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26 January 2026
Eastern District of Louisiana U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle Recognizes National Human Trafficking Prevention MonthRead the Press Release
New Orleans – Today the Eastern District of Louisiana (EDLA) observes National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and joins the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS) in reaffirming the administration’s commitment to combating all forms of human trafficking and protecting victims and survivors. Human Trafficking Prevention Month presents an opportunity for DHS and DOJ, through Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTF), to intensify operational efforts, raise public awareness, and strengthen partnerships across federal, state, and local agencies to disrupt trafficking networks, protect vulnerable individuals, and ensure traffickers are brought to justice.
“This Department of Justice is working tirelessly alongside our partners to dismantle human trafficking networks, help survivors, and protect vulnerable populations from being exploited,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Under this administration we have seen an increase in human trafficking prosecutions, and during Human Trafficking Prevention Month we reaffirm our commitment to prosecuting traffickers and encourage Americans to report instances of human trafficking in their communities.”
“Through the Homeland Security Task Force, President Trump is taking the fight directly to human trafficking networks and disrupting their modern-day slave trade while seizing their assets and arresting their kingpins and foot soldiers. The American people should not have to live in fear of cartels, gang bangers, and foreign terrorists preying upon the most vulnerable among us,” the United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement. “The Homeland Security Task Force is the largest coordinated campaign against transnational criminal organizations in U.S. history, and I’m proud to co-lead it with Attorney General Bondi.”
“During Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the FBI reiterates our work with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and national victim-based advocacy groups in joint task forces to protect our communities across the country,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The horrifying reach of human trafficking spreads far and wide. Homeland Security Task Forces are fighting back to disrupt these perilous networks and put a stop to that reach. The FBI will continue our investigations and bring justice to those exploited by human traffickers.
“Human trafficking is a heinous crime that preys on society’s most vulnerable members,” said U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. “Although these crimes typically operate in the shadows, human trafficking can also occur in plain sight. Sadly, it often goes undetected and unreported because victims live in fear of physical abuse, threats, extortion, and other forms of intimidation. Our office, along with a committed team of federal, state, and local law enforcement, supported by engaged community partners, will continue to identify, investigate, and prosecute perpetrators of this insidious crime, and hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
In January 2025, “Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. Section 6 of this order directed the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to jointly establish HSTFs in every state nationwide. The HSTF objective is to end the presence of criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) throughout the United States; dismantle cross-border human smuggling and trafficking networks; end the scourge of human smuggling and trafficking, with a particular focus on such offenses involving children; and ensure the use of all available law enforcement tools to faithfully execute the immigration laws of the United States.
Since January 20, 2025, the Eastern District of Louisiana has had the following achievements:
- On December 10, 2025, following a three-day trial led by Human Trafficking Coordinator Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Carboni, a federal jury convicted a 37-year-old New Orleans schoolteacher of Sex Trafficking a sixteen-year-old girl, and of Coercion and Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Prostitution.
- On August 13, 2025, a federal grand jury indicted two adult males with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a fifteen-year-old girl, interstate transportation of a minor for unlawful sexual activity, and interstate transportation in aid of racketeering enterprises.
- On May 15, 2025, Human Trafficking Coordinator Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Carboni charged two women in a Bill of Information for their roles in trafficking a fifteen-year-old girl from Texas to Kenner, Louisiana for commercial sex. AUSA Carboni secured guilty pleas from both defendants.
- On February 11, 2025, a federal judge sentenced a 25-year-old man to 22.5 years in prison for his role in sex trafficking three minors and two adults through violent beatings and death threats.
- On May 28, 2025, a federal judge sentenced a 28-year-old man to seventeen years in prison, for sex trafficking a seventeen-year-old victim to New Orleans, Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi; and Houston, Texas, and then boasting about it on social media.
- On March 12, 2025, a federal judge sentenced a 29-year-old man to eighteen years in prison for sex trafficking a fourteen-year-old girl from Memphis, Tennessee to New Orleans, Louisiana, advertising online her availability for sex, and lying to the victim’s mother about the girl’s whereabouts.
In January 2026, DHS and DOJ are surging resources to fight and raise awareness about human trafficking, including:
- Identifying ongoing investigations and prioritizing featured operations across 45 federal locations and 10 state locations with an emphasis on border states.
- Coordinating with FBI Human Trafficking Squads and multi-agency Human Trafficking Task Forces to conduct victim recovery.
- Partnering with AMTRAK and FAMS to increase law enforcement resources and distribute posters with QR codes for reporting human trafficking in all station bathrooms and trains.
- Running advertisements related to $250 million recovery from Backpage to distribute to victims and additional victim restitution efforts by DOL-OIG.
- Organizing Human Trafficking seminars and outreach events with DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking at high schools and colleges to highlight the role of HSTFs in addressing human trafficking.
On August 25, 2025, HSTF officially launched its effort to protect the Homeland with a September Surge encompassing 400 operations nationwide. In just 43 days, HSTF nationwide operations resulted in 3,266 arrests and seizures including:
- 1,041 Sinaloa members,
- 856 Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (“CJNG”) members,
- 641 MS-13 members,
- 456 Tren de Aragua members,
- 1,067 weapons
- More than $3,250,000 in currency
- Approximately 91 metric tons of narcotics
District of Arizona Charges 150 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this WeekRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from Jan.17 through Jan. 23, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 150 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 87 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 45 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 15 cases against 17 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. Protecting law enforcement officers is a key part of border vigilance, and federal prosecutors also charged one defendant for assaulting a Border Patrol agent.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (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. Pablo Gomez-Luvanos. Gomez-Luvanos was charged by complaint with Re-entry of Removed Alien, Jan. 19, 2026. The defendant was previously removed from the United States on June 11, 2019, after being convicted of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, a felony, in the Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County. In that case, Gomez Luvanos was sentenced to three-and-a-half years of imprisonment. 26-8044MJ, Phoenix.
United States v. Efrain Gutierrez-Perez. Gutierrez-Perez was charged by complaint with Re-entry of Removed Alien, Jan. 19, 2026. The defendant was previously removed from the United States on Dec. 11, 2019, after being convicted of Aggravated Driving under the Influence of Intoxicating Liquor or Drugs, a felony, in the Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County. In that case, Gutierrez-Perez was sentenced to four months of incarceration and two years of probation. 26-8043MJ, Phoenix.
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: 2026-007_January 26 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.
Des Moines Man Sentenced to 6 Years in Federal Prison for Threatening a United States Probation OfficerRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, Iowa – A Des Moines man was sentenced on January 23, 2026, to six years in federal prison for threatening to assault and murder a United States Probation Officer, while on supervised release.
According to public court records, Rodger Dawayne Gardner, Jr., 41, was convicted in 2020 for failing to register as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. In late 2022, Gardner was released from federal prison and began a seven-year term of supervised release. In December 2024, probation officers discovered Gardner was purchasing and distributing synthetic marijuana in Des Moines. The officers directed Gardner to report to the U.S. Probation Office. Gardner failed to report as directed, fled to Missouri, and made multiple threats to assault and murder the U.S. Probation Officer.
After completing his six-year prison term for the threats, Gardner will be required to serve an additional two‑year term of imprisonment for violating his supervised release conditions in his prior federal case. When his prison terms are complete, he will serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by United States Marshals Service and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Kerndt, along with retired Assistant United States Attorney Laura M. Roan.
Court Sentences Drug Smugglers Caught on the High Seas with over 1,800 Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
On January 16, 2026, United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer sentenced three co-defendants for smuggling approximately 1,828 kilograms of cocaine in the Pacific Ocean following their prior guilty pleas on the charges. Judge Moorer sentenced Wilson Robert Mero-Castro to 108 months’ imprisonment, Ruben Wilson Mero-Vera to 108 months’ imprisonment, and Gabriel Cruz-Joya to 120 months’ imprisonment for their roles in the drug smuggling. Denny Andres Mero Anchundia was previously sentenced to 235 months’ imprisonment. Co-defendant David Alonzo Uribe-Mendoza remains to be sentenced.
Court documents show that on March 3, 2025, while on routine patrol in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, United States Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter Kimball detected a vessel that was suspected of smuggling drugs. The vessel was without nationality in international waters, had visible packages onboard, fuel barrels on deck, and three outboard engines.
The Kimball intercepted the drug smuggling vessel, which became compliant following USCG presence. The USCG boarding team confirmed the packages on board were consistent with cocaine. The boarding team then transferred the six individuals onboard and the cocaine back to the Kimball. Once onboard, the boarding team was able to determine the weight of the cocaine was approximately 1,828 kilograms and the six crew members were brought the United States and charged under the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant United States Attorney George F. May prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was prosecuted as a 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.
Couple Charged in COVID-19 Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A couple who purportedly owned two New Jersey businesses were indicted on charges that they fraudulently obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello announced.
Sabrina Mitlo, 41, and Joseph Mitlo, 40, both formerly of Piscataway, New Jersey, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. They made their initial appearances on January 20, before U.S. Magistrate Judge James B. Clark, III in Newark federal court and were released on $100,000 unsecured bond.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From May 2020 through July 2020, Sabrina and Joseph Mitlo engaged in a scheme to illegally obtain over $715,000 in PPP loans on behalf of businesses located in New Jersey that they purportedly owned but which had no employees or payroll. To do so, the Mitlos submitted fraudulent loan applications falsely representing that their businesses had employees and payroll obligations, which included falsified tax documents purporting to show that the businesses had paid wages in prior years. Once the PPP loans were issued into the business bank accounts, in order to obtain the loan proceeds while keeping the scheme a secret, the Mitlos arranged for a payroll service to issue payroll checks to purported employees of the businesses that did not, in fact, work for the businesses. Once the Mitlos obtained those payroll checks, Sabrina Mitlo personally cashed them at a check cashing facility and kept the proceeds.
The count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million, or twice the gross gain to the defendant or gross loss to the victim, whichever is greatest.
Senior Counsel Lamparello credited with the investigation special agents of the FBI’s Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy; and special agents and attorneys of the Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, Eastern Regional Office in New York.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert L. Toll of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Health Care Fraud & Opioids Enforcement Unit in Newark.
The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement 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. The 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, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.
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 Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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mitlo.indictment.pdfClinton Man Sentenced to 3 Years in Federal Prison for Identity Theft and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, Iowa – A Clinton man was sentenced on January 16, 2026, to three years in federal prison for falsely using a social security number, aggravated identity theft, and firearms offenses.
According to public court records, Rusty Todd Johnston, 46, was convicted of a felony drug offense in Brooks County, Texas in 2005. He was sentenced to a suspended prison sentence with community supervision. Within months, Johnston absconded from his Texas probation and Texas authorities issued an arrest warrant. By approximately 2008, Johnston stopped using his real name, date of birth, and social security number. Instead, Johnston assumed the identity of Adam Preston Duriga—a real person from the state of Nevada, who died in 2013.
In early 2020, Johnston moved to Clinton, Iowa. Johnston obtained an Iowa Commercial Driver’s License using Duriga’s identifiers. In 2021, Johnston purchased a handgun in Davenport from a federally licensed firearms dealer using Duriga’s identity and falsely certified he was not a felon. In December 2024, law enforcement officers searched Johnston’s residence and found the handgun that Johnston had illegally purchased.
Over the approximate 15 years that Johnston falsely used Duriga’s identity, he fraudulently acquired state-issued driver’s licenses in Iowa, Nevada, Utah, Louisiana, and West Virginia. Johnston applied for and received replacement Social Security cards five times in Duriga’s identity. Johnston married at least twice using his false name and identity.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Johnston will be required to serve a two‑year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau, and the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Kerndt prosecuted the case.
Cape Coral Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing and Accessing Child Sexual Abuse Images and VideosRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – Jason Allen Henning (43, Cape Coral) was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell to 10 years in federal prison for possessing and accessing with intent to view images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. He pleaded guilty on July 9, 2025. Henning was also sentenced to a life term of supervised release and ordered to register as a sex offender. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, from April 2022 through January 2024, Henning knowingly possessed and accessed with intent to view child sex abuse material that he had searched for, downloaded, and saved from the internet.
In 2013, Henning was convicted in federal court of distributing material involving the sexual exploitation of minors. In 2021, Henning began serving his then life term of supervised release.
