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26 February 2026
Líder del cártel de Sinaloa es acusado de narcoterrorismo, apoyo material al terrorismo y tráfico de drogasRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO - Una imputación de cargos federales sustitutiva hecha pública hoy le imputa a René Arzate-García, alias “La Rana”, presunto jefe de plaza en Tijuana del Cártel de Sinaloa, los delitos de narcoterrorismo y de proporcionar apoyo material al terrorismo, en relación con el tráfico de cantidades masivas de fentanilo, cocaína, metanfetamina y marihuana a Estados Unidos.
También hoy, la Oficina de Asuntos Internacionales de Narcóticos y Aplicación de la Ley del Departamento de Estado de EE. UU. anunció que ofrece hasta 5 millones de dólares por información que conduzca al arresto y/o condena de cada uno de los hermanos Arzate-García: René Arzate-García, alias “La Rana”, y Alfonso Arzate-García, alias “Aquiles”. Estas recompensas se ofrecen en coordinación con la División de San Diego de la DEA y la Fiscalía Federal del Distrito Sur de California en un esfuerzo unificado para poner a los hermanos a disposición de la justicia.
“Durante décadas, organizaciones terroristas extranjeras como el Cártel de Sinaloa han envenenado a nuestros niños y cometido actos de violencia inimaginables contra personas inocentes. Bajo el mandato del presidente Trump, esto se termina”, afirmó la fiscal general Pamela Bondi. “Esta reciente imputación federal, que se suma a la histórica condena en territorio estadounidense del cofundador del Cártel de Sinaloa, “El Mayo”, es un paso decisivo en la campaña permanente de este Departamento de Justicia para desmantelar de manera definitiva a estos cárteles y hacer que sus líderes cobardes rindan cuentas ante la justicia estadounidense.”
“El compromiso del FBI y sus aliados para frustrar los planes del Cártel de Sinaloa es inquebrantable,” afirmó el director del FBI, Kash Patel. “Seguiremos utilizando todo lo que esté a nuestro alcance para desarticular sus operaciones e impedir que continúe la infiltración de drogas y violencia a nuestras comunidades. El Cártel de Sinaloa, incluidos sus líderes, se verá obligado a afrontar las consecuencias de sus actos.”
“René Arzate-García es un despiadado jefe de plaza del Cártel de Sinaloa, acusado de explotar los puertos de entrada de Estados Unidos para inundar nuestro país con fentanilo, cocaína y metanfetamina,” dijo el administrador de la DEA, Terrance Cole. “Él y su hermano, Alfonso, figuran entre los fugitivos más buscados por la DEA por estos presuntos delitos contra Estados Unidos. Esta imputación sustitutiva subraya el papel de Arzate-García no solo como operador del cártel, sino también como narcoterrorista que se aprovecha de vulnerabilidades para inundar a las comunidades con veneno, violencia y miedo. Deseo reconocer al fiscal federal Adam Gordon por su liderazgo y su lucha implacable contra quienes trafican drogas mortales hacia nuestro país. Su colaboración y determinación han sido fundamentales para impulsar este caso y garantizar que los líderes del cártel rindan cuentas. La DEA se mantiene implacable en su misión de desmantelar al Cártel de Sinaloa, una organización terrorista extranjera, y llevar a sus integrantes ante la justicia.”
“A los líderes del cártel de Sinaloa que siguen en libertad: Escóndanse. Corran. Peleen. Huyan. La ilusión es que tienen una opción. La realidad es que o bien se rinden a la justicia o serán traídos a la justicia”, dijo el fiscal federal Adam Gordon.
“El presidente Donald Trump ha dejado claro que los narcoterroristas que envían drogas mortales a Estados Unidos serán perseguidos y enjuiciados,” afirmó Chris Landberg, alto funcionario de la Oficina de Asuntos Internacionales de Narcóticos y Aplicación de la Ley del Departamento de Estado. “Como parte del Programa de Recompensas contra el Narcotráfico, ofrecemos recompensas de hasta 5 millones de dólares por información que conduzca al arresto y/o condena de cada uno de los hermanos Arzate-García: René y Alfonso, figuras clave que dirigen y mantienen las operaciones del Cártel de Sinaloa en Tijuana, en la frontera de Estados Unidos con México.”
“René Arzate-García ha ido ascendiendo en las filas del Cártel de Sinaloa hasta convertirse en uno de los narcotraficantes más violentos y prolíficos de la región”, declaró el agente especial a cargo Mark Dargis, de la Oficina Local del FBI de San Diego. “El Cártel de Sinaloa, designado como Organización Terrorista Extranjera, amenaza nuestra seguridad nacional y la de nuestros ciudadanos. El FBI de San Diego, en coordinación con nuestros colaboradores locales, estatales, federales e internacionales encargados del cumplimiento de la ley, continuará investigando agresivamente a estas organizaciones criminales transnacionales y a sus líderes que atacan nuestros vecindarios con narcoterrorismo y otras actividades delictivas hasta que sean eliminados de nuestras comunidades”.
“Quienes trafican con la violencia, la corrupción, el miedo y la adicción destruyen vidas y desestabilizan nuestras comunidades”, afirmó James Nunnallee, de la Administración para el Control de Drogas (DEA) de San Diego. “La DEA se mantiene férrea en nuestra misión de desmantelar las Organizaciones Terroristas Extranjeras y las redes de narcotráfico que amenazan la seguridad pública y la seguridad nacional”.
“Esta imputación de cargos demuestra el poder de las investigaciones financieras para desmantelar empresas delictivas que fomentan la violencia y el terror. René Arzate-García y sus coconspiradores presuntamente lavaron millones en ganancias provenientes de la droga a través de complejas transacciones internacionales diseñadas para ocultar el origen y la propiedad de los fondos ilícitos,” dijo Tyler Hatcher, agente especial a cargo de la División de Investigación Criminal (CI) de la Oficina Local del IRS en Los Ángeles. “IRS-CI siguió el dinero, desenmascarando las redes financieras que sostienen el narcoterrorismo y el narcotráfico mundial. Seguiremos trabajando con las fuerzas del orden que colaboran con nosotros para asegurarnos de que estas organizaciones sean despojadas de sus recursos y respondan ante la justicia por sus delitos.”
Según documentos judiciales, René Arzate-García es un “jefe de plaza” del Cártel de Sinaloa con base en Baja California, México, junto con su hermano Alfonso Arzate-García, alias “Aquiles” (previamente imputado en el caso número 14-cr-00722-DMS). René Arzate-García dirige las operaciones de narcotráfico del cártel en Tijuana y los municipios circundantes y está implicado en la importación a Estados Unidos de grandes cantidades de drogas ilícitas, como fentanilo, cocaína, metanfetamina y marihuana. Conocido por ser extremadamente violento, Arzate-García también está implicado en la realización de operaciones represivas para el Cártel de Sinaloa, como secuestros y ejecuciones.
La presente imputación de cargos sustituye otra de 2014 por conspiración para importar marihuana y demuestra que René Arzate-García es un miembro clave del Cártel de Sinaloa y controla la plaza de Tijuana, que incluye todo el estado de Baja California. Ha importado miles de kilos de drogas, incluyendo metanfetamina, cocaína, fentanilo y marihuana al Distrito Sur de California y ha lavado millones de dólares de las ganancias de las drogas. Además de sus actividades de narcotráfico, la imputación muestra su historial de corrupción de las fuerzas del orden y funcionarios públicos mexicanos, su extorsión a empresas de la plaza de Tijuana y su reputación de violencia extrema, incluidos numerosos secuestros y asesinatos en Tijuana, México, en nombre del Cártel de Sinaloa. En 2023, René Arzate-García fue designado por la Oficina de Control de Activos Extranjeros del Departamento del Tesoro de EE. UU. (OFAC), como un cabecilla del narcotráfico. Estas imputaciones siguen una tradición legendaria en el Distrito Sur de California de desmantelamiento de cúpulas y operaciones de poderosos cárteles mexicanos -desde el desmantelamiento del Cártel de los Arellano Félix hasta importantes golpes contra los cárteles más peligrosos, poderosos y violentos de la actualidad, incluidos el Cártel de Sinaloa, el Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) y la Organización Beltrán Leyva.
Si usted tiene información sobre René Arzate-García o Alfonso Arzate-García, por favor comuníquese con:
• El FBI al 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) o con la oficina local del FBI más cercana. Si se encuentra fuera de Estados Unidos, puede comunicarse con la embajada o el consulado de Estados Unidos más cercano. También puede enviar información en línea, de manera anónima, en https://tips.fbi.gov/home; o
• La DEA por teléfono (WhatsApp y Signal) al +1-858-298-5670, a través de Threema ID: PTJ4HS3J, o por correo electrónico en [email protected]. Si se encuentra fuera de Estados Unidos, también puede comunicarse con la embajada o el consulado de Estados Unidos más cercano. Si se encuentra en Estados Unidos, también puede comunicarse con la oficina local de la DEA más cercana.
La imputación de cargos federales sustitutiva es un resultado directo de la Orden Ejecutiva 14157 del presidente Trump que designó al Cártel de Sinaloa como Organización Terrorista Extranjera y la posterior designación de lo mismo por parte del secretario de Estado el 20 de febrero de 2025.
Este caso está siendo procesado por los fiscales federales adjuntos Joshua Mellor y Matthew Sutton.
IMPUTADO Caso Número 14cr2122-DMS
Rene Arzate-García Edad: 42 Ciudad de Residencia: Culiacán, Sinaloa, México
alias “La Rana”.
RESUMEN DE CARGOS
Título 21, U.S.C., secciones 960a y 841 - Narcoterrorismo
Pena máxima: Cadena perpetua, mínimo obligatorio de 20 años de prisión; multa de 20 millones de dólares
Título 18, U.S.C., sección 2339B - Proporcionar apoyo material al terrorismo
Pena máxima: Veinte años de prisión y multa de $250,000
Título 21, U.S.C., sección 848(a) - Empresa Criminal Continuada
Pena máxima: Cadena perpetua, mínimo obligatorio de 20 años; multa de 10 millones de dólares
Título 21, U.S.C., secciones 952, 959, 960 y 963 - Conspiración internacional para distribuir sustancias reguladas
Pena máxima: Cadena perpetua, mínimo obligatorio de 10 años; multa de 10 millones de dólares
Título 21, U.S.C., secciones 841(a)(1) y 846 - Conspiración para distribuir sustancias reguladas
Pena máxima: Cadena perpetua, mínimo obligatorio de 10 años de prisión; multa de 10 millones de dólares
Título 21, U.S.C., secciones 952, 960 y 963 - Conspiración para importar sustancias reguladas
Pena máxima: Cadena perpetua, mínimo obligatorio de 10 años; multa de 10 millones de dólares
Conspiración para el lavado de dinero - Título 18, U.S.C., sección 1956(h)
Pena máxima: Veinte años de prisión y multa de $500,000 o el doble del valor del instrumento monetario o de los fondos implicados, lo que sea mayor
AGENCIAS INVESTIGADORAS
Buró Federal de Investigaciones (FBI)
Administración para el Control de Drogas (DEA)
División de Investigación Criminal (CI) del IRS
Oficina de Investigaciones de Seguridad Nacional (HSI)
Programa de Áreas de Tráfico de Drogas de Alta Intensidad (HIDTA)
*Los cargos y alegatos contenidos en una imputación o denuncia son solo acusaciones, y a los imputados se les considera inocentes a menos y hasta que se pruebe su culpabilidad.
Este caso fue investigado y procesado por el Grupo Operativo de Seguridad Nacional de California (HSTF) como parte de la Operación “Take Back America” (“Recuperemos América”). Los HSTF fueron establecidos por el presidente Trump en la Orden Ejecutiva 14159, Protegiendo al Pueblo Estadounidense Contra una Invasión. El HSTF es una colaboración de todo el gobierno dedicada a eliminar los cárteles delictivos, las pandillas extranjeras, las organizaciones delictivas transnacionales y las redes de tráfico y trata de personas que operan en Estados Unidos y en el extranjero. A través de una histórica colaboración interinstitucional, el HSTF dirige todo el poder de las fuerzas del orden de Estados Unidos para la identificación, investigación y persecución penal de todo el espectro de delitos cometidos por estas organizaciones, que desde hace tiempo fomentan la violencia y la inestabilidad dentro de nuestras fronteras. En el desempeño de esta labor, el HSTF se centra especialmente en la investigación y persecución penal de quienes se dedican al tráfico de niños o a otros delitos que implican a niños. El HSTF utiliza además todas las herramientas disponibles para procesar y expulsar de Estados Unidos a los extranjeros con antecedentes penales más violentos. La Operación “Recuperemos América” es una iniciativa de ámbito nacional que moviliza todos los recursos del Departamento de Justicia para repeler la invasión de la inmigración ilegal, lograr la eliminación total de los cárteles y las organizaciones criminales transnacionales (OCT) y proteger a nuestras comunidades de los autores de delitos violentos.
El programa de Áreas de Tráfico de Drogas de Alta Intensidad (HIDTA), creado por el Congreso con la Ley Contra el Abuso de las Drogas de 1988, proporciona asistencia a las fuerzas del orden federales, estatales, locales y tribales que operan en zonas determinadas como regiones críticas para el tráfico de drogas en Estados Unidos. Este programa de subvenciones está administrado por la Oficina de la Política Nacional de Control de Drogas (ONDCP). En la actualidad existen 33 HIDTA, y hay condados designados como HIDTA en 50 estados, así como en Puerto Rico, las Islas Vírgenes de EE. UU. y el Distrito de Columbia.
