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16 January 2026
Matthew L. Harvey Formally Sworn in as United States Attorney for the Northern District of West VirginiaRead the Press Release
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA – United States Attorney Matthew L. Harvey has taken the formal oath of office in a special ceremony today at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
U.S. Attorney Harvey was nominated by President Donald J. Trump on June 30, 2025, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 7, 2025. U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh administered the oath of office to U.S. Attorney Harvey and the Honorable Shelley Moore Capito, United States Senator, read the Presidential Proclamation before friends, family, and colleagues.
“I am grateful that President Trump has entrusted me to enforce the law, keep our communities safe, and stand with law enforcement,” said Harvey.
The Investiture Ceremony was attended by former United States Attorneys, Federal Judges, lawmakers, colleagues, staff, Harvey’s family, and friends. Messages of congratulations were shared by Senator Capito, the Honorable Riley Moore, United States Congressman, as well as video messages from the Honorable Jim Justice, United States Senator, and the Honorable Carol Miller, United States Congresswoman. Randall Reid-Smith, with Senator Justice’s office, sang the National Anthem. The Jefferson High School ROTC presented the colors at the ceremony and were invited as honored guests by U.S. Attorney Harvey. Shepherd University President Dr. Mary Hendrix and the Shepherd University Ram Marching Band also helped to celebrate the day. The ceremony was followed by a reception hosted by U.S. Attorney Harvey’s family.
As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Harvey oversees the prosecution of federal crimes including violent crime, narcotics trafficking, public corruption, financial fraud, and offenses impacting vulnerable populations. He also supervises civil litigation on behalf of the United States, defending federal agencies and advancing the government’s legal interests.
Mr. Harvey previously served as the Prosecuting Attorney for Jefferson County, having been elected to three terms, after having served as an Assistant Prosecutor in both Berkeley and Kanawha Counties. Mr. Harvey has an extensive career within the criminal justice system. Prior to his time as the elected Prosecutor for Jefferson County, he spent six years in private practice.
From 2021 to 2022, Mr. Harvey served as president of the West Virginia Association of Counties and has been active in many civic organizations. The most rewarding of which came in 2023, when Mr. Harvey was appointed by then governor, James C. Justice to serve on the board of the West Virginia First Foundation. The Foundation was created to receive and disburse Opioid Funds from the state’s litigation against drug manufacturers and distributors, which are used to fund programs and services that promote the health and safety of West Virginians. Mr. Harvey was selected by the Foundation’s board to serve as its first chairman, where he continued to serve until his confirmation by the United States Senate.
A graduate of Bluefield State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, he went on to earn his Juris Doctorate from the Appalachian School of Law.
Mr. Harvey is a proud native of Monroe County and currently resides in Shepherdstown.
Maryland Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Directing 11 Year Child to Engage in Sexually Explicit Acts over FaceTimeRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – First Assistant United States Attorney Pete Serrano announced that on January 15, 2026, District Court Judge United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke, sentenced Talha Ahmed, age 28, of Towson, Maryland, to 10 years of imprisonment for the crime of Enticement of a Minor. Judge Dimke also ordered that following his sentence, Ahmed shall serve a 5 year term of supervised release, pay $15,600 in restitution to the minor victim, and register as a sex offender.
According to court documents and information revealed at the sentencing hearing, on May 19, 2021, Ahmed met an 11 year old minor from the Tri-Cities on an online application. Ahmed, who resided in Maryland, continued to communicate with the 11 year old minor via text message, FaceTime, and telephone calls into the early morning hours of May 20, 2021. During the course of the communications, Ahmed directed the minor to send sexually explicit videos and images of herself. Ahmed also directed the 11 year old minor to engage in live, sexually explicit performances via FaceTime. Ahmed paid the child via an online application to engage in this conduct. This content was ultimately discovered by the victim’s mother and confirmed by evidence obtained by law enforcement officers with the Kennewick Police Department and the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Dimke addressed the gravity of Ahmed’s conduct, stating that this “is an offense that has lifelong implications for the victim…and create[s] emotional insecurity that lasts a lifetime.”
“This case highlights the very real dangers children face in online spaces and the devastating impact these crimes have on victims and their families. The ICAC Task Force is committed to identifying and stopping individuals who exploit children, regardless of where they are located. Through strong collaboration with our local, state, and federal partners, we were able to ensure accountability and justice for the victim in this case,” said Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Commander, Damon Jansen.
“This sentence should serve as a stark warning about the dangers children face online and a call for the public to work with HSI and our federal partners to protect children from this grave harm,” said HSI Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “We commend the child’s mother, whose courage in contacting authorities was crucial to securing Ahmed’s prison time for this horrific crime of soliciting child sexual abuse material. If you suspect a child is being exploited by an adult, teen, or another child—report it to law enforcement immediately. Your action can protect a child and prevent further abuse.”
“This is a case that very easily could have gone cold due to extenuating circumstances surround Ahmed’s criminal behavior. It did not go cold because of the local law enforcement and my team’s commitment to the pursuit of justice. This case also demonstrates the dangers of online interactions, and it shows how easily our children can be manipulated by an adult while online. Sadly, Ahmed’s behavior will have lasting, significant trauma to the victim and her family. I am grateful for the tireless efforts of the law enforcement agencies in the Eastern District of Washington, both state and federal, to bring justice to the victim and our community,” stated First Assistant United States Attorney Serrano.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Kennewick Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laurel Holland.
Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Sex Abuse ChargesRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Marcus Jerome Hunt, 32, of Temple Hills, Maryland, pled guilty today, to two counts of transporting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in federal court. Hunt is a previously registered sex offender.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Special Agent in Charge Christopher Heck, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Maryland, and Colonel Michael A. Jackson, Acting Superintendent, Maryland State Police (MSP).
On December 1, 2020, MSP received two CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) from Dropbox, Inc. Dropbox reported that on November 1, 2020, three CSAM video files were uploaded, involving the same Dropbox account, with the username “Marcus Hunt” user ID; email address, which included the name “Marcus Hunt” embedded within the address; and IP address. The Google account associated with the above-referenced Google email address was then deleted on November 6, prior to MSP receiving the CyberTips. Dropbox disabled the account after filing the NCMEC tips.
Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for the Dropbox account, which uncovered 40 videos, including the three videos Dropbox reported to NCMEC. After reviewing the files, law enforcement determined that approximately 20 of the 40 video files depicted CSAM. Additionally, law enforcement traced the IP address associated with the Dropbox account to Hunt’s Temple Hills residence.
Then on January 21, 2021, law enforcement executed search warrants at Hunt’s residence. Authorities seized multiple devices from the residence, including a Samsung cell phone, an iPhone, two tablets, two USB drives, two SD cards, and a gaming PC. The gaming PC contained a desktop shortcut to The Onion Router network (Tor) browser, the Samsung cellphone was in factory reset status, and one of the USB drives was reformatted. Law enforcement also conducted keyword searches for “Dropbox” and the email address associated with the Dropbox account, locating artifacts for the keywords on the iPhone and one of the tablet devices.
During questioning, Hunt admitted possessing a Dropbox account but denied knowing about the email address associated with the account.
Hunt is facing a maximum of five years in federal prison for each count. U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman scheduled sentencing for Wednesday, April 29, at 10 a.m.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, visit justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
Know2Protect is a Department of Homeland Security national public awareness campaign to educate and empower children, teens, parents, trusted adults and policymakers to prevent and combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse; explain how to report online enticement and victimization; and offer resources for victims and survivors and their supporters. Learn more about Know2Protect at dhs.gov/know2protect.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended HSI and MSP for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan S. McKoy and Joel Crespo who are prosecuting the case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Man sentenced for PPP loan fraud of more than half a million dollarsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Missouri man was sentenced to 21 months in prison for submitting false information on applications for disaster relief loans resulting in a loss of $522,000 for the Small Business Administration (SBA). The Paycheck Protection Program ("PPP") was intended to provide financial relief to business owners dealing with economic losses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to court documents, Dion Daniel, 36, of Kansas City, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. As part of his sentence, Daniel must pay $552,214 in restitution.
In 2020, Daniel lied on multiple PPP loan applications about the number of employees and the amount of monthly payroll expenses at his two Missouri-based businesses. He submitted Internal Revenue Service (IRS) forms with the loan applications that had not been filed with the IRS.
Daniel attempted to conceal spending loan proceeds for his personal use instead of for business expenses. He wrote checks to individuals who did not work for him. After they cashed the checks, Daniel gave them part of the money and kept the rest for himself.
“Although we are now years removed from the COVID-19 pandemic, prosecutions continue of individuals who abused the Paycheck Protection Program,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “To those of you who committed perjury to get government money you weren’t entitled to, don’t think because you haven’t yet faced justice that you’re in the clear. We’re federal prosecutors. We don’t overlook crimes, nor do we forget about the people who commit them.”
“When the CARES Act was enacted into law nearly six years ago, the federal government simplified the loan application process to get relief into the hands of desperate small businesses as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, fraudsters found ways to exploit the process,” said IRS-Criminal Investigation St. Louis Special Agent in Charge William Steenson. “Our special agents are experts at uncovering where funds originated and where they were spent. We’re proud to use our expertise alongside our law enforcement partners to bring accountability for hardworking taxpayers.”
The IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Oakley prosecuted the case.
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Maine Man Sentenced to Thirty-Five Years for Child Exploitation Offenses including Production of Child Sexual Abuse ImageryRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Maine man was sentenced on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Portland for sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography.
Chief U.S. District Court Lance E. Walker sentenced Patrick Hamlin, 48, to 35 years in prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Hamlin pled guilty on May 29, 2025.
According to court records, in May 2024, federal and state law enforcement officers executed a residential search warrant following a cyber tip report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that Hamlin had uploaded child sexual abuse material on a messaging application. During the search warrant execution, investigators seized Hamlin’s digital media devices and observed a child-like sex device that the defendant admitted to acquiring. A forensic examination revealed thousands of child sexual abuse images, including sexually explicit photographs of a child under the age of 12 that the defendant had produced. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is limiting identifying information to protect the privacy of the minor victims.
The Maine State Police and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. The defendant is also being prosecuted for unlawful sexual contact and unlawful sexual touching offenses committed against a minor by the Androscoggin County District Attorney’s Office.
“Hamlin has earned every single year of his 35-year federal prison sentence. He not only sexually abused a young child, he photographed the abuse and shared it with like-minded predators on the internet, immortalizing his victim’s trauma. This sentence keeps him out of our community and away from children for a very, very long time,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol for Homeland Security Investigations in New England. “We are grateful for our law enforcement partners in Maine who share our dedication to bringing justice to victims of child sexual abuse.”
“This prison sentence sends a strong message that the kind of abhorrent conduct committed by Hamlin will be punished to the full extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Benson. “This office remains committed to relentlessly pursuing and prosecuting those who sexually exploit our most vulnerable, in coordination with our federal law enforcement partners and the Maine State Police.”
To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child sexual abuse material: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as “child pornography” – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.
Project Safe Childhood: This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.
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Leominster Man Pleads Guilty to Theft of Government Funds, Bank Fraud and Money Laundering in Connection with Stolen $1,355,000 Tax Refund CheckRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Leominster man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to a scheme to steal $1,355,863 by depositing a forged tax refund check and then laundering the money using cashier’s checks payable to shell companies.
Jesse El-Ghoul, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government funds, one count of bank fraud and four counts of money laundering. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for April 16, 2026. El-Ghoul was arrested and charged by criminal complaint on June 6, 2025, and was subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2025.
El-Ghoul owned and operated Affordable Motor Group in Leominster, Mass. and owed back taxes for the business. On March 29, 2024, El-Ghoul deposited a tax refund check for $1,344,863, payable to Affordable Motor Group into his business bank account. The check had been issued by the U.S. Treasury to a Canadian company, based on its 2021 tax return, and the check had been forged and altered to be payable to El-Ghoul’s company.
In the days after depositing the check, El-Ghoul returned to the bank and bought cashier’s checks for $235,280, $223,591, $202,643 and $425,000 payable to shell companies and to a law firm in connection with a third-party real estate transaction in eastern Massachusetts.
