings, between June 2024 and August 2024, Francois sex trafficked Jane Doe throughout multiple states, including in Queens, New York, and forced her to engage in commercial sex with multiple clients per day. Francois took sexually explicit photographs of Jane Doe and posted commercial sex advertisements of the victim online during that time period. Law enforcement also recovered a video in which Francois assaulted Jane Doe and made demeaning, and threatening statements to her, including stating in sum and substance and in part, (i) “You learned and understand that me and you are not equal”; (ii) “You speak when you’re spoken to”; (iii) “I’mma violate you... you gonna have broken bones... in your hotel room. No hospital, no nothing”; (iv) “I will personally break your bones.”
The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Francois faces a minimum term of 15 years in prison, and up to life imprisonment.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Human Trafficking and Civil Rights Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel A. Bennek and Molly Delaney are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
JIMMY FRANCOIS
Age: 37
Elmont, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 26-CR-11 (DLI)
jimmy_francois_indictment.pdfLittle Rock Man Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Federal Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Antonio Kimmons will spend the next 140 months in federal prison after again being convicted for being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr.
On March 4, 2025, Kimmons, 47, of Little Rock, was indicted by a federal grand jury in a three-count Indictment for being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, possession of a machinegun, and possession of body armor. On September 30, 2025, Kimmons pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. Judge Moody also sentenced Kimmons to one year of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
An investigation revealed that on June 30, 2024, deputies from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a verbal altercation between Kimmons and two other men at a garage sale. The men arguing with Kimmons told deputies that Kimmons was angry and followed them in a white van while also shooting at them. No one was injured during the incident, however, investigators observed a bullet hole through the back of the victim’s vehicle, and also through the back of the driver’s seat. Deputies then searched the area for the white van and located it at Kimmons’ residence. After obtaining a search warrant for Kimmons’ residence, deputies conducted a search of the residence. During the search, deputies located approximately 17 firearms, including a machinegun, over 300 pounds of various ammunition, and various firearm accessories, including body armor. During an interview by an agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Kimmons admitted that he owned the firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories, and purchased illegal firearm parts over the Internet.
Kimmons’ criminal history includes felony convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm and aggravated robbery and several misdemeanor convictions for drugs, criminal trespass, assault, domestic battery, and disorderly conduct.
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 investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bart Dickinson.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
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Leader of Violent Jewelry Theft Ring Pleads Guilty Mid-TrialRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The leader of an organized and violent theft ring that carried out armed robberies of jewelry stores in multiple states has pleaded guilty mid-trial, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Reid Davis, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
The federal trial of Deuntria Lamar Lyons, 45, of Valdosta, Georgia, began on Monday, March 2, 2026. After two days of testimony before U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth D. Bell, Lyons pleaded guilty without the benefit of a plea deal on Wednesday to the counts charged in the indictment, including conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and Hobbs Act robbery.
Lyons’ co-conspirators, Brandane Smith and Alzaah Wade, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and are awaiting sentencing.
“Robberies at gunpoint like Lyons and his crew carried out are terrifying,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “Armed with guns and sledgehammers, they stormed jewelry stores, threatened employees, and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in merchandise. We will do all that is necessary to put an end to these actions, and I am glad Mr. Lyons pled guilty before wasting more of the jury’s time.”
“After only a few days of trial, Mr. Lyons dramatically changed his tune and admitted his part in a multi-state violent jewelry theft ring. Despite the group’s use of heavy disguises and smash and grab tactics, the FBI and multiple field offices, local, state partners, and prosecutors identified them, uncovered their elaborate theft ring, and stopped them as they attempted to rob another store. While the criminals used hammers to break the jewelry displays, it is clearly the FBI who crushed violent crime in this case,” said Special Agent in Charge Davis.
According to filed documents, trial evidence, and witness testimony, on July 11, 2023, at approximately 11:50 a.m., three hooded and masked individuals entered FINK’s Jewelry in Huntersville. All three robbers were brandishing handguns. The robbers corralled the employees to one side of the store at gunpoint. Two robbers then began to break display cases with sledgehammers while the third robber stood guard on the business entrance. In total, the robbers stole approximately $500K in diamonds and watches before they fled the scene.
U.S. v. Lyons et al. – Robbery in Huntersville, North Carolina
During the investigation, investigators determined that the group was responsible for a string of armed robberies of jewelry stores in South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. Lyons was the leader who orchestrated the robberies with Wade, Smith, and others.
U.S. v. Lyons et al. – Robbery in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina
Ultimately, the FBI learned that Lyons was planning a robbery for the morning of December 1, 2023. in Dunwoody, Georgia. FBI agents in Atlanta and local law enforcement were waiting for the would-be robbers when they arrived at the location for the planned robbery. The crew had gloves, masks, firearms and sledgehammers.
U.S. v. Lyons et al. – Seized Evidence from Robbery Prevented in Dunwoody/Atlanta, Georgia
Lyons was remanded into federal custody following the guilty plea. At sentencing, he faces up to 20 years in prison for each charge. A sentencing date has not been set.
The investigation was led by FBI Charlotte, assisted by the Columbia, Atlanta, Nashville, and Richmond Field Offices. In addition, several local law enforcement partners assisted both in investigative capacities as well as preventing further robberies including, the Huntersville Police Department; the Raleigh Police Department; the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office (SC); the Mount Pleasant Police Department (SC); the Brentwood Police Department (TN); the Mt. Juliet Police Department (TN); the Georgia State Patrol; the Georgia Department of Corrections; and the Atlanta Police Department; the Dunwoody Police Department (GA); the Gwinnet County Police Department (GA); and the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office (GA).
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is in charge of the prosecution.
Leader of Colombian Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to More Than 17 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Traffic Cocaine into the United StatesRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – Rosbin Leonardo Duarte-Elvir (43, Honduras) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge William F. Jung to 17 years and 6 months in federal prison and a $5 million forfeiture for conspiring to import cocaine into the United States. Duarte-Elvir pleaded guilty on December 11, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to the plea agreement and other court documents, beginning on an unknown date and continuing through 2024, Duarte-Elvir routinely owned and invested in cocaine shipments that were bound for the United States. With the help of a security supervisor and other corrupt airport employees, conspirators loaded commercial aircraft with cocaine disguised in boxes of fruit at Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport in Cali, Colombia and intended for Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport in San Andrés Island, Colombia. With the assistance of no fewer than 20 corrupt Colombian police officers, the conspirators exported the cocaine out of the San Andrés Island airport, then smuggled the narcotics by boat to either Nicaragua or Honduras, then to Mexico and the United States via land routes.
Historically, Duarte-Elvir and his co-conspirators owned and successfully trafficked thousands of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia to the United States. Their last drug trafficking endeavor was in May 2024. After the conspirators’ drug trafficking route was temporarily disrupted due to a seizure at the San Andrés Island airport in 2023, Duarte-Elvir and other leaders in his transnational criminal organization (TCO) decided it was time to re-open their illicit air route. On May 7, 2024, Duarte-Elvir’s couriers tried importing 540 kilograms of cocaine into the Cali airport, but Colombian law enforcement officers seized the load of cocaine. Had the importation been successful, this load of cocaine would eventually be bound for the United States.
(Photo of drug seizure)
Throughout his years owning and trafficking cocaine in Colombia, Duarte-Elvir and his TCO earned substantial profits. Duarte-Elvir used the proceeds of drug trafficking to furnish a lavish lifestyle, to include a large estate outside of Cali, Colombia.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service. Valuable assistance was provided by the Colombian National Police’s Dirreccion de Antinarcotics (DIRAN) and the Colombian Equipo de Trabajo Investigativo Control Aeronaves (ETICA). The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and Judicial Attaché Office in Bogotá worked with Colombian authorities to secure the arrest and March 2025 extradition from Colombia of Duarte-Elvir. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David J. Pardo. Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne C. Nebesky is handling the forfeiture.
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 Region 20 (Tampa) comprises agents and officers from multiple law enforcement agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
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.
Lead Defendant in Significant Methamphetamine Trafficking Organization in Lubbock Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A Lubbock man responsible for trafficking thousands of pounds of methamphetamine into the Lubbock area was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.
Jeremiah “Chris” Arguijo, 40, of Lubbock, Texas, was indicted in August 2025 and pled guilty in November 2025 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was sentenced on March 6, 2026, to 360 months in federal prison by United States District Judge James Wesley Hendrix.
According to court documents, on July 22, 2025, federal agents executed search warrants at multiple locations in the Lubbock area Arguijo used to traffic drugs. They located several pounds of methamphetamine and items associated with large scale drug trafficking, some of which is depicted below:
Court records reflect that Arguijo was located near one of the search locations. He attempted to flee using a vehicle and then on foot, but was quickly captured and placed under arrest.
At the sentencing hearing, the court noted the staggering amount of drugs involved. Over a 12-month period, Arguijo was responsible for trafficking more than 1,200 pounds of methamphetamine, or 100 pounds per month.Five other individuals charged along with Arguijo have all pled guilty for their roles in methamphetamine trafficking. Adam Casas, Jr. was sentenced in February 2026 to 97 months by Judge Hendrix. The remaining codefendants will be sentenced in the coming weeks.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, the Lubbock Police Department, the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, and the Texas Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Long prosecuted the case.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of 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.