Líder del cártel de Sinaloa es acusado de narcoterrorismo, apoyo material al terrorismo y tráfico de drogasRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO - Una imputación de cargos federales sustitutiva hecha pública hoy le imputa a René Arzate-García, alias “La Rana”, presunto jefe de plaza en Tijuana del Cártel de Sinaloa, los delitos de narcoterrorismo y de proporcionar apoyo material al terrorismo, en relación con el tráfico de cantidades masivas de fentanilo, cocaína, metanfetamina y marihuana a Estados Unidos.
También hoy, la Oficina de Asuntos Internacionales de Narcóticos y Aplicación de la Ley del Departamento de Estado de EE. UU. anunció que ofrece hasta 5 millones de dólares por información que conduzca al arresto y/o condena de cada uno de los hermanos Arzate-García: René Arzate-García, alias “La Rana”, y Alfonso Arzate-García, alias “Aquiles”. Estas recompensas se ofrecen en coordinación con la División de San Diego de la DEA y la Fiscalía Federal del Distrito Sur de California en un esfuerzo unificado para poner a los hermanos a disposición de la justicia.
“Durante décadas, organizaciones terroristas extranjeras como el Cártel de Sinaloa han envenenado a nuestros niños y cometido actos de violencia inimaginables contra personas inocentes. Bajo el mandato del presidente Trump, esto se termina”, afirmó la fiscal general Pamela Bondi. “Esta reciente imputación federal, que se suma a la histórica condena en territorio estadounidense del cofundador del Cártel de Sinaloa, “El Mayo”, es un paso decisivo en la campaña permanente de este Departamento de Justicia para desmantelar de manera definitiva a estos cárteles y hacer que sus líderes cobardes rindan cuentas ante la justicia estadounidense.”
“El compromiso del FBI y sus aliados para frustrar los planes del Cártel de Sinaloa es inquebrantable,” afirmó el director del FBI, Kash Patel. “Seguiremos utilizando todo lo que esté a nuestro alcance para desarticular sus operaciones e impedir que continúe la infiltración de drogas y violencia a nuestras comunidades. El Cártel de Sinaloa, incluidos sus líderes, se verá obligado a afrontar las consecuencias de sus actos.”
“René Arzate-García es un despiadado jefe de plaza del Cártel de Sinaloa, acusado de explotar los puertos de entrada de Estados Unidos para inundar nuestro país con fentanilo, cocaína y metanfetamina,” dijo el administrador de la DEA, Terrance Cole. “Él y su hermano, Alfonso, figuran entre los fugitivos más buscados por la DEA por estos presuntos delitos contra Estados Unidos. Esta imputación sustitutiva subraya el papel de Arzate-García no solo como operador del cártel, sino también como narcoterrorista que se aprovecha de vulnerabilidades para inundar a las comunidades con veneno, violencia y miedo. Deseo reconocer al fiscal federal Adam Gordon por su liderazgo y su lucha implacable contra quienes trafican drogas mortales hacia nuestro país. Su colaboración y determinación han sido fundamentales para impulsar este caso y garantizar que los líderes del cártel rindan cuentas. La DEA se mantiene implacable en su misión de desmantelar al Cártel de Sinaloa, una organización terrorista extranjera, y llevar a sus integrantes ante la justicia.”
“A los líderes del cártel de Sinaloa que siguen en libertad: Escóndanse. Corran. Peleen. Huyan. La ilusión es que tienen una opción. La realidad es que o bien se rinden a la justicia o serán traídos a la justicia”, dijo el fiscal federal Adam Gordon.
“El presidente Donald Trump ha dejado claro que los narcoterroristas que envían drogas mortales a Estados Unidos serán perseguidos y enjuiciados,” afirmó Chris Landberg, alto funcionario de la Oficina de Asuntos Internacionales de Narcóticos y Aplicación de la Ley del Departamento de Estado. “Como parte del Programa de Recompensas contra el Narcotráfico, ofrecemos recompensas de hasta 5 millones de dólares por información que conduzca al arresto y/o condena de cada uno de los hermanos Arzate-García: René y Alfonso, figuras clave que dirigen y mantienen las operaciones del Cártel de Sinaloa en Tijuana, en la frontera de Estados Unidos con México.”
“René Arzate-García ha ido ascendiendo en las filas del Cártel de Sinaloa hasta convertirse en uno de los narcotraficantes más violentos y prolíficos de la región”, declaró el agente especial a cargo Mark Dargis, de la Oficina Local del FBI de San Diego. “El Cártel de Sinaloa, designado como Organización Terrorista Extranjera, amenaza nuestra seguridad nacional y la de nuestros ciudadanos. El FBI de San Diego, en coordinación con nuestros colaboradores locales, estatales, federales e internacionales encargados del cumplimiento de la ley, continuará investigando agresivamente a estas organizaciones criminales transnacionales y a sus líderes que atacan nuestros vecindarios con narcoterrorismo y otras actividades delictivas hasta que sean eliminados de nuestras comunidades”.
“Quienes trafican con la violencia, la corrupción, el miedo y la adicción destruyen vidas y desestabilizan nuestras comunidades”, afirmó James Nunnallee, de la Administración para el Control de Drogas (DEA) de San Diego. “La DEA se mantiene férrea en nuestra misión de desmantelar las Organizaciones Terroristas Extranjeras y las redes de narcotráfico que amenazan la seguridad pública y la seguridad nacional”.
“Esta imputación de cargos demuestra el poder de las investigaciones financieras para desmantelar empresas delictivas que fomentan la violencia y el terror. René Arzate-García y sus coconspiradores presuntamente lavaron millones en ganancias provenientes de la droga a través de complejas transacciones internacionales diseñadas para ocultar el origen y la propiedad de los fondos ilícitos,” dijo Tyler Hatcher, agente especial a cargo de la División de Investigación Criminal (CI) de la Oficina Local del IRS en Los Ángeles. “IRS-CI siguió el dinero, desenmascarando las redes financieras que sostienen el narcoterrorismo y el narcotráfico mundial. Seguiremos trabajando con las fuerzas del orden que colaboran con nosotros para asegurarnos de que estas organizaciones sean despojadas de sus recursos y respondan ante la justicia por sus delitos.”
Según documentos judiciales, René Arzate-García es un “jefe de plaza” del Cártel de Sinaloa con base en Baja California, México, junto con su hermano Alfonso Arzate-García, alias “Aquiles” (previamente imputado en el caso número 14-cr-00722-DMS). René Arzate-García dirige las operaciones de narcotráfico del cártel en Tijuana y los municipios circundantes y está implicado en la importación a Estados Unidos de grandes cantidades de drogas ilícitas, como fentanilo, cocaína, metanfetamina y marihuana. Conocido por ser extremadamente violento, Arzate-García también está implicado en la realización de operaciones represivas para el Cártel de Sinaloa, como secuestros y ejecuciones.
La presente imputación de cargos sustituye otra de 2014 por conspiración para importar marihuana y demuestra que René Arzate-García es un miembro clave del Cártel de Sinaloa y controla la plaza de Tijuana, que incluye todo el estado de Baja California. Ha importado miles de kilos de drogas, incluyendo metanfetamina, cocaína, fentanilo y marihuana al Distrito Sur de California y ha lavado millones de dólares de las ganancias de las drogas. Además de sus actividades de narcotráfico, la imputación muestra su historial de corrupción de las fuerzas del orden y funcionarios públicos mexicanos, su extorsión a empresas de la plaza de Tijuana y su reputación de violencia extrema, incluidos numerosos secuestros y asesinatos en Tijuana, México, en nombre del Cártel de Sinaloa. En 2023, René Arzate-García fue designado por la Oficina de Control de Activos Extranjeros del Departamento del Tesoro de EE. UU. (OFAC), como un cabecilla del narcotráfico. Estas imputaciones siguen una tradición legendaria en el Distrito Sur de California de desmantelamiento de cúpulas y operaciones de poderosos cárteles mexicanos -desde el desmantelamiento del Cártel de los Arellano Félix hasta importantes golpes contra los cárteles más peligrosos, poderosos y violentos de la actualidad, incluidos el Cártel de Sinaloa, el Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) y la Organización Beltrán Leyva.
Si usted tiene información sobre René Arzate-García o Alfonso Arzate-García, por favor comuníquese con:
• El FBI al 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) o con la oficina local del FBI más cercana. Si se encuentra fuera de Estados Unidos, puede comunicarse con la embajada o el consulado de Estados Unidos más cercano. También puede enviar información en línea, de manera anónima, en https://tips.fbi.gov/home; o
• La DEA por teléfono (WhatsApp y Signal) al +1-858-298-5670, a través de Threema ID: PTJ4HS3J, o por correo electrónico en [email protected]. Si se encuentra fuera de Estados Unidos, también puede comunicarse con la embajada o el consulado de Estados Unidos más cercano. Si se encuentra en Estados Unidos, también puede comunicarse con la oficina local de la DEA más cercana.
La imputación de cargos federales sustitutiva es un resultado directo de la Orden Ejecutiva 14157 del presidente Trump que designó al Cártel de Sinaloa como Organización Terrorista Extranjera y la posterior designación de lo mismo por parte del secretario de Estado el 20 de febrero de 2025.
Este caso está siendo procesado por los fiscales federales adjuntos Joshua Mellor y Matthew Sutton.
IMPUTADO Caso Número 14cr2122-DMS
Rene Arzate-García Edad: 42 Ciudad de Residencia: Culiacán, Sinaloa, México
alias “La Rana”.
RESUMEN DE CARGOS
Título 21, U.S.C., secciones 960a y 841 - Narcoterrorismo
Pena máxima: Cadena perpetua, mínimo obligatorio de 20 años de prisión; multa de 20 millones de dólares
Título 18, U.S.C., sección 2339B - Proporcionar apoyo material al terrorismo
Pena máxima: Veinte años de prisión y multa de $250,000
Título 21, U.S.C., sección 848(a) - Empresa Criminal Continuada
Pena máxima: Cadena perpetua, mínimo obligatorio de 20 años; multa de 10 millones de dólares
Título 21, U.S.C., secciones 952, 959, 960 y 963 - Conspiración internacional para distribuir sustancias reguladas
Pena máxima: Cadena perpetua, mínimo obligatorio de 10 años; multa de 10 millones de dólares
Título 21, U.S.C., secciones 841(a)(1) y 846 - Conspiración para distribuir sustancias reguladas
Pena máxima: Cadena perpetua, mínimo obligatorio de 10 años de prisión; multa de 10 millones de dólares
Título 21, U.S.C., secciones 952, 960 y 963 - Conspiración para importar sustancias reguladas
Pena máxima: Cadena perpetua, mínimo obligatorio de 10 años; multa de 10 millones de dólares
Conspiración para el lavado de dinero - Título 18, U.S.C., sección 1956(h)
Pena máxima: Veinte años de prisión y multa de $500,000 o el doble del valor del instrumento monetario o de los fondos implicados, lo que sea mayor
AGENCIAS INVESTIGADORAS
Buró Federal de Investigaciones (FBI)
Administración para el Control de Drogas (DEA)
División de Investigación Criminal (CI) del IRS
Oficina de Investigaciones de Seguridad Nacional (HSI)
Programa de Áreas de Tráfico de Drogas de Alta Intensidad (HIDTA)
*Los cargos y alegatos contenidos en una imputación o denuncia son solo acusaciones, y a los imputados se les considera inocentes a menos y hasta que se pruebe su culpabilidad.
Este caso fue investigado y procesado por el Grupo Operativo de Seguridad Nacional de California (HSTF) como parte de la Operación “Take Back America” (“Recuperemos América”). Los HSTF fueron establecidos por el presidente Trump en la Orden Ejecutiva 14159, Protegiendo al Pueblo Estadounidense Contra una Invasión. El HSTF es una colaboración de todo el gobierno dedicada a eliminar los cárteles delictivos, las pandillas extranjeras, las organizaciones delictivas transnacionales y las redes de tráfico y trata de personas que operan en Estados Unidos y en el extranjero. A través de una histórica colaboración interinstitucional, el HSTF dirige todo el poder de las fuerzas del orden de Estados Unidos para la identificación, investigación y persecución penal de todo el espectro de delitos cometidos por estas organizaciones, que desde hace tiempo fomentan la violencia y la inestabilidad dentro de nuestras fronteras. En el desempeño de esta labor, el HSTF se centra especialmente en la investigación y persecución penal de quienes se dedican al tráfico de niños o a otros delitos que implican a niños. El HSTF utiliza además todas las herramientas disponibles para procesar y expulsar de Estados Unidos a los extranjeros con antecedentes penales más violentos. La Operación “Recuperemos América” es una iniciativa de ámbito nacional que moviliza todos los recursos del Departamento de Justicia para repeler la invasión de la inmigración ilegal, lograr la eliminación total de los cárteles y las organizaciones criminales transnacionales (OCT) y proteger a nuestras comunidades de los autores de delitos violentos.
El programa de Áreas de Tráfico de Drogas de Alta Intensidad (HIDTA), creado por el Congreso con la Ley Contra el Abuso de las Drogas de 1988, proporciona asistencia a las fuerzas del orden federales, estatales, locales y tribales que operan en zonas determinadas como regiones críticas para el tráfico de drogas en Estados Unidos. Este programa de subvenciones está administrado por la Oficina de la Política Nacional de Control de Drogas (ONDCP). En la actualidad existen 33 HIDTA, y hay condados designados como HIDTA en 50 estados, así como en Puerto Rico, las Islas Vírgenes de EE. UU. y el Distrito de Columbia.