On January 19, 2024, while Henning was on supervised release and subject to a search of his residence, officer from U.S. Probation conducted a search of Henning’s residence and located unauthorized devices. A subsequent forensic preview of the devices revealed files depicting child sexual abuse material and the FBI was contacted to further investigate. Pursuant to a search warrant, the FBI seized and conducted a forensic analysis on Henning’s devices, which revealed images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fort Myers Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Byron Center Resident Pleads Guilty to Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
James Scholten has agreed to pay $868,707 in taxes due to the United States
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey today announced that James Phillip Scholten, age 51, of Byron Center pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion. Scholten is scheduled to be sentenced by the Honorable Jane M. Beckering, United States District Judge, on May 12, 2026, and faces a maximum of five years in federal prison.
U.S. Attorney VerHey stated, “Everyone must pay the full amount of income tax they owe. Those who evade the assessment or payment of taxes by willfully and intentionally not complying with their legal responsibility pose a threat to proper tax administration and impede the prosperity of our nation.”
According to court documents, Scholten was charged with one count of tax evasion, a felony offense. Scholten admitted that, between 2011 and 2024, he regularly sold scrap metal that netted him approximately $3.4 million of additional income. Scholten used a Certified Public Accountant to prepare his federal tax returns. The tax returns that Scholten filed from 2011 to 2023 were false because Scholten never told his accountant that he annually sold scrap material that generated substantial additional income. Scholten admitted that he intentionally failed to provide his CPA with recycling payment records and the amounts of his recycling income to evade assessment of tax due and owing on that income. For example, in 2021, Scholten reported that he only owed $2,465 in federal income tax. In fact, Scholten obtained an additional $610,818 in taxable income from recycling payments resulting in an additional tax due and owing of $172,618.
“Tax evasion is not a victimless crime, as it is the American public who is affected when tax dollars—money that funds essential public services like defense, roads, and education—are dodged. Scholten deliberately withheld income so he didn’t have to pay his fair share. Now he will not only pay his taxes but will face the consequences of willfully not doing so from the start,” said Karen M. Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-CI Detroit.
This matter was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation, the law enforcement arm of the Internal Revenue Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris O’Connor is prosecuting it.
Biotech CEO Sentenced in Securities Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – An Oregon man is headed to federal prison for insider trading in connection with COVID-19 and HIV drugs.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Nader Pourhassan, 62, of Lake Oswego, Oregon, to 30 months for misleading investors about his company’s development of a new drug and then selling his personal stock in the company at artificially inflated prices.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva, Justice Department – Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI – Baltimore Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Robert Iwanicki, Food and Drug Administration – Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI), Los Angeles Field Office.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Pourhassan served as the Chief Executive Officer of CytoDyn, a publicly traded company based in Vancouver, Washington. The company was developing an investigational drug to treat HIV and COVID-19. Between 2018 and 2021, Pourhassan intentionally misled investors about the drug’s prospects for FDA approval to artificially inflate the price of CytoDyn’s stock and attract new investors. He then sold his 4.8 million shares of CytoDyn stock after making false announcements to investors and pocketed $4.4 million.
“Pourhassan exploited a deadly public health crisis to intentionally deceive investors and the public out of millions – all so that he could enrich himself,” Hayes said. “As today’s sentence makes clear, executives who mislead investors and manipulate the truth for personal gain will be held accountable. Our office will continue to aggressively pursue those who put greed ahead of honesty and the rule of law.”
“The defendant lied to investors about a drug to treat HIV and COVID-19 so he could engage in insider trading,” Duva said. “This type of fraud exploits vulnerable Americans, undermines the integrity of our financial markets, and erodes the trust that investors place in public companies. The Criminal Division remains committed to prosecuting corporate executives who deceive investors.”
“Nader Pourhassan lied and schemed to selfishly line his own pockets. He betrayed the trust placed in him as a corporate executive by deceiving and misleading investors,” Paul said. “Not only are his actions illegal, but they also serve to undermine public confidence in our financial institutions. This sentencing shows the FBI’s commitment to rooting out fraudsters seeking to manipulate the market.”
“Today’s announcement should serve as a reminder that fraud related to medical products will not be tolerated,” Iwanicki said. “The FDA will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to bring to justice those who place profits above public health.”
In December 2024, a federal jury convicted Pourhassan of four counts of securities fraud, two counts of wire fraud and three counts of insider trading. Judge Xinis also ordered Pourhassan to pay more than $5.3 million in restitution and to forfeit more than $4.4 million.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI, FDA-OCI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their work in this investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Adeyemi Adenrele; Acting Deputy Chief Vasanth Sridharan, Acting Assistant Chief Matthew Reilly; and Senior Counsel Lauren Archer, Criminal Division – Fraud Section, who prosecuted this federal case, along with Law Clerk Kerstin Abolnik and Paralegal Specialists Selam Wehabe and John Lee, Fraud Section, who provided substantial assistance.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Biotech CEO Sentenced in Securities Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Nader Pourhassan, 62, of Lake Oswego, Oregon, was sentenced Friday to 30 months in prison for misleading investors about his company’s development of a new drug, then selling his personal stock in the company at artificially inflated prices.
“The defendant lied to investors about a drug to treat HIV and COVID-19 so he could engage in insider trading,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This type of fraud exploits vulnerable Americans, undermines the integrity of our financial markets, and erodes the trust that investors place in public companies. The Criminal Division remains committed to prosecuting corporate executives who deceive investors.”
“Pourhassan exploited a deadly public health crisis to intentionally deceive investors and the public out of millions – all so that he could enrich himself,” said U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland. “As this sentence makes clear, executives who mislead investors and manipulate the truth for personal gain will be held accountable. Our office will continue to aggressively pursue those who put greed ahead of honesty and the rule of law.”
“Nader Pourhassan lied and schemed to selfishly line his own pockets. He betrayed the trust placed in him as a corporate executive by deceiving and misleading investors,” said Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “Not only are his actions illegal, but they also serve to undermine public confidence in our financial institutions. This sentencing shows the FBI’s commitment to rooting out fraudsters seeking to manipulate the market.”
“Today’s announcement should serve as a reminder that fraud related to medical products will not be tolerated,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Iwanicki of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI) Los Angeles Field Office. “The FDA will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to bring to justice those who place profits above public health.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Pourhassan was the Chief Executive Officer of CytoDyn, a publicly traded company based in Vancouver, Washington, that was developing an investigational drug to treat HIV and COVID-19. Between 2018 and 2021, Pourhassan intentionally misled investors about the drug’s prospects for FDA approval to artificially inflate the price of CytoDyn’s stock and attract new investors. He then sold his 4.8 million shares of CytoDyn stock after making false announcements to investors and pocketed $4.4 million.
In December 2024, Pourhassan was convicted at trial of four counts of securities fraud, two counts of wire fraud and three counts of insider trading. At sentencing, he was ordered to pay more than $5.3 million in restitution and to forfeit more than $4.4 million.
FBI, FDA-OCI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.
Acting Deputy Chief Vasanth Sridharan, Acting Assistant Chief Matthew Reilly and Senior Counsel Lauren Archer of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Adeyemi Adenrele for the District of Maryland prosecuted the case. Law Clerk Kerstin Abolnik and Paralegal Specialists Selam Wehabe and John Lee of the Fraud Section provided substantial assistance.
Bakersfield Man Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Kyle Matthew Lisman, 29, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and possessing stolen mail, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, between January and July 2023, Lisman devised a scheme to steal victim identities to defraud them. In July 2023, he used the name, social security number, and other personal information of another person to fraudulently buy a car at a Bakersfield car dealership. Under the victim’s identity, Lisman purportedly paid $40,000 to purchase the car on the dealership’s website before traveling to the dealership and picking it up. To do this, he presented the dealership with a fake driver’s license created from the victim’s actual driver’s license information but with Lisman’s picture.
Lisman also caused other peoples’ mail to be forwarded to his home by filing and submitting fraudulent change of address forms for the mail recipients. In September 2023, Lisman possessed several credit cards, checks, and debit cards in other peoples’ names. Between May and July 2023, he opened credit and debit cards in other peoples’ names and used those cards to withdraw thousands of dollars’ worth of cash and purchases.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cody S. Chapple is prosecuting the case.
Lisman is scheduled to be sentenced on April 20, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston. Lisman faces a statutorily required sentence of two years in prison, a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
25 January 2026
Nassau County Detective Charged with Attempting to Sexually Exploit a ChildRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Robert Sacco, a Nassau County Detective, age 38, of Huntington, New York, was charged yesterday by complaint with attempted sexual exploitation of a child.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Division Craig Tremaroli made the announcement.
As alleged in the complaint, in October 2025, Sacco communicated with an undercover law enforcement officer over an online application and encrypted messaging for about four months. During those communications, Sacco expressed his sexual interest in children, discussed meeting the undercover officer and his purported 10-year-old daughter to sexually abuse her, and ejaculated on pictures of the undercover officer’s purported 10-year-old daughter. By January 2026, Sacco suggested video chatting with the undercover officer and the purported child so that Sacco could watch the undercover officer sexually abuse the child for Sacco’s sexual gratification. Sacco communicated with the undercover officer about the sex acts the undercover officer would engage in with the purported child.
On January 23, 2026, Sacco signed into a video call on an encrypted application with the intent to watch the undercover officer engage in sexually explicit conduct with the purported 10-year-old child, including oral sex. When the undercover officer told Sacco that the purported child would not come out of her room, Sacco asked if the undercover officer wanted to “postpone.”
“The allegations in this case describe a profound betrayal of public trust,” said Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III. “A sworn law enforcement officer is accused of using an online communications platform to pursue the sexual exploitation of a child and to facilitate horrific abuse for his own gratification. Let me be clear: anyone who preys on children—especially those entrusted to protect the public—will be aggressively investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. No badge, no position, and no title will shield a child predator from justice.”
Special Agent in Charge Craig Tremaroli stated: “The details of the allegations against Mr. Sacco are absolutely vile. As a member of law enforcement, Mr. Sacco allegedly broke the very laws he swore to uphold, and now he faces serious charges and significant time in federal prison. The FBI’s Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force will continue to use every resource available to swiftly identify, investigate, and bring to justice these dangerous predators looking to harm our most vulnerable.”
Sacco appeared yesterday in Brooklyn, New York, before United States Magistrate Judge Marcia Henry and is detained pending his transfer to the Northern District of New York for an appearance at a later date.
The charge filed against Sacco carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The FBI is investigating the case with the assistance of the Colonie Police Department and the New York State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen Vickey is prosecuting the case.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
23 January 2026
Woman Sentenced to One Year for Embezzling $100,000 from the Spokane Tribe’s Division of Child and Family ServicesRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – First Assistant United States Attorney Pete Serrano announced that on January 21, 2026, United States District Judge Rebecca L. Pennell sentenced Tawhnee Willow Colvin, of Davenport, Washington, to one year and a day following her conviction on twenty-six counts of bank fraud and embezzlement from a tribal organization. Colvin will also serve five years of supervised released and is required to pay $100,830 in restitution to the Spokane Tribe of Indians.
Colvin was convicted by a jury on all twenty-six counts charged following a trial in September 2025. As evidence presented at the trial established, Colvin was employed as Assistant Director of the Spokane Tribe of Indians’ Department of Health and Human Services and Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS). As part of her position as Assistant Director of DCFS, Colvin had access to the Spokane Tribe of Indians bank account which held per capita funds to be used for the care of needy children who were in temporary custody of the Tribe. Between October 2019 and November 2023, Colvin abused her position of trust to make more than seventy fraudulent money transfers, starting with small transfers until she eventually transferred thousands of dollars at a time, totaling over $50,000, from the DCFS bank account to her own personal bank account. She also took out over $50,000 cash from the same bank account. Colvin was terminated from her position at the Tribe on October 23, 2023, but even after her termination she continued to fraudulently transfer funds to her personal account.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Pennell noted that the evidence of Colvin’s guilt was overwhelming and showed that instead of using the money for the benefit of children in foster care, Colvin took it for herself.
“In an egregious breach of trust and solely for her own personal interest, Ms. Colvin exploited her position as the Assistant Director of DCFS for the Spokane Tribe of Indian to steal thousands of dollars from vulnerable children over a period of years,” stated First Assistant Pete Serrano. “Brazenly, Ms. Colvin continued her crimes even after the Tribe terminated her employment. Sadly, it remains unknown how many children Ms. Colvin harmed through her crimes. The United States Attorney’s Office is grateful for the diligent efforts of the FBI who investigated this case, the trust and collaboration of the Spokane Tribe of Indians, and the prosecutors and staff at our office who ensured Ms. Colvin was brought to justice.”
