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20 February 2026
Five Defendants Charged with Impersonating Immigration Judges, Law Enforcement Officers, and LawyersRead the Press Release
Earlier today, a five-count indictment was partially unsealed in the Eastern District of New York charging five defendants with wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and two counts of false impersonation of an officer or employee of the United States. Three of the defendants, Daniela Alejandra Sanchez Ramirez, Jhoan Sebastian Sanchez Ramirez, and Alexandra Patricia Sanchez Ramirez, were arrested this afternoon at Newark Liberty International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Colombia with one-way tickets. Marlyn Yulitza Salazar Pineda was arrested at a restaurant in New Jersey. A fifth defendant is not in U.S. custody. Daniela and Jhoan Ramirez, and Marlyn Pineda are immigration parolees, and Alexandra Ramirez is in the U.S. on a tourist visa. Daniela, Jhoan, and Alexandra Ramirez are siblings. The four defendants who were arrested will be arraigned tomorrow morning at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn before United States Magistrate Judge Peggy Cross-Goldenberg.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D, Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General, and Ryan Hill, Acting Special Agent in Charge, United States Customs and Border Protection, Office of Professional Responsibility, New York Field Office (CBP-OPR), announced the arrests and charges.
“As alleged, the defendants undermined the integrity of our immigration system by impersonating judges, law enforcement officers, and lawyers, and targeting vulnerable members of our community who sought to hire attorneys to help them navigate sensitive legal issues,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “The defendants brazenly stole their victims’ money and deceived them by sending fictious documents and holding sham court proceedings. I commend our Office’s prosecution team and the law enforcement agents whose hard work has disrupted this elaborate and outrageous scheme.”
Mr. Nocella expressed his appreciation to Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Fraud Detection, and National Security Directorate; the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service; Executive Office for Immigration Review-Office of the General Counsel’s Fraud & Abuse Prevention Program; and the New York State Office for New Americans.
“We denounce those who would prey upon people trying to work through the immigration system,” stated DHS Inspector General Cuffari. “We will hold accountable anyone who commits fraud or impersonates government officials. We appreciate all our law enforcements partners that worked to expose this scheme and bring these individuals to justice.”
“The Office of Professional Responsibility in coordination with our other federal partners at DHS OIG, CBP Office of Field Operations (OFO), HSI, and DSS were able to stop an illegal scheme impacting hundreds of potential victims and generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in illicit proceeds, which were being remitted to Colombia, the Foreign Terrorist Organization’s base of operations,” stated CPB-OPR Acting Special Agent in Charge Hill. “Impersonating immigration attorneys and U.S. government officials, including CBP and USCIS officers, and U.S. Embassy personnel, to profit on the fear of others is repulsive. These criminals will now face severe consequences for their horrific actions.”
As set forth in the indictment and other court filings, the defendants and their co-conspirators portrayed themselves as immigration lawyers and operated a fictitious immigration law firm that they called “CM Bufete De Abogados Consultoria Migratoria.” After soliciting prospective “clients,” primarily on Facebook, the defendants and their co-conspirators charged their victims fees ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars for nonexistent legal advice and services. None of the defendants or their identified co-conspirators were attorneys admitted or licensed to practice law in any jurisdiction in the United States.
After receiving victim funds, the defendants and their co-conspirators pretended as if they were actually representing their “clients.” They transmitted documents that appeared to be official because they included symbols of agencies of the United States government. Some of these documents referenced the victims’ actual cases pending in immigration court and/or reflected that the victims’ pending cases had been successfully resolved. In reality, none of these were legitimate documents issued by any United States government agency.
The defendants and their co-conspirators also facilitated sham immigration proceedings, including asylum interviews and court appearances, in which the victims participated via videoconference. In certain of these fictitious proceedings, the defendants and their co-conspirators impersonated immigration judges, agents from CBP and USCIS, and immigration lawyers. They wore judicial robes and law enforcement uniforms and appeared in front of backgrounds that resembled courtrooms and government offices, with agency seals and flags. During these videoconferences, the impersonators asked the victims sensitive personal questions and requested the victims’ personal identifying information.
At times, the defendants and their co-conspirators falsely represented that these sham proceedings had resolved the victims’ pending immigration cases. As a result, victims missed their actual appearances in immigration court, which resulted in at least one victim being ordered deported who mistakenly believed her immigration issues were resolved. The order was later reversed.
In total, the investigation has identified over $100,000 in fraudulent transactions transmitted by victims to the defendants and other individuals associated with the fake CM Bufete De Abogados Consultoria Migratoria law firm.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Each defendant faces up to 20 years of imprisonment if convicted.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Section. Assistant United States Attorney James R. Simmons is in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Special Agent Egbert Simon from EDNY’s Criminal Investigations Unit, Paralegal Specialist Adam Bernard, and Legal Assistant Danielle Rompel.
The Arrested Defendants:
DANIELA ALEJANDRA SANCHEZ RAMIREZ
Age: 25
Ibagué, Colombia and Green Brook, New JerseyMARLYN YULITZA SALAZAR PINEDA
Age: 24
Ibagué, Colombia and North Plainfield, New JerseyJHOAN SEBASTIAN SANCHEZ RAMIREZ
Age: 29
Ibagué, Colombia and Green Brook, New JerseyALEXANDRA PATRICIA SANCHEZ RAMIREZ
Age: 38
Ibagué, ColombiaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 26-CR-37 (SJB)
us_v._sanchez_ramirez_26-cr-37_redacted_indictment_ecf_no._9.pdfFebruary Federal Grand Jury 2025-B Indictments AnnouncedRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the January Federal Grand Jury 2025-B Indictments.
The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.
Marco Demon Campbell; Harold Eddie Davis. Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute; Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises; Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking Crimes; Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition (superseding). Campbell, 43, of Tulsa, is charged with knowingly possessing cocaine with intent to distribute. Campbell and Davis, 78, of Tulsa, are charged with maintaining a residence for drug distribution. Additionally, Campbell is charged with possessing firearms while trafficking drugs and knowingly possessing a firearm and ammunition after being convicted of a felony. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Wright and Mike Flesher are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-403
Genesis Pinacho Catemaxca. Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute (Counts 1 and 3); Carrying a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime (Count 2); Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime (Count 4). Catemaxca, 30, of Tulsa, is charged with two counts of knowingly possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Further, she is charged with carrying a firearm in October 2025 and possessing one in January 2026, while engaging in drug trafficking. The Drug Enforcement Administration Tulsa Resident Office, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Nasar is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-054
Jacob Lee Crain. Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute; Carrying a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime; Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Crain, 28, of Tulsa, is charged with knowingly possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute. He is additionally charged with carrying a firearm while trafficking drugs, and possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of a felony. The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Flynn is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-053
Juan Martin Guadalupe Flores-Hernandez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Flores-Hernandez, 37, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in August 2006 and 2014. Homeland Security Investigations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Buscemi is prosecuting the case.
26-CR-062Gregory Allen Giffin. Arson in Indian Country. Giffin, 43, transient and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is charged with willfully and maliciously setting fire to an occupied hotel room and endangering the lives of the occupants. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies, with the assistance of the Tulsa Fire Department Fire Marshals. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Jolly is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-064
Amber Renee Long. Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Long, 35, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing she was previously convicted of a felony. The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Kelly is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-063
Steven Roberto Pineda Amaya. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Pineda Amaya, 29, a Honduran national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in August 2019 and February 2020. Homeland Security Investigations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko Boulieris is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-060
Jose Humberto Sandoval Contreras. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Sandoval Contretas, 39, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in December 2024. Homeland Security Investigations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Jolly is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-061
Tearrow Sharnel Scott. Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute. Scott, 49, of Tulsa, is charged with knowingly possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute. The Drug Enforcement Administration Tulsa Resident Office and the Muscogee Creek Nation Lighthorse Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Bailey is prosecuting the case. 26-CR-056
Essex County Man Sentenced to 135 Months for Multiple Firearms Offenses, Including Possession of a Ghost Gun, a Machine Gun, and a 50-Round MagazineRead the Press Release
NEWARK, NJ - An Essex County, New Jersey man was sentenced yesterday to over 11 years in prison and 3 years of supervised release for multiple firearms offenses, Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello announced.
Kaiyir Green, 23, of Newark, New Jersey, previously pled guilty in July 2025 before U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner in Trenton federal court to a four-count indictment charging him with two counts of possession of a firearm and/or ammunition by a convicted felon, one count of illegal possession of a machine gun, and one count of possession of an unregistered firearm.
According to documents filed in these cases and statements made in Court:
On March 1, 2023, law enforcement officers responded to a report of a stolen vehicle and saw Green trying to get into the stolen vehicle. When law enforcement approached, Green ran away. Law enforcement ran after Green, eventually apprehending him and recovering from him a ghost gun loaded with five rounds of ammunition. After Green was arrested, Green obstructed justice by making several phone calls from a recorded line at the detention center in which he directed another person to go to his home and remove “everything” including a “black bag.” Law enforcement later saw someone remove a black bag from Green’s home. Law enforcement searched the bag and found a firearm that had been modified with a switch rendering the firearm into a fully automatic machine gun, loaded with one round of 9mm ammunition in a large capacity magazine. Law enforcement also found a 50-round capacity drum magazine. Further investigation revealed that Green was involved in trafficking dozens of firearms, including AR-style pistols, machine guns and multiple firearms with extended or drum magazines, from out of state into New Jersey where he then sold them to third parties.
Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello credited law enforcement members with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Thomas Kalogiros; the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Acting Superintendent Lieutenant Colonel David Sierotowicz, and Elizabeth Police Department, under the direction of Chief Giacomo Sacca, with the investigation leading to the charges.
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 government is represented by Assistant United States Attorney Rachelle M. Navarro of the Bank Integrity, Money Laundering, and Recovery Unit in Newark.
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Defense counsel for Green: Claressa Lowe, Esq.
Eleven Gang Members and Associates Indicted on Racketeering, Attempted Murder, Murder Conspiracy and Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
A four-count indictment was unsealed in the Middle District of Florida charging 11 defendants – all alleged Sex Money Murder-24K (SMM-24K) gang members and associates – with crimes including racketeering (RICO) conspiracy, attempted and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, and drug conspiracy crimes. The gang was active inside and outside of the prison system in the State of Florida.
According to court documents and statements in court, SMM-24K members and associates allegedly engaged in extreme violence to retaliate against fellow members for perceived violations of gang rules. For example, SMM-24K members conspired to kill one fellow member for lying about not knowing the location of family members of a rival gang member, resulting in the stabbing and attempted murder of the SMM-24K member in the DeSoto Correctional Institution. SMM-24K conspired to kill a different SMM member, who they accused of lying to and stealing from the gang, by stabbing him around the neck. SMM-24K members also profited from trafficking large amounts of deadly drugs inside Florida Department of Corrections Institutions, by using associates to smuggle the drugs, including methamphetamine, into the prisons.
“As alleged, the Sex Money Murder 24K gang, a derivative of the nationally known Bloods gang and a subset of the Sex Money Murder gang, brutally enforced its purported rules, stabbing and attempting to kill three of their own members and one rival who crossed their leaders, and engaged in a sophisticated drug trafficking operation to move large quantities of dangerous drugs into Florida Department of Corrections facilities throughout the State,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “We will not rest until every criminal organization like SMM that wreaks havoc in our prison systems is dismantled. Thank you to every federal, state, and local law enforcement agency that came together to dismantle this gang.”
“The crimes alleged in this indictment demonstrate the callousness and determination of the SMM-24K gang to perpetuate heinous acts in Florida’s prison system,” stated U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “Even from behind bars, this gang sought to expand their criminal enterprise through violence and illegal activities. Thanks to the diligent investigation and cooperation by our federal, state, and local partners, a major drug trafficking operation was disrupted, and its members will be forced to account for their crimes.”
“The FBI’s goal in crushing violent crime is to surge resources and partnerships, to build cases that cut into the capabilities of violent criminal networks, like Sex, Money, Murder 24K.” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor of the FBI’s Tampa Field Office. “When we maximize impact, we disrupt the violence, and ultimately ensure our communities are safer.”