Lehigh Valley Man Pleads Guilty to Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Fraud and Defrauding Local Car DealershipsRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Justin Heimbach, 34, of Bath, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Judge John M. Younge on six counts of mail fraud and four counts of wire fraud.
The defendant was charged with those offenses by indictment in August 2024, arising from his schemes to defraud the federal government and multiple local car dealerships.
In March of 2020, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), which created the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program (PUA). The PUA program provided unemployment benefits to individuals not eligible for regular unemployment compensation, or extended unemployment benefits.
As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, Heimbach, who operated a construction company called TeamKJ Construction, engaged in a scheme that caused fraudulent PUA applications to be filed in the names of individuals allegedly no longer employed by TeamKJ as a result of COVID-19. In reality, the applications contained a number of materially false statements, including that the applicant had lost their job with TeamKJ as a result of COVID-19 and the date the applicant lost their job with TeamKJ due to the pandemic.
In addition, Heimbach successfully defrauded multiple Lehigh Valley car dealerships by purchasing vehicles in the names of other construction companies registered to or associated with him, and writing checks for those vehicles on bank accounts that had an insufficient balance to cover the transaction.
The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on June 11, 2026.
This case was jointly investigated by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, and FBI Philadelphia’s Allentown Resident Agency and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney S. Chandler Harris.
Local Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Eight Counts of Sex Crimes Against ChildrenRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Perry Crane Walker, II, 44, of Tallahassee, pleaded guilty in federal court to six counts of sexual exploitation to children, one count of receipt of child pornography, and one count of transfer of obscene material to minors. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Our excellent state and federal law enforcement partners are relentlessly pursuing every sick predator like this defendant who seeks to victimize and sexually exploit our kids online, and when they catch them my office stands ready to aggressively prosecute and seek maximum punishments for their heinous crimes. It remains a top priority of my office to ensure our kids are safe in our communities and online.”
Court documents reflect that between December 26, 2024, and October 10, 2025, Walker used social media applications to meet and communicate with children between 13-15 years of age. The investigation revealed that during his online communications, the defendant enticed and induced the minors to produce and send him images and videos constituting child pornography. Court records also revealed that, as a result of the defendant’s illicit communications with the children, one of the social media platforms submitted a CyberTip report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which notified the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. An investigation revealed that some of the children resided in Europe. Pursuant to search warrants, the defendant’s business and residence were searched and his electronic devices were seized as evidence. A search of the defendant’s devices confirmed that he had been sexually exploiting the children using social media, and that he received and possessed multiple child pornography images and videos.
Walker faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a maximum of 30 years’ imprisonment, on each of the sexual exploitation of children counts; a minimum mandatory sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a maximum of 20 years imprisonment, on the receipt of child pornography count; and a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment on the transfer of obscene materials to minors count.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 11, 2026, at 11:00 am at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor.
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 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, visithttps://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Kershaw County Felon Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing a Gun Following Nightclub ShootingRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Davon Jermaine Mickle, 40, of Kershaw, has pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that on Aug. 19, 2023, the Camden Police Department responded to a shooting near a nightclub. Three victims reported that they were at the nightclub when Mickle began harassing one of them. They saw Mickle walking around the parking lot with an AR-style rifle and then place the rifle in a car. After a short argument with Mickle, the three victims left together. As they were leaving, they saw Mickle run back to the car, return with the rifle, and shoot at their car nearly two dozen times. During the investigation, officers found 23 cartridges in the road near the shooting. The victims’ car had one bullet hole in the bumper.
The victims identified Mickle as the shooter, and investigators determined he had an outstanding arrest warrant. Deputies from the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office located Mickle sitting in the driver’s seat of a vehicle at his residence and saw an AR-style rifle in the passenger seat. The police detained Mickle and secured the firearm. The police reviewed surveillance footage of the shooting and observed that the shooter was wearing the same shoes, blue jean shorts and black boxers that Mickle was wearing. Investigators determined the gun in the vehicle was not the same gun used in the shooting, however a gun residue test proved that Mickle had recently fired a firearm.
Mickle is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition based upon previous convictions for possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, distribution of crack cocaine near a school, distribution of crack cocaine 1st, and distribution of cocaine base 3rd.
Mickle faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000, restitution, and five years of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment. United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr. accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Mickle after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office, and the Camden Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon is prosecuting the case.
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Kansas City Man Sentenced for Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man who fled from Independence, Mo. Police Department officers in a highspeed vehicular chase, was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm.
Michael A. Winchester, 22, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Court Judge Brian C. Wimes to 51 months in prison without parole for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On July 2, 2025, Winchester pleaded guilty to knowingly being a felon in possession of a Ruger, 5.7 caliber, handgun.
According to court documents, on Apr. 3, 2025, Independence, Mo., Police Department officers were patrolling the area of E. Wilson Rd. and S. Brookside Ave. when they heard multiple gunshots coming from the area just east of their position. They went to the area where they heard the gunshots and observed a silver Dodge Caravan that had a license plate registered to a different vehicle. Officers initiated their emergency lights, and the driver, later identified as Winchester, began a highspeed chase that reached speeds of up to 107 MPH. The vehicle finally stopped while heading westbound on E. U.S. 24 just west of the Paseo Blvd.
Winchester had two passengers in his vehicle. An inventory search of the vehicle discovered the Ruger handgun and an expended shell casing under the driver’s gas pedal. Officers discovered that Winchester had a prior felony conviction and accordingly placed him under arrest.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo. Police Department, and the Kansas City, Mo. 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.
Kansas City Man Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 FraudRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has pleaded guilty in federal court to fraudulently receiving a $487,600 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan, a program that was part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Lorenzo Boles, 56, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays today to wire fraud and money laundering.
The purpose of the CARES Act was to provide emergency financial assistance due to the economic impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized the Small Business Administration to provide PPP Loans to eligible small businesses that experienced substantial financial disruption due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
By pleading guilty today, Boles admitted that on April 30, 2020, a co-defendant filed an application for a PPP loan under the CARES Act for a business, Burnes Family Investments, LLC (BFI). The application listed Lorenzo Boles as 82% owner and a co-defendant as 18% owner.
The application and supporting documents submitted stated that BFI had an average monthly payroll of $195,067. A 2019 Profit and Loss Statement for BFI, submitted as part of the application, listed gross income of $3,910,582, expenses of $3,263,451, and a net profit of $647,131. Forms 941 and 944 (Employer’s Quarterly and Annual Tax Reports) were also provided as part of the PPP application process. In fact, the income and expenses listed in the P&L Statement do not match the tax returns filed by Boles, the Forms 941 and 944 were never filed with the IRS, and the payments listed on the Forms were never received by the IRS.
On May 8, 2020, BFI received a $487,600 PPP loan in its bank account. Bank records show that Boles paid himself $50,000 in the month following the loan. Overall, Boles received approximately $90,000 of the PPP loan proceeds which he used for personal expenses.
Under federal statutes, Boles is subject to a sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.
Kanawha County Woman Pleads Guilty to Violating the Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification ActRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Misty Dawn Baisden, 48, of St. Albans and a convicted sex offender, pleaded guilty today to failing to update her registration as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
According to court documents and statements made in court, from on or about September 17, 2025, through on or about October 30, 2025, Baisden failed to report that she had begun working at a St. Albans business.
Baisden is required to register as a sex offender because of her conviction for conspiracy to engage in the sex trafficking of a minor in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on October 19, 2017.
Baisden is scheduled to be sentenced on June 22, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Marshals Service (USMS).
United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the case.
SORNA is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 and provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States. SORNA seeks to strengthen the nationwide network of sex offender registration and notification programs, in part by requiring registered sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction in which they reside, work, or go to school.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:26-cr-2.
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Justice Department Sues Five Additional States for Failure to Produce Voter RollsRead the Press Release
Today, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced it has filed federal lawsuits against five states — Utah, Oklahoma, Kentucky, West Virginia, and New Jersey — for failure to produce their full voter registration lists upon request. This brings the Justice Department’s nationwide total to 29 states and the District of Columbia.
"Accurate, well-maintained voter rolls are a requisite for the election integrity that the American people deserve," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. "This latest series of litigation underscores that This Department of Justice is fulfilling its duty to ensure transparency, voter roll maintenance, and secure elections across the country."
“The Justice Department will continue to fulfill its oversight role dutifully, neutrally, and transparently wherever Americans vote in federal elections,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Many state election officials, however, are choosing to fight us in court rather than show their work. We will not be deterred, regardless of party affiliation, from carrying out critical election integrity legal duties.”
According to the lawsuits, the Attorney General is uniquely charged by Congress with broad authority to request election records under the Civil Rights Act of 1960. This Act allows her to demand the production, inspection, and analysis of statewide voter registration lists that can be cross-checked effectively for improper registrations.
Iowa Man Sentenced to over 21 Years in Prison for His Role in Iowa Drug RingRead the Press Release
Jason Michael Weiland, age 49, from Sherrill, Iowa, was sentenced on February 26, 2026, to over 21 years in federal prison.
Weiland received the prison term after a June 18, 2025, guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, and 50 grams of pure methamphetamine, commonly known as “ice.”
Evidence at the sentencing and plea hearings showed that in December 2024, law enforcement officers tried to stop the car Weiland was driving as Weiland returned to Dubuque, Iowa, from Missouri. Weiland led police on a high-speed chase and eventually crashed into a ditch. Officers took Weiland into custody and found over 280 grams of pure methamphetamine in his car. Weiland intended to sell the methamphetamine to people in the Dubuque area. Weiland had been travelling to Missouri to pick up large quantities of methamphetamine to sell in the Dubuque area. In total, the court found Weiland responsible for over 7 kilograms of pure methamphetamine.
Weiland has a prior 2000 federal conviction for unlawful user of controlled substances in possession of firearms and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, specifically methamphetamine, cocaine, LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, and marijuana.
Weiland was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Weiland was sentenced to 262 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Corkery and investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office, and the Dubuque Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-CR-1009.
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India-based scheme courier sentenced to 6 years in prison on fraud chargesRead the Press Release
MISSOULA – A man originally from India who stole over $1.7 million from the elderly was sentenced today to 72 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Zabi Ullah Mohammed, 29, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud after trial in October 2025.
U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided.
The government alleged in court documents, and at trial, that Zabi Ullah Mohammed was a courier connected to an India-based scheme designed to steal from the elderly across the United States. Although the scheme contained many different variations, the ultimate end was that victims were fraudulently led to believe it was necessary to withdraw money and other assets from various financial institutions and provide it to a “federal agent” purportedly for “safekeeping.” In reality, there was no “federal agent” and the money that victims provided to Mohammed under this pretense was simply stolen from the victims.
Authorities discovered Mohammed as a conspirator in this case because a victim in Missoula reported she was defrauded of over $900,000. To catch the fraudsters involved, law enforcement set up a ruse pickup in Missoula with a package that contained a tracking device. Mohammed arrived and picked up the package of what he believed was cash. When Mohammed discovered the tracker inside, he threw the package out of his vehicle and attempted to flee. When arrested, Mohammed attempted to claim he was a victim of this scheme as well; however, a trial jury found that Mohammed was, in fact, a member of the conspiracy.
Victims in this case lost over $3,900,000, and Mohammed personally retrieved approximately $1,700,933 in gold and U.S. currency.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katy Stack prosecuted the case. The FBI and Missoula County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
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Illinois Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Threatening to Kill Federal JudgeRead the Press Release
MIAMI – An Illinois man has been sentenced to federal prison for sending a series of threatening communications to a U.S. District Judge in the Southern District of Florida, including threats directed at the judge and the judge’s family.
U.S. District Judge William F. Jung for the Middle District of Florida sentenced Eric James Rennert, 56, of Champaign, Illinois, to 33 months in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to three counts of threatening to assault, kidnap, and murder a U.S. judge with the intent to impede, intimidate, or interfere with the judge’s ability to perform official duties and with the intent to retaliate against the judge.
“Threatening a federal judge is not protest. It is a federal crime,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “When someone sends violent threats to intimidate a judge or terrorize a judge’s family, they are attacking the rule of law itself. Let this sentence send a clear message: if you threaten a judge in the Southern District of Florida, we will find you, we will charge you, and we will move your case swiftly and aggressively. Our judges will continue to do their jobs without fear, and this Office will ensure they are protected.”
“Threats to kill a federal judge are an attack on our justice system and will not be tolerated” said Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office. “Mr. Rennert engaged in egregious criminal conduct which resulted in a thorough investigation and aggressive prosecution. Our judicial system, and the officers of the court who work within it, must be free from intimidation to ensure the impartiality of their work. The FBI will vigorously investigate these types of threats to preserve the integrity of our courts.”
According to court records, between May and July 2024, Rennert sent multiple emails from his personal account to the judge’s personal email address, each containing escalating threats of violence.
On May 25, 2024, Rennert sent an email threatening that the judge and the judge’s family would be “hunted down” and executed. Three days later, on May 28, 2024, Rennert mistakenly sent a similar threatening email to an unrelated professor with the same name before quickly forwarding it to the intended judge. That message again included threats of violence and death directed at the judge and referencing the judge’s family.