“For years, Ms. Colvin abused the faith placed in her as a public servant to steal tribal funds intended to care for children in foster care,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “For her own personal gain, she stole more than $100,000, leaving the account almost completely drained. Every one of these dozens of transfers diverted resources away from the most vulnerable members of our society and into her pockets. The FBI is committed to holding accountable fraudsters who choose greed instead of safeguarding the funds under their stewardship.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Frieda K. Zimmerman and Jeremy J. Kelley.
2:24-CR-0148-RLPWilliamsport Man Charged with Production of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Colin Best, age 40, of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury on a three-count indictment.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, the indictment alleges that Best produced child pornography on April 28, 2024, and attempted to produce child pornography on August 10, 2024. The indictment also alleges that Best possessed images of child sexual abuse between April and October of 2024.
The FBI, Williamsport Bureau of Police, and the Lycoming County District Attorney’s Office investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Alisan V. Martin is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States 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.usdoj.gov/psc.
The maximum penalty under federal law for the most serious offense is up to thirty years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Western District of Washington observes National Human Trafficking Prevention monthRead the Press Release
Seattle – Today the Western District of Washington observes National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and joins the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS) in reaffirming the administration’s commitment to combating all forms of human trafficking and protecting victims and survivors. Human Trafficking Prevention Month presents an opportunity for DHS and DOJ, through Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTF) to intensify operational efforts, raise public awareness, and strengthen partnerships across federal, state, and local agencies to disrupt trafficking networks, protect vulnerable individuals, and ensure traffickers are brought to justice.
“This Department of Justice is working tirelessly alongside our partners to dismantle human trafficking networks, help survivors, and protect vulnerable populations from being exploited,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Under this administration we have seen an increase in human trafficking prosecutions, and during Human Trafficking Prevention Month we reaffirm our commitment to prosecuting traffickers and encourage Americans to report instances of human trafficking in their communities.”
“Through the Homeland Security Task Force, President Trump is taking the fight directly to human trafficking networks and disrupting their modern-day slave trade while seizing their assets and arresting their kingpins and foot soldiers. The American people should not have to live in fear of cartels, gang bangers, and foreign terrorists preying upon the most vulnerable among us,” the United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement. “The Homeland Security Task Force is the largest coordinated campaign against transnational criminal organizations in U.S. history, and I’m proud to co-lead it with Attorney General Bondi.”
“During Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the FBI reiterates our work with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and national victim-based advocacy groups in joint task forces to protect our communities across the country,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The horrifying reach of human trafficking spreads far and wide. Homeland Security Task Forces are fighting back to disrupt these perilous networks and put a stop to that reach. The FBI will continue our investigations and bring justice to those exploited by human traffickers.”
“Western Washington is a leader in fighting human trafficking with dedicated, experienced prosecutors and a collaborative law enforcement team of state, local and federal partners,” said U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “We welcome the added resources of the Homeland Security Task Forces to augment our work in these areas.”
In January 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. Section 6 of this order directed the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to jointly establish HSTFs in every state nationwide. The HSTF objective is to end the presence of criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) throughout the United States; dismantle cross-border human smuggling and trafficking networks; end the scourge of human smuggling and trafficking, with a particular focus on such offenses involving children; and ensure the use of all available law enforcement tools to faithfully execute the immigration laws of the United States.
Since January 20, 2025, the Western District of Washington has:
- Indicted a violent sex trafficker and acknowledged street gang leader, who posed with guns on social media and trafficked women on north Aurora Avenue and other states.
- Prosecuted a violent sex trafficker who was sentenced to 15 years in prison
- Indicted a 37-year-old Seattle man for sex trafficking through force. fraud and coercion.
- Sentenced a Washington State man to 11 years in prison for trafficking young women including a teen-ager.
- Prosecuted a landscaping company owner who paid to smuggle a Mexican woman to Washington and assaulted her and forced her to do hard labor for no pay. He is scheduled for sentencing in March.
In January 2026, DHS and DOJ are surging resources to fight and raise awareness about human trafficking, including:
- Identifying ongoing investigations and prioritizing featured operations across 45 federal locations and 10 state locations with an emphasis on border states.
- Coordinating with FBI Human Trafficking Squads and multi-agency Human Trafficking Task Forces to conduct victim recovery.
- Partnering with AMTRAK and FAMS to increase law enforcement resources and distribute posters with QR codes for reporting human trafficking in all station bathrooms and trains.
- Running advertisements related to $250 million recovery from Backpage to distribute to victims and additional victim restitution efforts by DOL-OIG.
- Organizing Human Trafficking seminars and outreach events with DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking at high schools and colleges to highlight the role of HSTFs in addressing human trafficking.
On August 25, 2025, HSTF officially launched its effort to protect the Homeland with a September Surge encompassing 400 operations nationwide. In just 43 days, HSTF nationwide operations resulted in 3,266 arrests and seizures including:
- 1,041 Sinaloa members,
- 856 Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (“CJNG”) members,
- 641 MS-13 members,
- 456 Tren de Aragua members,
- 1,067 weapons
- More than $3,250,000 in currency
- Approximately 91 metric tons of narcotics
WMATA Train Operators Plead Guilty in Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Michelle Shropshire, 55, of Waldorf, Md., and Harlisha Jones, 50, of Clinton, Md., and Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in connection with a health care fraud scheme in which they conspired to obtain fraudulent health care and disability payments totaling nearly $60,000. Shropshire also admitted to spearheading a broader scheme involving other WMATA employees that resulted in approximately $360,000 in fraudulent health care and disability payments, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Shropshire and Jones pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and health care fraud. Sentencing for Shropshire is scheduled for June 11, 2026. Jones will be sentenced June 15, 2026. Judge Contreras will determine any sentences for Shropshire and Jones after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In pleading guilty, Shropshire and Jones admitted that, from approximately June 2021 through January 2024, while employed as Train Operators by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), they conspired to use Jones’s insurance policies with American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus (AFLAC) to submit fraudulent health care and short-term disability insurance claims for injuries, medical treatments, and disability periods that did not exist.
Shropshire and Jones also admitted that, in executing their scheme, they used the information of real doctors to create fraudulent medical excuse notes and physician’s statements, including forged doctors’ signatures, and then submitted those documents to AFLAC in support of the insurance claims. Shortly after AFLAC paid each claim to Jones, she paid a kickback to Shropshire using a percentage of the total claim payment. As a result of those fraudulent insurance claims, AFLAC paid Jones approximately $58,750, of which Jones paid approximately 20% back to Shropshire.
Shropshire also admitted that in addition to Jones, she assisted numerous other WMATA employees with submitting fraudulent health care and short-term disability insurance claims to AFLAC. As a result of that broader scheme, AFLAC paid at least $362,035 in phony insurance benefits to Shropshire, Jones, and other WMATA employees. In addition to Shropshire and Jones, five other former WMATA employees previously admitted to their involvement in Shropshire’s scheme, including paying kickbacks to Shropshire using a portion of the claim payments they received, and have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Each is currently awaiting sentencing.
Joining in the announcement were Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the FBI Washington Field Office and Inspector General Michelle Zamarin of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Office of Inspector General.
These cases are being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and the WMATA Office of Inspector General. They are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian P. Kelly and Diane Lucas.
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Williston Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Michael Theondra Mozell, Jr., 32, of Williston, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Thanks to the outstanding work of the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, with support from our federal law enforcement partners, this violent felon has been taken off our streets and will now find himself in federal prison. This is yet another successful prosecution by my office in fulfillment of the promise made by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi that we will Take Back America from the perpetrators of violent crime who have victimized and terrorized our streets for far too long.”
Court documents reflect that during the course of a traffic stop in Gainesville, Florida, a .25 caliber pistol, five grams of marijuana, and drug paraphernalia were seized from the defendant’s vehicle. The defendant is prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition as he has prior convictions for attempted robbery with a firearm or deadly weapon, aggravated assault with deadly weapon, and possession of cocaine.
Mozell faces a total of up to 15 years’ imprisonment.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christie S. Utt.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 7, 2026, at 11:00 am, at the United States Courthouse in Gainesville, Florida before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor.
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.
Virginia Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Traveling to Engage in Sex with a MinorRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Carlin M. Krause, 28, of Roanoke, Virginia, has been sentenced to more than 16 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor and transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that in October 2024, Krause began communicating with a 13-year-old girl over social media. Krause requested that the minor send him child sexual abuse material. He also informed her that he planned to travel from Virginia to South Carolina and bring her back to Virginia to have sex with her.
On Oct. 17, 2024, Krause drove from Roanoke, Virginia, to South Carolina to pick up the minor. After Krause picked her up, he began driving her back to Virginia, but law enforcement apprehended him before he made it home.
United States District Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks sentenced Krause to 195 months imprisonment, to be followed by a lifetime term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ 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, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cole Shannon prosecuted the case.
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Violent Convicted Felon Sentenced to 35 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of a Machinegun and Drug Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – On January 21, 2026, Christopher Walker, 38, of Memphis, was sentenced to 35 years' imprisonment for being a convicted felon in possession of a machinegun during a drug trafficking offense. D. Michael Dunavant, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentencing today.
According to court documents, in October 2024, ATF agents conducted an undercover operation targeting the sale of Machinegun Conversion Devices (MCD) and illegal drugs. Walker sold a confidential informant 98 grams of marijuana and a firearm while on duty as a security guard at a local motel. A second buy was conducted in December 2024 where Walker sold a firearm with an attached MCD and 103 grams of marijuana. Walker has prior felony convictions for violent offenses.
After a 3-day jury trial on October 2, 2025, Walker was found guilty of two counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, carrying a machine gun during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
On January 21, 2026, United States District Judge John T. Fowlkes, Jr. sentenced Walker to 421 months in federal prison. There is no parole in the federal system.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, “Firearms equipped with MCDs are extremely dangerous devices that can cause multiple injuries or fatalities in less than one second. When paired with the inherently dangerous activity of drug trafficking, they demonstrate an unacceptable risk to public safety that justifies a long prison sentence to remove this violent felon from our community.”
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jermal Blanchard and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Clinton Crosier prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
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For more information, please contact the Media Relations Team at [email protected]. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.
Valdosta Repeat Offender Faces a Max of Life in Prison for Illegally Possessing a Firearm After Firing Shots in StoreRead the Press Release
ALBANY, Ga. – A Southwest Georgia man with a lengthy criminal history who was arrested after firing a round between customers standing inside a Valdosta, Georgia, convenience store is facing up to life in prison for illegally possessing a firearm.
Eric Jerome Tooley, 46, of Hahira, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon before Senior U.S. District Judge Louis Sands on Jan. 22. Tooley is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years up to life in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine as an armed career criminal. A sentencing date will be determined by the Court. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Armed repeat offenders found endangering people’s safety will find their cases prosecuted at the federal level, where there is no parole,” said U.S. Attorney William R “Will” Keyes. “I commend the bravery displayed by the responding Valdosta Police Department officers and their work to safely apprehend the defendant. We are grateful for the continued partnership with law enforcement at every level to keep people safe.”
“This defendant’s actions showed a complete disregard for human life—firing inside a business and endangering innocent bystanders,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka. “ATF will continue to work alongside the Valdosta Police Department and our law enforcement partners to ensure repeat violent offenders are removed from our communities and held fully accountable in federal court.”
“This case is a great example of the importance of collaboration between local, state and federal partners,” said Valdosta Police Department Chief Leslie Manahan. “We thank the United States Attorney’s Office for their diligence and leadership in prosecuting this violent offender and helping to protect our community.”
According to court documents and statements referenced in court, a Valdosta Police Department officer on patrol heard gunshots coming from the nearby Mega Mart on North Lee Street in Valdosta on Feb. 19, 2025. As the officer drove into the parking lot, he spotted Tooley heading toward a local grocery store; another bystander reported that three shots were fired inside the store. The officer and responding police safely apprehended Tooley near East Jane Street. Authorities obtained the Mega Mart video surveillance capturing Tooley getting agitated with the cashier over a lighter, pointing his pistol at the store clerk, then turning the gun and firing it between two customers in the store. Tooley has prior felony drug distribution convictions in the Superior Courts of Cobb County, Georgia, and Lowndes County, Georgia. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The Valdosta Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sonja Profit is prosecuting the case for the Government.