According to court documents, SMM-24K created a “hit list” that included identifying and location information of their victims and intended targets, and the accusations against each. As alleged in the indictment, on January 17, 2023, defendant Tyrone Conaway, 37, formerly of Fort Lauderdale, FL, directed multiple SMM-24K members at the DeSoto Correctional Institution to murder an SMM-24K member who allegedly had lied to and stolen from the gang. Less than two weeks later, that SMM-24K member was stabbed inside the correctional facility. On February 23, 2023, defendant Terry Tillman, 38, Orlando, FL, attempted to kill a different SMM member by stabbing that person around the neck while defendant Charlie Martin, 28, Deland, FL, acted as a lookout. Information about both victims was included on the “hit list.” In April 2023, defendants Hernando Thompson, 40, and Alvin James, 30, Orlando, FL exchanged text messages coordinating the murder of a rival gang member. That rival gang member was attacked, and his face was slashed in Apalachee East Correctional Institution. Less than a month later, that same rival gang member was repeatedly stabbed by two inmates on May 24, 2023, after having been moved to Liberty Correctional Institution.
According to court documents and statements made in court, SMM-24K is a subset of the Bloods gang, which originated in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. The SMM subset has spread from the Bronx and New York to areas across the East Coast, including Florida, where it operates inside and outside prisons and jails. The indictment alleges an extensive criminal enterprise in which SMM-24K members, including inmates within the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC), orchestrated numerous crimes, including conspiracies to commit murder and drug trafficking within FDOC facilities.
If convicted, the defendants face penalties including up to life in prison life in prison for racketeering conspiracy and drug conspiracy; and up to 20 years for conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case, with valuable assistance from the Florida Department of Corrections, the Florida Department of Corrections Office of the Inspector General, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Trial Attorney Christopher Matthews of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Ruddy and Robert Sowell for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Eleven Gang Members and Associates Indicted on Racketeering, Attempted Murder, Murder Conspiracy and Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL - A four-count indictment was unsealed in the Middle District of Florida charging 11 defendants – all alleged Sex Money Murder-24K (SMM-24K) gang members and associates – with crimes including racketeering (RICO) conspiracy, attempted and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, and drug conspiracy crimes. The gang was active inside and outside of the prison system in the State of Florida.
According to court documents and statements in court, SMM-24K members and associates allegedly engaged in extreme violence to retaliate against fellow members for perceived violations of gang rules. For example, SMM-24K members conspired to kill one fellow member for lying about not knowing the location of family members of a rival gang member, resulting in the stabbing and attempted murder of the SMM-24K member in the DeSoto Correctional Institution. SMM-24K conspired to kill a different SMM member, who they accused of lying to and stealing from the gang, by stabbing him around the neck. SMM-24K members also profited from trafficking large amounts of deadly drugs inside Florida Department of Corrections Institutions, by using associates to smuggle the drugs, including methamphetamine, into the prisons.
“The crimes alleged in this indictment demonstrate the callousness and determination of the SMM-24K gang to perpetuate heinous acts in Florida’s prison system,” stated U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “Even from behind bars, this gang sought to expand their criminal enterprise through violence and illegal activities. Thanks to the diligent investigation and cooperation by our federal, state, and local partners, a major drug trafficking operation was disrupted, and its members will be forced to account for their crimes.”
“The FBI’s goal in crushing violent crime is to surge resources and partnerships, to build cases that cut into the capabilities of violent criminal networks, like Sex, Money, Murder 24K.” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor of the FBI’s Tampa Field Office. “When we maximize impact, we disrupt the violence, and ultimately ensure our communities are safer.”
According to court documents, SMM-24K created a “hit list” that included identifying and location information of their victims and intended targets, and the accusations against each. As alleged in the indictment, on January 17, 2023, defendant Tyrone Conaway, 37, formerly of Fort Lauderdale, FL, directed multiple SMM-24K members at the DeSoto Correctional Institution to murder an SMM-24K member who allegedly had lied to and stolen from the gang. Less than two weeks later, that SMM-24K member was stabbed inside the correctional facility. On February 23, 2023, defendant Terry Tillman, 38, Orlando, FL, attempted to kill a different SMM member by stabbing that person around the neck while defendant Charlie Martin, 28, Deland, FL, acted as a lookout. Information about both victims was included on the “hit list.” In April 2023, defendants Hernando Thompson, 40, Orlando, FL and Alvin James, 30, Orlando, FL exchanged text messages coordinating the murder of a rival gang member. That rival gang member was attacked, and his face was slashed in Apalachee East Correctional Institution. Less than a month later, that same rival gang member was repeatedly stabbed by two inmates on May 24, 2023, after having been moved to Liberty Correctional Institution.
According to court documents and statements made in court, SMM-24K is a subset of the Bloods gang, which originated in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. The SMM subset has spread from the Bronx and New York to areas across the East Coast, including Florida, where it operates inside and outside prisons and jails. The indictment alleges an extensive criminal enterprise in which SMM-24K members, including inmates within the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC), orchestrated numerous crimes, including conspiracies to commit murder and drug trafficking within FDOC facilities.
If convicted, the defendants face penalties including up to life in prison life in prison for racketeering conspiracy and drug conspiracy; and up to 20 years for conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case, with valuable assistance from the Florida Department of Corrections, the Florida Department of Corrections Office of the Inspector General, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Ruddy and Robert Sowell for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Christopher Matthews of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS) are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
IndictmentDrug Dealer Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Selling Fentanyl and ANPPRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced Nasir Gray, 26, to 10 years in federal prison for selling 40 grams or more of fentanyl and ANPP. Gray pleaded guilty on October 14, 2025.
According to the court documents and other information presented in court, this investigation began in June of 2023, when officers with the Raleigh Police Department (RPD) were contacted by a confidential source regarding a fentanyl trafficker in the Raleigh area. Law enforcement conducted a controlled purchase of fentanyl from Gray in June of 2023 and then executed a search warrant at his apartment. The search resulted in the seizure of several narcotics including PCE, a mixture of fentanyl and ANPP, a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, MDMA pills, cocaine base, and Adderall pills. They also seized digital scales, a cellphone, and a firearm.
“Crime doesn’t pay. They sell poison that kills children and destroys their communities. The loss of freedom earned when you get caught never balances out whatever fleeting cash passes through your hands for a second. Do better and take care of your community.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle.
W. Ellis Boyle, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. RPD and ATF investigated the case and Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer C. Nucci prosecuted 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 by searching for case number 5:24-CR-00355-FL.
Drug Dealer Convicted for Possessing over 6,000 Bags of FentanylRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal jury convicted Eugene Montale Jenkins, age 36, for possessing with intent to sell 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Judge William L. Osteen announced the jury verdict.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Jenkins was a known drug dealer In Edgecombe County who had sold fentanyl, marijuana, cocaine, and crack in from his trap house for a while. In March 2023, Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office (ECSO) launched an investigation into Jenkins’ drug dealing. ECSO made five controlled buys of fentanyl from Jenkins from March to July 2023.
“Folks need to realize that selling drugs will get you caught. When the jury convicts you, you will spend a long time in federal prison. It’s not worth it. Have pride in who you are and don’t destroy your community.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle.
On July 12, 2023, ECSO executed A search warrant. Jenkins ran out of the back of the trap house but then reentered to discard over three ounces of crack that he pulled out of his pants. ECSO found a backpack that contained over 6,000 bindles of fentanyl (worth over $100,000). They also found a bag of money, digital scales, empty bindles, stamps, ink pads, and rubber bands. The stamps on the fentanyl bindles recovered during the search matched the stamps on the bindles sold during the buys.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly Dixon and Kevin Gerarde prosecuted the case. ECSO and ATF participated in the investigation.
A copy of this press release is located on the EDNC USAO 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 by searching for Case No. 4:25-CR-00010-WLO.
Downey Man Arrested on Federal Complaint Alleging He Groomed Girls into Producing Sexually Explicit Videos that Featured Self-HarmRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Downey man has been arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging him with coercing, inducing, and enticing minor girls to create and send him sexually explicit videos – one of them he groomed to film herself engage in self-harm and self-humiliation, images he shared with others online, the Justice Department announced today.
Bryant Najera Gonzalez, 24, is charged with production of child pornography. He was arrested on Thursday morning and made his initial appearance late Thursday afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. A federal magistrate judge ordered Gonzalez jailed without bond. Gonzalez did not enter a plea, and his arraignment is scheduled for March 10.
“The complaint affidavit outlines disturbing behavior that is every parent’s nightmare,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “To the individuals targeting children with sick acts as part of a twisted ideology, you’ve been warned: Your future is a lengthy federal prison sentence.”
“Nihilistic violent extremism targeting children is on the rise domestically and internationally,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. “The arrest of Mr. Gonzalez this morning in our backyard is just the latest example of the growing nature of this perverse activity that encourages children toward sexual compromise and self-mutilation, then further victimizes them with extortion demands.”
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, from at least April 2025 to June 2025, through social media platforms, direct messaging, and other means of communication, Gonzalez coerced, induced, and enticed children to create and send him child sexual abuse material (CSAM). In communications with other online users, Gonzalez also discussed extorting his minor victims by, among other things, threatening to send sexually explicit images to the victims’ families.
Based on Gonzalez’s online activities, his coercion and enticement of minors to create CSAM and self-harm videos, law enforcement believes Gonzalez is associated with nihilistic violent extremist ideology such as “764.”
The complaint details the nature of the 764, which is known to the FBI as a Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE) group whose members engage in criminal conduct within the United States and abroad, in furtherance of political, social, or religious goals that derive primarily from a hatred of society at large and a desire to bring about its collapse by sowing indiscriminate chaos, destruction, and social instability.
NVEs oftentimes target vulnerable individuals, including minors, frequently using social media platforms to share CSAM are gore material, or grooming victims toward committing acts of violence. Victims can be blackmailed into complying with NVE demands, which vary, but may include self-mutilation, online and in-person sexual acts, harm to animals, sexual exploitation of siblings and others, acts of violence, threats of violence, suicide, and murder.
For example, at Gonzalez’s urging, one victim – then an 11-year-old girl – produced and sent to Gonzalez at least one CSAM video. Gonzalez possessed at least six CSAM videos and one CSAM image of this victim. After obtaining the sexually explicit videos and images of this victim, Gonzalez on multiple occasions shared the CSAM with other people via the internet.
At Gonzalez’s urging, another victim – then a 15-year-old girl – produced and sent to him at least four sexually explicit images of herself and several videos in which she engaged in self-harm and self-humiliation.
A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
If convicted, Gonzalez would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison.
The FBI is investigating this matter with assistance from the Downey Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph S. Guzman of the National Security Division and Kelsey A. Stimson of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.
District of Arizona Charges 179 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Feb. 14 through Feb. 20, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 179 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 112 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 53 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 13 cases against 14 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), ICE- Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Recent matters of interest include:
United States v. Kevin Salguero-Chacon. Salguero-Chacon was charged by complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien, Feb. 19, 2026. An Arizona Department of Public Safety trooper observed Salguero-Chacon driving on I-10 westbound. The trooper conducted a vehicle registration check, which confirmed that the car’s registration was expired, and the trooper initiated a traffic stop. The trooper observed Salguero-Chacon in the driver’s seat and several individuals dressed in camouflage lying in the vehicle’s rear cargo area. Border Patrol agents arrived and observed seven passengers inside the vehicle, including two juveniles. Immigration checks confirmed that the seven passengers in the vehicle are citizens of Mexico, unlawfully present in the United States, and that Salguero-Chacon is a citizen of Guatemala. 26-8062MJ, Phoenix.
United States v. Joel Portillo-Saucedo. Portillo-Saucedo was charged by complaint with Bringing in Illegal Aliens and Re-entry of Removed Alien, Feb. 17, 2026. A Border Patrol agent observed four individuals traveling northbound to I-8, near mile marker 100. The agent encountered the four individuals concealed under large bushes, and upon identifying himself as a Border Patrol agent, two of the individuals fled but were ultimately apprehended. It was found that Portillo-Saucedo acted as the foot guide for the group, receiving $1,000 USD for each illegal alien. The three individuals and Portillo-Saucedo are citizens of Mexico, unlawfully present in the United States. 26-01116MJ, Phoenix.
United States v. Armando Gomez-Talavera. Gomez-Talavera was charged by complaint with Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit, Feb. 17, 2026. On Feb. 16, 2026, Border Patrol agents were notified that there was a blue Ford F150 suspected of loading illegal aliens near the border. Agents attempted to stop the vehicle to conduct an immigration inspection, but the truck failed to yield. The agents were later able to locate the vehicle and utilized a Vehicle Immobilization Device (VID) to immobilize the truck. Although the truck had two flat tires due to the deployment of the VID, the driver continued to try to evade the agents. The truck eventually came to a stop and all occupants fled on foot. Border Patrol agents searched the area and apprehended the driver, Gomez-Talavera, and five other subjects, who are citizens and nationals of Mexico, unlawfully present in the United States. 26-07212, Tucson.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-037_February 20 Immigration Enforcement
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
D.C. Man Sentenced in Shooting Death of 17-Year-OldRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Carlton Simon, 20, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today on charges stemming from the shooting death of 17-year-old Angel Dominguez in Northwest D.C. this spring, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Simon entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder while armed before Superior Court Associate Judge Todd Edelman on December 17, 2025. Simon confirmed that, in shooting the victim, he was acting voluntarily, and that he was not acting in self-defense.