Rennert continued his conduct on June 25, 2024, sending another email containing profane and violent threats, including statements that the judge would be killed regardless of the outcome of future events. On July 24, 2024, Rennert sent a final email with the subject line “your going down,” again threatening to kill the judge.
U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Skiles made the announcement.
FBI Miami investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elena Smukler-Dominguez and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Wheeler III prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20425.
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Hebron Man Sentenced to Five Years for Distributing and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Hebron man was sentenced on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Portland for distributing and possessing child pornography.
U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced Steven Parker, 47, to five years in prison to be followed by eight years of supervised release. Judge Neumann also ordered Parker to pay $25,000 in restitution to victims whose images he possessed. Parker pleaded guilty on September 15, 2025.
According to court records, Steven Parker, 47, sent a video file depicting child sexual abuse material to an undercover agent over a messaging application. In August 2024, the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit (MSPCCU) and the FBI executed a search warrant at his residence, resulting in the seizure of multiple digital media devices containing hundreds of image and video files of child sexual abuse material. When interviewed by investigators, Parker admitted to accessing, viewing, and distributing child sexual abuse material over the internet.
The FBI and MSPCCU investigated the case.
To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child sexual abuse material: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as “child pornography” – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.
Project Safe Childhood: This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.
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Hays man sentenced for assault on Fort Belknap Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Hays man who struck a man in the face with a screwdriver was sentenced today to 6 months in prison, followed by 2 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Russell Thomas Young, 40, pleaded guilty in October 2025 to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that the defendant and John Doe spent portions of the day together at Doe’s house on September 23, 2023. Young and Doe were outside doing yard work when Young began to act strangely, staring into the windows of the home. Eventually Young entered Doe’s home and went into the basement. While Young was in the basement, Doe and Doe’s wife overhead Young speaking as though other people were in the basement with him, despite Young being the only person there at the time. At that point, Doe went into the house and yelled down the stairs that Young should leave.
Young then emerged quickly from downstairs with a screwdriver in his hand. He attacked Doe by stabbing him with the screwdriver on the left side of Doe’s face, near the temple. Young continued to punch and strike Doe with the screwdriver until Doe’s wife stopped the assault by striking Young with a fishing pole. Doe’s wife called 911 and, because the house was filling with smoke, reported that Young had set the house on fire. Law enforcement arrived at the scene and extinguished a fire that started in the basement furnace.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI, Fort Belknap Law Enforcement Services, Blaine County Sheriff’s Office and Phillips County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
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Georgia Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Trafficking MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
ANNISTON, Ala. – A Georgia man has been sentenced for trafficking methamphetamine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Catherine L. Crosby.
U.S. District Court Judge Corey L. Maze sentenced Cornelius Jermine Vincent, 46, of Atlanta, Georgia, to 180 months in prison. In April 2024, Vincent pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
On January 10, 2021, a Heflin Police Officer was monitoring traffic on Interstate 20 in Heflin, Alabama. The officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for failure to maintain a single lane. Vincent was the car’s driver. During the traffic stop, the officer smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. He asked Vincent to exit the vehicle. The officer searched Vincent and found a bag of marijuana, a bag of powder cocaine,19 ecstasy tablets, and a Springfield Armory Model 1911 .40 caliber handgun. Upon searching the vehicle, the officer found approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine. The officer also recovered from the car another ecstasy pill, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia. Vincent was travelling from Sandy Springs, Georgia, to Gadsden, Alabama, to deliver drugs to an unknown individual.
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 DEA investigated the case along with the Heflin Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany T. Byrd prosecuted the case.
Garland man sentenced to federal prison for trafficking drugs in the Eastern District of TexasRead the Press Release
PLANO, Texas –A Garland man has been sentenced to over 19 years in federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Jessie Zavaleta Peralta, 37, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine and was sentenced to 235 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan on February 26, 2026.
According to information presented in court, Peralta was part of a drug trafficking organization that trafficked methamphetamine that had been imported from Mexico. Peralta stored large amounts of methamphetamine, and other narcotics, at his Garland residence before distributing in the Metroplex.
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.
This case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William R. Tatum.
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Four Admit to Federal Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Four people have entered guilty pleas in connection to methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
Steven Anthony Blatt, 63, and Jeanetta Nicole Sigler, 50, both of Paden City, West Virginia, each pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Blatt, also known as “Stevie,” and Sigler worked together to sell methamphetamine in Wetzel and Tyler Counties. Following a trip to Morgantown to pick up drugs, officers stopped Blatt and Sigler and seized 427 grams of methamphetamine from their vehicle.
D'Angelo Jones, 29, of Wheeling, West Virginia, admitted to possession with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl. Jones was selling heroin and fentanyl in Ohio County. Investigators seized 20 grams of heroin and fentanyl, along with a firearm and $1,200 from his residence on Wheeling Island.
Roland N. Copney, 37, of Wheeling, West Virginia, pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. During an investigation of gunshots being fired on Wheeling Island, Copney was identified as a possible subject. Officers executed a search warrant at his residence and seized more than 200 grams of methamphetamine, 12 grams of fentanyl, and ammunition.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Clayton Reid and Jennifer Conklin are prosecuting the cases on behalf of the government.
Investigative agencies include the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Marshall County Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; and the Wheeling Police Department.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.
Fentanyl has been designated by President Donald Trump as a weapon of mass destruction due to its extreme lethality which poses a grave threat to public safety, even in trace amounts. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, and repel the invasion of illegal immigration.
Former Home Depot associate sentenced to federal prison for stealing more than $4 million from companyRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Felecia Ingram has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for stealing over $4 million in gift cards from The Home Depot.
“While employed at The Home Depot, the defendant abused the trust placed in her and stole a staggering $4 million from the company,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “She engaged in a calculated scheme that involved entering false gift card orders, which she later deleted to cover her tracks. She has now been sentenced to federal prison to pay for her deceit.”
“Exploiting her position for personal gain, this criminal thought she could use her knowledge of her employer’s business practices to conceal a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme,” said Robert Donovan, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service Atlanta Field Office. “Thanks to the tireless work of our agents, cooperation from the Home Depot, and the skill of the prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, she will spend the next three years in prison paying for her crimes.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Starting in 2008, Felecia Ingram was a gift card sales associate for The Home Depot. From March 2020 through July 2021, when fewer employers were working onsite due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she used her facility access credentials to steal over 8,000 physical gift cards from The Home Depot Store Support Center.
After stealing the cards, Ingram used her network access credentials to activate the stolen gift cards by creating false orders for them. The false orders made it appear that the cards were sent to corporate events and used for legitimate business purposes. Ingram later deleted the false orders in the system to conceal her thefts. She then made millions by selling the stolen gift cards on the black market. Ingram used the money primarily to fund an extravagant gambling lifestyle.
The Home Depot uncovered the fraud after its gift card team identified a discrepancy in the gift card ledger balances. The investigation determined that, in less than a year and a half, Ingram had stolen approximately 8,325 cards with a total value of $4,085,043.
Felecia Ingram, 53, of Covington, Georgia, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr. to three years, one month in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Ingram was also ordered to pay restitution to The Home Depot in the amount of $3,946,776. Ingram was convicted of access device fraud on May 1, 2025, after she pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service. The Home Depot provided valuable assistance and cooperation during the criminal investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen H. McClain prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Former Executive of Commercial Roofing Company Pleads Guilty to Multimillion-dollar Bid Rigging ConspiracyRead the Press Release
The former president and chief executive officer of a commercial roofing company pleaded guilty yesterday to a conspiracy to rig bids for commercial roofing projects in Florida.
Gregg Wallick of Fort Lauderdale, Florida has pleaded guilty for his participation in a conspiracy to suppress and eliminate competition by rigging bids on commercial roofing projects in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act.
According to documents filed in the Southern District of Florida, Wallick and his co-conspirators colluded before bidding on commercial roofing projects. Wallick and his co-conspirators agreed on the prices they submitted to their customers, including which of the co-conspirators would submit an intentionally high bid to corruptly assist the other. This type of antitrust crime is known as a “comp” or “cover” bidding scheme. Wallick’s criminal conduct, which began at least in or around September 2020 and lasted through at least in or around February 2022, affected a variety of commercial projects and resulted in his company illegally obtaining more than $3.5 million.
“Bid rigging is cheating, plain and simple,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Daniel W. Glad of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The defendant’s bid rigging scheme was an unfair, illegal cheat code used against vulnerable customers who needed roofing services in a hurricane-prone area, and the Antitrust Division’s commitment to finding and prosecuting these schemes is unbreakable”
“Wallick’s actions illegally drove up the costs of commercial roofing projects by turning the multiple bid process on its head. Instead of providing truly competitive bids on roofing projects to prospective customers, he and his co-conspirators presented intentionally higher bids in a scheme to line their pockets with ill-gotten gains,” said Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office. “This anti-competitive conduct is unacceptable and illegal. We encourage people who may be victims of such schemes to report this information to the FBI immediately.”
Wallick pleaded guilty to one felony count of restraining trade by conspiring to rig bids, in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act. The maximum penalty for individuals is 10 years in prison and a $1 million criminal fine.
A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled in this case. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Trial Attorneys Ronald P. Fiorillo II and Lara E.V. Trager, of the Antitrust Division’s Washington Criminal Section, are prosecuting the case.
The Justice Department’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF) is a joint law enforcement effort to combat antitrust crimes and related fraudulent schemes that impact government procurement, grant and program funding at all levels of government — federal, state and local. To learn more about the PCSF, or to report information on bid rigging, price fixing, market allocation and other anticompetitive conduct related to government spending, go to www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force.
Whistleblowers who voluntarily report original information about antitrust and related offenses that result in criminal fines or other recoveries of at least $1 million may be eligible to receive a whistleblower reward. Whistleblower awards can range from 15 to 30 percent of the money collected. For more information on the Antitrust Whistleblower Rewards Program, including a link to submit reports, visit www.justice.gov/atr/whistleblower-rewards.
Former American Embassy Employee Sentenced for Rape of Minors in Burkina FasoRead the Press Release
A Maryland man was sentenced today to life in prison for forcibly sexually assaulting two minor girls in Burkina Faso in 2022 and 2023. After a two-week trial in October 2025, a federal jury in the District of Maryland convicted Fode Sitafa Mara, 41, of four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor, as well as one count each of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and attempted obstruction of justice. Mara, a U.S. citizen, was an employee at the U.S. Embassy in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, at the time of his offenses.
“The defendant, while representing the U.S. government abroad, violently sexually abused two acutely vulnerable child victims,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “His crimes were reprehensible. While no sentence could undo the harm he caused, today’s outcome demonstrates that those who abuse children – domestically or abroad – will face significant consequences in the American justice system. We thank our partners at the U.S. State Department for helping us pursue justice for these victims.”
“Our message is clear, those who prey on our children will pay a hefty price,” said U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland. “Mara targeted and abused two innocent young girls, and now he’ll be behind bars for a long time where he belongs. We’re committed to partnering with our community and law-enforcement partners to ensure that justice is served by relentlessly pursuing and prosecuting predators who commit these deplorable acts.”
“The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) is committed to protecting the integrity of U.S. diplomatic missions and ensuring the safety of local communities where we serve,” said Deputy Assistant Director George Semertsidis of the DSS Office of Special Investigations. “We will thoroughly investigate any allegations of criminal conduct by those associated with U.S. diplomatic facilities and work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to bring offenders to justice. This case demonstrates our unwavering commitment to accountability and the protection of the most vulnerable.”
“Protecting children and safeguarding vulnerable populations from sexual exploitation and abuse is a core priority of the U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Inspector General (USAID OIG) and we will continue to pursue those who violate that trust wherever they operate," said Acting Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Laura Rousseau of USAID OIG. “With continued oversight jurisdiction over foreign assistance, USAID OIG will ensure significant consequences for perpetrators, holding accountable anyone who exploits their overseas positions — including individuals employed by the United States, aid organizations, or the United Nations.”
“Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents in Maryland, with assistance from federal law enforcement partners, demonstrated exceptional dedication and professionalism in bringing justice for the victims in this case,” said Acting Executive Director John Condon of HSI. “Their relentless pursuit of the facts and commitment to protecting vulnerable children across the world exemplifies HSI’s mission to investigate crimes that threaten the safety and security of our communities at home and abroad. HSI remains steadfast in its efforts to combat child exploitation and ensure that those who harm children are held fully accountable. I commend our agents for their outstanding work and unwavering dedication to uphold the values of justice and integrity.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Mara, on multiple occasions, forcibly raped two teenage Burkinabé girls at his Embassy-leased residence in Ouagadougou. Because the residence was reserved for use by U.S. diplomatic personnel, it fell under the United States’ jurisdiction for prosecution. The previous resident of Mara’s residence had developed a relationship with the minor victims and their family, providing them with nourishment and safety. The minor victims lived in abject poverty in a structure without running water a short distance from what became Mara’s residence.
When Mara arrived, he saw opportunity and immediately capitalized on his access to the victims. Mara repeatedly sexually abused them for approximately one year, beginning when the victims were 13 and 15 years old. He used the girls’ mother’s life-threatening illness as an opportunity to demand sex, telling them he could not help them without receiving something in return. Mara provided the girls with phones so he could summon them while his wife was away at work. Mara was also convicted for sending sexually enticing messages to one of the minor victims and for attempting to persuade his housekeeper to lie to U.S. investigators to help him conceal his crimes.
The DSS Office of Special Investigations and the DSS Regional Security Office at U.S. Embassy Ouagadougou, as well as USAID OIG and HSI, investigated the case. The Burkinabe authorities provided significant assistance.