The charge of theft of government funds provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charges of money laundering each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the amount of money involved in the laundering transactions, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; Michael Carpenter, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, OIG; and Nicholas Bucciarelli , Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Kosto, Chief of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
Leader of Major Drug-Trafficking Organization Sentenced to Life in PrisonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced today to life in prison for leading a vast drug-trafficking organization responsible for distributing hundreds of pounds of cocaine and pure methamphetamine. Several other members of the organization were also sentenced to serve decades in prison.
According to court documents, Braxton A. Thomas, 38, led an extensive drug-trafficking organization (“DTO”) from 2021 to 2024. Thomas’s DTO distributed various drugs, including cocaine and pure methamphetamine, in the Mobile area. Federal agents captured Thomas coordinating with his drug suppliers and other DTO members via court-authorized wiretaps of thousands of phone calls, text messages, and WhatsApp communications. On several occasions in 2023 and 2024, agents also seized large amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine from Thomas and his coconspirators.
For example, in March 2024, agents intercepted numerous calls between Thomas and one of his drug suppliers about coordinating a delivery of bulk cocaine from Houston Texas, to Mobile. On March 10, 2024, agents arrested Thomas’s supplier at a truck stop in Mobile after locating more than seven pounds of cocaine concealed behind the dash of the supplier’s semitruck.
Days later, on March 15, 2024, agents intercepted calls indicating that Thomas had traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to ferry a bulk load of methamphetamine back to Mobile. That evening, agents arrested Thomas and several coconspirators who were traveling in a convoy of vehicles on Interstate 65 southbound in Baldwin County, Alabama. During that arrest, agents seized more than 26 pounds of 100% pure methamphetamine and a loaded .40 caliber pistol from a vehicle being driven by one of Thomas’s couriers. Thomas admitted to agents that he regularly obtained kilograms of methamphetamine from a source in Atlanta, which Thomas would then bring back to Mobile to sell with the assistance of several mid-level distributors in his DTO. Thomas said he expected to earn $70,000 in profit from the load seized on March 15, 2024.
Thomas pleaded guilty to a methamphetamine-trafficking conspiracy in federal court on March 20, 2025, and the court released him on conditions pending his sentencing. Less than three weeks later, on April 7, 2025, narcotics agents again arrested Thomas in possession of more than eight pounds of pure methamphetamine, more than a pound of cocaine, an illegal pill press, bulk cash, and firearms. Thomas told arresting agents, “Y’all got me, let’s get this over with.”
At Thomas’s sentencing hearing, United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer reviewed and considered evidence of Thomas’s continued drug dealing while on release conditions. Judge Moorer also emphasized Thomas’s violent criminal history, including his manslaughter conviction for the shooting death of a female victim in Prichard, Alabama in September 2012. In addition to imposing a lifetime prison term, Judge Moorer ordered Thomas to serve a 10-year term of supervised release if he is ever released from custody. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Braxton Thomas and the drug trafficking organization he led are off the streets and in prison for good,” said Sean P. Costello, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama. “Bringing hundreds of pounds of drugs into our community for years, he and his codefendants threatened the safety and security of the Southern District of Alabama. Thanks to the outstanding skill and dedication of our federal, state, and local law enforcement officers and prosecutors, Thomas and his drug trafficking organization have been held justifiably accountable for their numerous crimes. Today, our streets are safer. With our law enforcement partners, we will continue our relentless pursuit of drug dealers in our community.”
“This sentencing effectively dismantles a multi-state drug trafficking organization that pumped hundreds of pounds of highly pure methamphetamine and cocaine into our communities. This is an enforcement success of the highest order,” said Steven L. Hofer, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, New Orleans Division. “The DEA, working shoulder-to-shoulder with our federal, state, and local partners, utilized sophisticated investigative techniques, including court-authorized wiretaps, to methodically map and cripple Thomas’s entire operation. This outcome sends an unequivocal message: the supply chains of poison flowing into our cities will be identified, severed, and those responsible will be brought to justice.”
For their roles in the conspiracy, Judge Moorer also sentenced the following defendants to serve federal prison terms: Lamar Reynolds Nored (180 months); Dennis Carl Hayward, Jr. (240 months); Dawann A. Haseeb (240 months); Claylon Link Fillingim (120 months); William Keith Reed (240 months); and Jose Manuel Lamas, Jr. (57 months). The court ordered each of these defendants to serve supervised release terms upon their release from custody, and forfeited all firearms and a semitruck seized during the investigation to the United States. Other members of Thomas’s DTO, including Larry Jerome Hunter and Tyrone Dansby, will be sentenced at a later date.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, and the Mobile Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted 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.
Kansas City Man Sentenced to 46 Months on Federal Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court yesterday for possession of a firearm after a prior felony conviction.
James Arthur Tatum, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark to 46 months’ imprisonment for being a felon in possession of a firearm. His sentence also includes three years of supervised release.
According to the plea agreement filed in the case, Tatum was encountered by a Columbia, Mo. Police Department officer on June 8, 2024. Tatum was alone in a vehicle, and while the officer was checking Tatum’s identification, he saw Tatum making what he believed were furtive movements in the front passenger area. During a subsequent search of the car, officers located a Glock 43X firearm under the driver’s seat. Tatum has prior felony convictions, including a prior federal conviction, and is not permitted to possess a firearm.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren E. Kummerer. It was investigated by the Columbia, Missouri Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Justice Department Sues Virginia for Failure to Produce Voter RollsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Today, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced it has filed a federal lawsuit against the Commonwealth of Virginia for failure to produce their full voter registration lists upon request. This brings the Justice Department’s nationwide total to 24 states and the District of Columbia.
“This Department of Justice has now sued 24 states for failing to provide voter roll data and will continue filing lawsuits to protect American elections,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Accurate voter rolls are the foundation of election integrity, and any state that fails to meet this basic obligation of transparency can expect to see us in court.”
“Accurate voter rolls are essential to ensuring that American citizens’ votes count only once, and only with other eligible voters,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is committed to safeguarding fair and free elections, and will hold states accountable when they refuse to respect our federal elections laws.”
“When states attempt to hide information they are required to disclose, they undermine public trust and violate the law,” said Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This office will enforce the law to ensure the public and federal authorities receive the information they are entitled to.”
According to the lawsuits, the Attorney General is uniquely charged by Congress with the enforcement of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), which were designed by Congress to ensure that states have proper and effective voter registration and voter list maintenance programs. The Attorney General also has the Civil Rights Act of 1960 (CRA) at her disposal to demand the production, inspection, and analysis of the statewide voter registration lists.
Jury Convicts Florida Fuel Supplier of 34 Felonies at Trial in Multimillion-Dollar Scheme to Defraud U.S. Department of War and Other Federal AgenciesRead the Press Release
A federal jury in West Palm Beach found Jasen Butler, 37, of Jupiter, Florida, guilty of 34 felonies including wire fraud, money laundering, and forgery for orchestrating a scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of War and other federal agencies out of over $4.5 million. After the verdict, U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks immediately remanded the defendant into custody at the United States’s request.
As charged in the indictment, the defendant submitted altered and fake invoices to U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships through the SEA Card Program, which allows U.S. vessels to purchase critical fuel to conduct military operations around the world.
According to the evidence at trial, the defendant, the owner of Independent Marine Oil Services LLC, submitted dozens of falsified documents such as wire transfer memos and invoices to multiple U.S. warships, including the USS Patriot, between August 2022 and January 2024. These ships were attempting to purchase fuel in international ports such as Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Croatia to defend strategic American interests around the globe. Butler received over $4.5 million dollars in payments for phony expenses that Butler had not incurred.
After Butler came under scrutiny by Navy officials, he continued his scheme by concealing his identity from government officials. Butler adopted a false name and feigned employment by a fictitious fuel division of a different company. Butler used the millions in fraud proceeds to personally enrich himself and purchase multiple multi-million dollar properties in Florida and Colorado.
“This defendant brazenly defrauded the U.S. Military out of millions of dollars and put critical fuel resources at risk, all to fund his cushy and fictitious lifestyle,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice will continue to uncover these schemes and bring perpetrators to justice to protect the American people and their tax dollars.”
“The defendant — a convicted felon — defrauded his own country in order to unjustly line his own pockets,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Omeed A. Assefi of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “He deprived the United States Armed Forces of the resources they need to help keep our country safe. Despite his fake identity, fake job, and fake invoices, a jury of his peers saw through it and found him guilty of 34 felonies. We salute our wonderful trial team and applaud Judge Middlebrooks’s decision to imprison the defendant for his crimes pending sentencing.”
“This defendant didn’t just commit fraud, he betrayed the trust placed in those who support our nation’s warfighters,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “By falsifying invoices and siphoning millions from a program designed to keep U.S. military vessels operational around the world, he put critical missions and taxpayer dollars at risk. Today’s verdict makes clear that schemes targeting our military supply chain will be met with swift accountability and severe consequences.”
“The Coast Guard Investigative Service is pleased with the jury’s verdict in this case, which sends a strong message that fraud against our military and the American taxpayer will not be tolerated,” said Acting Assistant Director Josh Packer of the Coast Guard Investigative Service. “We are grateful to our law enforcement partners and prosecutors for their outstanding collaboration and dedication throughout this investigation. CGIS remains committed to protecting the integrity of federal procurement and ensuring that those who seek to exploit government resources are brought to justice.”
“The guilty verdict in this case is a direct result of our commitment to safeguarding the Department of Defense's critical supply chain,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Sargenski of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office. “This scheme stole millions from the American taxpayer and threatened to undermine a program essential for our global military operations. DCIS, working alongside our law enforcement partners, will relentlessly pursue and hold accountable those who seek to defraud our military and exploit systems designed to support our nation's warfighters.”
“Those who profit from illicit schemes that defraud the American people and place our warfighters and national security at risk will be held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Greg Gross of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Economic Crimes Field Office. “Mr. Butler exploited the integrity of the SEA Card Program — a vital logistical capability that enables the U.S. Navy to conduct rapid, global refueling operations and sustain mission readiness. NCIS and our law enforcement partners remain committed to rooting out criminal activity that undermines public trust in the integrity of the Department of the Navy’s procurement process.”
Sentencing is set for April 8, 2026. Butler faces maximum penalties of 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud, up to 10 years for each count of forgery, and up to 10 years for each count of money laundering. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and Naval Criminal Investigative Service, as a part of the Department’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force.
Trial Attorneys Jonathan Pomeranz, Ebonie Branch, and Haley Pennington of the Antitrust Division’s Washington Criminal Section, and Deputy Chief Elizabeth Young of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, tried the case.
In November 2019, the Justice Department created the Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF), a joint law enforcement effort to combat antitrust crimes and related fraudulent schemes that impact government procurement, grant and program funding at all levels of government — federal, state and local. To learn more about the PCSF, or to report information on bid rigging, price fixing, market allocation and other anticompetitive conduct related to government spending, go to www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force. Anyone with information in connection with this investigation can contact the PCSF at the link listed above. Whistleblowers who voluntarily report original information about antitrust and related offenses that result in criminal fines or other recoveries of at least $1 million may be eligible to receive a whistleblower reward. For more information on the Antitrust Whistleblower Rewards Program, visit www.justice.gov/atr/whistleblower-rewards.
Jefferson County Man Accused of Distributing Fatal Dose of FentanylRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Jefferson County, Missouri has been accused of supplying the fentanyl that killed a man in 2024.
Daryn Joshua Odell Karnes, 21, was indicted December 10 with one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death. The indictment accuses Karnes of supplying a mixture containing fentanyl that resulted in the death of a man in Jefferson County, Missouri on Jan. 5, 2024.
A motion seeking to hold Karnes in jail until trial says the victim and his girlfriend bought capsules containing a mix of fentanyl, xylazine and heroin from someone known as “Luh Daryn.” An investigation led to Karnes, the motion says.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mohsen Pasha is prosecuting the case.
Jacksonville Woman Charged with Assaulting Officers Conducting an Immigration OperationRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida - Jennifer Susan Cruz (40, Jacksonville) has been charged by complaint with assaulting officers conducting an immigration operation. If convicted, Cruz faces a maximum penalty of eight years in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to the complaint, federal immigration officers, assisted by the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), were conducting an operation in Jacksonville to locate and administratively arrest aliens who were illegally present in the United States. Cruz was driving by and was recording on her cell phone as an FHP Trooper was pulling over a vehicle for a traffic infraction. Cruz parked near the site of the traffic stop and was yelling at the Trooper as she continued to record. Immigration officers subsequently determined that the two occupants of the vehicle were aliens who were illegally present in the United States.