United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan Recognizes National Human Trafficking Prevention MonthRead the Press Release
DETROIT – Today the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan observes National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and joins the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS) in reaffirming the administration’s commitment to combating all forms of human trafficking and protecting victims and survivors. Human Trafficking Prevention Month presents an opportunity for DHS and DOJ, through Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTF) to intensify operational efforts, raise public awareness, and strengthen partnerships across federal, state, and local agencies to disrupt trafficking networks, protect vulnerable individuals, and ensure traffickers are brought to justice.
“This Department of Justice is working tirelessly alongside our partners to dismantle human trafficking networks, help survivors, and protect vulnerable populations from being exploited,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Under this administration we have seen an increase in human trafficking prosecutions, and during Human Trafficking Prevention Month we reaffirm our commitment to prosecuting traffickers and encourage Americans to report instances of human trafficking in their communities.”
“Through the Homeland Security Task Force, President Trump is taking the fight directly to human trafficking networks and disrupting their modern-day slave trade while seizing their assets and arresting their kingpins and foot soldiers. The American people should not have to live in fear of cartels, gang bangers, and foreign terrorists preying upon the most vulnerable among us,” the United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement. “The Homeland Security Task Force is the largest coordinated campaign against transnational criminal organizations in U.S. history, and I’m proud to co-lead it with Attorney General Bondi.”
“During Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the FBI reiterates our work with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and national victim-based advocacy groups in joint task forces to protect our communities across the country,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The horrifying reach of human trafficking spreads far and wide. Homeland Security Task Forces are fighting back to disrupt these perilous networks and put a stop to that reach. The FBI will continue our investigations and bring justice to those exploited by human traffickers.
“Federal law enforcement at the DOJ and DHS are freedom fighters. They are abolitionists fighting the modern-day slave traders who profit from human misery. We are proud to fight alongside them,” said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr.
In January 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. Section 6 of this order directed the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to jointly establish HSTFs in every state nationwide. The HSTF objective is to end the presence of criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) throughout the United States; dismantle cross-border human smuggling and trafficking networks; end the scourge of human smuggling and trafficking, with a particular focus on such offenses involving children; and ensure the use of all available law enforcement tools to faithfully execute the immigration laws of the United States.
Since January 20, 2025, the United States Attorney Office for the Eastern District of Michigan has had the following actions:
- Kevin Giles, 59, of Detroit, was convicted of sex trafficking two minors and one adult. Giles exploited his female victims by requiring them to perform commercial sex acts in return for shelter for them and their children. Two of Giles’s victims were under 18 at the time he trafficked them. Giles posted advertisements for commercial sex for all his victims, arranged their commercial sex dates, and collected the proceeds of the sex acts. Witnesses testified that Giles used hidden cameras to monitor the sex acts of all his victims and to direct the sex acts of the adult victim. He faces a sentence of 25 years in prison and up to life.
- An indictment was returned against Lucas Pelletier, 21, of Bay City. He is accused of using social media to connect with a victim under 18, who he then engaged in hands on sexual offenses with that he also recorded. It’s alleged that Pelletier posted an advertisement for commercial sex acts with this victim, collected proceeds for setting up the meetings and during the conversations where he was facilitating those meetings, he distributed child pornography of the victim. Trial is set for March.
- An indictment was returned against Varsalles Phillips from Detroit. Phillips is accused of sex trafficking two minor victims and unlawfully possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. It is alleged that he advertised the minors for commercial sex, arranged their sex dates, took a portion of the proceeds. He is also accused of unlawfully possessing two firearms in his home – one of the places where he arranged commercial sex dates for the victims. Trial is set for March.
- An indictment was returned against Devan Cook from Detroit. Cook is accused of sex trafficking a minor victim and producing child pornography. Trial is set for February.
- An indictment was returned against Jahbez James and Nikodia Davis, both from Texas, for transporting a minor to engage in prostitution, and Davis was additionally charged with sex trafficking a minor. James and Davis are accused of transporting a victim across multiple states, including Michigan, for her to engage in commercial sex work. Their case remains pending.
- Whitney Williams from Detroit, pleaded guilty to transporting an individual to engage in prostitution. He is due to be sentenced in February.
In January 2026, DHS and DOJ are surging resources to fight and raise awareness about human trafficking, including:
- Identifying ongoing investigations and prioritizing featured operations across 45 federal locations and 10 state locations with an emphasis on border states.
- Coordinating with FBI Human Trafficking Squads and multi-agency Human Trafficking Task Forces to conduct victim recovery.
- Partnering with AMTRAK and FAMS to increase law enforcement resources and distribute posters with QR codes for reporting human trafficking in all station bathrooms and trains.
- Running advertisements related to $250 million recovery from Backpage to distribute to victims and additional victim restitution efforts by DOL-OIG.
- Organizing Human Trafficking seminars and outreach events with DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking at high schools and colleges to highlight the role of HSTFs in addressing human trafficking.
On August 25, 2025, HSTF officially launched its effort to protect the Homeland with a September Surge encompassing 400 operations nationwide. In just 43 days, HSTF nationwide operations resulted in 3,266 arrests and seizures including:
- 1,041 Sinaloa members,
- 856 Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (“CJNG”) members,
- 641 MS-13 members,
- 456 Tren de Aragua members,
- 1,067 weapons
- More than $3,250,000 in currency
- Approximately 91 metric tons of narcotics
Since January 20, 2025, the Department of Justice has:
- Secured substantial sentences and landmark convictions against sex traffickers and labor traffickers who used violence, addictive drugs, and psychological coercion to exploit victims in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Texas, and beyond.
- Seized $15 billion from a wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy originating from a Cambodian forced labor scam center.
- Secured high-impact sex trafficking indictments in New York against an enterprise associated with the notorious Tren de Aragua Transnational Criminal Organization and in California against traffickers affiliated with local street gangs.
- Pursued extraditions of fugitive traffickers to permanently disrupt and dismantle transnational labor trafficking and sex trafficking enterprises
- Secured sizable restitution orders, including several over a million dollars, to aid victims in their recovery from the unspeakable losses they endured.
- Launched a Remission Portal for survivors of sex trafficking that was facilitated through Backpage or CityXGuide to seek compensation.
- Conducted nationwide crackdowns this month and during Operation Justice for All in August 2025.
- Streamlined and strengthened Joint Task Force Alpha efforts to combat combined human trafficking, human smuggling, and transnational organized crime threats by integrating the Department’s National Human Trafficking Coordinator and human trafficking prosecution experts into the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section; and
- Announced new grant funding opportunities to support victim services for the year ahead.
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USAO-KS Recognizes National Human Trafficking Prevention MonthRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY – KAN. – Today the U.S. Attorney’s Office – District of Kansas observes National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and joins the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS) in reaffirming the administration’s commitment to combating all forms of human trafficking and protecting victims and survivors. Human Trafficking Prevention Month presents an opportunity for DHS and DOJ, through Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTF) to intensify operational efforts, raise public awareness, and strengthen partnerships across federal, state, and local agencies to disrupt trafficking networks, protect vulnerable individuals, and ensure traffickers are brought to justice.
“This Department of Justice is working tirelessly alongside our partners to dismantle human trafficking networks, help survivors, and protect vulnerable populations from being exploited,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Under this administration we have seen an increase in human trafficking prosecutions, and during Human Trafficking Prevention Month we reaffirm our commitment to prosecuting traffickers and encourage Americans to report instances of human trafficking in their communities.”
“Through the Homeland Security Task Force, President Trump is taking the fight directly to human trafficking networks and disrupting their modern-day slave trade while seizing their assets and arresting their kingpins and foot soldiers. The American people should not have to live in fear of cartels, gang bangers, and foreign terrorists preying upon the most vulnerable among us,” the United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement. “The Homeland Security Task Force is the largest coordinated campaign against transnational criminal organizations in U.S. history, and I’m proud to co-lead it with Attorney General Bondi.”
“During Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the FBI reiterates our work with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and national victim-based advocacy groups in joint task forces to protect our communities across the country,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The horrifying reach of human trafficking spreads far and wide. Homeland Security Task Forces are fighting back to disrupt these perilous networks and put a stop to that reach. The FBI will continue our investigations and bring justice to those exploited by human traffickers.
“Oftentimes Hollywood movie culture reinforces myths that human trafficking exists only in a dark, underground world. The truth is that forced labor victims work in restaurants, cleaning services, construction sites, factories, and in private homes as domestic servants,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “Stopping these crimes requires knowing the signs of human trafficking and also dispelling misconceptions that make us less perceptive and dismissive when we should see red flags. All this helps us catch and prosecute the traffickers.”
In January 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. Section 6 of this order directed the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to jointly establish HSTFs in every state nationwide. The HSTF objective is to end the presence of criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) throughout the United States; dismantle cross-border human smuggling and trafficking networks; end the scourge of human smuggling and trafficking, with a particular focus on such offenses involving children; and ensure the use of all available law enforcement tools to faithfully execute the immigration laws of the United States.
Since January 20, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office - District of Kansas has:
• Secured convictions of six former cult members for engaging in a conspiracy to exploit minor victims by keeping them in forced labor for years. Five of the six defendants received prison sentences.
In January 2026, DHS and DOJ are surging resources to fight and raise awareness about human trafficking, including:
• Identifying ongoing investigations and prioritizing featured operations across 45 federal locations and 10 state locations with an emphasis on border states.
• Coordinating with FBI Human Trafficking Squads and multi-agency Human Trafficking Task Forces to conduct victim recovery.
• Partnering with AMTRAK and FAMS to increase law enforcement resources and distribute posters with QR codes for reporting human trafficking in all station bathrooms and trains.
• Running advertisements related to $250 million recovery from Backpage to distribute to victims and additional victim restitution efforts by DOL-OIG.
• Organizing Human Trafficking seminars and outreach events with DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking at high schools and colleges to highlight the role of HSTFs in addressing human trafficking.On August 25, 2025, HSTF officially launched its effort to protect the Homeland with a September Surge encompassing 400 operations nationwide. In just 43 days, HSTF nationwide operations resulted in 3,266 arrests and seizures including:
• 1,041 Sinaloa members, • 856 Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (“CJNG”) members, • 641 MS-13 members, • 456 Tren de Aragua members, • 1,067 weapons
• More than $3,250,000 in currency
• Approximately 91 metric tons of narcotics###
U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 91 Border-Related Cases This WeekRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 91 border-related cases this week, including charges of bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city).
In addition to reactive border-related crimes, the Southern District of California also prosecutes a significant number of proactive cases related to terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking and national security. Recent developments in those and other significant areas of prosecution can be found here.
A sample of border-related arrests this week:
- On January 17, Eduardo Luis Aguilar Atilano, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Attempted Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain. According to a complaint, the defendant was captain of a vessel intercepted by U.S. Coast Guard off the coast of San Diego that was transporting nine undocumented immigrants. Also arrested were Mexican citizens Rocio Chavez Granados, Arnulfo Contreras Hernandez, Ruben Esquivel Nunez, Jacinto Torres-Cantu and Briner Yulipsi Vela Diaz, who were charged with Attempted Entry after Deportation.
- On January 20, Genaro Cortez-Beltran, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Deported Alien Found in the United States. According to a complaint, Border Patrol agents encountered the defendant about two miles north of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. He had been previously deported September 2025 from the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
- On January 21, Marco Antonio Murillo-Najera, a Mexican citizen, was arrested and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, Customs and Border Protection officers found two packages containing 232 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in the cab of the Peterbilt tractor driven by the defendant as he attempted to cross the border at the Otay Mesa Cargo Facility.
The immigration cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the support and assistance of state and local law enforcement partners.
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.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Collected $16 Million in Civil and Criminal Actions in Fiscal Year 2025Read the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus announced today that the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Missouri collected $16,070,376 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2025. Of this amount, $14,077,382 was collected in criminal actions and $1,992,993 was collected in civil actions.
Additionally, the Eastern District of Missouri worked with other U.S. Attorney’s offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $76,319,861 in cases pursued jointly by these offices. Of this amount, $274,366 was collected in criminal actions and $76,045,494 was collected in civil actions.