Trial Attorney Adam Braskich of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ranganath Manthripragada and Brooke Oki for the District of Maryland prosecuted the 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 the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
Former American Embassy Employee Receives Life Sentence for Rape of Burkinabé MinorsRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A Maryland man learned his fate in federal court today for committing child sex abuse crimes.
The Honorable Lydia Kay Griggsby sentenced Fode Sitafa Mara, 41, to life in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for forcibly sexually assaulting two minor girls in Burkina Faso, in 2022 and 2023. In October 2025, after a two-week trial, a federal jury convicted Mara of four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor, along with one count each of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, and attempted obstruction of justice. Mara, a U.S. citizen, was an employee at the U.S. Embassy in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, at the time of his offenses.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva, Department of Justice Criminal Division; Deputy Assistant Director George Semertsidis, U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service (DSS); Laura Rousseau, Acting Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of Inspector General (USAID OIG); and , Acting Executive Director John Condon, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
“Our message is clear, those who prey on our children will pay a hefty price,” Hayes said. “Mara targeted and abused two innocent young girls, and now he’ll be behind bars for a long time where he belongs. We’re committed to partnering with our community and law-enforcement partners to ensure that justice is served by relentlessly pursuing and prosecuting predators who commit these deplorable acts.”
“The defendant, while representing the U.S. government abroad, violently sexually abused two acutely vulnerable child victims,” Duva said. “His crimes were reprehensible. While no sentence could undo the harm he caused, today’s outcome demonstrates that those who abuse children – domestically or abroad - will face significant consequences in the American justice system. We thank our partners at the U.S. State Department for helping us pursue justice for these victims.”
“The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) is committed to protecting the integrity of U.S. diplomatic missions and ensuring the safety of local communities where we serve,” Semertsidis said. “We will thoroughly investigate any allegations of criminal conduct by those associated with U.S. diplomatic facilities and work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to bring offenders to justice. This case demonstrates our unwavering commitment to accountability and the protection of the most vulnerable.”
“Protecting children and safeguarding vulnerable populations from sexual exploitation and abuse is a core priority of the U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Inspector General (USAID OIG) and we will continue to pursue those who violate that trust wherever they operate," Rousseau said. “With continued oversight jurisdiction over foreign assistance, USAID OIG will ensure significant consequences for perpetrators, holding accountable anyone who exploits their overseas positions — including individuals employed by the United States, aid organizations, or the United Nations.”
“Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents in Maryland, with assistance from federal law enforcement partners, demonstrated exceptional dedication and professionalism in bringing justice for the victims in this case,” Condon said. “Their relentless pursuit of the facts and commitment to protecting vulnerable children across the world exemplifies HSI’s mission to investigate crimes that threaten the safety and security of our communities at home and abroad. HSI remains steadfast in its efforts to combat child exploitation and ensure that those who harm children are held fully accountable. I commend our agents for their outstanding work and unwavering dedication to uphold the values of justice and integrity.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Mara, on multiple occasions, forcibly raped two teenage Burkinabé girls at his Embassy-leased residence in Ouagadougou. Since the residence was reserved for use by U.S. diplomatic personnel, it fell under the United States’ jurisdiction for prosecution.
The minor victims lived in abject poverty in a structure without running water a short distance from what became Mara’s residence. The previous resident of Mara’s residence developed a relationship with the minor victims and their family, providing them with nourishment and safety.
When Mara arrived, he saw opportunity and immediately capitalized on his access to the victims. Mara repeatedly sexually abused them for approximately one year, beginning when the victims were 13 and 15 years old. He used the girls’ mother’s life-threatening illness as an opportunity to demand sex, telling them he could not help them without receiving something in return. He provided the girls with phones so he could summon them while his wife was away at work.
Mara was also convicted for sending sexually enticing messages to one of the minor victims and for attempting to persuade his housekeeper to lie to U.S. investigators to help him conceal his crimes.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the DSS Office of Special Investigations, along with its Regional Security Office at the U.S. Embassy in Ouagadougou; USAID OIG; and HSI for their work in the investigation, and the Burkinabe authorities for their significant assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ranganath Manthripragada and Brooke Oki, along with Trial Attorney Adam Braskich, Department of Justice – Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, who prosecuted the federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Federal jury convicts Richmond drug trafficker for attempting to receive shipments of cocaine and methamphetamineRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Richmond man yesterday on charges of attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on Feb. 8, 2023, law enforcement intercepted a parcel containing approximately 2.3 kilograms of methamphetamine and 1.1 kilograms of cocaine. The parcel was addressed to an individual who had agreed to receive it on behalf of Alexander Michael Martinez, aka Rambo, 34. On Feb. 10, 2023, law enforcement intercepted another package containing approximately the same quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine as the earlier package. The intended recipient of that package identified Martinez as their marijuana dealer.
In July 2023, law enforcement in Fresno, California, interdicted a package containing approximately 85 pounds of methamphetamine and 1 kilogram of cocaine intended for delivery to Richmond. Agents replaced the seized controlled substances with “sham” narcotics and conducted a controlled delivery to Martinez at an arranged location at a truck stop in Ashland. When Martinez arrived, two boxes of sham narcotics were placed into the rear seat of Martinez’s vehicle. When law enforcement attempted a traffic stop, Martinez fled. After crashing his vehicle, Martinez attempted to flee on foot but was taken into custody.
Martinez faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison when sentenced on July 15. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Richmond District Office, DEA’s Fresno District Office, and the Virginia State Police investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen E. Anthony is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-144.
Federal charges filed in Eddy County deputy shootingRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Carlsbad man is facing federal charges after allegedly firing a rifle at an Eddy County Sheriff’s Office deputy responding to a call.
According to court records, on October 19, 2025, an Eddy County Sheriff’s Office deputy was dispatched to the area of McKittrick and Hidalgo Road in Carlsbad, New Mexico, after a witness reported that Dustin Alan Henley, 35, was standing outside a truck holding a firearm. As the deputy arrived in a clearly marked patrol vehicle, Henley fired a rifle at the deputy, striking the vehicle in the engine compartment. The deputy returned fire, striking Henley multiple times. Henley dropped the rifle and fled on foot before being taken into custody.
At the time of the offense, Henley was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition due to prior felony convictions.
Henley is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and he will remain in custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of the current charge, Henley faces up to 15 years in prison.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Roswell Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Grant Gardner is prosecuting the case.
View the Criminal Complaint (Henley).pdfA criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Ex-Law Firm Office Manager Sentenced to Prison for Bank FraudRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Todd M. Chapman, 58, of Huntington, was sentenced today to four years and three months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $602,362.97 in restitution for bank fraud. Chapman admitted that he embezzled funds from a now-defunct Huntington law firm while employed as the office manager, including money from client trust accounts and proceeds from a Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) loan authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).
According to court documents and statements made in court, Chapman was employed as the firm’s office manager for approximately 30 years. Beginning in 2016, Chapman enriched himself by writing unauthorized checks from the firm’s operating accounts and client trust accounts to himself. As part of his guilty plea, Chapman admitted that he had complete and exclusive control of the firm’s day-to-day finances during this time period, allowing him to carry out his scheme. Chapman further admitted that he forged signatures on checks, created false documents, made false statements under oath, and made false statements to federal law enforcement agents investigating the loss of client funds at the firm. Chapman ceased employment at the now-defunct law firm in April 2022.
Chapman embezzled at least $409,000 from the estates of three deceased firm clients, $100,000 that one minor client was supposed to receive upon turning 18, and $15,838.84 of an initial $20,000 settlement deposit for another minor client who suffered an injury as an infant. Chapman also embezzled $13,686.21 from a $20,375 PPP loan that the firm legitimately received to provide emergency financial aid during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chapman admitted that he spent the embezzled funds for his personal enjoyment and lifestyle.
Five of Chapman’s victims addressed the Court during the sentencing hearing. The Court found that Chapman abused his position of trust repeatedly over multiple years and sentenced him to the maximum prison term under Sentencing Commission guidelines.
“Stealing is bad enough. Stealing from victims — some of them children — while entrusted to safeguard their funds is indefensible," said United States Attorney Moore Capito. "This defendant’s conduct inflicted financial harm on individuals and shook confidence in an institution people depend on in their most difficult moments. That betrayal demanded accountability.”
Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cabell County Sheriff's Office, and since-retired Southern District of West Virginia Litigation Financial Analyst Steve Rowley.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Erik S. Goes and Kathleen Robeson and former Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Tessman prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-121.
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El Salvadoran Man Sentenced for Fentanyl Trafficking, Firearms Offenses, and Illegal EntryRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An El Salvadoran national has been sentenced in federal court for trafficking fentanyl, illegally possessing firearms, and unlawful entry to the United States.
Jose Navarrete-Hernandez, 42, was sentenced today by United States Senior District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 87 months in federal prison without parole.
Navarrete-Hernandez was found guilty of one count each of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute, possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, possessing a firearm as an illegal alien, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, and illegal entry into the United States following a one-day bench trial on May 12, 2025. Specifically, Navarrete-Hernandez was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute; 60 months for possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime; 27 months for possessing a firearm as an illegal alien; 27 months for possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number; and six months for illegal entry. All of the sentences were ordered to run concurrent to one another, except for the 60-month sentence, which was ordered to run consecutive to the other sentences.
On May 11, 2023, officers with the Carthage, Mo., Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a gray Ford F-250 with an expired Texas license plate driven by Navarrete-Hernandez. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a black backpack containing two drug scales, two glass pipes with white powdery residue, approximately 145 fentanyl pills, a Heritage Rough Rider revolver, ammunition, and a forged social security card. Officers also found a Raven P-25 pistol with an obliterated serial number in the truck. At the time, Navarrete-Hernandez was not a citizen or national of the United States and had entered the United States at a place other than a designated port of entry.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey Clark and Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Missouri State Highway Patrol; and the Carthage, Mo., 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.
Dulce man charged after violent assaultRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Dulce was man indicted on federal charges alleging he seriously injured another individual during an assault.
According to court records, on October 27, 2025, Russell Alan Veneno, 50, an enrolled member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, assaulted John Doe with a table and a knife, and the assault resulted in serious bodily injury.
Veneno is federally charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. If convicted, Veneno faces up to 10 years in prison.
First Assisting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Jicarilla Apache Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eliot Neal is prosecuting the case.
View the Indictment (Veneno).pdfAn indictment or criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Defendant Pleads Guilty in Murder-for-Hire Conspiracy Targeting a Federal WitnessRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Providence to charges related to a conspiracy to murder a federal witness to prevent the witness from testifying in a criminal matter pending before the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, announced United States Attorney Charles C. Calenda.
Kareem Pires, 27, of Wareham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to tamper with a witness or informant by killing or attempting to kill, in a murder-for-hire plot. Pires will be sentenced on May 18, 2026. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The charges to which Pires pleaded guilty carry significant potential penalties.
According to court documents, Pires participated in a conspiracy to arrange for the killings of a federal witness connected to a pending federal criminal case. The agreement between Pires and a co-defendant, to kill a witness in an official proceeding in the District of Massachusetts was formed while co-defendant Elijah Melton was awaiting trial at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility.
“Threats or acts of violence against witnesses, or anyone involved in the administration of justice strike at the very foundation of our legal system,” said United States Attorney Charles C. Calenda. “This guilty plea reflects our commitment, along with law enforcement partners, to investigate and prosecute anyone who seeks to intimidate or harm those who are witnesses in court proceedings.”
“Kareem Pires not only wanted the witness dead, but he was also willing to help kill other intended targets,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “Given Mr. Pires' lack of respect for human life, he belongs behind bars, and that’s exactly where today’s conviction will keep him. We refuse to cede our cities to criminals who think solving a problem means pulling a trigger. That's why your FBI and our partners will continue to work together and bring all our resources to bear to disrupt deadly plots like this one in an effort to keep our communities safe.”
The matter is being prosecuted by Criminal Chief Stacey A. Erickson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter I. Roklan.
The matter was investigated by the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service for the District of Massachusetts, with the assistance of the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island.
D.C. Scam Center Strike Force Seizures of Cryptocurrency from Chinese Transnational Criminals Tops $580 MillionRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, together with major federal law enforcement and interagency partners, announced that freezes and seizures of cryptocurrency by the Scam Center Strike Force have topped $580 million, a critical step in the Strike Forces fight against Southeast Asian cryptocurrency-related fraud and scams.
These frozen and seized funds have been stolen by Chinese transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), which use cryptocurrency investment scams and a variety of confidence scams to steal the life savings of everyday Americans. These scammers utilize U.S. internet and social media platforms to prey on American victims. Recent reporting estimates that this scam industry defrauds Americans of nearly $10 billion per year.
“In November, I announced the creation of our Scam Center Strike Force to lead the charge. In only three months, we have made significant progress, freezing, seizing, and forfeiting cryptocurrency worth more than $580 million from these criminals. These criminals don’t care who you are, what you believe in, or what you ate for breakfast—all they want is to steal from good and honest Americans to line the pockets of Chinese organized crime,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “My office and our law enforcement partners around the country are taking this threat head on. Seizures of cryptocurrency is one important part of the Scam Center Strike Force’s work. Through the legal process, my Office will seek to forfeit these funds and return them to victims to the maximum extent possible. To our American victims: we are here for you, we care for you, and we will continue fighting like hell to claw back your hard-earned savings from the hands of Chinese TCOs.”