Another Trooper approached Cruz and talked with her about using her cell phone while driving. He asked for Cruz’s driver’s license, and she stated that she did not have it but that she had a photograph of it on her cell phone. During this interaction, Cruz was argumentative, standoffish, and continued recording. The Trooper advised Cruz that he had no issue with her recording and that his concern was solely her unsafe and unlawful use of a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle. During the encounter, Cruz made unsolicited and inflammatory statements, asking whether the Trooper supported the “Nazis,” which she clarified as referring to ICE, and asking him not to shoot her in the face. The Trooper advised Cruz that ICE officers were present in an official capacity and that he was not there to discuss personal or political beliefs, but solely to address her traffic violation.
Cruz showed the Trooper a photograph of her driver’s license and the Trooper told Cruz to remain in her vehicle while he conducted further investigation. A records check revealed that Cruz’s license was suspended as of June 17, 2025. Because Cruz’s license was suspended, the Trooper requested a tow truck to impound Cruz’s vehicle, as she was not legally authorized to operate it. While the Trooper was waiting for the tow truck, Cruz drove away. Multiple Troopers immediately activated their emergency lights and sirens and maneuvered their patrol vehicles to box in Cruz’s vehicle, and they stopped it approximately 200 feet away from the traffic stop.
After the vehicle was stopped, the Trooper advised Cruz that the traffic stop had not been concluded, and that the vehicle was going to be towed because her license was suspended. He told her to exit the vehicle and surrender the keys so that the vehicle could be released to the tow company. Cruz exited the vehicle but immediately became verbally hostile, cursing at the officers, and repeatedly refusing to surrender the keys. In response to the Trooper’s directives, Cruz said that she was “ready to go” and, when asked, stated that she meant that she was ready to fight. When a Trooper attempted to retrieve the keys from Cruz, Cruz struck the Trooper in the face with a closed fist. Multiple officers then converged on Cruz to arrest her for the assault.
Cruz resisted arrest, including by attempting to strike and kick the officers. As Cruz continued to struggle with them, officers took her to an FHP patrol vehicle, during which she attempted to kick the Trooper whom she had punched. As officers were trying to place Cruz inside the vehicle, Cruz kicked at an ICE officer, a Customs and Border Protection agent, and a Trooper, and successfully struck the CBP agent and ICE officer, whose left hand was injured. Officers were eventually able to secure Cruz in the patrol vehicle, but she continued kicking at the vehicle’s windows, roof, and in-car camera.
While being transported in the patrol vehicle, Cruz stated that her actions were not worth the incident escalating “over a set of car keys.” Later, while awaiting further transportation, Cruz made a phone call in which she said that she messed up “really ugly” and that what she did was not okay. She subsequently told the Trooper who she had punched that she was sorry for hurting her, that she was not sure why she acted that way, and that she knew that the Trooper had a job to do.
A complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO), the Florida Highway Patrol, FBI-Jacksonville, and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.
Jamaican Citizen Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal Prison for Child Exploitation CrimesRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Jevan Antonio Miller, 28, a Jamaican citizen residing in Thomasville, Georgia, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity and interstate travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct after previously pleading guilty in federal court. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “It is one of my office’s top priorities to aggressively prosecute sexual predators, like this defendant, who prey upon our children. Our outstanding state and federal law enforcement partners are unified in their commitment to stopping these sick individuals, and my office will continue to deliver successful prosecutions and lengthy prison sentences to keep our kids safe.”
Court documents reflect that between April 10, 2025, and April 12, 2025, detectives of the Tallahassee Police Department and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, along with Homeland Security Investigations, participated in a joint undercover operation in Leon County focused on identifying individuals using the Internet to sexually exploit children. During the operation, investigators identified the defendant, an adult male who was soliciting an undercover detective, whom the defendant thought was a 15-year-old girl, for sex through an online website. The defendant drove from Thomasville, Georgia, to a meeting location in Tallahassee where he was intercepted by law enforcement and immediately arrested. Investigators discovered that the defendant unlawfully remained in the United States on a student visa after it expired in 2022.
“This predator traveled across state lines with the sole intent to sexually exploit a child he believed was just 15 years old,” said Homeland Security Investigations Tallahassee Assistant Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Ingegno. “Our amazing joint law enforcement team hatched a plan to intercept and arrest this deviant before he could carry out his vile plans. His actions of using the internet to prey on vulnerable minors for illicit sexual conduct is reprehensible and will not be tolerated.”
Miller’s imprisonment will be followed by a five-year term of supervised release, meaning if he violates any of the conditions of his supervision, he will potentially face an additional period of incarceration. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Tallahassee Police Department and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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.
Individual Extradited to the United States from the Dominican Republic to Face Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico –Dominican authorities extradited Esteffani José Vasquez-Amarante, also known as “Ethian” or “Baby” to the United States to face drug trafficking and money laundering charges filed in the District of Puerto Rico, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. Vasquez-Amarante was arrested in the Dominican Republic on November 6, 2025, at the request of the United States and extradited to Puerto Rico on Wednesday, January 14, 2026.
“This extradition is another important step in our fight against drug trafficking and transnational organized crime. This prosecution demonstrates the commitment of the Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners, and the cooperation of the Dominican Republic, to work together to bring international drug traffickers to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Muldrow. “We will continue to maximize our multi-agency efforts to disrupt and dismantle international drug cartels that smuggle drugs into Puerto Rico and the continental United States.”
“This extradition sends a clear message: leveraging political access, financial technology, or international borders, will not shield criminals from accountability,” said Claudia Dubravetz, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office. “The FBI, along-side our federal and international partners, will aggressively pursue transnational drug traffickers and money launderers who undermine the rule of law and threaten communities in the United States and abroad.”
On September 7, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Esteffani José Vasquez-Amarante with international conspiracy to distribute cocaine, international distribution of cocaine, and conspiracy to commit money laundering derived from specified unlawful activity – drug trafficking. Vasquez-Amarante facilitated drug trafficking and money laundering activity between La Romana, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, through cryptocurrency.
According to the superseding indictment, since at least February of 2022, Vasquez-Amarante conspired to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine intending, knowing, and having reasonable cause to believe that it would be imported into the United States. The indictment also charges that Vasquez-Amarante conspired to commit money laundering derived from drug trafficking since no later than March 17, 2021. Specifically, the indictment states that Vasquez-Amarante and another co-conspirator directed the delivery of approximately $400,000 in U.S. currency – the product of drug trafficking -- to an individual in San Juan, Puerto Rico, who converted the drug proceeds to cryptocurrency.
On March 24, 2021, Vasquez-Amarante and another co-conspirator directed the delivery of approximately $2,000,000 in U.S. currency / drug proceeds to an individual in San Juan, Puerto Rico, who converted the drug proceeds to cryptocurrency. On or about April 14, 2021, another co-conspirator, at the direction of Vasquez-Amarante, attempted to deliver approximately $2,200,000 in U.S. currency / drug proceeds to an individual in San Juan, Puerto Rico, who had previously converted drug proceeds to cryptocurrency.
On January 14, 2026, Vasquez-Amarante was extradited from the Dominican Republic to San Juan, Puerto Rico by the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) Region 22, located in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, FBI Legal Attaché in Santo Domingo and law enforcement partners in the Dominican Republic provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition to the United States of Vasquez Amarante.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Antonio L. Perez-Alonso under the supervision of Chief Myriam Y. Fernández-González and Deputy Chief María L. Montañez-Concepción from the Money Laundering & Transnational Organized Crime Section.
If convicted, Vasquez-Amarante faces a minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison for the drug trafficking charges and a sentence of up to 20 years of imprisonment for the money laundering charge.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF San Juan comprises agents and officers from the following federal partners: FBI, ICE-HSI, CBP (OFO, AMO and Border Patrol), the U.S. Marshals Service for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, DEA, ATF, IRS, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Department of State, and the U.S. Secret Service, the Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands HIDTA, TSA, FAA, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Districts of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The HSTF also has the following state and local law enforcement partners as participating agencies: the Puerto Rico Police Department; the San Juan, Carolina, Guaynabo, Barceloneta, and Ponce Municipal Police Departments, the Puerto Rico National Guard – Counter Drug Program; the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; the Puerto Rico Internal Revenue Service (Hacienda); the Puerto Rico Port Authority; and the Virgin Islands Police Department.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Illegal Alien and Convicted Felon Charged with Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE –Juan Alvarado-Garcia, 29, of Madison, Tennessee, has been charged by criminal complaint with unlawful possession of a firearm by an illegal alien, and Samuel Hernandez, 32, of Madison, Tennessee, has been charged by criminal complaint with unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Braden H. Boucek.
“Nothing is more important to this office than the safety of the public. Loaded guns in stolen vehicles are a dangerous mix. This community can always count on this office’s swift action to defend it,” said United States Attorney Braden H. Boucek.
According to court documents, on January 4, 2026, a license plate reader system alerted the Goodlettsville Police Department (“GPD”) of a stolen vehicle in their jurisdiction. GPD officers responded to the area of 500 Windsor Green Boulevard and found the stolen vehicle parked. When the officers approached the vehicle, they encountered Alvarado in the driver’s seat and Hernandez in the passenger seat. Alvarado and Hernandez were arrested for the theft of the vehicle. During the arrest, Hernandez claimed his name was Saul Lopez.
After the arrest, GPD officers inventoried the stolen vehicle and found a backpack on the passenger’s seat that contained approximately 60 grams of a substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine, a drug smoking pipe, and a loaded Beretta 9mm pistol. A further search revealed a loaded Taurus .38 caliber pistol under the driver’s seat, a loaded Colt .357 pistol under the passenger’s seat, a digital scale under the radio area, another drug smoking pipe, and clear plastic baggies inside the cab. Alvarado told officers the items in the vehicle belonged to Hernandez and Hernandez told them that the items belonged to Alvarado.
Alvarado is a citizen of El Salvador without lawful status or permission to remain in the United States. Before these events, Hernandez was previously convicted of theft of property between $2,500 and $10,000 in Robertson County, Tennessee. He was on probation for this felony offense when he was arrested on January 4, 2026.
If convicted, Alvarado and Hernandez each face up to 15 years in federal prison.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Goodlettsville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Herbert Bunton is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Illegal Alien Sentenced for Role in Trafficking Almost 2 Kilograms of HeroinRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – An illegal alien has been sentenced on heroin-trafficking charges, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.
U.S. District Judge Annemarie C. Axon sentenced Jovani Correa-Gutierrez, 40, to 46 months in federal prison. In May 2025, Correa-Gutierezz pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin and possession with intent to distribute heroin.
According to the plea agreement, on April 13, 2021, Correa-Gutierrez and a co-conspirator worked to distribute almost 2 kilograms of heroin to a confidential source. Upon their arrival business in Bessemer, Alabama, Correa-Guiterrez and his co-defendant were taken into custody, and the heroin was seized by law enforcement. Correa-Guiterrez is a Mexican national and was illegally present in the United States at the time of his arrest.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison Garnett prosecuted the case.
Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Unlawful ReentryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Longino Ramirez Ramos, age 51, a Mexican national unlawfully present in Adair County, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to one count of Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien, punishable by a term of imprisonment of not more than two years, and a fine of not more than $250,000.00.
The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
The Indictment alleged that on December 3, 2025, Ramos, an alien, was found in the United States without obtaining the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States after having been previously removed on May 5, 2010, on February 14, 2011, on October 17, 2019, and on February 7, 2020.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Ramos will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob R. Parker represented the United States.
Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Unlawful ReentryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Rider Marel Santos-Lara, a/k/a Rider Santos-Lara, age 36, a Honduran national unlawfully present in Bryan County, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to one count of Unlawful Reentry of Removed Alien, punishable by a term of imprisonment of not more than two years, and a fine of not more than $250,000.00.
The charge arose from an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
The Indictment alleged that on November 17, 2025, Santos-Lara, an alien, was found in the United States without obtaining the express consent of the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States after having been previously removed on September 30, 2016.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Santos-Lara will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Edith A. Singer represented the United States.