Judge Edelman sentenced Simon to 18 years of incarceration, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, Judge Edelman noted the complex history between Simon and Dominguez, and the substantial impact this crime had on both families.
According to court documents on May 29, 2025, around 3:00 p.m., Simon, a classmate of the victim, approached Dominguez in the 900 block oof Florida Avenue NW, with a loaded firearm. As Dominguez walked away from him, Simon pointed a gun at Dominguez’s back, before restraining him and ultimately shooting him in the chest. Dominguez died as a result of his injuries shortly thereafter.
Joining the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rashmika Nedungadi.
2025 CF1 011682
D.C. Driver Who Tore up National Mall Lawn and Menaced Pedestrians Gets 18 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Curtis Lear, 30, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to 18 months of incarceration in connection with driving an SUV recklessly at high speed on the National Mall as hundreds of visitors were present, causing over $9,000 in damage to the lawn, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Lear pleaded guilty on October 10, 2025, before Judge Carl J. Nichols to one count of destruction of government property and to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon. In addition, Judge Nichols ordered Lear to serve three years of supervised release and pay $9,165 in restitution.
On June 21, 2025, at 8:45 p.m., Lear, operating a black Jeep Patriot, drove onto the National Mall near 7th Street, SW, between Jefferson and Madison Drives. Lear raced at high speeds, making sharp turns on the grass and accelerating uncontrollably, according to witnesses. At the time, hundreds of pedestrians occupied the National Mall and surrounding areas for the “33rd Annual Giant Barbecue Battle.” At one point, Lear drove towards two individuals, putting them in fear of immediate injury. The incident was captured on video by surveillance and private cellular phone cameras.
When a U.S. Capitol Police officer approached Lear’s vehicle on foot, Lear rolled down the driver’s side window and stated, “It’s just a joke.” Another officer reported that Lear stood outside of his vehicle and yelled at pedestrians while flexing his arms. Police attempted to stop Lear, but he fled the area. At approximately 3:00 a.m. the following morning, officers located the Jeep and conducted a traffic stop. Lear was behind the wheel.
Joining the U.S. Attorney in the announcement was Chief Scott Brecht of the U.S. Park Police.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Park Police and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacob Green and Michael C. Lee.
Lear drove his Jeep SUV (circled in red) erratically on the National Mall.
Lear’s joyride on the National Mall caused more than $9,000 in damage.
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Child Pornographer Sentenced to 29 Years for Producing International Child PornRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced Jeffrey Bryant Champion, age 37, to 29 years in federal prison for producing child sexual abuse material. Champion pleaded guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Champion met a minor victim in Thailand and began sexually abusing her when she was only fourteen years old. For two years, he traveled to Thailand and repeatedly sexually abused her, producing many child sexual abuse material videos. He also emotionally abused her, belittling her, and calling her cruel names. In November 2024, he wired money to her in Thailand for her to fly to the United States and stay with him. This prompted an international rescue in early December 2024.
“We will not tolerate this type of depraved behavior. While this is the specific conduct proved in court, a disgusting predator like this should never be allowed to hurt another child.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle.
"Jeffrey Champion thought he could avoid detection by leaving the country, kidnapping a young girl, and bringing her to North Carolina to commit his egregious offenses. Our investigation and prosecution team displayed the global reach of federal law to bring him to justice, and his prison sentence serves as a reminder of the FBI’s commitment to protect children and crush violent crime," said Reid Davis, the FBI Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina.
Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The FBI, Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lynchburg (VA) Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin C. Blondel prosecuted 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 by searching for Case No. Click or tap here to enter text..
Chicago Man Sentenced to Ten Years’ Imprisonment for Armed RobberiesRead the Press Release
Brad D. Schimel, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on February 19, 2026, Rumeal Campbell, aka “Melo,” (age: 34) was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, by Chief United States District Judge Pamela Pepper.
Publicly filed documents reflect that Campbell and his accomplices committed two armed robberies of businesses, little more than an hour apart, on the evening of January 30, 2022. During one robbery, Campbell fired his weapon into the ceiling, jumped across the checkout counter, and placed his firearm into a clerk’s back, while forcing her to open the cash register. During the other robbery, Campbell held his firearm to another clerk’s head to force him to part with the store’s cash. Campbell and his associates ultimately stole over $23,000 that evening.
The robberies remained unsolved until December of 2022, when law enforcement determined that the same weapon Campbell fired in January was used during a third robbery. Campbell ultimately pled guilty, only days before his scheduled trial, to two counts of Hobbs Act robbery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951(a), and use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(ii).
When imposing sentence, Chief Judge Pepper emphasized the grievous harm Campbell had caused his victims. Chief Judge Pepper noted that Campbell, in his greed, had changed his victims’ lives forever. The judge reflected that “these sorts of robberies constitute a form of torture,” because the victims do not know if they will ever see their families again, and their mental anguish carries on long after the crime itself has ended. Chief Judge Pepper also noted that two robberies less than an hour apart do not represent a mistake, but rather, a “terrible, terrible choice” by Campbell with the power to destroy lives, including his own.
“The sentence imposed by the Court reflects the gravity of these offenses and the lasting impact on the victims,” said U.S. Attorney Schimel. “Armed robbery is a violent crime that reverberates far beyond the moment it occurs, leaving emotional scars long after the physical scene is cleared. Through strong partnerships with our law enforcement agencies, we will continue to protect the public by aggressively prosecuting those who threaten the safety and security of our communities.”
“Rumeal Campbell and his accomplices terrorized the victims of these robberies and placed innocent lives in danger during his violent crime spree in the Milwaukee area. The FBI is committed to crushing violent crime and holding accountable those who threaten public safety,” said FBI Milwaukee Special Agent in Charge Alan Karr. “The FBI will continue working together with our law enforcement partners to ensure justice is served.”
“The West Allis Police Department thanks the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for working in partnership with us to hold a violent criminal accountable,” said West Allis Police Chief Patrick Mitchell.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the West Allis Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Porchia Lewand and Kevin Knight.
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For further information contact:
Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero
(414) 297-1700
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Cameroonian National Sentenced for Unemployment Insurance Benefits FraudRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A Cameroonian National, who committed crimes against the United States from abroad, received a federal prison term today, in connection with an unemployment insurance (UI) fraud scheme.
U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Anais Thalia Ossele Massaba, 34, to 54 months in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Inspector General Anthony P. D’Esposito, U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Washington, D.C. Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Heck, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Maryland.
According to court documents, from June 2020 through September 2021, Massaba conspired with co-conspirators to defraud the Maryland Department of Labor (MD-DOL) and other state workforce agencies of more than $1.7 million in UI benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Massaba and her co-conspirators transmitted and caused the transmission of wire comminutions, in interstate commerce, from the United Kingdom to Maryland. The co-conspirators conspired to submit and cause the submission of numerous UI claims using the stolen identities of United States citizens.
Co-conspirator 1 and Co-conspirator 2 were U.S. fugitives. Co-conspirator 1 was residing in the UK under a false identity after fleeing the United States in 2015. Massaba and Co-conspirator 2 were married and fled to the UK, in September 2019, to avoid arrest and prosecution.
The co-conspirators executed the sophisticated scheme while residing in the UK. Beginning in June 2020, Co-conspirator 1 organized a group of individuals in the U.S. and the UK to participate in the wide-ranging conspiracy to fraudulently obtain UI benefits from multiple state workforce agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Massaba and Co-conspirator 2 were part of the UK group responsible for filing false UI claims with the MD-DOL and other state workforce agencies.
While in the UK, Massaba used a computer to file fraudulent UI claims with the MD-DOL. Massaba and others used and controlled two anonymous email addresses, allowing her and the co-conspirators to create linked, disposable email addresses for the fraudulent UI applications. This allowed the conspirators to file numerous fraudulent UI claims and aggregate information in discrete accounts.
In total, Massaba submitted and caused the submission of at least 196 fraudulent UI claims to the MD-DOL using these anonymous email addresses, resulting in approximately $1,708,256 in losses. The two email addresses and the UI claims that she filed represent only a small fraction of the fraudulent UI claims filed by the co-conspirators.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the DOL-OIG, IRS-CI, and HSI Maryland for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared M. Beim and Bijon A. Mostoufi who are prosecuting the case.
The District of Maryland Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud, including fraud relating to the CARES Act. Strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts that use prosecutor-led and data-analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.
For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Bucks County Man Sentenced to over Eight Years in Prison for Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Christos Sinchuk Rallis, 52, of Warrington, Pennsylvania, was sentenced this week to 100 months’ imprisonment and 10 years of supervised release by United States District Judge Joel H. Slomsky for child pornography offenses. Judge Slomsky also ordered Sinchuk Rallis to pay $38,000 in restitution to minor victims.
The defendant was charged by indictment in January of last year with distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to both charges in August.
As detailed in court filings and statements, Sinchuk Rallis actively sought out and shared images of horrific sexual abuse of children, including images depicting rape, torture, or bondage of children as young as infants. A forensic analysis of the defendant’s devices found more than 609 videos and 249 standard images of child sexual abuse material.
Sinchuk Rallis committed these offenses while employed as a Bucks County Correctional Officer. Prior to relocating to Pennsylvania, he worked as a San Francisco police officer for 16 years.
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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to 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 projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ruth Mandelbaum.
Brookline Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Child Pornography OffenseRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brookline man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for recruiting and enticing a 15-year-old child to produce and send child pornography to him.
Scott Cunha, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun to 15 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In October 2025, Cunha pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of children. Cunha was arrested and charged in January 2025.
Beginning in at least 2022, Cunha communicated over Snapchat with multiple minor children between 13 and 16 years old from across the country. He enticed the children to take nude images and videos of themselves and send them to him over Snapchat, often in exchange for the promise or actual transfer of money or gifts. Cunha also tried to persuade his minor victims to meet him in person for sex acts by offering to pay them money in exchange for doing so. Cunha did, in fact, meet with at least one minor victim.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of Federal Bureau of Investigations made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Torey B. Cummings and Elizabeth Riley of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit prosecuted the case.
British National Convicted of Traveling to South Florida to Sexually Abuse a MinorRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A British national was convicted following a bench trial for traveling to the U.S. to sexually abuse a child he had previously victimized overseas.
“Crimes against children are the most vile offenses imaginable,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This defendant crossed international borders to continue abusing a child he had already victimized overseas. After years of legal challenges, he was extradited to the United States to face justice. Let this be clear: distance, time, and geography will not shield child predators. The Southern District of Florida will relentlessly pursue those who exploit children, no matter where they hide and no matter how long it takes.”
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Justin Matthew Ward, 59, befriended a family living in Germany while the parents were employed by the U.S. Department of State. While in Germany, Ward sexually assaulted one of the family’s children, who was under the age of 12.
After the family later relocated to South Florida, Ward traveled to the U.S. in February 2004 and resumed sexually assaulting the same victim.
In December 2012, Ward was arrested in the United Kingdom on unrelated charges involving child molestation and the production of child sexual abuse material. Ward was convicted and sentenced to 11 years in prison. Following the completion of those proceedings, Ward was taken into custody pursuant to a U.S. extradition request. After years of legal challenges, Ward was extradited to the Southern District of Florida on July 14, 2025.
U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez found Ward guilty of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. Ward faces up to 30 years in federal prison. A sentencing hearing is set for April 7. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
FBI Miami is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Koontz 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 U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
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 18-cr-60353.
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Bridgeport Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking FentanylRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that CHRISTOPHER SANTIAGO-ROSADO, 32, of Bridgeport, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to 60 months of imprisonment and four years of supervised release for distributing fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2024, the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and Bridgeport Police Department investigated an open-air drug market that was operating in the area of Noble Avenue and Shelton Street in Bridgeport. Between March and September 2024, investigators made 11 controlled purchases of narcotics from various sellers. The investigation, which also included court-authorized wiretaps and physical surveillance, revealed that Santiago-Rosado and others supplied fentanyl to the drug sellers.
Santiago-Rosado was arrested on February 13, 2025. On November 3, 2025, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
Santiago-Rosado, who is released on a $150,000 bond, is required to report to prison on March 26.