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The Scam Center Strike Force is targeting many of the worst scam compounds located in Southeast Asia. Chinese transnational criminal organizations are using Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud (“CIF”) scams and a variety of confidence scams to steal the life savings of everyday Americans. Strike Force teams are focused on identifying and pursuing key leaders—including Chinese organized crime affiliates operating in Burma, Cambodia, and Laos—to bring them to justice.
These CIF schemes, which fraudsters refer to as “pig butchering” because they are “fattening” up their victims before defrauding them, are often run out of scam compounds in Southeast Asia. Using U.S. social media networks or text messages to U.S.-based cell phones, the scammers target their victims, gain their trust, and convince them to invest in real cryptocurrency, only to then trick their victims to transfer those funds into fake cryptocurrency investment websites and applications. Workers in the scam compounds often are victims of human trafficking, held against their will, abused and guarded by armed groups as they are instructed to target Americans. Some of the Southeast Asian countries where these compounds operate, scam-generated revenue is so massive that it amounts to nearly half of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (“GDP”).
The Scam Center Strike Force is a collaboration of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia; DOJ’s Criminal Division, including the Computer Crimes & Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS); Fraud Section; and Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the U.S. Secret Service. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island and the Western District of Washington, and the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Unit are also collaborating on the initiative.
For the Department of Justice, the Scam Center Strike Force is led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen P. Seifert. The cryptocurrency seizure team is led by Assistant United States Attorneys Rick Blaylock and John Borchert, along with partners from CCIPS. From the U.S. Secret Service, these cryptocurrency seizure matters are handled by the Global Investigative Operation Center and Field Offices in San Francisco, San Diego, Memphis, Washington D.C., Nashville and Seattle Field Offices. From the Federal Bureau of Investigation, these cryptocurrency seizure matters are handled by the Cyber Enabled Fraud and Money Laundering Unit and Field Offices in Washington D.C., San Francisco, Memphis, Honolulu, Phoenix, San Diego, New York City and Chattanooga.
If you have been defrauded out of your money by a cryptocurrency investment fraud scheme, please contact the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
Creator of “OnlyFake” Charged and Pleads Guilty to Selling More Than 10,000 Digital Fake Identification DocumentsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), James C. Barnacle, Jr., announced today that Ukrainian national YURII NAZARENKO, a/k/a “Yuriy Nazarenko,” a/k/a “Uriel Septimberus,” a/k/a “Tor Ford,” a/k/a “John Wick,” has been charged and pled guilty for his role in operating the website “OnlyFake,” which sold fake photos of identification documents such as passports and driver’s licenses (“Digital Fake IDs”). NAZARENKO pled guilty today to conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with identification documents, authentication features, and information before U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett.
“We rely on government issued IDs to combat terrorism, hijackings, fraud, money laundering, and a host of other crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “OnlyFake’s manufacture of fraudulent IDs and other documents puts us all at risk and must be stopped.”
“Yurii Nazarenko developed a website to produce more than 10,000 fake identification documents, earning hundreds of thousands of dollars from these illicit sales. This platform offered its clients a myriad of criminal opportunities, including bypassing traditional regulations to launder money. The FBI will not tolerate any individual who exploits technology to allow others to conceal their true identity for potentially nefarious purposes,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr.
According to the charging documents and statements made in public filings and public court proceedings:
OnlyFake offered its customers the ability to generate various types of Digital Fake IDs. For example, OnlyFake allowed its customers to generate fake U.S. identification documents, including digital versions of driver’s licenses for each of the fifty states, United States passports, United States passport cards, and Social Security cards. OnlyFake also offered customers the ability to generate fake digital versions of identification documents of various other countries, including passports for approximately 56 countries other than the United States.
OnlyFake customers could customize the type of Digital Fake ID they wanted, including whether the Digital Fake ID should appear to be a scan of a real identification document, or appear to be a photograph of a real identification document taken on a surface like a table. Photos of the menu to generate a Digital Fake ID and of a fake United States passport generated through OnlyFake are below:
Customers paid OnlyFake for Digital Fake IDs in cryptocurrency. OnlyFake offered discounts for bulk purchases of Digital Fake IDs and offered packages of as many as 1,000 Digital Fake IDs at once. NAZARENKO operated and controlled OnlyFake. From approximately 2021, up to and including 2024, OnlyFake received at least approximately hundreds of thousands of dollars from customers purchasing Digital Fake IDs, and OnlyFake was used to generate at least approximately 10,000 Digital Fake IDs.
Banks and cryptocurrency exchanges generally require individuals seeking to open accounts to provide some type of government-issued identification document to prove their real identity (called Know Your Customer, or “KYC” programs) in order to prevent money laundering. Many of those financial institutions allow individuals to submit scans or photographs of their government-issued identification documents to establish their identity. The Digital Fake IDs sold by OnlyFake allowed individuals to circumvent KYC programs and to launder money by concealing their real identities.
* * *
NAZARENKO, 27, of Ukraine, pled guilty to one count of conspiring to commit fraud in connection with identification documents, authentication features, and information, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. NAZARENKO also agreed to forfeit $1,200,000, representing the proceeds of OnlyFake’s activity.
The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. NAZARENKO is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Garnett on June 26, 2026.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the FBI. He also thanked Romanian authorities and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for their assistance in securing Nazarenko's September 2025 extradition from Romania.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Mead and Angela Zhu are in charge of the prosecution.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
VALDOSTA, Ga. – A South Georgia man with prior drug convictions was sentenced to prison after police found him illegally in possession of a firearm following a traffic stop.
Cedric Jerome Maxwell, 49, of Valdosta, was sentenced to serve 230 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release by Senior U.S. District Judge W. Louis Sands on Feb. 26. Maxwell pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on Nov. 4, 2025. There is no parole in the federal system.
“It is illegal for felony offenders to possess a firearm. Our office will seek federal prosecution against armed repeat offenders who continue to commit crimes in the Middle District of Georgia,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes. “We are thankful to our law enforcement partners for their collaboration to hold convicted felons accountable for breaking the law and working to make our communities safer for everyone.”
"The illegal possession of firearms by repeat offenders poses a threat to our neighborhoods. The ATF stands firm in its mission to deny criminals access to firearms, partnering with local law enforcement to ensure justice is served,” said ATF Atlanta Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka.
“We are thankful for the relationships we maintain with federal, state and local law enforcement to help get repeat criminals with guns off the streets and hold them accountable,” said Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk.
According to court documents and statements referenced in court, the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Maxwell for failure to maintain laneon June 2, 2022. The investigator smelled marijuana and conducted a legal search of the vehicle. Inside the middle console, investigators found bundles of cash, a blue zip pouch containing cocaine, some red and blue pills that tested positive for methamphetamine and a .40 caliber firearm. Investigators also found marijuana in the back seat. Maxwell has three prior felony drug convictions. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Daniels is prosecuting the case for the Government.
Conferencia de prensa del 26 de febrero de 2026 sobre “La Rana”Read the Press Release
Buenos días. Mi nombre es Adam Gordon, y soy el Fiscal Federal del Distrito Sur de California. Hoy me acompañan:
- Los principales fiscales de este caso, los fiscales federales adjuntos Joshua Mellor y Matthew Sutton;
- James M. Nunnallee, agente especial interino a cargo de la DEA en San Diego;
- TJ Holland, agente especial interino a cargo de la oficina local del FBI en San Diego;
- Victor White, fiscal federal ejecutivo adjunto;
- Jason Powell, agente especial adjunto a cargo de la División de Investigación Criminal del IRS; y
- Kevin Murphy, agente especial a cargo de la Oficina de Investigaciones de Seguridad Nacional, en representación del Grupo Operativo de Seguridad Nacional.
Al final de las declaraciones, ofreceremos la oportunidad de hacer preguntas relacionadas con este caso y estaremos a disposición de los medios en español.
Sagitario. Chavo Félix. Flaquito. Payo. Valdez-Ruiz.
Todos ellos se encuentran aquí. Están acusados de delitos federales. Y ellos son solo el principio.
Hace menos de 300 días, estos cabecillas del cártel andaban libres y sin temor. Hoy están detenidos y en custodia federal en el Distrito Sur de California.
No era una amenaza cuando les dije que ya no eran los cazadores, sino los cazados. Era una certeza. Las organizaciones terroristas extranjeras pueden operar a través de fronteras. Pero la justicia no se detiene allí. Los recientes informes sobre el liderazgo de los cárteles en México subrayan una sencilla verdad: las organizaciones criminales construidas sobre el miedo y la violencia son inherentemente inestables. Los individuos pueden ascender y caer, pero el estado de derecho perdura.
Sobre la base de estos éxitos sin precedentes, hoy anunciamos una imputación de cargos federales sustitutiva contra René Arzate García, infamemente conocido como “La Rana,” un lugarteniente de alto rango y ultraviolento del Cártel de Sinaloa que ha controlado el corredor de drogas de Tijuana por 15 años mediante el terror y la violencia.
También anunciamos que la Oficina de Asuntos Internacionales de Narcóticos y Aplicación de la Ley del Departamento de Estado está ofreciendo hasta 5 millones de dólares por información que conduzca al arresto y/o condena de “La Rana” o de su hermano, Alfonso Arzate-García, alias “Aquiles”. Esta colaboración es un logro de la visión del presidente Trump y de la fiscal general Bondi de erradicar por completo a las organizaciones terroristas extranjeras.
Desde 2014, los hermanos Arzate-García se encuentran prófugos tras ser acusados por separado por delitos de narcotráfico en el Distrito Sur de California.
A partir de entonces, “La Rana” asumió un papel aún mayor dentro del Cártel de Sinaloa y se ha convertido en uno de sus más activos narcotraficantes y operadores del brazo armado.
La nueva imputación federal hecha pública esta mañana incorpora cargos mucho más graves. “La Rana” está imputado por narcoterrorismo, por proporcionar apoyo material al terrorismo, por dirigir una empresa criminal continuada, por conspiración internacional para distribuir metanfetamina, cocaína, fentanilo y marihuana, y por lavado de dinero.
En unos momentos escucharán detalles específicos sobre cómo “La Rana” ha ejercido un control brutal sobre la plaza de Tijuana para el Cártel de Sinaloa mediante la intimidación y el derrame de sangre. Estos cargos reflejan el daño devastador causado a comunidades a ambos lados de la frontera, mediante la violencia, la adicción y la intimidación.
Como todos podemos ver, los restantes miembros libres del Cártel de Sinaloa se han convertido en un riesgo mutuo. Cada uno sabe demasiado sobre los demás. En ese mundo, la traición no es una cuestión de si ocurrirá, sino de cuándo.
A los líderes del cártel que aún siguen prófugos, les planteo esta pregunta: ¿En quién pueden confiar cuando no pueden confiar en nadie? Cuando el miedo que antes usaban para controlar a otros ahora los controla a ustedes.
Y para los que siguen libres:
Escóndanse. Corran. Peleen. Huyan.
La ilusión es que tienen una opción. La realidad es simple: entréguense a la justicia o serán traídos ante la justicia.
Lo que nos une en las fuerzas del orden público es la convicción de que impera el estado de derecho y de que la justicia es inescapable. Hoy reafirmamos ese compromiso. El estado de derecho no vacila. No claudica.
Para describir la imputación en detalle, invito al fiscal federal adjunto Josh Mellor que pase al frente.
Gracias.
END
Chilean National Extradited to U.S. to Face Financial Fraud Crimes in the District of UtahRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A Chilean national extradited from Chile to the United States on February 25, 2026, was arraigned in court today to face charges that he trafficked tens of thousands of stolen credit card numbers and information.
Alex Rodrigo Valenzuela Monje, aka “VAL4K,” 24, of Chile, was charged in a sealed indictment by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City on August 8, 2023. The United States submitted an extradition request to Chile, which the Chilean Supreme Court initially approved on April 22, 2025. After various appeals before the Supreme Court of Chile, Valenzuela Monje was arrested on the extradition request from the United States on January 14, 2026. Valenzuela is charged with trafficking in unauthorized access devices, and unlawful transfer of means of identification to facilitate criminal conduct. Valenzuela Monje entered a not-guilty plea to both counts of the indictment against him.
According to the allegations in court documents, from at least May 2021 to August 2023, Valenzuela Monje operated an illegal online card shop, selling dumps of unauthorized access devices through Telegram channels. He allegedly operated the channels known as MacacoCC Collective and Novato Carding, offering payment card data for virtually all U.S. payment cards. Under one credit card brand alone, Valenzuela Monje trafficked the stolen numbers and information for approximately 26,528 cards. Valenzuela often provided the account number, card type, account holder name, card verification value (“CVV” or CVC”), and expiration date.
“I want to thank our federal partners for their dedication in investigating individuals in foreign countries who use the internet to commit crimes against our citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah. “Individuals may believe they can hide behind foreign borders, but the United States is committed to investigating and prosecuting these cybercrimes targeting Americans.”
“This extradition sends a clear message to cybercriminals everywhere that geography will not shield you from accountability,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls of the Salt Lake City FBI. “Even when operating from abroad, those who exploit technology to victimize American companies and citizens will be identified, located, and brought to justice. Our international partnerships, alongside our work with the Utah Department of Public Safety, remain among the FBI's most powerful tools in targeting and dismantling cyber threats."