Idaho Man Pleads Guilty to CyberstalkingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Rigby, Idaho man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to cyberstalking a Massachusetts professor over the course of five months.
Edward John Kay, 54, pleaded guilty to one count of cyberstalking before U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick who scheduled sentencing for April 17, 2026. In July 2025, Kay was arrested and charged by criminal complaint.
Kay met the victim in January 2025 when he enrolled in the victim’s online course, which the victim taught at a university’s extension school. After one Zoom meeting with the victim and one virtual class session, Kay became fixated on the victim, dropped the course, and proceeded to harass and intimidate the victim over email and LinkedIn for five months.
- Between January and June of 2025, Kay sent the victim over 80 harassing communications via LinkedIn and email – including at least one anonymous email account. In the communications, Kay expressed his adoration and love for the victim and mentioned the victim’s minor child by name. The communications included:
- A LinkedIn message, in which Kay stated: “I miss you-truly, deeply- with all of my heart and soul. That day I saw you on Zoom…You were the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Not just appearance. Everything. Your presence. Your mind. Your light. To gain you…and then to lose you like that? It devastated me;”
- An email sent to several of the university’s offices with the victim copied, in which Kay stated: “Dr. [victim’s last name] has been copied on all communications. She knows what is coming.” He added that this was only the “VERY BEGINNING” because “Every day, starting today, will mark a **new action of serious consequence**, taken by me in accordance with divine alignment and institutional justice;” and
- An anonymous email sent to the victim from the email address [victim’s name][email protected], in which Kay professed his love for the victim, encouraged the victim to leave the university and stated, “You are still free. But you are not unreachable.”
In addition, Kay told another university professor about his obsession with the victim and his desire to separate the victim from her husband.
The charge of cyberstalking provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by FBI Salt Lake City and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
- Human Trafficking Prevention Month
High-ranking Sinaloa Cartel member extradited to Atlanta to face cocaine trafficking chargesRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Following his extradition from Mexico to the United States, Roberto Najera Gutierrez, a/k/a Kunfu Panda and a/k/a La Gallina, pleaded not guilty in the Northern District of Georgia to a federal charge of conspiring to manufacture and distribute cocaine that he knew would be imported into the United States.
"Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and our brave DEA agents, the cartels are no longer free to import poison into our communities,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We appreciate the work of our Office of International Affairs which secured the extradition of this alleged narco-terrorist, and our attorneys in the Northern District of Georgia will ensure he’s met with swift justice in the United States.”
“As a senior member of the brutal Sinaloa Cartel, Najera Gutierrez is allegedly responsible for distributing massive amounts of cocaine from South America and through Mexico that were intended to poison communities in the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “This federal indictment, as well as the recent arraignment in Atlanta of alleged Sinaloa Cartel trafficker Zhi Dong Zhang, demonstrates the global reach of the Drug Enforcement Administration and underscores that narco-terrorists abroad will ultimately face justice in American courtrooms.”
“This indictment is part of a multi-agency collaboration dedicated to dismantling transnational criminal organizations responsible for drug trafficking and violence,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “Through sustained cooperation, we are holding cartel leaders accountable and reducing the harm they cause to our communities.”
“IRS-CI is proud to stand alongside our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle criminal networks responsible for trafficking massive amounts of cocaine and other illegal drugs into the United States,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office.
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the indictment, and other information presented in court: In 2013, agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began an investigation of drug traffickers working with the Sinaloa Cartel to transport cocaine from South America to Mexico for importation into the United States, including into the Northern District of Georgia. The Sinaloa Cartel is a transnational criminal group based in Mexico. On February 20, 2025, the Sinaloa Cartel was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
As part of the investigation, agents identified Roberto Najera Gutierrez as a then-high-ranking member of the cartel who allegedly led and coordinated the transportation of multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine by boat from Colombia and Ecuador to Honduras and Guatemala. Once the drugs were in Central America, they were smuggled across the Guatemalan border into Mexico. Najera Gutierrez allegedly distributed that cocaine to other high-level drug traffickers in Mexico who imported the cocaine into Atlanta, Chicago, and the states of Florida, New York, and California. Najera Gutierrez also allegedly coordinated the collection and remission of drug proceeds through bank accounts.
Roberto Najera Gutierrez, 48, of Tizimín, Yucatán, Mexico, is in federal custody. The recently unsealed indictment against Najera Gutierrez was returned in March 2018. In October 2023, Najera Gutierrez was served with a warrant pursuant to the U.S. request for his extradition. On January 8, 2026, he was extradited from Mexico and surrendered to the United States.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the DEA and IRS Criminal Investigation. The U.S. Marshals Service assisted in transporting Najera Gutierrez from Mexico to appear before the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Georgia.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laurel Milam and Jonell L. Lucca are prosecuting the case.
The Justice Department Criminal Division Office of Enforcement Operations assisted in the investigation, and the Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and January 8, 2026, extradition of Najera Gutierrez.
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.
These prosecutions are also 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. The Atlanta Wilhelm HSTF comprises agents and officers from ATF, CGIS, DEA, FBI, ICE-HSI, IRS-CI, DOL-OIG, DSS, USMS, USPIS, and USSS, as well as numerous state and local agencies, with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
High-Ranking Sinaloa Cartel Member Extradited from Mexico to Atlanta to Face Cocaine Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
Following his extradition from Mexico to the United States, Roberto Najera Gutierrez, also known as “Kunfu Panda” and “La Gallina,” pleaded not guilty in the Northern District of Georgia to a federal charge of conspiring to manufacture and distribute cocaine that he knew would be imported into the United States.
“Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and our brave DEA agents, the cartels are no longer free to import poison into our communities,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We appreciate the work of our Office of International Affairs which secured the extradition of this alleged narco-terrorist and our attorneys in the Northern District of Georgia will ensure he’s met with swift justice in the United States.”
“As a senior member of the brutal Sinaloa Cartel, Najera Gutierrez is allegedly responsible for distributing massive amounts of cocaine from South America and through Mexico that were intended to poison communities in the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg for the Northern District of Georgia. “This federal indictment, as well as the recent arraignment in Atlanta of alleged Sinaloa Cartel trafficker Zhi Dong Zhang, demonstrates the global reach of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and underscores that narco-terrorists abroad will ultimately face justice in American courtrooms.”
“This indictment is part of a multi-agency collaboration dedicated to dismantling transnational criminal organizations responsible for drug trafficking and violence,” said Special Agent in Charge Jae W. Chung of the DEA Atlanta Division. “Through sustained cooperation, we are holding cartel leaders accountable and reducing the harm they cause to our communities.”
“IRS-CI is proud to stand alongside our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle criminal networks responsible for trafficking massive amounts of cocaine and other illegal drugs into the United States,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman of IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) Atlanta Field Office.
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the indictment, and other information presented in court: In 2013, DEA agents began an investigation of drug traffickers working with the Sinaloa Cartel to transport cocaine from South America to Mexico for importation into the United States, including into the Northern District of Georgia. The Sinaloa Cartel is a transnational criminal group based in Mexico. On Feb. 20, 2025, the Sinaloa Cartel was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
As part of the investigation, agents identified Roberto Najera Gutierrez as a then-high-ranking member of the cartel who allegedly led and coordinated the transportation of multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine by boat from Colombia and Ecuador to Honduras and Guatemala. Once the drugs were in Central America, they were smuggled across the Guatemalan border into Mexico. Najera Gutierrez allegedly distributed that cocaine to other high-level drug traffickers in Mexico who imported the cocaine into Atlanta, Chicago, and the states of Florida, New York, and California. Najera Gutierrez also allegedly coordinated the collection and remission of drug proceeds through bank accounts.
Roberto Najera Gutierrez, 48, of Tizimín, Yucatán, Mexico, is in federal custody. The recently unsealed indictment against Najera Gutierrez was returned in March 2018. In October 2023, Najera Gutierrez was served with a warrant pursuant to the U.S. request for his extradition. On Jan. 8, 2026, he was extradited from Mexico and surrendered to the United States.
This case is being investigated by the DEA and IRS-CI. The U.S. Marshals Service assisted in transporting Najera Gutierrez from Mexico to appear before the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Georgia.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laurel Milam and Jonell L. Lucca for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case.
The Justice Department Criminal Division’s Office of Enforcement Operations assisted in the investigation, and the Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and Jan. 8 extradition from Mexico of Najera Gutierrez.
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.
These prosecutions are also 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 U.S. 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. The Atlanta Wilhelm HSTF comprises agents and officers from ATF, CGIS, DEA, FBI, ICE-HSI, IRS-CI, DOL-OIG, DSS, USMS, USPIS, and USSS, as well as numerous state and local agencies, with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
Henryetta Resident Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of A ChildRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Claylon Leon Austin, a/k/a Clayton Leon Austin, age 38, of Henryetta, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Child/Use of a Child to Produce a Visual Depiction, punishable by no less than 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Indictment alleged that beginning on March 13, 2025, and continuing until March 14, 2025, Austin enticed a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of creating videos using a device which Austin knew was manufactured outside the state of Oklahoma.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Police.
The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Austin will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Wittlinger represented the United States.
Henryetta Resident Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine DistributionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Michael Wayne Wasson, a/k/a Pops, age 64, of Henryetta, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of a Felony Information for Distribution of Methamphetamine, punishable by a term of up to 20 years imprisonment and a $1,000,000 fine.
The Information alleged that on or about October 19, 2023, Wasson knowingly and willfully distributed a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.
The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Wasson is remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edith A. Singer and Jacob R. Parker represented the United States.
Henryetta Resident Pleads Guilty to Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Caleb Chainey Hensley, age 26, of Henryetta, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Distribution of Methamphetamine, punishable by a term of ten years to life in prison and a $10,000,000 fine.
The Indictment alleged that on May 13, 2024, Hensley knowingly and intentionally distributed 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Hensley will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edith A. Singer and Jacob R. Parker represented the United States.
Guatemalan National Charged with Illegally Reentering U.S.Read the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced CARLOS EGBERTO JIMENEZ-TUN, also known as Carlos Egberto-Jimenez, 28, a citizen of Guatemala, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with illegally reentering the United States after being deported.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in April 2019, Jimenez was encountered by U.S. Border Patrol in Texas as part of a criminal alien smuggling investigation. U.S. Border Patrol determined that Jimenez was in the U.S. illegally and he was deported to Guatemala in July 2019. In September 2019, U.S. Border Patrol encountered Jimenez in Texas again. He was arrested for being in the U.S. illegally and was deported to Guatemala in November 2019.
Jimenez subsequently unlawfully reentered the U.S. Between November 2023 and October 2025, Jimenez was arrested, convicted, and sentenced multiple times in Connecticut Superior Court for larceny, failure to appear in court, interfering and resisting arrest, and violating probation.
Jimenez was arrested today in Bridgeport by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations following his release from state custody. He appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti in Bridgeport and was ordered detained.
If convicted of the charge of unlawful reentry, Jimenez faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 2 years.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.
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.
Greenville Man Indicted for Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material While on Parole for Similar OffensesRead the Press Release
Greenville Man Indicted for Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material While on Parole for Similar Offenses
CONCORD – A Greenville man was indicted on charges of possession and access with intent to view child sex abuse material, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces.
According to court documents, Paul Birner, 50, was previously convicted of possessing child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) in Utah. He served a term of incarceration and, after his release, relocated to New Hampshire. As part of his sentence, the defendant was under the supervision of New Hampshire Probation/Parole (NHPPO). On September 10, 2025, NHPPO conducted a scheduled meeting with Birner and reviewed data on his cell phone. A subsequent review revealed numerous images and videos containing CSAM.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The charging statute provides a sentence of not less than 10, and not greater than 20 years of imprisonment. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The FBI is leading the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Nashua Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Vicinanzo is prosecuting the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
Gulfport Man Convicted at Trial of Fentanyl OffensesRead the Press Release
Gulfport, MS – After a three-day trial, on January 14, 2026, a jury in Gulfport, Mississippi convicted, Marcus Agee, 35, of Gulfport, Mississippi of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to the evidence and testimony presented during trial, Agee was serving a prison sentence in the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Beaumont, Texas, while running a drug trafficking conspiracy based in Gulfport, Mississippi. Agee directed other members of the conspiracy to make fentanyl sales, transfer the proceeds of fentanyl sales, and store fentanyl through messaging applications, text messages, and video calls on a contraband cell phone. He also arranged for the shipment of fentanyl to Gulfport, Mississippi for distribution.