This investigation has been conducted by the FBI Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force, the Bridgeport Police Department, and the Stratford Police Department. The Task Force is composed of personnel from the FBI, Connecticut State Police, and the Bridgeport, Norwalk, and Trumbull Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren C. Clark.
Bethel Park Resident Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material and Possessing Contraband While Detained for TrialRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 108 months of incarceration, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, on his conviction of violating federal laws regarding the sexual exploitation of minors and possession of contraband in prison, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV imposed the sentence on Seth Hollerich, 31, on February 19, 2026.
According to information presented to the Court, Hollerich distributed material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors—including infants and toddlers engaged in sexually explicit conduct— on two occasions, in March 2021 and September 2021. Further, in November 2024, while in pretrial detention for these crimes, Hollerich was found to be in possession of prohibited objects (homemade shanks) intended to be used as weapons.
In imposing sentence, Judge Stickman stated that it was “hard to fathom the level of depravity it takes to find pleasure in the victimization of little children” and explained to Hollerich that his crimes are not merely “virtual” crimes, but revictimized real human beings who had already endured being victims of sexual abuse.
Assistant United States Attorneys Heidi M. Grogan and Kelly M. Locher prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Department of Homeland Security, the United States Marshals Service, and Butler County Prison for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Hollerich.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.
Baltimore Man Indicted for Alleged Child Sex Trafficking CrimesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury indicted a Baltimore man for child sex trafficking crimes. Antoine “Tony” Miles, 57, is charged with sex trafficking of a child and coercion and enticement.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictment with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI – Baltimore Field Office, Scott Shellenberger, State’s Attorney for Baltimore County, and Acting Superintendent Michael A. Jackson, Maryland State Police (MSP).
According to the indictment, throughout September 2025, Miles reserved and paid for a hotel room for a minor victim to engage in a commercial sex act. He also allegedly persuaded, induced, and enticed the minor victim to engage in prostitution and commercial sex act with him.
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.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. Individuals charged by indictment are presumed innocent until proven guilty at a later criminal proceeding.
If convicted, Miles faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life in federal prison, as well as lifetime registration as a sex offender.
Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI, Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office, and MSP for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Arsonist Who Set Fire to Two Minnesota Mosques Sentenced to Seventy Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced today that Jackie Rahm Little, age 38, was sentenced yesterday to 70 months in federal prison for setting fire in April of 2023 to the Masjid Al-Rahma Mosque in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the Masjid Omar Islamic Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Little had previously entered guilty pleas to one count of arson and one count of damage to religious property in September of 2025.
“In the United States, the desecration of places of worship will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. “All Minnesotans should feel safe freely exercising their religion. Little attempted to burn down two mosques. He will now sit in federal prison for his heinous crime.”
According to information provided in court documents and federal court hearings, on April 23, 2023, Little started a fire in the bathroom of the Masjid Omar Islamic Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, also a public place of worship. Little lit a cardboard box on fire inside of a bathroom stall and intended to leave it there for the rest of the building to ignite. Fortunately, Little was interrupted by an employee and the defendant fled, leaving partially burned cardboard and a gas cannister behind.
The following day, Little traveled to the Masjid Al-Rahma Mosque (also known as the Mercy Islamic Center) in Bloomington, Minnesota, a public place of worship. Little carried with him a container of gasoline or other ignitable liquid, and after he entered the mosque, he used it to set fire to the mosque’s third floor hallway and stairwell. At the time Little set the fire, community leaders were meeting at the mosque to address the fire set the day before. The mosque had to be evacuated, including the evacuation of children who were attending daycare. The resulting damage to the mosque totaled more than $378,000.
Judge Ann Montgomery’s 70-month sentence represented an upward departure from the Sentencing Guidelines recommendation as sought by the government, which she held was justified by the serious nature of the crime, the high number of potential victims, and the multiple acts of arson involved.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead prosecuted the case.
Arsonist Who Set Fire to Two Minnesota Mosques Sentenced to Seventy Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced today that Jackie Rahm Little, age 38, was sentenced yesterday to 70 months in federal prison for setting fire in April of 2023 to the Masjid Al-Rahma Mosque in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the Masjid Omar Islamic Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Little had previously entered guilty pleas to one count of arson and one count of damage to religious property in September of 2025.
“In the United States, the desecration of places of worship will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. “All Minnesotans should feel safe freely exercising their religion. Little attempted to burn down two mosques. He will now sit in federal prison for his heinous crime.”
According to information provided in court documents and federal court hearings, on April 23, 2023, Little started a fire in the bathroom of the Masjid Omar Islamic Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, also a public place of worship. Little lit a cardboard box on fire inside of a bathroom stall and intended to leave it there for the rest of the building to ignite. Fortunately, Little was interrupted by an employee and the defendant fled, leaving partially burned cardboard and a gas cannister behind.
The following day, Little traveled to the Masjid Al-Rahma Mosque (also known as the Mercy Islamic Center) in Bloomington, Minnesota, a public place of worship. Little carried with him a container of gasoline or other ignitable liquid, and after he entered the mosque, he used it to set fire to the mosque’s third floor hallway and stairwell. At the time Little set the fire, community leaders were meeting at the mosque to address the fire set the day before. The mosque had to be evacuated, including the evacuation of children who were attending daycare. The resulting damage to the mosque totaled more than $378,000.
Judge Ann Montgomery’s 70-month sentence represented an upward departure from the Sentencing Guidelines recommendation as sought by the government, which she held was justified by the serious nature of the crime, the high number of potential victims, and the multiple acts of arson involved.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead prosecuted the case.
Anchorage man arrested in Juneau, charged with sex trafficking and other child exploitation offensesRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The FBI arrested an Anchorage man today in Juneau after a federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment charging him with sex trafficking children, sexual exploitation of children-production of child pornography, coercion and enticement of children and receipt of child pornography.
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of AlaskaAccording to public court documents, Craig Scott Valdez, 36, used the popular social media application Snapchat to identify, groom and entice juvenile females in Alaska for the purposes of sexual exploitation. The indictment charges this conduct in relation to one minor victim from an incident occurring in October 2025, but Valdez is believed to have victimized or attempted to victimize other juveniles in Anchorage and Juneau. Valdez is a current state employee working in Anchorage and Juneau.
Valdez is charged with one count of Sex Trafficking of Children in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1591; one count of Sexual Exploitation of Children (Production of Child Pornography) in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2251; one count of Coercion and Enticement of Children in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2242(b); and one count of Receipt of Child Pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252A. The defendant will make his initial court appearance on Feb. 23, 2026, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kyle F. Reardon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, he faces between 15 years to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska and Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Anchorage Field Office and the Anchorage Police Department are investigating this case as part of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. If anyone has information concerning Valdez’s alleged actions or may have encountered someone using the name “Craig Scott Valdez” or usernames “NONAME20233132” or “DOCHANK” in person or online, please contact the FBI Anchorage Field Office at (907) 276-4441 or anonymously at tips.fbi.gov.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Alexander 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.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
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A Central Point, Oregon, Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
MEDFORD, Ore.—A Central Point, Oregon, man was sentenced to federal prison today for felon in possession of a firearm after he and his co-defendants targeted an elderly victim and stole over $250,000 worth of gold, cash, and firearms.
Jonathan Anthony Kinsella, 53, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, in August 2023, Kinsella, a convicted felon, came up with a plan and solicited his wife and friend to burglarize an elderly victim. Kinsella and the two co-defendants split approximately $103,000 in cash, $180,000 in gold coins, and five firearms. Police executed a search warrant at Kinsella’s residence and found a .40 S & W caliber pistol, a .30-30 Winchester caliber rifle, a Colt .38 Special revolver, and a 12-guage weapon made from a shotgun.
On February 1, 2024, a federal grand jury in Medford returned an indictment charging Kinsella with two counts of felon in possession of a firearm.
On October 20, 2025, Kinsella pleaded guilty to felon in possession of a firearm.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Judith Harper prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
200 Federal Immigration Cases Filed in the Western District of Texas This WeekRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 200 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Feb. 13 to Feb. 19, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for sex crimes, violent crimes, drug trafficking, DWIs, and multiple prior removals.
Among the new cases, U.S. citizens Arturo Reyes and Anthony Joseph Scalza were arrested west of Tornillo on Tuesday. U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered three illegal aliens, identified as citizens of Guatemala and El Salvador, hiding in a pecan orchard. A criminal complaint alleges that the agents obtained consent to search the subjects’ cell phones, which led to direct communication with a driver arranging to pick up and transport the three aliens. The complaint alleges Reyes and Scalza arrived in two separate vehicles at an agreed upon location to pick up the aliens but were instead met by USBP. Reyes and Scalza are each charged with one count of alien smuggling.
Guatemalan national and felon Julio Lucas Santos-Santos was found nearly 11 miles west of the Tornillo Port of Entry on Tuesday. On Feb. 28, 2023, Santos-Santos was convicted of rape in the first degree in Queens, New York. He was removed from the U.S. to Guatemala through Louisiana in July 2025.
Guatemalan national Edgar Gutierrez-Perez, who was deported for the fourth time in August 2025, is again facing an illegal re-entry charge after being found east of the Fort Hancock Port of Entry. In 2024, Gutierrez-Perez was convicted in Georgia for one count of battery family violence and one count of aggravated assault. He was sentenced to 114 days in federal prison following his illegal re-entry conviction last year in the District of New Mexico.
Mexican national Angel Eduardo Zamora-Yanez was found and arrested approximately a quarter of a mile west of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry, having been previously deported for the eighth time in September 2025. In 2023, Zamora-Yanez was convicted of assaulting a peace officer and was sentenced to three years in jail. He has also been convicted once for improper entry and thrice for illegal re-entry.
In Austin, Honduran national Isman Manuel Garcia-Ozorto was found to be a previously removed alien whose most recent deportation was in August 2017. Garcia-Ozorto was convicted of evading arrest in 2012, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and assault causing bodily injury in 2013, possession of a controlled substance in 2016, and improper entry by an alien in 2017. He is now charged with one count of illegal re-entry.
Ever Rivera-Molina, also a Honduran national, was encountered at the Bexar County Adult Detention Center in San Antonio following his arrest for a DWI on Feb. 8. He was turned over to the custody of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations after it was found that his immigration records indicated he was previously removed from the U.S. in October 2022. In 2019, Rivera-Molina was convicted and sentenced for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
On Monday, U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested Mexican national Jose Octavio Medrano-Adame near Maverick. Medrano-Adame was deported for the second time in December 2025. In 2013, he was convicted of deadly conduct discharge of a firearm and sentenced to four years confinement.
Cuban national Rolando Portales-Zambrano was arrested near Maverick for illegal re-entry after just being removed from the U.S. to Mexico through Harlingen on Jan. 28. Portales-Zambrano has multiple convictions in his criminal record, including two separate felony convictions for smuggling of persons, assault causing bodily injury to a family member, and failure to give ID or intent to give false information as a fugitive.
Mexican national Audelio Salmeron-Gomez, who has been convicted of four DWIs including one with a child under 15 years old, was arrested for illegal re-entry near Terrell. His most recent DWI conviction came in June 2024 and resulted in an eight-year prison sentence. That case also included a conviction for assault causing bodily injury to a family member. He was subsequently deported from the U.S. to Mexico approximately one year later, in August 2025.
Mexican national and convicted felon German Ceniceros-Briones was arrested near Maverick for illegal re-entry, having been previously deported for the second time in March 2017. Ceniceros-Briones was convicted in 2004 for one count of delivery of a controlled substance and one count of possession of a controlled substance. For those charges, he was sentenced to 10 years confinement. In 2015, he was convicted of illegal re-entry and served 27 months of confinement.
Isaac Sanchez-Enriquez, also a felon, was arrested for illegal re-entry near Maverick. The Mexican national was deported for the fourth time in September 2023. He has been convicted of two drug trafficking felonies, one improper entry by an alien for his first immigration conviction and was convicted on two separate occasions for illegal re-entry.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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19 February 2026
Zuni man sentenced for sexual abuseRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Zuni man was sentenced to ten years in prison for sexual abuse.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court records, on August 19, 2023, Stanton Hannaweeke, 63, an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Zuni, engaged in a nonconsensual sexual act with Jane Doe.
Hannaweeke pleaded guilty to one count of sexual abuse. Upon his release from prison, Hannaweeke will be subject to ten years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from Zuni Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Burkhead is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Winnebago Man Sentenced to 30 months in Prison for Assault with a Dangerous WeaponRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Anthony Masquat, 20, of Winnebago, Nebraska, was sentenced on February 18, 2026, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for assault with a dangerous weapon with the intent to do bodily harm. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Masquat to 30 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Masquat’s release from prison, he will begin a three-year term of supervised release.