Lawton Man Sentenced to Nine years in Federal Prison for Gun Charge after Shots Fired during Domestic DisputeRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – STEVEN LYNN ENGLAND, 43, of Lawton, has been sentenced to serve 108 months in federal prison for unlawful possession of firearms after a previous felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
According to public records, on June 6, 2025, officers with the Lawton Police Department responded to a home after receiving reports of shots fired. When officers arrived, they observed England in the front yard arguing with a woman and discovered several cartridge casings on the ground. After officers separated the two, the woman told law enforcement that England had been inside the residence during the altercation and then directed law enforcement to an area inside where she knew England kept a firearm.
From that location, law enforcement recovered a pistol bearing no serial number that was loaded with ammunition matching the recovered casings. The pistol was fitted with a machinegun conversion device (MCD), which converts a semi-automatic weapon into a fully automatic machinegun.
England, who was found to be wearing an empty holster on his waistband, was detained.
Upon execution of a search warrant at the residence, officers also located a sawed-off shotgun, ammunition, multiple large-capacity magazines, seven privately made silencers, various other gun parts, and a homemade explosive device.
Public records further show that England was previously convicted of possession of a controlled dangerous substance in Comanche County District Court case number CF-2014-113.
On October 17, 2025, England was charged by Information with being a felon in possession of firearms. He pleaded guilty on October 30, 2025, and admitted he possessed firearms despite having a previous felony conviction.
At the sentencing hearing on March 5, 2026, U.S. District Judge Bernard M. Jones, II, sentenced England to serve 108 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing his sentence, Judge Jones noted the seriousness of the offense as well as the need to deter further criminal conduct and to protect the public.This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lawton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle M. Connolly prosecuted the case.
This case is part of “Operation 922,” “Shots Fired,” and “Project Switch Off,” which are all part of the Western District of Oklahoma’s implementation of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. “Operation 922” prioritizes prosecution of federal firearms violations connected to domestic violence. “Shots Fired” targets cases involving individuals who discharge firearms as part of their criminal activity, such as drive-by shootings or when shots are fired during robberies, domestic disputes, or other incidents. Meanwhile, “Project Switch Off” targets illegal machinegun conversion devices to address the significant danger these illegal devices present and to remove them from our streets.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Knox County Man Sentenced for Making False Declarations in Bankruptcy ProceedingRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky. – A Barboursville, Ky., man, Ray Dean, 58, was sentenced on Friday, to 5 months in prison and 5 months home detention, by U.S. District Judge Robert Wier for making false declarations in a bankruptcy proceeding.
According to his plea agreement, on April 13, 2021, Dean filed an application, as “Ray Dean jr”, for funds under the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, which the federal government administered to give economic relief to small businesses during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The Small Business Administration (SBA) approved the application for $200,000. Before receiving the funds, Dean electronically signed a Loan Authorization and Agreement in which he agreed that he would use the proceeds of the loan solely as working capital for his business to alleviate economic injury. After receiving the $200,000 loan, he withdrew the money, deposited it into a bank account associated with a church of which he was the pastor. Subsequently, Dean used $92,000 of the funds to purchase mobile homes.
On June 20, 2024, Dean filed a petition for bankruptcy and stated that his only liability was the $200,000 EIDL. As part of the bankruptcy filing, Dean was required to disclose any checking, savings, or other financial accounts. Dean only disclosed two accounts with a combined balance of $105 and fraudulently concealed his interest in the mobile homes and the bank account, which still had over $100,000 worth of EIDL proceeds.
Under federal law, Dean must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for two years.
Paul McCaffrey, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Lesley Allison, Special Agent in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Pittsburgh Field Division, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by USPIS. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andy Boone prosecuted the sentencing on behalf of the United States.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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Kenton County Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
COVINGTON, Ky. – A Covington man, Lamar Crawley, 42, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning to 60 months in prison for the distribution of five grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to his plea agreement, law enforcement identified Crawley as a methamphetamine and cocaine supplier, and used a confidential informant to make three controlled purchases of methamphetamine from him in April and May 2025. In total, Crawley distributed 1.954 grams of cocaine and 20.14 grams of methamphetamine to the confidential informant.
Under federal law, Crawley must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.
Paul C. McCaffrey, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Bracke prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
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Kenosha Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening to Murder Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
Brad D. Schimel, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced today that Andrew Stanton (Age 38) of Kenosha, Wisconsin, was convicted of threatening to murder a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officer who was serving on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. Stanton pled guilty to violating Title 18, United States Code, Sections 115(a)(1)(B) and 115(b)(4), and that plea was accepted by the District Court. Stanton made his murder threat to interfere with his victim’s ability to perform his official duties as a federal law enforcement officer and to retaliate against him for the past performance of his duties.
Court records indicate that on August 29, 2025, Stanton posted a video to TikTok in which he stated, “We’re not getting through to them [politicians] with using our words. That’s never gonna happen. You have to use bullets.” In a separate video posted that same day, Stanton superimposed text over a video of himself, and that text stated, “I imply the very TRUE statement that a violent state can only be stopped with violence in return. / Also, I think we should be OFFING federal agents / Also, I support ‘terrorism’ by their standard. Anti-imperialist by mine.”
Members of the FBI Task Force attempted to interview Stanton, prompting him to post additional calls for violence on TikTok. These included a specific threat to the CBP Officer who had reached out to him. On October 4, 2025, Stanton posted a video to TikTok in which he stated, “What the f**k are we even talking about here? If ICE shows up to your neighborhood – I’m sorry, I’m just gonna say it. It’s time to start f**king shooting at them. If they show up to your neighborhood, and I’m talking to you, Border Patrol Officer Joe, it’s time we start shooting at y’all.”
Stanton also repeatedly posted images of weapons and body armor on TikTok, along with additional violent messages. Stanton’s videos, including his threat to the CPB Officer, were viewed hundreds of thousands of times on TikTok.
Stanton’s sentencing is scheduled for June 18th, 2026. At sentencing, Stanton faces a term of imprisonment of up to ten years, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Taibleson is prosecuting it.
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For further information contact: Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
(414) 297-1700
Follow us on XKansas Doctor Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for $8 Million Medicare FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry on Friday sentenced a Kansas anesthesiologist to three years in prison for accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks to order medically unnecessary health care for thousands of patients.
She also ordered Dr. Scott Taggart Roethle, 48, to pay restitution of $8.3 million.
From 2017 to 2020, Dr. Roethle played a central role in a massive telemarketing scheme that billed Medicare for medically unnecessary orthotic braces. Overseas call centers collected Medicare information from unsuspecting elderly patients. Doctors, including Dr. Roethle, signed fraudulent orthotic brace prescriptions without evaluating patients or their actual medical needs and while falsely claiming to be their treating physician and having examined and diagnosed them. The brace suppliers mailed out the braces and billing companies then submitted the fraudulent claims to Medicare. Dr. Roethle admitted providing no follow-up care after signing the orders.
Dr. Roethle was typically paid about $30 for each of his fraudulent orders and received a total of $674,000 from five companies for thousands of prescriptions. Medicare paid out at least $8 million while relying on his fraudulent orders.
“Dr. Roethle used his medical license to facilitate a scheme that exploited vulnerable Medicare patients and drained millions from a program meant to provide medically necessary care,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ashley L. Collins of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “By ordering expensive medical equipment without ever examining patients, he betrayed his professional responsibilities and violated the trust of his patients. Today’s sentence demonstrates HHS-OIG’s commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who put personal profit above patient safety and the integrity of federal health care programs.”
Roethle, of the Kansas City area, pleaded guilty in April of 2025 to one count of health care fraud.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Derek Wiseman and Justin Ladendorf prosecuted the case.
Kansas City Man Sentenced to 7 Years for Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court yesterday for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Marcus J. Porras, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to 7 years in federal prison without parole.
On Aug. 5, 2025, Porras pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Porras admitted he was in possession of a Glock 43, 9mm pistol on April 13, 2025.
On April 13, 2025, officers of the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department were dispatched to the area of Westport Road and Broadway Boulevard to meet private security officers who had detained Porras for fighting.
A security officer reported he was flagged down by patrons of the entertainment district regarding a fight inside an establishment within the Westport Entertainment District. The security officer reportedly observed multiple females and two males physically fighting. The females dispersed, and the two males continued to fight with one another. One of the males pointed at Porras indicating that Porras had a firearm.
Porras was taken into custody. The security officer retrieved a Glock 43, 9mm pistol near the area of the incident. The Glock 43 was loaded with one live 9mm round in the chamber. The security officer also recovered a magazine loaded with six live 9mm rounds.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who is convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Porras has two prior felony convictions for robbery in the first degree, two prior felony convictions for armed criminal action, and prior felony convictions for unlawful use of a weapon – exhibiting and resisting arrest by fleeing.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Jennings. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.
Operation Take Back America
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Johnson County Clinic Owner Convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
FRANKFORT, Ky.- A Harrodsburg, Ky., man, Jeremy Bryson, 47, was convicted by a federal jury in Frankfort on Wednesday for charges related to unlawfully distributing controlled substances.