Ultimately, law enforcement recovered a brick of fentanyl weighing over 900 grams and over 15,000 fake pills, some of which tested positive for fentanyl, which were attributable to Agee’s drug conspiracy. Photos are provided below:
Agee’s sentencing is scheduled for May 12, 2026. He faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years imprisonment and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, with the assistance of the Gulfport Police Department, Harrison County Sheriff’s Department, and Federal Bureau of Prisons, investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hunter McCreight and Jonathan Buckner prosecuted the case.
Gulfport Man Convicted at Trial of Fentanyl OffensesRead the Press Release
Gulfport, MS – After a three-day trial, on January 14, 2026, a jury in Gulfport, Mississippi convicted, Marcus Agee, 35, of Gulfport, Mississippi of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to the evidence and testimony presented during trial, Agee was serving a prison sentence in the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Beaumont, Texas, while running a drug trafficking conspiracy based in Gulfport, Mississippi. Agee directed other members of the conspiracy to make fentanyl sales, transfer the proceeds of fentanyl sales, and store fentanyl through messaging applications, text messages, and video calls on a contraband cell phone. He also arranged for the shipment of fentanyl to Gulfport, Mississippi for distribution.
Ultimately, law enforcement recovered a brick of fentanyl weighing over 900 grams and over 15,000 fake pills, some of which tested positive for fentanyl, which were attributable to Agee’s drug conspiracy. Photos are provided below:
Agee’s sentencing is scheduled for May 12, 2026. He faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years imprisonment and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, with the assistance of the Gulfport Police Department, Harrison County Sheriff’s Department, and Federal Bureau of Prisons, investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hunter McCreight and Jonathan Buckner prosecuted the case.
Former postal employee sentenced for stealing gift cards and money from the mailRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Anita D. Miller, 42, of Jamestown, NY, who was convicted of theft of mail by a postal employee and delay of mail by a postal employee, was sentenced to serve three years’ probation and 100 community service by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright, who handled the case, stated that on six occasions in February and March 2022, Miller, while employed by the U.S. Postal Service, stole gift cards and cash from mailed envelopes. In addition, one two occasions in March 2022, Miller delayed delivery of mailed envelopes.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent-in-Charge Northeast Field Office.
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Former IRS Employee Sentenced to 12 Months and a Day in Prison Following a More than $2M Financial Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Rodney Quinn Rupe, 47, of Syracuse, Utah, was sentenced to 12 months and a day imprisonment for wire fraud after he abused his position as a former IRS employee and attempted to steal more than $2 million in tax credits.
The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Howard C. Nielson, comes after Rupe pleaded guilty on June 11, 2025, to wire fraud. The court also sentenced Rupe to two years of supervised release.
According to court documents and admissions made at Rupe’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, on April 15, 2022, Rupe, an employee of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, accessed the IRS systems and moved tax credits in the amount of $2,021,986 from ExxonMobil’s taxpayer account to a taxpayer account for Ex XO Exteriors Ltd., a company Rupe created and controlled. He admitted that he moved the tax credits through three separate transfers, each of which used interstate wires. On September 18, 2023, Rupe transferred the tax credits so they would be applied to the 2019 tax year account for his company, knowing it would result in a refund check to Ex XO Exteriors Ltd. On October 31, 2023, Rupe resigned from the IRS and unsuccessfully attempted to deposit the refund check multiple times in 2024, and was subsequently arrested. See prior press release: Former IRS Employee Accused of Attempting to Steal More than $2M from the Government and ExxonMobil.
“As a former IRS employee, Mr. Rupe accessed an IRS database as a trusted government employee to fraudulently obtain millions of dollars for his own personal use,” said U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah. “This administration is committed to ferreting out programmatic government fraud, particularly by those who abused their positions rather than protecting the Americans they swore to serve.”
The case was investigated by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).
Assistant United States Attorney Carl D. LeSueur of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
Former Canton Aldermen Sentenced to 46 Months in Federal Prison for Bribery SchemeRead the Press Release
Jackson, MS – Andrew Grant, 41, and Eric Gilkey, 58, of Canton, Mississippi were sentenced yesterday to 46 months in federal prison for their roles in a bribery scheme involving former Madison County engineer Rudolph M. Warnock Jr.
In July, a federal jury convicted their co-defendants, Rudolph M. Warnock Jr., and Cleveland Anderson, of multiple felony charges following an eight-day trial. Counts 1 and 2 of the indictment charged Warnock and Anderson with conspiring to commit bribery. Warnock was also charged in Counts 3 and 4 of the indictment with conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and the completed offense of honest services wire fraud. Warnock and Anderson were both convicted on all the counts with which they were charged in the indictment. In December, Warnock was sentenced to 12 years in prison and Anderson was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Grant and Gilkey, both former members of the Canton Board of Aldermen, pleaded guilty to conspiring with Anderson and Warnock in the bribery scheme in November 2022. The Canton Board of Aldermen had authority to select and appoint members of the Board of Commissioners of the Canton Municipal Utilities agency (CMU). At Warnock’s behest, Grant and Gilkey appointed Anderson to serve on the CMU Board of Commissioners. It was Anderson who facilitated Warnock’s hiring as the CMU engineer in 2016.
The evidence at trial revealed that Warnock directed payments and rewards to Anderson, Gilkey, and Grant in exchange for preferential treatment that resulted in lucrative city engineering contracts for Warnock. The bribes supplied by Warnock included thousands of dollars in cash, concert tickets, and football tickets in New Orleans, Louisiana. In exchange for those bribes, Anderson, Grant, and Gilkey ceded control of the CMU purse to Warnock.
United States Attorney Baxter Kruger of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kimberly T. Purdie and David H. Fulcher prosecuted the case.
Five people arrested for alleged drug conspiracy at Dumfries motelRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Five defendants made their initial appearance in court today on charges relating to criminal activity alleged to have taken place in and around the Red Carpet Inn in Dumfries.
“Drug trafficking and sex trafficking devastate communities by exploiting vulnerable individuals and fueling violence and addiction,” said Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Our office is committed to dismantling criminal enterprises that profit from human suffering. Working alongside our law enforcement partners, we will continue to hold offenders accountable and disrupt the cycles of exploitation that threaten our communities.”
“These arrests stem from a joint investigation between the FBI, the Prince William County Police Department, and the Virginia State Police,” said Reid Davis, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal Division. “I want to thank our partners for the investigative work they have done to further this investigation and to support one of our top priorities — combating violent crime. The FBI will continue to collaborate with federal and local law enforcement agencies to dismantle drug and sex trafficking rings and bring traffickers to justice.”
According to court documents, since May 2023, Kosha Sharma, aka Ma or Mama K, 52, and Tarun Sharma, aka Pop or Pa, 55, and Kosha LLC, doing business as “Red Carpet Inn,” have leased and operated the motel. As alleged in a criminal complaint, Kosha and Tarun Sharma, who are married, take a cut of the profits made from illegal activity conducted on the third floor of the hotel.
From May 28, 2025, through Dec. 17, 2025, law enforcement conducted nine prostitution encounters and 15 controlled purchases of fentanyl at the Red Carpet Inn. Eleven of the controlled purchases were for fentanyl, the other four for cocaine. The complaint alleges that Margo Waldon Pierce, aka Marko, 51, distributed the illegal narcotics in all 15 controlled purchases.
Joshua Roderick, aka Josh, 40, and Rashard Perrish Smith, aka Sean/Shawn, B, B-more, or Baltimore, 33, were also arrested for their alleged roles in the criminal activity at the Red Carpet Inn.
The defendants are charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl. If convicted, they face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Catherine Rosenberg and Megan Braun are prosecuting the case. The FBI, Prince William County Police Department, and Virginia State Police are investigating the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:26-MJ-1.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
This release was revised on January 16, 2026, to correct the spelling of defendant Joshua Roderick.False Claims Act Settlements and Judgments Exceed $6.8B in Fiscal Year 2025Read the Press Release
Settlements and judgments under the False Claims Act exceeded $6.8 billion in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2025, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, announced today. That amount is the highest in a single year in the history of the False Claims Act. This year, whistleblowers filed 1,297 qui tam lawsuits, the highest number in a single year, and the government opened 401 investigations, including matters announced as Administration policy objectives. Settlements and judgments since 1986, when Congress substantially strengthened the civil False Claims Act, now total more than $85 billion.
“Stopping rampant fraud is a top priority, and this record-breaking year proves the False Claims Act remains one of the government’s most powerful weapons against fraud,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “We will continue to aggressively deploy it to protect taxpayer dollars and hold all fraudsters accountable.”
“The achievements announced today reflect exemplary work by the Department’s dedicated employees to investigate and litigate cases involving fraud against the government and to ensure that America’s taxpayer dollars are used for their intended purpose,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The False Claims Act and its whistleblower provisions are crucial tools for ensuring that public funds are spent properly and in the public interest.”
“The False Claims Act is at its best when it protects taxpayers and the Americans who rely on government programs,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brenna Jenny of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department’s False Claims Act enforcement is guided by a simple principle: the statute is a powerful tool, and it should be used responsibly. The record-breaking recoveries announced today show our commitment to holding bad actors accountable, safeguarding taxpayer dollars, and protecting vulnerable populations.”
The False Claims Act imposes treble damages and penalties on those who knowingly and falsely claim money from the United States or knowingly fail to pay money owed to the United States. The False Claims Act thus safeguards government programs and operations that provide access to medical care, support our military and first responders, protect American businesses and workers, help build and repair infrastructure, offer disaster and other emergency relief, and provide many other critical services and benefits. The resolutions in fiscal year 2025 also reflect the Department’s focus on key enforcement areas, including combating fraud in the federal health care system and in the government’s procurement, loan, and grant programs and redressing the improper avoidance of tariffs and customs duties that are owed.
Health care fraud remained a leading source of False Claims Act settlements and judgments. Of the more than $6.8 billion in False Claims Act settlements and judgments reported by the Department of Justice this past fiscal year, over $5.7 billion related to matters that involved the health care industry. These recoveries restore funds to federal programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE, the health care program for service members and their families. But just as important, in many cases, enforcement of the False Claims Act also protects patients from medically unnecessary or potentially harmful conduct. As in years past, the Act was used to pursue matters involving a wide array of health care providers, goods, and services. Most notably, the Department continued and expanded its success in three major areas: Managed Care, Prescription Drugs, and Medically Unnecessary Care. The amounts included in the $5.7 billion reflect recoveries arising only from federal losses, but in many of these cases, the department was instrumental in recovering additional amounts for state Medicaid programs.
The Department also continued its pursuit of fraud matters involving the purchase of goods and services by the government. Fraud on the military squanders government funds, can deprive servicemembers of critical resources and potentially put them at risk, and creates potential national security risks. The Department also continued to advance cases holding government contractors and grantees accountable when they knowingly violate applicable cybersecurity requirements. It likewise continued to invest resources in recovering hundreds of millions of dollars lost to fraud in pandemic programs.
Finally, the Department directed resources to combatting fraud that evades tariffs and customs duties, launching a cross-agency Trade Fraud Task Force to enhance efforts to prevent trade fraud that deprives the government of vital revenues, threatens critical domestic industries, undermines consumer confidence, and weakens national security. These matters focus on those who attempt to misrepresent the type of goods imported or an item’s country of origin or disguise items to evade duties.
In furtherance of its efforts to recover funds for the public fisc, the Department remained committed to incentivizing and rewarding entities and individuals that self-disclose misconduct, demonstrably cooperate in the course of an investigation, and take effective remedial measures. Several settlements over the last year acknowledged such cooperative measures and reflected credits afforded to the defendants in the form of reduced penalties or damage multiples in connection with the resolution, including several of the matters discussed in the attached Fact Sheet. These cooperative measures can include self-disclosures, assistance with the determination of government losses, disclosures of internal investigations and facts not known to the government, and remedial measures such as implementing compliance program enhancements or terminating or separating culpable employees.