Valenzuela Monje’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 4, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. in courtroom 3.4 before Senior U.S. District Court Judge Dale A. Kimball at the Orrin G. Hatch U.S. District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
The case is being investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office with special assistance provided by foreign legal authorities from the National Prosecutor’s Office (Fiscalía Nacional) of Chile, Policía de Investigaciones (PDI), FBI's Law Enforcement Attache office in Santiago, Chile, FBI Miami, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs worked closely with Chilean counterparts, the Fiscalía Nacional Unidad Especializada en Cooperación Internacional y Extradiciones (UCIEX), to secure the arrest and extradition of Valenzuela Monje. The extradition was carried out by the FBI, Utah State Bureau of Investigation, and the Salt Lake City Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Carl LeSueur of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Attachments:
alex_rodrigo_valenzuela_monje.indictment.pdfChicago Man Sentenced to 40 Years for Running Fentanyl Distribution OperationRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – A Chicago, Illinois man was sentenced today for operating a drug distribution organization that transported fentanyl from Chicago, Illinois, to Weirton, West Virginia, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
Gerald Henry, also known as “Unc,” “G,” and “G-ball,” age 41, was sentenced to 480 months in federal prison for the possession and distribution of 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Henry transported large quantities of fentanyl to Hancock County, West Virginia to distribute to others for sale. Investigators seized more than 400 grams of fentanyl, a firearm, and ammunition from a search of Henry’s Weirton residence. Agents linked 1,435 grams of fentanyl to Henry during the investigation. Henry has a lengthy criminal history that includes multiple drug convictions.
“Henry was responsible for enough fentanyl to kill every man, woman, and child of the Upper Ohio Valley six times over,” said U.S. Attorney Harvey. “I commend our law enforcement partners for their diligence in getting this poison out of our communities and saving lives.”
Jasmine McCullough, 42, of Chicago, Illinois; Stephen Price, 40, of Chicago, Illinois; Daniel Pail Truax, 47, of Weirton, West Virginia; Paula Jean Truax, 45, of Weirton, West Virginia; and William Dean Tredway, 36, of Colliers, West Virginia have each previously entered guilty pleas for their roles in the operation. Tredway was sentenced to 9 months in prison. The others’ sentencings are pending.
Fentanyl has been designated by President Donald Trump as a weapon of mass destruction due to its extreme lethality which poses a grave threat to public safety, even in trace amounts. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, and repel the invasion of illegal immigration.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Clayton Reid and Carly Nogay prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
Investigative agencies include the Hancock-Brooke-Weirton Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the United States Marshals Service; the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office; the Brooke County Sheriff’s Office; the Weirton Police Department; the West Virginia State Police; the Jefferson County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Office; the Steubenville, Ohio, Police Department; and the Wheeling Police Department.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.
Cedar Rapids Drug Trafficker Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who trafficked cocaine base, fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana was sentenced yesterday to more than 12 years in federal prison. Cleveland Stephens, also known as “Schmitty,” age 63, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 27, 2025, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.
Information at sentencing showed that between August 2022 and June 2024, Stephens sold pounds of methamphetamine to multiple people. In October 2022, he was in a car that was stopped in Davenport, Iowa. Law enforcement officers searched the car and found cocaine base, cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana. In June 2024, law enforcement officers searched Stephens’s house and car in Cedar Rapids and found methamphetamine, marijuana, and nearly $4,500 in cash.
Stephens was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Stephens was sentenced to 151 months’ imprisonment and must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
HSTF Kansas City is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, covering Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. HSTF Kansas City is composed of agents and officers from the Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the State Investigative Agencies for Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska, and the Kansas City Missouri Police Department.
This HSTF case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Devra T. Hake and Dillan Edwards and investigated by HSTF Kansas City, with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force consisting of the DEA, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Marion Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-CR-92.
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Camden Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Access Device FraudRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Jamel Christopher Chisolm, 37, of Camden, has been sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for access device fraud involving stolen credit cards.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that in 2023, several law enforcement agencies were investigating cases of stolen mail, including missing credit cards. During a traffic stop, local law enforcement found Chisolm in possession of numerous credit cards in other peoples’ names. Further investigation revealed that these cards had been stolen from the mail. After stealing the credit cards out of the mail, Chisolm and a colleague used the cards to obtain goods and services. They made unauthorized purchases and withdrawals on the credit cards through a variety of methods, including software such as “Gucci Bot.” In total, victims reported a financial loss of over $118,000.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Chisolm to 27 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. He was also ordered to pay $118,769.88 in restitution to the victims of the crime.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Camden Police Department, and the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Potterfield prosecuted the case.
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Bridal Shop Owner Pleads Guilty to Employment Tax Crimes Spanning a DecadeRead the Press Release
A Parker, Colorado woman pleaded guilty today to willfully failing to pay over employment taxes for more than a decade.
According to court documents, Donna M. Savoy owned and operated Donna Beth Creations (“DBC”), a bridal studio in Denver, Colorado. In her role, Savoy was responsible for withholding Social Security, Medicare and income taxes from her employees’ wages, paying those funds over to the IRS and filing quarterly employment tax returns.
For a decade – that is, from the first quarter of 2014 through the fourth quarter of 2024 – Savoy admitted that she withheld taxes from her employees’ wages but willfully failed to pay them over to the IRS. Savoy also willfully failed to file employment tax returns for that entire period. According to her plea agreement, Savoy spent the tax money she held in trust on personal and business expenses. In total, Savoy caused a tax loss to the United States exceeding $1.3 million.
Savoy pleaded guilty to one count of willful failure to account for and pay over trust fund taxes. She is scheduled to be sentenced on June 15, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Stuart A. Wexler of the Criminal Division’s Tax Section is prosecuting the case.
Brazilian National Unlawfully in the United States Sentenced for Selling 14 Firearms Without a LicenseRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brazilian national unlawfully residing in Worcester has been sentenced to prison for selling firearms without a license.
Joao Vitor Dos Santos Goncalves Pimenta, 21, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns to 27 months in prison. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of the imposed sentence. In August 2025, Goncalves Pimenta pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license.
Between July and September 2024, Goncalves Pimenta sold 14 firearms without the required license in exchange for cash. The firearms included pistols and AR-15-style rifles and large capacity magazines.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Revere Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Crowley and John Reynolds of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
Attleboro Man Charged with Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An Attleboro man has been arrested and charged for allegedly possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Gerard R. Proulx, Jr., 59, is charged by criminal complaint with one count of possession of child pornography. Proulx was arrested on Feb. 25, 2026, and made an initial appearance in federal court in Boston later that day. He is currently detained.
In 2012, Proulx was convicted of possession of child pornography in the District of Rhode Island and sentenced to 30 months in federal prison.
According to the charging documents, in the summer of 2025, law enforcement investigating the receipt and distribution of child pornography via the internet downloaded multiple files from an IP address determined to be registered to Proulx. On Feb. 25, 2026, during a search of Proulx’s residence, various electronic devices including a desktop computer were recovered. It is alleged that an initial forensic examination of Proulx’s desktop computer revealed over 1500 files consistent with CSAM. Further review of Proulx’s devices remains on-going.
Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274 or contact [email protected].
Because of Proulx’s prior conviction, the charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime 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 Randy Maloney, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Zacks of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Arvada Man Indicted on Charges Related to Manufacture of ‘Bath Salts’Read the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Nicholas T. Benevento, also known as Derrick Jones, 44, of Arvada, was indicted on one count of knowingly manufacturing and possessing with the intent to distribute a substance containing alpha-Pyrrolidinopentiophenone (alpha-PVP) near a playground, and one count of maintaining a drug house to manufacture alpha-PVP. This illegal substance is more commonly known by the name ‘bath salts.’
According to the indictment, from approximately April 2025 to October 2025, Benevento purchased precursor chemicals used in the manufacture of alpha-PVP and had them shipped to himself at several addresses across Colorado and Utah. The indictment also alleges that on or about November 10, 2025, Benevento manufactured alpha-PVP at his apartment on Ralston Road in Arvada, which was located within 1,000 feet of the Ralston Central Park and Splash Pad. The manufacture of alpha-PVP resulted in and created a toxic fume smell and combustible gas emanating from the apartment.
The charges contained in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is handling the investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Amanda R. Scott is handling the prosecution.
Case Number: 26-CR-00041-SKC
Armed drug dealer pleaded guilty to federal crimesRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – John Broadway, a Brunswick County man, pleaded guilty to selling fentanyl, possession with intent to sell fentanyl and methamphetamine and possession of a gun to help sell drugs. Broadway faces at least 5 years and up to life in federal prison.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Broadway sold fentanyl to a Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) confidential informant. A small child was present at his home during the drug deal. The BCSO executed a search warrant at his home and found methamphetamine, fentanyl, $8,800 and 18 guns.
“If you sell drugs, we will find you, prosecute you, and throw you in prison for a long time. Stop poisoning your community to make a little bit of money before rotting in prison. This is a lose-lose-lose proposition, so cut it out.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle.
“This case demonstrates our unwavering commitment to removing illegal firearms and dangerous narcotics from our communities. The collaboration between our Narcotics Unit, the ATF, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office sends a clear message: if you choose to traffic drugs and illegally possess firearms in Brunswick County, we will work relentlessly - across every level of law enforcement - to hold you accountable.”
said Brunswick County Sherriff Brian Chism.
W. Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after the guilty plea before Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The BCSO and ATF investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Severo is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER.
Alleged road rage murderer faces Federal chargesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Solomon Owens, a convicted felon, now faces federal charges for possession of a gun by a felon after shooting at members of the Raleigh Police Department (RPD) on February 19, 2026. Federal prosecutors charged him by criminal complaint for possessing a Radical Firearms, model 300BLK rifle.
According to the criminal complaint, on February 19, 2026, Garner Police Department (GPD) swore out murder warrants for Owens related to the road rage killing of Joseph Adams on February 9, 2026. Law enforcement received information that Owens allegedly shot Joseph Adams because Owens felt that Adams did not let him “change lanes.” As stated in the complaint, Owens told a witness, “He wouldn’t let me over, so I handled it.” Members of the RPD Selective Enforcement Unit went to Owens’s apartment in North Raleigh. Once they entered his apartment, Owens fired multiple rounds. Owens’ bullets struck one officer in the helmet and another officer’s ballistic shield. By the grace of God, they did not suffer injury. After opening fire, Owens exited his apartment, hiding behind a woman who held an infant in her arms. RPD shot a non-lethal sponge round striking Owens in the leg. After he dropped, they took Owens into custody. The State currently detains Owens with no bond at the Wake County Detention Center.
If convicted, Owens faces up to life in prison.
Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement. The RPD, GPD, and ATF investigated the case, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Erin Becker is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER.
Alleged Tren de Aragua Gang Members Charged in Connection with ATM "Jackpotting Scheme"Read the Press Release
BOSTON – Two Venezuelan nationals, alleged to be members of the violent transitional criminal organization Tren De Aragua, have been charged in connection with an ATM jackpotting conspiracy that included robberies and attempted robberies in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island. ATM jackpotting schemes typically involve a crew of individuals who travel to targeted ATMs and install malware directly to the ATM’s software programming to force the ATM to dispense all its cash.
Moises Alejandro Martinez Gutierrz and Lestter Guerrero, both 29, have been charged with conspiracy to commit bank theft. They will make their appearance in federal court in Boston at a later date. Both defendants are in the United States unlawfully.
According to court documents there has been an ongoing federal investigation into a nationwide conspiracy, believed to be coordinated and committed by members of Tren de Aragua (“TdA”), to steal money from ATMs using malware -- a scheme referred to as ATM jackpotting. TdA is a violent transnational criminal organization that originated in Venezuela in the mid-2000s which has expanded throughout the Western Hemisphere with an established presence in the United States. According to court filings, TdA’s criminal activities include human smuggling, extortion, drug trafficking, kidnapping and robbery. TdA has developed revenue sources through a range of criminal activities, including ATM jackpotting to steal millions of dollars from financial institutions. Jackpotting proceeds are typically distributed amongst TdA members and associates to conceal its derivation. TdA members often are instructed to split the proceeds from a jackpot operation with 50% earmarked and sent to TdA leadership in Venezuela and 50% divided among subjects conducting ground operations.
According to charging documents, on Feb. 5, 2026, Martinez Gutierrez and Guerrero were arrested in Augusta, Maine following an attempted ATM jackpotting robbery. Martinez Gutierrez is allegedly connected to at least five additional ATM jackpotting robberies across New England, including robberies on Dec. 31, 2025, in Norwich, Conn; Jan. 20, 2026, in Braintree, Mass; and Jan. 30, 2026, in Rochester, N.H.; and attempted robberies on Jan. 14, 2026, in Coventry, R.I.; and on Jan. 19, 2026, in Stoneham, Mass. Guerrero is allegedly connected to at least one additional jackpotting robbery, with Martinez Gutierrez, on Jan. 30, 2026, in Rochester, N.H.The charge of conspiring to commit bank theft provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to 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; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New Haven Division; the Massachusetts State Police; the Braintree, Stoneham, Boston, Dedham, Malden, Somerville, Augusta (Maine), Rochester (N.H.), Coventry (R.I.) and Norwich (Conn.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin J. Brown of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit and Peter K. Levitt, Chief of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit, are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Alaska Resident Sentenced to Federal Prison for Wire FraudRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.— A Cameroonian national residing in Anchorage, Alaska, was sentenced to federal prison today for fraudulently obtaining more than $172,000 in taxpayer money from emergency programs intended to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Peter Igwacho, 65, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $182,225.15 in restitution.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between April 2020 and October 2021, during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Igwacho filed at least five fraudulent applications for pandemic stimulus funds through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury and Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. The information on those forms, in support of his request for stimulus funds, was fraudulent. The applications submitted by Igwacho were filed on behalf of a sole proprietorship that did not, in fact, have actual business operations, payrolled employees, or the reported gross revenues.