After approximately two hours of deliberations, following an eight-day trial, the jury convicted Bryson on one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, six counts of distribution of controlled substances, one count of conspiracy to use a DEA registration issued to another person, and one count of money laundering.
According to evidence introduced at trial, during the conspiracy, Jeremy Bryson and Don Bryson, his father, operated a medical clinic in Paintsville, Ky., called Appalachian Family Medicine (AFM). Don Bryson had previously surrendered his medical license in 2012 after a Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure investigation into complaints about his controlled substance prescribing practices. Jeremy Bryson hired Don Bryson as a “medical consultant” at AFM. Evidence at trial established that under Jeremy and Don Bryson’s operation, AFM functioned as a cash-only clinic that consistently issued illegitimate controlled substance prescriptions to patients. Although AFM was not registered as a pain management facility, AFM issued controlled substance prescriptions to the majority of its patients.
Between January 2021 and early 2022, 14 separate medical providers worked at AFM, many of whom left after working at the clinic for only a matter of days. The trial evidence established that Jeremy and Don Bryson pressured and used these temporary providers to issue controlled substance prescriptions while limiting the time they spent with patients and restricting their access to basic tools for safe prescribing like drug testing and prescription drug monitoring reports. In August and September of 2021, Jeremy Bryson directed the clinic’s staff to misuse an absent provider’s DEA registration number, which permits a qualifying practitioner to prescribe controlled substances, to continue issuing illegitimate controlled substance prescriptions in that absent provider’s name without her knowledge.
Additionally, evidence showed that in August 2021, Jeremy Bryson engaged in money laundering with proceeds derived from the controlled substance offenses through a check payment of $67,466.40 for the purchase of a Ram 2500 pickup truck.
Don Bryson previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances in June 2024. Don Bryson is scheduled to be sentenced on April 2.
Paul McCaffrey, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Jim Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division, jointly announced the conviction.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andy Smith is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
Jeremy Bryson will appear for sentencing on June 2. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before imposing a sentence.
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Jefferson County felon charged with federal firearms violation in Eastern District of TexasRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Beaumont man has been charged with a federal firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Terrance Von Spain, 46, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Texas this week charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
If convicted, Spain faces up to 15 years in federal prison.
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 is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Beaumont Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell James.
A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Jamestown man and woman charged with narcotics conspiracy in superseding indictmentRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that a federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment charging James Jackson, 39, and Alicia Osar, 37, both of Jamestown, NY, with narcotics conspiracy, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison. In addition, Jackson is charged with maintaining a drug involved premises.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who is handling the case, stated that according to the superseding indictment, between 2018, and February 2025, Jackson and Osar conspired with Ernest W. Brown, Joseph S. Zaso and others, to sell fentanyl. In addition, between 2019, and 2021, Jackson is accused of using a Bush Street residence in Jamestown to manufacture and sell heroin, crack cocaine, cocaine and methamphetamine.
Defendant Jackson is being detained, defendant Osar is released on conditions. Defendants Brown and Zaso were previously convicted and are awaiting sentencing.
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/Rochester comprises agents and officers from HSI and the FBI with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York.
The superseding indictment is the result of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Acting Chief Scott D. Forster, the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Farhana Islam, New York Field Division, and the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff James Quattrone.
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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Iranian Intelligence Agent Convicted of Terrorism and Murder for Hire in Connection with Foiled Plot to Assassinate U.S. Politicians and Government OfficialsRead the Press Release
Today, a federal jury convicted Asif Merchant, also known as “Asif Raza Merchant,” of murder for hire and attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries. Merchant was a trained operative of the Iranian government’s global terrorist force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Merchant admitted at trial that the IRGC sent him to the United States to arrange for political assassinations and steal documents, but law enforcement foiled the plot before any attack could be carried out. Merchant arrived in the United States in April of 2024, met with purported hitmen in June—who were in fact undercover U.S. law enforcement officers in New York—and was placed under arrest before leaving the country in July of 2024. Merchant faces up to life in prison.
“This man landed on American soil hoping to kill President Trump — instead, he was met with the might of American law enforcement,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice will remain ever-vigilant to protect Americans, prosecute terrorists, and halt acts of terrorism before they happen.”
“Merchant tried to hire someone to kill a politician or a U.S. government official, but the FBI and our partners stopped that deadly plot,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This was not the first attempt by Iran to harm our citizens on U.S. soil; the other efforts also failed. Let this verdict serve as a reminder that the FBI is committed to detecting such threats and preventing acts of violence, and we will hold accountable anyone who tries to interfere with our democratic system.”
“Merchant, a trained Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps operative, entered the United States intending to commit acts of terror, and ultimately, to facilitate the assassination of U.S. government officials, including President Trump,” said Assistant Attorney General for National security John A. Eisenberg. “Merchant’s plot struck at the heart of our democracy and our commitment to the rule of law. NSD remains committed to defending our Nation from the pernicious threat of terrorism.”
“Iran’s terrorist regime sent Asif Merchant here to sow mayhem and murder,” stated United States Attorney Nocella for the Eastern District of New York. “Thanks to the vigilance of our law enforcement partners, his scheme ended in failure. Today, with Merchant’s conviction, that failure is complete. This Office will always remain vigilant in our mission to protect the United States from foreign terrorist adversaries. ”
As set forth in trial exhibits and testimony, including the defendant’s own testimony, Merchant began working for the IRGC in Pakistan in late 2022 or early 2023, when he received training in tradecraft, including countersurveillance. Later in 2023, he was sent to the United States to look for potential IRGC recruits who could stay behind in the United States. Merchant testified that he knew that the IRGC was a designated terrorist organization. Throughout this period, Merchant repeatedly traveled to Iran to meet with his IRGC handler.
Merchant testified that in 2024, he was sent back to the United States with a new mission: to recruit “Mafia” members to steal documents, stage a protest, and arrange the murder of one of three specific U.S. government officials and politicians. To that end, Merchant contacted an acquaintance in New York who he thought could help him with his scheme. That person, Nadeem Ali, instead reported Merchant’s conduct to law enforcement and became a confidential source.
In early June, Merchant met Ali in New York and explained his assassination plot. Merchant told Ali that he had an ongoing opportunity for him and then made a “finger gun” motion with his hand, indicating that the opportunity was related to a killing. Merchant further stated that the intended victims would be “targeted here,” in the United States. Merchant instructed Ali to arrange meetings with individuals whom Merchant could hire to carry out these actions. Merchant explained that his plot involved multiple criminal schemes: (1) stealing documents or USB drives from a target’s home; (2) planning a protest; and (3) killing a politician or government official.
At that meeting, Merchant began planning potential assassination scenarios and quizzed Ali on how he would kill a target in the various scenarios. Specifically, Merchant asked Ali to explain how the target would die in different scenarios. Merchant told Ali that there would be “security [] all around” the person.
Merchant stated that the assassination would occur after he left the United States and he would communicate with Ali from overseas using code words. Ali asked whether Merchant had spoken to the unidentified “party” back home with whom Merchant was working. Merchant responded that he had and that the party back home told him to “finalize” the plan and leave the United States. Merchant would later testify that the “party” was his IRGC handler.
In mid-June, Merchant met with the purported hitmen, who were in fact undercover U.S. law enforcement officers (the UCs) in New York. Merchant advised the UCs that he was looking for three services from them: theft of documents, arranging protests at political rallies and for them to kill a “political person.” Merchant stated that the hitmen would receive instructions on who to kill after Merchant had departed the United States.
Throughout this period, Merchant performed internet searches for the locations of political rallies and sent reports back to his IRGC handler regarding security protocols at rallies.
Merchant then began arranging means to obtain $5,000 in cash to pay the UCs as an advance payment for the assassination, which he eventually received with assistance from an individual overseas. On June 21, Merchant met with the UCs in New York and paid them the $5,000 advance. After Merchant paid the $5,000 to the UCs, one of the UCs stated, “now we’re bonded,” to which Merchant responded “yes.” The UC then stated “Now we know we’re going forward. We’re doing this,” to which Merchant responded “Yes, absolutely.”
Merchant subsequently made flight arrangements and planned to leave the United States on Friday, July 12, 2024. On that day, law enforcement agents placed Merchant under arrest before he could leave the country.
The FBI’s Field Offices in Dallas, Houston, Tampa, Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago and Albany for partnered in the investigation of this case. The New York City Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection assisted with the investigation.
The case is being handled by the Office’s National Security & Cybercrime Section for the Eastern District of New York. Assistant United States Attorneys Sara K. Winik, Nina Gupta and Gilbert Rein for the Eastern District of New York are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Deputy Chief Paul Casey and Trial Attorney Jessica Joyce of the Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section of the National Security Division.