In the early morning hours of April 5, 2025, within the exterior boundaries of the Winnebago Indian Reservation, Masquat approached a victim seated in a vehicle at an apartment complex parking lot listening to music. Masquat pointed a knife at the victim and told him to get out. The victim got out with his hands up and then tried to disarm Masquat by pushing him against the vehicle. As victim pushed Masquat, Masquat began repeatedly stabbing the victim.
The victim ultimately disarmed Masquat and restrained him until police arrived, but the victim suffered multiple stab wounds which required medical attention, including stitches.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Winnebago Police Department.
Ukrainian National Sentenced in ‘Laptop Farm’ Scheme That Generated Income for North Korean IT WorkersRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Oleksandr Didenko, 29, of Kyiv, Ukraine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 60 months in prison in connection with a years-long scheme that stole the identities of U.S. citizens and sold them to North Korean workers so they could fraudulently gain employment at 40 U.S. companies, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Didenko, aka “Alexander Didenko,” pleaded guilty Nov. 10, 2025, before Judge Randolph D. Moss to wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. Didenko agreed to forfeit more than $1.4 million, which includes approximately $181,438 in USD and cryptocurrency seized from Didenko and his co-conspirators. Judge Moss also ordered Didenko to serve 12 months of supervised release and to pay $46,547.28 in restitution.
“Defendant Didenko’s scheme funneled money from Americans and U.S. businesses, into the coffers of North Korea, a hostile regime. Today, North Korea is not only a threat to the homeland from afar, it is an enemy within. By using stolen and fraudulent identities, North Korean actors are infiltrating American companies, stealing information, licensing, and data that is harmful to any business. But more than that, money paid to these so-called employees goes directly to munitions programs in North Korea,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “We should be holding accountable to the fullest extent of the law the individuals, like Didenko, who are knowingly assisting North Koreans so that they can amass more weapons to harm the United States and peace in our world. This is not just a financial crime; it is a crime against national security.”
“Oleksandr Didenko’s fraudulent activity inflicted systemic and deliberate financial harm on U.S. companies and American citizens to benefit not only himself, but a hostile nation state,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. “The FBI will not tolerate North Korea’s sustained campaign to victimize American citizens, businesses, and financial institutions to fund its authoritarian regime. Today’s sentencing demonstrates that the FBI will pursue full accountability for anyone found complicit in our adversary’s efforts to defraud and undermine American economic security, and we ask all U.S. companies that employ remote workers to remain vigilant to this new and sophisticated threat.”
According to court documents, Didenko ran a website using a U.S.-based domain, "Upworksell.com," designed to help overseas IT workers buy or rent stolen identities. Beginning in 2021, the IT workers used the identities to get hired on online freelance work platforms based in California and Pennsylvania. The work platforms allowed users to advertise themselves as contract gig workers, create free accounts, advertise their skills and bid on IT work contracts.
Didenko paid individuals in the United States to receive and host computers at residences in Virginia, Tennessee and California.
Through his company, Didenko managed as many as 871 proxy identities and facilitated the operation of at least three U.S.-based “laptop farms.” He enabled his overseas clients to access the U.S. financial system through Money Service Transmitters rather than having to physically open an account at a bank within the United States, which was then used to facilitate the transfer of employment income to foreign bank accounts.
The IT worker clients were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for their work, much of which was falsely reported to the Department of Homeland Security, the IRS and Social Security Administration in the names of actual U.S. persons whose identities had been stolen.
On May 16, 2024, the Justice Department seized the online domain, Upworksell.com, and diverted all traffic to the FBI. Polish authorities arrested Didenko and on Dec. 31, 2024, extradited him to the United States.
“Oleksandr Didenko participated in a scheme that stole the identities of hundreds of people, to include United States citizens, which were used by North Korea to fraudulently secure lucrative IT jobs,” said Assistant Director in Charges James Barnacle of the FBI’s New York Field Office. “This massive operation not only created an unauthorized backdoor into our country’s job market, but helped fund the regime of an adversary. This case is an example of how the FBI continues to safeguard our critical infrastructure from foreign threat actors seeking to exploit our nation’s sensitive information.”
This case was investigated by the FBI New York Field Office, with assistance from the FBI Norfolk, San Diego and Knoxville Field Offices.
The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert and Steven Wasserman for the District of Columbia. The U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of California, Eastern District of Tennessee, and Eastern District of Virginia, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, and Trial Attorney Jacques-Singer Emory of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section provided valuable assistance.
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U.S. Attorney Gerace announces Operation Take Back America enforcement actionsRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II announced today results of targeted enforcement actions in the Southern District of Ohio in support of Operation Take Back America. These results involve new charges, convictions and prison sentences for illegal aliens with prior criminal histories including violent crime, drug trafficking and sex offenses.
“As our results over the last month have shown, my Office is laser-focused on prosecuting illegal aliens who illegally enter our country and commit crimes that threaten the safety of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II. “Our ability to hold these offenders accountable is the direct result of the painstaking efforts of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners.”
Today, Cenuhe Zepeda-Vibanco, 37, a convicted felon who is an illegal alien from Mexico, was sentenced in federal district court in Columbus to 170 months in prison for his role in a drug trafficking organization that distributed fentanyl, carfentanil and heroin to multiple counties in the Southern District of Ohio.
Zepeda-Vibanco possessed more than 1.3 kilograms of fentanyl and carfentanil, an animal tranquilizer that is 100 times more lethal than fentanyl. At the time that he committed this offense, Zepeda-Vibanco was on federal supervised release for illegal reentry.
Zepeda-Vibanco is the sixth illegal alien with a criminal history to be sentenced, convicted or charged in the Southern District of Ohio in the last month:
- Also in federal district court in Columbus today, Jaime Fernandez-Alacron, an illegal alien from Colombia, was sentenced to 37 months in prison for illegally reentering the United States after sustaining an aggravated felony conviction. Fernandez-Alacron has prior federal convictions for conspiracy to commit kidnapping in aid of racketeering, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and illegal reentry.
- On Feb. 3, in Columbus, Abel Velasquez-Avecedo, an illegal alien from Mexico, was sentenced to 27 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm and possessing cocaine and methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Velasquez-Avecedo fired multiple shots from a vehicle after an argument with another individual and was found to be in possession of a pistol and several baggies of cocaine and methamphetamine. He previously had been convicted of assault and operating a vehicle while intoxicated and had absconded from probation supervision prior to committing these offenses.
- On Jan. 27, a federal grand jury in Columbus indicted Luis Cabrales-Guerra, an illegal alien from Mexico, for allegedly conspiring to distribute fentanyl and for illegally reentering the United States following his previous federal conviction for an aggravated drug felony. Cabrales-Guerra was previously removed from the United States to Mexico multiple times in 2010 and 2011. In 2016, Cabrales-Guerra was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute heroin in the District of Minnesota. He was again removed from the United States to Mexico in 2019 after serving his sentence in that case.
- On Jan. 22, in Cincinnati, William Noe Cuellar Montufa, an illegal alien from Guatemala, pleaded guilty to illegally reentering the United States. He was convicted in Warren County in January 2006 for attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and in September 2007 for unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. Cuellar Montufa was deported in 2008 following his terms of incarceration and is the subject of a warrant for homicide in Guatemala.
- On Jan. 15, in Columbus, Daniel H. Rodriguez-Andrade, an illegal alien from Mexico, was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment for possessing with intent to distribute more than two kilograms of heroin and illegally reentering the United States. He had been deported from the United States on four previous occasions and, at the time of the offense, was on supervised release for a previous federal illegal reentry conviction in Arizona.
“We will continue to hold criminal illegal aliens accountable for their actions under Operation Take Back America. And we will do everything in our power to ensure that their unwelcome stay in the United States includes a trip to the Bureau of Prisons,” said U.S. Attorney Gerace.
Deputy Criminal Chief Brian J. Martinez and Assistant United States Attorneys Nicole Pakiz, Elizabeth Geraghty, Sheila G. Lafferty and Danielle E. Margeaux prosecuted the cases as 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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Two Tren de Aragua Members Sentenced in Connection with Armed Robbery of Denver Jewelry StoreRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Jean Torres-Roman, 22, of Venezuela, and Newman Castillo Delgado, 23, of Venezuela were each sentenced after pleading guilty to charges related to the armed robbery of the Joyeria El Ruby Jewelry Store in Denver in June 2024. Torres-Roman was sentenced to 235 months in federal prison. Castillo Delgado was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison. The court also ordered each defendant to pay restitution of $3,939,076.26.
Torres-Roman, who pleaded guilty without an agreement, pleaded guilty to one count of Hobbs Act Robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Castillo Delgado pleaded guilty, pursuant to a plea agreement, to one count Hobbs Act Robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Facts established in the plea agreement and at sentencing show that, on the afternoon of June 24, 2024, Torres-Roman, Castillo Delgado, and other suspects entered the Joyeria El Ruby Jewelry Store on West 38th Avenue in Denver. During the armed robbery, suspects pointed weapons at employees, brutally beat several employees with their weapons, and took nearly $4 million in gold and jewelry. Multiple victims were injured in the attack. The suspects were later located in the El Paso, Texas area.
At sentencing, the court found that Torres-Roman and Castillo Delgado are members of Tren de Aragua (TdA). A separate indictment in United States District Court for the District of Colorado alleges that this robbery was approved and authorized by senior leaders of TdA, and that those leaders approved and directed that proceeds from the robbery be transported, laundered, and transmitted to enrich the leadership of TdA located outside the United States (United States v. Brawins Dominique Suarez Villegas and Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano, 25-cr-331-PAB).
“Tren de Aragua members brutally robbed a Denver business and left multiple people with significant injuries,” said United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Peter McNeilly. “I am thankful to our team of federal prosecutors, special agents, and task force officers who are making real progress toward eliminating Tren de Aragua in Colorado, and I am grateful that these serious crimes were met with appropriately severe sentences.”
“FBI Denver is focused on protecting our neighborhoods and communities from violent crime and the fear it creates," said Amanda Koldjeski, Acting Special Agent In Charge, FBI Denver. "Our Violent Criminal Enterprise Task Force will continue to work with local, state and federal partners to pursue the most violent and persistent offenders and hold them accountable.”
United States District Judge Nina Y. Wang presided over the sentencings.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations Denver, the Denver Police Department, the FBI Denver Field Division, FBI El Paso Field Division, Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector, Texas Department of Public Safety, El Paso Police Department, and West Texas Anti-Gang Center. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Leah Perczack.
Case Numbers: 24-CR-00247-NYW and 25-CR-00331-PAB
Two Houston Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Indianapolis Area ATM RobberiesRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- R’Vonte Berryman, 28, and Cregarius Jackson, 37, both of Houston, Texas, have been sentenced to seven and five and a half years in federal prison, respectively, for their roles in two violent ATM robberies in Indianapolis. Both men pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Interference with Commerce by Robbery; Bank Robbery; and Aiding and Abetting. Additionally, both men were ordered to pay $407,339 in restitution.
According to court documents, Berryman and Jackson traveled from Houston to Indianapolis in 2022 to participate in a series of ATM robberies. In the early morning hours of June 9, 2022, at approximately 3:41 a.m., Jackson jammed a freestanding ATM at the PNC Bank located at 21 West 38th Street, causing it to malfunction and prompting a technician to respond. When the technician arrived, Berryman and another accomplice forced him to open the machine and hand over $107,339 in cash.
Two months later, on August 9, 2022, the pair used the same method to target a Bank of America ATM at 8551 River Road in Indianapolis. After disabling the machine and waiting for a technician to arrive, they again conspired to force the employee to surrender $300,000 in cash.
“These defendants traveled hundreds of miles across the country to prey on financial services that everyday Hoosiers rely on,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “These violent schemes drive up costs, disrupt access to financial services, and put innocent people in danger. This sentence makes clear that exploiting our banking system and endangering the people who keep it running will carry serious consequences.”
“These men chose to use fear and force to steal. By coercing employees to open ATMs, they put innocent workers in fear for their safety and traumatized them,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. O’ Malley. “The FBI will continue working with our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and hold accountable those who threaten public safety.”