Further, upon receipt of the stimulus funds, Igwacho did not spend those funds on approved pandemic-related expenses but instead spent the money on personal expenses. The PPP and EIDL programs were designed to help small businesses facing financial difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On July 23, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a three-count superseding indictment charging Igwacho with wire fraud.
On August 21, 2025, Igwacho was convicted of all three counts following a three-day jury trial.
This case was investigated by the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General and Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. It was prosecuted by Robert Trisotto and Meredith Bateman, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.
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.
Alabama Man Faces 20 Years for Distributing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
ALBANY, Ga. – An Alabama resident is facing up to 20 years in prison after he was caught by an undercover Homeland Security Investigations agent distributing child sexual abuse material of young female children online while he was living in Southwest Georgia.
Bradley Love, 37, of Dothan, Alabama, and formerly of Blakely, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography before Chief U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner on Feb. 26. Love faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, followed by at least five years up to a maximum of lifetime supervised release and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date will be determined by the Court. There is no parole in the federal system.
“This case demonstrates the strong collaboration between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to identify and apprehend child predators lurking online,” said U.S. Attorney William R “Will” Keyes. “We are committed to pursuing online child predators and seeking the maximum penalties available under the law.”
“Let this serve as a warning: Anyone who distributes child sexual abuse material will be found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama Steven N. Schrank. “HSI’s undercover operations are designed to expose predators who target children online. We will not tolerate these crimes, and we will use every tool at our disposal to protect children and ensure offenders are removed from our communities.”
According to court documents and statements referenced in court, a HSI undercover agent joined a “teen chat” room on a website called “chat-avenue.com” on Dec. 7, 2023, and posted “Dad of 2 8yro and 10yro.” Soon after, the agent received a private message from an individual with a screenname of “Whiteranger,” who was Love.
During the undercover investigation, Love asked the agent about his daughters and if he had sexually abused them. Love then asked the undercover agent to move their conversation to the messaging platform, Kik. On Kik, Love sent the undercover agent a photo of male genitals and requested explicit photos of his daughters. Love also relayed he had child sexual abuse material of children he wanted to share, but that he didn’t want to be kicked off Kik for sharing CSAM, and requested to move that conversation to another platform, Session.
In Session, Love’s screenname was “Jackkfrost.” Love sent one photo of a naked prepubescent female child, one picture of two naked female children and a picture of a prepubescent female engaging in sexually explicit conduct to the undercover agent. HSI investigators located the defendant at his home address in Blakely, Georgia. On Sept. 5, 2024, HSI, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations and the Early County Sheriff’s Office executed a federal search warrant at Love’s Blakely residence. Several electronic items belonging to Love were seized: one cell phone contained approximately 139 images depicting CSAM, and a second cell phone contained two images depicting CSAM. Love told investigators he was interested in minor children who were “toddler age” and confirmed that he sent and received CSAM on these platforms.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from sexual predators, visit Know2Protect.gov. To report suspicious activities, call 787-729-6969.
HSI investigated the case with assistance from the GBI and the Early County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Daniels is prosecuting the case for the Government.
25 February 2026
Winnebago County Woman Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud for Stealing Funds from a Booster ClubRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — The former Treasurer of a booster club in Rockford, Ill. has pleaded guilty to a federal fraud charge for embezzling more than $34,000 from the club.
SHONDRA MCLARTY, 55, admitted in a plea agreement that she embezzled and stole money from the Tumbling and Acro Boosters Club (“TAB”) from 2023 to 2024 while she served as Treasurer. McLarty fraudulently used TAB’s business debit card and fraudulently caused TAB to issue business checks, which she used for personal expenses and not for any legitimate business purpose. According to the plea agreement, McLarty admitted to concealing her misappropriation of funds by changing the mailing address of TAB’s business bank accounts to her personal residence.
McLarty, of Rockton, Ill., pleaded guilty on Tuesday to wire fraud, which is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence will be determined by U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston, guided by the Sentencing Guidelines. Sentencing is set for June 23, 2026, at 1:30 p.m.
The guilty plea was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The Rockford Police Department assisted in the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Kim.
Washington, Missouri Embezzler Sentenced to 18 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Wednesday sentenced a woman who embezzled more than $160,000 from her employer to 18 months in prison and ordered her to repay the money.
Victoria Isgriggs, formerly known as Victoria Denise Missey, worked at a Franklin County nursery and florist as an office manager and accountant from approximately Nov. 26, 2023, through April 29, 2024. Isgriggs embezzled $34,934 from the company’s bank account. She applied for and received a company credit card without authorization and used it to make $76,095 in personal purchases and charged another $46,125 using five co-workers’ cards. She fraudulently increased her salary, stealing another $4,635. Finally, she added herself to the company’s Lowe’s credit card and made $2,666 in fraudulent charges there.
Investigators were able to recover $11,850 in cash, as well as jewelry, Christian Louboutin footwear and Louis Vuitton bags and accessories. Isgriggs has agreed to forfeit the cash and other valuables.
Isgriggs, 45, of Washington, Missouri, pleaded guilty in October in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to two counts of wire fraud.
The U.S. Secret Service and the Washington Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Roy prosecuted the case.
Venezuelan National Found Guilty on 5 Counts in Sex Trafficking of a Minor CaseRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A federal jury convicted a Venezuelan national Monday on five counts related to the sex trafficking of a 16-year-old starting in Columbia and extending to Richmond, Kentucky and San Antonio, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Nelson Adrian Perez-Martinez, 23, harbored, provided, transported, obtained, advertised, and maintained a 16-year-old undocumented Venezuelan orphan. Co-conspirator Giannys Alexandra Ramirez-Fernandez, 21, began a relationship with the girl when the child was 13 years old and living with her adopted parents in Colombia. Ramirez-Fernandez was 17 years old at the time. The two crossed illegally into the United States in December 2022, residing in Richmond, Kentucky. Perez-Martinez, a friend of Ramirez-Fernandez from Venezuela, crossed illegally into the U.S. in December 2023 and joined them in Kentucky in June 2024. Perez-Martinez and Ramirez-Fernandez decided to take their victim to San Antonio where they would have her engage in prostitution. Perez-Martinez and Ramirez-Fernandez intended to keep any money she earned. The three traveled via bus in July 2024 from Richmond to San Antonio for that purpose.
An investigation revealed that Perez-Martinez and Ramirez-Fernandez accompanied the minor to approximately six different motels in San Antonio from July 19 to July 30, 2024. The three shared a room at each location, paid for in cash by proceeds from the child’s commercial sex acts.
On Oct. 1, 2025, Perez-Martinez was charged in a five-count indictment with aiding and abetting the sex trafficking of children, aiding and abetting the benefitting from sex trafficking of children, conspiracy to sex traffic children, aiding and abetting coercion and enticement of a minor, and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. The fees collected from the minor’s commercial sex acts were knowingly used by Perez-Martinez and Ramirez-Fernandez for food, shelter, transportation, and other items. The two conspirators lived solely off of the proceeds for approximately six weeks.
Perez-Martinez and Ramirez-Fernandez were arrested on July 30, 2024, as part of an ongoing investigation into domestic sex trafficking. An undercover San Antonio Police officer with the Human Exploitation Unit responded to an advertisement posted on a website for escort services. Posing as a customer, the officer contacted the phone number on the advertisement and was instructed to meet at the Studio 6 motel on Pasteur Court in San Antonio. Once the undercover was in the motel room with the minor, the girl agreed to prostitution services, and the officer signaled for the arrest team. Simultaneously, Perez-Martinez and Ramirez-Fernandez were arrested, as they were identified as spotters for the operation.
“When we tolerate the stolen innocence of children, we slowly lose our soul as a nation,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. “In the Western District of Texas, we have zero tolerance for aliens who enter our country illegally and commit heinous crimes like those committed in this case. We will use all resources available to us to hold accountable those, like the defendant here, who seek to enrich themselves via the sexual abuse of children.”
The trial for Perez-Martinez began Tuesday, Feb. 17, and on Monday, Feb. 23, the jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts. In October, an initial trial for Perez-Martinez resulted in a hung jury.
Ramirez- Fernandez pleaded guilty to three counts of a superseding indictment. She faces 10 years to life in prison and has an ICE immigration detainer in place to facilitate her deportation after she serves her sentence. Her sentencing hearing is currently set for April 20. U.S. District Court Judge Fred Biery is presiding over the case and has not yet set a date for the sentencing of Perez-Martinez.
Homeland Security Investigations and the San Antonio Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alicia McNab and Sade Bogart are prosecuting the case. Megan Ramirez, with the office’s Advanced Litigation Support unit, provided technical assistance to the trial team leading up to and during the trial.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
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USPS employee indicted for misappropriation of fundsRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment charging a United States postal worker with embezzling from his employer.
According to court documents, Dalton R. Garcia, 33, of Brewster, Kansas, was indicted on one count of misappropriation of postal funds.
From August 2025 to September 2025, Garcia is accused of using his position as an employee of the U.S Postal Service to embezzle money and property valued at more than $1,000.
The U.S. Postal Service - Office of Inspector General is investigating the case.
OTHER INDICTMENTSMichael J. Madden, 41, of Wichita was indicted on two counts of felon in possession of ammunition. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is investigating the case.
Damion Guy, 40, was indicted on one count of distribution of child pornography. The Wichita Police Department and the Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force are investigating the case.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
###U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Employee Agrees to Pay $500,000 to Resolve Conflict-of-Interest AllegationsRead the Press Release
Daxin Wu, a Patent Examiner for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), has agreed to pay $500,000 to resolve allegations that she violated conflict-of-interest rules during the course of her employment with the USPTO.
Among other things, the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 prohibits executive branch employees from participating personally and substantially in particular matters that will affect their own financial interests. The settlement resolves allegations that, between January 2019 and May 2022, Wu worked personally and substantially on at least nine patent applications submitted by companies in which she had a financial interest. For example, Wu allegedly worked personally and substantially on patent applications for companies in which she held more than $300,000 and $140,000 worth of stock, respectively. In addition, the settlement resolves allegations that Ms. Wu reviewed patent applications submitted by companies that were commercial competitors of a company for which she owned more than $900,000 worth of stock. As part of the settlement, Wu has agreed to pay a civil penalty to resolve allegations that her conduct violated conflict-of-interest prohibitions for federal employees.
“The Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General works hard to investigate alleged conflicts of interest at USPTO and throughout the Department of Commerce — and hold offenders accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Laura Barsczewski of the Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations. “We will continue to be resolute in our charge for justice and work closely with the Department of Justice.”
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the Department of Commerce, Office of Inspector General. This matter was handled by Trial Attorney Joshua Barron of the Civil Division.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Three illegal aliens face federal charges for operating a Brookhaven methamphetamine laboratoryRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Three illegal aliens from Mexico, Sergio Cortes-Nieto, Christian Martinez Larumbe Dominguez, and Jose Angel Cortes Raquel, appeared in federal court today and yesterday on charges related to their alleged operation of an Atlanta-area methamphetamine conversation laboratory. In addition, Cortes Raquel was arraigned on a previously unsealed indictment that charged him with a separate 2024 incident where he allegedly trafficked over 2,000 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in a load of celery.
“These illegal aliens, including a fugitive from justice charged with trafficking more than a ton of methamphetamine that agents removed from the streets in a record-breaking seizure, were allegedly audaciously operating a drug lab in the backyard of a suburban home,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “To ensure that the cartels never secure a foothold in North Georgia, even as they try to imbed themselves in our neighborhoods, we will continue to aggressively prosecute the criminals responsible for manufacturing and distributing this poison.”
“This lab was operating in a backyard, in close proximity to families and children,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “That level of disregard for human life is unacceptable. Our priority remains protecting the public from the devastating impact of illegal drug manufacturing.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On February 20, 2026, DEA agents executed a federal search warrant at a Brookhaven residence. In the backyard, agents found Cortes Raquel and Larumbe Dominguez allegedly operating a methamphetamine conversation laboratory concealed under a tent. Cortes Raquel attempted to run away but was quickly apprehended. Agents seized approximately 100 pounds ofliquid methamphetamine mixed and concealed in concrete and an additional 50 liters of liquid methamphetamine solution. Cortes-Nieto, who was also allegedly converting methamphetamine at the residence, was arrested earlier in the day at a nearby storage facility.
The investigation further revealed that Cortes-Nieto, Larumbe Dominguez, and Cortes Raquel are citizens of Mexico and illegally present in the United States.
Sergio Cortes-Nieto, 53, Christian Martinez Larumbe Dominguez, 31, and Jose Angel Cortes Raquel, 39, all of Mexico, appeared before a U.S. magistrate judge on a criminal complaint that charged them with possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Cortes Raquel was also arraigned on an indictment that charged him with conspiracy and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. The charges in the indictment related to the DEA’s August 8, 2024 record-breaking seizure of 2,370 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in boxes of celery at the Atlanta State Farmers Market in Forest Park, Georgia. Cortes Raquel allegedly coordinated the delivery of those drugs.
Members of the public are reminded that the criminal complaint and indictment only contain charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
The cases are being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Schwarzl and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Herskowitz are prosecuting the cases.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.