Iranian Intelligence Agent Convicted of Terrorism and Murder for Hire in Connection with Foiled Plot to Assassinate U.S. Politicians and Government OfficialsRead the Press Release
BROOKLYN, NY – A federal jury today convicted Asif Merchant, also known as “Asif Raza Merchant,” of murder for hire and attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries. Merchant was a trained operative of the Iranian government’s global terrorist force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (“IRGC”). He admitted at trial that in 2024 the IRGC sent him to the United States to arrange for political assassinations, but law enforcement foiled the plot before any attack could be carried out. Merchant arrived in the United States in April of 2024, met with purported hitmen in June—who were in fact undercover U.S. law enforcement officers in New York—and was placed under arrest before leaving the country in July of 2024. Merchant faces up to life in prison.
Pamela Bondi, United States Attorney General; Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the verdict.
“This man landed on American soil hoping to kill President Trump — instead, he was met with the might of American law enforcement,” said Attorney General Bondi. “The Department of Justice will remain ever-vigilant to protect Americans, prosecute terrorists, and halt acts of terrorism before they happen.”
“Iran’s terrorist regime sent Asif Merchant here to sow mayhem and murder,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Thanks to the vigilance of our law enforcement partners, his scheme ended in failure. Today, with Merchant’s conviction, that failure is complete. Our Office will always remain vigilant in our mission to protect the United States from foreign terrorist adversaries.”
Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to the FBI’s Field Offices in Dallas, Houston, Tampa, Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago and Albany for their partnership on this case. Mr. Nocella also expressed his appreciation to the FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, the New York City Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for their assistance.
“At the direction of the Iranian regime, Asif Merchant plotted to assassinate a United States politician or government official on American soil,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle. “This foiled scheme motivated by vengeance for U.S. actions against the Iranian regime sought to strike at the heart of our democracy. May today's conviction illustrate the FBI's resolute commitment to protect the homeland from the Iranian regime's craven efforts to wage terror on the American people.”
As set forth in trial exhibits and testimony, including the defendant’s own testimony, Merchant began working for the IRGC in late 2022 or early 2023, when he received training in intelligence tradecraft, including countersurveillance. Later in 2023, he was sent to the United States to look for potential IRGC recruits in the United States. Merchant testified that he knew that the IRGC was a designated terrorist organization. Throughout this period, Merchant repeatedly traveled to Iran to meet with his IRGC handler.
Merchant testified that in 2024, he was sent back to the United States with a new mission: to recruit hitmen to arrange the murder of one of three specific U.S. government officials and politicians. Merchant admitted that he was tasked by the IRGC to kill a U.S. government official or politician to avenge the death of Qasem Soleimani. To that end, Merchant contacted an acquaintance in New York who he thought could help him with his scheme. That person instead reported Merchant’s conduct to law enforcement and became a confidential source (the CS).
In early June, Merchant met the CS in New York and explained his assassination plot. Merchant told the CS that he had an ongoing opportunity for him and then made a “finger gun” motion with his hand, indicating that the opportunity was related to a killing. Merchant further stated that the intended victims would be “targeted here,” in the United States. Merchant instructed the CS to arrange meetings with individuals whom Merchant could hire to carry out these actions.
At that meeting, Merchant began planning potential assassination scenarios and quizzed the CS on how he would kill a target in the various scenarios. Specifically, Merchant asked the CS to explain how the target would die in different scenarios. Merchant told the CS that there would be “security [] all around” the person.
Merchant stated that the assassination would occur after he left the United States and he would communicate with the CS from overseas using code words. The CS asked whether Merchant had spoken to the unidentified “party” back home with whom Merchant was working. Merchant responded that he had and that the party back home told him to “finalize” the plan and leave the United States. Merchant would later testify that the “party” was his IRGC handler.
In mid-June, Merchant met with the purported hitmen, who were in fact undercover U.S. law enforcement officers (the UCs) in New York. Merchant advised the UCs that he was looking for three services from them: theft of documents, arranging protests at political rallies and for them to kill a “political person” in the United States. Merchant stated that the hitmen would receive instructions on who to kill after Merchant had departed the United States. Targets could include President Donald J. Trump, President Joseph Biden, and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, and the defendant stated he understood the target would be Trump.
Throughout this period, Merchant performed internet searches for the locations of political rallies and sent a report back to his IRGC handler regarding security protocols at rallies.
Merchant then began arranging means to obtain $5,000 in cash to pay the UCs as an advance payment for the assassination, which he eventually received with assistance from an individual overseas. On June 21, Merchant met with the UCs in New York and paid them the $5,000 advance. After Merchant paid the $5,000 to the UCs, one of the UCs stated, “now we’re bonded,” to which Merchant responded “yes.” The UC then stated “Now we know we’re going forward. We’re doing this,” to which Merchant responded “Yes, absolutely.”
Merchant subsequently made flight arrangements and planned to leave the United States on Friday, July 12, 2024. On that day, law enforcement agents placed Merchant under arrest before he could leave the country.
The case is being handled by the Office’s National Security & Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Sara K. Winik, Nina C. Gupta and Gilbert Rein are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Deputy Chief Paul Casey and former Trial Attorney Jessica Joyce of the Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section of the National Security Division.
The Defendant:
ASIF MERCHANT (also known as “Asif Raza Merchant”)
Age: 48
Karachi, Pakistan; Tehran, IranE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-362 (EK)
Inmate Sentenced for Running Drug Conspiracy in PrisonRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A man serving time in prison for assaulting a detention officer was sentenced today for knowingly conspiring with others to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Today, Quinton Andrew Perry, 29, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell after pleading guilty in September for Drug Conspiracy. He was ordered to serve 236 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release.
According to the indictment, Perry was a “captain” of the Universal Aryan Brotherhood, a known white supremacist prison gang. From mid-2023 through September 2024, Perry used contraband cellphones, encrypted messaging applications and social media to communicate with co-conspirators outside of prison. He coordinated the delivery of kilogram quantities of methamphetamine directly from a transnational criminal organization. Perry relied on his co-conspirators to distribute the methamphetamine and received payment through mobile banking applications.
Court dockets show that Perry’s latest conviction was in 2021 for assaulting a detention officer while serving time for grand larceny, possessing stolen property, and possessing a firearm. His history shows that he was previously convicted of two separate second-degree burglaries.
Perry will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The Drug Enforcement Administration Tulsa Resident Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration Dallas Field Office, the North Texas Criminal Interdiction Unit, and Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Office of Inspector General, Criminal Interdiction Division investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Nasar prosecuted the case.
Indictment Returned Against Man Who Stabbed Six People in Northeast in April 2025Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Kevin Andrade, 34, of Washington, D.C., was indicted this week on charges related to a stabbing spree on April 3, 2025, where six people were attacked with a knife in Northeast D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
“The indictment returned against Kevin Andrade sends a clear message: anyone who commits a crime in D.C. will be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “The senseless violence in this city must stop, and my office will continue pursuing justice and working to ensure the safety of our residents.”
Andrade was indicted on 24 felony counts, including six counts of assault with intent to kill while armed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The indictment includes enhancements for a third violent felony offense and for assaulting senior citizen victims. He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years of incarceration if convicted of the enhanced charges.
According to the government’s evidence, on April 3, 2025, at the intersection of Montello Avenue and Meigs Place NE, Andrade was heard yelling at a woman before stabbing her on the right side of her face. The second and third victims were in the area visiting a family member, the fourth victim, when one of them observed the defendant pacing back and forth and screaming. Witnesses heard Andrade say, “everybody getting stabbed today,” and “I am going to kill them all.” Suddenly, Andrade ran towards the three victims and started stabbing all three of them. The second victim suffered a laceration to the left shoulder, left clavicle, and left torso. The third victim suffered two stab wounds to her back. The fourth victim suffered stab wounds to her lower left back and breast. A fifth victim, who observed the defendant run up to the group and start stabbing them, attempted to stop Andrade, but they both fell to the ground. Andrade was able to get on top of that victim and stabbed him, before walking away. The sixth victim was getting off of the D8 Metrobus on Montello Avenue NE wearing headphones and listening to music, when Andrade stabbed him in the back of the head. Each victim was treated for their injuries at local hospitals and survived the attack.
Joining the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
This case is being prosecuted by Assistants U.S. Attorney Nickolas Reck.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
2025 CF1 003726
Indiana Youth Minister Linked to Imprisoned Kentucky School Superintendent Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison for Child ExploitationRead the Press Release
EVANSVILLE- Aaron Paul Lockman, 24, of Corydon, Indiana, has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to nine counts of possessing sexually explicit material involving minors. He was also ordered to pay $9,000 in restitution.
According to court documents, the investigation began on March 11, 2024, when FBI agents arrested Matthew D. Constant, then‑Superintendent of Owensboro Public Schools in Kentucky, for attempting to solicit sexual acts from minors. During that investigation, agents uncovered WhatsApp conversations between Constant and Lockman in which the two discussed their shared sexual interest in children and exchanged illegal images of child sexual abuse.
Further investigation revealed that Lockman was employed as a youth minister at a church in Jasper, Indiana. In that role, he was entrusted with supervising young boys and frequently took them on one‑on‑one outings, including trips to local restaurants. Agents later searched Lockman’s church‑issued computer and cell phone, where they found multiple videos depicting minors under the age of 12, including material involving abusive conduct.