The FBI investigated this case. The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Sarah Evans Barker.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jayson W. McGrath, who prosecuted this case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Tucson Airman and his Spouse Indicted for Defrauding the Department of War of MillionsRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. –A federal grand jury has returned an indictment, charging a Tucson couple with a years long scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of War of millions of dollars, while using the illicit proceeds to curate and maintain a luxurious lifestyle, announced U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine.
On Feb. 11, 2026, a federal grand jury in Tucson returned a 12-count indictment against U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Richard Stefon Ramroop, 35, and his spouse, Manuel George Madrid, 32, both of Tucson, for Conspiracy to Commit Theft of Government Property, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Wire Fraud, and Money Laundering.
“The defendants allegedly stole millions in taxpayer dollars from the U.S. Department of War to bankroll a lavish lifestyle, diverting critical resources away from their intended purpose,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “Every dollar taken through fraud is a dollar denied to the mission it was meant to support. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our federal and local law enforcement partners will hold accountable any individual who profits illegally at the expense of the American people.”
“Military servicemembers hold a unique position in our society, where they are entrusted with large amounts of taxpayer dollars to ensure the defense of our nation,” said IRS-CI Phoenix Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Jarom Gregory. “When a servicemember abuses their position for personal gain, it erodes trust in the tax system and harms the very citizens they have sworn an oath to protect. IRS Criminal Investigation will continue to investigate allegations of theft of taxpayer funds and government property, ensuring the integrity of our nation’s tax system.”
“This indictment reflects the outcome of a coordinated effort between AFOSI and our federal counterparts,” said Special Agent Richard Kautz, AFOSI Detachment 217 Commander. “Fraud of this level is not just a financial crime, it undermines public trust, diverts resources, and threatens the integrity of our force. Every dollar lost to fraud is a dollar taken away from the security of our nation.”
The indictment alleges that from January 2022 through on or about December 2025, Staff Sgt. Ramroop utilized his position in the pharmacy at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base to defraud the U.S. government by purchasing thousands of medical devices using taxpayer funds, and thereafter, stealing and reselling those devices with Madrid for their own personal gain.
According to court records from 2022 through 2025, bank accounts controlled by Ramroop and Madrid received over $11 million in fraud proceeds through wire transfers, Automated Clearing House (ACH) deposits, and other credits from companies engaged in the resale of medical test strips and devices. Meanwhile, the orders of these diverted medical devices cost the U.S. Department of War over $3 million.
The indictment also alleges that Ramroop and Madrid used the fraud proceeds to purchase luxury vehicles and real estate. Further, these purchases were allegedly made directly from the personal bank accounts of Ramroop and Madrid, the same bank accounts that had received fraud proceeds from the medical device sales.
For example, the proceeds were allegedly used to purchase, among other items, a million-dollar home in Tucson in February 2024, a new 2024 Porsche Cayenne Sport Utility Vehicle for $141,443.34 and a new BMW i7 Sport Utility Vehicle for $195,397.59.
According to the indictment, the vehicles, and others, were seized by law enforcement during the execution of a search warrant on Jan. 15, 2026.
A conviction for Conspiracy to Commit Theft of Government Property carries a maximum penalty of up to 5 years imprisonment. Each conviction for Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Wire Fraud carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment. Each conviction for Money Laundering carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment.
U.S. Attorney Courchaine commended the investigatory efforts of IRS–Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) and members of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) to include Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), the Counter Narcotics Alliance (CAN), and the Marana, Mesa, and Tucson Police Departments.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
(Photo Credit: Internal Revenue Service Office of Criminal Investigation)
(Photo Credit: Internal Revenue Service Office of Criminal Investigation)CASE NUMBER: 4:26-cr-00601-AMM-JEM
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-032_Ramroop et al.
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Tonawanda man pleads guilty to his role in narcotics conspiracyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Edward Wilkie, 31, of Tonawanda, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, which carries a minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum penalty of 40 years, and a $5,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna Duncan, who is handling the case, stated that in January 2025, law enforcement received information that Wilkie and co-conspirator Daniel Eberle were storing and selling large quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine at Wilkie’s Shelly Court residence and at a stash house on Sheridan Parkside Drive. Wilkie used both residences to store the drugs, which he would then distribute in Salamanca, NY, and Pennsylvania.
On March 25, 2025, investigators executed search warrants on Wilkie’s vehicle, his Shelly Court residence and the Sheridan Parkside Drive stash house. They recovered $42,330 in cash and approximately 384 grams of heroin from Wilkie’s vehicle and $4,000 in cash from his residence. As investigators entered the Sheridan Parkside Drive stash house, they encountered Daniel Eberle attempting to destroy narcotics evidence by flushing it down the toilet. Law enforcement ultimately recovered approximately 66 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded shotgun.
Charges remain pending against Daniel Eberle.
The plea is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan, and the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff John Garcia.
Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
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Silicon Valley Engineers Charged with Stealing Trade Secrets from Leading Tech Companies and Transferring Confidential Data to Unauthorized Locations, Including IranRead the Press Release
SAN JOSE – A federal grand jury has indicted three Silicon Valley engineers on charges of conspiring to commit trade secret theft from Google and other leading technology companies, theft and attempted theft of trade secrets, and obstruction of justice. Samaneh Ghandali, 41, Mohammadjavad Khosravi aka Mohammad Khosravi, 40, and Soroor Ghandali, 32, all of San Jose, were arrested today and made their initial appearances in federal district court in San Jose this afternoon.
According to the indictment filed yesterday and unsealed today, the defendants gained employment at leading technology companies in the area of mobile computer processors. Samaneh Ghandali and Soroor Ghandali, who are sisters, worked at Google before going on to work for another technology company identified as Company 3, and Khosravi, who is married to Samaneh Ghandali, worked at a technology company identified as Company 2.
As part of the alleged scheme to commit trade secret theft, the defendants used their employment to obtain access to confidential and sensitive information. The defendants then exfiltrated confidential and sensitive documents, including trade secrets related to processor security and cryptography and other technologies, from Google and other technology companies to unauthorized third-party and personal locations, including to work devices associated with each other’s employers, and to Iran.
“As alleged, the defendants exploited their positions to steal confidential trade secrets from their employers. Our office will continue to lead the way in protecting American innovation and we will vigorously prosecute individuals who steal sensitive advanced technologies for improper gain or to benefit countries that wish us ill,” said United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian.
“The alleged actions outlined in this indictment reflect a calculated betrayal of trust by individuals accused of stealing trade secrets from the very tech companies that employed them. According to the allegations, the method in which confidential data was transferred by the defendants involved deliberate steps to evade detection and conceal their identities,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani. “Protecting Silicon Valley innovation and defending the groundbreaking technologies that drive our economy and national security is a top priority for the FBI. We will continue to work with our private sector partners to hold accountable anyone who seeks to unlawfully exploit American ingenuity,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani.
The indictment describes that while employed at Google, Samaneh Ghandali transferred hundreds of files, including Google trade secrets, to a third-party communications platform, specifically to channels bearing each of the defendants’ first names. Soroor Ghandali likewise is alleged to have transferred numerous Google files, including trade secrets, to these channels while employed by Google. These Google trade secrets were later copied to various personal devices and Khosravi’s Company 2 work device, as well as Soroor Ghandali’s Company 3 work device.
According to the indictment, the defendants hid their actions by submitting false, signed affidavits to victim technology companies about the conduct and the stolen trade secrets; destroying exfiltrated files and other records from electronic devices; and concealing the methods of exfiltration to avoid detection by the victim technology companies (for example, manually photographing screens containing the documents’ contents instead of exfiltrating complete documents using a third-party communications platform).
After Google’s internal security systems detected Samaneh Ghandali’s activity and Google revoked her access to company resources in August 2023, Samaneh Ghandali allegedly executed a signed affidavit claiming she had not shared Google’s confidential information with anyone outside the company. She and Khosravi then began conducting searches and visiting websites about deleting communications and other data, including how long a cell phone provider kept “messages to print out for court.” The couple continued accessing Google trade secrets that were stored on their personal devices and began manually photographing hundreds of computer screens of Google’s and Company 2’s confidential information over the course of months.
On the night before Samaneh Ghandali and Khosravi traveled to Iran in December 2023, Samaneh Ghandali allegedly manually captured with her mobile phone approximately 24 photographs of Khosravi’s work computer screen containing Company 2 trade secret information. While in Iran, a personal device associated with Samaneh Ghandali accessed these photographs, and Khosravi accessed other Company 2 trade secret information.
The defendants are next scheduled to appear in district court on Feb. 20, 2026, for identification of counsel before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of conspiracy to commit trade secret theft in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1832(a)(5) and theft and attempted theft of trade secrets in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1832(a)(1), (2), (3), and (4), and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the count of obstruction of official proceedings in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(c)(1). Any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
The National Security and Special Prosecutions Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California is prosecuting the case. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI.
Shiprock man sentenced to prison for assaulting two men with a knifeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for stabbing two victims after a day of heavy drinking.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on Sunday, October 9, 2022, Harley Etcitty, now 21, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, stabbed two men after a day of heavy drinking. He stabbed one man in the back and chest and the other man, who was sleeping on a couch, in the head.
Etcitty pleaded guilty to two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon. Upon his release from prison, Etcitty will be subject to two years of supervised release. While in prison, Etcitty will have the opportunity to undergo the Bureau of Prisons’ Residential Drug Abuse Treatment Program, an intensive cognitive-behavioral therapy program specifically designed to combat substance abuse.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case.
Shiprock man pleads guilty to second-degree murderRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for fatally stabbing a man during an assault on the Navajo Nation.
According to court documents, on July 25, 2024, officers with the Navajo Nation Police Department responded to a fight in progress near a defunct business in Shiprock, New Mexico. Upon arrival, they found John Doe lying on the ground with wounds to his face and chest. Witnesses reported that Edison Brady, 56, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, punched and kicked Doe before walking away to retrieve a knife from his nearby bag. Brady then returned to the scene and stabbed Doe multiple times. Despite life-saving measures, Doe was pronounced dead at Northern Navajo Medical Center. Officers found a knife with apparent blood stains in Brady’s possession.
Brady pleaded guilty to second-degree murder without a plea agreement. At sentencing, Brady faces up to life in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorneys Jena Ritchey and Zachary C. Jones are prosecuting this case.
Sex Offender Living in Bartlesville Sentenced for Failing to RegisterRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A sex offender living in Bartlesville was sentenced today for Failing to Register as a Sex Offender, announced
U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.U.S. District Judge John F. Heil, III, sentenced Wendell Ray Short, Jr., 36, to eight months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release. Upon his release, Short will also be required to register as a sex offender.
In May 2016, Short pleaded guilty to indecency with a child by contact in Texas. He was sentenced to six years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and ordered to register as a sex offender once released. Court documents show that Short registered in Texas in 2021; however, failed to report in 2023. Sometime in 2024, Short moved in with his girlfriend and her minor child in Bartlesville and failed to register in Oklahoma.
Short will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The U.S. Marshal Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Augustus Forster prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Seven Gang Members and Associates Charged with Federal Drug Trafficking and Firearm CrimesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Federal complaints were unsealed yesterday against seven members and associates of the Brockton-based Harvard Street Gang and their Randolph-based affiliates for drug and firearm charges:
- Lue Andrade, a/k/a “Poncho,” 31, of West Bridgewater, is charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime;
- London Cohen, 36, of Randolph, is charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime;
- Kelby Correia, 34, of Brockton, is charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances;
- Giovany Fouyolle, 31, of Randolph, is charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances;
- Adonis Graham, 34, of Boston, is charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances;
- Felipe Jonet-Branco, 31, of Brockton, is charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime;
- Jose Mendes, 35, of Randolph, is charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and
- Keanu Fernandes, a/k/a “Keys,” 29, of Brockton, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, in connection with this investigation.
All eight defendants are currently in federal or state custody.
According to court documents, the Harvard Street Gang (HSG) has been investigated since 2019. During this time, more than 20 leaders, members and associates of HSG have been charged with state and federal drug trafficking and firearm crimes. Over 100 kilograms of drugs, including cocaine and fentanyl, and over 45 firearms, including machine guns, have been seized. According to court documents, HSG has been involved in gang violence, including shootings, murders and witness intimidation. Numerous HSG leaders, members, and associates have been convicted of drug trafficking and firearm crimes in federal court because of this investigation. At least six defendants have been sentenced to 10 years or more in federal prison, and one member who was convicted after trial was sentenced to 32 years in prison.
In 2025, the investigation expanded to include HSG’s Randolph-based affiliates. According to court documents, the investigation showed that HSG and their Randolph affiliates worked cooperatively to distribute drugs, such as cocaine and fentanyl, throughout the Brockton and Randolph areas.