“Last year, we recovered more than one million dollars for Medicare and Medicaid in one case alone, and millions of dollars more that were fraudulently obtained by faking disabilities,” said U.S. Attorney Albus. “Those contemplating fraud in the Eastern District of Missouri should know that the U.S. Attorney’s office will aggressively pursue the recovery of ill-gotten gains and do our best, even years later, to recover assets due to victims.”
Among the collections in criminal actions in the Eastern District of Missouri was a total of $1,323,318 recovered from Michael McCormac to reimburse Medicare, the Missouri Medicaid program and the Ohio Medicaid program. McCormac is the former owner of a mail order pharmacy who pleaded guilty to two counts of violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute and admitted paying kickbacks to marketing companies to generate prescriptions for expensive medications. The office has also continued to recover funds from a disability fraud case involving two Jefferson County chiropractors and more than two dozen patients. About $2.9 million was collected last year in those cases.
The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.
Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s office, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $5,420,367 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2025. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes. The office also obtained the forfeiture of 334 firearms involved in criminal offenses.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico Weekly Immigration and Border Crimes ReportRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced its immigration enforcement statistics for this week. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies.
In the one-week period ending January 23, 2026, the United States Attorney’s Office brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico:
- 35 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326)
- 9 individuals were charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324)
- 48 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325)
- 11 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325), violation of a military security regulation (50 U.S.C. 797) and Entering Military, Naval, or Coast Guard Property (18 U.S.C. 1382), arising from the newly established National Defense Area in New Mexico.
Many of the defendants charged pursuant to 8 U.S.C. 1326 had prior criminal convictions for child sexual assault, DUI, alien smuggling, statutory rape, and prior immigration offenses.
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.
These statistics represent prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico only. The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the District of New Mexico. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The District of New Mexico consists of 33 counties and shares 180 miles of international border with Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from Albuquerque and Las Cruces work directly with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to prosecute immigration-related and other federal offenses.
Two Defendants Sentenced to Prison for Roles in Kanawha County Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – On Thursday, January 22, 2026, Ashley Dawn Smith, 32, of St. Albans, was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and Adrian Lamont Carter, 45, of Charleston, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. Smith and Carter admitted to their roles in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the Charleston area between June 2024 and May 2025.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Smith was distributing fentanyl to customers that she was obtaining from two out-of-town sources. One of her co-conspirators would re-distribute the fentanyl that he obtained from Smith. When officers executed a search warrant at Smith’s St. Albans residence in February 2025, they located a quantity of fentanyl as well as other items indicative of fentanyl distribution.
Carter obtained fentanyl from an out-of-town source and distributed it to several customers in the Charleston area. When officers executed a search warrant at Carter’s Charleston residence in April 2025, they located a quantity of fentanyl as well as other items indicative of fentanyl distribution.
Smith and Carter are among 16 individuals indicted as the result of a federal investigation on charges alleging they participated in the distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the Charleston area between June 2024 and May 2025. Five defendants in the main indictment pleaded guilty including Smith and Carter. Four additional defendants pleaded guilty in separate cases that resulted from the investigation. The indictment against the remaining defendants is pending. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), which is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentences. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe 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 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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-78.
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Two Area Men Indicted in Connection with Stolen Treasury Check SchemeRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Ibrahim Tougouma, 24, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Tyler Glenn-Hayward, 21, of Pennsauken, New Jersey, were charged by indictment with conspiracy to steal government funds, two counts of bank fraud, and possession of stolen mail. Glenn-Hayward was also charged with four counts of theft of government funds.
The indictment alleges that, from about May 2024 to August 2024, the defendants conspired, together and with others, to steal and convert to their own use Treasury checks issued by the federal government, to which Tougouma and Glenn-Hayward knew they were not entitled.
It was part of the conspiracy, the indictment further alleges, that after coming into possession of stolen Treasury checks, Glenn-Hayward altered and counterfeited the stolen checks, including at Tougouma’s direction, and received payments from Tougouma through peer-to-peer payment apps for doing so.
Specifically, on or about May 24, 2024, the indictment alleges that Tougouma, using a messaging app, sent Glenn-Hayward a photograph of a stolen Treasury check (“Check #1”), which had been issued by the Social Security Administration for victim M.O. in the amount of $15,926.25. Tougouma asked Glenn-Hayward to alter the payee information and provide a counterfeit of the valid Treasury check with the altered payee information for Check #1.
Glenn-Hayward agreed to do so, stated his price, and, once Tougouma had paid him the $100, he produced and sent to Tougouma two .pdf files of the counterfeit Treasury check for Check #1, with the payee information altered as Tougouma had directed. On or about May 29, 2024, Tougouma caused the counterfeit Treasury check for Check #1 to be deposited at a financial institution via an ATM located in Wilmington, Delaware.
The indictment further alleges that, on or about July 11, 2024, defendants Tougouma and Glenn-Hayward exchanged messages discussing the resale of Treasury checks and how to deposit the checks themselves. Glenn-Hayward directed Tougouma to send him a photo of a stolen Treasury check, and Tougouma sent an image of a stolen Treasury check issued by the Internal Revenue Service for victim G.M. in the amount of $173,194 (“Check #2”).
Glenn-Hayward altered the payee information on Check #2, copying the rest of the check’s information. On or about July 12, 2024, Glenn-Hayward caused the counterfeit Treasury check for Check #2 to be deposited at a financial institution via an ATM located in Annapolis, Maryland.
Additionally, the indictment alleges that, in April 2024, Glenn-Hayward stole and deposited four U.S. Treasury checks totaling more than $6,000 in government benefits to which he knew he wasn’t entitled.
If convicted, Tougouma faces a maximum possible sentence of 70 years’ imprisonment and Glenn-Hayward faces a maximum possible sentence of 110 years’ imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, and U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Megan Curran.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Indictment - U.S. v. Tougouma, et al
Twice-Deported Illegal Immigrant Who Caused Fatal O.C. Car Crash Sentenced to Nearly 4 Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Reentering U.S.Read the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A Mexican national and twice-deported illegal immigrant whose criminal history includes nine arrests and a vehicular manslaughter conviction for killing two teenagers in Orange County, was sentenced today to 46 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States after being deported.
Oscar Eduardo Ortega, 44, a former resident of Garden Grove, was sentenced by United States District Judge John W. Holcomb.
Ortega pleaded guilty in October 2025 to one count of being an illegal alien found in the United States following removal.
“Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state of California failed the families of the two victims this defendant killed in a DUI accident,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “The federal government under this administration delivered justice where the state would not. We hope today’s sentence brings some measure of healing to those devastated by this criminal’s acts.”
According to court documents, Ortega was removed from the United States in December 2016 and June 2018. In November 2021, Ortega – while under the influence of alcohol and drugs and driving at speeds of 100 mph on the 405 freeway in Seal Beach – crashed into another car, killing the two 19-year-old victims inside.
In 2022, Ortega was convicted in Orange County Superior Court of two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and was sentenced to 10 years in California state prison. He was released from California state prison after serving less than four years of his sentence.
Ortega has been in federal custody since July 2025. His criminal history also includes felony convictions in October 2005 in Los Angeles Superior Court for grand theft of personal property and unlawful taking of a vehicle. In February 2014, Ortega was convicted in Orange County Superior Court of a felony charge of false imprisonment by violence and deceit.
United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Lawrence E. Kole of the Domestic Security and Immigration Crimes Section prosecuted this case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Tucson Man Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Abusive Sexual Contact of a ChildRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Cylus Miller Alvarado, 25, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced on Jan. 15, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Sharad H. Desai to 192 months in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, announced U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine.
Alvarado previously pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact of a child.
“When children are targeted by sexual predators, it causes long-lasting harm to survivors, their families and often their communities,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “Our justice system must protect children, decisively and without compromise. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our federal and tribal law enforcement partners continue to use every available tool to identify and bring to account individuals, like Alvarado, who perpetrate crimes against the most innocent among us.”
“One of the most important things FBI Phoenix does is protecting children around the world from predators seeking to harm them. We thank the brave victim and witness who came forward in this case to help us put Cylus Alvarado behind bars for more than a decade,” said FBI Phoenix Acting Special Agent in Charge Joe Hooper. “The FBI hopes this sentence shows our unwavering commitment to pursuing justice for all victims of similar abuse and sends the message to all offenders—you will be pursued, prosecuted, and punished.”
Between April 1, 2022, and June 12, 2023, Alvarado engaged in abusive sexual contact with a minor victim who was under the age of 12 on multiple occasions at the residence where he was living in Parker, Arizona, on the Colorado River Indian Tribes Indian Reservation. Alvarado and the minor victim are enrolled members of the Colorado River Indian Tribes.
The FBI Phoenix, Lake Havasu office, and the Colorado River Indian Tribes Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina J. Reid-Moore, District of Arizona, Phoenix, prosecuted the case.
CASE NUMBER: CR-24-02020-PHX-SHD
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-006_Alvarado
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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.
Tickfaw Man Guilty of Distribution of Kilograms of FentanylRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – LARRY G. TURNER, (TURNER), age 41, of Tangipahoa Parish, pled guilty on January 15, 2026 before U.S. District Judge Barry W Ashe to Conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, more than 400 grams of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1); §841(b)(1)(A), and 846, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
Judge Ashe scheduled sentencing for April 9, 2026. At sentencing, TURNER faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten (10) years and up to life imprisonment, up to a $10,000,000 fine, and at least five (5) years of supervised release. There is also a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
According to the indictment, beginning on a time unknown but continuing until at least June 26, 2025, TURNER and several other individuals conspired to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, multiple kilograms of fentanyl throughout the Tangipahoa, St. Tammany, and Washington Parishes region of the Eastern District of Louisiana. The conspiracy mainly revolved around TURNER’s residence in Tickfaw, Louisiana. The execution of a federal search warrant at TURNER’s residence led to the recovery of over five (5) kilograms of fentanyl in counterfeit pill form, along with multiple firearms.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Fentanyl Overdose Response Team (FORT), Hammond Police Department, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, 22nd JDC District Attorney’s Office, Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Louisiana National Guard. FORT was also assisted by the Louisiana State Police, Bogalusa Police Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Stuart Theriot of the Narcotics Unit.
Three Defendants Convicted at Trial Involving Multimillion-Dollar Cocaine and Fentanyl-Trafficking Organization That Used Children as CouriersRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A federal jury convicted three defendants for their roles in a multimillion-dollar drug-trafficking organization (“DTO”) that distributed bulk cocaine and fentanyl and used children as couriers.
According to court documents and evidence presented at a three-week trial, Glennie Antonio McGee, 42, and his wife, Echandza Dianca Maxie (“Echandza”), 43, each of Mobile, were members of a lucrative, Mobile-based DTO that distributed hundreds of pounds of cocaine and tens of thousands of fentanyl pills between 2017 and 2024. The DTO sourced cocaine from cartel-connected suppliers in Texas and, ultimately, Mexico. The DTO’s fentanyl pills—counterfeited “M30” pills pressed to look like oxycodone—came from various sources in Alabama, Florida, Washington, and other locales. McGee’s sister-in-law, Exavieria Deagnes Maxie (“Exavieria”), 37, also of Mobile, aided the conspiracy by trafficking a firearm and tampering with evidence.
During the trial, the jury reviewed court-authorized wiretap recordings, CCTV videos from a covert camera installed in McGee’s Cadillac Escalade, pole camera and aerial surveillance videos, text messages and other phone data, financial records, tax records, and DNA evidence, among other things. The jury heard evidence that the defendants used their illicit proceeds to travel the world, including trips to exotic locations including France, Greece, the Maldives, Mexico, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates.