“This sick individual placed himself in daily proximity to children and exploited his position as a minister to cultivate special relationships with vulnerable boys,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “This office will continue to pursue anyone who preys on children, no matter their title, position, or community standing. Thanks to the swift work of our federal partners, he can no longer endanger the children he targeted and manipulated.”
“This sentence sends a clear message that anyone who exploits children - especially those who abuse positions of trust within their communities - will be held fully accountable,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. O’Malley. “Protecting children from predators is one of the FBI’s highest priorities. We will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to identify offenders, support victims, and ensure justice is served.”
The FBI and the Evansville Police Department investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Matthew P. Brookman.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Wheatley, who prosecuted this case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
If you are a victim of child sexual exploitation, please contact your local police department. Resources for victims of child exploitation can be found on our website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdin/project-safe-childhood
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Illinois Man Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Durable Medical Equipment SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Geneva, Ill., man was sentenced in federal court in Boston for a fraud scheme to defraud Medicare of over $2 million by submitting claims for durable medical equipment (DME) that was medically unnecessary, not wanted by the Medicare beneficiaries and tainted by kickbacks.
Kartik Bhatia, 36, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to two years in prison. In August 2025, Bhatia was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of making false statements.
Bhatia worked with Raju Sharma, and other co-conspirators to own and operate a DME company that paid telemarketing companies for DME orders for orthotics such as ankle, wrist, knee and back braces. Often, the Medicare beneficiaries did not need or want the braces the defendants shipped them and, the doctors whose signatures appeared on these DME orders often did not treat these beneficiaries and did not prescribe the DME. After the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a payment suspension to Bhatia’s DME company, Bhatia simply opened a new DME company that engaged in the same conduct.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge, Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General; and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Graber and Sarah Hoefle of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
Illegal Immigrant from the Dominican Republic Sentenced to More Than Five Years in Federal Prison for Possession with Intent to Deliver CocaineRead the Press Release
HELENA-WEST HELENA—Angel Lazala-Soto, who has a previous federal conviction for attempted re-entry by a previously deported alien, will spend the next 70 months in federal prison after being convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down Thursday, March 5, 2026, by United States District Judge Brian S. Miller.
On March 6, 2025, Lazala-Soto, 60, of Bani, Dominican Republic, but residing in New York, New York, was indicted by a federal grand jury in a one-count Indictment for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. On October 23, 2025, Lazala-Soto pleaded guilty to Count One. Judge Miller also sentenced Lazala-Soto to five years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
An investigation revealed that on August 29, 2024, troopers with the Arkansas State Police conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle that was following too closely to the vehicle in front of it. The trooper made contact with the driver, identified as Lazala-Soto, and observed him behaving nervously and shaking. Because of language barrier issues, the trooper communicated with Lazala-Soto in Spanish with Lazala-Soto telling the trooper that he had driven from New Jersey the day before to see his son for lunch. However, through the use of investigative tools, the trooper was able to determine that Lazala-Soto had actually been in Austin, Texas, the prior day and had returned.
After Lazala-Soto gave consent to search his vehicle, the trooper located some large duffle bags in the rear of the vehicle. After removing the duffle bags, the trooper observed seven kilo-like bundles on top of the spare tire. During an interview at the police department, Lazala-Soto admitted he was transporting cocaine and had driven from New York to Austin and met someone at a gas station.
Lazala-Soto’s criminal history includes a February 5, 2009, federal conviction for attempted re-entry by a previously deported alien where he received a sentence of 30 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release. Lazala-Soto also has felony convictions for criminal mischief – second degree, grand larceny, possession to distribute cocaine, assault and beat with dangerous weapon, and two convictions for possession of stolen property.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Arkansas State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacy Williams.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
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Illegal Alien Sentenced to 70 Months for Money Laundering and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A foreign national was sentenced yesterday to 70 months in federal prison after being convicted of multiple money laundering offenses and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Two other foreign nationals were also sentenced yesterday for their roles in assisting in the money laundering offenses.
U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky, Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation, Acting Special Agent in Charge Colin W. Jackson of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Nashville, Special Agent in Charge John Nokes of the ATF Louisville Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott of the DEA Louisville Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Olivia Olson of the FBI Louisville Field Office, Commissioner Phillip Burnett, Jr. of the Kentucky State Police (KSP), Chief Paul Humphrey of the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD), and Chief Richard Sanders of the Jeffersontown Police Department made the announcement
On March 5, 2026, Jose Malagon Castro, 49, a citizen of Mexico and unlawfully in the United States, was sentenced to 70 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, fined $30,000, and forfeited $516,800, for twenty-four counts related to money laundering and one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Castro was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he was an alien illegally and unlawfully in the United States.
Also sentenced on March 5 were Kelin Hernandez Barahona, 31, a citizen of Honduras and unlawfully in the United States, and Suri Rosmeri Hernandez Del Cid, 28, a citizen of Guatemala and unlawfully in the United States. They were each sentenced to just over 11 months incarceration with 3 years supervised release for their roles in assisting Castro’s money laundering operation.
Between at least January 2020 and continuing until at least December 2024, here in the Western District of Kentucky, Castro utilized his Money Service Business (MSB) operated at three grocery store locations, El Rey I, II and III, to launder drug trafficking proceeds. Specifically, Jose Malagon Castro transmitted himself or had his cashiers, Kelin Hernandez Barahona, and Suri Rosmeri Hernandez Del Cid, transmit drug proceeds through his MSB service to multiple beneficiaries and locations in Mexico. Forensic accounting conducted by the IRS determined that Castro laundered to Mexico over 1.9 million dollars of drug proceeds for a single drug trafficking organization. On December 4, 2024, law enforcement executed multiple search warrants for Castro’s businesses, residences, and vehicles and seized $516,800 in money laundering proceeds and multiple firearms to include: an Aguirre Y Aranzabal (AYA), model 4/53, 12-gauge shotgun; a Marlin Firearms Company, model 336W, 30-30 rifle; a Henry Repeating Rifle Company, model H004GE Golden Eagle, .22lr rifle; a Maverick Arms, model 88, 12-gauge shotgun; a Colt, model King Cobra, .357 magnum revolver; a Smith & Wesson, model CSX, 9mm pistol; and ammunition.
Co-defendants, Vanessa Avila Galaviz, 29, a citizen of Mexico, and Kelin Hernandez Barahona, 32, a citizen of Honduras, have never appeared before the Court following their indictment and remain fugitives at large.
United States Attorney Kyle Bumgarner stated, “Castro laundered over 1.9 million dollars in drug proceeds to Mexico on behalf of a drug trafficking organization. That 1.9 million dollars of laundered drug money represents a significant amount of poison that was sold in our community. Castro will now spend 70 months in prison before being expelled from the United States.”
There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is being investigated by the IRS, ATF, DEA, HSI, FBI, KSP, LMPD, and the Jeffersontown Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mac Shannon and Joseph Ansari are prosecuting this case.
This investigation is part of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI) “Third Party Money Laundering (3PML) Fentanyl Initiative.” The initiative is a collaboration between IRS-CI and the Transaction Record Analysis Center (TRAC). Through advanced data analytics the “3PML Fentanyl Initiative” identifies money launderers working on behalf of Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations and provides law enforcement with the resources necessary to pursue these investigations.
This prosecution 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. It also places a particular emphasis on criminal offenses involving children and ensures the use of all available law enforcement tools to prosecute offenders and/or facilitate the removal of criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Nashville is comprised of agents and officers from IRS, ATF, DEA, HSI, and FBI and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky.
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Harrisburg Man Sentenced to Prison for Selling CocaineRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on March 5, 2026, Xavier Melendez-Hernandez, age 41, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment to be followed by one year of supervised release by United States District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson for conspiring with others to distribute cocaine.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, Melendez-Hernandez conspired with Victor Colon-Rosario, Hector Rayann Santos-Carasquillo, and Joseph Fontanez-Machuca to distribute kilogram quantities of cocaine in the greater Harrisburg area in 2021 and 2022. Each of the defendants was indicted and later pleaded guilty.
In 2024, Judge Wilson sentenced Colon-Rosario to 24 months in prison and Santos-Carasquillo to 60 months in prison. In February 2026, Judge Wilson sentenced Fontanez-Machuca to time served after he had spent nearly two years in pretrial and presentence detention.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Christian T. Haugsby prosecuted the case.
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Harrisburg Man Sentenced to 180 Months’ Imprisonment for Possessing A Firearm as A Convicted Felon and Consecutive 51 Months’ for A Supervised Release ViolationRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Darin Blackburn, age 43, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to a 231 months’ aggregate imprisonment sentence by United States District Judge Keli M. Neary for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and for violating terms of a previously imposed supervised release sentence.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, on November 17, 2021, Harrisburg Police Officers approached Blackburn as he sat in a car. One of the officers observed a small bag of marijuana in plain view through the passenger window of Blackburn’s car. Those officers summoned a K-9 unit and when the dog began sniffing the car for the presence of narcotics, Blackburn ran from the scene. Officers apprehended him a short distance later. Once Blackburn was taken into custody the owner of the car arrived at the car. The owner denied ownership of anything found in the automobile, but he gave police permission to conduct a search.