During the investigation, numerous residences and stash houses in Boston, Randolph, Taunton, West Bridgewater and Brockton associated with HSG and their Randolph affiliates were searched. According to court records, the searches resulted in the seizure of 15 firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, over 50 pounds of marijuana, approximately three kilograms of cocaine, fentanyl and other drugs as well as approximately $38,000 in cash.
A search warrant was also executed at the store “Banks & Brancos” on Crescent Street in Brockton, which was owned and operated by HSG associate Jonet-Branco. Ten firearms, over 35 pounds of marijuana (with packaging), over 200 grams of apparent psilocybin mushrooms and over $40,000 in cash were allegedly seized. Eight firearms, along with large-capacity magazines and several empty bottles of promethazine with codeine, were allegedly found inside a hidden drawer underneath the store’s front counter. The guns included a large-caliber rifle and a Glock handgun equipped with a machine gun conversion device. An additional gun was hidden inside the store’s vending machine, and another was in plain view in a storage room.
The charge of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to life in prison, consecutive to the term of imprisonment for the drug trafficking crime, supervised release of up to life 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 Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Abington, Acushnet, Ashland, Boston, Braintree, Bridgewater, Brockton, Chelsea, East Bridgewater, Medford, Quincy, Randolph, Raynham, Stoughton, Taunton and West Bridgewater Police Departments; Plymouth and Suffolk County Sheriff’s Departments; Massachusetts Department of Correction; Plymouth, Norfolk and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Offices; and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Cutshall and Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
San Francisco Tow Company Operator Sentenced to Five Years for Arson Conspiracy and More Than Two Years for Mail and Wire Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Jose Vicente Badillo, the owner and operator of two towing companies, was sentenced last week to 60 months in federal prison for his involvement in a scheme to burn tow trucks throughout the Bay Area in 2023. U.S. District Judge Rita F. Lin handed down the sentence on Feb. 12, 2026.
Badillo, 29, of San Francisco, was also sentenced on Feb. 13, 2026, in an unrelated case to 27 months in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to submit fraudulent auto insurance claims from at least 2017 until at least 2021. U.S. District Judge Trina L. Thompson handed down the sentence, which will run concurrently with the 60-month sentence imposed by Judge Lin.
Badillo was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2025 for his involvement in the arson conspiracy. In October 2025, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit arson. According to the plea agreement, Badillo admitted to devising, orchestrating, and overseeing a scheme to set fire to tow trucks in the San Francisco Bay Area. The principal goals of Badillo’s scheme were to drive more business to his own towing companies, Auto Towing and Specialty Towing, by impeding competitor towing companies’ business prospects and to exact revenge against competitor towing companies and their owners for perceived wrongs. To accomplish those goals, Badillo recruited, agreed with, and directed others to execute the scheme by torching six tow trucks belonging to four competitor companies in April, July, and October of 2023.
Separately, Badillo was twice indicted by a federal grand jury in 2024 for his involvement in the automobile insurance fraud schemes. In October 2025, Badillo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud in the second-charged insurance fraud case. According to the plea agreement, Badillo conspired with others to defraud automobile insurance companies by submitting fraudulent insurance claims. In furtherance of the scheme to defraud, Badillo staged an accident on Guadalupe Canyon Parkway in San Mateo County involving a Sterling tow truck and a vehicle carrier carrying four vehicles. Badillo also generated fake tow records concerning at least 18 vehicles involved in iterations of the scheme to defraud and orchestrated at least another nine iterations of the scheme to defraud, causing victim insurance companies hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses.
United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian, FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani, and IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge Linda Nguyen made the announcement.
In addition to the custodial sentence, Judge Lin and Judge Thompson each imposed a three-year term of supervised release, to run concurrently, and ordered Badillo to pay restitution in an amount to be determined at a later proceeding. The defendant will begin serving the custodial sentence on May 21, 2026.
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 San Francisco comprises agents and officers from FBI and IRS, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas M. Parker and Galen A. Phillips are prosecuting the cases with the assistance of Andy Ding, Laurie Worthen, and Tina Rosenbaum. The prosecutions are the result of an investigation by the FBI and IRS-CI. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI thank the San Francisco Police Department for its assistance with the investigation.
Russian National Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements to the FBI Regarding Her Relationship to Russian Intelligence Service and Naturalization FraudRead 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 NOMMA ZARUBINA, a Russian citizen, pled guilty to making false statements to the FBI relating to her relationship with the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (“FSB”), and to naturalization fraud for lying about her involvement in prostitution-related offenses. ZARUBINA pled guilty today before Chief U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 11, 2026.
“While Nomma Zarubina was trying to cultivate relationships with American law enforcement, civil society organizations, and others, she was lying to the FBI about her ties to the Russian Federation,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Today’s plea demonstrates our commitment to protecting the integrity of the naturalization process and reinforces that those who lie to federal authorities will incur serious consequences.”
“After years of lies, Nomma Zarubina finally confessed to her repeated denial to FBI special agents of her contacts and relationship with Russian intelligence services, as well as to her failure to disclose her involvement in an interstate prostitution network in an effort to secure U.S. citizenship,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. “Zarubina’s intentional concealment of her misconduct and her lies about her affiliation with Russian intelligence were an affront to law enforcement’s national security efforts. The FBI continues to defend our homeland from those who seek to impede federal investigations and deceive U.S. authorities.”
As alleged in public court filings, statements at public court proceedings, and the charging documents in the case:
The FSB is Russia’s principal security agency and is the successor agency to the Soviet Union’s Committee for State Security, otherwise known as the KGB. The FSB is believed to engage in, among other things, intelligence gathering and other covert operations abroad, including in the United States. The FSB and particular FSB officers have been sanctioned in the United States by both the U.S. Department of the Treasury and U.S. Department of State.
ZARUBINA began meeting with the FBI in or around October 2020 in connection with the FBI’s ongoing investigation into Elena Branson, a Russian national who had a close relationship with ZARUBINA and who was later charged in March 2022 for acting as an unregistered foreign agent. During an April 2021 meeting with the FBI, ZARUBINA told interviewing agents, in substance and in part, that she had recently traveled to Russia but did not have any contact with Russian intelligence services. Then, in September 2023, ZARUBINA told the FBI, in substance and in part, that she had been interviewed once by the FSB on her way back to Russia from the United States, but that she had not been interviewed by the FSB or Russian intelligence services on any other occasions.
ZARUBINA’s statements to the FBI in 2021 and 2023 about her contacts with Russian intelligence services, specifically the FSB, were false. Indeed, in June and July 2024, ZARUBINA admitted to the FBI that she had previously lied to federal law enforcement officers about her relationship with the FSB, stating, in substance and in part, that: in or around December 2020, while in Russia, ZARUBINA met with an officer whom she understood was from the FSB, agreed to help the FSB with “network marketing,” and was given the FSB code name “Alyssa”; between in or about December 2020 and in or about June 2022, ZARUBINA met with the FSB officer several times and communicated with the FSB officer on numerous occasions using encrypted messaging applications; and the FSB officer instructed ZARUBINA to share contact information of journalists in the United States, to attend the 2021 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, and to look into a particular individual in the United States, which ZARUBINA agreed to do.
In addition, between at least 2018 and 2024, while residing in the United States, ZARUBINA participated in a scheme to transport women between New York and New Jersey to engage in prostitution at a massage parlor business in East Brunswick, New Jersey. Notwithstanding her involvement in that conduct, in July 2022, ZARUBINA falsely stated in response to a question in her application for naturalization in the United States that she had never “procured anyone for prostitution.”
Finally, after being indicted and while on bail in the instant case, ZARUBINA sought to unlawfully influence a witness by sending numerous unsolicited and harassing messages to one of the FBI agents involved in her case. ZARUBINA’s obstructive conduct continued for several months, including after being admonished by the Court to stop contacting the agent, and resulted in the revocation of her bail.
* * *
ZARUBINA, 35, of Brooklyn, New York, pled guilty to one count of making false statements to the FBI, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and one count of naturalization fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and the Counterintelligence Division of its New York Field Office, and also thanked the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, for its assistance.
This case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah L. Kushner, David J. Robles, and Henry L. Ross are in charge of the prosecution.
Ring of Thieves Plead Guilty to Drug Trafficking, Bank Fraud and Mail Theft Conspiracy in Miami for $1.7M in Stolen Checks and Mail SchemeRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Five defendants pleaded guilty in federal court for their roles in a sophisticated scheme involving stolen U.S. Postal Service mail keys, which are pass keys for locked mailboxes, and counterfeit checks. These defendants were part of a ring of thieves who stole checks and other mail and then used counterfeit identification to cash the stolen checks that they had altered to higher amounts than originally intended.
According to court documents, from September 2021 through May 2023, the five defendants, all of Miami Gardens ─ Angel Joe Gonzalez, 28; Evens Necler Monestime, 27; David Gonzalez, 23; Cristina Azahares, 27; and Adriana Ginel, 56 ─ conspired to defraud federally insured financial institutions — banks. The scheme involved unlawfully getting and using U.S. Postal Service arrow keys to steal mail; opening stolen mail to acquire checks without authorization; producing counterfeit and forged checks using information from stolen checks; obtaining and using personal identifying information including names, addresses, bank account numbers, and signatures; depositing fraudulently altered checks into bank accounts they controlled; and using the illicit proceeds for personal gain and to advance the conspiracy. Some of the defendants were also involved in trafficking drugs.
“These defendants targeted hardworking members of our community — stealing their mail, altering their checks, and exploiting their personal information for profit,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “At the same time, they trafficked dangerous drugs and armed themselves, bringing violence and fentanyl into our neighborhoods. That combination of fraud and drug dealing puts real people at risk. The Southern District of Florida will continue to dismantle these networks and protect the financial security and safety of our community.”
Police learned of defendants’ crimes when, on May 3, 2023, Miami Gardens Police Department officers responded to reports of shots fired at a Miami Gardens residence shared by Angel Joe Gonzalez, Azahares, and Monestime. Officers found approximately $1.7 million in stolen checks and stolen mail, along with personal identifying information of individuals who did not live at the residence. Officers also seized six U.S. Postal Service mail keys; 40 debit and credit cards embossed with names of unknown individuals; additional checks addressed to and by different persons and companies; and numerous electronic devices including 27 cell phones, six laptops, a digital video recorder, and two Apple iPads.
The search also uncovered multiple firearms and ammunition, various narcotics packaged for sale, including heroin, cocaine, MDMA pills, and other controlled substances. Inside a Lexus registered to Gonzalez, officers found fentanyl and more cocaine, scales and baggies used for narcotics packaging, and additional debit and credit cards in other people’s names.
Angel Joe Gonzalez pleaded guilty to possession of stolen mail keys, conspiracy to commit money laundering, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Monestime pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, possession of stolen mail keys, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. David Gonzalez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and possession of stolen mail keys. Azahares and Ginel each pleaded guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft for their role in cashing the altered and stolen checks.
Investigation also revealed that Angel Joe Gonzalez and David Gonzalez moderated a Telegram group of approximately 2,000 individuals where they sold stolen checks.
Angel Joe Gonzalez and Monestime each face a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. David Gonzalez, Azahares, and Ginel each face a mandatory minimum penalty of two years in prison and a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of FBI Miami Field Office; Inspector in Charge Bladismir Rojo of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division; Special Agent in Charge Rafael Barros of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office; and City of Miami Gardens Police Department Chief Delma Noel-Pratt, announced the guilty pleas.
The FBI Miami Field Office, USPIS Miami, USSS Miami, and the City of Miami Gardens Police Department investigated the case.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Hayden P. O’Byrne, Assistant U.S. Attorney Quinshawna Landon for the Southern District of Florida, and Trial Attorneys Jennifer Burns and Alieu Kargbo of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Miami. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute offenders and prevent violence.
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 Miami comprises of agents and officers from FBI Miami Field Office, USPIS Miami, USSS Miami, and the City of Miami Gardens Police Department with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
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-20353.
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Richmond recidivist sentenced to 10 years in prison for illegally possessing a firearmRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on Feb. 23, 2025, Henrico County Police observed Tajon Rasheed Baskerville, 35, rummaging through a purse, which had been taken from a nearby vehicle earlier. As an officer performed a pat-down of Baskerville, the officer felt a firearm in a holster on Baskerville’s hip. Baskerville pulled away from and struck the officer. The officer fell, at which time Baskerville drew his firearm and, in response, the officer drew his service weapon. Baskerville tossed his firearm and attempted to flee on foot. The officer recovered the firearm and Baskerville was apprehended.