In 1986, through the leadership of Senator Charles Grassley, Congress strengthened the False Claims Act by increasing incentives for whistleblowers to file lawsuits alleging false claims on behalf of the government. These whistleblower, or qui tam, actions comprise a significant percentage of the False Claims Act cases that are filed. Qui tam cases may be pursued by the government or the whistleblower, and this past year, significant recoveries were obtained by both. When a qui tam action is successful, the whistleblower, also known as the relator, typically receives a portion of the recovery ranging between 15% and 30%. The 1,297 qui tam suits filed in fiscal year 2025 breaks the prior record set in 2024 of 980 such cases. This past year, the Justice Department reported settlements and judgments exceeding $5.3 billion in these and earlier-filed qui tam suits.
On behalf of the Civil Division, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jenny expressed appreciation for the many public servants over the past year who supported the department’s enforcement efforts. “The results of the past fiscal year are the product of a talented team of civil servants who pursue righteous FCA cases and return funds to American taxpayers. These hard-working individuals tackle the most complex civil fraud matters and serve at offices across the country, including the Fraud Section of the Civil Division, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the agency Offices of Inspector General and Offices of General Counsel, and many other federal and state agencies that contribute to this important work.”
Except where indicated, the government’s claims in the matters described in the attached Fact Sheet are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability. The numbers contained in this press release may differ slightly from the original press releases due to accrued interest.
View the statistics sheet here.
Dulce Man Pleads Guilty to AssaultRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Dulce man pleaded guilty to charges stemming from an incident in which he discharged a handgun in a vehicle, striking the victim.
According to court documents, on July 21, 2025, Leandrew Cody Velarde, 22, an enrolled member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, became intoxicated in a park. The victim and another individual offered to drive him home, and he got into their vehicle. During an argument in the car, Velarde handled a handgun he had with him, and the firearm discharged, striking the victim. The victim required airlift transport to a hospital but survived the injury.
After the shooting, Velarde fled the scene and discarded the gun, which was later recovered by law enforcement along with a spent shell casing. He was arrested nearby in possession of marijuana, alcohol, and a cell phone.
Velarde pleaded guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. At sentencing Velarde faces up to 10 years in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Jicarilla Apache Nation Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Marshall is prosecuting the case.
District Man Sentenced to 21 Years for April 2023 Murder at Southeast Apartment ComplexRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Darrell Hinkle, 37, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 21 years in prison for the April 2023 murder of Dajuan Blakney in front of an apartment complex in Southeast Washington, DC, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
On September 4, 2025, defendant Hinkle pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder while armed in D.C. Superior Court. In sentencing the defendant, the Honorable Jason Park accepted the agreed-to sentencing range of 17 to 21 years and sentenced the defendant to 21 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, at 12:01 a.m. on April 21, 2023, Hinkle parked his vehicle in front of an apartment complex located at 1511 19th Street SE. Thereafter, the defendant approached the victim, who was seated on the steps leading to the entrance of the complex. When Hinkle was within a few feet of the victim, he shot him with an assault-style rifle, killing him. He then fled the scene in his vehicle.
The defendant was arrested in October of 2023 and has been in custody since.
Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery W. Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case was investigated by officers, detectives, and other personnel of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Carson.
2023 CF1 007468
Delhi, India Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Illegally Export Aviation Components from Oregon to RussiaRead the Press Release
Yesterday, in Portland, Oregon, a man from Delhi, India was sentenced to federal prison for conspiring with others to export controlled aviation components and a navigation and flight control system to end users in Russia, in violation of the Export Control Reform Act. Sanjay Kaushik, 58, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and 36 months of supervised release.
“Those who scheme to circumvent U.S. export control laws—especially when it involves technologies with military applications—will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The security of the United States demands that perpetrators of deceitful schemes like this one are held accountable for their actions.”
“This was no lapse in judgment. It was a calculated, profit-driven scheme involving repeated transactions, substantial gains, and coordination with foreign co-conspirators, including sanctioned Russian entities,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Scott E. Bradford. “This defendant sought, on multiple occasions, to undermine safeguards critical to U.S. national security and foreign policy for his own personal gain.”
According to court documents and following yesterday's sentencing, beginning in early September 2023, Kaushik conspired with others to unlawfully obtain aerospace goods and technology from the United States for entities in Russia. The goods were purchased under the false pretense that they would be supplied to Kaushik and his Indian company, when in fact they were destined for Russian end users.
In one such instance, Kaushik and his co-conspirators purchased an Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS), which is a device that provides navigation and flight control data for aircraft, from an Oregon-based supplier. Components such as the AHRS require a license from the Department of Commerce to be exported to certain countries, including Russia. To obtain an export license for the AHRS, Kaushik and his co-conspirators falsely claimed that Kaushik’s Indian company was the end purchaser and that the component would be used in a civilian helicopter. Kaushik and his co-conspirators obtained the AHRS – which was ultimately detained before it was exported from the United States – on behalf of and with the intention of shipping it, through India, to a customer in Russia.
Kaushik was arrested in Miami, Florida, on October 17, 2024, pursuant to a criminal complaint and arrest warrant and has remained in custody since then.
On November 20, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a three-count indictment charging Kaushik with conspiring and attempting to export products in violation of the Export Control Reform Act and the Export Administration Regulations, specifically attempting to illegally export a navigation and flight control system from Oregon to Russia through India, and false statements in connection with an export.
On October 9, 2025, Kaushik pleaded guilty to count one of the indictment, conspiring to sell export-controlled aviation components with dual civilian and military applications to end users in Russia.
The sentencing was announced by Scott E. Bradford, United States Attorney for the District of Oregon, Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg of the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and Special Agent in Charge Brent Burmester of the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), San Jose Field Office.
BIS Portland investigated the case, with valuable assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Gregory R. Nyhus, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, and Trial Attorney Emma Ellenrieder of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case.
Defense Contractor President Sentenced to 48 Months in Bribery SchemeRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Philip Flores, the owner, president, and chief executive of Intellipeak Solutions, Inc., a former defense contractor based out of Fredericksburg, Virginia, was sentenced in federal court today to 48 months’ custody, after admitting that he participated in a bribery scheme with former Naval Information Warfare Center employee James Soriano.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. District Judge Todd W. Robinson explained that the “fraud was pervasive” and “it is hard to understate in terms of this area of business practice any offense conduct which would be of a more serious nature – it goes to heart of the fairness of the contracting system.”
U.S. District Judge Todd W. Robinson also ordered Flores to pay $80,500 in restitution to three victims of the offense.
According to his plea agreement, Flores gave various things of value to Soriano, including expensive meals at restaurants in San Diego and Washington, D.C., field level tickets and parking passes to Game 5 of the 2018 World Series in Los Angeles, and tickets to the 2019 Super Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia. The cost of tickets to these premier sporting events totaled over $18,000.
In return, Soriano used his position as a contracting officer’s representative at the Naval Information Warfare Center to ensure that Intellipeak was awarded numerous no-bid contracts through the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) program. Soriano secured the contracts by falsifying technical evaluations, providing high ratings to Intellipeak to do the contracted work, and approving Intellipeak’s invoices on the awarded contracts, despite knowing that Intellipeak was not doing the work but instead subcontracting out all or most of the work to non-8(a) companies in violation of the SBA 8(a) rules.
Soriano also exploited competitive contracting through the SBA 8(a) program to benefit Intellipeak over other contractors. For example, Soriano secretly allowed Flores to draft contract discriminators to ensure that Intellipeak was selected as a winning bidder on a competitive contract. Soriano also allowed Flores to secretly draft procurement documents for an $87 million competitive contract and then performed multiple steps to attempt to award the contract to Intellipeak even though its bid was $7 million higher than another contractor.
According to his plea agreement, Flores also exploited Intellipeak’s 8(a) small business status by marketing Intellipeak to other defense contractors, who were not part of the 8(a) program, as a way for those companies to get access to 8(a) sole source contracts, generally in exchange for “pass through” fee that was equal to 6 to 8 percent of the contract value. Flores charged his 6 to 8 percent fee to the government, which Soriano approved, even though both knew that Intellipeak was not doing the work on the contracts and the fee did not reflect performed work.
According to his plea agreement, as a result of the conspiracy, the government paid Intellipeak more than $16 million to perform work on approximately 26 government contracts and task orders. The profit Intellipeak made from these contracts and task orders was conservatively estimated to be between $550,000 and $1.5 million despite performing little to no work on them.
According to the United States’ sentencing memorandum, this was not the first time that Flores and Intellipeak defrauded the government. Years before the bribery conspiracy, Flores engaged in a separate scheme to draft procurement documents and use sham quotes to ensure Intellipeak would be awarded millions of dollars of contracts through the SBA 8(a) program. Once obtained, Flores subcontracted the work to other companies in exchange for a fee. In 2022, Flores was indicted in the Northern District of Georgia with one count of conspiracy and two counts of major fraud against the United States. Flores went to trial and was found guilty of all charges. Flores was sentenced to four months in custody and allowed to remain on bond pending the resolution of his appeal.
“The integrity of the procurement process is not for sale,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “Those who trade bribes for government contracts undermine our warfighters and betray the American taxpayer—and they will be held accountable.”
"The successful prosecution of Mr. Flores underscores the serious consequences for undermining the integrity of the Department of Defense’s procurement process. This outcome serves as a significant deterrent to any individual who would exploit their position for personal financial gain at the expense of U.S. taxpayers," said John E. Helsing, Special Agent in Charge for the DoD Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Western Field Office. “DCIS remains committed to working with the United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners to root out public corruption within the DoD.”
"The integrity of our defense acquisitions is built on fairness and transparency, but Mr. Flores’ illicit bribery scheme eroded that foundation and betrayed the public's trust,” said Special Agent in Charge Greg Gross of the NCIS Economic Crimes Field Office. “NCIS remains steadfast in protecting the Department of the Navy procurement process by holding wrongdoers accountable and ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent in accordance with the law.”
“Today’s sentence sends a clear message: Anyone who exploits a position of trust to fuel personal greed will be found and held accountable,” said Marcus Sykes, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Funneling money into bribery schemes instead of delivering promised services undermines the integrity of federal programs. HHS-OIG will continue collaborating with our law enforcement partners to pursue justice against those who defraud the American people.”
"This sentencing shows what happens when someone abuses the system for personal gain. Philip Flores cheated taxpayers and hurt fair competition for government contracts,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Los Angeles Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation remains steadfast in working with our law enforcement partners to follow the money, expose corruption, and ensure that those who exploit positions of trust are held fully accountable."
“Fraud and bribery have no place in SBA programs. SBA-OIG is committed to protecting the integrity of the 8(a) program and ensuring these opportunities benefit eligible small businesses,” said SBA Inspector General William Kirk. “We will continue partnering with DOJ and law enforcement to pursue accountability and safeguard taxpayer funds.”
“The 8(a) Program is designed for legitimate small businesses in federal contracting – not as a vehicle for DEI, bribery, or political agendas,” said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. “SBA is grateful to our law enforcement partners for their work to stop fraud and put criminals behind bars. We will continue to audit participants and investigate the 8(a) Program, while implementing oversight and accountability on behalf of America’s taxpayers and job creators.”
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick C. Swan and Carling E. Donovan.
DEFENDANT Case Number 23-cr-2282-TWR-2
Philip Flores Age: 53 Nashville, TN
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Conspiracy to Commit Bribery - Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371
Maximum penalty: Five years in prison; a maximum $250,000 fine or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the offense, whichever is greatest.
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Defense Criminal Investigative Service
Naval Criminal Investigative Service
Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General
Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation
Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General
If you have information regarding fraud, waste, or abuse relating to Department of Defense personnel or operations, please contact the DoD Hotline at 800-424-9098
Dauphin County Man Sentenced to 46 Months’ Imprisonment for Drug Trafficking OffenseRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Francisco Baez, age 53, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on January 15, 2026, to 46 months’ imprisonment by United States District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson for drug trafficking.
According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, Baez pleaded guilty on January 29, 2025, to one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams and more of fentanyl. Investigators conducted controlled purchases of fentanyl from Baez during which he sold approximately seven grams of fentanyl to a Confidential Source. Subsequently, a search warrant was executed and law enforcement recovered approximately 137 grams of fentanyl, over $20,000 cash, and 977 grams of a cutting agent from Baez’s residence.
The matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Assistant United States Attorney Scott Ford prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
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D.C. Man Pleads Guilty to Pointing a Gun at Taxi DriverRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Erick Blanco-Cordova, 24, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to pointing a firearm at a taxicab driver in November 2019, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Blanco-Cordova pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of carrying a pistol without a license. The Honorable Judge Robert Salerno scheduled sentencing for March 18, 2026.
Blanco-Cordova’s codefendant, Lesly Taracena, was found guilty by a jury in April 2025 of conspiracy to commit an armed crime of violence, assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and other related charges, and was sentenced to five years in prison in June 2025.
According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 6:55 p.m., on November 11, 2019, Blanco-Cordova and Taracena were picked up in Arlington, Virginia by the victim, a taxicab driver, and asked to be taken to Union Station in Washington, D.C. The victim drove the defendants to the corner of 7th and F Street, NW, at which point Blanco-Cordova and Taracena exited the victim’s taxicab without paying their fare. The victim followed them and asked them to pay. Taracena turned around and pulled a firearm out of her pocket, pointing it at the victim while Blanco-Cordova stood next to her. The victim ran away in fear. When MPD stopped the defendants, they found a 40 caliber Smith and Wesson SD40VE semi-automatic handgun on Blanco-Cordova.
Blanco-Cordova was arrested in Maryland in March 2025 on weapons charges and has been in custody ever since.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katerina Qesari.
The co-defendant Lesly Taracena was prosecuted by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Hannah Skopicki and Assistant U.S. Attorney Katerina Qesari.
2019 CF3 014456
Convicted felon sentenced to 13 years in prison for illegally possessing firearmsRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Henrico man was sentenced yesterday to 13 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on Jan. 11, 2024, Dwayne Leman Swinson, aka Weezy, 44, was driving a vehicle with 13.98 grams of fentanyl and three firearms. One of the firearms was loaded with 78 rounds of ammunition and another was equipped with a 30-round magazine. Though Swinson attempted to distance himself from the vehicle when encountered by law enforcement, his DNA was found on the drugs, two of the firearms, and the drum magazine of the third firearm.
Swinson has eight prior felony convictions, three of which involve narcotics distribution or firearms offenses. As a previously convicted felon, Swinson cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
“Dwayne Swinson’s possession of multiple firearms and deadly fentanyl posed a serious and unacceptable threat to public safety,” said Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Our office is committed to holding dangerous offenders accountable and protecting our communities from narcotics trafficking and firearm violence.”
“Every day, FBI agents and law enforcement officers around the nation see the detrimental effects gun violence and drugs have on the welfare of our communities and families,” said Ian Kaufmann, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office. “With our partners, the FBI stands committed to investigating and holding accountable those who seek to undermine the safety and security of our citizens.”
The FBI and the Richmond Police Department investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia L. Norman and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Groover, an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney with the Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-53.
California Man Sentenced to More Than 20 Years in Prison for Child Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Gyasi Wallace (33, California) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger to 20 years and 10 months in prison for producing of child sexual abuse material. He pleaded guilty on August 26, 2025. Wallace is also required to serve 25 years of supervised release and register as a sexual offender.
According to court documents, on November 2, 2023, officers with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office responded to a Greyhound bus station to investigate a missing person, a 12-year-old female. Officers located the child with Wallace, who had purchased a bus ticket to California for himself and the child. Wallace was arrested and the child was reunited with her mother. A search of Wallace’s electronic devices revealed that the child and Wallace began talking on a social media application when the child was 10 years old. Wallace’s cellphone contained videos of the child engaging in sexually explicit conduct. There were also numerous videos and images found on Wallace’s devices containing children engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
“The exploitation of children leaves scars that last a lifetime—including invisible scars not only for the victims, but for their families and communities,” said Homeland Security Investigations Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge Tim Hemker. “Wallace’s actions were calculated, predatory, and deeply destructive. His calculated attempt to flee across state lines with a minor victim—boarding a bus bound for California—shows the lengths predators will go to evade justice and continue their abuse. Child exploitation is not a crime that ends when the abuse stops; it inflicts lifelong trauma on victims and their families. HSI and our INTERCEPT Task Force partners will remain relentless in our pursuit of justice for victims.”
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Cannizzaro.
It is another case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Boyfriend Who Strangled His Romantic Partner Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Marcus Hazel, 32, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to strangling his romantic partner Sandy Watts, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Hazel pleaded guilty today in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to a charge of strangulation. A Superior Court judge released the defendant today over the government’s objection pending sentencing, which is set for March 20, 2026.
According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 9:00 a.m., on November 28, 2025, the defendant and Ms. Watts were at an apartment in the 2700 block of New York Avenue, NE, when Hazel became angry about losing his cell phone. Ms. Watts offered to let the defendant use her cell phone until his was found or he bought a new one. Hazel became upset by this response and told Ms. Watts he did not want to use her phone. He wanted her to buy him a new cell phone. He began cursing at Ms. Watts and arguing with her. She asked the defendant several times to leave the apartment. He then placed both hands around Ms. Watts’ neck, applying pressure and restricting her ability to breathe. After that, he slammed the victim to the floor and continued applying pressure to her neck with both hands, again restricting her breathing. By the time Hazel released her, the victim had nearly lost consciousness. He then fled the scene on foot.
The defendant was arrested on November 29, 2025, and has been in custody ever since.
Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery W. Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.
The case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elias Feldman of the Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
2025 CF3 016192
Atlantic Biologicals Corporation co-owner agrees to pay half a million for alleged failure to report suspicious controlled substance ordersRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 64-year-old Miami, Florida, woman has agreed to pay $500,000 to resolve violations of the Controlled Substances Act, including failing to maintain effective controls, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Karen Moody is the co-owner of Atlantic Biologicals Corporation, a licensed wholesale distributor registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration to distribute Schedule II-V controlled substances. The company is headquartered in Miami, Florida, with distribution warehouses there and in Morrisville, North Carolina. The company distributed pharmaceutical and medical products under its DEA registration through National Apothecary Solutions.
From 2018 through at least March 2023, nearly all opioids NAS distributed were sold to Houston-area pharmacies, according to DEA records. Most were hydrocodone/acetaminophen and oxycodone in their highest strengths which are commonly diverted to the Houston-area black market. During that time, the company also distributed millions of dosage units of opioids, as well as large quantities of other commonly abused controlled substances, including carisoprodol, alprazolam and promethazine with codeine.
Under the Controlled Substances Act, distributors must provide effective controls and procedures to guard against theft and diversion of controlled substances to include reporting suspicious orders and conducting due diligence on their customers. According to the allegations, NAS failed to report a single suspicious order to the DEA, despite at least 128 orders that were unusually large, deviated substantially from normal patterns or occurred with unusual frequency.
“For half a decade, Moody and Atlantic Biologicals turned a blind eye to keeping these dangerous and addictive controlled substances out of the wrong hands. Now, her bill has come due,” said U.S. Attorney Ganjei. “Moody will personally pay $500,000 to the United States; this is in addition to the $450,000 her company is paying. When distributors fail to identify and report suspicious orders of controlled substances, they are a part of the problem—and they will face the consequences.”
“NAS is the latest example of a drug wholesaler profiting at the expense of Houstonians, fueling the opioid crisis by allowing millions of highly addictive controlled substances to slip into the wrong hands,” said Special Agent in Charge of the Houston Division Brian C. Leardo. “The DEA is committed to holding companies like NAS accountable and combating the illegal diversion of controlled substances that drives drug overdose deaths and crime in our communities.”
DEA conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill O. Venezia prosecuted the case.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no admission of liability.
Armed Bank Robber Sentenced to 11 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced Victor Antwan Perez, age 24, to 11 Years in federal prison for armed bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, after a federal jury convicted him earlier this year.
“Crime doesn’t pay. If you try to steal money from a bank while terrorizing the nice employees and innocent customers, you deserve to go to prison for a long time. He will spend 11 years reconsidering his antisocial behavior and hopefully become a productive member of society.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Perez entered the PNC Bank in Zebulon on the morning of February 7, 2024, wearing a ski mask with a distinctive pattern, a black jacket, grey pants, black latex gloves, lavender crocs, and a black handgun.
Perez walked up to a teller, waved the handgun in her face, and demanded money while pointing the gun at her. As the teller gathered the money, Perez threatened to shoot her fingers off.
Perez sped off with the stolen loot. About three weeks later, law enforcement conducted a search warrant of Perez’s home and car. They recovered the distinctive patterned mask, and matching black jacket, grey pants, black latex gloves, lavender crocs, and a black handgun. Officers also seized Perez’s phone. Forensic analysis of that phone placed it at the bank during the robbery.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles Loeser and Logan Liles prosecuted the case. The Zebulon Police Department and the FBI’s Raleigh-Durham Safe Streets Task Force investigated the case.
A copy of this press release is located on USAO EDNC website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-CR-110-D.
Anchorage woman indicted, arrested for wire, bank fraud scheme involving mail theft and aggravated identity theftRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage woman was arrested Wednesday in Anchorage after a federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment last month alleging she executed a wire and bank fraud scheme where she stole victims’ personal identifying information to use in fraudulently obtaining funds from several Alaskan organizations and financial institutions.
According to court documents, between February 2021 and February 2022, Dusty Starr, 47, devised and executed a scheme to defraud and obtain money from victims through materially false and fraudulent pretenses.
The indictment alleges Starr executed a wire fraud scheme using stolen identities to fraudulently apply for rent relief funds available during the pandemic. On one occasion in July 2021, Starr applied for rent relief funds using a fraudulently created email account with information stolen from a victim. Starr used the victim’s stolen identity and a fraudulent business certificate she obtained in the victim’s name for an LLC to apply. In the application, Starr falsely claimed that the victim was a landlord needing help with a renter who could not pay rent. Between July and November 2021, three separate payments were made to a bank account Starr fraudulently opened in the victim’s name and that Starr controlled. The three payments totaled to over $17,000. Starr used similar conduct on other occasions to obtain additional funds. The total estimated loss from Starr’s fraudulent applications for rent relief is over $47,500.
Court documents also allege that Starr committed bank fraud by forging checks belonging to Alaska organizations to steal funds from their accounts at various financial institutions. On one occasion in September 2021, Starr deposited a forged check funded from a religious organization’s account at a federally insured financial institution to a different account in her name for $918. The organization reported the check and others to the Alaska State Troopers (AST). AST and the financial institution identified five fraudulent checks and one unauthorized electronic funds transfer from the organization’s account. The religious organization’s total estimated loss from the fraudulent transactions is over $6,250. Starr used similar conduct on other occasions to steal additional funds from other Alaska organizations.
Starr is charged with three counts of wire fraud, three counts of bank fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft and two counts of possession of stolen mail. The defendant is scheduled to make her initial court appearance on Jan. 20, 2026, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kyle F. Reardon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, she faces a mandatory minimum sentence of two years for each aggravated identity theft charge, and up to 30 years in prison for the other charges. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman of the District of Alaska, Inspector in Charge Anthony Galetti of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Seattle Division Office and Chief Sean Case of the Anchorage Police Department made the announcement.
More information about this case is available at www.justice.gov/usao-ak/united-states-v-dusty-starr. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service Anchorage Domicile and APD are investigating the case, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General. If anyone has information concerning Starr’s alleged actions, please contact the USPIS Hotline at 877-876-2455 or online at USPIS.gov/report.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Stewart is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Anaheim Man Arrested on Federal Criminal Complaint Charging Him with Making Death Threats Against Vice President VanceRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – An Orange County man was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint alleging that he posted on Instagram death threats against Vice President JD Vance during his visit to Disneyland Resort last year.
Marco Antonio Aguayo, 22, of Anaheim, is charged with threats against the President and successors to the Presidency.
He is expected to make his initial appearance on Tuesday in United States District Court in Santa Ana.
“This case is a horrific reminder of the dangers public officials face from deranged criminals who would do them harm,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “I am grateful that my friend Vice President Vance and his family are safe, applaud the police work that led to the arrest, and will ensure my prosecutors deliver swift justice.”