During the search police found a Hermann Weihrauch Arminus .38 caliber revolver. There were 6 rounds of ammunition in the gun and 13 loose rounds in a bag in the trunk. Blackburn had previously been convicted of an armed bank robbery and two serious drug offenses that were all committed on occasions different from one another. As such, Blackburn was not legally permitted to possess a firearm and was subject to a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence under the Armed Career Criminal Act.
At the time of the offense, Blackburn was still serving a federal supervised release term for two armed bank robberies committed in 2001. Those robberies resulted in a 211 months’ imprisonment sentence to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Blackburn’s supervised release term commenced in July 2021 upon his release from prison. The additional 51 months’ imprisonment term was imposed for his violation of the supervised release requirement that he not commit another crime.
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 Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Harrisburg Bureau of Police. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Scalera prosecuted the case.
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Guatemalan National Pleads Guilty to Leading Massive Human Smuggling Organization and Holding Illegal Immigrants HostageRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – An illegal immigrant from Guatemala pleaded guilty today to leading one of the largest human smuggling organizations in the United States, a ring that smuggled approximately 20,000 illegal immigrants from Guatemala to destinations nationwide over a five-year span and further admitted to holding two victims hostage.
Eduardo Domingo Renoj-Matul, 52, a.k.a. “Turko,” “El Jefe,” “Patrón,” and “El Gallo,” who most recently lived in the Westlake neighborhood near downtown Los Angeles, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to bring aliens to the United States, transport aliens in the United States, and harbor aliens in the United States for private financial gain and one count of hostage taking.
Renoj-Matul has been in federal custody since February 2025.
According to his plea agreement, Renoj-Matul first worked for then acted as a leader in the smuggling organization and specialized in the smuggling of illegal aliens from Guatemala to the United States, the transportation and movement of those illegal aliens within the United States, and the harboring, concealing, and shielding of illegal aliens within the United States.
Renoj-Matul admitted in his plea agreement that the organization moved approximately 20,000 illegal aliens from 2019 through July 2024.
Associates in Guatemala who solicited illegal aliens to come to the United States accepted payment of between $15,000 and $18,000 for each illegal alien to be smuggled into the United States and coordinated the journey of the illegal aliens from Guatemala to the United States.
Mexican smuggling organizations who accepted Guatemalan illegal aliens in southern Mexico transported them through Mexico and then smuggled those illegal aliens across the U.S.-Mexico border.
In the United States, co-conspirators within the organization oversaw smuggling cells, teams of drivers who transported illegal aliens, and operators of stash houses where illegal aliens were held while they were within the United States.
Co-conspirators operated an illegal alien stash house located on James M. Wood Boulevard in the Westlake district of Los Angeles. Illegal aliens smuggled by the organization were brought to this house. After an illegal alien’s smuggling fee was paid, the illegal alien was transported by co-conspirators to another destination within the United States. If an illegal alien’s smuggling fees were not paid, Renoj-Matul and other co-conspirators would hold that illegal alien against their will at the Westlake house until their fee was paid.
Other co-conspirators transported and coordinated the transport of illegal aliens for Renoj-Matul from Guatemala, through Mexico, to the United States and then throughout various destinations within the United States. Within the United States, co-conspirators drove illegal aliens to other destinations in vehicles provided by Renoj-Matul and others for a fee paid by the aliens.
Renoj-Matul directed that the transportation of proceeds from human smuggling be transported from Los Angeles to Phoenix to be given to the Mexican smuggling organization and pay the smuggling organization’s expenses.
In his plea agreement, Renoj-Matul admitted to arranging for co-conspirators to transport illegal immigrants to Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, New York, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
Renoj-Matul admitted that at all relevant times, he acted for the purpose of private financial gain.
In 2024, after a third party reneged on paying a victim’s smuggling fees, co-conspirators in Guatemala and Renoj-Matul called the victim’s mother and threatened to harm the victim, including by warning the victim “would come home in a box” if her smuggling fees were not paid. For a two-month period from May 2024 to July 2024, the victim was held hostage at the house in the Westlake area of Los Angeles.
Renoj-Matul further admitted to holding another victim – an illegal immigrant from Guatemala – hostage from April 2024 to July 2024. Renoj-Matul knowingly and intentionally seized and detained, and threatened to kill, injure, and continue to detain the victim to compel third persons to pay smuggling fees to the hostage takers as an explicit condition for the victim’s release.
United States District Judge Cynthia Valenzuela scheduled a October 2 sentencing hearing, at which time Renoj-Matul will face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
An April 21 trial is scheduled for co-defendants José Paxtor-Oxlaj, 45, a driver for the smuggling organization who is incarcerated in Oklahoma in connection with a November 2023 car accident resulting in the deaths of seven illegal immigrants – including a 4-year-old child, and Cristóbal Mejia-Chaj, 50, of Westlake, Renoj-Matul’s alleged right-hand man. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty.
Helmer Obispo-Hernández, 42, a.k.a. “Xavi,” a lieutenant in the criminal organization, faces federal criminal charges in this case and is a fugitive.
Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force, HSI’s Figueroa Initiative Gang and Human Trafficking Task Force, United States Border Patrol, and the Inglewood Police Department are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Kelly L. Larocque of the Transnational Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.
Ghanaian national sentenced to prison for two years for $1M romance scamRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Ghanaian national was sentenced yesterday to two years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
According to court documents, from no later than March 2022 until at least July 2022, Emmanuel Gyasi, 29, and his co-conspirators ran a “romance scam” to induce a victim to send money by wire transfers. The conspirators created a fictitious profile on an online dating platform under the name “Jessica Morris” and used the profile to connect and begin a romantic relationship with the victim. The conspirators, pretending to be Morris, told the victim that Morris” had inherited gold bars worth $12 million and that Morris needed money to pay for various fees related to the sale of the gold bars.
The conspirators then introduced the victim to a second fictitious persona, “Steven Baggett,” who was supposedly Morris’ lawyer. The conspirators promised that, if the victim would lend money to pay for the fees related to the sale of the gold bars, Morris would repay the victim with interest.
Gyasi opened and controlled a bank account to which the conspirators directed the victim to transfer the money. Based on the conspirators’ false promises, the victim sent a total of approximately $1.1 million. Though the victim was able to recall some of the transferred funds, Gyasi and his co-conspirators received over $750,000.00 from the victim.
The FBI Washington Field Office investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Harvey prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-280.
Ghanaian National Sentenced to 4 Years in Federal Prison for Defrauding UConnRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that DICKSON ALORWORNU, also known as “Dixon Al,” 36, a citizen of Ghana residing in Greenwich, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to 48 months of imprisonment and two years of supervised release for operating a tuition refund scheme using stolen identities.
According to the evidence presented during Alorwornu’s trial, in December 2017, Alorwornu used other individuals’ identities to submit two non-degree student applications to the University of Connecticut (“UConn”). He then used credit card information that had been stolen from three victims to fund the two student accounts with a total of more than $62,000 in fraudulently obtained funds. In early 2018, Alorwornu withdrew from the courses and requested that UConn refund the money he had deposited. UConn subsequently transferred approximately $46,000 to bank accounts Alorwornu controlled.
The investigation revealed that email accounts that Alorwornu used to defraud UConn were also used to defraud other universities of more than $500,000.
Alorwornu was arrested on February 1, 2023. On October 29, 2024, a jury found him guilty of two counts of wire fraud.
Alorwornu’s criminal history includes a conviction in New York in 2017 for an offense involving his using stolen credit cards and other individuals’ personal identifying information.
Alorwornu, who is released on a $50,000 bond, is required to report to prison on April 20.
This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the UConn Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward Chang and Elena Coronado.
Gainesville Man Indicted for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Robert Lee Johnson, III., 39, of Gainesville, Florida, was indicted by a federal grand jury charging him with six counts of production of child pornography. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges today.
Johnson, III. appeared in federal court for his arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Midori A. Lowry in Gainesville, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for April 8, 2026, at 8:30 am before Chief District Court Judge Allen C. Winsor in Gainesville, Florida.
If convicted, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment, and up to 30 years’ imprisonment, on each count.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Christie S. Utt is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Former San Diego Securities Attorney Sentenced for Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Former Securities lawyer Robert Blair Krueger, Jr., was sentenced in federal court today to 12 months and one day in prison for evading his personal taxes. U.S. District Judge James Simmons Jr. also ordered Krueger to pay $357,666.41 in restitution to the IRS.
According to court filings and statements made in court, from 2017 to 2019, Krueger, Jr., 63, was the sole owner of The Krueger Group LLP, a firm that specialized in providing legal services to companies seeking to become publicly traded.
During that time, Krueger regularly received payments for legal services he provided to clients. In 2017, Krueger received more than $167,000 for payment of legal services. After providing his return preparer with false information about his law firm’s profits, however, he reported only $10,000 in receipts on his 2017 tax return. In 2018 and 2019, Krueger willfully failed to file a tax return with the IRS, even though he earned income during those years and was required to do so. In total, Krueger caused a tax loss to the United States of more than $130,000.
Krueger pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion on October 23, 2025.
Trial Attorneys Megan E. Wessel and Robert A. Kemins of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section prosecuted the case.