In December 2022, Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) agents arrested one of McGee’s cocaine suppliers following a dangerous high-speed chase in midtown Mobile. Agents seized 9.5 kilograms of cartel-sourced cocaine from the supplier, who was scheduled to deliver one kilogram of the cocaine to McGee that same evening. Weeks later, FBI agents executed a search warrant at McGee’s and Echandza’s house in west Mobile. Agents seized a backpack containing cocaine residue from a vehicle that Echandza was driving. They also seized bulk cash, custom jewelry and other proceeds of the defendants’ drug crimes, a money-counting machine, drug ledgers, documents linking the defendants to other members of the DTO, and a Draco AK-47-style pistol from the house. Echandza lied to FBI agents and claimed the pistol belonged to her, but an FBI DNA analyst found McGee’s DNA on the weapon and other evidence showed that one of McGee’s drug couriers had illegally bought the weapon for him because he is a convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing guns. McGee’s prior felonies include state convictions for shooting into occupied buildings and vehicles, as well as a federal conviction for trafficking crack cocaine. While agents were still on-scene searching the house, Echandza left the residence and traveled to multiple bank branches in Mobile and withdrew $138,000.
In January and February 2024, Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) agents obtained multiple recordings of McGee discussing his DTO’s procurement and distribution of hundreds of pounds of cocaine and thousands of fentanyl pills. In those recordings, McGee explained how he took his drug profits and laundered them through real estate properties that he and Echandza had acquired, including properties they rented out on Airbnb. On February 17, 2024, agents recorded McGee selling 1,018 fentanyl pills to a cooperating defendant.
In March 2024, HSI agents began a court-authorized wiretap of several cell phones used by McGee. Agents intercepted more than 8,000 calls during three months’ worth of monitoring. The jury reviewed more than 100 recorded calls and videos from the covert CCTV camera installed in McGee’s Escalade. On those calls and videos, agents captured McGee making dozens of drug deals for bulk cocaine and fentanyl pills. Agents also intercepted Echandza brokering a drug deal on McGee’s behalf. In one instance on March 18, 2024, McGee sold a kilogram of cocaine to a customer for $18,000 in the driveway of his mother’s house on Euclid Avenue in Mobile. A pole camera captured a 15-year-old child hand delivering the brick of cocaine to McGee.
On March 30, 2024, agents arrested one of McGee’s drug couriers, Tierra Tocorra Hill, in possession of a kilogram of cocaine, a quarter-kilogram of fake cocaine (boric acid), and a loaded pistol. McGee had unknowingly purchased several kilograms of fake cocaine and instructed Hill to mix the boric acid into real cocaine for resale on the street to recuperate his losses for the bad cocaine deal. Boric acid is a household cleaner and detergent. When McGee learned that Hill had been arrested, he traveled to a stash house on Harvey Court in Mobile. There, as recorded on the wiretap, McGee instructed several young children, including an eight-year-old boy he described as “game,” to remove a backpack that contained bulk cocaine from the house and throw it over a fence. Agents responded to the house and encountered the children, including a three-year-old boy who was wearing the backpack filled with pounds of cocaine. Inside the house, agents found additional bulk cocaine and loaded firearms that McGee was storing there. After the raid, agents intercepted calls in which McGee attempted to coach the children to lie to Alabama Department of Human Resources personnel about the incident.
In June 2024, agents intercepted several calls involving McGee and his Houston, Texas-based suppliers, Eric Anthony Aguilar and Jonathan Maurice Hackworth, arranging a shipment of five kilograms of cocaine to the DTO in Mobile. During a traffic stop in Mobile on June 13, 2024, agents seized $24,000 in bulk cash that McGee had paid Aguilar for a portion of the drugs. Later that same day, agents arrested McGee after he and one of his DTO lieutenants, Antonio Dwone Reed, attempted to flee in a brief high-speed chase. Agents boxed in the vehicle and encountered McGee with three kilograms of cocaine sitting in his lap. McGee then confessed in a videotaped interview that he had been dealing bulk cocaine since 2017 and earned $20,000 per month in profits.
Following McGee’s arrest, agents intercepted Echandza and Exavieria plotting to conceal evidence while operating the bugged Escalade. Specifically, Echandza gave Exavieria, a convicted felon, a shoebox full of custom jewelry and a loaded .380 caliber pistol. Exavieria took the jewelry and gun and stashed them in her apartment in west Mobile. Thereafter, on CCTV recordings, Echandza and Exavieria directed a 15-year-old child to find the gun and toss it from a balcony before agents could enter the apartment. When Echandza’s teenage son tried to instruct the 15-year-old, her nephew, how to remove the clip from the loaded weapon, Echandza stated, “No, tell him don’t do all that. Just drop it off. . . . [H]e ain’t got time to do that. We ain’t got time to coach him.” Exavieria was intercepted admitting that she told her 15-year-old son to toss the gun from the balcony. Agents found the loaded pistol near a softball field behind the apartment. Exavieria then admitted to agents that she had brought the gun to her apartment from McGee’s and Echandza’s house. Exavieria has previously been convicted of a federal methamphetamine-trafficking offense and is prohibited from possessing firearms.
The jury convicted McGee of participating in a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiracies to traffic cocaine and fentanyl, distribution of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, use of minors in drug operations, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug-trafficking crimes, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Terry F. Moorer and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and a fine of up to $20,000,000. The sentencing will be scheduled after a separate trial before Judge Moorer in March 2026 involving alleged fraud, identity theft, and money laundering. McGee is presumed innocent in that case until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Echandza was convicted of participating in a cocaine-trafficking conspiracy, a firearms-trafficking conspiracy, distribution of a firearm to a convicted felon, and tampering with evidence. She faces a maximum sentence of life in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a fine of up to $10,000,000. Judge Moorer will sentence Echandza after the fraud trial in March 2026, in which she is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Exavieria was convicted of participating in a firearms-trafficking conspiracy and tampering with evidence. She faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Judge Moorer will sentence Exavieria after the fraud trial in March 2026, in which she is not a defendant.
The jury forfeited several items of property to the United States, including real property, high-end vehicles, custom jewelry worth more than $400,000, and money judgments totaling $500,000. The court forfeited the firearms to the United States.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, the Mobile Police Department, the Prichard Police Department, and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency are investigating the case. The United States Marshals Service and several local agencies in Houston, Texas are assisting the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Roller and George May are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
This prosecution was part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Mobile comprises agents and officers from, among others, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama.
Three Charged with Sex Trafficking a MinorRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – Jamar Geeter, 38, of California, Jada Hasty, 29, of Pennsylvania, and Khloe Gregory, 21, of Tennessee, have been charged by criminal complaint with trafficking a minor across state lines for prostitution.
According to court documents, Geeter contacted the minor victim through social media. When the victim told Geeter that she had a difficult home life, Geeter promised to help her and convinced her to travel from her home in North Carolina to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Once the victim arrived, she was picked up by Hasty and Gregory. Geeter—who was incarcerated in California following a prior conviction for sex trafficking two minors—spoke to the victim over the phone. At that time, the victim learned that Geeter intended to force her to prostitute herself for Geeter’s financial benefit. Geeter, Hasty, and Gregory exerted control over the victim, including by destroying her personal phone and taking possession of her social-security card and birth certificate. Geeter also made various threats of violence towards the victim and her family if the victim left or did not otherwise comply with their rules. As a result, the victim engaged in prostitution in Delaware and gave the proceeds to Hasty and Gregory, at Geeter’s direction and for his ultimate benefit. Eventually, the victim was able to get away from Hasty and Gregory and ask a stranger to contact 911, at which point the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Delaware Violent Crime and Safe Streets Task Force and the Delaware State Police intervened.
Geeter, Hasty, and Gregory have been charged with sex trafficking of a child; conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking; and transportation of a minor for prostitution. If convicted on all charges, the defendants face a maximum term of life imprisonment with a mandatory minimum term of 15 years. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
“The alleged criminal conduct in this case is depraved: three adults are charged with preying on an unusually vulnerable child and subjecting her to both sexual exploitation and threats of physical violence,” said U.S. Attorney Benjamin L. Wallace. “We thank our law-enforcement partners at the FBI and DSP for the excellent investigative work that brought us to the point of charging. We now look forward to proving our case and getting justice for the victim in court.”
“I am proud of the diligent work of the FBI’s Delaware Violent Crime and Safe Streets Task Force and Delaware State Police which resulted in saving a young girl who was ruthlessly lured into human trafficking,” said FBI Baltimore SAC Jimmy Paul. “These arrests and prosecutions not only show the power of our partnerships here in Delaware, but the breadth and reach of the FBI as this investigation spans five states from North Carolina to Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and California. We will find and fully hold accountable anyone abusing our children.”
The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Claudia L. Pare is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 25-692M, 25-693M, and 25-694M.
The charges contained in the criminal complaints are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Third New Bedford, Massachusetts Man Charged for February 2024 Saco Shooting Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A third New Bedford, Massachusetts man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to using a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
Jason Johnson-Rivera (a/k/a “Ouda”), 20, pleaded guilty to one count of the superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury on March 19, 2025. Johnson-Rivera’s codefendants, Joshua Estrada (aka “Mac”), 20, and Yancarlos Abrante (aka “Glizzy”), 22, pleaded guilty on September 25, 2025.
According to court records, on February 9, 2024, Johnson-Rivera, Estrada and Abrante fired at least five rounds from a 9mm handgun into another vehicle in a drug trade dispute. Shortly after they fired on their drug rivals and fled the scene, they drove their vehicle against traffic and through a red light, crashing into another passenger vehicle and a school bus. Video footage captured by another driver who witnessed the accident showed them exiting their vehicle and fleeing the scene on foot. Court records reflect that Estrada, Abrante and others had been trafficking cocaine in and around Saco and Biddeford since at least January 2024.
Johnson-Riverafaces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to five years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Saco Police Department, FBI’s Southern Maine Gang Task Force, U.S. Border Patrol, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case with assistance from the New Bedford (Mass.) Police Department.
Project Safe Neighborhoods: 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 Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psn.
Temple Hills Man Sentenced for Firearms and Drug Trafficking Crimes, and CARES Act Unemployment Insurance FraudRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman sentenced a Maryland man to federal prison in connection with two cases — one involving drug-trafficking and firearms crimes — and the other relating to identity-theft and wire-fraud charges.
Lawrence Nathanial Harris, 33, of Temple Hills Maryland, received a 15-year prison sentence, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, and also for possessing a machine gun, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense. Judge Boardman also ordered Harris to pay $952,225 of restitution.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer, National Capital Region, U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG); Special Agent in Charge Charles Doerrer, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); 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).
The fraud and identity theft charges are connected to Harris submitting fraudulent Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act unemployment insurance (UI) claims. According to his plea agreement, beginning in at least January 2021, and continuing until about September 2023, Harris and his co-conspirators engaged in a scheme to defraud the United States, State of Maryland, multiple financial institutions, and multiple individuals, including identity theft victims. The co-conspirators submitted false and fraudulent UI benefits claims to the Maryland Department of Labor (MD-DOL), Maryland’s agency responsible for processing the claims. Harris participated in submitting UI claims resulting in losses exceeding $950,000, and he used debit cards issued in the names of aggravated identity theft victims to obtain UI fraud funds.
Additionally, Harris admitted that on November 16, 2022, while law enforcement executed a residential search warrant at his home, he threw a firearm and a bag of marijuana from his room. He possessed this firearm in furtherance of his drug-trafficking activities. During a search of Harris’s attic, law enforcement recovered two duffle bags filled with marijuana as well as four additional firearms. The firearms included a pistol equipped with a switch that converted it into a machine gun. Harris admitted to possessing the guns and drugs found in the attic.
The District of Maryland COVID-19 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 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The CARES Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 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, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.
For more information about the Department’s response to the pandemic, visit 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 justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the DOL-OIG, ATF, FBI, and PGPD for their work in the investigation and the MD-DOL for its assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Gruber, Joseph L. Wenner, Christopher Sarma, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanay Mitchell, who prosecuted this case. She also recognized the Maryland COVID-19 Strike Force and Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber for her valuable assistance.
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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St. John the Baptist and Jefferson Parish Residents Guilty of Fentanyl Conspiracy and DistributionRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JESSICA PORTWAY, age 42, of St. John the Baptist Parish, RACHEL PORTWAY, age 23 of Jefferson Parish, and TYLER SALADINO (“SALADINO”), age 25, of Jefferson Parish, pled guilty before United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo, to an indictment charging them with drug conspiracy, drug distribution and possession with intent to distribute drugs, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle. JESSICA PORTWAY pled guilty on January 7, 2026; and RACHEL PORTWAY and SALADINO pled guilty on January 21, 2026.