Investigators found items that had been taken from the purse in Baskerville’s pockets. They also found a wallet, which had been in the purse, in Baskerville’s shirt.
At the time of the offense, Baskerville had previously been convicted for possession of a controlled substance (2010 and 2012), felony probation violation (2012, 2014, and twice in 2017), grand larceny (2015 and 2018), and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (2022). As a previously convicted felon, Baskerville cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and the Henrico County Police Division investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick J. McGorman and Stephen E. Anthony prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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. 3:25-cr-79.
Registered Sex Offender Indicted for New Child Sex CrimesRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – William Jared Breski, 37, of Eastpoint, Florida, was indicted by a federal grand jury charging him with one count of attempted enticement of a minor, one count of attempted transmission of obscene material to minors, and one count of penalties for registered sex offenders. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the charges today.
Breski appeared for his arraignment in federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick in Tallahassee, Florida. Jury trial is scheduled for April 20, 2026, before District Court Judge Robert L. Hinkle.
If convicted, Breski faces a mandatory 10 years’ imprisonment up to life imprisonment on the attempted enticement count, up to 10 years’ imprisonment on the attempted transmission of obscene material count, and 10 years’ imprisonment consecutive to any other sentence imposed on the penalties for registered sex offender count.
The case was investigated by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Provincetown Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing and Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Provincetown man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to child pornography offenses. The defendant possessed several thousand image and video files containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Laurence Pagnoni, 65, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography. U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for May 12, 2026. Pagnoni was arrested and charged in April 2024.
An individual arrested in a child exploitation sting reported to law enforcement that, in March of 2023, Pagnoni distributed CSAM to him via the online cloud storage platform Mega. It was determined that Pagnoni had sent thousands of CSAM files to this individual. During a search of Pagnoni’s home in Provincetown in May of 2023 a number of items, including Pagnoni’s cellphone, were seized. During a subsequent search of Pagnoni’s cellphone, several thousand image files and video files containing CSAM, including at least 51 known series of CSAM as identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, were discovered.
Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274.
The charge of distribution of child pornography provides for a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a of up to 20 years in prison, at least 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 Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm 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.
Polacca Woman Sentenced for Killing her Son While Driving DrunkRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – A Polacca woman convicted of drunk driving and killing her 14-year-old son was sentenced on Feb.17, 2026, in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine.
Marian Marsha Josytewa, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven P. Logan to 51 months in prison followed by 36 months of supervised release. In August 2025, following a six-day trial, a federal jury found Josytewa guilty of one count of Involuntary Manslaughter, one count of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, two counts of Child Abuse, and one count of Driving Under the Influence.
On Dec. 10, 2021, Josytewa consumed several beers before picking her two teenage sons up from school in Flagstaff, Arizona, and attempting to drive them back to the Hopi Indian Reservation. While traveling on a highway on the Navajo Nation Reservation, Josytewa rolled her car. Her unbuckled 14-year-old son was ejected and crushed to death as the car rolled. Josytewa’s blood was drawn and tested at a crime lab, which showed a BAC level of approximately .113.
FBI Phoenix, Flagstaff office, and the Navajo Nation Police Department jointly conducted the investigation with assistance from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, and the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-24-08083-PCT-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-033_Josytewa
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Plainview Man Sentenced to 50 Years for Sexual Exploitation of 10-Year-Old ChildRead the Press Release
A man who sexually abused a 10-year-old child in the presence of the child’s younger sister was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.
Leandro Rodriquez, Jr., 44, of Plainview, Texas, was indicted in May 2025. He pled guilty in October 2025 to enticement of a minor and was sentenced today by United States District Judge James Wesley Hendrix.
According to court documents, in March 2025, the legal guardian of the victim, “Jane Doe,” made a report of suspected sexual abuse involving Rodriquez, the boyfriend of Doe’s biological mother. Doe and her younger sister had recently been allowed to stay overnight with their mother and Rodriquez at a residence in Plainview.
Doe’s guardian discovered messages on Doe’s phone instructing her where to meet once Doe’s guardian left for work. Doe’s guardian questioned Doe about the messages, and Doe told her guardian that the messages were from Rodriquez. Doe was later interviewed by law enforcement and disclosed that Rodriquez had sex with her when Doe and her sister had stayed with their mother. Doe stated that her little sister was present during the abuse. Doe also disclosed that, following the abuse, Rodriquez asked Doe to send him a video of Doe engaging in a sexual act, “‘cause he taught me how.”
Doe’s younger sister was also interviewed by law enforcement. Doe’s sister confirmed that she witnessed Rodriquez having sex with Doe while their mother was away from the residence.
Law enforcement seized Rodriquez’s cell phone and obtained a search warrant. A search of the phone revealed several sexually explicit images of Doe along with messages from Rodriquez instructing Doe to leave her residence and meet up with him. Law enforcement also found a video of Rodriquez and Doe cuddling while Doe told the camera that they are “happily married.”
The Plainview Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office – Lubbock Resident Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Rancourt prosecuted the case.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
Philadelphia Man Who Committed Three Armed Carjackings in Less Than an Hour Sentenced to over 21 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Symair Carson-Williams, aka “Lil Meer,” 20, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 253 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and over $10,000 in restitution by United States District Judge Gerald A. McHugh for taking part in a carjacking spree in the city in early 2024.
Carson-Williams was charged by indictment in May 2024 with conspiracy to commit carjacking, three counts of carjacking, and three counts of using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. In March of last year, he was convicted on all charges at trial.
As proven at trial, the defendant was part of a group that conspired to commit three armed carjackings in Philadelphia in less than one hour. Video surveillance footage, cell phone data, forensic evidence, items recovered from one of the stolen vehicles, and victim testimony linked Carson-Williams to the carjackings.
Carson-Williams and his co-conspirators first stole a blue 2019 Honda CR-V from the 1800 block of Lansing Street in Philadelphia during the overnight hours of January 27, 2024.
Approximately 90 minutes later, just before 5 a.m., they drove the stolen CR-V to the Sunoco gas station located on the 5300 block of North 5th Street and pulled up next to a 67-year-old man putting air in his car’s tires. Two of the offenders jumped out of the CR-V, both armed with handguns, wearing black clothing and black balaclava masks, and demanded that the victim give up the keys to his 2011 BMW 328i. One of the offenders put a gun to the back of the man’s head and forced him to the ground. When the victim told the males that the key was in the car, one of the carjackers entered the BMW and the other male returned to the Honda CR-V. Both vehicles fled the scene.
At approximately 5:15 a.m., a 34-year-old man parked his gray 2013 Chevrolet Equinox on Shelmire Avenue in the northeast section of the city. Two of the carjackers suddenly ran up to the driver’s side of his car and pointed guns at him. As they held the victim at gunpoint, the stolen Honda CR-V drove up. The gunmen ordered the victim to lay on the ground with his face down and threatened to shoot him if he got up. The offenders then stole the victim’s vehicle and personal possessions, including his wallet, money, watch, and power tools.
Finally, at approximately 5:45 a.m., the stolen blue CR-V pulled up next to a 54-year-old man pumping gas at the Conoco station on the 5700 block of Rising Sun Avenue. Two of the offenders, both armed with handguns, approached the victim and pointed the guns at his face. After forcing the victim to the ground at gunpoint, one of the carjackers got behind the wheel of the victim’s Honda Accord, and the other male reentered the CR-V. Both vehicles fled in the same direction.
“The victims of these carjackings were on their morning routines, when Symair Carson-Williams and his co-conspirators put a gun to their heads and made them fear for their lives,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Today’s sentence demonstrates that if you terrorize the people of Philadelphia, you can expect life-changing consequences. This defendant, now 20, will be spending more than 21 years behind bars.”
“Federal carjacking penalties are severe, and Carson-Williams will spend many years in prison for this triple-carjacking spree,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “Together with our Carjacking Task Force partners and using ATF’s unique forensic and investigative tools, we are making Philadelphia’s streets safer by bringing criminals like this to justice.”
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Branwen McNabb O’Donnell and Brian Doherty.
Pembroke Man Sentenced for Misusing CARES Act Funds to Purchase the Angus Lea Golf CourseRead the Press Release
Pembroke Man Sentenced for Misusing CARES Act Funds to Purchase the Angus Lea Golf Course
CONCORD – A Pembroke man was sentenced today in federal court for fraudulently obtaining over $1 million of CARES Act funds and misusing funds to purchase a golf course, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces.
Michael Kirouac, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Joseph Laplante to 15 months in prison and one year of supervised release. On October 3, 2025, Kirouac pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
“The defendant stole over a million dollars from taxpayers amidst one of the worst health and economic crises in a century,” said U.S. Attorney Creegan. “This office will continue to vigilantly investigate and prosecute those who defraud pandemic relief programs.”
“The defendant misappropriated critical funds intended for legitimate businesses harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher F. Algieri with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northeast Field Office. “This sentencing underscores the VA OIG’s commitment to safeguarding taxpayer funds and protecting the integrity of government assistance programs.”
“Today’s sentencing of Michael Kirouac demonstrates IRS-CI’s continued commitment to prosecuting all those who took advantage of the CARES Act for their own undue self-enrichment,” said Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office. “Kirouac defrauded a federal program designed to help those most in need at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic with the intent of misappropriating these funds to purchase a golf course, while others, who were truly in need, struggled.”
During the early part of the coronavirus pandemic, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The CARES Act included multiple relief provisions to help the millions of Americans and many small businesses adversely affected by the pandemic, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Private lenders could participate in the PPP. The loans, which were supposed to be used for payroll, were fully guaranteed by the government. If borrowers used the PPP loans for payroll and other approved expenses as intended, they could apply for loan forgiveness. The CARES Act also opened up the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. As with PPP loans, EIDL loans were supposed to be used for payroll and other business expenses such as rent and mortgage.
Kirouac owned or controlled four companies: HK Manchester, HK Loudon, HK Hudson, and HK Pelham. He applied for and obtained over $1 million worth of Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) for the companies. Kirouac certified that he would use the loan proceeds solely as working capital and would not use the funds for personal expenses or to relocate the businesses from one location to another.
Beginning in 2021, Kirouac was looking to purchase a golf course. He was unable to obtain financing from banks and private lenders and instead obtained EIDLs on behalf of HK Manchester and HK Loudon. Kirouac used approximately $600,000 of EIDL funds intended for HK Manchester and HK Loudon to help purchase the Angus Lea Golf Course in Hillsborough, New Hampshire. Kirouac also misused EIDL funds he obtained for HK Pelham.
Separately, Kirouac obtained a $260,500 EIDL for HK Hudson. However, Kirouac had already agreed to sell HK Hudson to a third party when he signed for the loan. Kirouac did not disclose that fact to the SBA.
The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of the Inspector General, IRS Criminal Investigations, and SBA’s Office of the Inspector General led the investigation. The Department of Justice’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen prosecuted the case.
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.
PG County Schools Employee Indicted on Alleged Child Sex Abuse CrimesRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A Prince George’s County Public Schools employee made his initial appearance in federal court in connection with alleged child sexual abuse crimes.
Xaviour Smith, 28, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, is charged with five counts of producing child sexual abuse material. Smith is also the founder of 1101 Dance Academy, Inc., in Temple Hills, which serves youths aged 8-18.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictment with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office, and Chief George Nader, Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD).
According to the indictment, between March and August 2025, Smith persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced three minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Smith exploited the minors for the purpose of producing visual depictions of sexually explicit conduct.
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.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. Individuals charged by indictment are presumed innocent until proven guilty at a later criminal proceeding.
If convicted, Smith faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for each of the five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and PGPD for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooke Oki who is prosecuting the federal case.
The Department urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through the FBI's tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling your local FBI field office.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Pensacola Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possession of Firearm by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Jerney Jabara Purifoy, 33, of Pensacola, Florida, was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This serial felon has spent years terrorizing our communities with his criminal conduct, but President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi launched Operation Take Back America to deploy the full might of the Department of Justice to protect our citizens from violent criminals like him. This defendant will spend years in federal prison, and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute others like him until our streets are safe.”
Court documents reflect that law enforcement executed a search warrant at the defendant’s Pensacola residence due to animal cruelty allegations. Law enforcement located a loaded handgun in the defendant’s bedroom, as well as a loaded .22-caliber AR15-style rifle in the residence. The defendant is a multi-time convicted felon. The animal cruelty case is pending in state court.
Upon his release from prison, the defendant will be supervised release for three years.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton.
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, human and drug trafficking.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.