DEFENDANT Case Number 24-cr-02141
Robert Blair Krueger, Jr Age: 63 Las Vegas, NV
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Attempt to Evade or Defeat Tax – Title 26, U.S.C., Section §7201
Maximum penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCY
IRS Criminal Investigation
Former Intermediate Unit Resource Instructor Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Transport of Material Depicting Sexual Exploitation of MinorsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Grove City, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 84 months of imprisonment, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, on his conviction of violating federal law regarding the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand imposed the sentence on Michael William Boston, 41, on March 5, 2026.
According to information presented to the Court, on October 25, 2022, Boston transported material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors in interstate commerce by uploading the material to a cloud-based server. As part of his plea agreement, Boston also took responsibility for transporting child sexual abuse material on two other dates in 2023 and for the possession of more than 1,500 images and videos containing child sexual abuse material across seven different electronic devices. Many of the images depicted the sexual exploitation of toddler-aged and infant males as young as several months old. Boston’s collection of images and videos additionally depicted acts of bestiality and blindfolded children tied to stationary objects.
Boston was previously employed by an intermediate unit as a resource instructor for hearing-impaired students. In this role, he traveled to various schools across nine Pennsylvania counties to work with children from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade who suffered from hearing impairments. Boston also was known to be active in his local community, particularly at local churches. As a result of this prosecution, Boston was fired from his teaching position and forced to surrender his teaching license.
Assistant United States Attorney Kelly M. Locher prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Rivetti commended Homeland Security Investigations and the Pennsylvania State Police’s Northwest Computer Crime Unit for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Boston.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Former IRS Employee Sentenced to Prison for Tax Fraud and Social Security FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employee has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for filing false tax returns in order to fraudulently obtain tax refunds and stealing Social Security benefits.
Kathleen Mannion, 59, of Lawrence, was sentenced on March 4, 2026 by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 18 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In May 2025, Mannion pleaded guilty to four counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation and filing of a false tax return and one count of theft of government money. Mannion was charged in March 2025.
From 1998 to 2009, Mannion worked as an IRS contact representative in Andover, Mass. Between approximately July 2020 through April 2023, Mannion prepared and filed income tax returns for other individuals with the IRS. Even though Mannion prepared these returns on behalf of other individuals, she did not list herself as the tax return preparer. Instead, Mannion prepared the returns to appear as if the taxpayers prepared the returns on their own. Further, Mannion listed ineligible dependents on the tax returns, resulting in higher refund amounts for which the taxpayers did not qualify without the knowledge of the taxpayers. Mannion also filed forms with the IRS directing that a portion of the fraudulently obtained tax refunds be deposited in her personal bank accounts, which she then used for her personal benefit.
Separately, between April and October 2020, Mannion applied for Social Security retirement, spouse and widow benefits with the Social Security Administration (SSA) via telephone for other individuals. Unbeknownst to these beneficiaries, Mannion directed SSA to deposit the Social Security benefits in her personal bank accounts, which she also used for her personal benefit.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Amy Connelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Former Houston Educator Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A former Houston Independent School District teacher’s aide was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio on Wednesday to 24 months in prison for her role in a drug trafficking organization, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.
According to court documents, Tonya Vonci Middleton-Harris, 57, of Houston, conspired in June 2021 to traffic 992.4 grams of 100% methamphetamine and 526 grams of cocaine. Texas Department of Public Safety agents conducted a traffic stop on Middleton-Harris after she was observed receiving two bags of narcotics from drug trafficker, Terry Clay. Clay was also arrested after being found to possess $11,213 in U.S. currency and a pill bottle containing 11.2 grams of oxycodone pills.
Middleton-Harris pleaded guilty on Oct. 8, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The following co-defendants have already been sentenced in this case:
- Timothy Bland, 235 months in federal prison
- Crandall Jones, 63 months in federal prison
- Luis Tovias, 132 months in federal prison
- Valerie Nichole Garcia, 84 months in federal prison
- Pamela Felita Breeding, 140 months in federal prison
- John Russup, 144 months in federal prison
- Dana Harrington, 40 months in federal prison
- Michelle Katherine Bilskey, sentenced to time served (1,050 days)
The sentence hearing for Clay is set for March 11. U.S. District Judge Jason Pulliam presides over the case.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Texas Department of Public Safety, and Gonzales County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Spears prosecuted the case.
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Former Abbeville Resident and Previously Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Child Sex OffensesRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE– On February 26, 2026, David Fail, a 43-year-old former Abbeville resident, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison after his August 2025 conviction by a federal jury for transporting and possessing child sexual abuse materials (“CSAM”).
“Recidivist child sex predators are among the most dangerous people in our society, seeking out and victimizing our children to satisfy their own sick desires,” said United States Attorney Zachary A. Keller. “This case shows that law enforcement will find these predators in the dark corners of the Internet where they hide and that their crimes will land them behind bars for decades when they’re caught.”
Evidence presented at trial showed that Fail, who had been convicted for possessing and receiving child pornography in 2006 and for sexually exploiting a minor in 2013, was the subject of a cybertip provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that he maintained an online, cloud-based storage account where he had uploaded more than 100 files containing CSAM. Law enforcement agents were able to identify Fail through his use of unique internet protocol addresses as well as information known to law enforcement through the State of Louisiana’s State Sex Offender and Child Predator Registry.
U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller for the Western District of Louisiana made the announcement.
The United States Homeland Security Investigations, the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations, and the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated this case with assistance and cooperation from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Bordelon II and former Assistant U.S. Attorney John Luke Walker with assistance from Legal Assistant Christy Angelle.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana at www.justice.gov/usao-wdla.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Western District of Louisiana at www.lawd.uscourts.gov or at https://www.lawd.uscourts.gov/cmecf-pacer, under Case Number 6:24-CR-00050-001.
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United States Attorney’s Office
Western District of Louisiana
www.justice.gov/usao-wdla
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Federal inmates charged with assault in Eastern District of TexasRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – Six federal inmates have been charged with assault in connection with an attack on a fellow inmate in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Earnest Dale Collins, 29; Anderson Garcia, 27; Ira Hall, 38; Quincy Homere, 40; Richard Royal, 41; and Eric Terrill Spencer 34, were named in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Texas this week charging them with assault with a deadly weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury in an alleged attack on a fellow inmate on May 2, 2025. The altercation took place at the Federal Correctional Complex in Beaumont.
If convicted, the defendants each face up to 20 years in federal prison.
This case is being investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Batte.
A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Federal inmate charged with possessing contraband in prisonRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A federal inmate has been charged with allegedly possessing contraband in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Robert Anthony Summers, 44, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Texas this week charging him with possession of a prohibited object, specifically a weapon or shank, at the Federal Correctional Complex in Beaumont.
If convicted, Summers faces up to 5 years in federal prison.
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Prisons and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell James.
A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Essex County Man Convicted of Drug Distribution and Illegal Possession of Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County man was convicted of firearm and narcotics offenses following a three-day trial, Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello announced.
Mookadean Cheeseboro, 38, of Newark, was convicted by a federal jury on February 11, 2026, of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine following a trial before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On December 20, 2021, while executing a search warrant, New Jersey State Police officers saw Cheeseboro engaged in drug trafficking. When State Police detectives searched Cheeseboro, they found 74 doses of cocaine and fentanyl packaged for sale and a key to a vehicle. When detectives opened the vehicle, they found a .380 caliber handgun and thirty rounds of ammunition. Cheeseboro admitted in a post-arrest statement that he possessed the drugs and had the firearm for his protection.
The felon in possession charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. The possession with intent to distribute controlled substances charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years of imprisonment and a $1,000,000 fine.
Cheeseboro was previously convicted in 2015 of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. U.S. District Judge William J. Martini sentenced him to serve 70 months’ imprisonment for that offense.
Senior Counsel Lamparello credited with the investigation special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Towanda R. Thorne-James, as well as the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Acting Superintendent Lt. Col. Jeanne Hengemuhle, with the investigation leading to this conviction.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John M. Maloy, of the Organized Crime/Gangs Unit, and Kelly M. Lyons, Acting Chief of the Narcotics and International Trafficking Unit.
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Defense counsel: F. R. “Chip” Dunne, III, Esq.
cheeseboro.indictment.pdfEmployee at High-End Car Dealerships Sentenced for Tax FraudRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A New York man was sentenced on February 26, 2026, to 18 months in prison for failing to report over $1.6 million in income on his federal income tax returns that he embezzled from his employer, Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello announced.
Jooyeong Lee of Westbury, New York previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden in Newark federal court to an information charging him with filing a false federal income tax return. Judge Hayden imposed the sentence.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From approximately 2015 through 2021, Lee embezzled over $1.6 million from various high-end car dealerships in New Jersey where he worked. When he filed his tax returns, Lee failed to report or pay tax on the funds as income. Over seven years, Lee caused a tax loss of $494,082.
Senior Counsel Lamparello credited special agents of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer Piovesan in Newark, with the investigation that led to the sentencing in this case.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey S. Smith of the Criminal Division in Newark.
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Defense counsel: Jason A. Seidman, Esq.