All three defendants were charged in Count 1 of the indictment with conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 846. All three defendants were also charged in Count 2 with distribution of fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and Title 18, United States Code, Section 2. Count 3 charged RACHEL PORTWAY and SALADINO with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C). Count 4 charged JESSICA PORTWAY with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A), and 841(b)(1)(C).
According to court documents, in August 2023, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office was investigating an overdose death in Jefferson Parish. The investigation revealed that SALADINO, RACHEL PORTWAY, JESSICA PORTWAY, and others. conspired to distribute fentanyl in the Eastern District of Louisiana. As part of the conspiracy, SALADINO and RACHEL PORTWAY sold pills containing fentanyl to the victim in Jefferson Parish. The investigation further revealed that RACHEL PORTWAY had obtained the pills from JESSICA PORTWAY in the weeks leading up to the transaction, and that JESSICA PORTWAY had received the pills from another individual from California.
A search warrant was executed on SALADINO and RACHEL PORTWAY’S shared residence, and additional pills containing fentanyl were recovered. A search warrant executed on JESSICA PORTWAY’S residence in LaPlace, Louisiana by law enforcement yielded 26 doses of LSD, a quantity of methamphetamine, and a quantity of fentanyl.
The defendants face up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000,000.00, and at least three years of supervised release for Count 1. As to Count 2, the defendants face up to 20 years imprisonment, up to a $1,000,000.00 fine, and at least three years of supervised release. As to Count 3, SALADINO and RACHEL PORTWAY face up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000,000.00, and at least three years of supervised release. As to Count 4, JESSICA PORTWAY faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of ten years and up to a maximum term of life imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000,000, and up to five years of supervised release.
The defendants, individually, also face payment of a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee for each count.
Sentencing for JESSICA PORTWAY is set for April 8, 2026, and sentencing in this matter for RACHEL PORTWAY and TYLER SALADINO is scheduled for April 22, 2026.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration – Fentanyl Overdose Response Team (FORT), the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Briana Williams and Andre Jones of the Narcotics Unit.
St. Charles County Man Admits Possessing, Selling MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Charles County on Friday admitted being caught with 2.7 kilograms of methamphetamine after selling meth twice to someone working with law enforcement.
Christopher P. Decker, 47, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
After learning that Decker was involved in drug trafficking, the Multi-County Narcotics Violent Crime Enforcement Unit and the Drug Enforcement Administration bought meth twice from Decker in June of 2021. Each time, Decker sold two ounces of meth for $1,400 from his home. Following the purchases, DEA investigators applied for and obtained a search warrant for Decker’s home and found a large amount of meth in a safe in his bedroom and in his washing machine, totaling 2.7 kilograms. They also found a handgun. Decker was convicted in 2005 in U.S. District Court in St. Louis of conspiracy to possess pseudoephedrine, having reasonable cause to believe that it would be used to manufacture methamphetamine.
Decker’s sentencing has been set for April 22.
Franklin County's Multi-County Narcotics and Violent Crime Enforcement Unit and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip Voss is prosecuting the case.
Springfield Woman Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft, and Money Laundering associated with submitting false documents to the Missouri Department of RevenueRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., woman pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday for her role in a mail fraud scheme in which false documents were submitted to the Missouri Department of Revenue to obtain mechanics liens and titles for vehicles that had previously been reported stolen.
Christie Engle, 49, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Willie J. Epps, Jr., to one count of mail fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of money laundering.
According to the plea agreement, Engle worked as an employee for Dennis Cleveland, the owner of Affordable Towing. Cleveland directed his employees, one of which was Engle, to submit fraudulent documents to the Missouri Department of Revenue. The purpose of the documents was to obtain substitute or replacement mechanics liens and vehicle titles that would allow Cleveland, through Affordable Towing, to sell the vehicles. In each instance, the documents submitted by Engle, at the direction of Cleveland, claimed to have received permission from the vehicle’s owner. Upon reviewing the documents, it was discovered that none of the listed vehicle owners gave Engle, Cleveland, or Affordable Towing permission to seize or sell their vehicle. Further, in all these documents, a signature in the name of the vehicle’s owner was provided and was confirmed to be a forgery. In those instances that Engle was successful in obtaining a replacement lien or title at Cleveland’s direction, from the Missouri Department of Revenue, Cleveland sold the vehicles at his used car dealership. In those instances that Engle was unsuccessful in obtaining a replacement title or mechanics lien at Cleveland’s direction, the vehicle was sold to a local scrapyard. Under either circumstance, Engle carried out criminal acts at Cleveland’s direction, who then took all the proceeds from the vehicle’s sale or scrapping of these vehicles for himself. Each of the vehicles involved in this scheme were confirmed to have been reported stolen and Engle, Cleveland or Affordable Towing did not have permission to possess, sell, or scrap any of these vehicles.
In December 2025, Cleveland also pleaded guilty to the same charges and is awaiting sentencing.
Under federal statutes, Engle is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole for the offense of mail fraud. Further, Engle is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole for the offense of money laundering. Finally, Engle is subject to a sentence of 2 years, to run consecutively to the mail fraud and money laundering, for the offense of aggravated identity theft. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney It was investigated by the Missouri Department of Revenue, Compliance and Investigation Bureau, the United States Post Inspection Service, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Southern District of Illinois recognizes National Human Trafficking Prevention MonthRead the Press Release
FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois observes National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and joins the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security in reaffirming the administration’s commitment to combatting all forms of human trafficking to protect victims and survivors.
Human Trafficking Prevention Month presents an opportunity for DHS and DOJ, through the Homeland Security Task Forces to intensify operational efforts, raise public awareness, and strengthen partnerships across federal, state and local agencies to disrupt trafficking networks, protect vulnerable individuals and ensure traffickers are brought to justice.
“This Department of Justice is working tirelessly alongside our partners to dismantle human trafficking networks, help survivors, and protect vulnerable populations from being exploited,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Under this administration we have seen an increase in human trafficking prosecutions, and during Human Trafficking Prevention Month we reaffirm our commitment to prosecuting traffickers and encourage Americans to report instances of human trafficking in their communities.”
“Through the Homeland Security Task Force, President Trump is taking the fight directly to human trafficking networks and disrupting their modern-day slave trade while seizing their assets and arresting their kingpins and foot soldiers. The American people should not have to live in fear of cartels, gang bangers, and foreign terrorists preying upon the most vulnerable among us,” the United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement. “The Homeland Security Task Force is the largest coordinated campaign against transnational criminal organizations in U.S. history, and I’m proud to co-lead it with Attorney General Bondi.”
“During Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the FBI reiterates our work with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and national victim-based advocacy groups in joint task forces to protect our communities across the country,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The horrifying reach of human trafficking spreads far and wide. Homeland Security Task Forces are fighting back to disrupt these perilous networks and put a stop to that reach. The FBI will continue our investigations and bring justice to those exploited by human traffickers.”
“During Human Trafficking Prevention Month, we reaffirm our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable, pursuing traffickers with every available resource and working alongside our law enforcement partners to dismantle the networks responsible for exploitation,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft.
In January 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. Section 6 of this order directed the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to jointly establish HSTFs in every state nationwide. The HSTF objective is to end the presence of criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations throughout the U.S.; dismantle cross-border human smuggling and trafficking networks; end the scourge of human smuggling and trafficking, with a particular focus on such offenses involving children; and ensure the use of all available law enforcement tools to faithfully execute the immigration laws of the U.S.
Through the HSTF since Jan. 20, 2025, perpetrators of sex trafficking, transnational drug traffickers, conspirators of foreign-based fraud rings and violent criminals are facing federal charges in the Southern District of Illinois.
In January 2026, DHS and DOJ are surging resources to fight and raise awareness about human trafficking, including:
- Identifying ongoing investigations and prioritizing featured operations across 45 federal locations and 10 state locations with an emphasis on border states.
- Coordinating with FBI Human Trafficking Squads and multi-agency Human Trafficking Task Forces to conduct victim recovery.
- Partnering with AMTRAK and FAMS to increase law enforcement resources and distribute posters with QR codes for reporting human trafficking in all station bathrooms and trains.
- Running advertisements related to $250 million recovery from Backpage to distribute to victims and additional victim restitution efforts by DOL-OIG.
- Organizing Human Trafficking seminars and outreach events with DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking at high schools and colleges to highlight the role of HSTFs in addressing human trafficking.
On Aug. 25, 2025, HSTF officially launched its effort to protect the Homeland with a September Surge encompassing 400 operations nationwide. In just 43 days, HSTF nationwide operations resulted in 3,266 arrests and seizures including:
- 1,041 Sinaloa members,
- 856 Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (“CJNG”) members,
- 641 MS-13 members,
- 456 Tren de Aragua members,
- 1,067 weapons,
- More than $3,250,000 in currency, and
- Approximately 91 metric tons of narcotics.
Sober Home Manager Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Wire Fraud and Mortgage Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A manager of numerous sober homes in Massachusetts was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for his involvement in three different fraud schemes involving sober homes in the Greater Boston area, the Mass Save Program and a mortgage lender.
Nicholas Espinosa, 39, formerly of Randolph, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to 30 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In October 2024, Espinosa pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud conspiracy; one count of conspiracy to make false statements to a mortgage lending business (mortgage fraud conspiracy); 15 counts of wire fraud; six counts of unlawful monetary transactions (money laundering); and one count of making false statements to a mortgage lending business. Espinosa was arrested and charged in March 2023 along with co-conspirator Daniel Cleggett.
Cleggett was the founder of the sober home business A Vision From God LLC (AVFG). Established in November 2016, AVFG owned and operated sober homes in Boston, Wakefield, Quincy and Weymouth under trade names including Brady’s Place, Lakeshore Retreat and Lambert House. Espinosa managed the day-to-day affairs of Cleggett’s sober home business.
Cleggett, Espinosa and a sober home client entered into a conspiracy to defraud a New York-based family trust that was paying for the client’s room and board at Brady’s Place, located in Quincy. Specifically, Cleggett and Espinosa overcharged the family trust for room and board by up to $12,500 per month by submitting false and fraudulent invoices to the family trust. Cleggett and Espinosa would then issue “refund” checks to the client in furtherance of the fraud scheme.
From approximately October 2019 to December 2021, Cleggett personally, and through straw purchasers including Espinosa, purchased three residential properties in Weymouth and Boston to use as sober homes. Cleggett, Espinosa and others submitted false information and fraudulent documentation including falsely representing that the three properties were intended to be purchased as primary residences when, in reality, each was intended to be a sober home.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Kingston, Randolph and Quincy Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys and John T. Mulcahy and Dustin Chao of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit are prosecuting the case.
Shiprock Man Sentenced for Unlawfully Possessing a ShotgunRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man was sentenced to 78 months in prison for unlawfully possessing a loaded shotgun, which he obtained by stealing and attempting to sell it.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court records, on August 10, 2022, Crandall Craig Martin, 42, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, stole a loaded firearm with the intention of trading it for alcohol or money to buy alcohol. As both a previously convicted felon and misdemeanant convicted of a crime of domestic violence, Martin was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
Martin subsequently pleaded guilty to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Upon his release from prison, Martin will be subject to three years of supervised release.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case.
Seven Individuals Sentenced to Federal Prison for Charges Related to Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – Seven individuals were sentenced to federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the Council Bluffs and Omaha metropolitan area.
According to public court documents, between June and September 2024, seven co-defendants conspired together to distribute methamphetamine throughout the Council Bluffs and Omaha metropolitan areas. Defendants were supplied with several pounds of methamphetamine from Mexican-based drug suppliers.
- Aaron Matthew Lewis, 39, of Council Bluffs, was sentenced to a 180-month prison term, followed by a five-year term of supervised release.
- Devon Leigh Miller, 35, of Omaha, was sentenced to a 204-month prison term, followed by a five-year term of supervised release.
- Spencer Allen Cornell, 32, of Council Bluffs, was sentenced to a 224‑month prison term, followed by a five-year term of supervised release.
- James Dwight Mills, 38, of Council Bluffs, was sentenced to a 264-month prison term, followed by a five-year term of supervised release.
- Sanel Dizdarevic, 32, of Omaha, was sentenced to a 132-month prison term, followed by a five-year term of supervised release.
- Kiley Lucille Marie Parrish, 24, of Omaha, was sentenced to a 96-month prison term, followed by a seven-year term of supervised release.