“We will not tolerate criminal threats against public officials,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “We are grateful the Vice President and his family remained safe during their visit. Let this case be a warning to anyone who thinks they can make anonymous online threats. We will find you and bring you to justice.”
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, on July 12, 2025, Vice President Vance visited and stayed at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. On the same day, Aguayo posted several public comments on the Instagram account of The Walt Disney Company.
The first comment read, “Pipe bombs have been placed in preparation for J.D. Vance’s arrival.” Another comment read, “It’s time for us to rise up and you will be a witness to it.” A third comment read, “Good luck finding all of them on time there will be bloodshed tonight and we will bathe in the blood of corrupt politicians.”
Later that day, law enforcement visited Aguayo at home. He surrendered his telephone to law enforcement, who observed the three threatening messages left concerning the Vice President.
A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
If convicted, Aguayo would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
The United States Secret Service is investigating this matter with assistance from the FBI and Anaheim Police Department.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Robert K. Quealy of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting this case.
Alleged Latin Kings gang member arrested on federal charges after stealing rifle from FBI vehicleRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A prior convicted felon was charged in a criminal complaint today with being a felon in possession of a firearm and theft of government property after breaking into an FBI vehicle and stealing a rifle, announced United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.
Rosen was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Travis S. Riddle, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives St. Paul Field Division, Acting Special Agent in Charge Jarrad Smith of FBI Minneapolis, Special Agent in Charge Mark Zito, Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Homeland Security Investigation St. Paul, and Special Agent in Charge Dustin Gillespie, Drug Enforcement Administration Omaha Field Division.
Charged was Raul Gutierrez, 33, of Minneapolis. Gutierrez is expected to make an initial appearance in federal court today.
United States Attorney Rosen stated, “Despite the incitement of violence against federal law enforcement by local officials, which resulted here in the theft of a firearm from an FBI vehicle and the destruction of government property, this United States Attorney’s Office and Department of Justice will always put the public safety of Americans first. This alleged gang member, who is a previously convicted felon, is a danger to the community and this case is an indictment of the weak-on-crime policies promoted by the Mayor and Governor.”
“This arrest underscores a simple truth. We will not tolerate individuals exploiting circumstances to engage in criminal activity,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Travis Riddle, of the St. Paul Field Division. “When criminal conduct results in a prohibited person unlawfully possessing a firearm, the risk to the public increases dramatically, and ATF will act accordingly. Taking advantage of any situation to endanger public safety or undermine the integrity of law enforcement will be met with swift and decisive action.”
“There is a clear, bright line between peaceful protest and lawless destruction," said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jarrad Smith of FBI Minneapolis. "Stealing, damaging, and destroying federal property endangers the community and jeopardizes the safe and peaceful exercise of First Amendment rights. The FBI will never tolerate interference in law enforcement activities. Together with ATF, DEA, and the invaluable partnership of all our federal, state, and local law enforcement allies, FBI Minneapolis will ensure public safety and that those engaging in violent and destructive behavior will be identified and will face justice.”
Special Agent in Charge Mark Zito of HSI St. Paul stated, "As alleged, this career criminal demonstrated a brazen and utterly unacceptable contempt for the sanctity of public safety and the American rule of law when he broke into a government vehicle and stole deadly weaponry, including a rifle and accessories. Public wellbeing must be non-negotiable — no political considerations or First Amendment rights should compromise the safety and stability of our communities, which descended into riots and chaos on Jan. 14. Standing side by side with our law enforcement partners, HSI is committed to investigating all criminal opportunists and bad actors seeking to exploit the public right to peacefully protest and, in turn, endanger our neighborhoods.”
“Gutierrez is known at DEA as a violent criminal with a history involving fentanyl and methamphetamine drug trafficking and distribution,” Drug Enforcement Administration Omaha Field Division Special Agent in Charge Dustin Gillespie said. “In support of this investigation, DEA identified him as the individual seen breaking into an FBI vehicle on January 14. The combined efforts of federal law enforcement agencies and the Violent Offender Task Force led to the swift arrest and the removal of a Latin King member that instilled fear and pushed poisons into our communities.”
According to the criminal complaint, on January 14, 2026, members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation were assisting Department of Homeland Security officers as part of an ongoing federal operation in the Twin Cities, Minnesota metropolitan area. That evening, FBI personnel were operating on Minneapolis’s North Side in support of a DHS arrest operation that resulted in the use of force. As a result of the ensuing civil unrest, FBI and DHS personnel were forced to abandon their vehicles and property at the scene. Individuals in the crowd forced entry into an unmarked FBI vehicle and stole its contents. The contents included a Colt M16A1 rifle and a HUXWRX Suppressor, among other items.
Investigators with DHS and the Department of Justice (DOJ) promptly began an investigation to identify the individuals responsible for the theft and viewed numerous open-source social media posts and videos of the destruction and theft of government property. In one such video, investigators observed a male with a distinguishable facial tattoo, later identified as Gutierrez, remove a soft rifle case containing the Colt M16A1and HUXWRX suppressor from the trunk vault of the FBI vehicle that had just been broken into. Additional monitoring of open-source social media posts revealed another video that showed Gutierrez walking down the street carrying the soft rifle case and eventually place the rifle case in the backseat of a black Ford sedan.
The following morning, investigators with ATF and the Hennepin County Violent Offender Task Force (VOTF) established surveillance on Gutierrez’s residence. While at the residence, investigators observed a tow truck arrive and load a covered vehicle onto the back. A male wearing a face mask who matched Gutierrez’s height and weight entered the passenger side of the tow truck and departed. Investigators followed the tow truck for several minutes and during which the cover began to lift in the wind, revealing a black Ford sedan like the one identified in social media videos the previous night. Shortly thereafter, VOTF investigators attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the tow truck which resulted in the truck fleeing. The driver of the tow truck and Gutierrez both exited the truck and ran in different directions. Both the driver and Gutierrez were apprehended after a brief foot pursuit.
A complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent. As a felony trial cannot be held on a complaint, a decision to seek an indictment will be made in the near future.
The case was investigated by the FBI, DHS, ATF, DEA and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Violent Offender Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Campbell Warner.
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.
Click here for a copy of the Criminal Complaint
40 Year Prison Term for Man Who Murdered Woman Inside Her Hotel Room in March 2023Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – George Sydnor, 46, of Washington, DC, was sentenced today for charges related to the stabbing of Christy Bautista, 31, in March 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Sydnor pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder while armed (premeditated) on October 17, 2025. Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz sentenced Sydnor to the prison term to be followed by five years of supervised release.
“The victim, Christy Bautista, was visiting D.C. to attend a concert—an experience that should have been safe and routine,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “Instead, this monster brazenly rode his bike up to her motel, entered her room, and launched a deadly stabbing attack against an innocent woman. Today’s 40-year prison sentence delivers justice and sends a clear message: those who commit acts of extreme violence will be held fully accountable.”
According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 5:22 p.m., on March 31, 2023, the victim, Ms. Bautista, arrived at the Ivy City Hotel, located in the 1600 block of New York Avenue Northeast, D.C., after traveling from her home in Harrisonburg, Virginia to D.C. to attend a concert. She rented a room at the hotel and, after checking in, began to unload her personal items from her car. Sydnor was captured on surveillance footage, arriving at the hotel on a rideshare bike, approximately an hour and a half later. The defendant rode his bike towards a group of hotel rooms located on the ground floor—near Ms. Bautista’s room. The rooms were accessible from the street. Sydnor parked his bike in front of Ms. Bautista’s window and then stood at her door as if listening in before abruptly entering her room slamming the door behind him. Once inside, the defendant attacked Ms. Bautista, stabbing her multiple times, killing her. Hotel surveillance footage captured several loud thud noises immediately after Sydnor entered Ms. Bautista’s room and a witness heard a woman screaming for help. At the time of this offense, Sydnor was on release for a previous attempted robbery case.
Sydnor was arrested on March 31, 2023, and has been in custody since.
Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Interim Chief Carroll commended those who worked on the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. They also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Santiago and Lindsey Merikas, who prosecuted the case.
15 January 2026
United States Files Forfeiture Action Against Two Anti-Submarine Warfare Crew Trainers En Route from South Africa to the Chinese MilitaryRead the Press Release
The Justice Department filed a forfeiture complaint against two mission crew trainers (MCTs) that were interdicted in transit from the Test Flying Academy of South Africa (TFASA) to the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The MCTs are mobile classrooms intended to assist the PLA to train personnel on the use of airborne warning and control system and anti-submarine warfare aircraft.
“TFASA masquerades as a civilian flight-training academy when in fact it is a significant enabler of the Chinese air and naval forces and a pipeline for transferring NATO aviation expertise, operational knowledge, and restricted technology directly to the People’s Liberation Army,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The National Security Division will continue to act decisively to preserve the U.S. military’s qualitative edge by preventing U.S. technology from falling into the hands of our adversaries."
“This seizure demonstrates the ongoing threat that China and its enablers pose to the national security of the United States through the unlawful procurement of U.S. military technology,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia. “The Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners continue to be steadfast in our commitment to use every lawful tool available to keep this critical technology out of the hands of our adversaries.”
"The Test Flying Academy of South Africa illegally exported U.S. military flight simulator technology and recruited former NATO pilots for the purpose of training China’s military, jeopardizing U.S. national security and placing the lives of American service members at risk,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. “The U.S. government will pursue every avenue available to defend the homeland, protect our warfighters, and hold accountable anyone who aids our adversaries.”
“TFASA’s continued attempts to leverage our nation's military expertise and software gravely threaten United States' national security interests and the lives of American service members around the globe," said FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Vanessa Tibbits. “May today’s disruption reflect the FBI’s unwavering commitment to protect our country from foreign adversaries.”
“This successful interdiction highlights the critical role HSI plays in safeguarding U.S. national security and preventing sensitive technology from reaching adversarial military forces,” said Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel of Homeland Security Investigations New York. “By disrupting the transfer of advanced anti-submarine warfare training equipment to the Chinese military, HSI New York and our partners denied adversaries access to vital U.S. tactics and capabilities and, in turn, protected vital American interests. I commend HSI New York and our law enforcement counterparts for their steadfast commitment to countering illicit procurement networks and defending the integrity of U.S. defense technology worldwide.”
As described in the complaint, TFASA is a South Africa-based company that specialized in military flight testing and training through facilities in South Africa and China. TFASA was founded in 2003 with the support of the South African government to facilitate cooperation with China. According to its website, “TFASA Flight Test Services” trained Chinese military pilots for fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) training standards.
According to court documents, the MCTs and associated software were designed and manufactured, using U.S.-origin software and defense technical data, by TFASA. The purpose of the MCT project – dubbed “Project Elgar” by TFASA personnel – was to train PLA aviators on anti-submarine warfare techniques, expanding their capability to locate and track U.S. submarines working in the Pacific.
The MCTs’ layout was modelled after the P-8 Poseidon, which is manufactured by Boeing and serves as the United States’ primary anti-submarine warfare maritime patrol aircraft. The MCTs were designed to run software specially designed by TFASA for Project Elgar. The software used a basic flight simulator program designed and marketed by a U.S. company, which TFASA software engineers then enhanced using technical data relating to Western anti-submarine warfare aircraft, including the P-8 Poseidon. Former NATO aviators with training in anti-submarine warfare techniques were part of TFASA’s Project Elgar team.
This interdiction is the latest instance implicating TFASA in its role as a primary trainer of the PLA. In June 2023, the Department of Commerce added TFASA and numerous of its subsidiaries and affiliates in South Africa and elsewhere to the Entity List “for providing training to Chinese military pilots using Western and NATO sources,” which the Department of Commerce noted was “contrary to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.”
This interdiction of the MCTs is a product of the U.S. government’s coordinated effort to stop the PLA and its enablers from further threatening U.S. national security. The forfeiture action comes as China, Russia, and Iran began a week of joint naval exercises in South Africa’s waters on Saturday, January 10.
The FBI, HSI New York Field Offices, and the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement, New York Field Office are leading the investigation of TFASA and its activities.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven B. Wasserman and Rick Blaylock, Jr. for the District of Columbia and Acting Deputy Chief Sean Heiden of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are litigating the case.
The burden to prove forfeitability in a forfeiture proceeding is upon the government.
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