District of Arizona Charges 177 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Feb. 28 through Mar. 6, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 177 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 124 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 35 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 17 cases against 18 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), ICE- Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Iven Jair Jonathan Monjaraz-Perez, Gabriel Garcia-Lopez, and Alvaro Ojeda-Gomez. Monjarez-Perez, Garcia-Lopez, and Ojea-Gomez were charged by complaint with Conspiracy to Transport an Illegal Alien on Mar. 4, 2026. In 2025, HSI opened an investigation into a human smuggling organization operating out of Phoenix, Arizona. According to the complaint, on Mar. 2, 2026, HSI agents executed a federal search warrant on an apartment in Phoenix, located 19 smuggled illegal aliens, and arrested two alleged load drivers, Garcia-Lopez and Ojeda-Gomez, who acted as caretakers of the apartment. Agents also learned that Garcia-Lopez and Ojeda-Gomez were citizens of Mexico unlawfully present in the United States. HSI agents then executed a federal search warrant on a second apartment connected to the smuggling scheme and saw two individuals, including Monjarez-Perez, leave the apartment and get into a car associated with the smuggling scheme. Agents arrested Monjarez-Perez, who is alleged to have received money to transport aliens in the United States and receive them at the drop house. Case Number: 26-MJ-3055.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-045_March 6, 2026 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
DEA Search Warrants in Tri-Cities Result in Largest Drug Seizure in EDWA HistoryRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – First Assistant United States Attorney Pete Serrano announced that on March 3, 2026, the Drug Enforcement Administration executed federal search warrants at multiple locations in the Tri-Cities, Washington area that resulted in the largest seizure of controlled substances in EDWA history.
The federal search warrants were based on an ongoing drug trafficking investigation into Amador Sanchez and several co-conspirators. The investigation revealed Sanchez utilized multiple residences, including at least one residence in each of the Tri-Cities, to facilitate and conceal his illegal activities. Notably, Sanchez was on federal supervised release stemming from a previous federal drug trafficking conviction. The investigation is ongoing. Indictments are expected to be presented to a federal grand jury.
In total, approximately over 200 pounds of methamphetamine, over 164 pounds of powdered fentanyl, and over 5 pounds of cocaine were seized along with approximately $2,000,000 in U.S. Currency and 16 firearms were seized. Please note these are preliminary estimates.
“This momentous drug seizure reflects the tireless work of our law enforcement partners to protect our communities,” stated First Assistant Pete Serrano. “The enormous quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine seized in this case had the potential to cause devastating harm across our region. Our office is committed to aggressively prosecuting those who traffic deadly drugs—especially repeat offenders who continue to endanger public safety. We will continue working closely with our federal, state, and local partners to hold drug traffickers accountable and keep our communities safe.”
“This historic seizure, the largest in the history of the Eastern District of Washington, marks significant progress toward a Fentanyl Free America,” said Robert A. Saccone, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “The extraordinary amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine removed from the Tri-Cities area would have devastated families and communities. Through strong enforcement, strategic partnerships, and increased public awareness, DEA remains unwavering in its commitment to disrupt the fentanyl supply chain and save American lives.”
The charges contained in any 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.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration Tri-Cities Resident Office, which includes state law enforcement partners as well as federal agents from the United States Border Patrol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, United States Marshals, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Convicted Felon Who Opened Fire on Abilene Police Officers Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A previously convicted felon who opened fire on Abilene Police Department officers after leading them on a high speed chase was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.
Austin Tabor Heuermann, 32, of Abilene, Texas, was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2025 for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Heuermann pled guilty to the charge in November 2025 and was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment on March 6, 2026, by United States District Judge James Wesley Hendrix, who also ordered him to pay $4,019.26 in restitution.
Court records reflect that on August 13, 2025, around 3:40 p.m., Heuermann fled from Abilene Police officers who tried to stop him for a traffic violation and an outstanding state warrant. Heuermann ran through several stop signs and sped toward multiple active school zones. Given the high risk to public safety, officers stopped pursuing. Shortly thereafter, officers located Heuermann’s empty vehicle hidden under a tarp.
According to information presented in court, officers tracked Heuermann to a home in another area of Abilene. Other occupants exited the home at the officers’ direction, but Heuermann refused. Seconds after the last occupant exited, Heuermann shot through the house to the outside. Officers simultaneously observed debris from the wall immediately in front of them fly up into the air. Officers then retreated, and the Abilene Police Department’s Special Weapons and Tactics (“SWAT”) team arrived.
Court records show that Heuermann refused to surrender for hours, despite the presence of more than 10 SWAT members and negotiators at the home stationed in the armored SWAT Bearcat vehicle. Refusing to obey SWAT personnel commands to come out, Heuermann opened the front door twice. He first looked outside and shut the door. After opening the door again, Heuermann pointed a firearm and shot at the Bearcat, striking and partially shattering the Bearcat’s windshield directly above the driver’s head.According to plea documents, after Heuermann surrendered, officers entered the home and recovered a stolen grey Century Arms, Canik 9mm pistol with spent shell casings on the floor. Heuermann admitted that he was a convicted felon and that he possessed and fired the firearm that day.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Abilene Resident Agency – Dallas Field Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives – Fort Worth, and the Abilene Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Schrauth prosecuted the case.
Chattanooga Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Possessing Machinegun Used in ShootingRead the Press Release
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – On March 6, 2026, Jaquan Andre Smith, also known as “Lil Quanie,” 21 of Chattanooga, was sentenced to 120 months in prison by Chief Judge Travis R. McDonough in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Following imprisonment, Smith will be on supervised release for three years.
Smith earlier pled guilty to possessing a machinegun, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(o). According to filed court documents and proof presented at the sentencing hearing, on Saturday, April 29, 2023, at approximately 5:11 p.m., Chattanooga Police Department (“CPD”) Officers responded to reports of multiple shots fired in the parking lot of Hamilton Place Mall. Officers observed several vehicles that had sustained damage from gunfire, and they recovered 26 spent 9-millimter cartridge cases in the parking lot. Investigators reviewed video footage, interviewed witnesses, and collected physical evidence, leading to the identification of Smith as the shooter. The investigation revealed the victims were specifically targeted due to an ongoing gang feud.
On May 9, 2023, with assistance from the United States Marshal Service Smoky Mountains Fugitive Task Force, investigators located and arrested Smith. Smith was in possession of a Glock, Model 17, 9-millimter pistol with an extended magazine and an installed and functioning machinegun conversion device (“MCD”), colloquially known as a “switch.” The MCD enabled the pistol to fire fully automatic, that is, fire multiple rounds by single pull of the trigger. Possession of a MCD is illegal under Federal law, as the National Firearms Act classifies the MCD itself as a machinegun.
An investigator test fired the machinegun. The spent cartridge cases, along with cartridge cases collected from Hamilton Place Mall parking lot, were submitted to the National Integrated Ballistic Intelligence Network (“NIBIN”). The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) runs the NIBIN Program, which is an automated ballistic evaluation process. ATF’s NIBIN analysis resulted in ballistic evidence that the spent 9-millimter cartridge cases recovered from the Hamilton Place Mall parking lot were fired from the machinegun found in Smith’s possession.
“Gang violence is a scourge on our communities, and the United States Attorney’s Office will prosecute those who perpetuate violence, illegally possess firearms, or endanger the citizens of Chattanooga,” said U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III for the Eastern District of Tennessee. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is grateful for our law enforcement partners and their work towards our joint mission to keep Chattanooga safe for all.”
“MCDs pose a significant threat to public safety. Today’s sentencing underscores the importance of holding individuals accountable who recklessly discharge an illegally possessed firearm equipped with an MCD. The ATF, along with our law enforcement partners, remains committed to pursuing these individuals who endanger our communities and ensuring they are brought to justice,” said Special Agent in Charge Jamey Van Vliet of the Nashville Division of the ATF.
“Our community deserves to feel safe in their homes and neighborhoods. This successful prosecution reflects the tireless efforts of CPD investigators, CPD task force officers, and our federal partners working side-by-side to dismantle violent criminal activity. We remain committed to a relentless, collaborative approach to reducing gun violence and ensuring that those who choose to harm others are held accountable at every level,” said Chattanooga Chief of Police Jon Chambers.
The criminal indictment was the result of an investigation by the ATF Chattanooga Field Office and the CPD Gun Team.
Assistant United States Attorney Kevin T. Brown represented the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Justice Department to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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Crawfordville Man Indicted for Attempted Enticement and Attempted Transmission of Obscene Material to a MinorRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Anthony Wayne Lanier, Jr., 33, of Crawfordville, Florida, was indicted by a federal grand jury charging him with one count of attempted enticement of a minor and one count of attempted transmission of obscene material. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges today.
Lanier, Jr. appeared for his arraignment in federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick in Tallahassee, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for May 4, 2026, before District Judge Robert L. Hinkle.
If convicted, Lanier, Jr. faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years’ imprisonment, and up to life imprisonment, on the attempted enticement count, and up to 10 years’ imprisonment on the attempted transmission of obscene material count.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Tallahassee Police Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Assistant United States Attorney Meredith L. Steer is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.