- Alyx Megan O’Hare, 37, of Omaha, was sentenced to a 60-month prison term, followed by a four-year term of supervised release.
There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by Council Bluffs Police Department, Omaha Police Department, Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Pottawattamie County Sheriff Department and Drug Enforcement Administration.
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.
Rochester man arrested on multiple child pornography chargesRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Rashad Rabah, 33, of Rochester, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with the production, receipt, and possession of child pornography. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, a lifetime period of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, Rabah came to the attention of the United States Postal Inspection Service when he attempted to collect a package containing a large amount of fentanyl from the Jefferson Road Processing and Distribution Center in Henrietta, NY, which was shipped from Arizona. The Postal Inspection Service intercepted the package and staged a controlled delivery to Rabah in August 2025. He received the package, at which time investigators took possession of his cellular phone. Search warrants executed on the phone uncovered Rabah’s involvement in illegal activity, to include child pornography and child exploitation crimes involving minors in the Rochester, NY area.
The FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force conducted further analysis of Rabah’s phones and executed multiple search warrants of his online accounts and home. According to the complaint, between April 2022, and August 7, 2025, Rabah engaged in sexually explicit online and text conversations with a Minor Victim, a child in the Rochester area. During these conversations, Rabah solicited the Minor Victim to create and send him sexually explicit images and videos. In addition, Rabah paid the Minor Victim to engage in this conduct and solicited other minors in the Rochester area. Rabah was also part of an online forum on a particular social media platform that was dedicated to the abuse and exploitation of minors.
The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Colleen D. Holland and was held pending a detention hearing on January 28, 2026, at 11:00 a.m.
The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Boston Division Acting Inspector-in-Charge Nicholas J. Bucciarelli, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Rio Linda Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Possessing Explicit Images of ChildrenRead the Press Release
Kenneth Wayne Lorenz, 82, of Rio Linda, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta to 14 years in prison for possessing visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, Lorenz came to the attention of law enforcement during an undercover operation in July 2024. Kevin Gipson, 60, of Oroville, a friend of Lorenz, responded to an undercover agent who had assumed the identity of a man who was interested in finding people to have sex with his 8‑year-old daughter. Gipson told the undercover officer that Lorenz might also be interested in having sex with the minor. Later in the operation, the undercover officer spoke with Lorenz by phone, and Lorenz confirmed that he would cancel a poker game so that the undercover officer could bring his daughter to Lorenz’s residence. A search warrant was later executed at Lorenz’s residence, and two thumb drives and a laptop computer were seized. Forensic examination of the devices revealed that they contained child sexual abuse material, including videos involving infants and bestiality. Lorenz admitted to law enforcement that he possessed the material on the two thumb drives and admitted that he viewed the material with his friends, including Gipson.
Gipson has pleaded guilty in a separate case in this district and awaits sentencing, case no., 2:24-CR-272-TLN. Lorenz pleaded guilty on Aug. 8, 2025.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office, and the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force/Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Delaney prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States 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 those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.
Pasco County Woman Sentenced to 16 Years for Trafficking Fentanyl and MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – Lizbet Sanchez-Alvear (29, Dade City) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernadez Covington to 16 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. Judge Covington also sentenced Cecelia Yalitza Ruiz (29, Dade City) to 27 months in federal prison for destroying evidence relating to Sanchez’s investigation. Sanchez pleaded guilty on October 27, 2025, and Ruiz pleaded guilty on August 12, 2025. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, over the last three years, Sanchez was the main source of supply and broker for mid-level narcotics dealers in Pasco County, distributing to one dealer alone at least 50 kilograms of methamphetamine and 3 kilograms of fentanyl. Sanchez specialized in connecting the sources of narcotics supply in Mexico and Atlanta with mid-level narcotics dealers in the Middle District of Florida, brokering numerous deals and receiving payment for her services. Brokering and coordinating narcotics transactions was Sanchez’s primary source of income, and Sanchez often conducted narcotics transactions in the presence of her young children.
On March 6, 2025, Sanchez arranged for one of her customers to retrieve 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine from one of her suppliers in Apopka. After coordinating the logistics of the transaction and arranging her fee, Sanchez sent her customer the address to retrieve the drugs, which were later seized by law enforcement.
Picture of seized methamphetamine
On March 11, 2025, federal and local law enforcement officers attempted to interview Sanchez about her narcotics activities. Sanchez and Ruiz exited a restaurant together in Zephyrhills. Once Ruiz realized that law enforcement was trying to question Sanchez about her narcotics offenses, Ruiz became agitated, causing a chaotic scene in the parking lot, screaming and cursing at law enforcement officers. Ruiz then walked to Sanchez’s vehicle and retrieved Sanchez’s phone, knowing it contained evidence of Sanchez’s narcotics trafficking. Ruiz brought the phone to her vehicle and destroyed the device. During a break in law enforcement’s questioning of Sanchez, Ruiz told Sanchez that she had destroyed Sanchez’s phone. Sanchez then told Ruiz not to give the phone to the law enforcement officers. Shortly after this conversation, Ruiz drove away from the scene with the destroyed phone, which was never recovered by law enforcement.
Ruiz has previous convictions for assaulting and battering law enforcement officers, including for punching a police officer in the face.
This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Pardo.
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.
Over 200 New Federal Immigration Cases Filed in Western District of TexasRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 209 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Jan. 16 to Jan. 22, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for violent crimes, DWIs, and multiple prior removals.
Among the new cases, German Rodriguez-Hernandez allegedly attempted to run an ICE-Enforcement and Removal Operations vehicle off the road during the officer’s pursuit of another vehicle in Austin on Jan. 12. A criminal complaint alleges that after ICE-ERO successfully stopped the vehicle they were pursuing, the ICE-ERO officer was exiting his vehicle when Rodriguez-Hernandez intentionally veered his vehicle from its traffic lane into the driver’s side door of the ICE-ERO vehicle, nearly ripping the door off in the collision. The officer was able to avoid injury, but Rodriguez-Hernandez allegedly fled the scene at a high rate of speed. Immigration records confirmed that Rodriguez-Hernandez was illegally present in the U.S. He was arrested on Jan. 22 and charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding a federal officer.
Julio Leal, a U.S. citizen, was charged with alien smuggling in El Paso. A criminal complaint alleges Leal picked up five illegal aliens east of the Tornillo Port of Entry and was stopped by U.S. Border Patrol on Texas Highway 20 in Hudspeth County. USBP agents allegedly observed that the five aliens were muddy and attempting to conceal themselves in the backseat of Leal’s vehicle. The complaint further alleges that Leal was hired to transport the aliens to a stash house and was going to be paid $800 for each individual he picked up.
Fernando Javier Marin, also a U.S. citizen, faces alien smuggling charges after he was stopped by a USBP agent in Tornillo on Jan. 19. A criminal complaint alleges that Marin fled on foot during the traffic stop, and four illegal aliens also exited his vehicle. Marin was allegedly located trying to conceal himself inside an irrigation culvert and was arrested. Marin was previously convicted for bringing in and harboring aliens in September 2023, for which he was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison.
Mexican national Cristino Rodriguez-Toribio was arrested for illegal re-entry on Jan. 20. A criminal complaint alleges Rodriguez-Toribio was the driver of a van that entered the immigration inspection lane at the Sierra Blanca Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 10, and did not have immigration documents allowing him to be or remain in the United States legally. Rodriguez-Toribio was previously removed from the U.S. to Mexico in 2018 through Nogales, Arizona. He has two prior DUI convictions as well as a conviction for driving without a license.
Mexican national Mario Galan-Cruz was also charged with illegal re-entry after he was allegedly found approximately one mile east of the Tornillo Port of Entry. Galan-Cruz was removed from the U.S. to Mexico for the third time in November 2025. In October 2025, he was convicted in Michigan for assault with a dangerous weapon.
Mexican national Cirenio Hernandez Guillen was charged with illegal re-entry in Austin, having been previously removed from the U.S. two time in addition to three voluntary returns. Hernandez Guillen has four prior DWI convictions and one conviction for aggravated assault with a domestic weapon.
Moises Amezquita-Mendoza, also a Mexican national, was arrested near Val Verde for being an alien illegally present in the U.S. Amezquita-Mendoza was removed to Mexico for the third time in October 2025 following a DWI conviction.
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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Orange County couple receives lengthy federal prison sentences in methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy in the Eastern District of TexasRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Vidor couple has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Dustin Lacouture, 43, and Deborah Lagrone, 44, both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. On January 22, 2026, U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone sentenced Lacouture to 168 months in federal prison. Lagrone was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison.
According to information presented in court, on January 29, 2025, an Orange County Deputy conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Lagrone with Lacouture in the front passenger seat. After smelling marijuana, officers conducted a search of the vehicle and found three firearms, two bags of marijuana, methamphetamine, and a scale containing narcotics residue. While enroute to the jail, a deputy observed Lagrone slip from her handcuffs and move closer to Lacouture. At the jail, a baggie containing 184 grams of methamphetamine was found concealed in Lagrone’s bra.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matt Quinn and Chris Jackson.
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Oakland Man Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Robbing Two East Bay BanksRead the Press Release
OAKLAND – An Oakland man was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison for bank robbery. U.S. District Judge Jon S. Tigar handed down the sentence.
Naikano Tuipulotu, 32, was charged by complaint on Feb. 7, 2024, and pleaded guilty on Feb. 28, 2025, to two counts of bank robbery. According to the plea agreement, Tuipulotu admitted that, on Oct. 23, 2023, he robbed a bank in San Leandro by passing a note to a teller that read, “I have a gun give me the money.” After the bank teller handed him $210 in cash, Tuipulotu demanded all the money in the bank’s vault, but departed after the teller informed him that she did not have access to the vault.
On Jan. 6, 2024, Tuipulotu robbed a bank in Fremont of approximately $1,370 by passing a note that read, “This is a robbery, I have a gun. Give me all the $$ money $$.”
United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani made the announcement.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Tigar also sentenced the defendant to a three-year period of supervised release and ordered that the defendant pay restitution. The defendant was immediately remanded into custody.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonah P. Ross is prosecuting the case. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI and the Fremont, San Leandro, Hayward Police Departments.
North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Charges Related to Creation and Distribution of Videos Depicting Animal Torture and MutilationRead the Press Release
A North Carolina man pleaded guilty yesterday to crimes based on his involvement with online groups dedicated to creating and distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys.
According to court documents, Robert Craig, of Charlotte, conspired with others to create and distribute so-called “animal crush videos” which depicted acts of sadistic violence against baby and adult monkeys. The conspirators used encrypted chat applications to direct money to individuals in Indonesia willing to commit the requested acts of torture on camera. Craig signed a statement of facts saying he shared a video in which a monkey was mutilated, and other videos shared by the conspirators also depicted mutilation as well as sodomization of monkeys.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II for the Southern District of Ohio, Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie of FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office, and Assistant Director Doug Ault, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement made the announcement.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and FBI investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Mark Romley and Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Pakiz for the Southern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.
Non-Citizen Charged with Fraudulently Voting in Numerous ElectionsRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal grand jury in Birmingham has charged a Canadian man after he violated Alabama law by voting in multiple elections as a non-citizen, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.
A four-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges Franc Neil Maloney, 71, with fraudulent voting.
According to the indictment, Maloney is a lawful permanent resident that lives in Blount County, but has never obtained U.S. citizenship. Despite this, Maloney registered to vote and voted—even though he knew that only U.S. citizens are permitted to do so under Alabama law. In fact, Maloney voted in every major election since registering, including primary and general elections in 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024.
HSI investigated the case, with the assistance of the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office and IRS-CI. Assistant United States Attorney Brett A. Janich is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty for the charged offense is 5 years imprisonment.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Niagara Falls man going to prison for selling methRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Asaad Rivers, 38, of Niagara Falls, NY, who was convicted of distribution of methamphetamine, was sentenced to serve 84 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey E. Intravatola, who handled the case, stated that on March 7 and March 12, 2024, investigators conducted controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Rivers in Niagara Falls. On March 26, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Rivers residence, during which they seized a .22 caliber rifle and .22 caliber ammunition, and approximately 12 ounces of suspected methamphetamine and eight grams of suspected crack cocaine.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan, and the Niagara County Drug Task Force, under the direction of Sheriff Michael Filicetti.
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